#216 - "But I'm Not Good Enough"

Proverbs 10:6 - Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous (the upright, in right standing with God)...

Proverbs 31:29 - Many daughters have done virtuously, nobly, and well [with the strength of character that is steadfast in goodness], but you excel them all.

Proverbs 24:16a - For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again... 

Have you ever read the Bible and come across a scripture and thought, "But, I'm not righteous. I've messed up. I guess this verse doesn't apply to me." With your head hung down a bit in defeat, you just accept that maybe the "blessings" in the Bible don't apply to you because you are just "not good enough."

As I began reading Proverbs this morning, I honestly couldn't get past Proverbs 10:6. I got a whole SIX verses into reading the Bible until I had to stop. "Blessings are upon the head of the [uncompromisingly] righteous." I sat and pondered that word, righteous. Racing into my head came all of the most recent times I've messed up. Maybe done something that I shouldn't have done, maybe having not been as patient as I should have been, maybe I said something that was 'off-color', maybe I acted out of selfishness. Immediately, the enemy wanted me to reject Proverbs 10:6 for myself, to hang my head in defeat and just accept the fact that the verse is just not talking about me.

I decided to look up "righteous" in the Hebrew to see what the original meaning was talking about. The same Hebrew word was used for both Proverbs 10:6 & Proverbs 24:16. Tsaddiyq. It's pronounced, sad-eek. Tsaddiyq in the original Hebrew means right in one's cause or righteous in conduct & character. I was interested to find that no where in the original meaning for this word did it say "PERFECT."

"But, I'm not perfect. I've messed up. How can I be considered righteous? 

How can these verses actually include me??" 

I have good news for you! Proverbs 24:16 says, For a righteous man falls seven times and rises again. The righteous. The tsaddiyq man falls. Falls. What does "falls" mean in the original Hebrew? It is the Hebrew word naphal and the definition includes "to fall short, to fail."

This righteous person, right in his/her cause, righteous in his/her character & conduct MESSES UP, FALLS SHORT, FAILS! Usually this righteous person has good intentions, but the bottom line is that he/she falls short and sins. Here is where grace & faith come in. Romans 3:24 & 28 remind us that we are justified FREELY by God's grace... man is justified by faith.

Though we may fall, we can KEEP GETTING BACK up! Though we may sin, the grace of God is there every time to forgive us and draw us back into right-standing with Him! Matthew talks about how many times you should forgive... not just 7, but 70 times 7. Forgive your brother over and over and over. If he/she is willing to come for forgiveness, forgive! And God is the same. If we are willing to come and ask for forgiveness, he will heed His own Word! He will forgive. Restoring us to a place of right-standing with Him.

What of the Proverbs 31 woman? She excels them all.... but just by knowing Romans 3:10 & 12, we know she is not perfect. "There is no one righteous, not even one... ALL have turned away...." Even the woman who appears perfect, she was not. She has also messed up! She too, needed to cling to grace & forgiveness.

You are deserving. Jesus went to the cross for YOU. You are the child of the Most High God! Being a child of the Most High God, makes you an HEIR! Have you ever thought about the rights of an Heir? Not just ANY heir, but the heir of Jesus. A "co-heir with Christ" as it says in Romans 8:17. Because of the grace of God, you ARE good enough! Receive the blessings that are yours today. And if you mess up, go to the throne of grace & receive the forgiveness that God is waiting to give you. He desires your humility to Him. Your humble spirit. He desires to forgive no matter how great or small the sin. Don't let Satan talk you into thinking you are not good enough! Because of Jesus, YOU ARE GOOD ENOUGH! Go out today and be blessed!

#126 - Sinner Saved by Grace?

Good morning! :) What a blessed day it is going to be!! I'm excited! Are you? Today, you are accompanied by the ALMIGHTY GOD! You are walking with the KING today! Don't you feel special? You are accompanied by the Almighty One who is above HEAVEN & EARTH! Ruler over all... and HE has chosen to be with you! Equally as important, YOU, as a believer and child of God, have made the decision for Him to be with you. That is something to SHOUT about! WOW! You are so special that you are accompanied everywhere you go by the KING! If you receive it... it's like, as he walks with you, he dubs favor everywhere your hands touch, everywhere your feet tread. Like He said to Joshua in Joshua 1:3, wherever your feet tread, the land is YOURS! I picture a King in a mighty robe with his scepter....walking along side you dubbing people, places & things to turn in your favor. Why? Because you have earned it? No, because you are HIS HEIR! Heir to the throne, CHILD of a King! Today.... you can choose to live your life with the glass half full, the glass half empty, or the glass overflowing! If your glass isn't overflowing in the natural, just choose to expect it! Just choose to say, I'M ACCOMPANIED BY THE KING! I HAVE FAVOR IN EVERYTHING I DO! I WALK IN ABUNDANCE & LIVE IN THE BLESSING! THEREFORE, MY CUP RUNNETH OVER!


Now all of that, that is shouting grounds! That is good stuff. That was worth coming for, and was not in my "mind" when I sat down to the keyboard.... so I believe that was from the Holy Spirit to my fingers, to YOU! Receive it today!


Let's get in the Word:

Psalm 47:1, 8 - O CLAP your hands, all you peoples! Shout to God with the voice of triumph and songs of joy! God reigns over the nations; God sits upon His holy throne.

Psalm 77:13 - Your way, O God, is in the sanctuary [in holiness, away from sin and guilt]. Who is a great God like our God? 

Proverbs 31:25 - Strength and dignity are her clothing and her position is strong and secure... 

SHOUT to GOD with a voice of VICTORY! HE Reigns and since HE lives inside of you via the HOLY SPIRIT, YOU REIGN TOO! You walk in Victory also because the Mighty One lives within you. 


Man, this is good stuff! God's way, is in the sanctuary.... away from sin & guilt. When we were forgiven, when we were born again... our old lives were washed white as snow, we were recreated anew. We were given a NEW, CLEAN, spirit, free of sin, bondage and baggage. We were given a fresh start. Our slate? PERFECT! Wiped clean! So... what happens when we mess up? What happens when we sin? Does sin after sin begin to dirty our perfectly white slate? Does it just pile up until it is again, like it was before we were saved? Does it just continue to get dirty and tarnished? It does not have to! That is what repentance and forgiveness is! When we fall into sin, or fall short, that is why our heavenly Father allows us to come before the throne of grace and repent. The moment we repent, our spirit is completely white again. Our responsibility? To continue, through the Word, to RENEW our Minds. Our Spirit already carries the Almighty One, we just have to renew our mind so that our mind will fall into line with what our spirit already knows! That is why being in the Word on a daily basis is so crucial! It renews our mind, then, gradually, sin gets further and further away from our desire. Our desire gets to a point that we just want to please our Father. We just want to make our Father happy & proud of us, so the temptation of sin, gets lessened. 


It appears that the Proverbs 31 woman has figured this out. She walks around with strength and dignity. She KNOWS who she is. Her position, her stance, in the natural & in the spiritual is STRONG & SECURE. She knows who she is and whose she is and because of that she is able to operate with confidence and authority. 


An Un-Victorious Focus: Something I believe in some circles is dwelled on too much... tell me if you have heard this line before.... "Well, I'm just a sinner saved by grace." I picture a woman with a cane in a feeble voice saying that line. But often, when it is said, the person is focusing on the SIN. We WERE sinners, but NOW by grace we are saved. I AM NOT A SINNER. I am the REDEEMED! By Jesus stripes I have been redeemed from my old life. I have been redeemed from the life I lived before Jesus, the life of sin. I am now the RIGHTEOUSNESS of God and have been saved! Praise God! Not by anything I could have done to earn it, but I was saved because of the Almighty Grace of God!!! I WAS a sinner, and NOW I am HEIR TO THE KING! I'm CHILD to the KING OF KINGS! I am now the RIGHTEOUSNESS of GOD THROUGH Christ Jesus! Do you see the difference in thought process? Do you see how radical of a difference these two people must live? One focused on the "sin".... wallowing in how they are "not worthy", and the other focused on the "grace" and because of the VICTORY Jesus had over the cross, death, hell & the grave.... because of THAT victory, this person too is now living and walking with a VICTORY MINDSET. 


What a revelation! This is GOOD stuff! Like Psalm 47 says, SHOUT to God with a VOICE OF TRIUMPH! That is what I feel like doing NOW! PRAISE GOD THAT WE ARE VICTORIOUS! Isn't that good?!!! I know it is! Amen! God is good! He reigns! He is Victorious AND HE LIVES INSIDE OF ME SO I CAN BE VICTORIOUS TOO! PRAISE THE LORD!


Have a great day! Hold your head up higher today. Be WHO YOU ARE! You are ACCOMPANIED BY THE KING! Act like it!