For as he thinks in his heart, so is he… —Proverbs 23:7
IN PREACHING GRACE over the years, some people have asked me this: “Don’t you think that our performance is important?” I tell them that our performance is important, absolutely. But I also tell them that our performance as husbands, wives, parents, students, employees and children of God is a result of believing that we are righteous by faith. I say this over and over again, and I will never grow tired of saying it: Right living is a result of right believing. There are a lot of people preaching and focusing on right living. For them, right living is always about becoming more holy, fearing God more, doing more, praying more, reading the Bible more, serving in church more or giving more money to help the needy. But my friend, when you focus on external behavior alone, you are only dealing with superficial elements.
Believe right and you will live right. The opposite is also true: Believe wrong and you will live wrong.
While strong preaching on holiness may have a temporal effect on people’s behavior, it will not bring about lasting and permanent change. Let me give you an analogy. If you cut off the weeds in your garden but fail to remove their roots, in no time at all, the weeds will grow again in your garden. That is what preaching about right living does in the church. Temporarily, the problem may appear to be resolved, but as long as the roots are still alive, the same wrong behavior, the same evil habits and the same addictions will appear again, just like stubborn weeds.
For decades, the church has preached about right living, with no results of long-lasting or permanent change in people’s behavior. It is time for us to go after the root, and the root is not in preaching right living, but in preaching right believing. Believe right and you will live right. The opposite is also true: Believe wrong and you will live wrong. Christianity is not about behavior modification. It is about inward heart transformation. Start addressing the root instead and get hold of good teachings that are full of Jesus and righteousness by faith in Him. When you are anchored on these unshakable foundations, your outward behavior will come in line with His Word and you will begin to be transformed into His image from glory to glory! You will produce the fruits of righteousness!
Just in case there is any misunderstanding, let me state this clearly in black and white: I, Joseph Prince, hate sin and wrong living. As a pastor of a local church for more than two decades now, I have witnessed firsthand the devastating effects of sin. It destroys marriages, breaks up families, brings diseases and basically tears a person apart from the inside out. I am on the same side as those who preach against sin and teach on the need to live right. However, where I differ is that I believe that the solution to stopping sin is not found in focusing on right living. It is found in right believing. I believe the best of God’s children. I believe that true born again believers in Jesus are not looking for opportunities to sin, but are looking for the power to overcome and reign over sin. Even if their actions may not be altogether there yet, I believe that they already know that they should live right, and desire to do so. So I believe my part as a pastor is to help them believe right first. When they believe right, and know that they are righteous by faith and not by their works, they will live right.
We see in the Bible that the traits of right living include self-control, perseverance, brotherly kindness and love (2 Peter 1:5–7). But did you know that the Bible also tells us why some believers lack these qualities? It says in 2 Peter 1:9, “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” Wow! This verse is essentially telling us that the reason someone does not manifest these qualities of right living is that he has forgotten that all his sins have been forgiven and that he is righteous by faith in Jesus. It isn’t something he believes and is conscious of, and it affects his behavior.
So start believing right, and you will live right! If you don’t see right living in a particular area of your life—perhaps you are struggling with a secret addiction—check what you believe in that area. Somewhere along the way, you have believed a lie. But here’s the good news: When you start seeing and believing that you are righteous in Christ, when you start confessing your righteousness through Jesus in that area, your breakthrough is just around the corner. Beloved, remember and believe this every day: Jesus wants to free you, prosper you and give you good success!
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You for reminding me that all my sins have been forgiven and that I am righteous by faith in Jesus Christ. Thank You for also showing me that right believing leads to right living. For the areas of my life where I am not living right, I ask that You show me where I have believed wrong, so that I may renew my mind with Your Word and believe right. I choose to believe that You want to set me free, prosper me and give me good success!
Today’s Thought
Believe right first, then I will live right and see blessings and breakthroughs.
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Prince, Joseph. 100 Days Of Favor, Daily Readings From Unmerited Favor.