And, during this season when the LORD is so determined to bring forth His Kingdom...His will within the lives of whomsoever of His people will let Him, it is important..even imperative to understand what this means.

Perhaps, the greatest hinderance the LORD has had to wrestle with His people regarding bringing His promises to pass into our lives, has been over our confusion as to what true righteousness is. For, it is on the basis of true righteousness through properly administered faith in Jesus, that the Father is able to bring forth the promises He has made to His people both, corporately and individually.

Most of us can pretty easily recognize the difference between righteousness and unrighteousness, in our lives. It is discerning the difference between righteousness and self-righteousness that has proven to be the biggest snare and point of confusion for GOD's people. Self-righteousness is by far more insidious and destructive because most of the time we know when we are in unrighteousness but, it's not always easy to tell when we are operating in self-righteousness!

The lack of understanding of the differences between righteousness and self-righteousness has resulted in great and terrible and ongoing devastating disappointments for GOD's people. The shield of faith of today's Christian has been battered, cracked, and in many cases, broken to the point of faith-failure. A once upon a time, excited and sold out people—strong in faith, filled with fiery confidence in the LORD, after many and often hard loses now find themselves...severely reduced to struggling just to have hope. And many of the 'former fiery' struggle to the point of straining to believe in GOD anymore, altogether.

And at the very root of the enemies successful and successive onslaught against today's Christian has been over the lack of understanding of the difference between these two concepts of righteousness vs self-righteousness. Understanding the contrast between the two can give us a deeper understanding as to the meaning of both.

True righteousness is given by the Father...bought and paid for through the Cross. It is a benefit of the new Covenant ratified by the blood of Jesus! GOD-given righteousness is the place where people are restored positionally in the right kind of relationship with the LORD, by faith. And that new position is seated with Christ in heavenly places, with all the power, authority, and Christian character (Fruit the Spirit or holiness) that—that entails.

All the benefits of true righteousness are given to us freely through our ongoing applied-faith in Jesus and His sacrifice. While, within the context of self-righteousness...ultimately, my faith is not so much in Jesus but, more so in my own actions. In self-righteousness, there is a great compulsion or urge to scratch the hard to reach itch of trying to earn with my obedience, that which has already been earned for me through Jesus' sacrifice!

My sin ladened—guilty conscience, greatly inflamed by Satan's condemnation, demand that I cannot depend upon a righteous GOD for His help while in unrighteousness. The result is the pressure to 'perform' righteousness or 'rightness'. I may feel compelled to earn the right to be blessed by living right, or doing right, or doing things the right way according to scripture. In so doing, in my quest for righteousness, I can become unknowingly ensnared within the religious clutches of self-righteousness. As true righteousness comes from faith in Jesus, alone, and the resulting power and authority to walk in the Spirit and all that—that means.

The New Testament repeatedly underscores especially, throughout the Epistles, that at the point that I choose to operate in self-righteousness, I do so at the expense of GOD's freely given, true righteousness. It's either by my righteousness or by His. If I choose wrongly, I can forfeit the benefits of the Kingdom Of GOD in my life, for misplacing my faith from the finished work of the cross—to the process of the being finished 'work in progress', going on within ME!

In the self-righteous mindset, my focus is on what I do or don't do. In the true righteousness attitude, the eyes of my faith are fixed continually on Jesus and what He has already done, and what He can do in me! In a self-righteous approach, I look to myself to lean into my own abilities, ideas, understanding, and way of dealing with things. In a truly righteous approach, I look to Jesus for His power, ability, wisdom, and way of dealing with things.

In a self-righteous framework, I am focused on my own performance and ability to perform in all things. In a truly righteous relationship with the LORD, I depend upon what Jesus performed for me, as well what He performs for and through me.

In a self-righteous attitude, I try to earn or work for something from the LORD. In a truly righteous attitude, I by faith...accept that all has already been freely given.

In the days of the Garden of Eden, there was a seamless expression of the Holy Spirit moving between the LORD and Adam in a display of true righteousness, in the way that the LORD intended. When the LORD told Adam to do something, Adam did not struggle to try to achieve what the LORD asked of Him—looking to his own GOD-given ability to do it. He knew that whatever the LORD was asking of Him was something that the LORD would do through Him and for Him.

For example, when the LORD instructed Adam to name the animals, Adam didn't go fishing or on a safari hunt looking for animals to figure out what to call them—in the name of trying to obey GOD. Rather, He instinctively understood, that if the LORD was telling Him to do something, that it was apparently what the LORD was doing and that the LORD would do it both through him and for him. As such, it wasn't up to Adam to perform finding and figuring out what to name animals but, it was up to the LORD. Adam only played a part but, it was GOD doing the work.

As a result, the LORD was free to do the work for and through Adam because Adam didn't get in the way by looking to himself and getting under the pressure of trying to perform obedience, in so doing, self-righteously. And so, the bible says that the LORD brought the animals to Adam to see what He would call them as He also gave Adam the wisdom to name them. Indeed. The flow, between Adam and GOD was seamless to the point of intimacy at its utter apex.

In like fashion, if the LORD instructs me to change in some area of my life, or even to do something for Him or to accomplish something for His name's sake...in a self-righteous approach I would through prayer—with all my determination, effort, ability, and will power, try to make the thing happen. While conversely within the context of true righteousness, I would be acutely aware, that whatever the LORD is asking of me is an indication of something He is in the process of doing. As a result, I would be aware that He is responsible for doing the work, I am only responsible for allowing Him to use me to do my part in something that is His will.

As such, if the LORD is asking me to let go of an addiction, then He greatly diminishes or may even completely remove the 'taste' of my weakness or sin from me, if but for an opened door moment—pending my response. Or, He may do neither as He may simply empower or enable me to come out of my problem— be it addiction, depression, or whatever the captivity might be, despite the intensity of the temptation or strength of the stronghold. And I will be aware that it will be Him doing the work both through me and for me. And I will be sensitive to and within the flow of the moving of His Spirit.

For under a self-righteous mindset, ultimately success and failure is up to me. But, in the truly righteous attitude, it is all completely and utterly in GOD's hand!

Within a right relationship of true righteousness, I will find it easy to pray and even hear from GOD as this is the nature right relationship. It s natural to consistently feel GOD's love towards me and through me. Once I break that natural order in Christ, than hearing from Him and feeling the experience of His love, will be rare and far in between, indeed!

Also, what is rarely if ever talked about, is the fact that it is possible for me to be led by His Spirit—to actually hear instructions and directions from the LORD...to completely believe and obey what He asks—and then, still meet with heartbreaking disappointment and abject failure. Those of us who have survived this utterly faith shattering experience, count it to be unequivocally, the greatest most mind-reeling, and devastating experience in the LORD, of all! There can be no greater confusion or crushing heartbreak. At least, if I weren't believing for the good that I was promised, I might have been at least, braced for, and therefore better able to withstand the shocking loses. And once this happens, it is impossible to pick up the shattered pieces of your faith. Indeed, unless you allow the LORD to restore you, your relationship with Him may never be the same...again.

And among the biggest reasons that this can happen is that although, His word can be given or spoken to me in righteousness, if I'm not careful, I can attempt to obey Him, in self-righteousness. This can happen if when I do as He asks me to outside of the realm of faith but, as a way of 'earning' what I believe I need from Him! So that in essence, I attempt to follow His spoken word from the same legalistic motive as I did His written word...'working' for His blessing through my obedience. (Selah)

The eyes of my faith can shift from righteousness to self-righteousness in an instant..so that I can hear Him in righteousness and then act in self-righteousness! The terrible result can be...astonishing, as this shift can make me vulnerable for the most vicious attack the enemy can muster!

For it is Jesus alone, who is the answer. Therefore, I will not put my confidence in any means, methods, or might—other than Him. I will guard my heart from getting excited when a fresh word, revelation, resource, or means is given to me from Him...lest, I lose my perspective and with it—my righteousness.

Therefore, Jesus alone is the answer and faith in Him, the way. The revelation, wisdom, or direction He may have given to me may be the route but, only Jesus is the way! The medicine is not the answer. It may in fact, be the route He moves through to use but, only Jesus is the way for, only Jesus is the answer. Money is not the answer. He may move with and through the finances but, Jesus alone, is the answer.

I must determine within myself to allow nothing to distract me from basic childlike faith in GOD! And whether it be gifts and abilities that GOD Himself gives, I will not be distracted by them from Childlike faith in Jesus. Whether it be wisdom, knowledge, understanding, or direction that the LORD Himself gives, I will not by them, be distracted from my childlike faith in Him! And whether it be position, power, and resources—whether financial or otherwise, I will not allow these things to lure my childlike faith in Him, away. For surely, those things may be the route given or the means used, but faith in Jesus alone...is the answer!

For to be lured away and distracted is to be unplugged from the source from which He gives all means and routes, life! And so, not only will I be found by Him seeking first His Kingdom but, I will also be found WITH Him, in the tangible intimacy of HIS righteousness...and not my own.