How To Become Righteous

"There are none righteous, no not one." -Romans 3:10

"Yet now, apart from the law, a righteousness of God manifest ."  Romans 3:21

"Abraham believes God, and it is reckoned to him for righteousness." - Apostle Paul in Romans 4:4

To become righteous, you simply must believe God. I say simply, because it should be simple. Yet, so many people now don't even believe IN God. It is not hard to trust an honest man to keep his word, no? This is a man! We have faith that if someone we trust says they will do something, they will do it. Yet, we can't give God the same courtesy? The Creator of the Universe has a credit score of 400?

I am not trying to ridicule anyone for not trusting that God will do what He says he will do. That is not my intention. I am only bring attention to the fact, that so many people are so close to the truth, yet they can't figure out how the only piece left of the puzzle fits. I mean picture that! Picture someone piecing a puzzle of 250 pieces together. They started with the edges; there is a God, He is all powerful, all knowing, loving. Then they started moving inward; oh no we messed up, now we aren't in a perfect state of being, now life kinda sucks, how can we keep all of these commandments and laws, I will never be righteous! Oh but wait! God sent His Son to die for us! All I have to do is believe! Now I have to get baptized or my belief won't count, oh and if I am not in Sunday School every Sunday morning it doesn't count either, I have to stop sinning now too or I am not truly saved....

Does this sound familiar?? This was me! This is still a lot of my friends and family! THEY JUST DON'T GET IT! The last piece is in their hand and there is only one way that it fits in the puzzle! IF CHRIST DIED FOR US, AND WE DIED WITH CHRIST THEN THERE IS NOTHING LEFT TO DO EXCEPT REST IN KNOWING THAT IT CAN'T BE UNDONE! It isn't based on you, or your attendance, or your lifestyle. We have FREEDOM because of Christ.  If our righteousness were based on anything we do or don't do, then Christ dying was completely pointless! A complete waste of time and he suffered for absolutely no reason at all! It is so simple but mankind always has to complicate things! The only way people can't grasp this is if they are Divinely blinded for the time being.

Abraham believed that God would keep His word, despite everything showing the contrary. We need to believe that God and Christ have already accomplished everything, despite Churches and religion telling us the contrary. I know it is hard to believe. But if anyone can make something too good to be true, actually be true. It is God.

One day everyone will get it. One day every knee will bow and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord. One day everyone can finally place that last piece and rest knowing that the work is done.

Hypochondriac Mentality

Some of you may have seen my posts on Facebook recently about having my blood tested for some serious conditions. I was entirely certain that I had at least one of those conditions. I have been panicking and stressing out for the last few days awaiting the results and thinking about how horrible it was going to be to hear the news. Turns out, nothing serious is wrong. Now normally, I am not a hypochondriac. However I have Generalized Anxiety Disorder and Panic Disorder. These don't effect me at all when I am properly taking my medicine. However, if I stop taking my medicine for about 7-15 months straight, I lapse into the agoraphobic stage of panic. It takes anywhere from 3-7 weeks for me to be able to function outside of my house normally. The reason I say all this is because I see a striking parallel between my mental state when I am not on my medicine and the spiritual state of many well meaning people when they are not fed the truth of Scripture, and are instead filled with lies and traditions that lead to anxiety.

Think of it this way: when I am not on my medicine, everything and anything can and will scare me. There have been times where I was terrified to look at the sky, because all I could imagine was gravity just vanishing and me floating uncontrollably into outer space. It is ridiculous, I know, but with the right amount of influence from certain chemicals in the brain, everything becomes a very real possibility. Even, and sometimes especially, the most ludicrous sounding things. When something you trust (your brain) is constantly telling you that something is wrong, you start to believe it. Even when everyone else around you that hasn't been influenced by the chemicals in your brain can see how silly your thoughts have become.

When people aren't told of certain passages in Scripture, they believe that anything and everything they do jeopardizes their standing with God. They look at the sky and are terrified that God is looking down on them just waiting to condemn them to a torturous fiery pit of despair if they slip up. It is ridiculous I know, but with the right amount of influence from certain people in the "Christian" religion, everything becomes a very real possibility. Even, and sometimes especially, the most ludicrous sounding things. When someone you trust (your pastor/preacher/deacon) is constantly warning you that God's love is conditional, you start to believe it. Even when a basic understanding of Who God is and what He has accomplished for each and every one of us, would prove to you just how silly this reasoning is.

2 Corinthians 5:19 (NLT) "For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people's sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation."
Take your medicine to avoid insanity.