What comes to mind when you hear the word “win”? Some of you probably think of a football game, basketball game or some other sporting event. Others may think of closing the deal on a new client or business opportunity. Or maybe you’re like me, and you think of the legendary scene in Rocky II, where Rocky is looking at his newborn son for the first time and debating whether or not he should fight Apollo Creed. His wife, Adrian, tells him to lean in closer as she whispers one word, “Win”. With almost no delay, Rocky’s trainer, Micky, shouts, “What are we waitin’ fer?!” And the rest is history.

Regardless of what comes to mind, everyone wants to win in life, one way or another. In my last blog post, I shared a revelation on the precious “coat” or gift of righteousness. This wonderful coat of righteousness is a powerful weapon, and it is the KEY to winning in life.

The breastplate of righteousness (Ephesians 6) is the biggest part of our armor, and it protects our vital organs. What do I mean by this? Well, physically our vital organs are the heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and brain. We need these organs to live and function properly. Spiritually, these vital organs represent our mind to think, heart/emotions to feel, and the will to choose. (Proverbs 23:16, Proverbs 4:4).

If the devil can ‘strip’ us of our breastplate of righteousness (that is, if he can blind us to the truth of what the gift of righteousness is and how it works), he can wound our hearts and conscience and render us immobile and ineffective as Christians.

Let’s look at how this works – when we focus on our actions and behavior, we’re keenly aware of our imperfections and flaws, right? And none of us act or behave perfectly all the time. So, when we mess up (which we inevitably WILL), without an understanding of the gift of righteousness, we have a tendency to feel guilty…like we’ve let God down, or like we’re somehow “less than” as a Christian.

You know the condemning thoughts … how can you go to church when you’ve done THIS, or how can you expect to pray when you haven’t done THAT, etc., etc. But folks, the truth is, God is not looking at our DOING this or that … the moment we’re saved, He only sees what He has made us to BE: the righteousness of God. Beloved. Approved. Free from sin. His son or daughter. Victorious in all things. WE, on the other hand, are continually tempted to see what we DO, rather than seeing who we ARE in Him.

The root to every bit of success in life comes from your understanding of the gift of righteousness.

I’ve experienced such freedom as a result of the revelation God has given me on this, and I want you to have this freedom also. Emotions don’t define us. And they don’t have the power to dictate our Christianity. Whether we FEEL good or bad on a given day, it has absolutely NO bearing on our position in Christ and the power we have through His blood.

Once you have received the gift of righteousness, you can expect everything that God has promised that comes with it, regardless of how you “feel” from one day to the next. Your feelings don’t affect God; He’s not looking at you and deciding whether or not to bless you based on your feelings. However, your feelings can cause you to make bad decisions, and that’s what brings negative consequences. And that’s what the devil wants – he wants us to be ruled by our feelings instead of reigning over them!

Bad decisions may bring negative consequences, but GOD doesn’t bring negative things into your life. He sees you as righteous and approved, and He wants to do you good.

It’s like when you buy a new car; things like GPS, power windows, and “smart” technology automatically come with it, whether you choose to use or activate and use them or not. They’re automatically included with your car purchase. Similarly, when we accept Jesus and acknowledge that His blood was shed for our sins (which is what “purchases” us and makes us God’s children), we are made righteous (and given “right standing with God” and certain “rights” as His children) automatically with the purchase.

Whether we choose to acknowledge or activate our rights and our position in Christ is up to us – and that makes the difference in whether we live victoriously or live a defeated life. Unfortunately, many Christians are living defeated lives because they lack knowledge about what it means to be “made the righteousness of God.”

So, what does all of this mean in terms of living life day-to-day? Glad you asked! Here’s what you can expect every day, what’s yours (FREE), because of the gift of righteousness: This gift, coat, and breastplate of righteousness gives us …

• • God’s approval. Whatever God says about Jesus He says about you (once you’ve accepted the gift of Jesus’ blood sacrifice for your sins on the cross). He was pleased with Jesus. He’s pleased with you too. (Luke 3:22, 2 Corinthians 5:21)

• • Favor and blessing on your life. (Psalm 5:12)

• • Healing (Malachi 4:2)

• • Victory over sin (I Corinthians 15:34)

• • Answered prayers. (James 5:16)

• • Wisdom (Proverbs 2:6-7)

• • Deliverance from all affliction and trouble (Psalm 34:19)

• • Peace (Isaiah 32:17)

• • Boldness (Proverbs 28:1; 1 John 4:17)

• • Success, prosperity, and blessing (Proverbs 13:21-22)

• • The ability to get back up and rise above circumstances when we fall (Proverbs 24:16) 
  • Reign and have success in life (Romans 5:17)

How do you activate this gift?

Romans 10:6 says, “But the righteousness that comes from faith speaks like this: Do not say in your heart, ‘Who will go up to heaven?’ that is, to bring Christ down… But what does it say? ‘The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart,’”

Our words connect our new identity and gift of righteousness with our present circumstance as we speak God’s Word.

Declare: I am the righteousness of God, and I have the right to…(fill in the blank based on the list above, or declare ALL of these things. They are yours in Christ!)

I pray that God would open your eyes to see yourself as He sees you. And that you’ll come into the full knowledge of everything you have in Christ and because of the precious gift of righteousness.

To learn more about this awesome gift, get my 2-part CD series, Righteousness: The Solution to Everything. Click HERE to order now.

@GregoryDickow