Jesus Comes to You in Your Valley

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Genesis 14:18–20

I don’t know what valley you are in right now, but I want to share a powerful picture in the Bible that I pray will encourage you.

Every time something is mentioned in the Bible for the first time, it is always significant. Do you know where you find the bread and the wine of the Communion mentioned together for the first time? It’s there in today’s scriptures.

Who is Melchizedek? The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus is “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:17). Many scholars believe he is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. But it is clear that Melchizedek is a type of Christ.

Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which means “peace.” But Salem means much more than peace. It also means “complete, safe, perfect, whole, and full.”

Melchizedek met Abram in the Valley of Shaveh, or the King’s Valley (Gen. 14:17). The King’s Valley is actually in the Kidron Valley. Kidron in Hebrew is from the word qadar, which means “darkness.”

Melchizedek wasn’t the only person present with Abram. Bera, the king of Sodom, went out to meet Abram before Melchizedek arrived (Gen. 14:2, 17). Bera’s name in Hebrew means “son of evil.”

I gave you all that background because I want you to see this: when you are in a place of darkness, your Lord Jesus comes to you, bearing bread and wine.

You might be asking, “Won’t the Communion become something legalistic that I have to do?” Not if you see yourself receiving the bread and the wine from the Lord Jesus Himself. The Communion is not something that you do; you receive the Communion just as Abram did.

In your time of darkness, don’t forget that the Lord has given you the Communion as a tangible, practical way of remembering all He has done for you and encountering His love. You don’t have to handle the situation all by yourself. The Lord is with you, and He wants you to bring Him every fear and every worry. Talk to Him.

Whenever I am afraid I like to sing the words from the psalms of David to strengthen myself in the Lord. May you be filled with His strength as you meditate on and worship Him with these words from the psalmist:

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance . . . Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

—Psalm 32:7; 56:3

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince

Satan's Power Is Limited

Luke 4:13, 'And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.'

The wording of this verse implies that Satan exhausted his arsenal of temptations on Jesus and then had to leave.

We have mistakenly given Satan too much credit. He does not have a limitless number of temptations that he can pull on us. As 1 Jn. 2:16 says, there are three areas where the devil tempts us: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. Jesus' three temptations correspond to these.

By ascribing to Satan limitless temptations and abilities, we have built up our adversary to be bigger than he is. The truth is, 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]' (I Cor. 10:13).

Satan would like you to think that he is tougher than he really is. One of his greatest weapons is intimidation, but he has been defeated. His teeth have been pulled. Now he can only roar as a lion seeking to devour uninformed souls who don't know their authority in Christ (1 Pet. 5:8).

Today, realize that whatever Satan is fighting you with is only temporary. Don't quit. In due season you will reap, if you faint not (Gal. 6:9). Andrew Womack

When You Have No Faith

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

Hebrews 11:11

Perhaps you are at a place where you feel like you can’t conjure up any more faith, let alone “not waver at the promise of God” like Abraham (Rom. 4:20). Maybe you are thinking, I have tried and tried to believe for so long. I have no more faith to carry on.

Let me show you what today’s verse says about Sarah. There was faith involved when Sarah conceived and bore a child. But if you think faith is awfully hard and that you simply have no faith, I pray this will encourage you.

How did Sarah receive her miracle after so long and when it seemed impossible in the natural? She “judged Him faithful who had promised.” It seems so simple, but therein lay her miracle.

The faith walk isn’t hard. It is easy and effortless. When your faith runs out, judge God faithful. When you do not know how to have faith anymore, reckon on His faithfulness. Remember that He is faithful. Lean on His faithfulness.

Don’t give up because you think you don’t have enough faith. Once God gives you a promise, it is not for you to conjure up faith. It is for you to rest in the One who promised, knowing that He is faithful.

There is a beautiful verse I want you to emblazon across your spirit that will steady you in the fight of faith when it seems like your answers are not forthcoming: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). Even when you are faithless, He remains faithful.

At the cross, as Jesus carried all our sins, God the Father had to turn away from His Son, and Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). He paid the price for you and me to have God’s constant presence, and because of that, God will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). He will never relax His hold on you.

When you feel faithless, know that you don’t have to try to hold on to Him—He is the One holding on to you. The Bible says the Lord your God holds your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you” (Isa. 41:13).

When you have no more strength to even have faith in your battle with your sickness, may I encourage you to do this? Take time to go into the Lord’s presence and tell Him:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness to me. You are faithful in Your goodness to carry out Your promises in my life. You are faithful to heal me and to restore to me every bit of health and well-being I have lost through this sickness. Right now, because You are faithfully upholding me, I can let go and rest in You. It is Your faithfulness that will cause my healing to manifest. Amen.

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince

God Loves It When You Ask of Him

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Matthew 7:7–11

There was a man in the Bible by the name of Jabez. His name was rather unfortunate. It means “sorrow” because his mother “bore him in pain” (1 Chron. 4:9).

What a name to have! But Jabez cried out to God, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” (1 Chron. 4:10).

Some preachers claim that believers should not pray “selfish” prayers for themselves to be blessed. Jabez’s prayer would probably fall under their definition of a “selfish prayer” as it was all about him asking God to bless him, enlarge his territory, be with him, and protect him.

But God didn’t reprimand Jabez for asking Him for these blessings. Without any fanfare, the Bible in the very same verse simply records that “God granted him what he requested.”

That was all. No drama, no long list of what Jabez had to do or not do. It’s really that simple. God heard his prayer and granted his request! No rebuke, no instructions, no “Jabez, if you want Me to bless you, you must first do this.”

No, God honored the man’s faith and turned his sorrow into joy and his pain into blessings—all because he had an unshakable confidence in how good God is and asked big!

My friend, have a good opinion of God. He is not out to get you. He loves you and desires to unleash His favor into every area of your life. He loves it when you call upon Him. And He promised that He would answer when you do. Just see Him declaring to you Jeremiah 33:3: “Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.”

Could it be that we are not seeing many breakthroughs because we have made asking God for big things a taboo with our religious and legalistic rhetoric? Could it be that we are just not seeing many blessings because we have not been asking God and seeking Him with a confident expectation of good?

My friend, it gives your heavenly Father great joy when you ask Him. It’s His good pleasure to bless you as well as your family (Luke 12:32). Stop being held back by erroneous beliefs about God, and start asking Him for whatever is on your heart today!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince

A Greater Humility

Matthew 3:14, 'But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?'

John the Baptist was overwhelmed that Jesus was asking to be baptized by him. John had already declared himself unworthy to unloose the latchet of the Christ's shoes, and now the Christ was asking him to administer His baptism (Lk. 3:16).

Likewise, we are often overwhelmed by the idea that the Lord could use us. Who are we to proclaim the unsearchable riches of Christ? It is easy to disqualify ourselves and not fulfill God's instructions. However, Jesus told John that he had to do it to fulfill all righteousness.

As wonderful as it may seem, the Lord has chosen to use us. God's Word could not have been fulfilled without John's cooperation. The Lord works through men.

We can do nothing by ourselves, but the Lord will do nothing by Himself (Jn. 15:5; Eph. 3:20). A lack of understanding this has caused many people to miss God's blessings. They pray and desire God's best, but wait on God to move independent of them. There are things that we must do to fulfill the righteousness of God in our lives.

John was not seeking to exalt himself, but his failure to baptize Jesus would not have been an act of humility. It would have been stupidity. It takes great humility to recognize the call of God on your life and let Him use you. Andrew Womack

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Some of the last words of Jesus, and even Paul, were actually words of warning to the church. And, remember, when Jesus gathered the disciples on the Mount of Olives and when they asked Him about the signs of the end of the age in Matthew 24, it says, “Now as He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately.” It’s something that didn't really cause the rest of the Jews to even think that Jesus had an answer to. But the disciples came to Him privately without anyone around and asked Him, “Tell us when will these things be and what will the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?” And Jesus answered and said to them, and He started with, “Take heed that no one deceives you.” In other words, there’s going to be the things that I’m going to tell you that will be, but I want you to know that deception is the first thing you’re going to encounter. 

And Paul, to his beloved Timothy in 2 Timothy 1, says, “Timothy, hold fast the pattern of…” What? “…sound words.” Why? Why did he have to use the word ‘sound words’? Because a lot of junk is going to be thrown in the air. He says, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words…” But what words can be sound? “…which you have heard from me…” In what? “…in faith and love…” What kind of faith and love? “…which are in Christ Jesus.” In other words, all the words that I gave and it was all about Jesus. It has to produce love and faith. And that’s the things that I want you to keep. Hold fast onto these things. “That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. This you know, that all those in Asia have turned away from me, among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes. The Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chains; but when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me. The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day.” That day. 

Paul loves to use that term. The day we’re going to see Jesus – in that day. “And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.” Paul is warning Timothy, telling him, “Look, hold on to the words that I told you that could only be from Jesus. But I want you to know, first century, first church, everybody left me.” Look what he said, “All those in Asia have turned away from you.” They haven’t turned away from Paul because he’s an obnoxious person. They turned away from the message of Paul. They heard the message from Paul directly and they just left. And he said, “Look, in this, I can see we’re not going to be the majority. Look, a lot of people are going to turn back on us. Look, these are the days of deception.”

Many have heard or used the adage; “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” The point being, if something is working, leave it alone. This is exactly what Satan has done through the centuries. His efforts in the garden worked with Eve, and he still employs the same tactic today.

Genesis 3:1-5
Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’” Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan has been convincing people that what God says is not true ever since there were only two people in existence. It worked then and it still works now. Only now he has his agents to incorporate into his strategy; ones whom the Bible says will grow worse and worse as time progresses in their efforts to deceive (2 Timothy 3:13). This is consistent with what Jesus told Peter, Andrew, James, and John when they asked about the signs of His coming and the end of the age.

Mark 13:5-6
And Jesus, answering them, began to say: “Take heed that no one deceives you. For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and will deceive many.”

This is the warning Jesus issued as He opened the last message He would give before His betrayal and arrest two days later. At the Last Supper, He would give one of the great promises of scripture that He would come again and receive us unto Himself. But the Olivet Discourse would be His final sermon during His time on earth.

Paul offered a similar warning in the last chapter of his last epistle written before he would be executed by Caesar Nero for his faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

2 Timothy 4:3-4
For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

When someone is about to depart from this world, their last words would certainly be worth our undivided attention. This is especially true for us, as Jesus and Paul were both referring to the days in which we now live. This is a time when imposters and deceivers have grown worse than ever, and churches, in many cases, have become places where fables have replaced the line upon line teaching of the sound doctrines of the word of God. 

The only conclusion we can draw is that time is short, the hour is late, and Jesus is coming for us soon. We have precious little time left to tell others about our Savior. Tell someone about him today!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Meditate on God’s Word

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8

Look at the instructions that God gave Joshua when he was appointed as Moses’ successor: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

God told Joshua that to have good success, he had to meditate on the law day and night. Joshua lived under the old covenant, so how should we, who live under the new covenant, benefit from this scripture?

We need to read this portion of Scripture in view of Jesus’ finished work. That is why it is essential for you to be firmly established on the rock-solid foundation of the new covenant of grace. Now that you know that we are no longer under the law, what is the new covenant way to be blessed and to experience good success?

Joshua only had the law to meditate upon because the New Testament had not been written yet. For us, the secret to good success is found in meditating on God’s Word in the light of the new covenant of grace.

Before we can go into what it means to meditate on God’s Word, what exactly does it mean to “meditate”?

When the Bible talks about meditation, it’s not referring to a mental exercise. The Hebrew word for meditation in the Old Testament is the word hagah, which means to utter or mutter. So to hagah is to speak under your breath.

Notice that the Lord told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.” He did not say that it “shall not depart from your mind.” The key to meditating on God’s Word is not mental contemplation. It is in speaking God’s promises with your mouth!

“Pastor Prince, does this mean that I should keep repeating God’s Word? For instance, should I keep saying ‘by His stripes I am healed’ when I need healing?”

Meditating on God’s Word does not mean making vain repetitions of scriptures. It is much more and is something that first occurs deep in your heart. The psalmist David captured the essence of meditation most aptly when he said, “My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue” (Ps. 39:3).

As you are meditating on God’s Word, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a fresh revelation of Jesus. Let that scripture burn with revelation in your heart. And as you speak out of that burning revelation, God anoints the words that you speak. When you declare, “By His stripes I am healed,” and that declaration is uttered with a sense of revelation and faith in Jesus, there will be power in your declaration!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince

God’s Much-More Restoration

“I will set up shepherds over them who will feed them; and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, nor shall they be lacking,” says the LORD.

Jeremiah 23:4

It has been many years since I had the dream in which I heard the Lord saying to me, “The grace revolution is here.” That was back in 2001.

I still remember thinking, “Yes, Lord, I know it is coming.” Then He said, “No, it is here.” And He added, “I will set up shepherds over My flock and they will feed them. And My flock will fear no more, nor be discouraged, nor be lacking,” quoting from Jeremiah 23:4.

Then He gave me an impartation in my spirit and unveiled to me that the message that was to be preached—the now word for the grace revolution—was also found in Jeremiah 23.

In the grace revolution, God Himself is setting up shepherds who will preach the gospel of grace with authority and impart to the hearers security, certainty, assurance, and confidence so they will no longer be oppressed by fear or discouragement!

If you have lost many years living in doubt, fear, and depression, God is restoring those lost years to you in the grace revolution. I can’t wait to show you how the Lord is going to bring about restoration in every area of your life.

When the Lord restores, what He gives is always greater in quantity or quality than what was lost. Whatever the enemy has stolen from you, we are going to believe the Lord for a 120 percent restoration.

Why 120 percent? Because it is based on the principle of restitution in the trespass offering found in Leviticus 5 and 6. Leviticus 6:4–5 says:

“Because he has sinned and is guilty . . . he shall restore what he has stolen, or the thing which he has extorted, or what was delivered to him for safekeeping, or the lost thing which he found, or all that about which he has sworn falsely. He shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs, on the day of his trespass offering.”

Here we see God detailing what a person must do to provide restitution (or restoration) to someone he has injured. Notice this law states that he “shall restore its full value, add one-fifth more to it, and give it to whomever it belongs.” The full value of whatever was lost, defrauded, or stolen plus one- fifth, is 120 percent of the original value.

Now, this principle of restoration was under the law of Moses. How much more, then, can we expect restoration under the new covenant of grace—“a far better covenant with God, based on better promises” (Heb. 8:6 NLT). This is why we are going to trust God for a 120 percent—and more—restoration!

Notice, also, that the person brings his restitution on the day of his trespass offering. The trespass offering is a picture of what Jesus did for us at the cross. He became our substitute and was judged in our place for every trespass we committed so that we can freely receive every blessing of God, including the blessing of restoration.

My dear friend, if you have accepted Christ as your trespass offering, God’s much-more restoration is coming your way. If the enemy has stolen from you or defrauded you of the best years of your life, then in that very area in which you have suffered loss, God is going to give you much more than you had before.

He is going to restore to you the years the locusts have eaten (Joel 2:25), and in greater measure than you can imagine. Your best days are ahead of you!

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince

Jesus Prepared Himself

LUKE 2:46, 'And it came to pass, that after three days they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, both hearing them, and asking them questions.'

This is the only scriptural record of Jesus' childhood. Yet there is much that we can learn from this brief account.

At twelve years of age, Jesus' wisdom astounded the men who had spent a lifetime studying the scriptures (v. 47). Remember that Jesus did not have full time access to a copy of the scriptures like we do today. He had to depend on His visits to the synagogue and the direct revelation knowledge from His heavenly Father.

He was also asking these scholars questions (v. 46). This is amazing when you realize that in Him are all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge! (Col. 2:3) Although He was God, He inhabited a physical human body that needed to be educated.

He also had a clear understanding at this young age of who His real Father was and exactly why He had come to the world (v. 49). We can only speculate how this must have influenced His childhood.

So we see that Jesus knew His call and purpose even in His early childhood. However, there is no record of miracles or ministry on His part until after His baptism by John at the age of thirty. Preparing a body for God Almighty to manifest Himself through was no small task. Praise God for His great love that caused Him to sacrifice everything for us. Andrew Womack

Herod's Folly

Mt. 2:13, '...for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.'

Herod had ruled over Judaea for nearly forty three years at the time of these events. He had the title of King conferred on him by the Roman senate at the recommendation of Antony and Octavius. His accomplishments included the building of the temple in Jerusalem which was one of the most magnificent structures in the world. Most people would have thought that Herod had it 'made'.

However, history reveals that Herod was extremely paranoid. He actually killed his wife and one of his sons because he feared they would take the kingdom from him. All his power and fame couldn't buy him the peace that the angels proclaimed (Lk. 2:8-14). His paranoia led him to kill the innocent children in Bethlehem. His insecurity was evident. He had everything and yet he had nothing.

In contrast, the King that Herod was trying to dispose of came humbly, not exalting Himself. He gained the acclaim of others by serving them, not oppressing them. The scepter of Jesus was righteousness; not tyranny. Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice; Himself, because of His great love for people.

Today, Herod's only claim to fame is that he was the man who tried in vain to kill the King of Kings. Remember, it is worth nothing if you gain the whole world and lose your own soul (Mt. 16:26). Make today count for God. Andrew Womack

Always Accepted in Christ

“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD. . . . So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things . . . and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.”

Exodus 28:36, 38

In the Old Testament, Aaron was the first high priest of Israel. The high priest of Israel is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our permanent High Priest today. God instructed that the golden plate of the miter (headdress), which has the Hebrew words Kadosh Le Yahweh (“Holiness to the Lord”) engraved on it, should always be on the forehead of the high priest so that all Israel would be accepted before God (see the illustration).

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The high priest wears a gold plate
bearing the words, “Holiness to the Lord”
on his forehead.

What this means is that even when Israel failed in their thought life, they were still accepted by God because He judged the nation of Israel based on their high priest. If the high priest was accepted, the entire nation was accepted.

Today we have a perfect High Priest in Christ. It’s not your thoughts that qualify you to be accepted by God. Under the new covenant of grace, God is no longer judging you based on your thoughts. God judges you based on His Son.

If He is righteous, God sees you as righteous. If He is blessed, God sees you as blessed. If He is under God’s unclouded favor, God sees you as under His unclouded favor. If His thoughts are always perfect and filled with holiness unto God, God sees your thoughts as perfect in Christ!

Today when the devil comes to torment your mind, point him to Jesus. Jesus’ thoughts are always holy. Remember how the golden plate is always around the forehead of your High Priest and His thoughts are always filled with holiness to God.

Look at Exodus 28:38 again: “It shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.” Therefore, even when your thought life isn’t always perfect, know that Jesus’ thoughts are always perfect.

And it’s because of His perfection that you are always accepted in Him before God. God will never reject you because your thoughts are imperfect. He is looking at Jesus, and as long as His thoughts are holy, you are accepted!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince

God's Choice

Luke 2:37, 'And she [was] a widow of about fourscore and four years, which departed not from the temple, but served [God] with fastings and prayers night and day.'

Let's suppose that Anna was fourteen years old when she married. She would have been 105 years old. Yet she was still fasting and praying night and day! Satan tries to convince us that God won't use us. He may cite things like age or lack of abilities, or failures that we've had. But just like Anna, there are many scriptural examples of the Lord using those who would be considered unusable by worldly standards.

Moses was eighty years old before he began to fulfill God's plan for his life and he worked right up until he was 120 years old. Abraham was in his nineties before he had the son that God had promised him.

Gideon was another one who looked unusable. He was hiding from the Midianites when an angel of God appeared and told him he was a mighty man of valor (Judg. 6:11-12). He couldn't believe it at first and had to have the Lord confirm it three times.

Truly, ...God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty... (1 Cor. 1:27-28).

If you feel foolish or weak, then you qualify. Let the Lord use you today. Andrew Womack

Your True Identity in Christ

“He shall say, ‘Surely in the LORD I have righteousness and strength.’”

Isaiah 45:24

I want to share with you this moving praise report from Melissa, a lady from Texas. I believe that you will be greatly blessed and inspired by the journey that she has taken to discover her true identity in Christ.

From a young age, her mother told her she was a nobody like her father and would amount to nothing. She always felt worthless and even more so when she was molested as a child. Without having the love of her father, she desperately sought love in many relationships and partners, which led to a destructive lifestyle of sin, and feelings of deep unhappiness, confusion, and constant emptiness. Here’s what she said:

I didn’t think of going to God and church because people I knew told 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.” This was what I believed about God, and thought there was no way I could come to Him.

Thankfully, I came across your television program when I was channel surfing. You were talking about the finished work of Jesus at the cross, and how much He loves me just as I am. I found that I couldn’t stop listening to the sermon. It was the start of my discovering how God gave His best—His Son, Jesus—for me, so that I could have a relationship with Him as my Daddy God and come into His presence without fear or shame.

At the end of the sermon, you invited us to pray and ask God into our lives if we’d never done it before. I prayed that prayer, and as I was praying, I felt Jesus’ love just overwhelm me, and all the bitterness, confusion, unhappiness, and pain in my life just melted, as you like to say, “like butter.” The dull ache, the frustration, and the gnawing emptiness all just left, and for the first time, a joy I couldn’t explain came in.

Since that time, so many amazing things and blessings have happened. Through experiencing Jesus’ love for me, I’ve been able to forgive my mother, and I’ve come to genuinely love her. I’ve also been able to forgive other family members who had told me I was worthless.

Everything is so different now. I know that Jesus loves me and that He has great plans for me. I see His favor in my life. When I get a little frightened about things or situations in my life, I remember to cast all my cares to God. Even when I make a wrong turn, He always finds a way to bring me back. Whenever I’m in a negative situation, Jesus tells me the outcome is going to be good because He’s there and He’s working on it.

I’ve learned to say, “I’m a new creation. I’m the righteousness of God in Christ. It’s not about what I’ve done but what Jesus has done.” Amazingly, the temptations that held me in the past have all lost their hold. It feels like I’d never lived a destructive lifestyle.

Today, my life testifies that Daddy God loves and saves. More importantly, the change has been effortless—it’s all by the grace of Jesus. It’s had nothing to do with my willpower but the divine power of Christ at work in me. Thank you, Pastor Prince, for unveiling Jesus’ beauty and love for me. I feel so loved by Him and I’m so grateful for His finished work at the cross!

My friend, the lies Melissa believed are the lies that the enemy wants you to believe. When you believe that you are truly a worthless nobody, you will start behaving as if you are a valueless and worthless nobody. That is the negative power of wrong believing.

I have a word in season for you, and I want to challenge you to cultivate a robust revelation of your righteous identity in Christ by repeatedly confessing your righteousness in Christ.

Throughout the day, whether you are driving to work, shopping for groceries, or preparing a meal for your family, just say quietly under your breath, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ. All the promises, blessings, and protection that belong to the righteous are mine” (Prov. 10:6). This is the key for you to experience lasting breakthroughs in your life!

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

The Holy Spirit is in any believer in the Messiah. Inside we are the temple of the Holy Spirit. We have to be taken out of here for the terrible world leader to show up and rule and try to destroy the nation of Israel. And then the lawless one will be revealed by whom the world will be consumed with the breath of his mouth and he will destroy with the brightness of his coming. There will be, at the very end, a national salvation of the nation of Israel.

Jeremiah 31 says, “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 the Mosaic covenant, not the Torah Moshe. He said, “Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by hand and let 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.”

He said, “I will put my law in their minds and I will 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.”

There will be a spiritual rebirth that is all about the forgiveness of sins, and that is, of course, once you accept the atoning death of the Messiah and accept him as your Lord and Savior. And you get the Holy Spirit in you, that is changing your mind and changing your heart.

Zechariah 12 says, “And I will pour…(I, God)…will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and supplication.” And He said, “And then the people of Israel, they will look on Me…." This is the prophet Zechariah, Zechariah, speaking about the people of Israel. And he said, “They will look at me whom they pierced.” So the Lord said, “The One that was pierced, that was crucified, they will look at Him and, yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son and grieve for Him as one grieves for his only son.”

Interesting, because Hosea the prophet said, “I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their offense. Then they will seek My face in their affliction. They will earnestly seek Me.” The more the nation of Israel is going to suffer, the more this religious outfit, the masks, all the traditions and the rabbinical teachings, everything that we are trusting now, that we put our trust in, everything that we kiss and we think that it’s going to help us and save us and protect us, all these things will be proven wrong.

“They will seek My face and in their affliction, in their terrible distress, then they will earnestly seek Me.” Romans 11, when Paul the Apostle wrote to the church in Rome, which consisted of Jews and Gentiles, he said, “I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

Some, or many, do not know the Messiah, but it’s just temporary until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved. 

When there was no nation of Israel for nearly 2000 years, it might be more understandable why some, in spite of the clear declarations of God’s word, may have concluded that they had been cast aside by the Lord. To hold that position today, however, is to deny the obvious.

Zechariah 12:3
And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Look at our world today and how rapidly it has gathered against Israel in spite of the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, 2023. This is just as Zechariah prophesied, and will reach its ultimate fulfillment during the tribulation by clearly following the direction it has begun.

Today there is absolutely no justification for the belief that modern Israel is not Biblical Israel or that the church has replaced Israel. What the Bible said would happen to Israel in the latter days is happening right before our eyes.

Isaiah 54:5-8
“For your Maker is your husband, the LORD of hosts is His name; and your Redeemer is the Holy One of Israel; He is called the God of the whole earth. For the LORD has called you like a woman forsaken and grieved in spirit, like a youthful wife when you were refused,” says your God. “For a mere moment I have forsaken you, but with great mercies I will gather you. With a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you,” says the LORD, your Redeemer.

Deuteronomy 30 says that the Lord will scatter His people all over the earth and will one day bring them back into the land that their fathers possessed. There, He will prosper them and multiply them more than their ancestors. We have watched this happening and continue to happen just as the Lord said it would.

Israel is central to last days events. In order for them to happen, there has to be a nation of people in their national homeland, who were once scattered all over the earth, then regathered by God for His name sake and glory. (Ezekiel 36:21-22) 

The merciful regathering of God’s chosen people, Israel, is in preparation for the 70th week of Daniel. That week is ended by the second coming of the Holy One of Israel, at which point all Israel will be saved when they look upon the One whom they pierced.

All this tells us that the entirety of God’s word is truth and remains steadfast in the heavens. God has not cast off His people and the King of the Jews is coming again!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

Peace With God

Luke 2:14, 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.'

In another instance, Jesus said He did not come to send peace on the earth, but a sword. Then He prophesied that those who received Him would experience persecution, even from their own family (Mt. 10:34-36). How do these verses fit together?

The peace the angels were singing about was not a peace between men; they were rejoicing that there would be peace between God and man. When Jesus prophesied division and war in Matthew 10, he was speaking of relationships between men.

Through the Old Testament law, God began to release His wrath on man's sin (Rom. 4:15). It wasn't the wrath of Satan that Jesus suffered on the cross.

He suffered the wrath of His Father (Isa. 53:10-12; 2 Cor. 5:21). The Father placed His punishment for our sins on Jesus. This ended the war between God and man. This is the peace that the angels were proclaiming.

As a result of men receiving this peace from God there have also been many cases of reconciliation between men, but that is an effect; not the actual peace that was spoken of. These effects are secondary.

Today, through Jesus, we now have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). God is not mad at us. He isn't even upset. We have been accepted through Jesus (Eph. 1:6).

Believe the good news that through Jesus, the war between God and us is over. Andrew Womack

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

Today I’d like to share with you a powerful truth that will help you see how you can effectively drive fear out of your life and keep it out. It is a precious truth that will garrison your heart and mind from the enemy’s lies.

Take time to worship the Lord, especially when it feels like overwhelming odds are against you. Do what King Jehoshaphat did when his enemies joined forces and amassed a formidable army to destroy Israel.

In the natural, Jehoshaphat knew Israel had no chance of winning the battle. But he chose to do something you and I need to learn to do whenever we are besieged by our enemies. He cried out to the Lord, saying, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chron. 20:12 NIV). Jehoshaphat then placed not commandos but worshipers at the head of his army, and this is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever” (2 Chron. 20:21 NIV).

Instead of despairing because of their enemies, they chose to fix their eyes on the Lord, giving thanks to Him and singing of His love. This happened long before the cross of Jesus. How much more can you and I sing of His love, which never fails, which endures forever!

And do you know what happened? The Lord defeated Israel’s enemies by turning them against each other, and Jehoshaphat’s troops did not even have to lift a finger to fight. Instead, when they came to the place that was supposed to be their battleground, their enemies were already dead, and all they ended up doing was collecting so much plunder that it took them three days to collect it all.

In Jesus’ name, may this happen to you too. When you are overwhelmed by challenges, and you don’t know what to do or even how to feel, just cry out to the Lord and tell Him, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You.”

That’s the most powerful posture you can take, with your eyes fixed not on your enemies but on your Savior. As you focus on His love that endures forever, the Lord Himself will fight your battle for you (2 Chron. 20:15).

May you be so conscious of His perfect love that every fear is driven from your life, and may you walk away so much stronger than before your enemies tried to come against you!

This devotional is adapted from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. Joseph Prince

Middle East Update from Amir Tsarfati

There is a lot of disappointment going on in the Middle East. Some of the most disappointed are found in Hamas in Gaza. The terrorists had hoped that their actions on October 7 would be the beginning of the end for the Israeli regime. That didn’t happen. Their Plan B focused on getting world opinion against Israel as Hamas fought hard against them. That also didn’t pan out. Sure, much of the world turned against Israel, but that was bound to happen anyway. Most of the United Nations would condemn Israel just for putting sour cream and onion chips in the Gazans’ humanitarian supplies when they had asked for barbecue. But, as a whole, the UN could never find a way to shut Israel down. And, rather than making a stand against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Hamas might as well have exchanged their fatigues for bull’s-eye patterns.
 
However, it must be admitted that after 15 months Hamas still exists. But credit cannot go to them for their survival. That honor is reserved for the Biden administration in Washington, D.C. This is Israel’s disappointment in the conflict. They could have gotten back the hostages and finished off Hamas months ago, but the American government slow played everything. Biden’s cronies used the threat of an arms embargo to force Israel into fighting with only one hand, while the other hand they demanded be used to provide humanitarian supplies to the Gazans. Because all humanitarian aid goes through Hamas, Israel became the first nation in history forced to feed and supply the enemy they were fighting. Incoming president Donald Trump has promised that it will be very different with him, promising that there will be “hell to pay” if the hostages are not immediately returned. We pray that it is true.
 
Meanwhile, the fighting in Gaza continues. Currently, much of the battle is taking place in the northern part of the region. The IDF raided Kamal Adwan Hospital in Beit Hania last month, causing an international uproar. The usual international pearl-clutchers quickly condemned Israel for their policy of consistently attacking innocent places designated for healing. Obviously, these are people who understand nothing about Gaza or Hamas. More than 240 terrorists were arrested from within the hospital. Just a few days ago, one of these prisoners admitted in an interview that the Kamal Adwan Hospital was a hideout for terrorists, a stash for weapons of all types, and a base from which raids were carried out. It’s time this war is over. Hopefully, after January 20 we will be able to finish it off.

Lebanon’s Disappointment
There is disappointment in Lebanon amongst many when they look to the south of their country and still see the flag of Israel waving. People question, “Weren’t they supposed to be out?” Yes, according to the ceasefire, Israel was to move out of Lebanon. However, there was a caveat added that during the withdrawal, any enemy war materiel found that could be used against Israel would be destroyed by the IDF. Unfortunately for Hezbollah, we keep finding rockets and missiles and all sorts of weapons stashed everywhere along our path. So, the IDF must take out the Hezbollah troops who are hiding the weapons, then we must destroy the weapons themselves. But progress is taking place. The Lebanese army is moving into Naquora, just to the north of the Israeli border, even as the IDF is moving out.
 
But it isn’t the Israelis that the Lebanese need to be most worried about. Rather than looking south, everyday Lebanese folk should be keeping their eyes to the east in Syria. The new de facto head of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaa, no matter how much he seeks to moderate his look and his tone, is al-Qaeda at heart. Numerous radical groups are currently having their way in the broken-down country, but they aren’t content to stay on their side of the Syria/Lebanon border. Said one radical terrorist last week, “We can take Lebanon in two hours.” Said another, “All of the coastline of Lebanon is Syrian.” With strong leadership, it’s possible to stand up against a terrorist onslaught. But Lebanon has no leader. Despite attempting to elect a president a dozen times, Lebanon’s presidency has remained vacant since 2022. Today, parliament is gathering once again to elect a president. One candidate is pro-Hezbollah, one is anti-Hezbollah, and one is a military candidate who could be a compromise between the two. Will the thirteenth vote be a charm? I’m not counting on it. As of the first vote today, no decision has been made.

You Are Beloved and Well Pleasing

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

Matthew 3:16–17

After Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, and the devil came to tempt Him saying, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3).

Many years ago when I was studying this, the Lord opened my eyes and showed me that the devil had subtly left out the word “beloved.” Just moments ago, God the Father had just affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son at the Jordan River. However, when the devil came to tempt Jesus, he removed the word “beloved” and simply said, “If You are the Son of God . . .”

The Lord unveiled to me that if you are reminded that you are the beloved of the Father, you can never be successfully tempted! Even the devil knew this, and that’s why he removed the word “beloved” when he spoke to Jesus. Now that’s a powerful truth!

So every time you are tempted, just remind yourself, “I am God’s beloved child, and my Father loves me.” No temptation can triumph over you when you rest securely in your Father’s love.

Now observe Jesus’ reply. He didn’t have to prove to the devil that He was the Son of God. Secure in His identity as God’s beloved Son, He simply replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). And what words had the Father just said at the Jordan River? “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

I want to encourage you to personalize this and meditate on it every day! That’s how the Father sees you today. He sees you in Christ, and in Christ you are His precious, beloved child, in whom He is well pleased. Place your hand on your heart and hear your Father in heaven saying these words to you:

“You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Would you believe that with all your heart today? If you are struggling to overcome a disorder or addiction, close your eyes and hear your Father saying to you, “You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” Every time you are fearful, every time you are consumed by worry, anger, or depression, hear your Father saying to you, “You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Yes, right in the midst of whatever failures you may be experiencing, you are His beloved child, and He is well pleased with you because you are in Christ. Keep hearing it and repeating it until you find rest, peace, and joy overflowing in your heart.

If you feel like just crying in His presence, cry. He knows what you are going through and He understands—in a way that no one else can—the pain, hurt, suffering, and loss that you are experiencing. Let His perfect love cast out every fear and bring healing and wholeness to your heart.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. Joseph Prince

Desert Training

Luke 1:80, 'And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel.'

John the Baptist had the most important job assignment ever given to any mortal in the history of the world. He was to prepare the way for the coming of the long awaited Messiah (v. 76).

How did the Lord prepare John for such an important task? What university could teach him all he needed to know? Who offered a course in becoming the greatest prophet who ever lived? (Mt. 11:11) Of course, no one could prepare John for such an important position, so the Lord taught him personally. John was in the deserts until he was thirty years old. He was tutored directly by the Lord through the Holy Spirit.

The personal touch of the Lord became very obvious. Six months after John began his ministry, the whole nation of Israel was experiencing revival and anticipating the coming of the Christ. When Jesus came, the Jews wondered how he could know things he was never taught (Jn. 7:15).

This special knowledge which comes directly from the Lord through the Holy Spirit is now available to every believer.

It's a part of the new covenant (Heb. 8:11). The Holy Spirit has been sent to be our teacher, but we have to show up at class and expect to receive (Jn. 14:26). He'll even show us things to come (Jn. 16:13). Andrew Womack

God’s Wisdom Brings You Promotion

Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you."

Genesis 41:39–40

In Genesis 39:3–4, we see how when Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph, and that everything he touched prospered, Potiphar immediately promoted Joseph and placed him in charge over all the affairs of his house. Similarly, when Pharaoh saw that the Spirit of God was in Joseph and that there was none who was as wise and as discerning as Joseph, Pharaoh placed him in charge of the whole of Egypt (Gen. 41:38–41).

My friend, I want you to note this: Joseph knew that God was the source of his wisdom. When Pharaoh said, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it,” Joseph immediately replied, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Gen. 41:15–16).

Joseph knew that his wisdom was a result of the Lord’s unmerited favor and would not take any credit for it. Clearly, here was a man who understood grace, and could be trusted with increase, promotion, and more good success.

Observe the wisdom of Joseph in action. Joseph did not just interpret Pharaoh’s dream. He went on to advise Pharaoh on how to take advantage of the seven years of abundance to prepare for the seven years of famine that were revealed in his dream. Did you notice how Joseph’s wise advice led to the creation of a position of influence for himself?

That is how the wisdom of the Lord operates. Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” Joseph knew that his wisdom was a gift from the Lord. He knew that he did not earn it and that it flowed from the Lord’s unmerited favor toward him.

The Lord’s ways are amazing. See the extent of Joseph’s promotion in Genesis 41. In the space of less than an hour, he rose from a lowly prisoner to the highest possible office in all of Egypt. That, my friend, is the unmerited favor of God! No striving, no self-effort, no compromises, and no manipulation, just pure grace and grace alone made all the difference in Joseph’s life!

Remember that when the Lord is with you, you are a successful person. It may feel like you are in a prison now, stuck in a hopeless situation, cast away and forgotten like Joseph was, but the story is not over yet! The Lord’s promotion is around the corner. Whatever situation you are in right now, do not give up.

If you are caught in a situation where you don’t know what to do, it is time to humble yourself and ask the Lord for wisdom. The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5).

To ask the Lord for wisdom is to say, “I can’t, Lord, but You can. I give up on my own efforts and depend entirely upon your unmerited favor and wisdom.” As you receive His wisdom, riches and honor, as well as long life, will follow after you (Prov. 3:16). Run to Him right now!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. Joseph Prince