THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON

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2 I want to ask you a question, because knowing the answer can change your world. Do you understand how to be right with God? Hebrews 4:16 (NKJV) Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:16 says that we should be able to come boldly to God whenever we need or want. However, you will have a problem doing this if you don t feel like you re right with God. When asking God for something, does your mind wander to what you ve done wrong? You might question if you ve done enough to deserve His help or wonder if He looks at you with disapproval because your behaviour has not been up to par. It simply isn t true. When you gave your life to Christ, you made the sweetest deal imaginable. Righteous means qualified, or in right standing. If you join a club that is for members only, you have to qualify to get in. You have to be in right standing, with your membership dues paid, and you have to be on the list. Well, you are in right standing with God. You re on His list, and we re going to cover several scriptures in this ebook that clearly teach about your right standing. There is nothing more you have to do to qualify. If this is the first time you ve heard this, you might be wondering if it s too good to be true. You may have grown up thinking you have to follow certain rules or laws to gain God s approval. While those rules and laws have their place, they don t determine your relationship with God. THE MOST IMPORTANT LESSON When you accept Jesus, you are right with God. It s time you realize it! The Bible talks about two kinds of righteousness: works-righteousness and faith-righteousness. Many people rely on works-righteousness without even realizing it. They believe that as long as they re being good, God will bless them and they will make it to heaven. What really causes you to be in right standing with God? Well, let s talk about sin first. Sin had its introduction on earth in the Garden of Eden when Adam and Eve first disobeyed God. Because of their disobedience, every one of their descendants was born into sin, including you and me. It may not be fair, but it s true, and death has reigned on our planet because of the actions of this one man, Adam. Romans 5:17 (NKJV) For if by the one man s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ. miraclechannel.ca

3 Adam gained for us all the initial title of sinner, a title that has nothing to do with our behaviour but has everything to do with our nature and our standing with God. But Jesus gives us the opportunity to have that title removed. Romans 5:19 says, For as by one man s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man s obedience many will be made righteous (NKJV). You re a part of the family. The second you ask Jesus to be the Lord of your life, you become righteous. You re accepted. You re qualified for every promise in the Bible even though you don t do a thing to earn it. You are no longer a sinner. You are now a new creation and you have the nature of God. Think about this for a minute. Regardless of how long you ve been a Christian; this is the most important lesson you could ever learn. Righteousness is revolutionary for many Christians. Many understand that they were forgiven when they decided to follow Christ and that they re going to heaven when they leave this earth. But few really realize that they are in complete right standing with God, every day. Romans 3:21 (NLT) But now God has shown us a way to be made right with him without keeping the requirements of the law, as was promised in the writings of Moses and the prophets long ago. You don t have to clean up your behaviour before you can give your life to Jesus. You don t have to earn a relationship with God. The way to become a member of God s family is to believe and receive what Jesus has done for you. The same is true with being right with God. You can t earn it. You become righteous by believing and choosing to receive the right standing Jesus offers you. That s it! In the Old Testament, it was different. You had to obey all the Jewish laws to get God s blessings. Each promise had an if attached. If you obeyed one of His commands, He would do this. If you humbled yourself, He would do that. You had to perform to get God s blessing. Now it s different. When Jesus died, He paid the price for Adam s disobedience. He took all punishment and gave all who accept Him right standing with God as a free gift. I m not saying that your choices don t matter. Choices always have consequences, but being perfect isn t the way to be right with God. Jesus is the way. If you ve accepted Jesus, you have a new nature and a new identity and you re right with God! Because Jesus already satisfied all the conditions, you get every blessing! Are your relationships all you hoped and dreamed they could be? For your generous donation of $30 or more, you ll receive the Freedom from Judgement audio series download.

4 Have things changed since you first gave your life to Jesus? Some people find that they ve lost the passion and excitement they once had for God. They think that when you first start following Christ, God fills up your spiritual gas tank, and when the free tank runs out, you have to figure out how to fill it up yourself. I believed this at one time in my life too. Now I realize, however, that this lack of passion for God has more to do with where I place my focus. You see, focusing on your works instead of what Jesus has done is one reason why many Christians lose their passion for God. They begin to believe that you can somehow earn your right standing with God, which causes them to become discouraged and it steals the joy out of their relationship with God. If you have stopped experiencing the miraculous, have stopped growing and changing or you ve lost your joy and have begun to struggle with everyday life, you may be relying on what has come to be known as worksrighteousness. Works-righteousness is the idea that God won t bless or help you unless you do certain things correctly. This mentality may be causing you to judge yourself on the things you re not doing right instead of focusing on the reality that Jesus is in you, empowering you every day. Get back to focusing on what Jesus has done for you. Confess every day: I m right with God because of Jesus. I m a new creation! God is smiling at me because of Jesus performance, not mine. Jesus has qualified me and He empowers me to live a great life! BEAUTIFUL PRINCIPLES Romans 3:22 (NLT) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. We ve been discussing the topic of righteousness how believers are right with God because of what Jesus has done, not because of what they have done. Some would argue that if you believe you are righteous, you believe God s laws are useless. After all, why follow His ways if He s going to love you anyway? Matthew 5:17 (AMP) Do not think that I have come to do away with or undo the Law (of Moses) or the (writings of the) Prophets; I did not come to destroy them but to fulfill. Actually, obeying God s laws and principles serves a different purpose. While obedience doesn t earn your salvation or forgiveness, it does help you to live a great life. Following God s commands is the best way to live, but Jesus is the only one who makes you right with God. You began your relationship with Christ through faith-righteousness through believing and believing is what keeps you in right standing with God. Don t move into works-righteousness, thinking you have to earn it. None of us can be right with God through our own works. miraclechannel.ca

5 Trust that you re right with God because of Jesus, and then thank Him for the power and ability He has provided you. This ability called grace can rise up in your life to break habits and win over temptation. You can also begin to experience His joy, even when you have no reason to be joyful, and His peace, even when you have no reason to be peaceful. God s principles are beautiful. They create a foundation for great families and countries, but they don t make you right with God. Trust in the fact that Jesus made you right with God instead and, just as Jesus said, All things are possible to him who believes (Mark 9:23, NKJV). Doing things that are wrong doesn t change the fact that you are right with God. A lot of people will have a problem with this statement, but Jesus is the one that qualifies you to be righteous. If you ve given your life to Christ, you are righteous, but righteous does not mean perfect. You may still do things you shouldn t, but that doesn t make you a sinner. Righteous does not mean perfect! Many people call themselves sinners saved by grace, but this is incorrect. Their nature and standing have changed. They are no longer sinners, even if they do wrong. All the epistles of the Bible were written to the saints. We know by the content of each letter that these people were not acting like saints, but they were addressed this way anyhow. It s clear that being a saint and being righteous before God doesn t mean you re living a perfect life. It means you are right with God and you have the power and ability within you to overcome! Romans 3:22 (NLT) We are made right with God by placing our faith in Jesus Christ. Understanding your righteousness is life-changing. Of course, if you ve done wrong, there still may be consequences. Your actions can cause tremendous damage to your relationships. Please don t misunderstand and take sin lightly. Although God won t look down on you, sin can affect and infect every part of your life. That being said, the fact remains that you re right with God even if your performance is lacking in an area. Even if you are struggling with sin, you and God are good. You can always come to Him boldly; in fact, you need His power and strength to do right. What do you need to talk to Him about today? WE ARE AS HE IS People worry about facing God one day because they think He s going to bring up all the things they did and didn t do. However, this verse says that God sees believers just as He sees Jesus. Wow! Jesus is righteous and pure, and God sees you just like that. It s not because you re perfect; it s because you accepted the fact that Jesus sacrificed Himself to make you right with God and you are now in Him! Learn how to receive the unconditional love of Christ. With your donation of $30 or more, you ll receive the audio download series, Freedom from Judgement.

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7 As you begin to receive the truth that you re righteous in Christ Jesus, a powerful thing happens. You start believing you can have God s grace His power, ability and full provision for every area of your life. Instead of hiding from God when you re struggling to do right, you can go boldly to Him. You can say, Father, I know I ve been having bad thoughts today. I ve said things I shouldn t have said and I ve done things I know better than to do. I need your grace to help me today. When you understand righteousness, you know that God is not going to reject you when you ask for help. He knows you can t do it on your own. He knows you need His grace, His ability, power and presence. You need Him in order to go in the right direction, so accept the reality that you re righteous before God in Christ Jesus. Believe, and then God s phenomenal strength and ability can begin to rise up from within you to overcome anything that comes against you. Romans 3:24 (NLT) Yet God freely and graciously declares that we are righteous. He did this through Christ Jesus when he freed us from the penalty for our sins. God knew we couldn t do everything ourselves. That s why He sent Jesus. But are you still trying to get right with God on your own merits? When Jesus made an agreement with God, He did so representing the entire human race. This agreement isn t between you and God, so you couldn t possibly do anything to qualify except the one thing you have been asked to do: accept Jesus. The reason you re righteous is because of Jesus actions. You need to believe that Jesus makes you righteous! It s this faith-righteousness that brings God s grace into your life. You can go boldly to God when you need mercy and help, knowing you re absolutely going to get it. Remember, boldly doesn t mean arrogantly. It doesn t mean you have the attitude that you can keep doing wrong. It just means that you re welcome to go to Him and you can always count on His mercy and grace to help you do better. You have God s mercy, which means He isn t out to punish you, but that s not all you have. With only mercy, you d be trapped in all that tempts you. He has also given you His grace, which is His power to overcome! You see, you don t overcome struggles just by working harder. Sure, you can form new habits, but you need to start by realizing you are righteous. From there, you realize that you have the strength and power to build great relationships and become who you ve always wanted to be. Every day, claim the strength God has placed within you. Remember that you are righteous and you have His power and ability! miraclechannel.ca

8 YOUR NEW IDENTITY When Jesus died for us, He did it so our sins could be forgiven but He also gave us a whole lot more than that. If you have given your life to Christ, He has adopted you into His family and made you an entirely new creation. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (NKJV) Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Jesus didn t die for you so that you could go through life expecting failure after failure. He came so you could have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows) (John 10:10, AMP). You are destined to live an incredibly successful life healthy, prosperous, blessed, happy, peaceful and joyful. You will have struggles in life, but you need to know that when Jesus died on the cross He didn t only wipe away your sins, He made you entirely new. As a new creation, you have been given the ability to live a life that is completely different than what you were living before you began a relationship with Jesus. This doesn t mean that it happens instantly, however. You have to change the way you think, believe and act to line up with God s ways. But you have the ability. You will still go through difficult times, but when you imagine your future, imagine one filled with victory because that is what Jesus died to give you! In Romans 12:2, we read about the fact that God s Word can transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. The word transform is translated from the Greek word metamorphosa. This is the same root word used for the word metamorphosis, used to describe the process a caterpillar undergoes. God s Word has the power to transform you into something completely different, just as a caterpillar is transformed into a beautiful butterfly. As you read God s Word, truth begins to be revealed to you in ways you may have never experienced before. Second Corinthians 3:18 compares this process to having a veil removed from your eyes, giving you the ability to see clearly. So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord who is the Spirit makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (NLT) As you get to know Him and you see how absolutely perfect and magnificent He is, something inside you will begin to change. It is difficult to explain because this process takes place on such a deep level, but over time you will find yourself taking on more of Jesus characteristics. Your emotions and habitual Renewal in your relationships may not be as complicated as you think! With your gift of $30 or more, you ll get a 3-part downloadable series that will help you receive Freedom from Judgement.

9 moods will start to change. When you fall back into old habits and feelings, you have the option to drown them out with the positive, uplifting, life-giving words that you read in the Bible. We all go through difficult times. When the world seems to be crashing down around you it can be a real struggle to stay focused on God s Word and His goodness. But if you do, realize that He is at work, transforming you to become more like His magnificent Son. Believing that you re righteous empowers you to change. You are right with God because of Jesus and you have a new identity in Him. As you begin to believe that righteous is just who you are, you realize that He has given you the power to overcome anything. Romans 3:23-24(TLB) Yes, all have sinned; all fall short of God s glorious ideal; yet now God declares us not guilty of offending him if we trust in Jesus Christ, who in his kindness freely takes away our sins. On the other hand, if you identify yourself as a loser, an angry person or an addict, these misguided identities can prevent you from overcoming. The Bible puts it this way: An evil man out of the evil treasure of his heart brings forth evil (Luke 6:45, NKJV). Keep in mind that the word evil here can refer to unbelief, because Hebrews 3:12 talks about having an evil heart of unbelief (NKJV). So, if you don t believe you re righteous but instead believe you re a loser, you ll bring forth losing. What s beautiful is that you can go to God in the midst of your struggles, even if you feel that you brought them on yourself. He will not judge or punish you. Any time you need strength, you can turn your attention to Him. He has given you the strength to deal with sin, to handle the stress at work and to overcome any challenge that could possibly come against you. His grace, power and ability are in you. We ve all sinned; we all fall short of God s glorious standard. Yet, you are made right with God when you believe. Even though you re not perfect, you re in right standing with God through Jesus. That s just who you are! Romans 10:9 10 are beautiful verses. When you believe Jesus is Lord and you declare this belief, you are put in right standing with God and are saved. Being a Christian is not about following a bunch of rules perfectly. miraclechannel.ca

10 It s a way of life that starts with a belief. You come as you are, with all the baggage, hurt, guilt and shame, and this powerful Jesus washes you clean and makes you a new creation. It s a wonderful new start that begins with just trusting Jesus and admitting that you can t do it on your own. Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. It s still important to do the right things in life, but not because you are trying to earn right standing with God. Jesus made you right with God and, when you believe it, your faith can begin to grow stronger and stronger each day. You can begin to trust that you have His grace, peace and power. Satan will throw lies at you to try to make you believe you don t deserve what God is offering you, but don t fall for it. God s power, ability and peace are always deep inside of you. God s grace is within you to help you live the way you ve always wanted: victoriously. Look in the mirror every morning and every night before you go to sleep and say, I am in right standing with God. He and I have a great relationship because of Jesus and I have everything I need within me to live victoriously! This ability to accept the love and forgiveness God is sending our way is absolutely key when it comes to walking in His ways. In fact, the more we strive to earn our relationship with God, the more shame and condemnation we feel, and the more we tend to judge, shame and condemn others. This tendency to be wrapped up in judgement, blame and unforgiveness wreaks havoc on our relationships. If you ve ever struggled in a relationship, you re well aware of how painful it can be. When we re at odds with someone we love, it can sap our energy and joy like nothing else. Perhaps someone in your life is coming to mind right now and it pains you to think of the misunderstandings, hurt feelings, tension and broken trust that has come between you. The good news is, you can experience renewal in your relationships, and it may not be as complicated as you think. Jesus is the world s number one expert on relationships, and His teachings lead us to a greater level of peace, understanding and fulfillment in every relationship we have. Since there s no way that we could cover everything there is to know about getting yourself free from condemnation and shame in this short ebook, we ve prepared a three-part audio series that is an essential next step. In this powerful series, you will discover the root of many relationship troubles judgement and how to SET YOURSELF FREE from its relationship-destroying power. When is it okay to judge and how does it pertain to trust? You ll receive the downloadable audio series, Freedom from Judgement with a gift of $30 or more.

11 Topics covered include: How to overcome any hidden judgement you may be harbouring. The one area where it s okay to judge and how it pertains to trust. The habit of trying to fix people and how it may be damaging your relationships. How to receive the unconditional love of Christ and begin to love, accept and forgive others Jesus way! While I m not saying that the health of your relationships is all up to you, giving up what we feel is our right the right to judge can bring miraculous healing and is a powerful catalyst to change in our relationships. Click the link below to get this month s offer, and set yourself free to experience a greater level of love, trust and joy in your relationships, starting today! For your gift of $30 or more, we ll send you Freedom From Judgement, a series of 3 audio download messages! Get this offer miraclechannel.ca

12 Miracle Channel is television with purpose. It is reaching people with the hope of Christ through contemporary, life-changing programs. In addition to airing programming from popular ministries such as Joyce Meyer, Joel Osteen and Joseph Prince, the channel airs documentaries, talk shows, movies, news, live programs and children s shows. Miracle Channel has been leading the Christian television industry in Canada since 1996 as the first and still the only all Christian broadcaster. Ignite is a video-streaming platform that provides a growing library of family-friendly entertainment, kids shows and biblical teaching, as well as topic-based content available anytime and anywhere for you. New content added weekly! Visit for watchignite.com for more details. * minimum donation amounts apply, see website for details. Ignite Academy is a place where Christians can go to learn and grow. It is an online school with a growing list of courses available for purchase. Each course is designed to move you one step closer to living your best life the life God wants you to have! Ignite Academy is powered by Miracle Channel God wants to connect and communicate with you every day to reveal his love and his amazing plans for you, and one of the most powerful ways he does this is through his Word. God s Word has the power to transform us by changing the way we think. Devoted is available by quarterly subscripton, or daily s. Click here to learn more. Leon Fontaine Leon is the CEO of Miracle Channel, host of The Spirit Contemporary Life, and the Senior Pastor of Springs Church, one of the largest churches in Canada. His weekly messages broadcast across North and South America, Asia, Africa and other far reaching parts of the world. Leon s daily devotional, Devoted with Leon, is sent by mail and to thousands of readers. miraclechannel.ca