The Effect of Righteousness

The Effect of Righteousness

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

Isaiah 32:17,18
And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever. And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places

The work of righteousness shall be peace: both internal peace and external peace. Internal peace is having peace of mind, heart and soul. But when people's minds are troubled all the time, they find no peace within — because there is a real fight of the adversary as he strives to rob them of their peace.

John 14:27
Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Devil Tries to Steal Your Peace

There is a spiritual problem when your heart is troubled all the time. You shouldn't have a troubled mind. Know that there is nothing too hard for the Lord. We may act like there are those things which are too hard for Him — but nothing is too hard for God.

Jesus gave us peace, but there is an adversary who does all he can to try and steal our peace. We need to resist him and not let our heart be troubled.

I Peter 5:8,9
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.

John 10:10
The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.

The thief comes to steal those good things which the Lord has given us, such as His peace. He said, My peace I give unto you. But when one's mind is troubled all the time, peace is absent. We should not allow the devil to steal that peace which has been given us of the Lord.

The adversary does not want any of us to serve the Lord. He's ever trying to tempt God's people to go astray. Day after day he's always on their case: Why don't you give up? Don't go to church! Don't read your Bible! Don't pray!

The Key — Put God First

If you want to defeat him and keep that peace, you need to seek the Lord, need to pray and read His Word every day, need to attend the house of God.

We might want to check on ourselves and see where we stand. We read where the work of righteousness shall be peace. This speaks to those who are living a life that is wholly consecrated unto God, a life that is righteous: loving and serving God with all of their heart, soul, mind and strength.

Obedience is very important here. If you say you love God yet are not living in obedience to His Word, then you are lying.

Is God first in your life? Above self? Above family? Above all others? Above all things?

Luke 10:25-27
And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted Him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.

Notice, we are to love the Lord with all of our heart, not half-heartedly. We are to love the Lord with our all, and love our neighbour as ourselves, as much as we love self. We are not to put self before God. The things we want to do, the places we want to go, these should not come before God.

When it comes to going to church, many do put self before God. When it's time to go to church, that's when they have some place else to go, something else to do.

Hebrews 10:25
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

. . . so much the more, as you see the day approaching! We are living in a very difficult time, and times are going to become even more difficult. We should be obeying this Scripture, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. We find encouragement and draw strength each time we gather together in church. And we also can be an encouragement and strength to others.

But, when we are not obedient to the Word of God — staying home from church, finding other things to do which we feel are more important — we wonder why we're not getting the help we need; wonder why we're not encouraged and strengthened, why our mind is troubled all the time.

Some have the attitude that they don't need anybody to tell them how to live. They don't want anybody, not even God, to tell them what to do or not to do, where to go or not to go. They don't want anyone to interfere with their lives — not even God.

You Belong to God

I Corinthians 6:19,20
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

You are not your own, for you are bought with a price (at Calvary).

Let me share a testimony with you of how God made this Scripture real to me: There were times when the Lord called my husband away from home to minister while I stayed home with our four children. One of these times, after we had been married about twenty years, he was planning to go to India for several weeks. I told him that this time I wasn't staying home! I was going to go with him.

The Lord hadn't told me this; it was what I wanted to do. The Lord heard me and said, You're not your own. And it's not up to you to decide where you're going or not going, or what you're going to do or not going to do.

James 4:13-15
Go to now, ye that say, To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

If the Lord wills, I will do this or that. In ourselves we want to be in charge of what we are going to do. Well, when God was through speaking to me, I resigned myself to stay home.

But, you know what happened? After God spoke to me and I paid heed to what He said — willing to give up my desire to go, and remain at home — He opened the door for me to go with my husband to India after all!

God's Will, not Mine

I learned something through all of this from God Almighty, Himself: I had no right to say what I was going to do or what I was not going to do. I belonged unto Him. He paid a terrible price to buy me, sending His Son to shed His Blood that I might belong unto Him.

We sometimes have to learn things by God speaking loud and clear to our hearts. One lesson He would want us all to learn is not to put ourselves before Him, not to go and do what we want to do without first praying and asking what He would want us to do.

It's in our flesh to be in charge of our lives, desiring to go and do what we want to do, and when we want to do it, without ever first acknowledging God to see what He would want us to do or where He would want us to go.

Many live a life where they are only thinking about themselves and what makes them happy, what satisfies them. Whether it pleases God or doesn't please God doesn't matter.

That's certainly not the work of righteousness. No wonder there's no peace; no wonder their mind is troubled.

Romans 8:6
For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

This isn't speaking of someone who has a mental condition but to those who are carnally minded — ever thinking of self.

When we have a spiritual mind, God is always first — before self, before husband or wife, before anyone else or anything else. Those with a spiritual mind want to live according to God's Word, obeying Him in all things, and doing what pleases Him.

John 8:29
And He that sent Me is with Me: the Father hath not left Me alone; for I do always those things that please Him.

I do always . . . please Him. Jesus pleased His Father. Let's look at what took place at the time of His baptism in the Jordan River:

Matthew 3:17
And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to hear the Lord say that of you? This is My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.

The Effects of Living in a Manner
Well-pleasing to God

External Peace

Proverbs 16:7
When a man's ways please the Lord, He maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.

Isaiah 42:17b
. . . and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever.

Quietness and Assurance

Quietness and assurance are the fruit of having external peace as well as peace within: no more fretting, no more fussing, no more worrying, but having perfect confidence and trust in God. There is so much worrying and fretting and fussing amongst God's people, showing a lack of confidence and trust in God.

Assurance is a gift from God. (Note that I didn't say insurance . . . I said assurance).

I John 3:24
And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given us.

Romans 8:16
The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.

So we have an assurance; thus there is no need for us to worry, no need to fret, no need to fuss — for we have complete confidence in the Lord. Yes, the effect of the work of righteousness in our hearts brings us quietness and assurance.

Quietness from Fear

Proverbs 1:33
But whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil.

Here is a promise to those who really live godly and holy, walking seriously before the Lord. This work of righteousness is a promise to us: whoso hearkens unto the Lord shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil. When it's time to go to bed, they can go to sleep without lying awake all night worrying about somebody coming in and killing them.

No matter where you live, you can be quiet from fear of evil. You could live in the worst of neighborhoods — where they are gunning down people, shooting through windows and killing innocent people, breaking in — and have that quietness within.

But, look, if you're not doing the work of righteousness, not hearkening unto the Lord and living a holy life, you can't expect this beautiful promise to be fulfilled in your life. These promises are for those who love and serve God in obedience, walking in a godly fashion, walking after holiness and righteousness.

Psalm 112:7
He shall not be afraid of evil tidings: his heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord.

You can hear all the things that are going on in this world today (terrorism, wars, violence); but if your heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord, you have nothing to worry about. You don't have to lie awake, worrying about what might happen: Will they be after me to torture me? Will they set my home on fire? Will they steal my money?

You won't be afraid of evil tidings — that is, if your heart is fixed, trusting in the Lord. When your heart is fixed that means you have a perfect trust.

Isaiah 32:18
And My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places

What a beautiful promise. This was spoken to the children of Israel, yet it is for us as well. We can take any of the promises in God's Word and claim them for ourselves when we are living for Him in righteousness and true holiness.

Assurance of Promises Fulfilled

Psalm 34:20
He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.

This is speaking of the crucifixion. When they broke the legs of the two thieves to kill them, Jesus had already died so they didn't break His bones.

I read a testimony of a man who claimed this promise for himself. He was parachuting out of an airplane and pulled the ripcord . . . but nothing happened! As he was falling, he claimed this Scripture — that not a bone should be broken — and the Lord brought him down on top of a tree. The tree limbs broke his fall, and not a bone in his body was broken!

You too can claim the Scriptures when you find you need the Lord to help you.

Psalm 91:5
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day

Proverbs 3:24
When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet.

Free from all worry, able to lie down and go right to sleep. Isn't that a wonderful promise!

More Promises

I Peter 3:13
And who is he that will harm you, if ye be followers of that which is good?

Psalm 91:10
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Proverbs 3 :21-26
My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: so shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble.

When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken.

These are beautiful promises given to us. With promises like these, should any of God's people go to bed and lie awake worrying all night because of all the wicked, evil things that are going on in this world?

One thing, if you're right with God — you have confessed your sins and repented of them, and they have been washed away with the Blood of Jesus Christ — what do you have to fear?

Do you realize, when you close your eyes for the last time on this earth that your life doesn't end?

II Cor 5:6-8
Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord! Just think, you'll no longer have to walk on filthy streets and sidewalks; no longer will there be any danger. You'll be present with the Lord in His heavenly home, walking on streets of pure gold. No more sickness, no more pain.

Are you looking forward to going there? Then, why worry? Just put your faith and confidence in God and in His Word — living for Him with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your might and strength.

Live for God with Your All

Yes, live for Him. Put Him first: above yourself, above all others, and above all things. If you do that, I'm sure you'll make it to those streets of gold. I'm talking here to those who are saved, to those whose sins have been forgiven and who have Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour.

If you're one who puts self above God, woe! Get hold of yourself and start to put God first. Start praying and seeking God, making sure that God is first above yourself and anyone else. You're going to have to do it God's way, not your way.

Proverbs 14:12 and 16:25
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

. . . But the end thereof are the ways of death! Man thinks his way is the best way, but he's wrong. For God's way is the best way, the right way. And His way leads to life — a life of quietness and assurance for ever.