Unconscious Faith

For in Jesus Christ neither circumcision availeth any thing, nor uncircumcision; but faith which worketh by love.

Galatians 5:6 KJV

I believe with all of my heart that as you come under grace and are delivered from the works of the law, faith will no longer be a struggle or barrier because you will walk with unconscious faith. You will not be wondering all the time, “Do I have enough faith?” You will see Jesus in His grace, and faith will just spring forth from the inside.

It is that simple. Everything that you receive from God, you receive by faith in His grace.

We walk by faith. We fight the good fight of faith. We are saved by faith, healed by faith, and made righteous by faith! The Christian life is a life of faith in God’s grace. The more of His grace we receive, the more faith springs forth.

Our problem in the past was that we put our faith in our own faith, and it didn’t work. We should put our faith in God’s grace and love, for today’s scripture says that faith works by love. This is not in reference to our own love, but to His love for us.

Faith is not trying to make something that is not already there happen. Faith is bringing out of the spirit realm what is already there, what is already true of you.

You do not confess that you are righteous in order to become righteous. You confess that you are righteous because you are already righteous!

But when you confess it, you become conscious of it. You sense it and it becomes powerful and real in your life. It is not having faith in faith. It is having faith in God’s goodness, in His grace.

Allow me to share with you a wonderful testimony my ministry received from Myra in Georgia. It describes how simply seeing God’s grace brings unconscious faith, rest instead of struggle . . . and amazing breakthroughs without any self-effort:

I used to be so painfully shy to the point that my mind would freeze. I would be overwhelmed by feelings of such intense embarrassment that my whole body would ache. To avoid those feelings, I learned to avoid certain situations or attach myself to certain people who could help me get through those trying moments.

Until I was forty-two, I thought there was nothing I could do about my condition. Then, I learned that I need not be stuck this way because that was not part of God’s plan for me.

I began to study the Word and did everything I knew and trusted God for a complete restoration. Over the next fourteen years, I made some progress, but I was frustrated and blamed myself because I did not know what else to do.

When I was fifty-six, I discovered the gospel of grace as I began watching Pastor Prince’s broadcasts regularly. I began to focus on Jesus and His finished work at the cross. While I was doing this, the Holy Spirit began to transform me.

Recently, when my husband and I visited a new church, the pastor asked all the visitors to stand to be welcomed. We stood and greeted those around us.

It was not until we had sat down that I realized I was feeling perfectly fine all that time. I did not mind standing with everyone looking at us—I was not embarrassed to be the center of attention and I was comfortable being greeted by and greeting those sitting closest to us.

I also realized that I’d not dreaded the thought of going to a new church or meeting new people. I did not spend time praying and preparing myself for the experience, nor did I ask my husband to stay close and help me through any awkward moments like I did in the past. The entire experience was painlessly “shy-free”!

I realized that I am becoming more stable and secure, and I am being transformed more and more into Jesus’ image without any struggle or frustration! Hallelujah! God’s ways are so much higher than ours!

My friend, I want to repeat this powerful truth: when you see His grace, God will see your faith. For Myra, faith for complete restoration was no longer a struggle filled with frustration when she saw Jesus and His finished work!

The same is true for you. Faith will spring forth unconsciously, and you will walk in true victory over every area of defeat in your life today!

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

Walk in Wisdom to Stay Safe

Get wisdom! Get understanding! . . . Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

Proverbs 4:5, 7

It gives me such assurance to know that the Lord can deliver us from trouble. But do you know what’s better than being delivered from trouble?

Not getting into trouble in the first place.

My friend, don’t just seek miracles and protection from God without seeking the wisdom from Him to stay protected and out of trouble. There are times when the challenges we face are beyond our control.

But I’ve found that often, we experience His protection when we follow the Holy Spirit and lean on His wisdom when making decisions. Every day, we need His wisdom, just as we need His protection. After all, Proverbs 4:7 tells us that “wisdom is the principal thing,” and in all our getting, we need to get wisdom.

The Bible tells us that Christ has become for us wisdom from God (1 Cor. 1:30). So what we really need is the Lord Jesus. We need to lean on Him and draw close to Him daily. He is our wisdom and only He can cause us to always be at the right place at the right time. I believe that many troubles and dangerous situations can be completely avoided when we don’t depend on our own wisdom and planning, but involve the Lord in all that we do (Prov. 3:6).

Oftentimes, wisdom and divine protection work hand in hand. Knowing that we can trust God for His protection certainly does not mean that we should willfully put ourselves in precarious situations.

We need to apply wisdom and heed the Lord’s leading through the wise counsel of the people around us, such as our leaders in the local church and our spouses. Proverbs 11:14 tells us, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; but in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” For instance, if your spouse has been telling you that you have a problem with speeding, please take heed.

While there can be divine protection, do not be foolish and think that you can do whatever you want and nothing untoward will ever happen to you. I pray that as you involve the Lord and learn to walk in wisdom, you’ll begin to walk in a greater measure of peace, protection, and good success.

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

No Safer Place in the Universe

But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain.

John 20:11–12

Do you know what Mary saw as she looked into the tomb? She saw the substance of the ark of the covenant.

Just as we saw that there were two cherubim or angels on the mercy seat, there were two angels sitting where Jesus had lain—one at the head and the other at the feet. It was an empty tomb that our Savior was laid in after He had paid the full price for our sins with His own blood.

Today, this tomb remains empty because all our sins are forgiven and our Lord is risen! Our hope, confidence, and assurance of salvation are found in the nail-pierced hands of our resurrected Savior.

The mercy seat is a picture of the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). That is where we want to be—at the throne of grace, under the protective covering of His feathers and His wings.

I want to encourage you with this praise report from Veronica, who lives in New York City.

A few nights ago my husband, Casey, and I were stuck in a traffic jam for five hours. So we put on a sermon by Pastor Joseph Prince titled The Secret Place Where You Find Protection and Long Life.

Later, we found out that a fatal accident had taken place just five seconds ahead of us before we got stuck. Five seconds. The Lord had protected us from the accident!

Today, Casey was again protected miraculously. It appeared that a driver had had a heart attack while driving and passed out. It led to a chain collision and all the cars in front of and behind Casey got hit. And the drivers were taken to the hospital.

Despite all this, Casey’s car was completely untouched. Everything happened so quickly that he had no time to react.

It was the Lord who protected him once again because that very morning, Casey was reading a devotional by Pastor Prince that drew Bible references from Psalm 91. . . . “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.”

Truly, there is no safer place in the universe than under the protective shelter of our Savior’s wings. What blessed assurance we can have today, knowing that even if destruction rages around us, there is always refuge and comfort in the Lord, our unfailing peace, protection, and supply.

I completely agree with Veronica that there is no safer place in the universe than under His wings, and I rejoice that the Lord’s protection over her and Casey is for us as well!

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

Stewards Of God's Grace

Luke 12:42 'And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his Lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season?'

A steward is a person who has been entrusted with administering someone else's wealth or affairs. The possessions a steward controls are not his own and he does not have the freedom to do with them as he wishes. He is supposed to carry out the desires of the one who made him steward.

A banker is a steward. He has been entrusted with other people's money. He is free to invest that money wisely in a way that will benefit his depositors and stockholders, but would be sent to jail if he took all that money and simply consumed it upon himself. A steward is accountable (Lk. 16:2) to someone else for the use of that person's money. The money does not belong to him even though it is in his possession.

This parable, and other scriptures (1 Cor. 4:1; Ti. 1:7; 1 Pet. 4:10), describes every believer as a steward of God's grace. The wealth, talents, and abilities we possess, as well as the revelation of God's love that we've been given, are not our own to do with as we please. We have received these things from God and are therefore accountable to Him for the use or misuse of these gifts. Keeping this in mind is essential for fulfilling our obligation to God as stewards of His 'manifold grace.' Andrew Womack

Sweet Intimacy with Jesus

“For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

Isaiah 54:9–10

Unfortunately, many sincere and well-meaning believers fall into the devil’s trap, and they end up with the wrong belief that they have fallen short of God’s expectations and have angered Him. They live in a constant state of trying to appease and please this angry God. Instead of enjoying a sweet, intimate relationship with Jesus, they feel like they are hypocrites or they feel as if they are always treading on eggshells when it comes to their walk with the Lord.

If you have experienced such thoughts about God before, I would like to share this very important principle with you: Fear and love cannot coexist in a healthy relationship. Insecurity and love cannot coexist in the truly intimate relationship that God wants with you and me, His children.

Let me share with you this letter I received from Lorraine who lives in Louisiana. I’ll let it speak for itself as you soak in how you and your relationship with God can be completely changed by believing the right things about your heavenly Father. All I can say is, Hallelujah!

I have been a born-again Christian for twenty-two years. Today, at forty-four years old, I have a wonderful husband and beautiful daughter. I love my life!

As far back as I can remember, I have always loved Jesus. But I had lived my entire life feeling guilty as I believed that God was always mad at me. I had always felt that I could not do enough “right” or “good” things.

After I gave my life to Christ, that feeling of not being good enough actually got worse because I felt a greater responsibility to live up to a higher standard to be right with God. I was always repenting, always feeling that I’d done wrong and that my best was never enough.

I am in the process of reading Destined To Reign and am only at chapter 9. I have to read this book very, very slowly so that I can digest its contents. I cannot tell you how my life has changed since I began reading your book.

It was not until I began reading it that I felt relieved of the weight of not being good enough. It has shaken the very foundation of my world and dissolved the insecurity I’ve had about Jesus and His love for me.

Forty-four years of my previously painful existence and mind-set are GONE. I am CHANGED forever. I am forgiven. I can’t get through the rest of this book without stopping to thank the Lord for you and for giving you the message of grace to spread worldwide.

That’s what it is all about, my friend. Winning the battle for your mind is all about your freedom and liberty in Christ Jesus, your Lord and Savior. When you start to believe right about His love and grace toward you, permanent, liberating change happens!

So be strong in God’s love for you and don’t let wrong believing rob you of a life of great joy and peace. Remember, God is not mad at you; He is mad about you!

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

A Very Present Help

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Psalm 46:1

If God wants us to be healthy, and Jesus’ body was broken for us, why are there Christians who are sick? I personally know believers who are battling severe illnesses, and I am sure you do too. You or your loved one might even be facing a health challenge right now.

If you are fighting a medical condition, please know that it is okay for you to have doubts and questions. The Lord knows the confusion and pain you feel, and He wants you to know He is with you through it all.

I know it can be hard to keep trusting Him when you are going through a fiery trial. But keep trusting Him, my friend. He is, right now, your very present help. Keep fixing your eyes on Him. He is faithful, and He will never leave you nor forsake you (Deut. 31:6).

Daniel 3 records the story of three friends (Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego), who were bound and thrown into a fiery furnace when they refused to bow to and worship the gold image set up by King Nebuchadnezzar. The furnace was so hot that the men who threw them in were killed by the heat.

But the king saw the three friends walking in the midst of the fire, and he saw a fourth man with them who was “like the Son of God” (Dan. 3:25). Amazed, the king called them out, and he and all his officials saw that the fire had had no power over them. Not a single hair on them was singed, their clothes were not scorched or damaged, and there was not even the smell of smoke on them.

Why? Because the Lord was with them, protecting and delivering them. As a result, the king acknowledged that there was no other god who could deliver like their God, and the three friends were not only released, they were also promoted.

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

Jesus, The Wisdom Of God

Luke 11:49 'Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute.'

This phrase 'Therefore also said the wisdom of God,' is a part of Luke's narrative and not the words of Jesus. Luke is saying that Jesus is the wisdom of God, a truth well-established in scripture.

There is no way to access the wisdom of God except through Jesus. Until a person receives Christ, he is missing the only source of true wisdom. Men and women are incapable of receiving the wisdom of God, but those who submit themselves to God have access to the wisdom of God on their own, through the Holy Spirit. We must be dependent upon the Holy Spirit to receive the wisdom of God in our lives.

A Christian who has not received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit can have some revelation knowledge, but it will be limited. One of the greatest evidences that an individual has received the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is the tremendous amount of God's wisdom that becomes available to him.

The truths of the Gospel, and the power of God that these truths release, can only be imparted through the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Human wisdom, regardless of how eloquent it is, cannot convey the life of God. Much of the preaching of the Gospel today is done in man's wisdom. It's impressive to the carnal mind, but it leaves the spirit starving for the touch of God. The greatest need among ministers today is not to have more of the world's education, but to receive the revelation knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Only words spoken by the Spirit of God can reach the spirit of man. Spiritual thoughts have to be spoken with spiritual words (1 Cor. 2:13). Andrew Womack

How to Be Led by His Peace

Now may the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always in every way. The Lord be with you all.

2 Thessalonians 3:16

I want you to know that when God becomes Jehovah Shalom, the God of peace, in your life, He doesn’t just soothe your emotions. He will lead you with His peace.

For example, you may be making some decisions at your work, for your children, or perhaps even where and when to travel for your vacation. Talk to Jesus about it. He will lead and guide you with His peace.

If there is peace from the Lord, go with that decision. If there is an absence of peace and you feel a sense of restraint, back away from it.

You will find that guidance from the Lord comes very easily when God manifests Himself as Jehovah Shalom. In His peace, decisions don’t feel forced and full of strife. In His peace, there is a rest. His peace will guide you supernaturally to be at the right place, at the right time, with the right people.

In Judges 6, the Midianites were terrorizing Israel day and night, destroying their crops and pillaging their livestock. The Lord assured Gideon, who was hiding from the Midianites, that He was with him and called him a man of valor, to which his response was: “O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the LORD bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the LORD has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites” (Judg. 6:13).

Doesn’t Gideon remind us of ourselves? Instead of hearing what the Lord had just called him, he began to complain. “Why has the Lord forsaken us?” Astoundingly, the Lord simply turned to him and said, “Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?” (Judg. 6:14).

What? First, the Lord Jesus calls this man who is in hiding “a man of valor.” Now, He calls this complaining man, who is mad at God, to go in that might of his and save Israel? Shouldn’t it be, “Be gone from My presence, you stinking complainer, I must have found the wrong guy”?

I am so glad that the Lord is not like you and me. He always calls the things that are not as though they are (Rom. 4:17).

And I believe that as you receive a revelation of how the Lord is the God of peace in your life, you may be fearful and complaining now, but like Gideon, God will send you to be a testimony of His protection. He will send you to all your friends, coworkers, and loved ones who are bound by fear, and He will use you to deliver them from fear!

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

Come Boldly to the Table

“With God all things are possible.”

Matthew 19:26

Some years ago, doctors discovered a huge cancerous tumor in my uncle’s throat. After a more detailed scan, a pathologist told him the cancer was aggressively spreading all over his neck and behind his tongue.

In that moment my uncle said he gave up hope he would live. But before his surgery to try to remove the tumor, his daughters approached him and said, “Let’s have Communion together, Dad. Let’s pray and believe God.”

He shared that as they partook of the Communion, he felt hope rising in his heart for the first time, and he partook, believing that Jesus was his healer and believing that the body of Jesus would make a difference in his body right there in the hospital ward.

After the doctors removed the tumor, amazingly the biopsy showed absolutely no trace of cancer in the tumor even though multiple scans before the surgery had confirmed it was cancerous and of an aggressive nature. Somehow the Lord had caused the cancer to supernaturally disappear, and I believe it happened when my uncle and his family partook of the Communion.

In the same way, if your doctors have given you a negative prognosis, do not fear or despair. Don’t live as though you don’t have a Savior. We may not know how our healing can take place, but let’s have faith in the finished work of Jesus. He has paid the price for you to be well and made it easy for you to receive not just His love and forgiveness, but His healing power as well.

I pray that you are now excited to receive the benefits of the holy Communion freely. I want to invite you to the Lord’s Table. The table has been prepared, not by human hands that can falter and fail, but by the perfect One whose hands were nailed to the cross for you. He invites you to come to partake of His body broken for you and His blood shed for you. Come boldly to the table and partake by faith and receive your healing.

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

Jesus Is Greater

He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

Beloved, there may be a devil out there who tries to drag you down in defeat, but the Bible tells us clearly that we have One greater than he inside of us. It is important that you be established in this truth. You don’t have to be afraid of the devil, because Jesus, who is in you, is greater than the devil in this world.

No matter what the enemy’s evil tactics are, he will not prevail against you in this battle. The devil is a defeated foe.

Greater is He who is in you than all the negative thoughts the enemy can throw at you. Greater is He who is in you than the feelings of guilt and inadequacy. Greater is He who is in you than every accusation that is leveled against you.

Stand strong on this declaration: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn” (Isa. 54:17). Wow! No weapon formed against you shall prosper.

The Bible doesn’t say that you will not experience any challenges or be faced with any attacks. But it does promise that you can be confident in the certainty that they shall not prosper against you.

Do you know why you can stand firm on this promise today? In the very same verse, God goes on to declare that “This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me” (Isa. 54:17).

This protection is your heritage. God does not protect you because of your right doing; He protects you because your righteousness is from the Lord Himself!

Notice that the weapon that is against you could have already been formed, which means that it may already have been conceived, prepared, and aimed at you. Don’t be afraid. Whatever this weapon or challenge may be, know beyond any doubt that it shall not prevail against you.

This is God’s promise to you today—no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Not because your behavior is perfect, but because your standing in Christ is perfect. Your victory is firmly secured through Jesus’ finished work, which is your heritage in Christ.

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

Don’t Add More Fuel to the Fire

What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?

Romans 6:1–2

Knowing that repentance is returning to God’s grace, how can grace be a license or excuse to sin, as some claim? Grace is the power of God to overcome every sin. But if anyone who is living in sin claims that he is under grace, let me be the first to tell you that this person is not living under grace.

The authority of God’s Word proclaims that “sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). No one can use God’s grace to justify his or her sin! It is contrary to God’s Word and contrary to the gospel of grace. True grace swallows up the destructive powers of sin.

Some people have been using the word grace freely. They call themselves grace preachers, grace ministries, or grace churches. But I encourage you to be discerning and to test everything you hear and read.

Just because they use the word grace in their teachings doesn’t mean that they are accurately or truly representing the gospel of grace. Test everything! Be sure that their position against sin is clear.

Sin is destructive and brings with it a whole host of damaging consequences. The consequence of committing a sin is not God’s judgment or punishment, any more than placing your hand in the fire and getting burned is a punishment from God.

The destructive and painful effects of your hand being burned are a consequence you face for using your free choice destructively. In the same way, if someone is deliberately dabbling in sin and living a sinful lifestyle, they will be burned by the destructive consequences that come with sin.

The only way to help precious people overcome the powers of sin is to preach them into God’s glorious grace. Some ministers think that when there is sin, they need to preach stronger, harder, and harsher sermons on the law of Moses. I believe with all my heart that they are sincere.

But the Word of God tells us that “the strength of sin is the law” (1 Cor. 15:56). Preaching more law is like adding more fuel to the fire. People don’t get liberated and transformed when we beat them down with the law of Moses. They get liberated and transformed when they encounter the love of their Savior!

I believe that truly born-again believers are not looking for an excuse to sin. How can they, if they have been impacted by Jesus’ love and sacrifice?

I believe that they are looking for a way out of sin and out of the prison of fear, guilt, and condemnation. And the more strongly I preach God’s glorious grace and unconditional love, the more my ministry office receives testimony after testimony from people who have been set free from all kinds of sins and addictions.

These accounts tell us that God’s people don’t want to sin and are overcoming sin by turning to the cross and returning to grace. We receive testimonies from people who have been liberated from pornography, alcoholism, drugs, and sexual immorality.

Now that’s the power of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Sin no longer dominates people and true repentance occurs when the gospel of grace is preached!

I pray this becomes your reality as you receive the gospel of Christ into your heart and let it guard your mind today.

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

Prayer Power

Luke 11:1 - 'And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, 'Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples'.'

When you consider that Jesus was the greatest miracle worker who ever walked the earth and the greatest preacher who ever lived, it is amazing that His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray. Why didn't they ask Him to teach them how to work these miracles or how to preach and amaze the people with their doctrine?

It's because Jesus' prayer life was even more powerful than His miracles or His doctrine. Indeed, it was His union with the Father that gave Him His power to work miracles and His authority to speak as no man had ever spoken before. Jesus said repeatedly that it was His Father who was doing the miracles through Him and that His doctrine was not His own but the Father's.

The same holds true today. Jesus said in John 15:5 that without Him, we can do nothing. There are many things that we should do in addition to prayer, but there is nothing that we can effectively do without prayer. Prayer is one of the main ways of abiding in Him (John 15:7). Therefore, our request should be like these disciples' — 'Lord, teach us to pray.'

We should come expecting to receive answers to prayer. The Father is ready and willing to answer our prayers. Just ask and you shall receive. Andrew Womack

God Remembers Your Sins No More

“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Hebrews 8:12

When something goes wrong, is your first thought, “Well, this must be happening to me because of the sins that I have committed”? When you have a flat tire or fall sick, do you wonder, “What sin is God punishing me for now?” If your answer to both questions is “yes,” you are not alone.

This kind of thinking is so prevalent in the church because many believers don’t really believe that they are under the new covenant. They believe the opposite of today’s scripture and think God is not merciful to their mistakes and always mindful of their sins.

The problem with the church today is wrong believing. Jesus Himself defined the new covenant for us at the last supper when He said, "This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matt. 26:28).

The main clause of the new covenant is the forgiveness of all your sins because of the shed blood of Jesus Christ. Your forgiveness does not hinge on how many good deeds you have done, how much money you have given to the church or charities, or what leadership position you hold. No, it all hinges on the shed blood of Jesus.

God put the main clause of the new covenant—Hebrews 8:12—as the last clause to show us that it is this final clause that makes the new covenant work in our lives. If you don’t believe the main and final clause, then you won’t experience the full benefits of the new covenant.

You are also negating God’s Word and the finished work of Jesus. The new covenant says that God is merciful to your unrighteousness and has forgotten your sins and lawless deeds. If God says that He has forgotten them, then He has truly forgotten them. God cannot lie!

But how can God forget my sins?

He can because He is God! If He said it, then He has done it. You know that sin you committed many years ago? God has forgotten it. He does not keep an itemized account of all your failures. There is no big projector screen in heaven to show all your sins—from the day you were born to the day you die.

All records of your sins have been incinerated by the blood of Jesus when He cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30). When God looks at you today, He sees you covered with Jesus’ blood and completely righteous.

Only the devil, you yourself, and the people around you will bring your sins to your remembrance. So when you are weighed down by the mistakes of your past, run to God and lean on His grace!

Why? For He will be merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more. This is the main clause of the new covenant of grace! This is His Word!

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

Do the One Thing That Is Needful

And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Luke 10:41–42

Is it practical to be occupied with Jesus? Does it help you? Does it put food on the table? Does it prosper your finances? Does it make your physical body healthy? We know what it did for Peter—he walked on water. Now, let's take a look at what it did for Mary. You can find the story of Mary and her sister, Martha, in Luke 10:38–42.

Mary was seated at Jesus’ feet when the Lord came to visit them. Martha, the elder sister, was busy working in the kitchen, making sure that everything was in order and ensuring that there was enough food and drink for their guest. Who was Martha busy serving? Jesus.

And while Martha was frantically running in and out of the kitchen, what was her younger sister Mary doing? In the midst of all the busyness and activity, Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet, beholding His beauty, beholding His glory, and hanging on to every word that proceeded from His lips.

While Mary was resting and drawing living water from Jesus, her sister Martha was restless, frantic, and stressed from serving Jesus. One sister was focused on serving, while the other was focused on receiving.

Look what happened after a while. Martha's stress from serving finally led to this outburst of frustration: "Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40). In one moment of anger, she blamed two persons: the Lord Jesus as well as her sister Mary.

Now, listen closely to Jesus’ response, and you may just find yourself in the Lord's description of Martha: "Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

This is an amazing response. In Middle Eastern culture, it was right for Mary to be in the kitchen preparing food and serving her guest. Now, it would have been a shameful thing for Mary to sit at Jesus’ feet and not help Martha if Jesus was just an ordinary guest.

But Jesus was no ordinary guest and Mary knew it. He was God in the flesh and the greatest way you can minister to God when He is in your home is to sit at His feet and keep drawing from Him! That is what delights our Lord.

When you come to Jesus to draw as much as you can from Him, He loves it. That is why Jesus was pleased with Mary. That is why He defended Mary’s action, saying, “One thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part.”

What is the “one thing” that is needful? Is it to busy yourself in serving the Lord? Is it to be troubled about many things?

No, the one thing that is needful is for you to sit at Jesus’ feet and keep your eyes, ears, and heart on Him. One sister saw Jesus in the natural, needing her ministry. The other sister saw Him as God veiled in flesh with a fullness to draw upon.

Which sister do you suppose complimented Jesus and made Him feel like the God that He is? Mary. Martha obviously forgot that this God-Man multiplied loaves and fishes to feed a multitude. He has not come to be fed but to feed!

Unfortunately, sometimes, the hardest thing for us to do is to sit down! Sometimes, the most challenging thing we can do is to cease from our own efforts and rest solely on Jesus’ unmerited favor.

Often, we are like Martha—worried, busy, and troubled about many things. It can all be legitimate things that we are worried about. In Martha’s case, she was trying her best to serve the Lord. She ended up doing many things that day, but missed out on doing the one thing that was actually needful.

Believers who do that one thing that is needful are not worried about anything else. On the other hand, believers who fail to do that one thing end up being troubled about many things. Do you believe that only one thing is needful—to rest at Jesus’ feet and receive from Him?

Now, is it practical to just be occupied with Jesus? Absolutely. We find that later, in the Gospel of John, Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair to prepare Him for His burial (John 12:3–8).

On resurrection morning, some women came with ointment to anoint Jesus’ body, but it was too late then. They were doing the right thing, but at the wrong time. The Lord had already risen.

But Mary did the right thing at the right time. This shows us that when you do the one thing that is needful, you will end up doing the right thing at the right time, and God will cause all that you touch to be amazingly blessed.

Like Mary, choose to focus on the beauty, glory, and love of Jesus. Choose not to be troubled about many things or be constantly occupied with yourself. Like Peter, turn away from the storm and look at Jesus, and you will start walking above the storm.

Beloved, choose to focus on the Lord and rest in His finished work. As Jesus is, so are you in this world!

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

The Freedom Jesus Brings

Then they cried out to the LORD in their trouble, and He saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and broke their chains in pieces.

Psalm 107:13–14

Because grace is the person Who was nailed to the cross for our redemption, grace imparts hope to those who are hopeless and help to those who are helpless. When you are worn out, torn down, crushed, depleted, and on the brink of giving up, grace is the hand that pulls you out of the miry pit of defeat. Grace is the supply that floods every crevice of need.

Dean from Maryland wrote to me to share how his life was transformed by this truth. In a twelve-page letter, he described his lifelong battle with feelings of rejection, abandonment, inadequacy, fear, and thoughts of suicide that led to drinking and drug addictions. In the clutches of meth (methamphetamine) for nine years, he spiraled out of control while heading in and out of prison.

Dean’s turnaround happened only when he began to hear about God’s grace. He said, “Dear Pastor Prince, it brings me so much excitement to share with you the radical change in my life in the last year.

"I have been watching your television program for some time now, and have read Destined To Reign, Unmerited Favor, and The Power of Right Believing. It’s a thousand pages of one message—grace. I don’t know how I ever missed it all these years. Your teaching on grace and truth has been so revolutionary to me and I want to thank you personally.”

Simply put, the revolution in his life began with a revelation of God’s glorious grace. Dean said:

I began seeing in the Scriptures the simplicity of the gospel of Christ and the revelation of God’s grace began to transform me from the inside out. I repented by changing my thinking and that began to change what I had been believing. My emotions and behavior began to change effortlessly.

I didn’t have to try to feel right, or act right; I just did, and still do. And while I still have my moments, they are getting fewer and further apart.

I realized that all I had to do was to focus on Jesus’ finished work on the cross and keep my eyes and ears open to His gospel, the good news of grace. I was seeing things I’d never seen before in the Word and understanding what grace means and how this truth sets one free. I began to realize that grace is undeserved favor and there was nothing I could ever do to earn or re-earn this unmerited favor in my life, regardless of my sins or efforts to make things right. I began to realize that I am highly favored and accepted in the beloved family of my Lord.

As a young boy, I believed in Jesus as my Savior. I knew many of the stories in the Bible. I went to church. But I lived a life with a slave and orphan mentality for over thirty years because I could not simply understand or believe the whole truth of God’s grace—this grace, which is the power of God unto salvation, this grace, which is the light that shines into the darkness.

I could accept that I was His child forever and would go to heaven, but because of my repeated failures, I believed that I would never have love, favor, and acceptance in this life. I believed that I had to suffer for my mistakes. Finally, I believed that I had to carry my failures all the way to heaven, resulting in much pain and damage that almost crushed me to death.

As I write this, I have been freed of alcohol and drug abuse for over two years and freed of dependence on medication for well over a year. Most of my life, I hated going to bed because I would toss and turn in torment thinking about all my failures and weaknesses. I hated waking up because I knew it would start all over again.

In the last year, all that has changed. I go to bed without thoughts of my past. I can’t wait to wake up each morning to expect more of His grace. The guilt, shame, bone-crushing weight of condemnation, and ever-looming depression because of fear, failure, and punishment have all disappeared like the darkness in the light of the rising sun.

My friend, I want to encourage you to believe that you too can experience the freedom that Jesus brings. Dean experienced victory over defeat in his life and so can you. Whatever is keeping you down, be it frequent bouts of depression, self-doubt, fear, or a destructive habit, there is a person Who has the power to turn everything around for your good and break every bondage. His name is Jesus.

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

The Cross Has Made a Difference

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

Under the old covenant, it is true that God’s protection was conditional. But for you and me today, it is vital that we read and understand Psalm 91 through the lens of the new covenant—through the lens of the cross.

We are no longer living under the old covenant. We have a new and living way (Heb. 10:20)! Under the old, protection is achieved. Under the new, protection is received. What I want you to see is this: the cross has made a difference.

At the cross, God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Cor. 5:21). Today, we are the righteousness of God in Christ! Because we are righteous in Christ, we can receive the promise of Psalm 5:12, which declares, “For You, O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favor You will surround him as with a shield.”

Naturally, we can’t always watch our backs. But supernaturally, God has got us covered all around. His abundant supply of grace (unmerited favor) encompasses us like a mighty and impenetrable force field, surrounding us 360 degrees and twenty-four hours a day!

How do we set our love upon God today? We set our love upon God by meditating on, talking about, and listening to preaching about His love for us!

Remember, it is not about our love for Him, but His love for us. It is about us meditating on Bible verses such as, “For God so greatly loved and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) Son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life” (John 3:16 AMPC).

There is protection and deliverance from destruction when you believe in God’s love for you. Set your mind on how greatly loved and dearly prized you are. The more conscious you are of the Lord’s love for you, the more His protection will manifest in your life!

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

Do Not Fear

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. You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life.

Psalm 23:4–6

Even if you are walking through a dark valley and the shadow of death looms over you, keep speaking the promises of Psalm 23:4–6 over yourself. Know that you do not have to fear, for the Lord is with you.

Notice that the Lord prepares a table before you in the presence (not in the absence) of your enemies. The apostle Paul referred to the holy Communion as “the Lord’s table” (1 Cor. 10:21).

That means even when the symptoms are in your body, and even when the pain is there, the Lord wants you to come to His table and eat. By partaking of the holy Communion, you eat and receive of all that our Lord Jesus has done for you on the cross. His body was broken so that yours might be whole.

It is human nature to feast and celebrate only after we see that our problems have been solved and our enemies eradicated. But that’s not what God wants you to do. He loves you so much, and right now He says to you, “Rest. Sit down. Eat. For I will fight your battle. I will defeat your enemies!”

As you eat at His table, see yourself getting supernaturally stronger. See the tumor shriveling up. See His health flowing into your body.

Don’t be afraid of your enemies. They might be all around you, but you can eat from the Lord’s Table with joy, knowing that surely, goodness and mercy and His unfailing love follow after you all the days of your life! If you look up the Hebrew word for follow in Psalm 23:6, you will see that it is radaph, which means “to chase, hunt, or pursue.”

See your Daddy God’s goodness and love chasing you down wherever you go. Even if you have to undergo surgery, chemotherapy, or an organ transplant, He is right there with you. In the operating theater, He is there. In the intensive care unit, He is there.

Do not fear—He is with you, and your enemies have no power over you!

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

Power In The Name Of Jesus

Luke 10:17 - 'And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name.'

It was the power in the name of Jesus plus the disciples' faith in that power that made the demons subject unto them. This can clearly be seen in Acts 19:13-17 where certain Jews called on the name of Jesus in an effort to cast demons out of a man. They used the name of Jesus, but it didn't work because they had not put faith in that name.

These Jews were itinerants who used incantations to effect deliverance for people who were demon possessed. The first-century historian, Josephus, wrote of an exorcism that he witnessed in the presence of Vespasian and many of his soldiers. The exorcist supposedly followed a ritual passed down from King Solomon to effect the deliverance. There is no doubt that men throughout all history have tried to resist demonic spirits, but as this example proves, only Jesus and those who have received His life are successful.

Those who relegate demonic spirits to the realm of superstition do not believe in the entire Word of God. The Gospels alone contain over 90 references to the devil or devils (demons). The Apostle Paul said when writing to these people in Ephesus, 'We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places' (Eph. 6:12). The devil and demons do exist, but all believers in Jesus share in His total victory over them.

The name of Jesus is not magic. It does not work like a charm. As Peter said, 'His name, through faith in his name' (Acts 3:16) is what brings results.

What's Your Motivation

Matthew 6:1, 'Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.'

The motive behind our gift is more important than the gift itself. Paul said if he gave all of his goods to feed the poor, or if he made the ultimate sacrifice of giving his own life for someone else, and wasn't motivated by love, his gift would profit him nothing (1 Cor. 13:3).

Many Christians give faithfully but never see the hundredfold return that the Lord promised because of wrong motives (Mk. 10:29-30). Paul said God loves a cheerful giver - not one who gives grudgingly or out of debt (2 Cor. 9:7).

Jesus gave us the key to purifying our motives in this same teaching. He said, 'But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth' (Mt. 6:3). Giving in a manner in which you will not receive recognition for your gifts will guarantee that your motives are right and grant you the true joy that comes through selfless giving (Acts 20:24).

Ask the Lord to show you an opportunity today to give a kind word or a helping hand to someone who will not be able to repay you and others will never know about it. This could be a motorist in a traffic jam, a co-worker, a spouse, a child who won't even notice your kind deed, or any number of other people. Opportunities are all around us. Andrew Womack

Are You Fully Awake?

Awake to righteousness, and sin not.

1 Corinthians 15:34 KJV

Perhaps you find yourself under a constant siege of condemnation because you have been wrongly taught that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of their sins. You believe that the condemnation you feel is a result of the Holy Spirit’s conviction when it actually originates from the accuser.

Rather than the Holy Spirit being your Helper, convicting you that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, that God will never abandon you even if you have sinned, you are left to struggle with sin, condemnation, and fear. It is time to “awake to righteousness.” As Pamela in Maryland discovered, when you do, oppression, bondage, and sin cannot maintain their hold in your life. Here is Pamela’s testimony:

Dear Pastor Prince, at fifty-nine years of age, I was recovering from multiple fractures in my right ankle and fibula. In the first month, my mobility was severely limited and my physical condition weakened.

During that season of stress, I was oppressed and tormented by strong feelings of fear of abandonment and rejection, experiencing panic attacks almost daily. I was plagued by nightmares and became unable to sleep—due in part to pain medication, but also to the extreme anxiety. Some nights, all I could do was read the Bible until I was exhausted and finally able to sleep.

One day, I came across your television program and was “hooked.” Every day and evening, I watched your program, soaking up the words of life that you were speaking to my soul. I soon ordered one of your books.

For the first time in my life, I heard that it was not the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin, but my conscience. As I read through the book, it was like water to my soul. I read it through three times, each time getting more freedom and peace.

Now, at the age of sixty, I am healthier, happier, and freer than I have ever been in my life. I have been delivered from the stronghold of the fear of abandonment, neglect, and rejection that had oppressed me for most of my life. I have been able to forgive those who physically, emotionally, and sexually abused me, and to repent of my disrespect, self-hatred, bitterness, and resentment.

Today, I am confident that my heavenly Papa loves me, not because of anything I have or have not done, but because of what Jesus did for me. I am continuing to learn that I am completely accepted and righteous in His beloved Son, Jesus, who is altogether lovely, trustworthy, and gracious. Now, I spend my days loving Him and being loved by Him, and I am better able to bless and serve others. Thank you!

Beloved, if you are struggling with condemnation, fear, and sin, the power to overcome is found in knowing that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. When the Bible says, “Awake to righteousness, and sin not,” it means that the more you realize that you are indeed righteous in Christ, and that you are righteous apart from your works, the more you will be empowered to live righteously.

Let this truth sink in and be set free by the knowledge that the Holy Spirit is your Helper, given by God to convict you of righteousness. You are the righteousness of God in Christ!

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