Paving the way

“Righteousness goes before Him and prepares the way for His steps.” Psalm 85:13
If you want to know how to live so that God will move in your life, the key is right here. Righteousness precedes God moving; therefore, if we live in His righteousness, He will move in our life.
Righteousness doesn’t mean ‘holier-than-thou’. Rather, it means to live right by God’s standards. This means obeying Him and what He has written in His Word. If we are hanging onto some sin, then we are not living in His righteousness, and consequently He will not move in our life.
This is true for a person, but also for a church. Many churches today are crying out to God to do a mighty work in their midst, to empower them to witness to their communities. And yet nothing seems to happen. One reason could be because they are not walking in righteousness – perhaps there is some sin, or their motives are wrong in asking God to do this. God doesn’t look at the end result – He looks at our hearts. If our motivation is pride and wanting to be seen, then He won’t bless us. But if our motivation is to serve Him out of obedience and love, then He will.