BOOK REVIEW: SEE YOURSELF THE WAY GOD SEES YOU

"Righteousness" is a legal term. It means to have right standing before God. Vine's Expository Dictionary of Biblical  Words defines righteousness as "that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God". In order words, your right standing before God is based upon Jesus' right standing before God.
Today, you are as righteous as Jesus because your righteousness is from Him. He purchased it for you at the cross. When you received Him as your Lord and Savior, He took away all your unrighteousness once and for all and gave you His gift of righteousness. This righteousness is something that you can never obtain or achieve through your right doing; it can only be received by your right believing in Jesus.
And do you know what happens when your receive this gift of righteousness? The Bible declares that "those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:17). Hey, when you reign, your addictions don't. When you reign, sicknesses don't. When your reign, fear, depression, and every obstacle that is obstructing you from living your life to the fullest will be torn down and flushed out.
There is so much teaching today on right doing, but the answer is found in right believing about your right standing in Christ. This is why it is so important for you to remember this: your righteousness (right standing) is a gift.
So many people are struggling today because they are trying through their own obedience, efforts and abilities, to earn their right standing before God. Out of the sincerity of their hearts, they believe that by performing more good deeds, by becoming more obedient, by giving up more for Jesus, by praying and serving God more, God will bless them. Please here me out here. I am all for doing all of that. But if you believe that these things will earn you righteousness, that's when it becomes a problem.
As good as all the above sounds, when people fail to be obedient (which they will), when they fail to vive up more for Jesus (which they will), and when they don't pray "enough," read the Bible "enough," and serve in church "enough," they will begin to consciously or unconsciously disqualify themselves from God's love, presence, and blessings. And who determines what is "enough," anyway? The accuser of the brethren will take every opportunity to condemn believers for never doing "enough." when that happens, they will begin to fall into the trap of guilt, inferiority, condemnation, and shame.
That is the problem. When someone bases their relationship with God on their own merits, they will always fall short. That's the old covenant way-do right, and God will bless you; do wrong, and you will be cursed. Unfortunately, man has no ability to deserve God's blessing through his actions. Even under the old covenant, no one was blessed because they obeyed God perfectly. They were blessed because of the temporary righteousness that they received through the blood of bulls and goats. The blood from these animal sacrifices was merely a shadow of the blood that Jesus would finally shed at the cross to purchase for us the gift of everlasting righteousness. Do you see? Then and now, right standing with God cannot be merited; it is a gift from Him, based on his unmerited favor.
Once, the Lord showed me a vision of what happened at the cross. I saw how all the sins of the entire human race (lies ,deceit, envy, bitterness, adultery, addiction, bondage, murder) and all the consequences of sin (fear, sicknesses, guilt, disease, and condemnation) swirled around Jesus like evil spirits and demons, laughing heinously, taunting and tormenting Him. Jesus became like a magnet for all sin and of His own volition accepted all this sin into His own body.
You and I will never be able to imagine the excruciating pain that tore through His body at the cross. Every malignant cancer, every tumor, every sickness, and every disease also came upon Him at the same time. He who knew neo sin took upon Himself the mountainous weight of all men's darkest and foulest sins. He took it all Himself.
The Word says that "He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses" (Matt. 8:17). "Himself"- a singular, reflexive pronoun that signifies the exclusion of you and me. Since He Himself has taken the full punishment, judgement, and condemnation for all sin, you and I are excluded from every punishment, judgment, and condemnation for all sin when we receive Him as our Savior.
But the story did not end there. Jesus did not die on the cross at the middle of receiving upon Himself all of humanity's sins. He took it all and accepted it all in His body. Then the fire of God's judgement was unleashe upon His own precious Son, and only when every last sin had been punished did Jesus cry out, "IT IS FINISHED!" moments befor breathing His last breath (see John 19:30). Can you see that? Jesus held on at the cross until every single sin that you have ever committed and will ever commit was punished in His own body. That is why we call what Jesus has accomplished at the cross a "finished work."
Now, what is your part today? Your part is to believe with your heart and confess with your mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord of your life and that all your sins have been paid for at the cross. If you believe that all your sins have been forgiven, sin will have no more power over you. You don't have to walk around with "a mountain of sin" on your shoulders anymore because this "mountain of sin" was laid squarely on he shoulders of another-Jesus. He Himself has already paid the price for your sins, so stop condemning yourself.
Today, when you look into the mirror, what do you see? Do you see yourself trapped in all your failings, mistakes, and sins? Or do you see what God sees?
My dear friend, when God sees you today, He sees Jesus. Use your eyes of faith and believe that as Jesus is, so are you. In God's eyes, you are righteous, you are favored, and blessed, and you are healed. You are freed from all sin, all pangs of guilt, all forms of condemnation, and every bondage of addiction!