Everyone hearing Jesus, receiving His word, and continuing therein, comes to know that we, the children of God, must walk as Jesus walked and be holy as our heavenly Father is holy in this present world(John 8:31-32, 1 John 2:6, 1 Peter 1:13-21, 1 John 4:17). The following is a word of encouragement to all who have heard, believed, continued, and are now hungering and thirsting for this righteousness to become a literal experience in their day-to-day lives.

Let’s begin with a single verse that puts all anxiety to rest- “Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it” (1 Thessalonians 5:24). God, our heavenly Father, is doing this work in you. There are three things necessary to experience literal righteousness. First, there has to be a clear view of the possibility of righteousness in one’s life- a life of words and deeds that are generated solely by the Holy Spirit, being in constant communion with God, and continual victory over sin through abiding in Jesus. Secondly, a person must deliberately will to die to self, the flesh, and the world, and surrender the whole heart to Jesus. Then, we must look to Jesus through the eyes of faith for all we need to enable us to do it. Take comfort in knowing that you have only been able to realize that literal righteousness is possible because God has given you ears to hear and eyes to see. He has chosen us, we have not chosen Him- “Ye have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my Name, He may give it you” (John 15:16). God has chosen you for a purpose; that you bring forth fruit that will remain. Since you first believed and have continued in faith, the Holy Spirit has unceasingly worked in your heart and in your life to bring about the hunger and thirst for righteousness you now have. “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled”(Matthew 5:6).

It is God, through Jesus and by the Holy Spirit, who produces the manifestation of literal righteousness in our lives. Having been broughtby the Spirit to seeing that literal righteousness is attainable, then on to the point of willing it to be our personal experience, we then, typically, try to make it happen ourselves. This is where we find that we can not. In this stage, we are likened to the Romans 7 man- he knows the Father’s will and wants to do it, but can’t find the power. Through this, we realize that righteousness can only become our daily personal experience through faith. “O wretched man that I am! Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord . . .” (Romans 7:24-25). We often get hung up because, without realizing, faith gets focused on our ability or inability to surrender and obey. This focus is wrong, and faith is not where it should be. Perfection is not our work; it is God’s work, and it does not come by doing but by believing. Jesus says, “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (John 6:29). Have faith that God, through Jesus and by His Spirit, is bringing you to completion. Remember, “Faithful is He that calleth you, Who also will do it”. Read 1 Thessalonians 5:16-24 and meditate upon it until the eternal Spirit makes it a reality to your faith.

It may strengthen your faith in the working of God to grasp a more comprehensive understanding of the word “eternal”. When the Bible speaks of “eternal” life, “eternal” joy, “eternal” redemption, the “eternal” Spirit, it means more than merely having no end. “Eternal” is perpetual, continuous, does not change, does not weaken or fade. It is the power of endless life. Our Savior has an eternal priesthood, we are partakers of an eternal covenant, and the eternal Spirit is the agent through which the eternal God is working in us. Fear not!! As you abide in faith, God’s work is being accomplished in your soul. Our tendency is to think that we must be in a church meeting, reading our Bible, or praying in order for God to work in us. All of this is important but it’s not according to our doing that God works; it’s according to our faith in Him! Each of us have daily necessities that keep us occupied with earthly things. There are jobs, bills, families, and possessions that must be attended. It is critical to have some time that is set apart for fellowship with God each day, but understand that you can be in faith while your mind is otherwise occupied. So long as you are exercising faith, the eternal Spirit is working your perfection.

Now look with me at some scriptures to confirm, in your mind, that God is doing all of this in your life. First, Ezekiel prophesied of the New Covenant saying, “For I will take you from among the heathen, and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own land. Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: fromall your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put My Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes, and ye shall keep My judgments, and do them”(Ezekiel 36:24-27). You see that it is God Who takes us from among the heathen. It is He Who cleanses us from all our idols and filthiness.HE puts a new spirit in us, takes out our stony heart, and gives us a new heart of flesh. Yes, it is our loving heavenly Father Who puts His Spirit in us and causes us to walk in His statutes and keep His judgments and do them. A similar prophecy from Jeremiah says,“Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which My covenant they break, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put My law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be My people” (Jeremiah 31:31-33). Here, you see again that it is God Who puts His law in our minds and writes it upon our hearts. Both of these prophesies are referred to in the eighth and tenth chapters of Hebrews while revealing both the need and the power of the New Covenant. Looking again at 2 Thessalonians 5, the apostle Paul writes, “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; . . .” (vs. 23). God, by His right hand of power, brings us out of Egypt, through the wilderness, and into the promise- the likeness of Jesus.

Consider this for more comfort and encouragement— “For ye are bought with a price: . . .” (1 Corinthians 6:20). We have been purchased from Satan’s ownership to be God’s possession. The blood of Jesus is the price that was paid for our redemption. Everyone understands the procedure of making a purchase. The higher the value, the higher the price one is willing to pay. God paid the most high price for us- the lifeblood of His Son. When people purchase something, they fully intend to accept or receive the item purchased. Would God not be willing to receive us? Seeing that He does receive us as His purchased possession, would it not stand to reason that He would also do everything necessary to maintain and make us fit for His intended use. It is a given that when someone purchases a horse, that he/she will receive the animal, care for it, feed, train and exercise it, in order for it to fulfill its purpose. So it is with God and His purchased possession. Don’t rest from your pursuit of Him and His righteousness, but rest from your own works, anxieties, and inabilities. Simply exercise your faith to rest in Jesus Who is working by the eternal Spirit to make you perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you (1 Peter 5:10). You have been chosen to go and bring forth fruit that will remain. “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do His will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Hebrews 13:20-21).