Heaven's windows are always open to the righteous in Christ

Believers, have you been in a position where a preacher puts you on edge with "time-bound" donations, makes you feel like you lost something because you missed a "special anointing service" or asks you to "sow a seed now" so that God can owe you a job or a house? Such preachers usually say things like "There's a special window open for anyone who gives or pledges such and such amount of money right now. Now. Right now. The window is about to close now so hurry. You don't want to miss God's goodness and mercy at this special time. Going, going, gone!"

Please run away from such!

This is like a parent letting her child spend the night in school and without care because she was not in the place where they did or didn't agree for the child to be picked up! If she cannot find her child, she will ransack the whole school in search of her until she finds her to take her home. Her priority is her child's well-being and happiness. To us, Christ says "How much more your Father in heaven"!

Remember Psalm 23:6 - "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me..."

The word "follow" does not do justice to "radaph," the Hebrew word that it was translated from. Radaph means “to pursue, to set off after someone in order to catch him.” The word is frequently used to describe the action of chasing down one's enemies or being chased down by them. Like an enemy in hot pursuit! Relentlessly. This is how our Lord Jesus Christ’s goodness and mercy chase after us! As the righteousness of God in Christ, we simply cannot escape His goodness and mercy; they hunt us down even when we unwittingly try to flee or dodge away! And they catch us every single day!

With Christ, we don't give to get. We get to give. Romans 8:32 says "He who did not spare His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?"

God so loved us that He gave us heaven's Best, Priceless Treasure, His beloved Son and our Saviour Jesus Christ. What makes us think He will withhold anything else from us His children who are His righteousness in Christ, especially when He is the one ordering our steps? He positions us for His blessings, not some gimmicky preacher who lies that the windows of heaven can close on us!

Believers, as the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:21,) the Lord is our Shepherd. We are His sheep. We do not know our left from our right. He is our wisdom. He leads us on the path of righteousness. We have no righteousness of our own. He makes sure that we are at the right place at the right time. When it comes to shearing the sheep (our giving in whatever way we give) He directs us to the place of shearing at His own time and He does the shearing. He puts the wool we produce to use. We, the sheep can do nothing but rely on the Shepherd. He said "Without Me you can do nothing." We are not holding on to Him. He is the one upholding us with His victorious right Hand, so there is no danger of falling away!

In Christ, the thoughts of the Holy Spirit become our action. Galatians 2:20 "I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me;..." With Christ, we get to work out our salvation (including salvation from greed, sin, addictions, stinginess, selfishness, intolerance, sickness, fear, all worldly ills) "for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure." Philippians 2:13.

John 10: 29 says "My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. 30 I and the Father are one.” No one can snatch us away from our Lord God or cause us to go astray with our Abba Father on our side.

But these things are not so for those who try to mislead the flock into thinking that they have to do works of the Law to attain righteousness, "remain in Christ" or "maintain their salvation." These ones are not sheep. They are goats! Goodness and mercy do not hunt these ones down because they are cut off from Christ (Galatians 5:4)

Believers whose righteousness is found in Christ, we are the redeemed of the Lord, the ransomed of the Lord; made clean and righteous by His blood and not our own works. He has placed us on the Highway of Holiness where even though we are fools, we will not go astray! Check out the benefits He loads us with in Isaiah 35:

"A highway shall be there, and a road,

And it shall be called the Highway of Holiness.

The unclean shall not pass over it,

But it shall be for others.

Whoever walks the road, although a fool,

Shall not go astray.

9 No lion shall be there,

Nor shall any ravenous beast go up on it;

It shall not be found there.

But the redeemed shall walk there,

10 And the ransomed of the Lord shall return,

And come to Zion with singing,

With everlasting joy on their heads.

They shall obtain joy and gladness,

And sorrow and sighing shall flee away."

The Holy Spirit will teach you all things.

Believe Right and you will Live Right!