Not By My Righteousness But By Your Mercy and Love

 

Daniel 9:18

"Give ear, our God, and hear, open Your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears Your Name. We do not make requests of You because we are righteous, but because of Your great mercy"

I saw a post the other day that said, "Don't pray to God based on what you have done, but based on who He is" 

It means that we often distance ourselves from praying the way we should or slow down in fasting, reading the Word of God, and even obeying His voice because of something that we may have done that is unworthy.

We may have done something bad and allow the guilt to make us take a step back from getting into God's presence or doing what we have been instructed to do. 

Unknowingly putting ourselves in a loop. 

Not doing the things of God because we feel distant, then feeling distant because we are not doing the things of God. 

I've fallen guilty about this many times but I've realized that it was all a scheme of the enemy. 

We can not focus on what it is we have done because if we do we will never allow ourselves to get back in right standing with God. We would always refuse His presence or His instructions because we would be trying to punish ourselves. 

We would feel unworthy and as if God has not forgiven us, even though He already had. However, we'll neglect that information and slacken in reading the Word or praying because of guilt. 

That is what the devil wants out of us. 

He wants us to judge our relationship with God based on our feelings and not on the unconditional love of God. 

To go based on inconsistencies and not the constant of God was, is, and is to come. (Consistent)

If we were to praise God based on who He is, His mercy, and His grace, then we would never run out of reasons why. 

We will never have a reason why not!

We would have no reason to distance ourselves when it comes to praying and worshiping based on His love and mercy because they have boundaries. 

They do not stop!

It doesn't yield. 

Therefore, our prayers, praise, and worship won't either. 

Matter of fact, to confirm this, even more,  His love and mercy step in when we sin. 

It starts rolling when we begin to fall away. 

I encourage you today to not stop praying, fasting, reading, and obeying the Word of God because of your own righteousness and past mistakes. 

The Bible states that God loved David because of his heart. 

David was the kind of person who regardless of how great he was or how low he had become, was going to praise and worship God. 

He never ran away because regardless of how righteous he might have felt at that moment or how sinful he might have felt at that time, he knew that God's mercy and love remain the same. 

That it never wavered or changed. 

Let's worship and praise God based on the unwavering love and mercy He has given us. 

Praise God anyhow!

Pray anyhow!

Worship anyhow!

Love anyhow!

Read anyhow!

~TheRay