You are established in righteousness

In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you. ~Isaiah 54:14 (ESV)

Have you ever experienced oppression?  Oppression is another word for tyranny or persecution, it’s unjust treatment.  Throughout history God’s people have lived under oppression, yet God says they would be far from it.  It makes us wonder how this can be until we look at the scripture in context.  God says in righteousness you shall be established…you shall be far from oppression…for you shall not fear.  We distance ourselves from oppression when we understand our righteousness was established when we accepted Christ as our Savior, and we choose not to fear.  Jesus’ blood covers us every minute of every day.  Although we are conscious of our sin, God isn’t.  When we believe that truth in our hearts we are instantly freed from oppression because fear has no hold on us.  God tells us in 1 John 4:18 “perfect love drives out fear.” (NIV)  Do you know God loves you unconditionally?  That is His perfect love and when we realize this, we don’t have to fear anything; not death or persecution or even loss.  If God be for us who can be against us? 

In uncertain times of turmoil, we have to remember we have a very certain God.  Even though there are going to be days we feel like we have been hit by a tidal wave and as the waters recede, we feel like it is taking everything we know and love with it…we need to remind ourselves that God is on the throne.  It could be the death of a loved one, or the squandering of your retirement savings by people with no integrity or the loss of a job or a career.  When we experience what we perceive as loss, oftentimes our mind, will and emotions turn on us.  It could take days, months or even years for us to come to a place where we look at that situation with an eternal perspective.  But when we do, we have to admit that God is sovereign, and it was Him that allowed what we experienced to come to pass.  A heart that is established in righteousness says “the Lord loves me, and He will get me through this season and bring me into an even better place because I know He loves me.  Therefore, I will put my trust in Him.”  The heart established in fear says, “things will never be the same again, I’m ruined, the life that I love is over and I have nothing to enjoy anymore.”  Of course, things are never going to be the same when the Lord allows change to come.  Things weren’t the same last year or even 10 years ago.  The most constant thing in life is change.  Are you ready for it?  God’s plans for you and me are always great plans.  Sure, we are going to go through some loss.  That is because you have to let go of the old to grab on to something new and better for this season in your life.  Don’t let your fears keep you from being established in righteousness.  That is what keeps oppression at bay.  We cannot be oppressed in life until we allow ourselves to be oppressed in our minds.

For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” ~Romans 8:15 (ESV)

What fears have caused oppression in your life? Have you received God’s perfect love to drive it out?

• Write an answer
• Write an answer