>>>Stay Focused!>>>

Proverbs 4:25-27 : “Look straight ahead, and fix your eyes on what lies before you. Mark out a straight path for your feet; then stick to the path and stay safe. Don’t get sidetracked; keep your feet from following evil.”

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Purpose is important in the life of a child of God. I must be a woman of purpose and vision. The Bible says, “Where there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18). My survival, my ability to make impact is highly dependent on my vision. Now from this verse, there are three key words that serve as transitions from one sentence to another.

“Look” – I must cast my eyes/vision and look ahead to what lies ahead of me. For example, I know that a law degree lies ahead of me. That is the end goal of all these years of study. It is important to know what the goal is and fix your eyes on it. What we see registers in our minds and becomes what we think. ‘Looking’ is important.

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“Mark” – The second step is to mark out a plan, a strategy, a game plan that will guide my path to the end goal. This plan/strategy must be clear and ‘straight’ as the Bible says. It can be long term plan/goals or short term goals. For example, I know I have a law degree ahead of me, I want to have a first class degree, that is the vision. But how do I get to this end goal? Studying, setting daily goals, keeping up with my reading lists, eating well, resting well, praying, making sure not to repeat any course are some ways. These are all part of me marking out a path for my feet to follow. Now, the verse goes on to say that after I have marked out this path, I must stick to it and stay safe. Sticking to the game plan is important for my safety. Simple.

“Don’t” – It says ‘don’t get sidetracked’. This is very important because the moment I lose focus or move away from the path (game plan), I am putting my safety in jeopardy, and of course, I am no more setting my eyes on the goal anymore. Priorities are misplaced and failure is near. I must keep my feet from following evil in order to succeed.

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Staying on track is very important for success. I must learn to say NO to distractions and to stay focused, determined, and faithful to the call. I must keep the vision and the strategy even closer.

Dear reader, wherever God has placed you, He is counting on you to stay focused. Don’t lose sight of your goal. Keep your vision close and follow Jesus every step of the way.

Father,

Thank You for this word! Amazing. Help me to be focused and determined in my education and in my life generally. The goal is to finish well. May I not fall by the wayside. In Jesus’ name, AMEN. 

Hope this blessed you. 

Have a fabulous week ahead!

In Christ,

Shanpepe.

I AM RIGHTEOUS!: Dealing with an Identity Crisis

Micah 6:5 – “O my people, remember now what Balak king of Moab consulted, and what Balaam the son of Beor answered him from Shittim unto Gilgal; that ye may know the righteousness of the LORD.”

For a very long time I struggled with the issue of my righteousness in God’s eyes. I kept thinking, “I am such a sinner, I’m sure God doesn’t see me as righteous.” But this year, God has in His faithfulness shown me and affirmed to me that I am righteous. Wanna know why? Let’s dig into Scripture a bit.

God is righteous and in Him dwells no iniquity. Now, because of Jesus Christ, I am righteous. This is not to say that I am void of sin, but to say that when God beholds me, He sees the righteousness of His Son Jesus. Micah tells us to cast our minds back to the story of King Balak and Balaam in Numbers.

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Numbers 23:20-21 – “Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it. He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.”

The story was that king Balak saw the nation of Israel as a threat and called upon Balaam to curse them. However, Balaam couldn’t curse them but could only bless them at the command of the Lord, which he couldn’t even reverse. At this juncture let me point out an amazing fact to you. Whom God has blessed, no man can curse. His blessings are permanent and cannot be reversed. That’s why we must desire God’s blessings much more than miracles. Miracles are momentary, but God’s blessings are permanent.

Now in verse 21, :…he hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel…” Israel was a nation that had always defied God’s instructions and committed sin upon sin. But here was God saying that He did not see their iniquity. Not that they weren’t guilty of iniquity, He didn’t just see the iniquity! Now this buttresses the point that my Righteousness is not of works or of keeping the law. My righteousness is by faith. Because if it were by works, God would not have declared that He did not behold their iniquity. God’s righteousness is beyond human comprehension! I am a sinner but God doesn’t see my sin! Instead what does He see? He sees Jesus, who is my righteousness! Therefore I AM RIGHTEOUS! Because of my faith and belief in God, I am righteous!

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The Bible says in Romans 4:3 that “…Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.” Verse 5 says, “But people are declared righteous because of their faith, not because of their work.” Praise God!

The criteria for righteousness is faith, not works. Therefore, my righteousness is no more about how many laws I keep, but about my simple faith in God. That is why even when I sin, He doesn’t behold my sin because I am righteous in His eyes. I am righteous enough. I am as righteous as I will ever be. I am as righteous as I will ever need to be. My righteousness account will continually remain credited and my unrighteous account, remain empty because of the blood of Jesus and my faith in Him. I am righteous! Praise the Lord! I need never to struggle with an identity crisis every again. I believe God, and therefore I am righteous. What a victorious life we live in Jesus!

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2 Corinthians 5:21 – “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

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Dear Father,

It’s such a great feeling to know that in Your eyes I am righteous. Thank you that my simple faith in You is my criteria for righteousness. Thank You that despite my shortcomings, You do not behold my sin. I am rightoues. Thank You because whom You have blessed, no man can curse. Thank you for this assurance. I am filled with joy unspeakable! I love You my righteous King.

Amen.

I hope this has blessed you.

In Christ,

Shanpepe