Righteous Stance
What does it mean to take a righteous stance? How does this look like from a believer’s point of view? First let’s look at the definition of righteous. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, righteous means acting in accord with divine or moral law, free from guilt or sin, and morally right or justifiable. As a believer (a child of God), we know that we were made righteous, justified and in right standing with God, through His Son Jesus. Jesus bore our sins on the cross so that we can be free from sin and guilt (2 Corinthians 5:21 NKJV). I want to emphasize that when we receive Jesus as Lord of our life, it is at that point that we take on a new identity and were made righteous. We no longer identity with the old self or way of doing things. Old things are passed away and all is new (2 Corinthians 5:17-19 NKJV). Righteousness is NOT earned. It is not based on works or performance. It is not based on man-made ideals. Righteousness is who we became once we received Jesus. You cannot separate receiving Jesus from receiving all of His attributes—all of who HE is!
Now, let’s look at the definition of stance. According to the Oxford Languages, stance means the way in which someone stands or the attitude of a person towards something. As a believer, knowing that we are in right standing with God, we ought to stand, spiritually speaking, in such a way that lets the enemy know that we are a force to reckoned with. We should have a righteous attitude knowing we have been raised and seated in a position of authority with Christ (Ephesians 2:4-6 NKJV). When the enemy looks at us, he should see the Father. As you may have recalled in the “Purpose” blog, I mentioned that God made us in His image and likeness (Genesis 1:26-27 NKJV). Not only did he make us in His image, He made us to rule and reign and to have dominion in the earth (Genesis 1:28 NKJV).
A righteous person knows who they are in Christ and that their value, worth, and identity comes from God, not man. They know that God loves them so much that He sent His Son Jesus (who knew no sin) to pay the ultimate price (by becoming a ransom for mankind) so that they could be reconciled to God the Father and take their rightful place (of authority) in Christ. A righteous person also knows that they are equipped to overcome every battle. The Bible says, we have been given all things that pertain to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him (2 Peter 1:3 NKJV) and that God daily loads us with benefits (Psalms 68:19 NKJV). Furthermore, a righteous person knows that no weapon formed against them will prosper (Isaiah 54:17 NKJV) and that greater is He who is in them than he that is in the world (1 John 4:4 NKJV). A righteous person knows that their prayers avails much (James 5:16 NKJV). Notice that the common theme behind walking in your God-given authority, is knowing your rights as a child of God. If you don’t know what you have a right to, you will never possess what God says is yours. A righteous person realizes the power they have within and takes full advantage of their benefits in Christ which causes change to show up in the natural.
We are living in a time where people are taking a stand. All of us have experienced some form of mistreatment and it is important to know how to stand and fight from a spiritual perspective by taking a righteous stance. So when a righteous person takes a stance, it’s not from a place of pride or boastfulness, but from a place of knowing who they are and what they have a legal right to as a child of the Most High. Quitting isn’t an option. A righteous person fights the good fight of faith until their circumstances change. God has equipped us with spiritual armor to guarantee success every time (reference Ephesians 6:10-18 NKJV). Please note that the fight is always spiritual. We do not fight people. The Bible says we wrestle not against flesh and blood (Ephesians 6:12 NKJV). However, that doesn’t mean that we can’t confront others when we have been wronged. We just do so in love (the God-kind of love- Agape love) as reflected in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NKJV. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve seen God turn things around because of a decision to walk in love. It is the goodness of the Lord the causes a man to repent (Romans 2:4 NKJV). The Bible says, when a man’s ways pleases the Lord, He will make his enemies be at peace with him (Proverbs 16:7 NKJV). So, I challenge you to seek to please God first and foremost and watch him change your circumstances. I challenge you to take your rightful place. I challenge you to take a righteous stance.
