Feeling Justified

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us.” Romans 5:1 NLT

  “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.” NIV

  I looked up “justify”.

1.       1.Show or prove to be right or reasonable.

2.       2. Declare or make righteous in the sight of God.

  Today’s task is to figure out how wrong thinking can end up being “right”. There are areas in my life where, through thoughts and ideas, I have actually poisoned myself without even realizing it was happening!

  I have managed to justify the reasons things couldn’t change. I’m going to use my diet as one example. So…it’s true the meds have side effects in the form of carb and sugar cravings. I have used this truth to justify my inability to make changes.

  When I think about all the things, the sin, that keeps me apart from God, I have realized for most of them I am able to justify the reasons these things continue in my life.

  There is only one being who benefits from this behaviour. It is the enemy of every living soul on the planet who is very happy with the state of things as they now stand. His greatest joy is to undermine the freedom every one of us is given through Jesus.

  One of the first things I learned as a new Jesus follower was about word curses. These are the toxic thoughts and words we pronounce as truth over our lives and the lives of others. But old habits die hard. (Oops. There’s a curse and a justification right there! Man, they are slippery devils, these truths that are only true if we believe them.)

  Jesus made it a point to expand on the Law. The Law is about actions, such as committing adultery. Jesus takes the act of adultery and places it in our hearts and thoughts even if we never physically commit adultery. The Law becomes love.

  I am left with nothing but a prayer on my lips that God will reveal the areas where I have sold myself down the river by believing “truths” that have interfered with my relationship with Him.

  As for the changes to how I eat, sitting in front of the TV is where it is at its worst; the mindless munchies move in but there is a solution: simply turn off the TV and find other things to do to occupy my hands until the habit is broken.

  I have to think long and hard about my beliefs about the world, others and myself. Ideas will need testing through a lens of love. If it isn’t love, it isn’t of God.