The Lord Jesus loves spending time with you.

"My heart has heard you say, 'Come and talk with me.' And my heart responds, 'LORD, I am coming.'"—Psalm 27:8 NLT

He's calling for us to come talk to Him. And, He's thrilled every time you choose to be with Him!

Now, there are no hard and fast rules for spending time with Him. One beautiful way to do so is through journaling. Whenever you have the time, whether during your day or even before you sleep tonight, take a moment to journal to the Lord. Be present with Him—be yourself and share what's on your heart with Him.

As you journal, know that He is also speaking to you and let Him saturate you with His love. Take time to pause, listen, and write what you sense Him speaking to your heart through His Word!

From Joseph Prince

Under the Care of the Good Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:1–4

If we’re honest, we all have some measure of wrong believing in our lives. Just ask yourself, “Have I often felt anxious, worried, or fearful that the worst would happen to me and my loved ones?” These negative, exhausting emotions are merely flags that indicate what we truly believe about ourselves, our lives, and God.

When we are fearful and worried all the time, we are living as if we don’t believe that we have a strong and able Shepherd who is tenderhearted toward us, who leads us to good places, who protects us and lovingly watches over us. So if worrying or being fearful seems to be your natural default mode, what you need to do is to keep hearing and learning about how much God loves you, and how precious you are to Him.

That is why the way out of constant worrying is not a matter of just thinking positively; it’s birthed out of knowing you have a personal and intimate relationship with a loving Savior who watches over your needs and tends to you as a loving Shepherd. The more strongly you believe that He is taking care of you, the more it will change your thoughts and feelings, and the less you will fall victim to unhealthy emotions and behaviors.

Today, if you need freedom from a bad situation, see Jesus, your good Shepherd, leading you out of it by His Word that brings life and illumination. The psalmist says it this way: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). In The Message translation, it says, “By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.”

My friend, the Lord wants to throw a beam of light on your path today. Whatever you are struggling with presently, no matter how insurmountable your challenges appear, when you start believing right, things are going to start turning around for your good!

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

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 words, “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." On 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 – it was all about Jesus. They have to produce love and faith. And those are the things that I want you to keep. Hold fast to 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 Figelus and Hermogenes, and the Lord grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus, for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. 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 phrase for the day we're going to see Jesus.
 
"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 me." They didn’t turn 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."

The consequences of not holding fast (meaning, “to retain or remain joined to”) the word of God is clearly visible in our world today. It has impacted the definition of faith and expressions of love that are far from how they are described and what they are defined as in scripture. Paul warned Timothy that such a time would come. In the same letter, he told him to hold fast to sound words.

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.”

To many in our world, the Christian faith is “what you think it is” and is subject to cultural trends and societal values. Love has also been redefined in two directions: 1) The love of many has grown cold (Matthew 24:12) - meaning it has died. Mothers being willing to take the life of their own child while it is still in the womb is the greatest evidence of this. 2) Love has been broadened to the acceptance of everyone’s opinions and feelings. And those who do not accept what someone thinks or feels is an unloving, hateful bigot. Both directions are in error.

The Greek word translated as “sound” in 2 Timothy means, “free from mixture with error”. Since we’ve all made mistakes and formed wrong opinions, we have to recognize that a source of sound words greater than our own is needed to keep our actions and opinions free from error.

Psalm 19:7-11
The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul; The testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; The commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; The judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, Yea, than much fine gold; Sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb.
Moreover by them Your servant is warned, And in keeping them there is great reward.

The law, the testimony, the statutes, the commandments, the enlightenment, and the judgments of God are all contained in His word, which is unmixed with error, and thus, perfect.

Paul told Timothy to hold fast to sound words and that a time was coming when many wouldn’t. His counsel should be heeded by us today, as it will define faith and love as God sees it. It will also keep our lives from looking more like the world than the word.

Even so, come quickly, Lord Jesus!

Thirsty?

John 4:14, 'But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.'

Jesus painted a beautiful picture of salvation in this passage. The salvation Jesus brings is like an artesian spring which doesn't have to be pumped. It bubbles up constantly.

Unfortunately, not every Christian's experience matches Jesus' description. Many people relate more to an old pump which has to be pumped and pumped. Just as a trickle of water comes, they have to rest. They lose their prime. The water stops. Then they have to start all over again.

Yet, Jesus said we would never thirst again. This doesn't mean that one drink satisfies us forever. But, as we continue to avail ourselves of this water of life daily, we will be constantly refreshed. The well of His life is there, but we must partake.

The dryness in a Christian's life comes when we substitute other things for the living water that only Jesus can give. Anytime a Christian begins to thirst again, it is not a reflection on the living water that Jesus gives, but rather an indication that we have been drinking from some other source.

'Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation' (Isaiah 12:3). Andrew Womack

Authority over the Enemy

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Psalm 91:13

Do you know that as a believer in Christ, you have authority over the enemy?

It is true that the devil is the god of this fallen world (2 Cor. 4:4 NASB), who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). But we, as believers, are not called to cower in fear like the people of the world, for God’s eternal Word proclaims that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

In Christ, we have authority over the devil and all his cohorts. In Christ, we have authority to tread upon the lion and the cobra. The fowler’s snares shall be foiled and the hunter shall be the hunted. Our role in this increasingly dangerous world isn’t to be passive and indifferent, waiting to be devoured by the roaring lion. We are endued with power and authority to hunt down the roaring lion!

The Bible records the account of how Samson was in the vineyards of Timnah when suddenly “a young lion came roaring against him” (Judg. 14:5). Now, what would you do if you were suddenly ambushed by a lion?

Psychologists tell us that there are essentially three possible responses that are instinctively triggered when a person is unexpectedly thrust into an extremely dangerous situation—fight, take flight, or freeze. While most of us would probably either take flight or freeze, Samson instinctively rose to fight: “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand” (Judg. 14:6). Now, that’s taking authority! The hunter came at Samson but found itself the hunted!

Sometime later, Samson passed by the lion’s carcass and saw a swarm of bees and some honey in it. So he scooped out some of the honey and ate it. It was from this experience that Samson came up with this riddle, “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet” (Judg. 14:14).

There is a beautiful picture here for all of us. Instead of being eaten by the lion, Samson obtained something sweet to eat. What is the spiritual truth for us today? Out of every evil and negative thing the devil throws at you today, God will make something sweet for you. Your giants will be as bread to you. God will turn every bitter adversity into sweet honey for you!

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince

Come As You Are to Jesus

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

Psalm 30:11

My friend, you are favored and accepted by God today because of His unmerited favor. Even if your life is a mess, He can take your mess and make it into something beautiful. Come to Him just as you are.

Years ago, one of my church members suddenly stopped coming to church for a long time. I met up with him to find out how he was doing and to see if everything was alright. He was very honest with me and told me that he was going through a lot of problems in his marriage and that he was now addicted to alcohol. Then, he said this: "Let me get my life right, then I will come back to church.”

I smiled and asked him, “Do you clean yourself before you take a bath?” I could tell from his expression that he was taken aback by my question, so I told him, “Come as you are to the Lord. He is the bath. He will cleanse you. He will get your life in order for you and He will cause every addiction to lose its hold on you. You don’t have to use your own efforts to clean yourself before you take a bath!”

I am glad to share that this precious brother soon returned to church and Jesus turned his life around. Today, he is happily married, blessed with a beautiful family, and is one of my trusted, key leaders. That is what the Lord does when you come to Him as you are and allow Him to love you into wholeness. He will make all things beautiful in your life.

There are many people today who are like this brother. They want to get their lives together by themselves before they come to Jesus. They are under the impression that they need to make themselves holy before they can step into God’s holy presence. They feel like they are being hypocrites if they don't sort out their lives first before coming to church.

Nothing could be further from the truth. You will never be able to make yourself holy enough to qualify for God’s blessings. You are made holy, righteous, and clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is His righteous standing that qualifies you—nothing more and nothing less.

So stop trying to clean yourself before you go to the Lord. Come to Jesus with all your mess, all your addictions, all your weaknesses, and all your failures. God loves you just as you are.

However, He also loves you too much to let you stay the same. My friend, when you come to Jesus, He becomes your “bath.” He will wash you clean, whiter than snow! Jump into the bath today and allow Jesus to make you perfect, righteous, and holy in God’s eyes!

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

Our Unshakable Foundation

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! . . . But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:17, 20–22

The apostle Paul proclaims Jesus Christ is risen from the dead in today’s scripture! And because He is risen, you are no longer in your sins. Jesus’ resurrection is the living proof that all your sins have been completely and totally forgiven.

Our forgiveness is not contingent upon us and what we have or have not done, so no one can boast that they earned their forgiveness through their own efforts. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).

Through faith in Jesus’ finished work at the cross, we have received the gift of salvation. When something is a gift, it means that you cannot work for it, earn it, or merit it. A gift is lavished upon the recipient by the giver, and Jesus gave of His own life to ransom yours.

But Pastor Prince, I don’t deserve forgiveness.

You are absolutely right. We deserved punishment for all the sins we have committed and will commit in our lifetime. We deserved death, but Jesus took that death for us and gave us eternal life. He took what we deserved and gave us what we didn’t deserve. That is why we are saved by grace—His unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor—through faith.

Now, always remember this: How are you saved? By grace through faith. How have all your sins been forgiven? By grace through faith. How have you been made righteous? By grace through faith. This is your unshakable foundation, built upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Don’t allow any teaching to diminish the cross of Jesus in your life and make salvation, forgiveness, and righteousness things you have to work at in order to maintain and keep. You received salvation, forgiveness, and righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus’ finished work, and they are secured by His obedience to the Father at the cross:

“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

—Romans 5:18–19

Righteousness is not about right doing. Righteousness is about right believing. You are made righteous in God’s eyes when you believe or put your faith in Christ and His sacrifice for you. It is through Jesus’ obedience that we have been made righteous and justified from all our sins. Justification is our Lord Jesus removing all the guilt and penalty of sin and proclaiming that we have been made righteous by His shed blood.

Beloved, when you are buffeted by the voice of accusation and condemnation over your failures, believe and learn to declare that you are saved, forgiven, made righteous (justified) by grace through faith in Christ. You’ll see His favor, wisdom, power, and every benefit of His finished work released into your situation to turn everything around for His glory.

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

God's Idea Of Greatness

Luke 3:20, '....he shut up John in prison.'

John spent 30 years preparing for a six month ministry, followed by one and a half years in prison before he was beheaded. Many people would not consider his life very successful, yet Jesus said John was the greatest man who was ever born (Mt. 11:11).

John's greatness didn't lie in his own success, but in the success of another. John stirred up the hearts of an entire nation in expectancy of their Messiah. The ministry of Jesus owed much of its success to the work of John. John had prepared a people to meet their God (Mal. 3:1).

In our celebrity conscious society, few people want to be the backup singer or the announcer who introduces the main speaker. We have adopted a mentality that unless we are in the limelight we have failed. That's not the way the Lord looks at things.

When the Lord passes out rewards in heaven, we may be shocked to see how He evaluates greatness. Many people who did not receive recognition while on earth will shine like the stars in eternity. The Lord will judge our works on what sort they were and not what size they were (I Cor. 3:13). Andrew Womack

The Secret of David

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Colossians 1:17–18

Have you ever wondered why God called David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22)? What made him so special, and how can we also be a man or woman after God’s heart?

I believe David was special because he got hold of something that was of the greatest importance to God’s heart. He got hold of a divine thought and objective in God’s heart and made a vow to God in the wilderness to bring back the ark of the covenant to its rightful place among God’s people in Jerusalem (Ps. 132:1–5). Because David placed such importance on bringing back the ark, God considered him a man after His own heart.

For more than twenty years, King Saul had left the ark in a hilly place called Kirjath Jearim (1 Sam. 7:2). So David made it his passion to bring the ark to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, for the Lord had chosen Zion (which represents God’s grace, as opposed to Mount Sinai, which represents His law) as His dwelling place. God Himself said of Zion, “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it” (Ps. 132:14).

When you understand the typology of the ark of the covenant, you will see that bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem is the same as bringing Jesus Christ back into a place of prominence and making Him and His finished work the center of all our teaching and preaching and lives.

This was the secret to David’s blessings. He pursued the ark of the covenant and God called him a man after His own heart. Today, you too can be a man or woman after God’s own heart. You can pursue Jesus and bring Him back into the center of your life. Make Jesus the centerpiece of every aspect of your life.

When Gillian from New Jersey and her husband started doing this, not only did it make their relationship stronger, but one blessing after another came into their lives. Round about the time they were introduced to the gospel of grace through my television broadcast, Gillian and her husband were struggling to conceive after being childless for all eleven years of their married life. They had tried all means, including in vitro fertilization, and Gillian was finally told that between her system being “so messed up” and her husband being diagnosed with a low sperm count, diabetes, and other diseases, they could never have a child on their own.

“But we watched you every morning,” Gillian told me, “and as we listened, we got a better and better understanding of God’s grace. Your sermons always teach us to put Jesus in the center of our lives, and so we started doing that. We began to believe that Jesus has paid the full price for us to have whatever we need through Him. We would see Him and His finished work in our relationship with each other and in our challenges.”

Well, as Gillian gave the Lord center place by giving heed to the hearing of His Word, she heard me speak in one of my sermons of an anointing to have children. She shared, “Instantly, I believed it and received it into my spirit. Pastor Prince, I am now six weeks pregnant. What medical science could not do, our beautiful Savior did! Praise the Lord! Not only that, but God has also been increasing my business to the extent that I need new equipment now, and I have no doubt He will supply it all. We know we are truly God’s beloved.”

What an awesome testimony! My friend, like Gillian and her husband, make Jesus, His finished work, and His grace, the center of everything in your life. Make Him the center of your marriage, family, career, and finances, and allow the fullness of His blessings to flow in your life today!

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

We must be Bereans. Which means? Who were the Bereans? Remember Acts 17? “The brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. And these were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica.” How? “In that they received the word with all readiness. And searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.” You see? We must search the Scriptures, not watch YouTube. Search the Scriptures, not round corners. Search the Scriptures and that’s when you’re ready. When you see that the Scriptures, when the Bible talks about the return of the Jews to the land in the end times – and you see the Jews return to their land – hello, it’s true then! “Oh, I don't think they are the real Jews.” Who are they? Eskimos? Tell that to Hitler. He knew exactly their names, their addresses. He went after them one by one. 

Unless you know what the Tribulation is, you'll never know when it has begun. And that’s the problem. People make the Tribulation a lockdown. Are you kidding me? Are you kidding me? Do you know what the Tribulation is all about? It’s a set of events considered to be God’s judgment on what? Look. “Satanic host of heaven and the wicked people here on earth, also preparing Israel to accept Jesus as Messiah upon His return.” That’s not what we see right now. And we must remember the difference with the day of Christ speaking about the return of Christ to earth and the Day of the Lord speaking about the judgment of God upon this world. We must remember that, because it appears so many times and we must not mix the two. 

The Tribulation is the Day of the Lord, ladies and gentlemen. It has many names, by the way. The Great Tribulation, it speaks on Planet Earth in general. The Wrath of God, the Wrath of God upon the wicked people. The Hour of Trial, it’s for the saints of that era. And Jacob’s Trouble, that is, of course, regarding Israel. We must remember that and not confuse those things. The Day of the Lord has three layers. First, God’s dealing with Satan and his demons. Then, God’s dealing with the nations. And then, God’s dealing with Israel. Remember that it’s a span of seven biblical years that can be clearly seen through the Scriptures. And according to Daniel, as I said before, “It is going to be the 70th week, namely, seven biblical years of 360 days each, exactly 2,520 days.” Now why am I saying that? Why are numbers so important in this case? Because those who say that the Rapture can happen in the middle of the Tribulation, they actually know the day because we know exactly the length of the Tribulation. And if it’s 2,520 days, then 1,260 days after it begins, we’re being raptured. But we don’t know the day and the hour. You see, understand, even at the end of the Tribulation doesn’t make sense. What’s the story of God? Bungee jump? Taking us up and throwing us down immediately? It doesn’t even make sense because Jesus went to prepare a place for us there. So why would we not even spend time there? Hello! Plus, we’ve got a wedding to attend and we happen to be the bride.

Among the many Bible verses that are either misquoted or taken out of context is the famed statement of Jesus in John’s gospel:

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

The word “tribulation” here means “anguish, burdens, persecutions, and troubles”. It does not mean “wrath”. Jesus was not saying, as many propose, that the church will go through the Great Tribulation. We know this because the Great Tribulation is a time of God’s wrath, which we do not have an appointment with (1 Thessalonians 5:9). 

The purposes of the Great Tribulation are well-defined in scripture. To finish the years determined for Daniel’s people and holy city (Daniel 9:24) and to punish a Christ rejecting and disobedient world (Colossians 3:6). The Bible also states that there are plans for the church during the Great Tribulation that are “out of this world,” quite literally. 

2 Corinthians 5:10
For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.

Revelation 19:6-9
And I heard, as it were, the voice of a great multitude, as the sound of many waters and as the sound of mighty thunderings, saying, “Alleluia! For the Lord God Omnipotent reigns! Let us be glad and rejoice and give Him glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His wife has made herself ready.” And to her it was granted to be arrayed in fine linen, clean and bright, for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. Then he said to me, “Write: ‘Blessed are those who are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb!’ ” And he said to me, “These are the true sayings of God.”

The judgment seat of Christ is in heaven as is the marriage of the Lamb and the next thing John records in Revelation 19 is the bride returning to earth with the Lord. To return with the Lord requires already being “where He is”. Thus, when the Lord ends the Great Tribulation with His return, the church will have already experienced the marriage of the Lamb and have stood at the judgment seat of Christ. Therefore the church cannot be on earth during any of the Tribulation.   

The Great Tribulation, the Day of Jacob’s trouble, the Great and Terrible Day of the Lord are not in the church’s future. The Day of the Lord centers on Israel and a Christ rejecting world.

We will be safely in heaven, forever to be with the Lord, “in that day”. And in that, we can greatly rejoice!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus.

He Uses The Usable

John 2:24, 'But Jesus did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all [men].'

This was the first time Jesus had ministered in Jerusalem. Multitudes believed on Him when they saw the miracles He performed (v. 23). This looked like a perfect opportunity for Jesus to take these people and use them to spread the news far and wide that He was the Christ. Instead Jesus did just the opposite. He didn't want people proclaiming His gospel in their own ability.

This reveals an attitude of Jesus which is lacking among many Christians today. Jesus is more concerned with the quality of ministry than the quantity of ministry. In contrast, today's Christians often feel that 'the end justifies the means.'

We take new converts and place them in leadership--which is directly opposed to the Bible's instructions (1 Tim. 3:6). Many times movie stars or other famous people who have come to the Lord are made spokesmen for the Christian faith. This works to the harm of these people and the Body of Christ as a whole.

Some of you can't understand why the Lord hasn't used you, but rest assured the Lord is using everyone who is usable. Instead of looking at the need and begging God to use you, take a hard look at yourself and ask the Lord to make you usable. Andrew Womack

Your Refuge and Fortress

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Psalm 91:2

What are you saying of the Lord today? If you are saying He gave you the trouble you are presently in or an illness to teach you humility, it’s time to change what you believe about Him. If you really believe that God is the author of your problems, would you really be running to Him for help?

My friend, let’s be like the psalmist who declared, “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’.”

The Hebrew word for “refuge,” machaceh, refers to a shelter from storms and danger. This shelter is like the bunkers that many Jews have in their homes in Israel today to shelter them from small-scale attacks. In the figurative sense, when you say the Lord is your machaceh, you are also declaring that He is your place of hope.

The Lord is also your fortress. In Hebrew, the word used for “fortress” is matsuwd. It refers to a castle or stronghold, a place of defense and protection against large-scale attacks. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? Whatever you might be going through right now, you can declare that the Lord is your refuge and your fortress—your protection in both small as well as big attacks.

Perhaps you have not been saying that God is behind your troubles. Perhaps you are not saying anything about the Lord at all. Perhaps God seems far away and you feel cut off from Him.

If that is you, can I encourage you to take a break today from whatever you have on your busy to-do list, and simply take time to dwell in His sweet presence? God is not distant; sometimes we are just too distracted to hear His voice or sense His loving presence.

Take a moment and see yourself in His secret place. Abide under His shadow. Savor His favor. Receive His wisdom. And find rest for your troubled soul. The feeling of being distant from God is only a feeling, nothing more. He has promised in His Word that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

Our Lord Jesus paid for you to have access to God’s constant presence. At the cross, He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” when God turned His back on Him (Matt. 27:46). He took our place and was rejected by God when He carried our sins so that today, we can take His place of being in the constant presence of the Father and take Him as our refuge and fortress.

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. Joseph Prince

God Is Not Cheap!

John 2:6, 'And there were set there six waterpots of stone, after the manner of the purifying of the Jews, containing two or three firkins apiece.'

God has been represented as a God who is on a tight budget and who disapproves of us asking for anything more than just the necessities. However, this first miracle of Jesus disproves that.

Scholars suggest that a firkin was equal to about nine U.S. gallons. This would mean that six of these water pots would hold 162 gallons of wine. That's a lot of wine!

In a similar instance when Jesus was asked to provide food for the multitude, He once again supplied more than the need (Mt. 14:15-21; Mk. 6:33-44; Lk. 9:11-17).

These examples show the Lord's willingness to meet our needs with plenty to spare. God is not cheap!

Today, don't limit God to barely meeting your needs. If you have enough, then believe for extra so that you can bless someone else. 'Let God be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servants' (Ps. 35:27). Andrew Womack

Message from Amir Tsarfati

The MidEast and the World

How did we get to this point where we are releasing such a great number of criminals for just a handful of hostages? Two words – bad policy! Every government and law enforcement agency in the world knows that you do not bargain for hostages. If you do and the bad guys actually hold up to their end of the deal, then you get a momentary dose of joy. But while you’re celebrating, the terrorists are plotting the next time when they’ll up the ante for a release. 

It used to be that Israel was known for not negotiating with terrorists, but that began to change a number of decades ago. In 1968, an El Al plane in Algeria with 48 passengers on board was released in return for 24 terrorists who had no blood on their hands. Forty-one years later, the same price – 24 terrorists – was doled out simply to get video footage of a single kidnapped Israeli soldier. Talk about a horrific inflation!

Giving in once means you’ll be forced to give in again and again at ever-increasing prices. The depths to which we sank was evidenced when Israel was forced in 2011 to turn over 1,027 Palestinian prisoners for the return of a single IDF soldier, Gil Shalit. Don’t get me wrong, I wept when I saw the helicopter flying overhead returning Shalit to our land. I am so grateful to have him and all hostages home. But our short-term gain has caused us long-term pain. In fact, Yahya Sinwar, the late, bloodthirsty leader of Hamas in Gaza, was among whose exchanged for Shalit’s life. For all the strength of our army, the terrorists know our weak spot. They take our people, and we’ll eventually cave.

The most frustrating part about this is that I can see no way out of the mess we’ve gotten ourselves into. At least not with the way our government is now structured. We have a Supreme Court that puts hostages over safety. Worse, they put terrorists over Israel’s safety. Israel’s Supreme Court is filled with liberal left radicals who are self-perpetuating because they have the power to appoint one another. As long as we keep this insane judicial system the way it is, Israel will always be in danger. October 7 will just be the appetizer to what is likely ahead.

Be a Giant Slayer

Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hand, and I will strike you and take your head from you.”

1 Samuel 17:45–46

Beloved, start practicing God’s love for you and it will translate into victories in your daily life. I am sure you are familiar with the story of how a young shepherd boy named David came against an ugly bully of a giant named Goliath and defeated him. I want you to know that this can be your story and testimony too.

There are no insignificant details in the Bible. Even the names in the Bible carry secrets for our benefit. The name “Goliath” comes from the Hebrew root word, galah, which means “to exile.”

To be exiled is to be stripped of everything you are and everything you own. So Goliath’s name essentially means that he had been stripped of everything—an exile. What a name! Goliath is a picture of the devil as he really is—stripped of all his weapons against us because of the cross (Col. 2:15).

The name “David” on the other hand means “beloved.” The battle in the valley of Elah was thus a battle between a beloved of God and a stripped exile.

Now, catch this revelation: it takes someone who knows that he is the beloved of God to bring down a giant! This is the secret of becoming a giant slayer!

It doesn’t matter what your giant is today. It could be a marital problem or financial situation. Begin to see that you are God’s beloved and your giants will come tumbling down.

My friend, God loves you. You are His beloved child regardless of what you have or have not done. He loves you as you are because the truth is that you have been washed whiter than snow with the blood of Jesus.

Live every day by these words from your loving Father in heaven: “You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” His favor is all over you, whether you are with your family, or in your workplace, and in everything that you do. You are a blessing everywhere you go.

If God did not withhold His Son from you, why would He withhold healing, financial provision, protection, peace of mind, and all the other blessings from you? When the Almighty God is your loving Father and you are His beloved child, what fears can you have?

Fear of the past, the present, and the future? Fear of not having enough? Fear of sickness? Fear of death? Fear of punishment?

Beloved, when you have a revelation of how much God loves you and that He sees you completely righteous by the blood of Jesus Christ, all your fears will dissipate, for if God is for you, who can be against you (Rom. 8:31)?

Are there giants in your life that need to be slain? Look away from your circumstances and call out without fear to your Father. He loves you and will never judge or condemn you! He loves you with an everlasting love.

It is not enough to know that God loves everyone. You need to know and believe that He loves you, and let that revelation warm and anchor your heart in His grace, especially when you fail.

And as you keep on feeding on His love for you, His love will start overflowing in you, and you will receive from Him exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think! With God on your side, nothing is impossible!

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. Joseph Prince

Message from Amir Tsarfati

The church never replaced Israel. Because if the church replaced Israel, then all the promises of God to Israel were just what? Not true. And God is not happy with that theology, not happy at all. The church’s eyes on Israel in the present is that many churches are getting back to understanding Israel’s role. I mean, a lot of churches are finally getting it. You know, Isaiah 40:1 says, “‘Comfort ye, comfort my people,’ says your God.” 2 Corinthians 1:3-4, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in our tribulation that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble with,” what? “With a comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.” The only nation on planet Earth that can comfort Israel is the nation of the believers, because we were comforted in a way that we can comfort others. What can the world – the non-believing world – comfort Israel with? We’re going to get you tomorrow? What? Some churches are blind to what God is doing with Israel. We know that. 

Learn this parable from the fig tree, I’m urging you. “When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also when you see all these things, know that it is near at the doors. Assuredly, I say to you, this generation,” you, say, ‘my generation’. Smile, because it’s you. “This generation will by no means pass.” Why is it here? Because you see the fig tree coming back to life. 100 years ago it wasn’t. 80 years ago it wasn’t. It’s there and you live to see it. You’re the most privileged generation since the time of Jesus Christ. You understand that? Yeah, but it’s hot outside. Who cares? Yeah, the restaurant is closed on Mondays now. Hello, perspective. The church’s eyes on Israel in the future, the church and Israel will reign together from Israel. Isn’t that interesting? Remember? “Blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection. Over such the second death has no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years.”

What a privileged people we are to live in such a time as this! A time replete with prophetic fulfillment and indications that more fulfillment is on the horizon. Millions of Christians have lived and died throughout church history without the nation of Israel regathered and without the invading nations of the Ezekiel war working in coalition together. Many Christians have lived much like the nation of Israel did with a prophetic silence for 400 years between Malachi and the last of the prophets, John the Baptist.

Yet many of these same people, without seeing the fig tree budding, would die before denying their Lord. How could they be so faithful and passionate for the Lord without seeing all the things we see today?

Psalm 119:105-112
Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. I have sworn and confirmed that I will keep Your righteous judgments. I am afflicted very much; revive me, O LORD, according to Your word. Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, O LORD, and teach me Your judgments. My life is continually in my hand, yet I do not forget Your law. The wicked have laid a snare for me, yet I have not strayed from Your precepts. Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, for they are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes forever, to the very end.   

Christians down through the various ages of persecution endured what they endured because they had the word of God. We have that same word today with the distinct advantage of watching it unfold before our eyes. The fig tree budding would not mean anything to us if it were not written in the word of God beforehand. The wasteland of Israel blooming like a rose in the desert would not be of any significance if it were not foretold in advance.

The comfort that generations received who had not seen these things was from the word of God. We too can be comforted with that same comfort as we watch our world unravel around us. We can take the budding of the fig tree as an indication that the church age is wrapping up and that the Lord is coming to take His bride to the Father’s house soon.

As we near the end of the time of the Gentiles, let us remember the promises of God to His chosen people, Israel, as we are seeing them fulfilled and take heart.

John 16:33
“These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” 

As we experience the pains and problems of life in a fallen world, let us remember that the entirety of God’s word is truth and one of the greatest proofs of that is modern Israel. Because of what we can see, that which previous generation of saints could not see, we should be confident that He will never leave us nor forsake us. We know that we cannot be snatched from the Father’s hand or separated from His love, and, thus, we can take comfort in the word of God, just as saints who have not seen all that we have seen have done through the ages.

Hebrews 11:6
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

The fig tree has budded, Israel is blooming, and the word of God is proven. Thus, we can live by faith believing that He is and that He rewards the diligent seeker.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus

Your Fears and Anxieties Dissipate in God’s Presence

The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD.

Psalm 97:5

No matter where you are, the Lord is with you. Even in the midst of your fears, while you are alone in your room, He is there with you.

The moment you begin to be aware of His presence and cultivate His presence, all your fears, anxieties, and worries will melt like butter on a hot day, or as the psalmist David puts it, “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD.”

You cannot psych yourself out of fear nor can you psych yourself out of worry. You can’t just tell yourself, “Come on, stop worrying. There is nothing to worry about.”

It just doesn’t work. The debt will still be staring you in your face and your problems will still be as insurmountable as ever no matter how hard you try to psych yourself up. That is what the world is trying to do, but it does not work. It takes the presence of the Lord to keep you free from worry.

Jesus is not asking you to psych yourself up and live in a state of denial. No way! He is saying to you, “In the midst of your affliction, I am your shield. I am your defender. I am your fortress. I am your refuge. I am your supply. I am your healing. I am your provider. I am your peace. I am your joy. I am your wisdom. I am your strength. I am the glory and the lifter of your head!” (Psalm 3:3). Amen!

He is not asking you to pretend that the facts are not there. He wants you to realize that HE IS THERE WITH YOU!

When you know that He is with you and for you, and you put your problems in His mighty hands, you will begin to get a more accurate evaluation of just how “big” your problems are. When they were in your hands, the weight and burden of your problems may have crushed you. But when you involve Jesus, the once-monumental problems become microscopic against the largeness of His love and goodness toward you!

Today, as you consider all that you need to do and the expectations placed on you, see Jesus there with you. He is your supply, wisdom, peace, and strength.

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

Sharing Our Faith

John 1:41, 'He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.'

Andrew was the first disciple of Jesus to share his faith and bring another to Christ. And look who it was that he brought.

Peter became one of the greatest apostles of Jesus. He preached on the day of Pentecost and saw 3,000 born again. He healed a lame man at the gate of the temple and 5,000 were born again as a result. He raised Dorcas from the dead, introduced Christianity to the Gentiles, and wrote two books of the Bible which have ministered to millions of people through the centuries.

Just think of how many millions of people Peter touched, and Andrew was responsible for it all. The accomplishments of Peter recorded in scripture, far outnumber those of Andrew, and yet without Andrew, Peter would not have known Jesus.

In the eyes of God, what Andrew did was just as important as what Peter did. As the one who introduced Peter to Jesus, Andrew had a part in every exploit of Peter. In the day when we receive our rewards from the Lord, Andrew will share in every reward that Peter receives.

Very few of us will shake our world as Peter did his, but all of us are called to share our faith with others as Andrew did. And who knows? One of those that you reach could be the next Peter. by Andrew Womack

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