Shalom from Manila! It is wonderful to be back here with my dear friends with whom God has allowed me to develop a family-level relationship. It was a difficult decision to come to the Philippines but knowing that I had people here to welcome me made leaving my family for a time much more palatable.
The past 12 months have been most trying and challenging for my country, my family, and myself. After much prayer and wise counsel, I realized the necessity of taking a break for a couple weeks to rest my body and mind. It will also help to prepare me for 2025 and what is scheduled to be my busiest year of speaking since Behold Israel began. Thank you for your love, prayers, support, and encouragement, which are more needed than ever during these dark days of hatred and violence directed at my nation.
When I speak of hatred of Israel, most people’s minds immediately turn to Iran and its many proxies, including Hamas and Hezbollah. It’s very true – Iran despises Israel to its very core. But you may be surprised to learn that there is a country that the ayatollahs hate even more than Israel. The end game of Iran’s Shiite Islamic regime is not Jerusalem, but Mecca and Medina. And where are these cities? In the heart of Sunni Saudi Arabia.
There has been a division in Islam, the origin of which goes back to the succession following the death of Muhammad. The Sunnis, the majority branch, supported the election of a caliph, leading to the selection of Abu Bakr. However, the Shiites believed that leadership should stay within the family of Muhammad, namely with his cousin and son-in-law Ali. Unfortunately for the followers of Shia, it was the Sunnis who ended up with the two most important sites in Islam – the Masjid Al-Haram with the Kaaba in Mecca and the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi in Medina – both in their flagship country, Saudi Arabia. The third holiest site is the Al-Masjid al-Aqsa (or al-Aqsa mosque) in Jerusalem.
It is an impossibility for the Iranian regime to gain control of Mecca and Medina with a direct assault. The Saudi’s military is strong, and their oil is plentiful enough that most of the western world would spring to their defense. So, instead the ayatollahs are playing a long game. It began after the Iranian Revolution with the creation of a corridor of influence that stretched through Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon towards the Mediterranean Sea. Now, they’re also looking south, bringing Yemen and Qatar into their pocket. If their strategy plays out, Jordan will be next, then the Gulf states like the UAE, Bahrain, and Oman. Looking at a map, it becomes obvious what Iran is doing. It is surrounding Saudi Arabia, cutting them off from any neighborly help. The stranglehold Iran could put on the Saudis would eventually force the Sunni kingdom to their knees.
It is very true that Iran hates Israel for a whole lot of reasons. But looking at this strategy we see that, in reality, the Jewish state is a means to an end. If Iran as leader of a great Muslim coalition were to take Israel, it would place the al-Aqsa mosque wholly in Islamic hands. But even more so, it will ensure that Saudi Arabia is caught in a steel vice that will squeeze until Mecca and Medina are finally in Shiite hands.
This is one more reason why Iran needs to be stopped. Toppling the ayatollahs’ regime would save the oppressed Iranian people, bring relief to the Saudis, stabilize the region, and serve as a death sentence to the proxy militias in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, and Yemen. It may also cause Qatar to stop funding Hamas. Ultimately, as followers of Scripture, we know that Persia (Iran) will join a future coalition against Israel, as told in Ezekiel 38. Is the end game of Mecca and Medina their reason? Maybe. What we do know is that whether under these ayatollahs or under a regime that might replace it, Iran will pitch in with Russia, Turkey and others to destroy Israel. And they will fail.
The Middle East
BREAKING NEWS: The Hague Issues Arrest Warrants Against Netanyahu and Gallant
Just today, the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague has charged Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Minister of Defense Yoav Gallant with “crimes against humanity and war crimes” for their supposed maltreatment of civilians in Gaza. This appalling move was immediately met with derision by both Israel and the United States. Israel’s President Isaac Herzog condemned the action, stating, “Taken in bad faith, the outrageous decision at the ICC has turned universal justice into a universal laughingstock.” In the United States, Senator Lindsey Graham promised, “The US Senate will act and impose sanctions on this irresponsible body. Senator Schumer should pass the bipartisan legislation that came from the House punishing the court for such outrage and President Biden should sign it. Now.” Do these charges mean that Netanyahu is going to jail? Absolutely not. It does, however, restrict his travel to many western nations, including The Netherlands, site of the recent pogrom on Israeli soccer fans, which has already announced that they would obey the order. But if the prime minister wants to go to the United States, he will find no restrictions other than not going to Dearborn, Michigan, whose mayor, Abdullah H. Hammoud, has already announced that he will arrest him on the spot. In all of this ridiculousness, the promise of the Muslim enclave of Dearborn’s mayor is the only action that is not surprising.
Ceasefire in Lebanon?
Israel is cautiously optimistic about a US proposal for a ceasefire in Lebanon. There are still two sticking points from Jerusalem’s point of view. First, there is the question of the extent of Israeli freedom of action in the event of a Hezbollah violation. The second is regarding the composition of the supervisory committee in Lebanon. If these issues are able to be satisfactorily dealt with, there could be a ceasefire within a week. It will be none too soon for Hezbollah, because the groundswell of Lebanese citizens against the terrorists continues to grow.
Hezbollah Unleashes Rockets on Israel
Amidst talks of a ceasefire, both sides in the Israel-Lebanon war continue their fight. Israel is pelting Beirut, Tyre, Baalbek, and other areas with airstrikes, while the ground war is gradually making its way north. At the same time, Hezbollah is shooting what rockets they can into Israeli territory. Akko (Acre) experienced a barrage of 25 missiles yesterday with only one hitting the ground, causing no injuries. On Monday, another barrage proved fatal for one woman. More than 100 rockets were fired by Hezbollah, with one hitting a three-story building in the northern town of Shfar-am killing the forty-one-year-old. Farther south near Tel Aviv, shrapnel from an intercepted missile hit several buildings causing fires and wounding numerous people.
Hezbollah’s New Secretary General Threatens Israel
Naim Qassem, Hezbollah’s new secretary general following the targeted killing of his predecessor, is making the most of his few remaining days on this earth by uttering threats against Israel. It seems he is upset that his friend, Hezbollah media relations chief Mohammad Afif, was taken out in an air strike in Beirut on Sunday. In a speech yesterday, he said, “Israel attacked the heart of Beirut, so it must expect the response to take place in the heart of Tel Aviv. It must pay the price.” In the same speech, he made the assertion, “When the enemy does not achieve its goals, it means we have won.” By that same logic, if the Buffalo Bills football team had the goal of beating the Kansas City Chiefs by 10 points, then their nine-point victory on Sunday was really a loss, which means the Chiefs remain undefeated and we have one more reason to dislike the music of Taylor Swift.
Gaza Ceasefire Shot Down
The UN Security Council voted 14-1 for a resolution that would demand an immediate ceasefire in Gaza. Despite the overwhelming support, it didn’t pass because the one dissenting vote was the United States which is one of five nations that holds veto power. US deputy ambassador Robert Wood stated, “We made clear throughout negotiations we could not support an unconditional cease-fire that failed to release the hostages.” Tip of the hat to you, Mr. Deputy Ambassador. In the same vein, three US senate bills were pushed forward by socialist senator Bernie Sanders to embargo certain offensive weapons from going to Israel. Each resolution was soundly defeated with 18 pro against 79 con votes. With the new sheriff making his way to town, the tide in Washington is definitely turning Israel’s way.
Netanyahu in Gaza
Even with the battle raging in northern Gaza, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his way to the Netzarim Corridor on Tuesday. Standing alongside new Defense Minister Israel Katz, the PM reiterated his pledge that “Hamas will not be in Gaza.” He also reminded Gazans of a pledge he had made earlier; there will be a reward of $5 million and safe passage out of Gaza for anyone who turns over a hostage. Meanwhile, the fighting was hot farther north in Jabaliya, with many terrorists being killed while others surrendered en masse.
UNRWA Again Shows Its Colors
One hundred and nine aid trucks drove into Gaza to deliver humanitarian supplies. On the way, 97 of them were violently attacked and looted by armed Palestinians. Who’s to blame? If you ask the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), not surprisingly they’ll say Israel. In a statement, the agency said, “The Israeli authorities continue to disregard their legal obligations under international law to ensure the population’s basic needs are met and to facilitate the safe delivery of aid.” Not only do we have to fight in Gaza, but we have to help feed their people and guarantee the safety of humanitarian aid. When has that ever been required of a military? Then, when the Palestinian gangs and terrorists start stealing the aid, we’re to blame for it? UNRWA is a joke.
Iran on the Cusp of Going Nuclear
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), which is the United Nations’ nuclear watchdog, reported that Iran is “just a short, technical step away from weapons-grade levels of 90%.” And, if the IAEA is only now getting around to admitting to this, we can be assured that they’ve had weapons-grade uranium for months now. Is there any chance we can bring the new administration into Washington just a little early so that we can once-and-for-all shut this down?
Ukraine Upgrades it Weaponry and Russia Responds with Nuclear Threats
This last week marked Day 1000 since the beginning of the Russia-Ukraine War, a conflict which shows no signs of abating. If anything, the fight is ramping up. Ukraine has used for the first time American ATACMS long-range missiles which have the capability to hit deep into Russia. Also, Germany has delivered 4,000 Mini Taurus strike drones to Kyiv’s army. This deepening involvement by the west led the Kremlin to revise its nuclear policy, lowering the threshold for their use. Dmitry Peskov, Kremlin spokesman, warned that Ukraine’s use of western missiles could provoke a nuclear response under these new guidelines. This rhetoric, along with an increase in Ukrainian attacks, has led the US, along with Spain, Italy, and Greece, to shut down their embassy in Kyiv. These preemptory diplomatic actions appear warranted as this morning, for the first time in the war, Moscow employed an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) in a multi-pronged attack on the city of Dnipro. The missile, obviously used in a tit-for-tat because of Ukraine’s use of the American ATACMS missiles, is a clear warning. Even though this missile was tipped with a conventional warhead, ICBMs can easily deliver nuclear payloads. I get what Putin is doing. However, here is a quick question for the president. If you’re so concerned about some countries interfering in other countries’ conflicts through the giving of war materiel, then why has the IDF, as it’s moved in southern Lebanon, discovered that 60-70% of Hezbollah’s weapons were manufactured by Russia? Sure, some of them went all the way back to the Soviet era. But many more were modern, including large quantities of Russian “Cornet” anti-tank missiles. While you’re complaining about Ukraine’s western-aided arsenal, maybe you want to rethink giving your old stuff away to terrorists.
Mysterious China being Mysterious China
Last year, the Chinese vessel New Polar Bear severely damaged the undersea gas pipeline, Balticconnector, which linked Finland and Estonia. Finland’s Minister of European Affairs Anders Adlercreutz said of the purposeful nature of the incident, “I’m not the sea captain. But I would think that you would notice that you’re dragging an anchor behind you for hundreds of kilometers.” It took seven months to get it back online. Now it appears that the Chinese vessel Yi Peng 3 severed two fiber-optic undersea cables this past weekend, one connecting Finland and Germany and the other linking Sweden with Lithuania. Either some of these Chinese pilots need to go back to shipping school, or there’s something a little hinky going on.
Ministry
It’s less than two weeks until the release of The Sick Man’s Rage! I can hardly wait for this book to be released to the public. It is powerful, sobering, action-filled, and ripped right out of today’s headlines. Plus, the Gospel is clearly presented, as is God’s timeline for these final days. Great for yourself and as gifts for friends and family, preorder your copies of The Sick Man’s Rage today and help us ensure that these thrillers get into the big box stores for Christmas!
Speaking of The Sick Man’s Rage, my co-author, Steve Yohn, and I have another Authors’ Corner coming up next week. In it, we look at what went into the idea for the book, and we tell some fun stories about its writing. Tune in Wednesday at 10:00 AM PST!
If you missed yesterday’s Anchor Podcast, “Choose Life”, with Dr. Dina Aweida, you need to go back and check it out. Dr. Aweida is a doctor of biology at Technion, Israel’s premier institution for science, and is passionately pro-life. During our time together, she talks about her daily battles to educate people on the sanctity of life and the dangers of abortion. Be sure to check it out.
Thank you again for your prayers and support as I take these two weeks to prepare myself for 2025. Also, thank you for your constant love and care for Behold Israel and our team. You are a true blessing, and we thank God for you.
Awaiting His Return,
Is There No Suffering for the Believer?
For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.
Philippians 1:29
A question I'm often asked is: Is there suffering in the body of Christ?
My friend, we are called and given the privilege to suffer persecution for His name’s sake as the apostle Paul states in today’s scripture. Furthermore, Paul tells his protégé, Timothy, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12 NLT). Jesus Himself said that those who follow Him will be persecuted for His name’s sake (Matt. 10:22).
However, I want you to be clear that this persecution doesn’t involve terminal illnesses, tragic accidents, or premature death.
But Pastor Prince, wasn’t Job a righteous man who experienced terrible suffering?
What happened to Job is not something that will happen to you who are IN CHRIST today. You see, one of Job’s complaints was this: “If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together” (Job 9:33 NLT). Now, read these powerful words spoken by Elihu in Job 33:23–24, which describes this mediator: “If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.’”
Elihu’s description of a mediator foreshadows what 1 Timothy 2:5–6 tells us, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Job experienced his sufferings because he didn’t have a mediator. But today, you and I do—in the person of our Lord Jesus, who died at the cross to atone for our sins and made us righteous before God. He became our ransom (the Hebrew word for ransom comes from the root word kaphar, which means “to make an atonement”).
Beloved, the atoning blood of Christ has canceled all the legal rights that the enemy had against you and your family. When you receive all that His perfect sacrifice at the cross has accomplished for you, you don’t have to live afraid that you will be like Job. Unlike Job, you have a mediator—Christ Jesus. In Him you can look forward to a future full of His promises, blessings, and protection (Ps. 23:6)!
This devotional is adapted from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince
One Encounter with His Love
“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”
Matthew 11:28–30 The Message
Many people harbor the misconception that those who are constantly partying, drinking, getting high, and sleeping around are having the time of their lives. Hollywood and the secular media have deified and glamorized the party lifestyle as cool and carefree. They have sold the lie that the YOLO life—the you-only-live-once, consequence-free existence—is awesome.
But if you peel back the curtains, you see just how deeply unhappy and depressed these people entangled in a sinful lifestyle are. Our teenagers and youths are being bombarded with these images on their social media channels, in movies, and on television shows, where sinful lifestyles are not only tolerated but also celebrated. Our kids are faced with it daily in school and on their mobile devices.
How have many churches responded? By saying, “We have to preach more on the law of Moses, on repentance, and on character.” But do you know what this generation hears when churches preach on those things?
One of the testimonies I received from a sister named Melissa, who was struggling with a destructive lifestyle of sin, gives us a pretty good sense of what young people actually hear and what it made her believe: “I didn’t think of going to God and church because people I knew would tell me, ‘You’re going to go to hell because of your choices and how you’re living. God’s angry with you. He’s disgusted with you and He’s not going to bless you.’ Because this was what I constantly heard, this was what I believed about God, and I thought there was no way I could come to Him.”
Is there any wonder why some churches are losing the next generation? Young people hear about an angry and capricious God Who is just looking for an opportunity to club them with a big stick and send them to an eternal furnace of fiery damnation. The church proudly proclaims, “We love the sinner but hate the sin.” But in reality, all that those who are struggling with sinful lifestyles hear is, “WE HATE THE SIN,” and they stay away from the church because they understandably equate that with “WE HATE YOU.” That, my friend, is simply not the gospel.
The gospel is our beloved Lord Jesus reaching out to the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was cohabiting with another man out of wedlock. The gospel is our Lord Jesus rescuing the woman caught in adultery from the religious mob that wanted to exercise its legal right to brutally bludgeon her to death with rocks. When you observe our Lord Jesus, He was always comfortable with those who were tangled up in sin, so much so that the religious leaders mocked Him and called Him a friend of sinners (Matt. 11:19). He was undeterred by His critics, and just one encounter with His love and grace caused sinners to be transformed forever from the inside out.
My dear friend, that’s the grace revolution that we have been talking about throughout this book. Our Lord never endorsed people’s sinful lifestyles; He simply awakened them to His deep and personal love for them, and once they experienced His love, they had the power to walk out of the prison of sin, addiction, and bondage. The woman at the well became an evangelist in her city and many came to know Jesus because of her. The woman caught in adultery walked away with the gift of no condemnation and the power to sin no more. The religious actively shunned the sinner; Jesus actively pursued the sinner.
God’s glorious grace opens the prison doors for those trapped in sin and bondage. He has given you the power to walk out freely today. Welcome His deep love for you and you will be set free!
This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince
Message from Amir Tsarfati
“I will take you from among the nations, gather you of all the countries and bring you into your own land.” That’s what Ezekiel said. Wow! First, there’s this physical restoration of Israel. Then He says, “Then, I will sprinkle clean water on you and you shall be clean. I will cleanse you from all filthiness and from all your idols. I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you. I will take the heart of…” How can you get a new heart? I’ll tell you how. Read Jeremiah 31. The Lord said in verses 30 and 31, He said, “I will give you a New Testament, new covenant, and it will no longer be written on paper. It will be written on the plates of your heart.”
Your heart will change, and the word will be already on it. How? Only when you believe in Christ, the New Testament, new covenant. “I will take that heart of stone out of your chest, give you a heart of flesh. I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes and you will keep My judgments and do them. Then you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. You shall also be my people and I will be your God.” So God began over the last 70 years, the physical restoration of Israel. It’s called aliyah in Hebrew, “to ascend, to go up to the house of the Lord.” Aliyah is going up. The Lord came down upon the mountain, maybe because Moses went up to get the law.
But Micah said, “Come up, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of God of Jacob.” So God is bringing the Jews back to the land. Did you know that there’s a new report that shows that a greater number of Jews are making aliyah? It means that we are closer to seeing Israel receive a new heart. Because first, they need to be restored physically to the land, and then they will be restored spiritually. He’s bringing the Jews, the Jewish people, back from the ends of the earth. Not just from one place, not just from Babylon. This time, from the four corners of the world.
It is quite curious, in light of all we see today, that people still believe that the modern nation of Israel is not the Israel of the Bible. Yet, there being a modern nation of Israel is one of the most consistent prophecies of the Old Testament. Deuteronomy, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, and Amos all wrote of it, and yet the number of people who deny it continues to grow.
Jeremiah 31:37
Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, And the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.”
Obviously heaven cannot be measured nor the foundations of the earth searched out. The Lord hung the earth on nothing (Job 26:7) and measures the heavens with the span of His hand. What this can mean if it is not literal is anyone’s guess.
We see the return of physical Israel to their God-given homeland today. Yet, we see them there largely in unbelief that their Messiah has come in the person of Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth. That can only mean the spiritual birth of the Jews is yet future when God takes their hearts of stone and gives them a heart of flesh.
Jeremiah 31:31-34
“Behold, the days are coming, says the LORD, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah— not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them, says the LORD. But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. No more shall every man teach his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, ‘Know the LORD,’ for they all shall know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them, says the LORD. For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
We might say that what the church has experienced for some 2000 years, the Jews who survive the Tribulation will experience also. They will all know the Lord, His word will be in their hearts, and their sins remembered no more.
The Jews are being regathered physically today right before our eyes. That means their renewal spiritually must not be too far off! We also need to remember that before the 70th week of Daniel begins, the church age has to come to an end.
Soon and very soon we are going to see the King, and not long after that, all Israel is going to see Him too!
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,
Blessed with Good Success to Be a Blessing
I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.
Genesis 12:2
Make no mistake about this: God wants us to be successful. Yet, He does not want us to have success that will crush us. I am sure that you have heard many stories of people who receive a sudden windfall when they come into a large inheritance or strike the first prize in a lottery. However, for some of these people, the sudden wealth did not give them a better life. Instead, in many instances, we know that it corrupted and destroyed their lives.
Often, these people were not able to handle their so-called success, and ended up leaving their wives and allowing their families to break down before their eyes. Perhaps they bought all sorts of things and lived in huge houses. Yet, they still felt a chronic sense of loneliness, emptiness, and dissatisfaction.
The sad reality is that many of those who chanced upon such sudden wealth squandered it all away, and some even became bankrupt. Such results are clearly not the Jesus-kind of results, nor are they the Jesus-kind of success. Let me make it clear from the outset: God has no problem with you having money, but He does not want money to have you!
“But Pastor Prince, how can you say that God has no problem with us having money? Doesn’t the Bible say that money is the root of all evil?”
Hold on a minute, that’s not in the Bible. Let’s be scripturally accurate. What the Bible says is this: “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” (1 Tim. 6:10). Can you see the difference?
Having money does not make you evil. It is the obsession with and intense love of money that lead to all kinds of evil. Just because a person has no money in his pocket does not mean that he is holy. He may well be thinking, dreaming, and lusting after money all day long. You don’t need to have a lot of money to have the love of money. If a person is always purchasing lottery tickets, going to the casinos, and gambling in the stock market, this person clearly has a love for money. He is obsessed with getting more money.
When God called Abraham, He said to him, “ . . . I will bless you . . . and you shall be a blessing” (Gen. 12:2). We who are new covenant believers in Christ are called the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:29) and like Abraham, we are called to be a blessing.
Now, how can we be a blessing if we are not blessed in the first place? How can we be a blessing to others when we are always flat on our backs with sickness, living from hand to mouth, never having enough for our own family, and always having to borrow from others? No way, my friend.
God wants you healthy and strong, and He wants you to have more than enough financial resources so that you can be generous with your relatives, friends, community, or anyone who needs help. How can you be in a position to help others if you need all the help you can get yourself? It’s definitely not God's best for you if you barely have enough for yourself. He wants to bless you so that you can be a blessing!
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince
The Truth About God’s Chastening
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
Hebrews 12:5–6
Pastor Prince, how can you say there is no chastisement and punishment in the new covenant? Today’s scripture states it very clearly.
My friend, there is confusion in the church because the original Greek word for “chastens” in today’s scripture has been poorly translated. The Greek word is actually paideuo, which means child training. Pai is where you get the word pediatrician (a doctor who specializes in treating children), while deuo means to teach a child. You will find that the translation of the word paideuo as child training is more consistent with the context of the passage. Read on.
The next verse says, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Heb. 12:7). Clearly, because God deals with us as sons, He disciplines and brings correction to us just as earthly fathers would their sons.
Now, think about this for a moment: would you give your son a sickness, terminal disease, or accident to teach him a lesson? Then why do you think your loving Father in heaven would do that? No way! When you train your child, you give him lessons that will teach him things to benefit him in the future. And for him to benefit from the lesson, how can he die from it?
So God would never use terminal sicknesses or fatal accidents to teach you and me—His children—lessons. In the new covenant, while there is no longer any punishment for sins, there is child training. But God does not train His children with sicknesses, diseases, or accidents any more than you and I do. He does it through His Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17, Heb. 12:9).
Yet, sadly, there are still Christians who accuse our heavenly Father of using sickness and disease to discipline His children. What kind of God is that? Come on, He is our Abba! Abba is the most affectionate term you can use to address a father in the Hebrew language. It means “Daddy!” Do you really think your Daddy God will punish you that way?
If you earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Daddy who loves you (Matt. 7:11). Sicknesses, diseases, and accidents are from the devil, and because of Jesus’ finished work, we have been redeemed from every evil work and curse.
We can receive protection from every evil occurrence, sickness, and disease. Our heavenly Father is one who “forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Ps. 103:3–4). And by the stripes on Jesus’ back, we are healed!
Whenever you hear a teaching that puts fear in your heart, such as “God gives you diseases and accidents to teach you a lesson,” you can be sure that what you are hearing is not the gospel, or good news, of Jesus. The good news of Jesus always liberates as His perfect love removes every fear. The good news always imparts faith and exalts the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross!
My friend, reject anything that even remotely suggests that God is angry with you and is going to discipline you with painful, deadly things when you fail. Our Father is full of grace and mercy and wants us to be healthy, provided for, and protected from all evil occurrences! Let’s start to expect good gifts from Him.
This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs.
Your Hundredfold Harvest Is Coming
“But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”
Mark 4:20
When you get discouraged that you have been partaking of the holy Communion but your healing is taking longer than you hope for, the enemy can start to play mind games with you. Maybe you are starting to entertain thoughts that the Communion is just an empty ritual. May I tell you there is spiritual warfare going on to get you to give up on the very channel God has ordained to bring supernatural life and health into your body?
As I mentioned previously, miracles of instantaneous healing can take place. But our Lord Jesus tells us in today’s scripture what to expect when we are trusting Him for a breakthrough that does not manifest instantly. Notice what He says about how the seeds of the Word of God bear fruit when they fall on good ground. Luke’s gospel also records: “But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15 AMP).
The seeds that fall on good ground “bear fruit with patience.” “Patience” refers to perseverance and endurance. Do you know why patience is involved? Because it takes time for seeds to bear fruit. It does not happen overnight. Just as the farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, you also need to be patient (James 5:7). Your harvest will come incrementally—first thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, then a hundredfold.
When you begin to partake of the Communion, you might see some improvements, but the pain is mostly still there. That’s a thirtyfold harvest. Don’t give up! Keep on partaking of the holy Communion by faith until you get your sixtyfold harvest. That’s when you know there has been major improvement—you can even feel it—but maybe some symptoms are still there, lingering on. That’s the time to keep persevering, and to keep trusting, and to keep putting your eyes on His finished work until you see your hundredfold harvest of blessings, and you experience full healing for your condition.
When a seed is sown, you don’t see anything immediately, but you know it will begin to sprout leaves and grow. You don’t have to keep digging up the soil to check if the seed is growing. In the same way, when the seed of the Word of God is sown, your part is to have faith in the power of His Word and to be patient, as you believe that His words shall not return to Him void. And just as the earth yields crops incrementally, “first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head” (Mark 4:28), I declare that you shall reap the full harvest of your healing!
This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince
Message from Amir Tsarfati
Shalom from Israel! It has been a very loud week here in northern Israel. There has not been a single day lately that I have not seen the inside of a bomb shelter at least once. But God has miraculously protected us, along with most of Israel. I can say “most”, but not “all”. On Tuesday, there was a direct hit by a Hezbollah rocket on a warehouse in Nahariya. Two men in their fifties were killed, and another two were wounded. Despite that tragedy, we saw God working to save others. In the Haifa suburb of Nesher, disaster was just barely averted as kindergarten teachers managed to rush their students into a bomb shelter seconds before a Hezbollah drone slammed into the school. Thank you, Lord, for protecting all those young lives!
Friday marked day 400 that the hostages have been held in captivity. It’s becoming a dangerous time, because the larger the number grows the easier it is to lose touch with its significance. Think of what you were doing in October 2023. Now imagine that every day since then, you have been held prisoner. Every morning you wake up to the same darkness of the tunnels. Your body has sores from every surface around you being hard. Each day you are confronted with the same stench of body odor and excrement. You find it hard to move around because your muscles have begun to atrophy from lack of use. That is how your day begins. You get a little bit of food, just enough to sustain life, but you are a skeleton compared to how you used to be. You sit there as the hours pass, wondering if today is the day that you’ll see the flashlights of your salvation or you’ll feel the sharp blade of your death. When your body is finally too exhausted to stay awake anymore, you sleep knowing that tomorrow will likely be exactly like today.
That is the experience of the hostages day after day after day after day. The monotony may be broken up at times by being moved from one location to another. Or, there may be regular bouts of abuse they experience of every conceivable kind. Any way you look at it, it is a nightmare. Four hundred days of it! It’s ridiculous! It’s inconceivable! I feel nauseous just thinking about it. Lord, bring our hostages home! Provide them with Your divine rescue! And, until You do, give them the strength to endure the compounding days of their tortuous captivity.
Psalm 69:1–3, 14-18 (NKJV)
Save me, O God! For the waters have come up to my neck.
I sink in deep mire,
Where there is no standing;
I have come into deep waters,
Where the floods overflow me.
I am weary with my crying;
My throat is dry;
My eyes fail while I wait for my God….
Deliver me out of the mire,
And let me not sink;
Let me be delivered from those who hate me,
And out of the deep waters.
Let not the floodwater overflow me,
Nor let the deep swallow me up;
And let not the pit shut its mouth on me.
Hear me, O Lord, for Your lovingkindness is good;
Turn to me according to the multitude of Your tender mercies.
And do not hide Your face from Your servant,
For I am in trouble;
Hear me speedily.
Draw near to my soul, and redeem it;
Deliver me because of my enemies.
The Middle East
On Monday, I went live with a very important MidEast update. Not only was the information important, but the crew at CONNECT were at the top of their game with accompanying graphics which aided in showing the exact situation as it currently stands in Gaza, Lebanon, and Syria. If you’re looking for a one-stop overview of Israel’s war, that video is the place to get it. Also, if you haven’t yet done so, please subscribe to my Telegram channel. There you will find regular updates throughout the day and night as the action happens.
The Four Objectives in Gaza
The cries for Israel to pull out of Gaza get louder and louder around the world. Thankfully, the incoming White House administration understands that if the job is not completed then it won’t be long before it is proved to have been for naught. Israel has four objectives that must be accomplished before it can consider shutting down the war in Gaza. First, they must eliminate Hamas’s military power. Second, they must destroy Hamas’s political rule over the region. Third, they must bring the hostages back home – both the living and the dead. Finally, they must provide an environment so that southern Israelis feel safe enough to return to their homes where they can live in peace. Only when those four goals are achieved can Israel consider slowing down the battle.
The Battle for Jabalia
Approximately thirty percent of Gaza is under direct Israeli control. Much of the Israel Defense Force’s (IDF) focus currently is on the city of Jabalia. Located in the north of Gaza, this area is now the greatest stronghold of Hamas. The IDF has surrounded Jabalia from all sides and is looking to wipe out the terrorist’s grip on the area. So far they have killed a thousand terrorists there and have captured a thousand more. Ultimately, what the IDF is seeking to do is related to the fourth objective in the paragraph above – return the southern Israelis to their homes. Once northern Gaza is cleared of all terrorists, then there will be a buffer of safety that will allow peace in the region.
Progress and Pain in Lebanon
Daily, the IDF is hitting Hezbollah sites in Lebanon. The devastation in cities like Beirut, Tyre, and Baalbek has been great, but there is still so much work to do. Hezbollah has had years to build up their arsenal of weapons. Thus far, a stash ten times bigger than what was found in Gaza has been discovered in Lebanon ready to be used in an invasion of Israel. If Hezbollah had been given the opportunity to drive south across the border in conjunction with Hamas – or even instead of Hamas – the results would have been devastating. Now, the IDF is ensuring that the terrorist group will never have that opportunity. Caches are constantly being destroyed. Nearly 1000 cement trucks have been brough to southern Lebanese villages to seal up the tunnels and underground infrastructure of Hezbollah. But it hasn’t all been victories for the IDF. Just yesterday, six Israeli soldiers were killed in two incidents in southern Lebanon. The oldest age reported thus far among the fallen was just 22.
Successful Operations in Syria
The IDF destroyed a third-floor apartment in the southern suburbs of Damascus on Sunday. Inside that apartment was Ali Musa Daqduq, the head of Hezbollah forces in Syria, and some leaders of an Iraqi militia. They were all eliminated. Also taken out by the IDF near the city of al-Qusayr on Sunday was Salim Jamil Ayyash. In 2020, Ayyash was sentenced in absentia for organizing the suicide bombing that killed Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri in 2005. Finally, rumor has it that Israel attacked an innocent convoy of humanitarian aid in Homs province. Don’t believe it. The trucks were carrying weapons along a route known for smuggling into Lebanon.
Drones Intercepted Targeting Israel Nuclear Reactor
A drone entered Israeli territory from the east and was shot down over the Dead Sea. A second drone also coming from the east was taken out before it crossed into Israel’s territory. The Islamic Resistance in Iraq claimed responsibility, saying the UAVs were on their way to the nuclear reactor in Dimona. The number of drones coming from Iraq have steadily increased and are becoming a greater source of concern. These proxy militias sponsored by Iran that are firing them are just another issue Israel will have to deal with when it is done with Hezbollah.
New European Pogroms
At various points in the last couple decades, leaders from European nations began to change their ideas on immigration. Instead of blocking the mass of migrants pouring into their countries, they decided the more civilized way of treating them would be to do so with open arms. After all, what could possibly go wrong? So the Muslim immigrants came, and they came, and they came. Now these same countries are looking at their skyrocketing crime rates and the fear many of their citizens have of simply walking the streets and they say, “Oh, maybe that’s what could go wrong.” But it’s too late now. Instead of an overt invasion like the Umayyads carried out in Spain centuries ago, this was a soft invasion. The results, however, are the same. Europe has been Islamicized.
Does that matter? Maybe we should ask the Jews who were in Amsterdam Friday night. Following a football game, fans of the Israeli team, Maccabi Tel Aviv, made their way back to their hotels. But a mass of Muslims were waiting for them. When the Israelis exited their public transportation, they were attacked. Many were beaten, some were stabbed. It was horrific, lasting about five hours. The Dutch police were nearby, but they didn’t help. Many shopkeepers closed their doors to the fleeing Jews. Thankfully, there were some who opened their doors, hiding the Jews in their homes in a scene reminiscent of World War II. As the weekend progressed, the violence spread as Jews were hunted down also in Sweden and Belgium. Ironically, November is Islamaphobia month. It seems, though, that we need to ask whether they should fear us or we should fear them. And, yes, I certainly recognize that it is not all Muslims who act this way. But there are enough to make me renew my call to Jews everywhere that it is time to come home. Europe is not safe anymore. America is not safe. Asia is not safe. It is time to make aliyah and come home to the land given to you by your Creator.
Sixty-Seven Days Until Trump’s Inauguration
It is still over two months until Donald Trump begins his second non-consecutive term as president, and already he is making liberal heads explode. His cabinet picks are smart, well thought out, and, in many cases, out of the box. So far, he has tapped:
- Secretary of Defense – Pete Hegseth, Fox News host, army combat vet, two-time bronze star recipient
- Attorney General – Matt Gaetz, congressman and strong conservative
- Secretary of Homeland Security – Kristi Noem, governor, former congresswoman, patriot
- Secretary of State – Marco Rubio, senator, former Trump presidential opponent
- Head of NSA – Mike Waltz, congressman, 28-year veteran of the army and reserves, Green Beret, four-time bronze star recipient
- Director of National Intelligence – Tulsi Gabbard, former Democrat congresswoman and vice chair of the Democrat National Committee
- Ambassador to Israel – Mike Huckabee, former governor, great friend of Israel, and pastor
- UN Ambassador – Elise Stefanik, congresswoman, a great friend of Israel
- Heads of the new Department of Government Efficiency – Elon Musk, multi-billionaire, and Vivek Ramaswamy, former political rival
There are numerous others who have also been chosen, many of whom do not fit the traditional, stodgy, Washington beltline mold. This is truly an eclectic bunch that will bring a new perspective to the nation’s capital. One thing we can all be sure of is that these next four years are not going to be boring. Most of us in Israel are cheering because we know that Trump is a huuuge fan of Israel, and his appointment of Mike Huckabee as the U.S. ambassador to our nation is proof of that. We are praying that God protects President Trump and that He gives him wisdom to bring peace to the Middle East and Eastern Europe. Along that vein, Prime Minister Netanyahu only has two years left until the next elections here in Israel and there is no telling what will happen at that time. That means that these next two years with Trump and Netanyahu working together are crucial. They must make the most of this short period, changing absolutely everything that needs changing.
Turkey Severs Relations with Israel
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced that his country had officially severed relations with Israel. This leads to two questions. First, you mean you hadn’t done that already? With you constantly running your mouth against us, we figured you’d done that long ago. Second, the next time you make an announcement like that, would you mind putting a QR code for our upcoming thriller The Sick Man’s Rage in the corner of the screen? Between your rhetoric and our writing, we’re kind of following the same script. Much appreciated!
Ministry
Looking for stocking stuffers for your Christmas list? How about a copy of my new fiction book, The Sick Man’s Rage? Our series of Nir Tavor novels are high quality, adrenaline-inducing, action-packed, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, they follow biblical prophecy and clearly present the gospel! By preordering copies today for yourself and as gifts for family members and friends, you’ll help us to get The Sick Man’s Rage into big box stores where they can been seen and picked up by people who may not hear the truth any other way. Don’t wait, preorder today!
On our next Anchor Podcast, airing Wednesday, November 20 at 10:00 AM PST, Amir interviews Dr. Dina Aweida, doctor of biology at Technion, Israel’s premier institution for science. Dr. Aweida is passionately pro-life, and daily battles to educate people on the sanctity of life and the dangers of abortion. This fascinating discussion, entitled “Choose Life”, is one that you will not want to miss.
Yesterday, we aired on our “Explore the Bible” series a great discussion I had with Dr. Rick Yohn about how we got our English translations of the Bible. Entitled “Why So Many English Translations?” we talked about how we got from the King James Bible to where we are today, and we looked at which version might be best for you. On Monday, Pastor Barry Stagner and I had another of our great Q & A sessions during which we answered your questions live on air. Check it out!
Thank you for your prayers and support over these past months! Part of what energizes us to do what we’re doing here is knowing that you are there lifting our arms up. May God bless you as you bless us.
Awaiting His Return,
Jesus, Be the Center
And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.
2 Corinthians 12:9
I love how in Luke 24, the Holy Spirit intricately records for us the meeting that Jesus had with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the very first day of His resurrection. With heavy hearts, grieved and shell-shocked, they talked about how Jesus, whom they greatly esteemed, had been taken by the religious leaders, condemned to death, and crucified.
Read the full story and notice how the two disciples were caught up with their own understanding of the events that had transpired and with their thoughts about the redemption of Israel. As a result, they were downcast, disappointed, and depressed. This is what happens when the truth about Jesus is absent from our minds.
The disciples had hoped that Jesus would be the one who would redeem Israel. To them, Jesus was simply a means to an end. They were more consumed with Israel’s redemption than with the Redeemer Himself. No wonder they were depressed! Jesus can never simply be a means to an end, no matter how noble that end may be. We need to be occupied with Him and allow everything to revolve around Him as He takes center place in our lives.
The disciples were downcast because they didn’t believe in what God’s Word had prophesied about Jesus’ suffering and resurrection. If they had believed and understood that the events in the last three days were all orchestrated by God and that the cross was His grand redemption plan to save all men, they would have been rejoicing with faith, love, and hope. They would have been greatly anticipating their reunion with the resurrected Christ instead of being so inward-looking and discouraged. But because of their wrong beliefs, they had become disillusioned and were mentally defeated.
If you are feeling fearful, anxious, or depressed today, do a quick check. What’s on your mind? What’s your heart occupied with? Are your thoughts filled with faith in Jesus, the Shepherd of your life, or are they filled with apprehensions about the future, fears about your current situation, and excessive self-introspection? Give Him center place by believing that He is the answer to everything you need in life, and begin to walk in a new measure of His peace, joy, and liberty.
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince
Message from Amir Tsarfati
Do we understand that in the minds of the Jews, when you say the word Christianity or Christian, they see everything that is not in the Gospel and it’s so depressing. Last time I heard, He’s not a baby anymore. Last time I know, He’s not stuck on the cross anymore. The resurrection, it’s why we’re here, and the fact that God has a Son is not a foreign thing. It’s deep in the Old Testament, and you should know it because you need to give them that hope. And in Proverbs 30:4 it says, “Who has ascended into heaven or descended? Who has gathered the wind in His face? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name and what is His Son’s name, if you know?" It’s all in the Old Testament. Even in Psalm 2, “Kiss the Son, lest He be angry.” It’s all there.
Now did God give the Jews a New Testament? Oh, yes, He did. In fact, I was shocked to find the word “New Testament” in the Old Testament, and then I was shocked that I was shocked. In Jeremiah 31, “‘Behold, the days are coming,’ says the Lord, ‘when I will make a new covenant, a new testament, with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.’” And the one new thing in this Testament is not the nullification of the promise to Abraham that He will make us a great nation and through us He will bless the whole world. What God made new is the end of the Mosaic Covenant and the New Covenant that He’s now giving, and He’s explaining that not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt, way after Abraham. We’re talking about the Exodus. We’re talking about Moses. We’re talking about Mount Sinai.
“And then He says, ‘My covenant which they broke, though I was a husband to them,’ says the Lord. ‘But this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days,’ says the Lord. ‘I will put my law in their minds and write it on their hearts.’” It’s a spiritual regeneration. It’s a birth from above. It’s a new birth. It’s something that is of the Spirit. This is the first time we understand what to be born again is all about right there in this scripture.
While there are many reasons to reject the heretical and unbiblical teaching of Replacement Theology, one of the most significant is that it teaches something about God’s nature and character that is not true. Look at what the Lord said about His chosen, yet disobedient, people, Israel:
Jeremiah 24:6-7
For I will set My eyes on them for good, and I will bring them back to this land; I will build them and not pull them down, and I will plant them and not pluck them up. Then I will give them a heart to know Me, that I am the LORD; and they shall be My people, and I will be their God, for they shall return to Me with their whole heart.
It is not within the nature and character of God to choose a group as His own special people, make them unconditional and everlasting promises, and then change His mind. It would be like the Lord promising to give us “temporary” eternal life that we can lose based on poor behavior.
To deny that modern Israel is a fulfillment of God’s promises to them is to deny the very word of God, and, by that, to question His nature and character.
Romans 11:1
I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.
Paul’s point is that if God cast off His people, then why are some of them getting saved, using himself as the example. Does it make any sense for God to cast you off and then save you? Of course not!
We might consider Judaism as a fulfilled religion. Jesus came and fulfilled the whole law and instituted a new covenant for both Jew and Gentile.
1 Corinthians 11:25
In the same manner He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood. This do, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.”
The Old Covenant was a blood covenant, but the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sins. Hebrews reminds us that better blood was required for that to happen. So through the Jews, God sent His Son into the world to shed His “better blood” on behalf of sinners.
The Old Covenant highlighted the sinfulness of all people and the New Covenant offered to all sinful people what the Old could not, salvation for their souls through the blood of Christ.
We should all rejoice in the fact that God has not cast off His chosen people even after all they have done. That tells us what is actually true about God’s nature and character that Replacement Theology denies.
Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, 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.
If Replacement Theology is true, then what we just read in Romans isn’t. But, thanks be to God, it is true and Israel is the greatest proof it is so!
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,
The Crux of the Real Gospel
Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—just as Abraham “believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.”
Galatians 3:5–6
We know that preaching, hearing, and believing the gospel are so important because they unleash God’s power to save us from every area of defeat in life. But how do we know if we are hearing the real gospel? What sets the true gospel apart from every other “gospel”?
To answer this question, let’s go to the book of Jude. Apostle Jude tells us to “contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints” (Jude 1:3). What is “the faith” here that the church is to contend earnestly for?
My friend, when you hear the word faith mentioned in the New Testament, it refers to “justification by faith”—how one is made righteous before God based solely on his faith in Christ Jesus. This is the crux of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This is why the gospel is called “good news” and this is what sets it apart from all the false gospels.
Unfortunately, what many preach today is hardly good news, because justification by faith has been subtly replaced with justification by works. Yes, they may tell you that you are saved by grace through faith, but then in the same breath they corrupt the simplicity of the gospel by saying that you stay saved or get blessed through works. You’ll also hear about all sorts of things that you need to do for God in order to be qualified through right living. Now, right living is certainly important, but that is not the gospel. Also, right living comes by believing right in the gospel.
The crux of the gospel is not right living or good works, but justification by faith. And the apostle Jude tells us to contend earnestly for this. That term is translated from one Greek word, epagonizomai, from which the English word agony is derived. In other words, epagonizomai literally means “to agonize for.” We are to agonize for the faith! We are to fight for the truth that we are justified by faith and not works. This is the real gospel.
What else does the Bible say about the gospel we are to preach? Romans 1:17 says, “For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’ ” What is supposed to be revealed in the gospel? Not our sins, as many are fond of preaching, but the righteousness of God! Only hearing about the grace of God and how we are righteous by faith in Christ will set us free from our struggles with sin, addiction, and bondage.
Romans 1:17 also tells us that this righteousness of God that we have in Christ is revealed from “faith to faith” and that the just “shall live by faith.” Can you see this powerful truth? It’s not this idea that once you are saved by grace through faith, you move on to works and watch your performance to maintain your salvation. Many Christians experience abundant joy when they are saved, only to lose that joy quickly when they are told, “Now that you’re saved, you need to work to please God in order to stay saved.”
No, my friend, it’s from faith to faith to faith to faith . . . all the way until we see Jesus face-to-face! This doesn’t mean that there is no place for good works or living a holy life. These are by-products of living from faith to faith. They will be evident in your life when you live believing that you are justified, made righteous, and blessed through faith in Christ. This is the good news that God’s Word exhorts us to fight for—righteousness by faith in Christ alone!
This devotional is adapted from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince
Jesus Is with Us in Our Troubles
“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him.”
Daniel 3:28
The book of Daniel records how King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made a towering golden statue and commanded all in his kingdom to bow down before it and worship it. Three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom the king had appointed to oversee the province of Babylon, refused to do so. Humiliated by their defiance, the king was livid. He gave them one more chance to bow down and worship his golden statue or be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.
Without flinching, they said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t . . . we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Dan. 3:16–18 NLT). The king commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual, and ordered some of his strongest soldiers to bind them and throw them into the furnace. The furnace was so hot that the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men into the roaring flames, securely bound.
Suddenly, the king jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his officials, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Dan. 3:24–25).
Nebuchadnezzar called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” The three men stepped out of the fire and all the officials and advisers crowded around them and “saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched” (Dan. 3:26–27 NLT). In fact, the flames only served to loose them from their bonds.
Amazed at how their God had protected them, Nebuchadnezzar began praising God himself. The king then issued a decree stating that if any person spoke a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they would be cut in pieces and their houses would be turned into ash heaps “because there is no other God who can deliver like this” (Dan. 3:29). Then, the king promoted the three men to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.
Beloved, this is your God.
This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince
It Is All About Seeing Jesus
My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.
Proverbs 4:20–22 NLT
I want to begin this day by asking you this question: amid all the different things you hear clamoring for your attention every day, are you hearing messages that are full of the good news of Jesus? This is so important because it is the basis of your walking in peace of mind and heart, and life and healing in your body.
The true ministry of any new covenant Bible teacher or preacher is to unveil Jesus to you and qualify you by the blood of Jesus. He or she does not come to unveil your faults or bring your sins to remembrance to disqualify you from entering God’s presence and enjoying His blessings. That is what an old covenant preacher does. In the Old Testament, the widow of Zarephath said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance . . . ?” (1 Kings 17:18).
The enemy, our accuser, wants you to be conscious of yourself and keeps telling you to look at your every wrong deed and thought. My friend, don’t play his game. Turn away from his accusations and from yourself, and see Jesus. God is not judging you today based on you. He has placed you in Christ, and He sees the excellence, beauty, and perfection of Jesus when He looks at you.
The devil wants you self-conscious. God wants you Jesus-conscious. It is in your best interest to find out as much as you can about Jesus—who He is, His titles, His official glories, all that He possesses—because all that He is, God has set to your account. You are a joint heir to all that He has and all the inheritance that is due to Jesus is yours as well (Rom. 8:17)!
The law is all about you looking at yourself. The new covenant of grace is all about you seeing Jesus. The Pharisees committed large portions of the Word of God to memory and yet they could not see the Word of God in the flesh, standing before them. We should not be interested in just accumulating Bible knowledge. We should be opening the Scriptures to see more of Jesus. Some people think that if they knew Hebrew and Greek, they would understand the Bible better. Well, the Pharisees knew Hebrew and that did nothing for them. What we need is for the Holy Spirit to unveil to us revelations and hidden gems about Jesus and His finished work.
Very often, when Jesus and His grace are not our focus, we find ourselves wandering in the desert of legalism and becoming discouraged and disillusioned with life as a believer. This was something Raymond, who lives in Australia, went through after becoming a believer when he was twelve. He was brought up believing that God would smite him if he did not keep the law perfectly. At the age of fifteen, he stopped going to church and reading the Bible as he felt that it was all too hard. But over the years, he never stopped believing that Jesus is the Son of God. At the age of fifty-four, Raymond kept a promise he made to his father to return to church. It was there that Raymond was introduced to my ministry, and this was his response to receiving the message of grace:
When I heard about what Jesus had accomplished for me at the cross, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. For the first time in my life, I felt so close to my Savior and all I could do was cry and say, “You are awesome, Jesus!” over and over again. I know that I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ through His perfect finished work on the cross and that as Jesus is in heaven, so am I in this world. So every time I go through a trial, I just ask myself, “Is Jesus defeated by this in heaven? No. Well, neither am I here on earth.”
I have learned to bring Jesus into every situation quickly so that I can rest in His unmerited and undeserved grace and love. Because God is with me, it does not matter what things look like in the natural as God is above all of it. I have learned to trust Jesus and tap into His love and wisdom daily. He is faithful and will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. I can truly say I have experienced the superabundance of God’s grace.
I know now that God had never forgotten me even though I turned away from Him. God answered my dad’s prayer and now his entire family serves the Lord! Hallelujah, praise Jesus!
Beloved, your enjoying peace, joy, and victory in this life is all about seeing Jesus, because from Him comes every supply and provision—His grace, His love, His righteousness, and His forgiveness. Keep focusing on His grace and love for you and I promise you, your life will be transformed beyond your wildest imagination.
This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. Joseph Prince
You Have Been Forgiven Much
Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.
Luke 7:47
Let’s look at Luke 7:36-50 to see what Jesus said about the forgiveness of sins. Simon, a Pharisee, had invited Jesus to his house. While Jesus was seated at the table in Simon’s house, a woman came to Him. She began to weep and she washed His feet with her tears. Then, she wiped His feet with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with fragrant oil.
When Simon saw this, he said to himself, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”
Even though Simon did not speak aloud, it is interesting that Jesus answered him by posing this question to him: “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” Jesus said to him, “You have rightly judged.”
Then, Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”
The woman loved Jesus much because she knew that she was forgiven much. In actuality, no one has been forgiven little. We have all been forgiven much. As for this woman, she knew it. So the most “dangerous” thing about this doctrine of complete forgiveness of sins is that you will fall in love with Jesus and end up effortlessly fulfilling the greatest commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:36-38). Hallelujah!
If you think that you have been forgiven little, then you will love little. But when you know the truth of how much you have been forgiven, you will love Jesus much! Knowing how much you have been forgiven is the secret to loving Jesus! In other words, you will only love Jesus much when you experience His lavish grace and unmerited favor in forgiving you of all your sins—past, present, and future. But His grace is cheapened when you think that He has only forgiven you of your sins up to the time you got saved, and after that point, you have to depend on your confession of sins to be forgiven.
God’s forgiveness is not given in installments. Don’t go around thinking that when you confess a sin, He forgives you only for that sin. Then, the next time you sin, you need to confess your sin again for Him to forgive you again. Such is the kind of belief that cheapens His grace. And the result of this is that because you think that He has forgiven you little, you will end up loving Him little, and deprive yourself of running to Him and seeing Him help, deliver and prosper you.
Beloved, with one sacrifice on the cross, Jesus blotted out all the sins of your entire life! Don’t cheapen His unmerited favor with your own imperfect efforts to confess all your sins. Accord this gift that Jesus has given you the value that it deserves by fully receiving and experiencing His unmerited favor today!
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince
Message from Amir Tsarfati
Shalom from what is now a different world! Oh my goodness! You cannot imagine the relief that most here in Israel feel after Tuesday’s election. At the top of your ballots, you had a contrast in ideologies. True, there were some who liked one or the other more, and others who disliked them both to the same degree. But personality isn’t what was important on Tuesday. The foundational belief systems of each camp were of such a distinct contrast that voters were forced to choose one side or the other. When the platforms of the two parties were studied, it became crystal clear – Tuesday’s vote was a choice between good and evil.
And America chose the good! Thank you, Lord! We prayed for Your will to be done and we firmly believe that You have answered that prayer. Across all economic classes, races, backgrounds, and the only two genders that exist, American citizens voted for the unborn. They voted for safe borders. They voted for family values. And they voted to support Israel. Those of us on the east coast of the Mediterranean were watching. We saw what you Americans did. And we thank you from the bottom of our hearts.
This vote was not just an affirmation of Donald Trump’s policies. It was a clear rejection of the disastrous programs of the Biden administration; ones which Harris tried to publicly reject. Unfortunately, when you are number two in the White House, it is difficult to separate yourself from the person who is number one. The people recognized that a four-year extension of Biden’s White House would be calamitous for the nation. He was essentially fired in Tuesday’s vote, and she was kicked to the curb along with him.
But it was more than just a firing of Biden. There was an urgency to what took place. This is what Republicanized so much of the Jewish vote, with an unheard of 45% of New York Jews voting for Trump. But it wasn’t just New York – Trump took 43% of the Jewish vote in Florida, 42% in Nevada, and 37% in Arizona. The Amish community, usually content to let the “English” hash out the political stuff while they quietly maintained their farms, also came out in force for Trump. They recognized that the energy and environmental policies of the liberals threatened their very livelihood. Trump even took very surprising areas, including the very Muslim-heavy region of Dearborn, Michigan, as well as vice presidential nominee Tim Walz’s home county. In addition to specific groups, there was a sense by many that they had to do something just for lifestyle-preservation. That led to a record number of first-time voters coming out from all walks of life with a majority going to Trump. Again, people knew the score. Regardless of religion or background, people know for a fact that a man is a man and a woman is a woman, and that the precious little ball of cells in the womb is a full-fledged human being from the moment of conception.
Congratulations to President Trump are already pouring in from around the world. Benjamin Netanyahu spent 20 minutes on the phone with him yesterday. Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Muhamad bin Salman called, as did many other world leaders. Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei neglected to drop a line, though. Instead, he made threats, and he hung a giant banner in Tehran threatening Trump. It’s not surprising. He knows this will likely mean a violent end to his nuclear aspirations. It will also mean new sanctions the moment his nation steps out of line. This morning, the value of the Iranian Rial dropped to an all-time low in anticipation of the tamping down of the nation’s current free rein. In contrast, the Dow soared 1,400 points on news of Trump’s return.
Once again, it’s a brand-new world after Tuesday’s election. It will be very interesting to see the make-up of Trump’s cabinet. He is coming in much wiser this time and will be on the lookout for quislings and those who are Republican in name only (RINOs). Just know, Mr. President, that you have the support of many around the world, especially those of us in Israel. We don’t back any party nor are we interested in personalities. We celebrate this election because it was a vote for life – the life of the unborn and our lives here in Israel.
The Middle East
If you have not watched my MidEast Update from Tuesday, I would encourage you to do so. It is a deep dive into where Israel is in the war right now as it fights on seven fronts. Also, please don’t forget to subscribe to my Telegram channel. It is there that you will find updates on Israel, the Middle East, and the world as they happen. When you do subscribe, check to make sure that the subscriber number is over 600,000 to ensure you are on the right channel.
Seven Front War
As I mentioned above, Israel is fighting a war on seven fronts. Directly on our borders are Syria, Lebanon, Gaza, and the West Bank. Close enough to fire rockets and suicide UAVs at us are Iran, Yemen, and Iraq. This multi-front confrontation has given us Israeli civilians a new reality in which we need to be ready at any moment to rush to the bomb shelter at the siren’s call. It is emotionally wearing never knowing if today is the day you’ll receive the bad luck of the draw and have a missile or drone explode on your house. Meanwhile, nearly every family has someone close to them who is in the Israel Defense Force (IDF) in harm’s way. Please pray with us that God allows us to end this war soon in a manner that will keep us safe from those who want to do us harm.
Netanyahu Fires His Defense Minister
Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fired Defense Minister Yoav Gallant on Tuesday night. He’d likely been planning it for quite some time but was held back by pressure from the United States. But once the PM saw the elections going the right way, he cut ties with Gallant who was a shill of the Biden administration and acted essentially as an agent of the Israeli and American deep state. Into Gallant’s place will step current Foreign Minister Israel Katz, whose resulting vacancy will be filled with chairman of the United Right party, Gideon Sa’ar. The appointments of both men need to be approved by the Knesset.
Hostages Remain in Gaza
There are 101 hostages who remain in Gaza following the October 7, 2023, massacre. Of these, we have confirmation that at least 50 are dead, and we are demanding the return of their remains. However, that leaves up to 50 more who are still alive and are being held in deplorable conditions in the terrorist hideouts. A deal for a brief ceasefire and hostage swap was floated by international parties. Despite the numbers being lopsided – 11-14 hostages in return for around 100 Palestinian prisoners – Israel was open to the possibility. Hamas, however, rejected it out of hand. They demand everything or nothing at all.
Israel Seeks to Corral Gazans in Humanitarian Zone
There are currently four primary zones of IDF activity against the terrorists in Gaza. One is down south along the Philadelphi Corridor, one is central around Khan Yunis, and the other two are up north in Gaza City and nearer the border. Israel is seeking to move all civilians to the large Al-Mawasi Humanitarian Zone along the Mediterranean in Rafah, where they will be safe from the fighting. An additional benefit of that unified location is that it would allow the IDF to be effective in its humanitarian efforts. Currently, any aid given to Gaza is immediately stolen by Hamas. The terrorists will take what they want, then sell what is left over to the civilian population. Uniting everyone at Al-Mawasi will allow the IDF to give the aid directly to those who need it most. Unfortunately, Hamas understands this strategy and is embedding itself amongst the refugees in the humanitarian zone.
Saving Lebanon from Hezbollah
On October 8, 2023, rockets began to soar south into Israel from Lebanon. But it wasn’t the Lebanese government that was behind their launching. It was Hezbollah, which meant it was Iran. The Israeli government never had a desire to go to war with Lebanon. It wanted to destroy the terrorists. So it is the terrorists who are the primary targets of the IDF. And while it is easier in Lebanon to separate the terrorists from the civilians than it is in Gaza, Hezbollah has still found many Lebanese who are more than happy to shelter them. This is what has led the IDF to bolster its almost daily air strikes with a ground attack. As the military moves through the south of the country, it is finding safehouses, weapons caches, and a labyrinth of tunnels, all designed with a strike on Israel in mind. Despite these finds, the IDF continues to be strategic in their targets, while encouraging the civilian population to move to safety up beyond the Litani River. Meanwhile, we are hoping that international pressure and support can motivate the Lebanese people to save Lebanon from the cancer of Hezbollah. It is time to cut them out once and for all. True, the terrorists are so embedded that it is easier said than done. But it can and must be accomplished.
Smuggling Attacked at Syria/Lebanon Border Crossing
On Friday, an Israeli strike shut down a border crossing in the northeast of Syria. The area hit was being regularly used by Iranian proxies to smuggle weapons into Lebanon. The finds in the Lebanese ground action is evidence that Iran has been able to keep Hezbollah well-supplied despite it being illegal to do so.
Iran Still Mulls Attack on Israel
The threats from Iran continue. Many thought that the Islamic Regime might use the U.S. elections as a cover for an attack, but that proved untrue. But Israel remains on heightened alert. The talk is that Iran may employ 800 large warhead missiles this time, which could be devastating without the divine intervention we’ve been blessed with in the previous two attacks. It’s also possible that movement to fuel these massive missiles could be picked up by Israel, prompting a preemptive strike. As usual, all eyes will be on the Middle East.
Ministry
Clean, exciting thrillers written by best-selling Christian authors! Maybe that’s where I should start with my new fiction book, The Sick Man’s Rage! Our series of Nir Tavor novels are high quality, adrenaline-inducing, action-packed, and will keep you on the edge of your seat. Plus, they follow biblical prophecy and clearly present the gospel! By preordering copies today for yourself and as gifts for family members and friends, you’ll help us to get The Sick Man’s Rage into big box stores where they can been seen and picked up by people who may not hear the truth any other way. Don’t wait, preorder today!
On yesterday’s Anchor Podcast, “Anything Good Out of Nazareth?”, Amir welcomed Arab Israeli Pastor Saleem Shalash, founder & senior pastor of Home of Jesus the King Church in Nazareth. In it, Pastor Shalash told his story of coming to faith, then living out his Christianity among the Arab population in Israel. If you missed it, check it out and watch as a Jew and an Arab come together to celebrate their salvation in Yeshua the Messiah.
Monday saw Pastor Barry Stagner and me together again for another Q & A Live. We fielded all sorts of questions from the war in Israel to how it all fits into biblical prophecy and more! Also, be watching because we have more events coming up. On Monday, I am planning another live MidEast Update, then on Wednesday we’ll post a new Anchor podcast. This one will be called “Choose Life” with Dr. Dina Aweida, and will feature an eye-opening discussion with one of Israel’s foremost pro-life advocates.
I know that some people have had difficulty with Telegram lately. In response, we are soon going to upload short videos with daily recaps of all my telegram posts. It will be on YouTube and on Instagram.
We invite you to join Amir Tsarfati, Pastor Barry Stagner, Pastor Jack Hibbs, and Dr. Bob Pearle for the experience of a lifetime onboard an Alaska cruise! This event will allow you to be spiritually rejuvenated and physically refreshed at the same time while you enjoy fellowship with other believers along the way. Moreover, our speakers will present dynamic teachings covering various topics related to Bible prophecy to build you up in the hope of the Scriptures as we await His return. Registration opens November 8 at 10:00 AM PST! We hope you can join us for this unforgettable event!
It's a new world we are living in. Yet, nothing has really changed. God is still working out His plan for Israel, for the church, and for the world. And that, my dear friends, is a wonderful thing! What peace we can have knowing that no matter who is in power, our ultimate King sits on a heavenly throne and He has the power to guide earthly events however they should go.
God bless you for giving to this ministry and for always remembering us in your prayers. You will never fully know just how much you all mean to us.
Awaiting His Return,
Redeemed from Every Curse
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.
Galatians 3:13–14
Do you know that Jesus loves you and has borne every imaginable disease upon His own body on the cross so you need not suffer them? Today, I want to show you how you can turn to the cross for any and every medical challenge and condition.
In the verses above, we see that our Lord Jesus redeemed us from every curse of the law so that the blessing of Abraham might come upon us. Now, Deuteronomy 28 has a long and detailed list of curses, and I want to focus on the curses that cover sicknesses and diseases that Jesus has redeemed you and me from:
• Consumption (diseases that cause your lungs to waste away), fever, and inflammation (Deut. 28:22)
• Boils, tumors, scurvy, “the itch, from which you cannot be cured” (Deut. 28:27 NLT)
• Madness, blindness, and panic (Deut. 28:28 NLT)
• Severe boils that cannot be healed (Deut. 28:35)
• Great and prolonged plagues, and serious and prolonged sicknesses (Deut. 28:59)
Christ has redeemed you from every single one of the diseases and afflictions mentioned here. If you think your particular condition is not quite covered, the Bible goes on to mention “all the diseases of Egypt” (Deut. 28:60). Egypt is a picture of the world. As the people of God, we do not have to be afraid of the diseases the world suffers because He has brought us out of the world, and now we may be in the world but we are not of this world (John 17:11, 14).
Not only that. It also goes on to include “every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law” (Deut. 28:61).
Hallelujah! Can you see that every disease and every condition is part of the curse of the law and that Christ has redeemed us from every curse? God wants you so blessed in your health that just as He put all your sins on Jesus’ body, He also put all your diseases on Jesus’ body. God loves you so much He allowed His own Son to become a curse so you can be redeemed from the curse of the law.
That doesn’t mean the enemy won’t try to enforce symptoms of the curse in your life. But whenever the enemy tries to bring on a symptom of the curse, you can reject it. Refuse to accept it. You have already been redeemed from that symptom in Jesus’ name!
This devotional is adapted from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince
Change Your Words, Change Your Life
Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; keep watch over the door of my lips.
Psalm 141:3
Do you know what the opposite of speaking well is? It is to curse. When our Lord cursed the fig tree, what did He say? Did He say, “I curse you, fig tree”? No, He simply said, “Let no one eat fruit from you ever again” (Mark 11:14). And the next day, when they passed by the fig tree again, Peter said, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which You cursed has withered away” (Mark 11:21).
Jesus never used the word curse when He spoke to the fig tree, but He also did not correct Peter because he was right—the negative words spoken were tantamount to a curse. Oh, I hope you got that! Many times people don’t realize that they are unintentionally cursing themselves and the people around them with the constant flow of negative words that they speak about themselves and others. Words of defeat, anger, bitterness, and complaint are toxic. Change your words, and change your life. Flush out the negative words in your life with the words of God’s grace, love, and power!
And take note that when Jesus spoke to the fig tree, it did not wither away instantly. This was because when our Lord spoke to the fig tree, it first dried up at its very roots before death reached the leaves. So don’t be discouraged when you speak to your challenge and nothing seems to be happening. Believe that you are speaking directly to the root of the problem and that the outward manifestation of your faith is on its way!
I received this wonderful testimony from sister Lorraine, who resides in Darby, England. It shows you the power of praying or speaking, and how change begins from the very first day you speak:
My son and his wife have been married for ten years, and were trying desperately for a baby with no success. Six years ago, they began undergoing in-vitro fertilization (IVF) treatments and have had at least seven unsuccessful treatments.
Last March, my sister gave me a copy of your devotional and the entry for March 19 was about pleading the blood of the Lamb of God over all that is ours and our families’. The verse in the devotional was Exodus 12:13—“And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” And you shared that what the nine plagues could not do, the blood did.
I was thrilled when I read this. So I prayed for my son and my daughter-in-law, pleading the blood of Jesus over their situation, and I was just so excited because I knew that something had happened in the spirit. A few weeks after I prayed, my son called to say that his wife was pregnant. I told him that I wasn’t surprised, as I had prayed for both of them recently. So what six years of medical treatment could not do, the blood of Jesus did! We all celebrated and were so thrilled.
A few Sundays later, our son called to say that she was exactly eight weeks pregnant. And it was exactly eight weeks from the day I prayed. Hallelujah!
Whatever you may be believing God for, I want to encourage you to open your mouth to speak His Word. Pray to your Abba and proclaim the blood of our Lord Jesus over your situation! The presence of blood means that there has already been a death. It signifies that a payment has already been made.
Today we can stand upon the unshakable foundation of God’s promises because the Lamb of God was sacrificed at Calvary and His blood is on the doorposts of our lives. We can declare that no plague, no death, no punishment, no harm, no danger, no evil can come near our dwelling because the full payment for our sins has already been made by our Lord Jesus. What wonderful assurance and peace we can have today—all because of the complete and efficacious work of Jesus!
This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince
Message from Amir Tsarfati
You know what the Bible says, “In the valley of shadow of death, light has dawned.” Remember? Now you understand how dark the land was, how dark the world was. The occult was everywhere. And Jesus comes and Jesus says, “I am the light of the world, not Lucifer, not that light bearer. I am the true light of the world.” And Jesus performing so many miracles, gathering so many people around him, and the message of the Gospel going to the four corners of the world, the occult movement immediately went under the ground because nothing can withstand the power of Jesus. And if you don’t know, I can tell you that there is only one reason the Antichrist is not showing his face yet. It’s because of the power of Jesus that is in us.
The only time the occult will immediately show its true, unleash its true supernatural manifestation, is when we are gone. And I want you to know that as long as Jesus was here and as long as the disciples were here, and as long as the Apostles were here throughout the first century, the occult was underground. But the minute the second century came, they immediately lifted up their head again and a new movement was erected. And that is Gnosticism.
Most of us have seen a TV show about actual events where the announcer says, “The names were changed to protect the innocent.” When it comes to heresies creeping into the church, we could say something similar in that there is nothing new under the sun. The names of the heresies have changed but the goal is still to deceive the innocent.
Such is the case with gnosticism, it has changed names multiple times down through the centuries and continues to deceive many today, even to the degree that some have called it “Christian Gnosticism.” The truth is there is nothing Christian about it. In its most recent form it is called antinomianism, a big word which means “no law”. In other words, like ancient gnosticism, many today teach that because we are saved by grace, the actions taken in the body are of no consequence and there is no moral law for the Christian to live by.
Hebrews 12:14
Pursue peace with all people, and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord.
Holiness, by definition, is the state of purity. If we are to pursue a state of purity, then impurity has to exist and be defined. Thus, according to scripture, what we do in the body does matter. We also need to be careful of slipping into the other direction, which is legalism. Because we are saved by the manifested grace of God and by God’s grace, we can live a life that is representative of His saving grace expressed in our behavior.
1 Peter 1:13-16
Therefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and rest your hope fully upon the grace that is to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ; as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.”
We may not hear the term Gnosticism thrown around much today, but you can be sure it is alive and well and just as dangerous as ever. What we do in our bodies does not determine our salvation, but it does impact our usability and believability when we teach the freedom that can be found in Christ.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,
How to Be “Undevourable”
Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.
1 Peter 5:8
The devil doesn’t want you to be strong in the Lord’s love for you. Instead, he wants you to question God’s love for you. To accomplish this, one of his key strategies is to try to make you think that God is mad at you.
God’s Word tells us that the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. This means that he cannot just devour anyone. He must look for those whom he can devour. Some of us are “undevourable.” There may not be such a word, but it certainly describes a great place to be when the enemy is on the prowl for his next victim.
My friend, you can become “undevourable” to the devil. The secret is found in the preceding verse, “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Pet. 5:7). Can you see it? The secret to being “undevourable” is to be carefree and not be bogged down by anxieties and worries! It is to laugh a lot, enjoy your life, and to take no thought for tomorrow.
To the legalistic mind, this sounds terribly irresponsible. However, in God’s mind, your greatest responsibility is to rejoice in the Lord always and to not worry about your past failures, your present circumstances, and your future challenges! Why? It’s because of what God’s grace has already done for you. And it’s because the One who has the power over death is caring for you and watching over you right this minute.
If you want to see victory over the enemy’s attacks, then learn to relax, to let go, and to release every oppressive thought, worry, and care into Jesus’ loving hands. Believe with all your heart that He cares for you and that you are not alone in this journey. You have a constant companion in Jesus on this great adventure called life.
Note that the devil walks about like a roaring lion. The devil is an impostor who tries to intimidate you through the impression that God is angry with you. Let’s be clear here: there is only one true lion and that is the Lion of Judah, Jesus Christ (Rev. 5:5), the King of kings, and He is not mad at you today. His wrath is directed at anything that seeks to destroy you. You are not the object of His wrath; you are the object of His love. So be strong in His love for you. That’s how you resist the devil who will have no choice but to flee from you!
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince
A Man Under Grace Sees and Appreciates His Blessings
Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength . . . For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes.
Jeremiah 17:5–6
One of the saddest things about a man who trusts in his strengths and self-efforts—“who . . . makes flesh his strength”—is that he cannot see good when it comes his way.
As a pastor, I have seen, down through the years, people who don’t put their trust in the Lord when it comes to their marriages, finances, and other areas of weakness. They are determined to trust in their own efforts, and tend to be rather arrogant and frustrated with the people around them.
Many a time, when you observe people like that, you realize that they cannot see the good things that are right under their noses. They don’t appreciate their spouses, neglect their children, and even when other blessings come their way, they miss them!
Why is it that they can’t see good when it comes? It is because people who trust in their own efforts have no ability to see and receive blessings from the Lord.
They only believe in the “good” that can come from their own efforts. That is why they are proud. You would probably notice that such people don’t say “thank you” very often to the people around them.
They feel like they are entitled to and deserve whatever they receive. They are rarely grateful or appreciative, and that is why they take their spouses for granted instead of seeing them as a blessing from the Lord.
In contrast, people who are living under grace and who trust in the Lord’s unmerited favor are constantly thankful, praising God and giving thanks to Jesus. They are grateful and appreciative of the people around them.
When I was still a bachelor, I had an idea of the kind of wife I wanted and brought my request to the Lord. But you know what? He over-answered my prayer and gave me Wendy! I am truly grateful to the Lord for Wendy and I know that it is the unmerited favor of Jesus.
When I look at my daughter Jessica, I know that I don’t deserve such a beautiful daughter, and yet the Lord gave this precious girl to me. You see, my friend, I did nothing to deserve it, but the Lord blessed me with an amazing family.
When you live under grace, you can truly enjoy the blessings around you because you know that they are undeserved. Look at the family, friends, and other blessings that God has given you today. See how He has blessed you with them because He loves you. And when you see them as blessings, they will enrich your life (Prov. 10:22)!
This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince