^“33 But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

³⁴ Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

¹ Judge not, that you be not judged.

² For with what judgment you judge, you shall be judged: and with what measure you mete, it shall be measured to you again.”  Matthew 6:33 – 7:2

Many believe that every peculiar blessing, or disaster for that matter, points to a particular sin or a particular work performed by the Believer.  While obedience and consecration to the Word of God results in blessing; this blessing is not afforded us because we spoke it or because of who we are but because of Who Jesus is and what He has done.

God is a blessing God; that’s Who He is.  Our relationship with God comes through the Blood of Jesus, His only begotten Son.  Our faith in Jesus Christ and Him crucified, the Sacrificial Lamb of God, as sufficient payment for the penalty of our sin affords us this relationship with God.  The Creator of all, created mankind in His own image and wants to bless His highest creation.  Because He loves us, He sent His Son to wash us…to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  The Lord doesn’t love us because we are cleansed; we are cleansed because He loves us.

On Calvary’s Cross, Jesus paid the penalty of sin for whosoever will believe and broke the power of sin for whosoever does believe. The Resurrection of our Lord is proof that every sin is Atoned.  Right now, today, Jesus is alive and sitting at the Right Hand of the Throne of God making intercession for those who have believed upon Who HE is and what HE has done on the Cross to provide all that we need according to His riches in Glory.

Unknowingly, many do not choose to believe our Lord’s Sacrifice was sufficient to break the power of sin in their lives and resort to vain philosophies from the minds of man to gain this victory.  They themselves do not realize the evil of their own heart.  Seeing they see not.  Religious, they are wretched, miserable, poor and blind. They have need of nothing (Revelation 3:17-18).

The Righteousness exclusively of Christ, can only be gained by faith in the Cross of Christ.  This same Righteousness, which is exclusively of Christ, can only be maintained by faith in the Cross of Christ.  This is the Righteousness which affords us communion with a Holy God.   Partaking in Jewish feasts and festivals while wearing prayer shawls and yamakas does not afford one the Righteousness of God.  Only faith in the Cross of Christ affords the Believer the Righteousness of God; all else affords us self righteousness and communion with the world.

Fighting this good fight, the fight of faith in the Cross of Christ; seeking HIS Righteousness first, we are promised all that we need according to His riches in Glory by Christ Jesus…THEREFORE, we are to judge NOT according to circumstances.  The most consecrated Believer in the world may be facing hell on earth and we best not deem their unpleasant circumstances a result of their lack of righteousness.   By doing so, we are declaring Jesus Righteousness as insufficient for the blessings of God.  Job’s friends are a dime a dozen.  Don’t be like Job’s friends.

On the other hand, we may see the religious being blessed of God.  I look back at the times I have stumbled and was caught up in the word of faith and thank my God above for His Mercy and Grace.  His blessing sustained me until my eyes were anointed with salve and seeing I could see; understanding, I understood…hearing, I heard.  The carnal Christians, those being led by their flesh, truly believe their blessings are dependent upon what they do.   I don’t mean that disparagingly but am speaking from experience.  The world looks to them and judges them as blessed and those who are without the world judges as cursed.  God forbid no!!

We are blessed because of Who Jesus is and what He has done.  The sinner and the Saint, from our first breath to our last, we are blessed because we either have eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord as a Saint or as a sinner, we still have the opportunity for eternal life through Christ Jesus if we choose to believe.  Life may indeed be a continuous hell on earth for the sinner but as long as they draw a breath and have an opportunity to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as their Savior, they are blessed.  When the sinner closes their eyes in death and the gates of hell close behind them, it is a conscious eternity in a burning hell.  There is no more opportunity for Salvation, no matter what the Roman Catholic doctrine says…the Word of God says different.  Just ask the rich man who wanted Lazarus to touch his lips with water to quench his thirst.  The same rich man who beseeched the Lord to send the dead back to his brothers so they would believe, remains in hell to this very hour.  The Lord sent Moses and the Prophets, yet they did not believe.  Today, the Lord has given us His Word, the Holy Spirit and the Five Fold Ministry to declare “Thus saith the Lord…”.  If the sinner dies lost, there is devil’s hell waiting for him.

Judge not according to circumstances.  Judge righteously according to the Word of God.  Search the Scriptures to see whether things are so.  Try the spirits to see whether they are of God.  By all means judge according to the Word of God whether something is good or evil and act accordingly.  By doing so you are not judging one’s Salvation but simply discerning what the Bible has declared as sinful and separating yourself from such.  It is high time for the church to be the church; a light on the hill for the lost to recognize as those who have believed upon the Lord Jesus Christ.

 ^“Judge not according to the appearance, but judge righteous judgment.” John 7:24.

-Donna Clark Warren