In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you (Isaiah 54:14) Righteousness is the ability that God gives us in Christ to stand before a Holy God as though sin, inferiority, and condemnation had never been a part of our lives. Righteousness has two parts to it. When we make Jesus Lord, we are declared free from the penalty of sin. It is as though we have never sinned! When a person has been found innocent of a crime that they have been charged with, all evidence must be expunged. That means that all documents that contain evidence of the matter presented at the hearing in a court of law must be completely destroyed! It is as though nothing ever happened! When you stand before God as righteous in Christ, it is as though you have never done wrong! That brings security and boldness to your life! The second part of righteousness is awesome! Not only does the Father see you as though you have never done wrong, He goes a step further and gives you the same standing before Him that His own Son has been given! He sees you as upright and as clean and free from sin as His own Son Jesus! Righteousness banishes fear. Righteousness allows us to go into the presence of the Father with the freedom of a child! No fear. No shame. No dread. Perfect liberty. Absolute confidence. Total acceptance! We sang this song about our standing with God in the 1970’s. Here are the lyrics: I am covered over with the robe of righteousness that Jesus gives to me. I am covered over with the precious blood of Jesus and He lives in me. What a joy it is to know the Heavenly Father loves me so and gives to me Jesus. And when He looks at me He sees not what I used to be, but He sees Jesus! Stand boldly before God today as the righteousness of God in Christ. You have the exact standing before the Father that Jesus has. Act that way! Ask, seek, worship, praise, believe, rejoice, and rest!