What Does Righteous Judgment Look Like?
I have an incredibly strong justice mantle and can become pretty passionate when I believe someone has been wronged, unjustly treated, hurt, or manipulated. I also walked through healing from being sexually abused by three different men from the ages of two to eleven.
With this background, I’ve found myself wrestling with confusion over why I haven’t been absolutely incensed over the exposures happening in the church world. I’ve had a lot of conversations with the Lord about it and wanted to share my processing in hopes it will help others hear from the Lord for themselves and find His heart in this matter.
We may or may not come to the same conclusions and that’s really okay. We're all doing the best we can to process what has come to light and find a way forward in Him. Let's hold space for each other to do that.
One of the foundations of any relationship is communication. This holds true in our relationship with God, too. He’s always speaking and loves when we engage Him in conversation.
These are some of the questions I’ve asked the Lord about this topic . . .
- What does “righteous judgment” and holding people accountable look like?
- As a people, what response should we have, not just to the victims, but to the accused / guilty?
- How do we reconcile scriptures, like Deuteronomy 32:35 and Romans 12:17-19 (scriptures below) with the truths we know regarding no sin being greater or lesser than another and the lessons You’ve taught around forgiveness?
- Vengeance is Mine, and recompense; their foot shall slip in due time; for the day of their calamity is at hand, and the things to come hasten upon them. – Deuteronomy 32:35
- Repay no one evil for evil. Have regard for good things in the sight of all men. If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men. Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord. – Romans 12:17-19
- Why haven’t we heard heartfelt repentance from the accused / guilty?
- The biggest question of all for me has been, “What does it look like for ME to be holy???” (“You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.” Leviticus 19:2b)
I love God’s timing and how He speaks through His Word. I’ve been doing a “read through the Bible in a year” plan and as I brought these questions to the Lord, I was reading in Leviticus. Chapter 20 talks about penalties for breaking the law. Verses 4-5 say, “And if the people of the land should in any way hide their eyes from the man, when he gives some of his descendants to Molech, and they do not kill him, then I will set My face against that man and against his family; and I will cut him off from his people, and all who prostitute themselves with him to commit harlotry with Molech.”
This scripture is specific to Israelites who sacrificed their children to the false god, Molech, but there’s a lesson contained in it for us today. Rampant throughout the Body of Christ is a tendency to “hide their eyes from the man” and not take action when something comes to light that is against God and against man.
I commented on a FaceBook live I was watching recently that particularly in the charismatic church, we’re taught to honor those in leadership, “cover” them, and be “armor bearers” for them. What I recognize is that honoring, covering, and having a sense of duty to protect the “set” man or woman in ministry can become a muzzle over the mouths of those in leadership alongside them, as well as those within the ministry (i.e., church members or ministry supporters).
We’re taught always to believe the best and trust God will speak to, lead, and guide pastors and ministry leaders. We’re not to question them but follow them. Not all do, but too many fall into that trap. At one time, I was wholeheartedly one of them and blindly followed, believing that in serving man, I was serving God.
God, forgive us as the Body of Christ for hiding our eyes and not taking action, thereby committing sin with them.
Does judgment then look like calling people names and demanding they be strung up in punishment? When I’ve seen outraged posts and name-calling, it’s grieved me. As a Body, we’re so good at shooting our wounded.
Don’t get me wrong – I’m not condoning what has happened, nor am I trying to write a blank check of forgiveness without consequences. I personally can’t listen to the testimonies of those who have come forward because of how it will shred me emotionally to do so. I can imagine their brokenness through living through my own.
I’m also wrestling with forming a response after reading Leviticus 26:40-45.
“But if they confess their iniquity and the iniquity of their fathers, with their unfaithfulness in which they were unfaithful to Me, and that they also have walked contrary to Me, and that I also have walked contrary to them and have brought them into the land of their enemies; if their uncircumcised hearts are humbled, and they accept their guilt—then I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and My covenant with Isaac and My covenant with Abraham I will remember; I will remember the land. The land also shall be left empty by them, and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them; they will accept their guilt, because they despised My judgments and because their soul abhorred My statutes. Yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not cast them away, nor shall I abhor them, to utterly destroy them and break My covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God. But for their sake I will remember the covenant of their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of the nations, that I might be their God: I am the Lord.”
In these verses, God lays out a clear path for people to choose to follow and what His response will be if they do. They are to:
- Confess their iniquity (perversity, moral evil – i.e., fault, mischief, punishment [of iniquity], sin)1 and the iniquity of their fathers... (vs. 40)
- Confess they have walked contrary to God, and that God has also walked contrary to them… (vs. 40-41)
- Humble their uncircumcised (exposed, projecting loose)2 heart. (vs 41)
- Accept their guilt (vs. 41 and 43) because they despised God’s judgments, and their souls abhorred (detest, reject, fail, loathe viley cast away)3 God’s statutes. (vs 43)
Then the response from God when the above is fulfilled will be:
- God remembers His covenant throughout the generations (Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham – note that the names go backward in generations listed) and remembers the land. (vs. 42-43)
- Even WHEN they’re in the land of their enemies, God doesn’t cast them away (spurn, disappear, cast off, contemn [treat or regard with contempt]4, despise, disdain, loathe, refuse, reject)5 or abhor them with plans to utterly destroy them and break His covenant with them.
- He declares His reasoning for this response – He is the Lord their God. (vs. 44)
- He also says for their sake He will remember the covenant of their ancestors whom He brought out of Egypt with the purpose of being their God. (vs. 45)
- He seals it by again declaring He is the Lord. (vs. 45)
I believe as Christians, we can do a really good job of spurning, having contempt, despising, detesting, seeking to utterly destroy, and breaking covenant with those who have done wrong – even those who followed and fulfilled the path laid out in vs. 40-43. Yet, that’s not God’s response.
By taking actions and speaking words along these lines, are we setting ourselves above God, in effect declaring we know better than Him what the punishment and judgment should be?
This brings me to my question before God regarding why we haven’t heard messages of heartfelt, humble repentance from those recently accused and/or found guilty - a confession of iniquity and admission that they’ve walked contrary to God and a public acceptance of their guilt.
When I asked God about its absence, in my heart I heard, “You don’t know what’s happening behind closed doors, and you don’t know what their legal teams have advised them to do or not to do.”
I’m not saying it’s right or wrong. I am saying I can’t stand in assumptive judgment. It’s also what stirred in my heart God’s words of vengeance being His and caused me to turn the mirror on myself and ask, “What does it mean for me to be holy?” because as the saying goes, “there but for the grace of God go I.”
Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)
As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. (Psalm 103:12)
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor power, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 8:38-39)
I will not mince words. What has been done is heinous, wrong, and inexcusable. The perpetrators will never be able to “make this right” even through repentance and even if forgiveness is given. They should be held accountable, pay the full, legal consequences for their actions, and I personally don’t believe they should ever return to a ministry position.
Can God redeem?
The arm of the Lord is not too short to save. (Isaiah 59:1)
Their path to redemption is the same as mine – repentance and the acceptance of Jesus Christ’s finished work on the cross and His resurrection. I cannot accept God’s forgiveness of my sins and hold Him to a standard of refusing it toward others. Sin is not measured in lesser and greater. If repented of, it’s forgiven.
God may someday use their story of repentance and redemption to draw others to Him. That can be shared in jail, on the street, in a coffee shop, or at work. My personal opinion is that individuals who have been found guilty of sexual misconduct should not be permitted in leadership positions in a church or a ministry, should be denied the legal process of establishing a church, ministry, or non-profit, and certainly should not ever be left alone with anyone. In my mind, this is common sense, rather than being punitive.
I have righteous anger within me for how this has wrongly portrayed the heart of God and His character, caused offense against Him, and caused people to walk away from their faith or given credence as to why they’ve refused to place faith in Him. Those who have taken these wrongful actions have not represented God; despite what they may have said in order to accomplish it.
We need to do better. We can’t blindly trust and not put safety precautions in place for all concerned. We need to create greater awareness in our children without causing them to walk in constant fear and mistrust. And, as a friend pointed out, as adults, we need to have better discernment regarding when things are “off” in situations and what to do if someone finds themselves being treated inappropriately. We cannot “hide our eyes” from it. We need to have a far more refined definition of honor and not equate honor with acceptance of all things.
This obviously needs more discussion, but for me, this has been a starting point. When I dug down to the foundational level of what my heart has been feeling through all of this, I recognized that what I felt was deep grief over it all. I believe that’s the heart of the Father. I also know this:
Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that will he also reap. (Gal. 6:7)
But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea. (Mark 9:42)
I pray for their sakes that they choose the path of acceptance of guilt and repentance. God is “not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9). That's His heart toward each of us, but He also created man with free will. Each will choose their path, as will we.
Will our response to those involved rightly reflect His heart or our outrage? Oh, God, keep us from sinning in our anger (Ephesians 4:26)!
Teach me Your way, O Lord; I will walk in Your truth; unite my heart to fear Your name. (Psalm 86:11)
What does righteous judgment look like in His eyes? I’m still figuring that out, but I trust He will continue to teach me and will enable me to walk it out.
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. If this has helped you process, please share it with others. If you need prayer, please reach out.
Endnotes:
- “Iniquity.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. Leviticus 26:40
- “Uncircumcised.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. Leviticus 26:41
- “Abhorred.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. Leviticus 26:43
- Oxford University Press. "Contemn." Oxford English Dictionary, Oxford University Press, Accessed 22 Feb. 2025, https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=contemn.
- “Cast them away.” e-Sword, version 2024, Rick Meyers, 2024. Leviticus 26:44
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
February 2025: Implement & Obtain Permits
In January, I began sharing about structure and the blueprints I believe God wants to share with us for building in partnership with him in 2025, and beyond. For me, it’s looked like establishing new routines, becoming more intentional again with how I plan my days, weeks, and months, and putting new things in place. As we continue to move into February, I want to share my practical process with you, as well as a word focus I sensed God speaking over this month. See how it resonates with you and let it be a conversation starter between you and God.On the last day of January, I felt led to reflect on that month differently and more intentionally than ever before. What did it look like practically? I wrote a brief summary of what God did in January. I noted a dream about 2025 I’d had mid-December, writing it down as a prophetic anchor for the year. Then, I listed major prayers God had answered during the month and bulleted significant events that had taken place. I ended with things I could improve as I moved into the next month.
I then asked the Lord about February. My planner is set up with spaces to write down a verse and a prayer for the month, things I’m grateful for and things I’m praying for, goals for the month in the areas of faith, family, fitness, and finances, and three habits to focus on, as well as a circle to check off each day I’ve accomplished those habits. It was amazing to build on what God had revealed last month as I filled in the page for February with the structure of the consistent things He’s led me to participate in – like a prayer group and study groups covering several focuses.
God has continued to highlight to me the number of times He was specific in giving directions to people throughout the Old and New Testaments. That never stopped. While He didn’t always give precise details and at times asked individuals to walk in faith without knowing specifics, we should have an expectation of leading and guidance from Him even if the instruction is as simple as “go”)! Ask and you will receive (Matt. 7:7)!
When I asked God what His word focus was for February, I immediately heard, “Implement - it’s time to take action on the blueprints revealed so far.”
As I chatted with Brian about what we were each hearing from God for February, Brian said he’d also heard “implement,” (I loved that confirmation!) and then had immediately heard “building permits.”
That made total sense to me!
In construction, permits are required for building and renovations. They help ensure safety, make sure the construction is compliant with set codes, provide legal protection from fines, and prevent issues that could arise when selling the property if permits hadn’t been obtained.
As we begin to implement the blueprints God has shown us, we may need to obtain “permits.” What do I mean by that? Sometimes, there are things present in our lives that we need to address – things that could cause the building we’re starting to be shut down or delayed. This can look like the need to ask or offer forgiveness, pay a debt, examine (and change) our motives, or repent of things Holy Spirit reveals to us.
Just like in the natural, there may be a price to pay. For instance, forgiving someone or changing our motives can be hard. These things can come at a personal cost to us.
Repentance is a beautiful gift from the Lord, not a burden, and it’s never intended to cause us to feel shame. I love to pray, “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting” (Psalm 139:23-24). Our flesh can make it feel like we’re paying a price to repent, but the truth is the price has already been paid in full by Jesus. We’re simply grabbing hold of the redemption already ours as we ask for forgiveness.
Repentance brings freedom and joy and clears the path for us to move forward unburdened knowing God’s deep love for us. God is inviting us to take care of anything Holy Spirit shows us. When we do, “permits” are granted in the Spirit, paving the way to build according to His plans.
Now, it’s your turn to get practical and determine what this looks like for you in February. What structure has God shown you to implement? Need to get any “permits” first? Make that the top priority, then go from there and take action with the path cleared before you. Move forward with what you know, and trust He’ll show you the next steps from there.
I’d love to hear what the Lord is speaking to you! Send me a message about it! Need help hearing God’s voice? Grab some time on my calendar and let’s chat! I love helping people hear the voice of God for themselves!
Living for Him
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Sorting the Pieces
Are you a puzzler? If you are, I bet you have a method for doing it. I like to sort the pieces first. I start with finding and grouping the edge pieces, then I begin combining like colors that hopefully go together in different areas of the overall picture. Once the pieces are sorted, I start putting together the edges, complete the outside, and then work in different sections, moving from one area to another when I get stumped where I’ve been working. As I’ve spent time in God’s presence these last several days, it’s felt like this is the process I’ve been in. I know the picture that’s coming together is the blueprint for the structure God is building in and through my life this year. I’ve been sorting the pieces of the puzzle He’s been unveiling – the things I know He’s been speaking, and then identifying the “groupings.” I’ve first needed to sit with Him and identify the things God is breathing on (highlighting) for this year, find like pieces, and then begin to put them together, watching as the picture unfolds before my eyes.
Something that continues to strike me is how detailed God has been throughout His Word when He’s given people instructions to follow – the ark, the temple, finding the gold in the mouth of the fish to pay their taxes, turning water to wine, and other countless examples. Why would He do any less with us?
To some, what I’m sorting through could look like goals and how to achieve them, but this is different. The process isn’t the same, and I believe that while the outcome will still be marked with success, it will be vastly different than achieving a goal. A structure will be erected. It will be built on the rock, it will be stable, it will have the capacity to expand, and it will last.
I have a lot of passions and things I love. I’ve lacked clarity of direction over the last year or so because it’s widespread and I haven’t been sure where to put my focus. Jesus, marriage, and family are never a question. Then there’s writing, farm life, healthy living, educating, speaking, business/entrepreneurship, pioneering new things...And those are just the headings without the subtopics like the prophetic, intercession, mentoring, coaching, podcasts, and more! These are all the darts I’ve been throwing at a distant, seemingly moving target, hoping some would hit the bullseye.
I’ve needed to sit and write down the details God has been speaking to me – dump them all out on paper like dumping the pieces of a puzzle on the table. Then, I’ve needed to sort them into like “piles” and figure out where those like pieces fit in the overall picture. This word, this instruction, or this idea He’s given me fit in this spot - this part of the plan for building out this particular “room” of the overall structure He’s building this year.
“Then the Lord answered me and said, ‘Write the vision and engrave it plainly on [clay] tablets so that the one who reads it will run. “For the vision is yet for the appointed [future] time it hurries toward the goal [of fulfillment]; it will not fail. Even though it delays, wait [patiently] for it, because it will certainly come; it will not delay.’” (Habakkuk 2:2-3)
Sit with the Lord. Do a brain dump on paper of all the things you’re passionate about. You might have a laundry list like I do. Ask Him what He’s breathing life into for this year. Some of it may be for a future time you need to wait for patiently (Hab. 2:3). What is He framing out for you in this part of the build – the structure being erected in 2025?
A word I have continued to hear, including in a personal word given to me by a friend, is to go back to the basics and make it simple.
Once you know what God wants to partner with you in building this year, ask Him for the simple, specific instructions to follow, and write them down. Do that for each area He’s speaking to you about.
Take your time – don’t rush this process. Continue to use this month to wait patiently in His presence. Sort the pieces of the puzzle. His blueprint will begin to emerge as you put those pieces together. With His detailed design before you, you’ll know the next steps to take.
Living for Him,
Andrea
P.S. Sometimes when I’m working on a puzzle, I need someone to have a fresh look at the pieces on the table because I’m stuck. They’re able to see what I can’t and help me get restarted after they’ve put a piece or two in place.
Need a fresh perspective on your pieces? Book some time on my calendar. I’d love to have a look with you and see if I can help!
P.S. Sometimes when I’m working on a puzzle, I need someone to have a fresh look at the pieces on the table because I’m stuck. They’re able to see what I can’t and help me get restarted after they’ve put a piece or two in place.
Need a fresh perspective on your pieces? Book some time on my calendar. I’d love to have a look with you and see if I can help!
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
I Have Awakened, & the Fog Has Cleared!
I’m having an epiphany morning. I have to chuckle over the ways God speaks. This morning, it was through “X” and the number of threads I “happened upon” coaching entrepreneurs about the need for specific goals, plans, etc., and how the brain responds when good routines, goals, and tracking personal data are in place.
This isn’t a new concept to me. I’m naturally a driven, type A, task-oriented person, with very specific goals and data I track, but through my reading this morning, I realized how “lost” I’ve felt for over a year and how during that time, my goals, direction, and plans have become incredibly ambiguous.
I told Brian it’s as if I’ve been throwing a handful of darts at the target hoping something would hit the mark, but I DIDN’T KNOW WHAT THE TARGET WAS or where it was located. I’ve been throwing in a general direction, then trying another if that didn’t seem to work.
UGH!!! FACE PALM, AND ALL THE THINGS!
As I partner with God in structure being built this year, I’ve been reminded today this is where the blueprints begin to be revealed. I keep shaking my head because I KNOW the importance of specific goals and plans, but somehow over this last period of time, my vision became unclear, uncertain, and unknown, and I felt like I was lost in the woods without a compass or GPS.
How could I have specific goals if I wasn’t sure where God was leading me and what He was calling me to do in partnership with Him?
Can you relate?
I’ve had all these ideas, and even plans I believe were God-birthed, but I haven’t been effective in implementing them because I didn’t have a clear, concise plan of action – the blueprints needed for building it out. I had an idea of the general direction in which to go but got caught up in the weeds of uncertainty, confusion, and listening to the voices of others, rather than His voice.
This is why some of the things I’ve been trying to do have faltered, fizzled out, or just not taken off.
Knowing this, I can now sit with God and get to work capturing the detailed plans He’s been speaking, and I’ve been missing.
I feel like I’ve awakened this morning – the fog has cleared, and I actually know what to do.
If you’re reading this and my journey is resonating with you, know that I’m praying for you as you awaken!
Living for Him
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
Embrace Small Beginnings
Confession: I really struggle with not going full force right out of the gate.
But . . . God has been speaking to me about starting small and building from there.
He's been pointing out to me how often I've sidelined myself in the past by jumping in hardcore and how if I'd started a little more slowly, I would have been able to build from that place and not lost time because I've needed to regroup and restart.
An easy example of this in my world right now is that I REALLY want to be out doing my 5 mile, brisk walks and my weighted exercises; however, throughout the holiday season, I dealt with swelling in one of my knees and then had excruciating neck pain just in time for Christmas and New Year's, both of which impacted my mobility. Thankfully, I've now improved tremendously. My norm would be to jump right in - and likely end up back on the couch, icing.
I CLEARLY heard God tell me to focus my new exercise routine on stretching - THAT'S IT.
Seriously?! (Insert HUGE, frustrated sigh.)
But, He was right. (Imagine that . . . ) Stretching morning and night has actually challenged me and been REALLY needed. I'm giving it time and looking forward to adding shorter, slower, walks that don't include hills yet, and then building from there.
It's still frustrating, but it's become a spirit and soul exercise even more than a physical exercise, strengthening me internally in the process. 
"Do not despise these small beginnings, for the Lord rejoices to see the work begin..." (Zech 4:10)
God has been speaking to me so much about building with wisdom - that includes embracing small beginnings knowing they'll lead to bigger things, and recognizing / counting the cost, especially the price I could pay if I start too big or too quickly.
Can I rest in and feel satisfaction with small beginnings, and take joy in the fact that I've simply begun the work??? This is refining me for sure!
Starting small and building from there can help prevent potential delays and paying a greater cost, but that can be hard to see when you want to get moving.
"There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death." (Proverbs 14:12)
"For which one of you, when he wants to build a tower, does not first sit down and calculate the cost to see if he has enough to complete it?" (Luke 14:28)
Today is the first Monday of the New Year. It's the day when many start their New Year's resolutions in earnest.
Are your goals and plans the right size? Will they lead to bigger things or be so overwhelming you get off track?
What are your small beginnings this year?
I see you - and I'm cheering you on in concert with all of heaven!
Sometimes, it helps to bounce things off of someone and get a fresh perspective. Need an encouraging chat, a strategy session, or prayer? Grab some time on my calendar. I'd love to connect!
Living for Him,
Andrea
Our Mission: Love Others Well & Empower Them to Do the Same
