I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 7

"Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the Lord have created it" (Isaiah 45:8).

The nation is parched for righteousness. It is desperate for righteous families to arise. Let us pray that God will move; that He will pour down righteousness from the heavens and that it will spring up from the earth in order that righteousness will fill the land. The more righteous people in the land and the more babies born to God's righteous people, the more righteousness will invade the nation. That's why Proverbs 14:34 tells us that "righteousness exalts a nation."

Righteousness is associated with Sacrifice

Deuteronomy 33:19 talks about the "sacrifices of righteousness."

Psalm 4:5 says, "Offer the sacrifices of righteousness and put your trust in the Lord." We don't like to hear the word sacrifice do we? But sacrifice is involved when we walk in righteousness. It is the opposite of walking our own way and doing our own thing.

Every day, sometimes many times a day, we have to make the choice of fulfilling our own fleshly desires or doing what is right. We continually have to make the decision on whether to do it God's way or to do it our own way. We sacrifice to serve our husband and family rather than our own desires. It's not easy to sacrifice but the fruit of self-denial and sacrificial living is joy.

We must not look upon sacrifice as a negative, but as a positive as we put our trust in the Lord. We may have to say No to the flesh, but as we trust the Lord we find it  is the way of joy and victory. 1 John 3:7 tells us that righteousness is a way of life: "Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous." It is not a matter of looking righteous, but of doing righteous deeds!

Righteousness is associated with Provision

David acknowledged in Psalm 37:25, "I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread."

Proverbs 10:3 says, "The Lord will not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish." See also Proverbs 13:25 and Matthew 6:33.

Proverbs 15:6 says, "In the house of the righteous is much treasure." God has promised to provide for the righteous. This provision is the opposite of begging. Of course, we may not get all the things we want. It is amazing how we can manage on a lot less than we do. I am always challenged by the words in Nehemiah 9:20-21 RAV, "You also gave your good Spirit to instruct them, and did not withhold your manna from their mouth, and gave them water for their thirst. Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, so that they LACKED NOTHING; their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell." They lived in temporary tents without all the mod-cons that we enjoy today, but God said they lacked nothing!

Righteousness is associated with Blessings

Proverbs 10:6 says, "Blessings are upon the head of the righteous." Verse 7 tell us that even the memory of the righteous is a blessing! I like that, don't you? I want blessings to be poured upon my head. I am sure you do, too. I don't want to be in the opposite camp and come out from under the covering of God's blessings.

Psalm 5:12, "For thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous; with favor wilt thou compass him as with a shield."

Isaiah 3:10 NASB, "Say to the righteous that it will go well with them." See also Psalm 75:10b; Psalm 92:12; 112:9b; 125:3  and Proverbs 11:28.

Righteousness is associated with Faith

Although God ordained us before the foundation of the world to a destiny of good works, these good works will not get us to heaven. The only way we can be saved is through faith in Jesus Christ and His righteousness. It is only the righteousness of Christ that is our salvation.

Paul confessed in Philippians 3:9,  "And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith."

Paul confessed again in Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost." See also Isaiah 54:17b; 64:6; Romans 4:5 and Ephesians 2:8-9.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"I thank you, Lord, for your righteousness that you have imputed to me. I want your life of righteousness to flow through me to my husband and to my children. Save me from hypocrisy. I want to walk in righteousness that overflows with joy and victory. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I love righteousness and hate evil!

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 6

"The Lord loves the righteous" (Psalm 14:5). See also Proverbs 15:9

Because God is righteous, He loves the righteous. His favor is upon them and He watches over them to uphold them. (Psalm 37:17 and 1 Peter 3:12).

Righteousness is associated Authority

God gives His authority to the righteous. Proverbs 14:19 says, "The evil bow before the good; and the wicked at the gates of the righteous." The righteous woman guards over what goes on inside her home. She watches in prayer. She constantly checks her home for all inroads of the enemy. She knows that she will lose her authority if she lets the devil have even one little inch in her home.

When our homes are filled with righteousness, we can walk in the authority God gives us in His name. When the enemy comes to the gates of our home, he skids to a stop! There is no foothold for him to enter. Do you remember the story in Acts 19:14-16 where certain men tried to cast out evil spirits like Paul, but instead they were overcome by the enemy and had to flee for their lives? We cannot have authority over the devil when there is unrighteousness in our lives; nor can we push back the enemy from our home if we allow unrighteousness to harbor in our home.

Righteousness is associated with Covering

Our righteousness is imputed to us by Christ. When we come to Christ for the cleansing and forgiveness of our sins, He covers us with His robe of righteousness. Without this robe, we will not be ready for the Marriage Supper of the Lamb and for heaven. We must make sure that we, along with each one of our children, are covered with this robe of righteousness. Read the following Scriptures:

Job 29:14, "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my justice was as a robe and a diadem."

Psalm 132:9, "Let thy priests be clothed with righteousness; and let thy saints shout for joy." See also Revelation 19:9

Isaiah 61:10, "He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, he hath covered me with the robe of righteousness."

Ephesians 4:24; "Put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness." See also Colossians 3:10, 12-14

Righteousness is also a covering of armor to protect us against the enemy. Even Christ put on righteousness as a breastplate and He wants us to put it on too. See Isaiah 59:17; 2 Corinthians 6:7 and Ephesians 6:14.

We don't go about wearing a "religious garb" of our own man-made righteousness, but we wear Christ's righteousness which is the life of Jesus Christ living in us.

Righteousness is associated with Confession

Righteousness is not true righteousness if it is hidden. Righteousness involves confessing with our mouth. We are born again by believing and confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord and this is how we continue our walk with the lord. Romans 10:9-10 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation."

David confessed in Psalm 35:28, "My tongue shall speak of thy righteousness and of thy praise all the day long."

Psalm 71:15 says, "My mouth shall show forth thy righteousness and thy salvation all the day."

Psalm 71:24, "My tongue also shall talk of thy righteousness all the day long."

We cannot say that we are walking in righteousness if we do not confess Christ and talk of His truths. This is the opposite of keeping quiet because we are too afraid or ashamed to stand up for Christ and His truths. Jesus said in Matthew 10:32-33, "Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven."

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh Father, please help me to be a true watchdog in my home, cleansing my home from all unrighteousness, so that I can walk in the authority that you have given me in your holy name.  Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I will not hold back from confessing Christ and His truth.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 5

"God is in the generation of the righteous" (Psalm 14:5)

Will we walk righteous lives so that God will come and manifest Himself in our generation? Will we pay the price for God to come and show Himself mighty on our behalf?

Righteousness is associated with Truth

God is known as a God of truth and righteousness, and just as He is, so He wants us to be in this world. See Proverbs 12:17 and Zechariah 8:8. Just as righteousness and justice, and righteousness and peace are twins, so righteousness and truth are always coupled together. You can't have one without the other. Solomon testified that his father, David, walked before the Lord "in truth, and in righteousness" (1 Kings 6:3).

David reminds us in Psalm 15:1-2 that the only one who can abide in God's tabernacle is the one who "works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart."

Truth is not an external thing. It is something we must have in the depths of our hearts. More than speaking the truth, we must be truth. Unless we are committed to truth in the innermost part of our being, we can be tempted to compromise which is the opposite of standing for truth.  How easy it is to exaggerate, or to say something that is only half the truth in order to cover for ourselves. It is not easy to speak the truth when it exposes our mistakes and shortcomings, but if righteousness is part of our being, truth will be too.

If we want our children to walk in truth in their core being and not just on the surface, we will have to show them by example.

Righteousness is associated with the Word of God

Psalm 19:9 says, "The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether."

2 Timothy 3:16 says, "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness." See also Deuteronomy 4:8; Psalm 119:7, 106, 123, 138, 144, 160, 164, 172; Matthew 7:14-17; Hebrews 5:13; Revelation 16:7 and  9:2.

It is very easy to obey the Word of God when it suits us, isn't it? It's not so easy when we face persecution or even suffering for our obedience. Obedience to the Word of God is the opposite of giving in to situational ethics.

A young couple decided to have a vasectomy after their two children. Many years later they were convicted of cutting off their fertility and reversed the situation. They were now open to having children, but each time the wife conceived she miscarried. She then lost a precious baby son at birth. This was too much for them to bear. They were being obedient to God and His Word and yet experiencing nothing but heartache. How could they continue?

The husband came to us and confessed that they could not go on trusting God. He wept with us as he shared that he could not put his wife through this suffering any more. We lovingly and gently encouraged them in the Lord and to keep trusting their God who would never fail them. In great trepidation they decided to continue being obedient to the Word of God and to be open to more children if God should choose.

God did bless them with another conception and this time they rejoiced at the birth of a precious little girl after so many years. Their joy was unspeakable! Oh what they would have missed if they had stopped because the journey was too hard. But that wasn't the end. God continued to bless them and they are now the blessed and happy parents of five beautiful children since their reversal.

Deuteronomy 6:25 says, "And it shall be our righteousness, if we observe to do all these commandments before the Lord our God, as he hath commanded us."

Righteousness is associated with Prayer

Proverbs 15:29 says, "The Lord hears the prayer of the righteous." I certainly like this promise, don't you?

Of course we all know the wonderful promise in James 5:16, "The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." See also Psalm 34:17 and Proverbs 10:24. Our righteousness falls short if we are not people of prayer. If we want the righteousness of God to fill our home, we need to fill our home with prayer. Families can accomplish mighty exploits for God as they pray together around their table. God hears the prayers of righteous parents and children. How many answers to prayer do families miss out on because they do not pray? What tremendous power is missing in the church because families do not pray! What would God do in our godless society if families prayed?

1 Peter 3:12 says, "For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers."

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh God, I pray that you will help me and all your people to pay the price in prayer for you to come and move in our generation.  Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am doing my part to bring God to this generation.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

I LOVE RIGHTEOUSNESS

Part 4

"I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth from the great congregation" (Psalm 40:10).

David, the Psalmist reminds us that we must not hide righteousness in our heart. Righteousness is not static but an attribute that moves and flows through our being.  Let's look at more ways it works out in our lives.

Righteousness is associated with Thankfulness

Psalm 140:13 says, "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name." The spirit of righteousness exudes thankfulness. It is a spontaneous overflowing of praise to God, in the good times and in the bad. It also shows gratefulness to others. It is the opposite of grumbling and complaining.

Instead of grumbling about your circumstances, thank God that He is in control and will never leave you or forsake you. Instead of Instead of complaining about your husband, appreciate him. If he takes out the garbage, thank him. If he doesn't, praise the Lord anyway. If he helps you with the dishes, thank him. If he doesn't, be grateful for him anyway. Thank him for working hard to provide for you. Thank him for choosing you to be his wife. Thank your children when they help you. Forget thinking you are righteous if you have a complaining spirit.

Righteousness is associated with walking in Light

Psalm 37:6 says, "He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light." See also Psalm 37:6; Proverbs 13:9; Micah 7:9b; Matthew 5:14-16; 13:43; 2 Corinthians 3:18 and 4:6. When we walk in righteousness, we walk in the light. We are transparent before God and before one another. The woman who walks in righteousness in her home has an open face, shining the light of the glory of God before her family. The righteous woman is the opposite of the one who thinks she is "righteous" but looks as though she has been baptized in lemon juice instead!

Righteousness is associated with Persecution

We should not think we are out of the will of God because we are going through hard times. This is part of life. In fact, if we are not suffering because of our witness for Christ, we should check out whether we are really walking in righteousness. Righteousness is opposite to spirit of the world and we can expect reaction and persecution.

Psalm 34:17 and 19 say, "The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles.... Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivers him out of them all." Don't despair; even in persecution, God is with you. Be encouraged by the following  wonderful promises:

Proverbs 11:8, "The righteous is delivered out of trouble."

Matthew 5:10, "Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

2 Timothy 2:12, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him."

1 Peter 3:14, "If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye." If we suffer for our own stupid mistakes and wrong decisions we must bear the consequences, but if we suffer for righteousness, we can rejoice! See also 1 Peter 4:12-14. We won't be surprised because we understand that righteousness is associated with persecution.

Righteousness is associated with Posterity

God has promised that the children and grandchildren of the righteous will be blessed. Whether we walk in righteousness, or in unrighteousness will determine the outcome of our posterity. What a responsibility for parents. Our descendants will be affected by the decisions we make today. Read Psalm 37:25-26, 29; 103:17; 106:30-31 and Proverbs 11:21b.

God's plan is for us to build godly generations that will continue following the Lord. The opposite is happening in the church today with so many  Christian couples separating and divorcing. They are so concerned about their own pleasures and desires that they do not take time to think of their children and  grandchildren. Their selfish motives override the negative impact their decision will have on posterity. The course of their future generations will be changed forever.

Every Friday evening at our dinner table, Colin reads Proverbs 31 and then blesses and praises me. I then read Psalm 112 and bless him by acknowledging lovely things that I can share about him. It is such a wonderful tradition that blesses our marriage. Psalm 112:1-3 say, "Blessed is the man that fears the Lord, that delights greatly in his commandments. His seed shall be mighty upon the earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed. Wealth and riches shall be in his house; and his righteousness endures forever." I often comment that our children and grandchildren are blessed because my husband walks in righteousness.

Love from NANCY CAMPBELL

PRAYER:

"Oh Father, I don't want to hide your righteousness. I thank you that your righteousness is associated with joy and thankfulness. Save me from walking around looking as though I am baptized in lemon juice. Instead, please help me to walk in a spirit of gratefulness. Amen."

AFFIRMATION:

I am walking in righteousness to bless my future descendants.

Many women like to save these devotions. They print them out and keep them in a folder to read over and over again. Some print them out and pin them on the fridge with a magnet to read through the week. If you are printing this devotion and need it to be smaller, highlight and change to a smaller font.

If you know others who would be blessed by these devotions, you are welcome to forward them or let them know they can subscribe by sending a blank email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.