Day 7

Clothed In Righteousness

[content_box_red width=”75%”]WOW Words of Today: You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being. –Revelation 4:11 (NIV)[/content_box_red]

Years ago, I dreamed one night that I was riding in the car with one of my girlfriends talking and laughing. There’s nothing unusual about that, right? But there was one thing unusual in the dream. I was unclothed waist up. When I realized it, my mouth dropped open and I woke up.

Of course, I was disturbed and wondering what in the world it could mean. First was it from God; I knew to hold my dreams up to the light of the Word of God and prayer. Years later, believe it or not I’ve talked to so many people that have had a similar dream from time to time. Maybe you’ve even had one, too. Anyway, this is what happened with me.

After praying about it, the Holy Spirit directed me to Job 33:14-18 TLB where it clearly says, “For God speaks again and again, in dreams, in visions of the night when deep sleep falls on men as they lie on their beds.

He opens their ears in times like that and gives them wisdom and instruction, causing them to change their minds and keeping them from pride and warning them of the penalties of sin and keeping them from falling into some trap.” I said, “Father God I believe you are talking to me.”

Then we (the Holy Spirit and I) went to Revelation 16:125b which says, “Blessed is he who stays awake and keeps his clothes with him, so that he may not go naked and be shamefully exposed.”

Finally, I received the interpretation of my dream; I was in sin against my friend. I had been speaking negatively about her the day before my dream. Not with gossip or even ugly words but I had been saying the opposite of what I knew God wanted to do in her life.

You see, I had talked to her for months about making a fresh commitment to God. But I felt she was being stubborn, so in frustration I began to mumble to myself that she would never change. I went on to say, she would always be wandering around in a circle of disobedience.

I knew Father God was holding me accountable for my careless idle words. I repented and now whenever I have a dream where I am without clothes, if I don’t already know, I pray and examine my life for where I’ve missed it.

God purposed to have a people that will reflect His glory in the earth. We (Christians) are that people. When you were born-again you inherited some clothing. Clothing that no devil or hellish circumstance can take from you, only you can lay it down.

  • God’s Clothing—Kenneth Copeland mentioned in one of his devotionals: Have you ever noticed that man is the only one of God’s creations that wears clothing. All the other creatures grow their own clothing, from inside to out. Some grow fur, some feathers, others scales, or leathery hide. They are all designed to be clothed from inside to out. 16
  • In the Beginning—We were created the same way to be clothed from the inside to out. Remember in the beginning, God created mankind in his own likeness. The writer of Ezekiel confirms this idea with, “God is clothed in fire from waist up and in fire from his waist down. The fire is his glory coming from his inner being.”17
  • The Glory of God first clothed man—When man was first created that’s the way we were. The glory of God clothed man, coming from the inside to out. There was no sense of nakedness or need to be clothed. Then man sinned and the glory departed from him. He was naked and he knew he was naked.18

From that point on (mankind was naked.) God in his mercy and grace provided us our clothes when he provided Adam and Eve the animal skins (a leather outfit, smile) But isn’t that the way it still is today, God covers us in his mercy and grace. In our sin we were not utterly destroyed, but given a time of repentance.

The Glory of God came back inside us—The good news is when we were born-again and put our faith in the blood and the name of Jesus, the glory of God came back inside us. In a sense, we got our clothes back. We received our robe of righteousness and we are clothed with Christ.19

God wants us to be clothed in his righteousness through Christ, clothed in His glory. Even the writer of Romans encourages us with, “Clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus.”

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21 Day W.O.R.D. Challenge Exercise

(Memorize Memory Scripture, Pray and Say it aloud throughout every day of the challenge.)

  • Memory Scripture: For he hath made him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. -2 Corinthians 5:21
  • Confession: I am the righteousness of God through Christ.