The Centerpiece of God’s Heart

Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.

Hebrews 9:12

One of the things I love to do when I preach is to unveil Christ in the Old Testament Scriptures. It’s amazing how we can see Jesus unveiled in the Old Testament and what each detail reveals about the perfection of His finished work and His grace toward us. This is why it’s so important to get into His Word and take time to meditate upon the pictures or types that reveal His unwavering and unfailing love for you.

Would you like to see another example of Christ unveiled that will make your heart burn within you? Then look with me at the picture of Christ that is hidden in the ark of the covenant. In the days of the old covenant, God dwelled within the temple in Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the covenant (1 Sam. 4:4).

This was the throne of God. The ark was the centerpiece of His heart and so important to God that He gave the Israelites very specific instructions on how it was to be constructed (Exod. 25:10–22; 37:1–9) because every detail of the ark points to the person and the work of our Lord Jesus Christ.

For instance, the box portion of the ark is made of acacia wood and overlaid with gold. Wood in the Bible speaks of humanity (Isa. 55:12; Mark 8:24). Acacia wood is known in Israel as incorruptible wood, so this speaks of Jesus’ incorruptible humanity. Gold in the Bible speaks of divinity and deity (Isa. 2:20; Song 5:11, 14–15). So the wood overlaid with gold speaks of the person of Jesus—He was completely human and at the same time completely God.

Let’s look at the lid of the box, which was made from a solid slab of gold and covered the box. In Hebrew, the lid is called the kapporeth, which means “mercy seat.” God said that He would speak to the high priest from the mercy seat, “from between the two cherubim” (Exod. 25:22). The mercy seat was also the place where the high priest would place the blood of the animal sacrifices, only once in the entire year on the Day of Atonement. Let’s see what the mercy seat was used to cover from view.

Three items were kept in the ark. The first was the stone tablets on which God wrote the Ten Commandments, which we have seen speak of our rebellion and inability to keep God’s laws perfectly. The second was Aaron’s rod. When the people were complaining against God’s appointment of Aaron as the high priest, God caused Aaron’s rod to bud supernaturally to show the people that it was He who had appointed Aaron (Num. 17:1–10). Aaron’s rod thus speaks of man’s rebellion against God’s appointed leadership. The final item in the ark was the golden pot of manna, which we have seen speaks of man’s rebellion against God’s provision.

Every item in the ark of the covenant speaks of our sins and rebellion against God! But what did God do with our sins and rebellion? He put them all into the ark and covered them with the mercy seat where the blood of the animal sacrifices was placed. By doing this, He was saying that when He looks down, He cannot see man’s sins and rebellion because the blood on the mercy seat covers them all!

This is the good news! Let me say it one more time to make sure that you did not miss it: God cannot see your sins when the blood of Jesus covers them. That is why in the Old Testament, Israel rejoiced every time their high priest went into the Holy of Holies on the Day of Atonement and placed the blood of the animal sacrifices on the mercy seat. When the blood was on the mercy seat, God could not see His people’s rejection of His laws, His appointed priesthood, and His provision. He could not see the people’s sins and rebellion. He only saw the blood on the mercy seat.

Now, stop and consider the wonder portrayed in this picture of Jesus and His sacrifice. Understand that it was “not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood [Christ] entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” His shed blood that covers your sins is the basis of your eternal redemption!

My friend, as you see Jesus unveiled like this and make Him the center of your heart, you will experience peace, joy, and the fulfillment of redemption’s blessings, and reign in life.

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

The Power of the Blood

“And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.”

Exodus 12:13

Did you notice that before the Passover, God promised that when He saw the lambs’ blood on the Israelites’ doorposts, they would be saved from destruction? When the angel of death passed through the land, anyone among the children of Israel who was quaking in fear did so needlessly. They were saved not because they were Israelites and not because of their good behavior or anything they did. They were saved just because of one thing—the blood of the lamb.

You might be feeling anxious because doctors have detected some abnormalities in your recent health check. Or perhaps a few of your relatives have succumbed to a particular disease and you are fearful you might be next. My friend, I want you to know you do not have to be afraid, for you have been saved by the shed blood of the true Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world (John 1:29).

If you are a believer, you can put your trust and confidence in the royal blood that flows through Immanuel’s veins that is on the doorposts of your life. The cross transcends time, and on that day His blood washed you clean of every sin—past, present, and future. You are completely forgiven not because of your good deeds but because of His blood (Eph. 1:7). Rest in the Lamb who died for you at Calvary!

Stop disqualifying yourself from His healing because of the failures in your life. Stop believing the enemy’s lies that you don’t deserve to be healed because of the mistakes you have made or because you have not been going to church enough. When God looks at you, He doesn’t see you in your failures and frailties. He only sees His Son because you are in Christ.

Because you are in Christ, you are completely accepted in the Beloved (Eph. 1:6), and you are already blessed with every spiritual blessing (Eph. 1:3). This means that even if there are symptoms in your body, God sees you as healed. Each time you partake of the holy Communion, start seeing yourself the way God sees you. See yourself healed, whole, and filled with divine strength and life.

Each time you take up the cup of the new covenant in His blood (1 Cor. 11:25), know that the blood of Jesus “speaks better things” under the new covenant than the blood of Abel (Heb. 12:24). Abel’s blood had cried out for vengeance (Gen. 4:10). Jesus’ blood cries out for your redemption (Eph. 1:7; 1 Peter 1:18–19), your justification (Rom. 5:9), your victory over the enemy (Rev. 12:11), and so much more!

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

Jesus Paid Our Debt

'Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.'

John 12:31

There is still a future judgment of the world coming, where the wicked will be separated from the righteous and cast into the lake of fire. This verse refers to the sins of the world that were about to be placed on Jesus and that He would suffer our punishment.

Jesus suffered the punishment for our sins, so there is no reason why we should suffer for them too. The price for sin has already been paid by the only one who could fully pay it and that is Jesus. All Jesus asks of us to make His redemption ours, is faith in Him as our Lord.

Sin has a wage it must pay and no one can avoid payday without faith in Jesus. Anyone who does not receive the new birth will be held liable for all the wrong they committed as a result of their sinful nature. However, those who receive the new birth through faith in Jesus, don't have a sin nature and therefore, will not receive the payment of death.

Physical death as well as every result of the sin nature (i.e. sickness, depression, fear, etc.) is only a by-product of the spiritual death that was already inside of us. The Lord told Adam that in the day he ate of the forbidden tree, he would surely die (Gen. 2:17). Adam didn't die physically that day but he did die spiritually. Physical death came 930 years later for Adam (Gen. 5:5) as a by-product of his spiritual death.

Eternal life is a gift. The dictionary defines a gift as 'something that is bestowed voluntarily and without compensation; a present.' We have nothing to do with earning this gift. All you have to do is receive it by faith. Andrew Womack

What Are You Hearing?

Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17 NASB

Allow me to show you something from the story of the woman in Mark 5 whom Jesus healed from a “flow of blood” that had caused her great suffering for twelve years. We see in Mark 5:27 that her miracle began when she “heard about Jesus.” What do you think the woman heard about Jesus that was so powerful?

For twelve years she had been bleeding. According to Levitical law, she was “unclean.” Whoever touched her or even touched anything she had sat on was also considered unclean (Lev. 15:19–25). This means for twelve years she had been shunned and ostracized. For twelve years she was not allowed to touch anyone so she would not defile them. Can you imagine living a life where every single day, you are painfully reminded of how unclean, how impure, and how disqualified you are?

But then she heard something about Jesus.

She heard something that caused hope to spring up in her jaded heart and gave her the faith to believe she would be made well simply by touching His clothes.

She heard something that gave her the boldness and resolve to press her weakened body through an entire crowd, even though Levitical law forbade her from touching anyone.

Most of all, she heard something that caused her to believe that in spite of the fact she was unclean, she could receive healing. That is what I want you to hear about our Lord Jesus today.

In spite of the fact you are unclean, in spite of the fact you have failed, in spite of the fact there is sin in your life, you can receive healing!

Don’t allow man’s traditions to keep you away from your loving Savior. Come to Him just as you are. You do not need to do anything to qualify yourself. You do not need to wash yourself clean before you can approach Him. You do not have to long for His touch from a distance, wishing you were good enough or pure enough. Come to Him with all your sins and all your burdens—He will make you clean. The same Jesus who gave His body for your healing also gave His blood for your forgiveness. Just come to Him!

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

Hearts Purified by Faith

“If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. . . Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.”

John 8:31–32, 36

What is “the truth” that Jesus says has the power to set us free? Remember, our Lord was speaking to the Jewish people, so “the truth that they shall know” could not have been the old covenant of the law, which they were already well versed in. Knowing and attempting to keep the law to earn their righteousness had not given them the freedom they sought. It had, in fact, become for them an impossibly heavy yoke to bear.

To understand what “the truth” is, I want to bring you to Acts 15, where the Jerusalem Council had convened to debate which of the old covenant laws should be imposed on Gentile believers. Look at what Peter said:

“So God, who knows the heart, acknowledged them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us, and made no distinction between us and them, purifying their hearts by faith. Now therefore, why do you test God by putting a yoke on the neck of the disciples which neither our fathers nor we were able to bear? But we believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved in the same manner as they.”
—Acts 15:8–11

When Peter spoke about God giving the Holy Spirit to the Gentile believers in the same way that He had given the Holy Spirit to the Jewish believers, he was referring to his preaching to Cornelius’s household and how the Holy Spirit fell upon all the Gentiles there who heard him as he was speaking these words: “To Him all the prophets witness that, through His name, whoever believes in Him will receive remission of sins” (Acts 10:43–44). Notice that when the Gentiles there simply put their faith in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of their sins, they were filled with the Holy Spirit!

The Jewish believers who were present with Peter then were astonished to see how even Gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit in the same way they did (Acts 10:45–46). It was an unprecedented, unthinkable phenomenon for the Jews of the early church to witness, since under Old Testament laws, Gentiles were considered unclean (Acts 10:28). Later, the Jewish believers acknowledged that God had also granted to the Gentiles “repentance unto life” (Acts 11:18 KJV)!

This brings me to my next point. At the Jerusalem Council, Peter stated that the hearts of the Gentile believers were purified by faith (Acts 15:9)! Not by works, but by their believing right—believing that those who believed in the Lord would receive the remission of sins and be made the righteousness of God. Can you see that?

How are we made righteous today? How are our hearts purified today? By faith in our Lord’s finished work at the cross!

Jesus said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matt. 5:8). Now, who are the pure in heart? Those whose hearts have been purified by faith. Amen! This is how we use scripture to interpret scripture. So don’t let someone tell you that in order to have a pure heart, you need to do this and that, and if you fail to keep to their list of dos and don’ts, your heart will not be pure.

Can you see how dangerous man’s opinions can be? Just like that, precious believers can come under great fear that if they aren’t doing something hard enough to continually keep their hearts pure, they will lose their salvation and end up not seeing the Lord.

According to the authority of God’s Word, our hearts are purified by faith in our Lord Jesus. Hallelujah! Let this truth put an unshakable confidence in your heart concerning your salvation, your relationship with the Lord, your future, and good things happening to and for you.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

And now comes the blessing. There is the people, there is the land, the seed, and now comes the blessing. Now, the Lord had said to Abraham, “Get out of your country, from your family, from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you a great…” what? “…nation.” Not a religion. And then He said, “I will…” what? “…bless you and make your name great and you shall be a blessing, and I will bless those who bless you and I will curse him who curses you. And in you all the families of the earth…” not all the individuals “…all the nations will be…” what? “…blessed.” The blessing is connected to the seed that is connected to the land that is connected to the promise that was given to Abraham. Do we understand that? The blessing could only come when the seed is in the land.

In fact, every time God wanted to punish Israel, that’s when they had to leave. And every time God wanted to restore Israel, this is when He brought them back to the land. Remember that. And I want to tell you something. Even the Arabs knew that a hundred years ago. I’m going to quote what the leader of the holiest sites to the Muslims said, the Sharif of Mecca Hussein, after whom King Hussein of Jordan was named. This is the grandfather of King Hussein of Jordan. Look what he wrote to his people over a hundred years ago. He wrote in Al-Qibla, the daily newspaper of Mecca in 1918. Look what he wrote. “The resources of the country are still virgin soil and will be developed by the Jewish immigrants. One of the most amazing things until recent times was that the Palestinian used to leave his country wandering over the high seas in every direction. His native soil could not retain or hold on him. At the same time, we have seen the Jews from foreign countries streaming to Palestine.” Remember that’s in 1918, when they came from Russia, Germany, Austria, Spain, and America. 

Now if I stop here, you would say, “Ooh, look. He’s saying that the Palestinians were here and the Jews are those who came from outside.” Watch this. The same Hussein, the Sharif of Mecca continued. It says, “The cause of causes could not escape those who had a gift of deeper insight. They knew that the country was for its original sons.” The Muslim is telling his own people that the land actually does not belong to them, but to the original sons. For all their differences, a sacred and beloved homeland, the return of these exiles to their homeland, will prove materially and spiritually an experimental school for their brethren who are with them in the fields, factories, trade, and all things connected to the land. He basically said we want those original sons to come back to their original homeland because that is when what is going to come? The blessing.

Jeremiah 16:14-15
“Therefore behold, the days are coming,” says the LORD, “that it shall no more be said, ‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt,’ but, ‘The LORD lives who brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north and from all the lands where He had driven them.’ For I will bring them back into their land which I gave to their fathers.”

There are several things we need to note about this passage. One, it is prophetic. Two, it reveals that something unprecedented will take place. Three, this event concerns the Jews. And, lastly, that there is a land that belongs to the Jews according to God.

Genesis 12:6-7
Abram passed through the land to the place of Shechem, as far as the terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanites were then in the land. Then the LORD appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the LORD, who had appeared to him.

Genesis 17:7-8
“And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.”

The Jews right to the land of Israel as an everlasting possession was established all the way back in Genesis. That means that while they were driven out of the land by God for their idolatry and disobedience, the land remained theirs. When they were slaves in Egypt for over 400 years, the land was theirs. When they were captives in Babylon, the land was theirs. When they were scattered among the nations, that land was theirs. The saying “the Lord brought up the children of Israel from the land of Egypt” has now been replaced with “the Lord has brought Israel back into the land which He gave to their fathers.”

Zechariah 8:7-8
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’”

With the Jews back in their land and in possession of Jerusalem that means not only is God not finished with them, but He is going to be their God and save them at the end of the tribulation. Because of that, we can conclude that Jesus must be coming for His church soon!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Speaking Out in Faith

And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak.

2 Corinthians 4:13

Do you know that as God’s child, you can speak positively into your negative situation and see it change for the better?

Let me show you some scriptures about faith and speaking that will help you. Romans 10:9 tells us that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. Our Lord Jesus also said, “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).

Now, reread what the apostle Paul wrote in today’s verse. Do you notice a pattern here? Faith involves believing in your heart as well as speaking with your mouth. You and I, we are made in God’s image. When God first saw darkness, He didn’t say, “Gosh, it’s so dark.” What did God do? He called forth light by speaking. He said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3).

In the New Testament, our Lord Jesus spoke to the storm and it subsided. He spoke to the fig tree and it withered. He spoke to the demons and they fled. He spoke to the sick and they were healed. He spoke to the dead and they lived.

Similarly, when we are faced with darkness in any area of our lives today, or trapped in a storm of challenges, let’s not be mired in looking at the problems and despairing. We should also call forth what we want to see! If we find ourselves caught in a dangerous situation, we should declare, “The Lord is my refuge and my fortress.” If there is a sickness in our body, we can call forth our healing by saying, “Thank You, Jesus, by Your stripes I am healed!” Start speaking forth your protection, your health, and your victory today!

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

Worship From Your Heart

'And being in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at meat, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of spikenard very precious; and she brake the box, and poured it on his head.'

Mark 14:3

The spikenard was a fragrant plant, and its roots were used in Jesus' day to make an aromatic, costly perfume and ointment. The plant, itself, grows in the Himalaya mountains at an elevation of 11,000 to 17,000 feet. For centuries, it was used by Hindus as a medicine and perfume and was an actively traded commodity. Its great cost stemmed from that it had to be transported over 6,000 miles to reach Palestine, and depending on quality, it sold for as much as 400 denarii per pound (or $750 an ounce, is the modern purchasing equivalent). That made it more valuable than gold. This ointment was worth at least two and one-half times more than the thirty pieces of silver that Judas received for betraying the Lord, which is why Judas was so upset. This perfume was worth two and one-half times what Judas thought Jesus was worth.

Judas didn't care about the poor. He wanted to have the money that the perfume could have been sold for in his bag (he was the treasurer for Jesus) so he could steal it. This is a very serious crime that Jesus no doubt knew about, but scripture never mentions Him confronting Judas.

Judas' reaction to this act of pure worship is typical of the reaction toward worship of many people today. Judas and some of the other disciples, thought this was a waste. That was only because they didn't value Jesus as highly as Mary did. Mary had seen Jesus raise her brother from the dead and her heart was overflowing with love and worship. The disciples were looking on the outward things while Jesus was looking at Mary's heart (1 Sam. 16:7). Those who cannot see beyond the physical realm will be offended at others' displays of worship. True worship comes from the heart. Andrew Womack

Take Your Seat and Begin to Reign

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4–6

There are many believers who are defeated because they are struggling to qualify for God’s blessings through their own works. What you need to understand is that self-effort will rob you of reigning in life by God’s grace. You cannot earn your salvation, healing, or financial breakthrough by your own efforts. If the greatest miracle—being saved and made alive with Jesus—comes by grace through faith, and not by your works, how much more the lesser miracles, such as healing, provision, and restored marriages?

It is not about your work or performance, but Jesus’ work and performance. Only His work is a finished work. And not only did He sit down at the Father’s right hand, but today’s scripture states that He also made us sit with Jesus! What does this mean? Well, my friend, “sitting down” in the Bible is a picture of the believer resting in the perfect and finished work of Jesus. Christ has finished all the work on the cross on your behalf and is now seated at the right hand of God. As it has all been accomplished on your behalf, this means that you can stop depending on your self-efforts to earn and qualify for God’s blessings in your life. You can sit down with Jesus at the Father’s right hand!

Now, listen carefully to what I am saying. I am not advocating a life of passiveness and laziness regarding the study of God’s Word, prayer, or worship. When it comes to success in your job, I’m also certainly not saying that you shouldn’t be diligent or seeking to develop your abilities.

God’s grace does not make you lazy and unproductive. On the contrary, it makes you labor more abundantly for His glory. The apostle Paul, a preacher of God’s grace and the finished work of Jesus, said that he “labored more abundantly than they all” (1 Cor. 15:10). What you need to realize is, in the new covenant, God’s way is to bless you first, and the knowledge of His blessing then empowers you to labor more abundantly. In other words, we do not labor to be blessed, but rather we have the power to labor because we are already blessed. Can you see the different premise for laboring in the new covenant?

My friend, Jesus has accomplished everything for us on the cross. Our part is to trust in His perfect work. Receive with open arms His abundance of grace and His gift of righteousness, and sit down and begin to reign in life through Him. Today, let it be your prayer that you will stop trying to earn God’s grace and righteousness. Let the Holy Spirit teach you to start depending on Jesus’ finished work and to start receiving by His grace. This is God’s way to success, wholeness, and victorious living!

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

Little by Little

“I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the beasts of the field become too numerous for you. Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased, and you inherit the land.”

Exodus 23:29–30

You can receive healing through the prayer of faith (Mark 11:24), and many times during our services, people are instantaneously healed as the gifts of healings flow (1 Cor. 12:9). There is a powerful corporate anointing at work when the church gathers together because Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). Where Jesus is, death turns into life and resurrection (John 11:25), weakness becomes strength, little becomes much, and in His presence is fullness of joy and pleasures forevermore (Ps. 16:11).

While I would love for everyone to receive immediate and complete healing all the time, you don’t have to have an instantaneous manifestation or feel something tangibly happening in your body to know God is healing you. The moment you partake of the holy Communion in faith, your healing has begun.

Most people who have sent in their healing testimonies to my ministry weren’t healed in a spectacular prayer meeting or when a man or woman of God laid hands on them. They were healed gradually by the Lord as they partook of His ordained channel through which we receive His supernatural life and health—the holy Communion.

Sometimes teachings on the prayer of faith can put pressure on you to believe you have complete healing the moment you pray. But truth be told, most of us don’t have that kind of faith. As for the gifts of healings, they operate as the Spirit wills (1 Cor. 12:11) and not as man wills. When it comes to the holy Communion, there is no pressure. Each time you partake in faith, you receive a measure of healing and get better and better.

Sometimes we get impatient and want the Lord to drive out all our enemies at once. Read the verses above from Exodus 23 and see what the Lord said to the children of Israel as they were preparing to enter the promised land. Little by little. Little by little.

Today we don’t face the Hivites, Hittites, or Canaanites like the children of Israel did. But our enemies might be renal failure, leukemia, or high blood pressure. Whatever it is, don’t be discouraged. The symptoms might still be there even though you have partaken of the holy Communion, but keep partaking. The manifestation of your healing is coming. The enemy is being driven out from your life. Your healing might not be taking place as quickly as you would like it to, but it is taking place. My friend, don’t give up!

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

Minister God's Love

'And Zacchaeus stood, and said unto the Lord; Behold, Lord, the half of my goods I give to the poor; and if I have taken any thing from any man by false accusation, I restore him fourfold.'

Luke 19:8 

Zacchaeus was rich but Jesus made no demands for him to give away all his goods to the poor as He did with the rich young ruler. Zacchaeus had already repented and money was no longer his god, as was revealed by his actions. It seems that Zacchaeus was going above and beyond the requirement of restitution as stated in Mosaic law by offering to give half of his goods to the poor and to repay fourfold for his theft.

Publicans were hated by their fellow Jews. They were especially despised by the religious Jews as the epitome of sinners and Jewish religious laws prevented devout Jews from keeping company with any publican. To eat with a publican was unthinkable as the Jews considered this actually partaking of the publican's sins. This is why the people reacted so adversely to Jesus eating with Zacchaeus.

Jesus did not eat at Zacchaeus' house to participate in his sin but to extend mercy and forgiveness to him. This is always the criterion whereby we can judge whether or not we should be involved in a certain situation. We must not participate in other men's sins, but the Lord doesn't want us to retreat to monasteries either. We are the salt of the earth (Mt. 5:13), and to do any good, we have to get out of the 'salt shaker.' If we can be in control and minister the love of God, then we are right to associate with sinners. But when we are being controlled by the ungodliness of sinners, we need to take control or withdraw. Andrew Womack

Secure in the Father’s Hand

“My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

John 10:27–30

My friend, if you don’t feel assured of your salvation in Christ, it will affect how you live life as a Christian. This is why I want to encourage you to be anchored on certain and clear passages—like the one found in today’s scripture.

Now, doesn’t simply reading this promise in God’s Word impart to you confidence, assurance, and security in your salvation in Christ? Let me draw your attention to the word “never.” This is going to bless you. The word “never” here is translated from the Greek particle ou me, which is a double negative, strongly emphasizing the meaning of “never, certainly not, not at all, by no means.” In other words, once you are saved, you will never, by no means, ever perish!

When people cast doubt on a believer’s salvation, it reveals how they do not accurately value the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross. They are also making light of what our Lord Jesus suffered at Calvary for our salvation, forgiveness, and redemption. I don’t know what Bible they are reading, but my Bible tells me in no uncertain terms that “if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Rom. 10:9). My Bible tells me that “no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand” (John 10:29). My Bible tells me, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” (John 3:16). That’s what my Bible says!

When we have the assurance of salvation and know that nothing can pluck us out of our Father’s hand, contrary to the saying that this gives people a license to sin with no regard for God, it actually gives us confidence and strength to look to the Lord, to run the race better, and go from glory to glory. Christians who are secure in the Father’s love will be transformed by the renewing of their minds with the power of God’s amazing grace. I believe with all my heart that born-again believers established in His grace want to live lives that glorify His holy name in every area of their lives. Why? Because grace isn’t a teaching, doctrine, or formula. Grace is a person and His name is Jesus!

That is why I like to use the phrase, “the person of Jesus.” Grace is personified in our Lord Jesus. You can relate to Him as a person. You can talk to Him, hang out with Him, share with Him your struggles and your challenges, and have really good, honest, and deep conversations with Him. Once you see our Lord Jesus as a person, and you see all His beauty, glory, grace, love, and forgiveness, there is no way you would want to live a lifestyle that does not glorify His holy name. When you value Jesus in your life, you value His glory.

I want to invite you to meditate on this powerful scripture:

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.
—Titus 2:11–14

Now, that’s the result of being under grace and that is what it means to be a part of the grace revolution! As we behold the person of Jesus, grace teaches us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, and we become a people zealous for the glory of our Lord Jesus in our lives and “zealous for good works”!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

You cannot even understand the times and the seasons if you do not understand Israel. That is what the Bible itself says. Bible prophecy has nothing to say about the nations as such in their own relations to one another, but only in their relation to Israel, the people, and the land.

And therefore, in our attempt to understand what’s next for Israel, we’re basically going to understand what is going to happen to the whole world. There are a lot of wars, a lot of conflicts, a lot of issues all across the globe. Yet what is happening here is the only thing that is going to affect directly the entire world.

The Holy Spirit, through the prophet Isaiah, gives us a wonderful reminder of one of the many attributes of God:

Isaiah 46:10
Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times things that are not yet done, saying, “My counsel shall stand, and I will do all My pleasure.”

Isaiah reminds us of the omniscience of God. He knows the past, present, and future equally, and has declared “the end from the beginning.” That means God has told us how things began and how they will end. One of the major benefits of this revelation is that there will be generations that see certain aspects of His declaration which other generations will only read about.

It seems clear we are in just such a generation.

Zechariah 8:6-8
“Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘If it is marvelous in the eyes of the remnant of this people in these days, will it also be marvelous in My eyes?’ says the LORD of hosts. Thus says the LORD of hosts: ‘Behold, I will save My people from the land of the east and from the land of the west; I will bring them back, and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem. They shall be My people and I will be their God, in truth and righteousness.’”

This revelation is preceded in verse three with the Lord declaring He will return to Jerusalem, which will be at His second coming. This means that the regathering of His people is a prophetic indicator that the Lord is preparing to dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and be the God of His people, in truth and righteousness.

We are watching God’s people gathered from the four corners of the world back into the land that He gave them. This tells us that if we are ignorant of that fact, allegorize that fact, or misinterpret that fact, we won’t know the lateness of the hour or the apparent nearness of His return for the church.

Israel, both the land and the people, are essential to understanding Bible prophecy. If we get that wrong then our whole understanding of the prophetic progression revealed by God will be askew. Much of it won’t make any sense. But thanks be to God that He has made known the future and many of the details related to it that give us a general understanding of the lateness of the hour and, therefore, the nearness of His return to rule the world from Jerusalem.

God’s regathering of the Jews from around the world into their national homeland is the most significant prophetic fulfillment since the time of Jesus. That tells us we need to keep looking up, for our redemption is near!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Supernatural Transformation

“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.”

1 Samuel 17:45

Christ-occupation makes you bold but not superior, humble but not inferior. When our minds are occupied with Jesus, we don’t have to try to be humble. In the presence of the Servant-King, our hearts become supernaturally transformed, and we will carry His servant heart. In other words, when you hang out with Jesus, all that He is will rub off on you. Your thoughts and your words will be full of the fragrance of His sweet presence and grace. All your inferiority and insecurities will melt away in His marvelous love for you. It takes people who are truly secure in Christ to be able to bow down and serve others with genuine humility.

Similarly, when you are courageous and bold in Christ and in His love for you, it doesn’t manifest as fleshly pride and arrogance, but rather as complete dependence on Almighty God. Think of how young David charged down the Valley of Elah and challenged the giant Goliath, while the rest of the well-trained and full-grown men of the army of Israel cowered in fear. Was that simply a display of youthful bravado or a genuine dependence on God?

To the untrained eye, David could have appeared like an impudent little brat. But we know where this steely chutzpah comes from when these bold words of a mere teenager resonated throughout the valley: “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” (1 Sam. 17:45). From his words, we can tell that young David was clearly occupied with the Lord of hosts and not with himself or his abilities.

When your thoughts are occupied with the Lord, you become a giant slayer! Are there giants in your life today that need to be slain? Like young David, occupy your mind with the Lord, and God will fill you with the courage and audacity to overcome all your adversities. Listen to the words of David in Psalm 18:29: “For by You I can run against a troop, by my God I can leap over a wall.” Let these words of faith and boldness be established in your heart. With God on your side, nothing is impossible!

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

It's Not What You Do

'So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the labourers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.'

Matthew 20:8

This parable begins with Jesus' statement that the kingdom of heaven is likened to a man who is a householder (owner of an estate). He went out early in the morning to hire workers to work in his vineyard for the day. An agreed upon price was set at a penny, the normal wage paid daily for a laborer. Later, around 9 a.m., the landowner encouraged others, standing idle in the marketplace, to work in the vineyard, not for a set wage but for 'whatsoever is right.' The landowner employed more laborers at noon, at 3 p.m. and even some at 5 p.m. when there was only one hour left to work.

According to Jewish law, wages must be paid each evening before the sun sets. When it came time for the steward to pay the laborers, he began with those working the shortest amount of time and paid each man a penny (a full day's wage). Those working the entire day murmured, for they supposed they would have received more. They agreed, however, to work for a penny, the stipulated wage agreed upon.

The context of this parable supports the teaching that it is impossible to earn the generosity of the Master. This is a lesson on grace. Regardless of whether or not our performance is better than someone else's, we all need God's grace because we have all come short of God's standard. The landowner gave freely, making all equal. Jesus is saying that the benefits of the kingdom are the same for all who have become subject to its King, regardless of what they have done. Therefore, those who are last (or least) in the sense that they have not served the Lord as long or as well as others, will truly become 'first' when they share equally of the Lord's goodness with those who 'have borne the burden and heat of the day' (Mt. 20:12). Andrew Womack

It’s Not What You Have but Who You Have

Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

Genesis 39:1-2

Would you consider the young man Joseph, who was about to be sold into slavery, “a successful man”?

Of course not!

Yet, God says in His own words that Joseph was a successful man.

God's definition of success is contrary to the world's definition. Corporate America measures success based on what you have done, what you have accomplished, and what you have accumulated. It is based entirely on you focusing all your time, energy, and resources in meriting titles and collecting accomplishments.

Now, we have witnessed how this self-indulgent accumulation has led to the subprime crisis, the decimation of investment banks, and a widespread international financial meltdown.

My friend, I want to encourage you to begin to see that the world’s model of success is unstable and built upon a foundation that is shakable. It may have the appearance of the good life, but it is temporal, and we have all seen for ourselves how the world’s transient wealth can dissipate like smoke and easily slip away like the shifting sands in the desert.

From Genesis 39:2, it is clear that success is not what you have, but rather who you have! Joseph literally had nothing materially, but at the same time, he had everything because the Lord was with him. The material things that you have accumulated or are feverishly trying to amass do not make you a success. It is the presence of the Lord in your life that makes you a success!

We need to learn to stop pursuing things and to start pursuing Him. God sees your relationship with Him as the only thing that you need for every success in your life. I can’t imagine starting in a worse place than Joseph. He was completely naked. He had nothing! No bank accounts, no educational qualifications, no natural connections with people of influence, nothing. Thank God the Bible records a picture of Joseph who began with nothing, so that you and I can have hope today. If you think that like Joseph, you have nothing, well, you can start believing in the power of the presence of the Lord in your life. Start looking to Jesus and claim that promise in that scripture for yourself!

Say, “The Lord is with ME, and I am a successful person.”

Say it a hundred times if you have to, and begin to see this as your reality. Stick this promise on your mirror, and every morning when you brush your teeth, remind yourself that today, as you go to work, as you go to school, as you start the day caring for your children at home (or do whatever it is that you need to do), the Lord is with you. And because He is with you, YOU ARE ALREADY A SUCCESS! When you have Jesus in your life, you are no longer trying to be a success; you ARE a success!

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

Trust In Jesus As Your Savior

'And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?'

Matthew 19:16

On the surface, it appears that this rich young ruler was 'right on' in the way he approached Jesus and sought salvation. He ran, kneeled down to Jesus, and openly professed Him as a Good Master. What could be wrong with that?

First, he acknowledged Jesus as good but not as God. This is a pivotal point.

Every major religion of the world acknowledges that Jesus lived and will even admit that He definitely was a good man, but they won't recognize Him as God. If Jesus was only a good man, He couldn't save anybody. Jesus didn't just come to show us the way to God. He was the way, the only way unto the Father.

No man could come unto the Father, but by Him (Jn. 14:6). Jesus had made this point publicly many times before. This is the reason that Jesus responded to this young man's question the way He did. Jesus was saying, 'God is the only one who is good. You must accept me as God or not at all.' Jesus was either who He claimed to be or He was the biggest fraud that ever lived. He has to be one or the other. He cannot be both.

Second, he asked what he could do to produce salvation. He trusted in himself and believed he could accomplish whatever good work Jesus might request. This is completely opposed to the plan of salvation that Jesus came to bring.

Jesus obtained salvation for us through His substitution and He offers it to us as a free gift. All we must do is believe and receive. This rich young ruler wasn't looking for a Savior. He was trying to be his own savior. This is the reason Jesus referred him back to the commandments. He either needed to keep all of the law perfectly or he needed a Savior. Jesus desired to turn this man from trusting in himself by showing him God's perfect standard, which no one could keep, so that then he would trust in a Savior. Andrew Womack

No Evil Shall Befall You

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

Psalm 91:9–10

When I was a student, I took on a part-time job in a factory that manufactured refrigerators. Like any teenager, I had just wanted to earn some extra pocket money. It wasn’t a complicated job. I was part of an assembly line and all I had to do was use an electric drill to create an opening and to fasten a condenser securely onto the back of each refrigerator. I would be buzzing away on the power drill all day, earning my keep.

At that time, I had the habit of carrying a small booklet around with me. It was my little booklet of Bible memory verses, and I would read from it and speak the Word of God 3 times a day. During that period, there was one particular verse in Psalm 91 that I would confess every day: “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling” (Ps. 91:10). It was my daily confession in the morning before I left for work, and during my break times, my coworkers would see me sitting in some corner, confessing this verse. It was a very powerful revelation for me, and I really wanted His Word, and in particular this truth of God’s protection, to drop into my heart.

One day, as I was assembling yet another refrigerator, I lost control of the power drill. It somehow slipped out of my hands and the drill went straight toward my stomach. Everything happened really quickly. The power drill, which was spinning at full force, hit my stomach . . . and it just bounced off. Some of the workers there who saw what had happened ran over, concerned for me. It was then that I realized I was completely unharmed!

The only thing that came to mind at that moment was the scripture I had been meditating on. That day, the verse, “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling” came alive for me. I give thanks for the Lord’s divine protection over my life when I was a teenager. Don’t you just love our wonderful and beautiful Savior! As you meditate on and declare His promises in His Word, I believe you’ll also see His saving and delivering power working on your behalf.

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

Love Fulfills the Law

Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Romans 13:10

There is a grace revolution going on and it is liberating precious people from the power of sin! The glorious gospel of grace produces glorious, victorious, and holy lives. If you know people who are living in sin and claiming that they are under grace, you know that they are most definitely not living under grace! How can they be when the Bible states that sin shall not have dominion over those who are not under law but under grace (Rom. 6:14)? The Ten Commandments cannot produce holiness in people. Grace is the power to go and sin no more (John 8:11)!

There are also people who believe that preaching God’s grace gives people a license to sin and endorses licentiousness. That is not what God’s grace does at all! On the contrary, God’s amazing grace transforms a person’s heart and produces true holiness, which isn’t just outward, but also deep, intimate, beginning at the very core of a person’s heart. Holiness is a fruit of God’s grace.

The word “holiness” in the New Testament is the Greek word hagiasmos, which is sometimes translated also as “sanctification.” The moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you were justified by faith and made perfectly righteous. You were also made holy or sanctified, which is to be set apart unto the Lord. And as you grow in the grace and knowledge of Jesus, you are progressively transformed into His image from glory to glory (2 Cor. 3:18). Now, you cannot be more righteous because you are already 100 percent righteous by Jesus’ blood. But under grace, you can grow in holiness in the way you live your life.

I am all for holiness and I am vehemently against sin. Where I differ from some preachers is in my focus on how we stop the power of sin and help God’s people grow in greater holiness. For many preachers the answer to sin is found in preaching the Ten Commandments. I believe that the answer is found in preaching Jesus and the gospel of grace.

Now, listen carefully to what I am about to say. Under grace, when you experience the love of our Lord Jesus, you will end up fulfilling the law! Under grace, you will end up being holy. Grace produces true holiness! As the apostle Paul boldly proclaims in today’s scripture, “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.”

When the love of Jesus is in you, you can’t help but fulfill the law. When your heart is overflowing with God’s grace and loving-kindness, you will have no desire to commit adultery or murder, bear false witness, or covet. You will have the power to love your neighbor as yourself. Where does this power come from? From your being firmly rooted and established in the grace of God. You have the power to love, because He first loved you (1 John 4:19 NASB)! This is why the Bible declares that “love is the fulfillment of the law.”

In fact, when God’s people are under grace, not only do they fulfill the letter of the law, but they also exceed it and go the extra mile. For example, the law commands you not to commit adultery, and there are people who can fulfill just the letter of the law and not commit adultery outwardly. However, inwardly, they have no love for their spouses. Grace changes all that. Grace doesn’t just deal with the surface; it goes deeper and teaches a man to love his wife as Christ loved the church.

My friend, Christianity is all about God’s love for you. It is His love for and in you that results in inward heart transformation. Christianity is not a religion; it is a relationship. Christianity is not about a list of dos and don’ts; it is about intimacy, love, and a warm, beating heart. First experience and taste the grace of God and His love will surely cause you to live a holy life!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.” So, hey, He came to the world to give you hope. The hope is that He will come back and take you. And, hey, “He who promised is faithful.” It’s a beautiful thing. And by the way, when did that hope start? If you really start, if you really think about it, the hope started in the heart of, let’s say Peter, for example. Peter was a crushed person. Remember, he just denied Jesus three times. Remember, he was crushed. He was depressed. He couldn’t imagine – I’ve been following this Messiah for three years, and now at the crucial moment, when people ask me if I know Him, I said, “I don't know Him, I do not know the man.” He couldn’t imagine what he had done. It is such a horrible thing. And then Jesus is dead on the cross. Now, they’re taking Him into the tomb. And Peter says, “Not only did I betrayed Him; I may have contributed to His death. Now He’s dead, I have no hope.” 

Isn’t that interesting? And when is it that the hope was restored in Peter’s heart? I'll tell you when, he writes it. First Peter 1:3 says, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope, through,” – What? – “…the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.” That hope was rekindled in him when he experienced that Jesus is actually not dead. He resurrected. The resurrection, by the way, changed everything. Peter, from a defeated Jew became a conqueror. He was not ashamed to stand before kings and rulers. He was not ashamed to stand before the Sanhedrin. He was not ashamed to testify. He didn’t care if he’s thrown to the jail. He knew this is the truth. I have not only the fellowship of the suffering, but I have the power of His resurrection.

One of the greatest testimonies of the grace and mercy of God, outside of that of the nation of Israel, is the restoration of the Apostle Peter. He was a man who walked with Jesus and walked on water; a man who saw Jesus heal and by God’s power healed others himself (Matthew 10:8). Peter was a man who also said this:

Matthew 26:33-35
“Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” Peter said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You!” And so said all the disciples.

Peter not only denied the Lord, he denied Him three times. The second time he denied Him it was with an oath, and the third time, with cursing and swearing, he said, “I do not even know the man.” (Matthew 26:74) Yet, we find Peter, the thrice denier, preaching the first gospel message that opened the church age in Acts 2, and doing so with thunderous power and authority.

Lamentations 3:21-23
This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope. Through the LORD’S mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness.  

Peter the denier became Peter the bold proclaimer of Christ, because the Lord is merciful and faithful. But the words of Jeremiah in Lamentations are not just limited to Peter or to Apostles and Prophets, they are true for every believer. The Lord is merciful and faithful to us and through those mercies, we are not consumed. 

What makes the story of Peter so powerful is that the Lord did not just forgive him, but He also restored him. Forgiveness is a wonderful, burden lifting thing. Restoration, however, covers the pain of past failures with the blessings of current service to the Lord.

1 Peter 4:8-11
And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

You can see the impact that the Lord’s love, forgiveness, and restoration had on Peter in this passage. The love of the Lord covered his three denials, the mercy of God gave him the ability to speak as the oracle of God, the faithfulness of God allowed Peter to bring glory to the very One he once denied even knowing.

For any who may have had a great failure or denial of the Lord in your life, either in thought or deed, take heart. God’s mercies are new every morning and His faithfulness toward you is great!

2 Timothy 2:13
If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself.

Can you imagine Peter’s life if the Lord had not forgiven and restored him? Yet John’s gospel says in chapter 21 that, on the shores of the sea of Galilee, Jesus restored Peter and told him that his claim to not deny the Lord would ultimately be fulfilled at his own death.

Dear friends, God is faithful! It isn’t something He does; it is what He is. He cannot deny His very nature. If you have fallen or failed, get up and keep going for His mercies endure forever and great is His faithfulness!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,