Who among us is righteous? There is none. It is the foundation of our Christian Faith. That we could not redeem ourselves due to our righteousness, that God provided for us a way through His Righteous Son- Jesus Christ. Yet- Religion and the religious have taught us for years that we must attain favor by our own righteousness. I dare to disagree. Let us take two famous examples from scripture.

JOSEPH

We all love the story of Joseph. A young boy chosen by God to redeem his family. Rejected by the family, he was sold into slavery and spent years under the cloud of rejection and slavery until God raised him up to glory. It is a story that feeds our own stories of rejection and despair- that God has a purpose in our lives even when we cannot see it.

May I also say, that God had to take away the coat of Joseph’s pride, his self-righteousness and his dependence on himself. Gen 37:31 “And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood”.

This had to be taken away because God does not require outward coats and masquerades. He desires truth in the inward parts. We need to realize that it is not the favor of man or of family or brethren that is needed, but the favor of God.

This seems quite old fashioned in the age of twitter followers, social influencers and facebook followers. Social image and accumulating “likes” is the new coat.

Joseph’s old coat had to be taken from him for the new coat of God’s divine purpose to be placed on his shoulders. Even when he was in Potiphar’s house and became the trusted overseer, his garment had to be taken away again. Gen 39:11- 18 ” And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, or to be with her. And it came to pass about this time,that Joseph went into the house to do his work; and there was none of the men of the house there within. And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand, and fled, and got out. And it came to pass, when she saw that he had left his garment in her hand, and was fled forth, That she called unto the men of her house, and spoke unto them, saying, See, he has brought in a Hebrew unto us to mock us; he came in unto me to lie with me, and I cried with a loud voice: And it came to pass, when he heard that I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled, and got out. And she laid up his garment by her, until his lord came home. And she spoke unto him according to these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which you have brought unto us, came in unto me to mock me: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried, that he left his garment with me, and fled out.”

We cannot hold on to the habits, glory of men and the righteouness of our own hands and expect to receive all that God desires for us. There must be a breaking- a shattering of self and of the old nature. We cannot hope to be what God wants us to be if we continue wearing the coat of our own pride and self-righteousness. Gen 41:14- :”Then Pharaoh sent and called Joseph, and they brought him hastily out of the dungeon: and he shaved himself, and changed his clothes, and came in unto Pharaoh.”

Samson

Samson wore God as a coat but did not seek His face. Chosen from birth, he was called to lead Israel as its Judge or kind of “king”. He had supernatural strength when the Spirit of God moved on Him. But Samson was wild and untamed- which is not altogether bad. God loves wild and untamed. But Samson was also self-righteous. He did what pleased him. No-one could get through the coat of self-righteousnesss- not even God.

God had to remove the coat. The problem with Samson, he did not even know that the coat was removed when it was. Judges 16:20 (KJV) “And she said, The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist (knew) not that the LORD was departed from him“.

He spent some time in prison, blind and abused as a prisoner before realizing that he needed the coat of God on his heart. Judges 16:22- “However the hair of his head began to grow again after he was shaven“. With the regrowth of his hair and the time to reflect on his Maker, Samson began to understand the true source of his righteousness and power. This is the transformation God seeks. Judges 16:28 ‘And Samson called unto the LORD, and said, O Lord GOD, remember me, I pray thee, and strengthen me, I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of the Philistines for my two eyes.“

In submitting to God, and putting on the garment of God’s righteousness, both Joseph and Samson were able to accomplish their purposes in God.

For us, let us reflect on our lives and ask the question- what or who is the source of our righteousness. Is it our own works, our influence over people, our fame, our strength? Or is it simply God?

Seek His face and throw off those things that keep us out of His purpose. Put on new garments of true humility and allow God to use us for His glory.

Amen

When we see what is happening around us, we ask the simple question.. What is going on? While we ask the simple question, there is no simple answer. Many have bloviated and analyzed and made assessments. I hardly depend on the news media anymore to analyze for me because I have noted long ago that they lie and have an agenda.. which is antithetical to God and truth.

For anyone watching unfolding developments, and we see the violence, the destruction of innocent people’s lives by the mob, we need to step away and evaluate. This cannot be right. It is a war but which has lost the focus of the initial grievance. Like all wars, those who have hijacked the narrative, have no goal of actually accomplishing a justice but rather to pour gasoline into a nation’s wounds. It cannot be right. For those who are hungry for power to completely enslave a righteous issue for their own selfish purposes, it is a crime against humanity itself. This war is against us the people.

But it is not first time this has happened. Look throughout history, if you can find the true accounts of it and you will see the same stategy amid the littered corpse of humanity, that those who desired to dominate and enslave, will use a truth, twist it and twist it until the lie looks exactly like the truth. Sounds familiar!

For those of us who learn from history so that we don’t repeat its mistakes, the clarity is there. For those who will deny the history and seek to change it to fit a narrative, I pray that their eyes be opened to truth.

From the garden of Eden to the present, the serpent has twisted the truth for his own selfish purposes. Those who fall victim have an identity crisis. If you know who you are, your purpose and your destiny, the chances of falling victim to proganda is lower. If you are confused and have no identity but only live to move from one fight to another, then you are a perfect soldier for the Serpent kingdom. You are mercenary.

It is time to wake up. We have been in a war for a very long time. Unless we have a purpose in life other than power and wealth, unless our purpose is first and foremost to do the work of the only true God- to establish His kingdom on the earth, we will not be able to fight. Traitors are those who are confused about their identity. Take Judas Iscariot for example. Identity confusion is the source of our greatest battle.

As with an individual, so it is with a nation. If a nation does not have a core principle and belief, if there is no understanding of who we are as a people, where we came from and using our past to forge a better tomorrow, we are destined for the destruction that befell those before us. It is ok to stumble, but understanding who you are enables you to take courage and stand up again. Erasing our identity because we cannot or will not understand who are, our purpose and our destiny will not make us a better person. It will just put blinders on our eyes. There will be no growth..only tantrums when things do not go our way.

Who are you and who/what are you fighting for? The current trend of the day? The fools who lead us cannot think for us. We need to educate ourselves and think for ourselves. It is a time to take sides and draw battle lines. As Joshua said (Josh 24:15 KJV) “And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD“.

We have a choice. Let us make the choice soberly and with clarity. And may the Lord guide us into victory.

Amen