Breastplate of Righteouness
June 18, 2017
Devotions:
“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;” Ephesians 6:14 KJV
Satan had power over the human race because of their sin. He would go before the court of heaven and accuse the people of sin and because it was true God, being just had to dispense justice unless someone would intercede and ask for mercy. In Jesus' death, burial and resurrection, He paid the full price for our sins and His blood is ever before the Father ever declaring that we are forgiven and that there is nothing against us. This is a part of what righteousness means. We stand clean before the Father as if we had never sinned. When we know this and act on it we are wearing the breastplate of righteousness. The breastplate of righteousness is ours whether we act on it or not. When we yield to our flesh and sin the enemy tries to convince us that we are no longer righteous before our Father. But our righteousness did not come from our acts of righteousness but Jesus' act of righteousness. This righteousness He imparted to us at the new birth. By this righteousness we stand before the Father as a favorite son or daughter and we have an open channel of communication with Him. When we know who we are, the righteousness of God in Chirst, the enemy cannot defeat us because our heart is protected. God gave us a heart that wants to follow Him, a heart of righteousness.
“Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.”
Matthew 7:16-19 KJV
God has made us a good tree and according to the root that God put in us we will bear fruit. At the new birth we had a root change from a bad root that bears bad or evil fruit, to a good root that produces good fruit. Meditate on your righteousness, 2 Corinthians 5:21 until you see yourself covered with that righteousness.