Give Thanks for the Lord Is Good

. . . And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. And I know that You always hear Me . . .

John 11:41–42

After Jesus had said these words, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” And the man who had been dead for four days came out of his tomb!

This is one of the greatest miracles that Jesus performed. Lazarus had been dead for four days when Jesus raised him to life. Wouldn’t you agree that death is indeed an extreme problem? Facing a financial need, being sick and losing your job, bad as they are, are not as final as being dead!

But what I want you to see is this: If Jesus, in the most extreme of problems, shows us that the solution is still, “Father, I thank You,” then how much more should we thank God in the midst of the less serious problems we face. If thanksgiving can raise the dead, then let us give thanks in spite of the negative circumstances and we will see victory.

Unfortunately, we tend to do the opposite—murmur and complain. But murmuring and complaining only magnify the problem. Thanksgiving, on the other hand, is the language of faith which pleases God. I am not saying that we give thanks for the problems we have. No, we thank God that He is our answer and that He has already given every blessing to us (Eph. 1:3).

“But Pastor Prince, what I have is so little.”

My friend, thank God for the little you have and it will multiply. Jesus thanked His Father for the five barley loaves and two small fish, a little boy’s lunch, and they were multiplied to feed more than five thousand people with twelve baskets full of leftovers (John 6:8–13)! And notice that when the Holy Spirit talked about this event again, He specifically mentioned the Lord giving thanks—“the place where they ate bread after the LORD had given thanks” (John 6:23). The Holy Spirit seemed to be more pleased with the act of giving thanks than the miracle of multiplication or the twelve baskets full of leftovers.

Beloved, the more you thank God, the more you please Him. What little you have will be multiplied and whatever is dead in your life will be raised to life!

Receive His Healing Power

When we bless the cup at the Lord’s Table, aren’t we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren’t we sharing in the body of Christ?

1 Corinthians 10:16 NLT

I would like to share a powerful truth that I believe will help to keep you in God’s love and drive fear out of your life: whenever fear tries to creep up on you, go somewhere quiet and meditate on how much the Lord loves you as you partake of the holy Communion.

Right off, you might be wondering, If God loves me, why do I have to pray or partake of the Communion at all? What difference does that make? And if it’s His will to heal me, why am I not automatically healed?

May I first answer the question of why you are not healed automatically? My friend, we know it is God’s will for everyone to receive salvation, to receive the gift of eternal life that was freely given to the world (John 3:16). But we all have the choice to accept or reject God’s offer. Nobody gets saved “automatically.” God is a gentleman, and He will not force His salvation on anyone. He will not force His gifts or blessings on us. He will not force His health or goodness on us.

So what difference does prayer and partaking of the holy Communion make? When we pray and partake of the holy Communion, we are actively releasing our faith to be aligned with God’s will, God’s Word, and God’s power. We are not begging Him to heal us or trying to persuade Him to heal our loved ones—we already know it is His will to heal.

Prayer is about building an intimate relationship with Him. When we pray and partake of the holy Communion, we are receiving His love for us and receiving His healing power into our physical bodies. Talk to God today (that’s what prayer is) about your health challenges, and let Him impart boldness to you and confidence in your heart that He wants you healthy.

So when fear grips your heart, go somewhere quiet and find rest in the intimate love of Jesus through the holy Communion. Talk to your Savior, and as you lift up the bread, tell Him, “Lord Jesus, thank You that You love me so much You allowed Your body to be broken so mine can be whole. Right now, I receive Your wholeness, Your strength, and Your divine health.”

As you lift up the cup, say, “Thank You for Your precious blood, which has cleansed me of every sin. Right now, I can come boldly to Your throne of grace, knowing I am completely righteous, knowing my prayers avail much!”

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

Worship Activates Angels

The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them.

Psalm 34:7

Beloved, we have a resource that is greater than any attack the devil can launch against us. Would you like to know how you can activate angels in your life?

The most important key is worship. As you offer your praise to the Lord, the passage above tells us that’s when angels are most active. Our Lord Jesus defined “fear” as “worship” for us. When Satan tempted Him in the wilderness, Jesus responded by quoting from Deuteronomy 6:13, which says, “You shall fear the LORD your God.” But He changed the word “fear” to “worship” and said to the devil, “For it is written, ‘You shall worship the LORD your God’” (Matt. 4:10).

Beloved, when you worship the Lord, His angels camp all around you, surrounding you to deliver you. If you are going through a difficult period in your life and are fearful, choose to worship Him. Fear fills our hearts when we are occupied with ourselves, but when we worship the Lord, we become occupied with Him, His beauty, and His goodness, and His angels surround us like a protective shield.

My ministry receives praise reports from people all over the world who, upon encountering His love for them personally through the preaching of the gospel, go on to be conscious of and full of thanksgiving for His goodness and grace upon their lives. Let me share with you a praise report from Sophia (who lives in Georgia, US), who’s also experienced the Lord’s intervention and protection.

Today, I read your devotional titled God’s Angels Are Watching Over You and was really encouraged. I recall an incident when my daughter and I were driving down the road behind an eighteen-wheeler when a vintage-looking car suddenly tried to get between our vehicle and the truck. I thought, “Why are you—” Right then, I heard a voice inside speak to me, asking me to be quiet. So I let the car squeeze in front of us. Immediately after I let the car in, one tire of the eighteen-wheeler blew. Surprisingly, the vintage car stayed in front of my car, taking the full impact of all the flying pieces of the exploded tire.

Once there were no more tire pieces coming from the truck, the vintage car returned to the left side of the road and drove off quickly. It then dawned on me that perhaps the driver of this car was an angel of the Lord. I was so encouraged to know that God protects us in these days and times!

Amen! When God gives His angels charge over you, they go ahead of you to guard and protect you from all sorts of danger. And yes, they may even choose to travel in vintage cars. Hebrews 13:2 says, “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares” (KJV).

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

Have Confidence in the Unmerited Favor of Jesus

And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.

Ruth 2:3 KJV

There is a beautiful story of a Moabite woman named Ruth in the Bible. In the natural, Ruth had everything against her. She was a poor widow, and she was a Moabitess, a Gentile in the Jewish nation of Israel. But even after her husband died, Ruth remained with her mother-in-law Naomi. She left her family to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem, and made Naomi’s God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—her God.

Now, because of their poverty, Naomi and Ruth could not afford to buy grain, and Ruth had to go out to the field to perform the menial task of gleaning whatever the reapers had left behind. I want you to notice that Ruth was depending on the Lord’s favor for she said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor” (Ruth 2:2). Ruth was confident that God would give her favor even though she was a foreigner and had no connections with anyone in the field. She didn't even know whose part of the field she would be able to glean in.

Look at the Bible's account of what happened next: “And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.” Of all the spots in the field that Ruth could have wandered into, her “hap” was to come to the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was a man of great wealth, and who also happened to be Naomi’s relative. “Hap” is an old English word and it means “to happen” to be at the right place. However, in the original Hebrew text, the root of this word is the word qarah, which means right happening!

When Ruth trusted in God’s unmerited favor, she qarah-ed or happened to come to the part of the field that belonged to Boaz. To cut a long story short, Boaz saw Ruth, fell in love with her and married her. Ruth was possibly at the lowest point of her life just before she met Boaz. All the natural factors were against her. But because she put her trust in the Lord, who put her at the right place at the right time, her situation was turned around completely. In fact, she became one of the few woman to be mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, which states that “Boaz begot Obed by Ruth.” What an honor to be included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

My friend, no matter what natural circumstances may be against you today, have confidence in the unmerited favor of Jesus and He will give you what I call “qarah success.” He will cause you to be positioned at the right place at the right time to experience His protection and success in your relationships, career, and finances.

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

Seek Greater Revelation

'Jesus answered him, I spake openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue, and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort;

and in secret have I said nothing.'

 John 18:20

The truths of God are hidden for His children, not from them. The Holy Spirit has been instructed to teach us all things (Jn. 14:26) and has given us an unction so that we will know all things (1 Jn. 2:20). We only have to appropriate what is ours.

What God desires His New Testament saints to know, that the Old Testament saints could not know, is 'Christ in you the hope of glory.' The coming of the Messiah was predicted in the Old Testament, but the idea that He would actually dwell in us was beyond anyone's imagination. However, the New Testament is clear that Christ, by the Holy Spirit, takes up permanent residence in all believers. This is a wonderful truth that some fail to fully appreciate. Solomon said at the dedication of the temple, 'But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?' We could say, 'How much less this physical body?' This is truly amazing!

The Lord's commitment to dwell in us and never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5), must be taken as an indication of His great love for us. If we continually thought upon this, with all its implications, how could we ever be lonely or discouraged? We couldn't! Depression and self-pity would cease!

Why would it matter what others thought of us if we truly understood how much Jesus thought of us?

Our attitudes and fears reveal that this revelation of 'Christ in us' is not a well established revelation in most Christians. However, this verse makes it clear that our Father wants to make 'the riches of the glory of this mystery' known unto us. We should all be seeking a greater revelation of this truth. Andrew Womack

Message from AmirTsarfati

To those who eagerly wait for Him, He will appear a second time apart from sin for salvation. Do you understand what we just said? There’s a group of people to whom Jesus will come back to, but not descend on the Mount of Olives for. Instead, He will appear in the clouds. It’s a different story. And to them and them only, He will appear a second time. What for? To save them from their sins? No. He already came to save us from our sins. It’s for a different salvation, as per Romans 8, a salvation of the body. Look at you. Look at yourself right now. Pathetic. Most of us here have reached the point where we’ve stopped admiring what we see when we look at the mirror. And now it’s a free fall. If you put a photo of you from 20 years ago, you can tell you’re dying. This is a tent. It’s not a building. This is a sinful body that cannot and will not enter the Kingdom of God. And in order for us to change, He needs to come and appear in the clouds. And for that, He’s going to come, and it is to those who eagerly wait for Him.

Something to bear in mind when we encounter the word “salvation” in scripture is that the word is not exclusive to the saving of the soul. The word can also mean “deliverance.” The deliverance of the soul will at times be the meaning, while elsewhere it is the deliverance from these fleshly temporal bodies or even from our enemies.

Such is the case in Hebrews 9:

Hebrews 9:28
So Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

The means through which souls are saved was accomplished at the first coming of Jesus. At His next appearing, there will be another purpose that is also referred to as “salvation.”

Philippians 3:20-21
For our citizenship is in heaven, from which we also eagerly wait for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.

Someday we are going to have these lowly, weak, and wearing out bodies transformed into bodies like that of the resurrected Lord. We will be delivered from all its limitations and be given bodies capable of eternal existence. This is part of our salvation to be sure. But, again, the saving our souls is not the purpose of His appearing in the clouds.

Romans 8:22-23
For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

He will appear a second time for the redemption of our bodies and take us to where He is, and we will then forever be with the Lord! Romans 8 reminds us of what Paul wrote in Ephesians 1, that we who have the Holy Spirit” have been guaranteed a future inheritance and that inheritance requires the redemption of our bodies.

Some will “get this” more than others, but you’ll all understand the idea. Imagine a body that never tires, never grows old, never needs glasses, never has hair that turns gray or falls out. It is one that can run and not grow weary, and walk and not faint.

Jesus is going to appear a second time to bring all of those things and more to pass. All we can say to that is:

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

From Glory to Glory

But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.

2 Corinthians 3:18

I believe that Jesus is doing a great work in your life right now. Maybe you can’t see it because there’s something that you have done in your past that you just can’t seem to shake off, that seems like weights around your feet holding you down. Beloved, today is the day for your breakthrough. Learn to see what God sees by fixing your eyes on Jesus.

You need to understand that what you see or how others see you is not as important as how God sees you. Many people think that God sees them in their sins and is just waiting to pounce on them to punish them. This wrong belief produces wrong living. If you see God this way, you can’t help but be in constant fear, insecurity, and anxiety over your past sins. Today, make a decision to turn your eyes to Jesus, for He has already made you, the believer, righteous with His blood!

In fact, the more you behold Jesus, the more you are transformed “from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the LORD” (2 Cor. 3:18). Fixing your eyes on Jesus is the greatest holiness. Many think they have to do more in order to be more holy, accepted, and loved by God. The truth is, when you behold Jesus more and see His love, His forgiveness, His abundant grace, and His gift of righteousness purchased for you with His own blood, you will be transformed supernaturally.

Holiness is a by-product of seeing Jesus in His grace. When you see Jesus and receive His love and grace every day, your heart is transformed inwardly. This is not outward behavior modification. This is real change that is sustained by a heart touched by His grace and by an emancipated conscience that is forever freed from guilt. This is when that addiction begins to drop from your life. This is when that fear begins to dissolve in His perfect love, and that condemnation arising from your past mistakes is cleansed by His precious blood.

What a life! This is the life that God wants you to experience. Can you see it? Can you see what He sees?

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

The Gracious Gift of Righteousness

For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:17

If you struggle, as many believers do, with whether you deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious, you are asking the wrong question.

The question you should be asking is, does Jesus deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious? Because you are in Christ, having a blessed future is not contingent on how much you strive to be perfect or how hard you work at changing yourself. It is contingent on the person of Jesus.

The Bible proclaims, “as He is, so are we in this world” (1 John 4:17). Does Jesus deserve to be blessed, favored, and victorious? Then so do you! This is what being in Christ Jesus means. It means that today, God assesses you and sees you based on the perfection of Jesus Christ. Jesus’ righteousness is your righteousness. In fact, the Bible explains that because Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us, we are now the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21).

“Righteousness” is a legal term. It means to have right standing before God. Vine’s Expository Dictionary of Biblical Words defines righteousness as “that gracious gift of God to men whereby all who believe on the Lord Jesus Christ are brought into right relationship with God.” In other words, your right standing before God is based upon Jesus’ right standing before God.

Today, you are as righteous as Jesus because your righteousness is from Him. He purchased it for you at the cross. When you received Him as your Lord and Savior, He took away all your unrighteousness once and for all and gave you His gift of righteousness. This righteousness is something that you can never obtain or achieve through your right doing; it can only be received by your right believing in Jesus.

And do you know what happens when you receive this gift of righteousness? The Bible declares that “those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ” (Rom. 5:17). Hey, when you reign, your addictions don’t. When you reign, sicknesses don’t. When you reign, fear, depression, and every obstacle that is obstructing you from living your life to the fullest will be torn down and flushed out!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

First Peter 5 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.” Knowing this first that scoffers will come in the last days. You see, all of these people that are laughing at you because you’re so much into Bible prophecy, you know why they’re laughing at you? Because they are about their own lusts and you stand in their way.

I remember when I landed in Singapore and somebody picked me up in a beautiful Mercedes and he drove me to the hotel. On the way, he told me how much God blessed his business and how God blessed him with so much money. He’s building a huge house; he’s in a process of making the nicest house that he’s ever had. And he said, “I don't even mind that Jesus will not come back soon.” Because he wanted to enjoy this beautiful house.

It’s the private lust of that particular thing. People are so much into the worldly things that the last thing they need is for someone to be excited about the coming of the Lord. Their own lusts are saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” And they fall asleep. These people, they’re not sent by God. They don’t have the Spirit of God, and it’s their own private lust that motivates them to laugh at you. There is an effect when you are eagerly waiting for Him. There is a blessing in the waiting. It regards providence, as in Psalm 18, “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.”

It renews our strength, as Psalm 31 says, “Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the Lord.” “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint” (Isaiah 40:31). It also rejects fear. Psalm 37 says, “Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the men who brings wicked schemes to pass.” It reaffirms our perspective.

While getting scoffed at and belittled may not be high on your list of pleasures in life, there are two things we can recognize when it happens. One, we are watching the fulfillment of prophecy in a very personal way. And two, someone knows what you believe. 

Ephesians 6:16
Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Our response when the fiery darts come our way is often to wander into the realm of emotions rather than continuing steadfast in the faith. The shield of faith has the capacity to quench all the fiery darts of the enemy. This is because the object of our faith, the Holy One of Israel, the head of the church, is our covering and shield.

Psalm 18:1-3
I will love You, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold. I will call upon the LORD, who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies.

Psalm 18:30
As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him.

The Hebrew word translated as “shield” can also mean “protector or defender”. It is the word that is figuratively used to describe the scaly hide of a crocodile, which pictures something impenetrable. 

So when your adversaries roar like a lion and scoff and mock you for what you believe, fear not, for He is with you and will never leave or forsake you. Remember, we have been told what the world will be like in the last days and we are experiencing the fulfillment of it every day.

Isaiah 40:31
But those who wait on the LORD Shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. 

The word translated as “wait” means “to bind together”. Those who bind together with the Lord will not be weary or faint, but they will have renewed strength and will mount up with wings like eagles. That means that no matter what comes our way, no matter the scoffing and disparaging remarks and attitudes toward us, these things cannot diminish our strength because the one we are bound to is the God of immeasurable power and strength. Binding ourselves to Him means we will not be moved!  

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

God's Awesome Power

'As soon then as he had said unto them, I am he,

they went backward, and fell to the ground.'

John 18:6 

It is evident that it was the power of God that made these six hundred men fall backwards to the ground, but why did it happen when He said, 'I am he'?

In this verse, and also in verse eight, the word 'he' is italicized. That means that the word 'he' was not in the original text but was added by the translators to make the sentence grammatically correct. This serves a useful purpose and is very helpful in most cases. However, the translators put these additions in italics so that we could be aware of what the text literally said.

In this instance, Jesus literally said, 'I am.' Since Jesus was God manifest in the flesh, His statement of 'I am,' carried just as much weight as when He expressed it to Moses (Ex. 3:14). This is nothing less than the Almighty God releasing His glory through the powerful statement, 'I AM.' No wonder these men were knocked to the ground.

This graphically illustrates how Jesus could have easily defended Himself against any size army that would come to take His life. As He said in John 10:18, 'No man taketh it (i.e. His life) from me, but I lay it down of myself.'

There are many instances recorded in scripture where people fell to the ground as a result of being in God's presence. The same thing still happens today. Just as some people faint when they experience fear, when they experience the awesome presence of God, they become weak, and lose strength in their physical body. Andrew Womack

Is There No Suffering for the Believer?

For to you it has been granted on behalf of Christ, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake.

Philippians 1:29

A question I'm often asked is: Is there suffering in the body of Christ?

My friend, we are called and given the privilege to suffer persecution for His name’s sake as the apostle Paul states in today’s scripture. Furthermore, Paul tells his protégé, Timothy, “Everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution” (2 Tim. 3:12 NLT). Jesus Himself said that those who follow Him will be persecuted for His name’s sake (Matt. 10:22).

However, I want you to be clear that this persecution doesn’t involve terminal illnesses, tragic accidents, or premature death.

But Pastor Prince, wasn’t Job a righteous man who experienced terrible suffering?

What happened to Job is not something that will happen to you who are IN CHRIST today. You see, one of Job’s complaints was this: “If only there were a mediator between us, someone who could bring us together” (Job 9:33 NLT). Now, read these powerful words spoken by Elihu in Job 33:23–24, which describes this mediator: “If there is a messenger for him, a mediator, one among a thousand, to show man His uprightness, then He is gracious to him, and says, ‘Deliver him from going down to the Pit; I have found a ransom.’”

Elihu’s description of a mediator foreshadows what 1 Timothy 2:5–6 tells us, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” Job experienced his sufferings because he didn’t have a mediator. But today, you and I do—in the person of our Lord Jesus, who died at the cross to atone for our sins and made us righteous before God. He became our ransom (the Hebrew word for ransom comes from the root word kaphar, which means “to make an atonement”).

Beloved, the atoning blood of Christ has canceled all the legal rights that the enemy had against you and your family. When you receive all that His perfect sacrifice at the cross has accomplished for you, you don’t have to live afraid that you will be like Job. Unlike Job, you have a mediator—Christ Jesus. In Him you can look forward to a future full of His promises, blessings, and protection (Ps. 23:6)!

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

He Freely Gives

He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?

Romans 8:32

Isaiah 53:5 tells us that by Jesus’ stripes we are healed. Every stripe He bore as He was scourged was for our healing. And He willingly allowed stripe after stripe to rip into His body so you and I could be well. Don’t ever believe the enemy’s lie that God wants you sick or that He is not willing to heal you. At the cross, our Lord Jesus demonstrated once and for all that He wants you well.

The Bible even tells us that it pleased the Lord to “crush Him” (Isa. 53:10 NASB). I used to wonder how it could have pleased the Lord to crush His own Son. Then one day, the Lord showed me.

My wife, Wendy, and I had gone to a mall and the nearest parking lot we could find was quite a distance away. We did a lot of shopping that day and before we knew it, we had our hands full of shopping bags. By this time, our Jessica, who was a cherubic two-year-old then, was tired and wanted to be carried. I picked her up with one arm, and she was so exhausted she fell asleep on my shoulder almost immediately.

As we walked toward our car, I felt my arm go to sleep, and I realized the car was much farther away than I had thought. It felt like a million pins and needles were piercing my arm, and I knew I could stop the burning pain by simply putting Jessica down and making her walk the rest of the way. But she was sleeping so soundly and deeply, I could not bear to put her down. I loved her so much I was willing to “crush” my arm so my little darling could continue to sleep.

All of a sudden I began to understand how it could please God to crush Jesus, who is described in the same chapter as “the arm of the LORD” (Isa. 53:1). It pleased the Lord to crush His only begotten Son because of His great love for you and me. That was the only way God could save us from sin and disease, and He willingly chose to give up His Son.

Today you can have full assurance God wants to heal you. The Bible tells us, “He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”

God already gave us the best of heaven when He gave us His darling Jesus. What are our temporal needs when He has already given us a gift that is eternal? Whatever your needs are, whether it is financial provision or healing for your body, they are all lesser compared to the gift of His Son. How shall He not with Him also freely give them to you?

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

The Truth About God’s Chastening

“My son, do not despise the chastening of the LORD, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the LORD loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”

Hebrews 12:5–6

Pastor Prince, how can you say there is no chastisement and punishment in the new covenant? Today’s scripture states it very clearly.

My friend, there is confusion in the church because the original Greek word for “chastens” in today’s scripture has been poorly translated. The Greek word is actually paideuo, which means child training. Pai is where you get the word pediatrician (a doctor who specializes in treating children), while deuo means to teach a child. You will find that the translation of the word paideuo as child training is more consistent with the context of the passage. Read on.

The next verse says, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Heb. 12:7). Clearly, because God deals with us as sons, He disciplines and brings correction to us just as earthly fathers would their sons.

Now, think about this for a moment: would you give your son a sickness, terminal disease, or accident to teach him a lesson? Then why do you think your loving Father in heaven would do that? No way! When you train your child, you give him lessons that will teach him things to benefit him in the future. And for him to benefit from the lesson, how can he die from it?

So God would never use terminal sicknesses or fatal accidents to teach you and me—His children—lessons. In the new covenant, while there is no longer any punishment for sins, there is child training. But God does not train His children with sicknesses, diseases, or accidents any more than you and I do. He does it through His Word (2 Tim. 3:16–17, Heb. 12:9).

Yet, sadly, there are still Christians who accuse our heavenly Father of using sickness and disease to discipline His children. What kind of God is that? Come on, He is our Abba! Abba is the most affectionate term you can use to address a father in the Hebrew language. It means “Daddy!” Do you really think your Daddy God will punish you that way?

If you earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Daddy who loves you (Matt. 7:11). Sicknesses, diseases, and accidents are from the devil, and because of Jesus’ finished work, we have been redeemed from every evil work and curse.

We can receive protection from every evil occurrence, sickness, and disease. Our heavenly Father is one who “forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Ps. 103:3–4). And by the stripes on Jesus’ back, we are healed!

Whenever you hear a teaching that puts fear in your heart, such as “God gives you diseases and accidents to teach you a lesson,” you can be sure that what you are hearing is not the gospel, or good news, of Jesus. The good news of Jesus always liberates as His perfect love removes every fear. The good news always imparts faith and exalts the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross!

My friend, reject anything that even remotely suggests that God is angry with you and is going to discipline you with painful, deadly things when you fail. Our Father is full of grace and mercy and wants us to be healthy, provided for, and protected from all evil occurrences! Let’s start to expect good gifts from Him.

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

Chose To Serve

'Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle,

separated unto the gospel of God'

Romans 1:1

In Romans chapter one, Paul calls himself a servant of Jesus Christ. Out of the six Greek words for 'servant' used in the New Testament, Paul used one of the most slavish terms possible. The word used in this passage is 'doulos' and comes from the root word 'deo' which means 'bind.' Paul literally speaks of himself as a bondman or slave of Jesus Christ - a slave by free choice; yet owned and purchased by Jesus Christ.

The idea of being a love-slave by choice comes from Old Testament passages such as Exodus 21:2-6 and Deuteronomy 15:12-17. If an Israelite bought a Hebrew slave, he must set him free in the seventh year. However, if the slave loved his master and said, 'I will not go away from thee,' then a hole was to be bored through the lobe of his ear pronouncing him a bond-slave forever.

Jesus is the supreme example of selflessness - He puts others ahead of Himself.

We see clearly from Jesus' example, that the way to exaltation in God's kingdom comes through humility and servanthood to others. Christ's humiliation, displayed in His coming to earth as a man, is not only a lesson in Christology but also an example to all believers of what greatness in God's kingdom entails. Let this attitude of heart, taken from the example of Jesus Christ, continue to motivate all true believers in Jesus Christ.

The Creator became the creation; the Lord became the servant; the Highest became the lowest. All of this was done because of God's great love for us. Andrew Womack

Your Hundredfold Harvest Is Coming

“But these are the ones sown on good ground, those who hear the word, accept it, and bear fruit: some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.”

Mark 4:20

When you get discouraged that you have been partaking of the holy Communion but your healing is taking longer than you hope for, the enemy can start to play mind games with you. Maybe you are starting to entertain thoughts that the Communion is just an empty ritual. May I tell you there is spiritual warfare going on to get you to give up on the very channel God has ordained to bring supernatural life and health into your body?

As I mentioned previously, miracles of instantaneous healing can take place. But our Lord Jesus tells us in today’s scripture what to expect when we are trusting Him for a breakthrough that does not manifest instantly. Notice what He says about how the seeds of the Word of God bear fruit when they fall on good ground. Luke’s gospel also records: “But as for that seed in the good soil, these are the ones who have heard the word with a good and noble heart, and hold on to it tightly, and bear fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15 AMP).

The seeds that fall on good ground “bear fruit with patience.” “Patience” refers to perseverance and endurance. Do you know why patience is involved? Because it takes time for seeds to bear fruit. It does not happen overnight. Just as the farmer waits patiently for the precious fruit of the earth, you also need to be patient (James 5:7). Your harvest will come incrementally—first thirtyfold, then sixtyfold, then a hundredfold.

When you begin to partake of the Communion, you might see some improvements, but the pain is mostly still there. That’s a thirtyfold harvest. Don’t give up! Keep on partaking of the holy Communion by faith until you get your sixtyfold harvest. That’s when you know there has been major improvement—you can even feel it—but maybe some symptoms are still there, lingering on. That’s the time to keep persevering, and to keep trusting, and to keep putting your eyes on His finished work until you see your hundredfold harvest of blessings, and you experience full healing for your condition.

When a seed is sown, you don’t see anything immediately, but you know it will begin to sprout leaves and grow. You don’t have to keep digging up the soil to check if the seed is growing. In the same way, when the seed of the Word of God is sown, your part is to have faith in the power of His Word and to be patient, as you believe that His words shall not return to Him void. And just as the earth yields crops incrementally, “first the blade, then the head, after that the full grain in the head” (Mark 4:28), I declare that you shall reap the full harvest of your healing!

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

Jesus, Be the Center

And He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.

2 Corinthians 12:9

I love how in Luke 24, the Holy Spirit intricately records for us the meeting that Jesus had with the two disciples on the road to Emmaus on the very first day of His resurrection. With heavy hearts, grieved and shell-shocked, they talked about how Jesus, whom they greatly esteemed, had been taken by the religious leaders, condemned to death, and crucified.

Read the full story and notice how the two disciples were caught up with their own understanding of the events that had transpired and with their thoughts about the redemption of Israel. As a result, they were downcast, disappointed, and depressed. This is what happens when the truth about Jesus is absent from our minds.

The disciples had hoped that Jesus would be the one who would redeem Israel. To them, Jesus was simply a means to an end. They were more consumed with Israel’s redemption than with the Redeemer Himself. No wonder they were depressed! Jesus can never simply be a means to an end, no matter how noble that end may be. We need to be occupied with Him and allow everything to revolve around Him as He takes center place in our lives.

The disciples were downcast because they didn’t believe in what God’s Word had prophesied about Jesus’ suffering and resurrection. If they had believed and understood that the events in the last three days were all orchestrated by God and that the cross was His grand redemption plan to save all men, they would have been rejoicing with faith, love, and hope. They would have been greatly anticipating their reunion with the resurrected Christ instead of being so inward-looking and discouraged. But because of their wrong beliefs, they had become disillusioned and were mentally defeated.

If you are feeling fearful, anxious, or depressed today, do a quick check. What’s on your mind? What’s your heart occupied with? Are your thoughts filled with faith in Jesus, the Shepherd of your life, or are they filled with apprehensions about the future, fears about your current situation, and excessive self-introspection? Give Him center place by believing that He is the answer to everything you need in life, and begin to walk in a new measure of His peace, joy, and liberty.

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

Choose To Focus On All That Is Good

'Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.

The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.'

Mark 14:38

Temptation is linked directly to what we think upon (Heb. 11:15). Temptation has to be entered into. We can avoid temptation by avoiding thoughts that generate temptation (Prov. 23:7). Since it is impossible to not think, we cannot just try to reject the negative thoughts in this world, but we must choose to think on the positive truths of God. This is where prayer comes in.

In prayer, we have our minds stayed upon God and therefore, are not receptive to thoughts that conceive temptation. Temptation or sin must be conceived (Jas. 1:14-15). In the physical realm, the easiest way to avoid an unwanted birth is to avoid conception, so it is in the spiritual world.

It is easier to avoid being tempted by being in constant communion with God, than it is to overcome temptation once it has been conceived.

Paul admonishes the Philippian believers to reflect and meditate upon eight positive principles of thinking that will lead to a victorious Christian life (Phil. 4:8). These are things that are 'true,' that is: honorable, truthful and upright. Things that are 'honest,' that is: honorable, truthful, genuine, not characterized by deception or fraud. Things that are 'just,' that is: in accordance with what is right, or right conduct; any circumstance, fact or deed that is right. Things that are 'pure,' free from defilement or impurity.

Things that are 'lovely,' pleasing, agreeable, inspiring love or affection. A 'good report,' that is: a saying or report that is positive and constructive rather than negative and destructive. 'Virtue,' which is moral excellence, righteousness and goodness. 'Praise,' or what is praiseworthy; expressing one's esteem of a person and his virtues. We need to focus on the good in every area of our lives. Recognizing God's hand in even the smallest things will bring peace and keep our hearts and minds following hard after the Lord. Andrew Womack

You Have Been Forgiven Much

Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.

Luke 7:47

Let’s look at Luke 7:36-50 to see what Jesus said about the forgiveness of sins. Simon, a Pharisee, had invited Jesus to his house. While Jesus was seated at the table in Simon’s house, a woman came to Him. She began to weep and she washed His feet with her tears. Then, she wiped His feet with her hair, kissed them, and anointed them with fragrant oil.

When Simon saw this, he said to himself, “This Man, if He were a prophet, would know who and what manner of woman this is who is touching Him, for she is a sinner.”

Even though Simon did not speak aloud, it is interesting that Jesus answered him by posing this question to him: “There was a certain creditor who had two debtors. One owed five hundred denarii, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing with which to repay, he freely forgave them both. Tell Me, therefore, which of them will love him more?” Simon answered, “I suppose the one whom he forgave more.” Jesus said to him, “You have rightly judged.”

Then, Jesus turned to the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I entered your house; you gave Me no water for My feet, but she has washed My feet with her tears and wiped them with the hair of her head. You gave Me no kiss, but this woman has not ceased to kiss My feet since the time I came in. You did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil. Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

The woman loved Jesus much because she knew that she was forgiven much. In actuality, no one has been forgiven little. We have all been forgiven much. As for this woman, she knew it. So the most “dangerous” thing about this doctrine of complete forgiveness of sins is that you will fall in love with Jesus and end up effortlessly fulfilling the greatest commandment: “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Matt. 22:36-38). Hallelujah!

If you think that you have been forgiven little, then you will love little. But when you know the truth of how much you have been forgiven, you will love Jesus much! Knowing how much you have been forgiven is the secret to loving Jesus! In other words, you will only love Jesus much when you experience His lavish grace and unmerited favor in forgiving you of all your sins—past, present, and future. But His grace is cheapened when you think that He has only forgiven you of your sins up to the time you got saved, and after that point, you have to depend on your confession of sins to be forgiven.

God’s forgiveness is not given in installments. Don’t go around thinking that when you confess a sin, He forgives you only for that sin. Then, the next time you sin, you need to confess your sin again for Him to forgive you again. Such is the kind of belief that cheapens His grace. And the result of this is that because you think that He has forgiven you little, you will end up loving Him little, and deprive yourself of running to Him and seeing Him help, deliver and prosper you.

Beloved, with one sacrifice on the cross, Jesus blotted out all the sins of your entire life! Don’t cheapen His unmerited favor with your own imperfect efforts to confess all your sins. Accord this gift that Jesus has given you the value that it deserves by fully receiving and experiencing His unmerited favor today!

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

It Is All About Seeing Jesus

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

Proverbs 4:20–22 NLT

I want to begin this day by asking you this question: amid all the different things you hear clamoring for your attention every day, are you hearing messages that are full of the good news of Jesus? This is so important because it is the basis of your walking in peace of mind and heart, and life and healing in your body.

The true ministry of any new covenant Bible teacher or preacher is to unveil Jesus to you and qualify you by the blood of Jesus. He or she does not come to unveil your faults or bring your sins to remembrance to disqualify you from entering God’s presence and enjoying His blessings. That is what an old covenant preacher does. In the Old Testament, the widow of Zarephath said to Elijah, “What have I to do with you, O man of God? Have you come to me to bring my sin to remembrance . . . ?” (1 Kings 17:18).

The enemy, our accuser, wants you to be conscious of yourself and keeps telling you to look at your every wrong deed and thought. My friend, don’t play his game. Turn away from his accusations and from yourself, and see Jesus. God is not judging you today based on you. He has placed you in Christ, and He sees the excellence, beauty, and perfection of Jesus when He looks at you.

The devil wants you self-conscious. God wants you Jesus-conscious. It is in your best interest to find out as much as you can about Jesus—who He is, His titles, His official glories, all that He possesses—because all that He is, God has set to your account. You are a joint heir to all that He has and all the inheritance that is due to Jesus is yours as well (Rom. 8:17)!

The law is all about you looking at yourself. The new covenant of grace is all about you seeing Jesus. The Pharisees committed large portions of the Word of God to memory and yet they could not see the Word of God in the flesh, standing before them. We should not be interested in just accumulating Bible knowledge. We should be opening the Scriptures to see more of Jesus. Some people think that if they knew Hebrew and Greek, they would understand the Bible better. Well, the Pharisees knew Hebrew and that did nothing for them. What we need is for the Holy Spirit to unveil to us revelations and hidden gems about Jesus and His finished work.

Very often, when Jesus and His grace are not our focus, we find ourselves wandering in the desert of legalism and becoming discouraged and disillusioned with life as a believer. This was something Raymond, who lives in Australia, went through after becoming a believer when he was twelve. He was brought up believing that God would smite him if he did not keep the law perfectly. At the age of fifteen, he stopped going to church and reading the Bible as he felt that it was all too hard. But over the years, he never stopped believing that Jesus is the Son of God. At the age of fifty-four, Raymond kept a promise he made to his father to return to church. It was there that Raymond was introduced to my ministry, and this was his response to receiving the message of grace:

When I heard about what Jesus had accomplished for me at the cross, I felt a weight lift off my shoulders. For the first time in my life, I felt so close to my Savior and all I could do was cry and say, “You are awesome, Jesus!” over and over again. I know that I am the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ through His perfect finished work on the cross and that as Jesus is in heaven, so am I in this world. So every time I go through a trial, I just ask myself, “Is Jesus defeated by this in heaven? No. Well, neither am I here on earth.”

I have learned to bring Jesus into every situation quickly so that I can rest in His unmerited and undeserved grace and love. Because God is with me, it does not matter what things look like in the natural as God is above all of it. I have learned to trust Jesus and tap into His love and wisdom daily. He is faithful and will NEVER leave me nor forsake me. I can truly say I have experienced the superabundance of God’s grace.

I know now that God had never forgotten me even though I turned away from Him. God answered my dad’s prayer and now his entire family serves the Lord! Hallelujah, praise Jesus!

Beloved, your enjoying peace, joy, and victory in this life is all about seeing Jesus, because from Him comes every supply and provision—His grace, His love, His righteousness, and His forgiveness. Keep focusing on His grace and love for you and I promise you, your life will be transformed beyond your wildest imagination.

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

Jesus Is with Us in Our Troubles

“Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, who sent His Angel and delivered His servants who trusted in Him.”

Daniel 3:28

The book of Daniel records how King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon made a towering golden statue and commanded all in his kingdom to bow down before it and worship it. Three young men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, whom the king had appointed to oversee the province of Babylon, refused to do so. Humiliated by their defiance, the king was livid. He gave them one more chance to bow down and worship his golden statue or be thrown immediately into a blazing furnace.

Without flinching, they said, “O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you. If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God whom we serve is able to save us. He will rescue us from your power, Your Majesty. But even if he doesn’t . . . we will never serve your gods or worship the gold statue you have set up” (Dan. 3:16–18 NLT). The king commanded that the furnace be heated seven times hotter than usual, and ordered some of his strongest soldiers to bind them and throw them into the furnace. The furnace was so hot that the flames killed the soldiers as they threw the three men into the roaring flames, securely bound.

Suddenly, the king jumped up in amazement and exclaimed to his officials, “Did we not cast three men bound into the midst of the fire?” They answered and said to the king, “True, O king.” “Look!” he answered, “I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire; and they are not hurt, and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God” (Dan. 3:24–25).

Nebuchadnezzar called out, “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, servants of the Most High God, come out! Come here!” The three men stepped out of the fire and all the officials and advisers crowded around them and “saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched” (Dan. 3:26–27 NLT). In fact, the flames only served to loose them from their bonds.

Amazed at how their God had protected them, Nebuchadnezzar began praising God himself. The king then issued a decree stating that if any person spoke a word against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, they would be cut in pieces and their houses would be turned into ash heaps “because there is no other God who can deliver like this” (Dan. 3:29). Then, the king promoted the three men to even higher positions in the province of Babylon.

Beloved, this is your God.

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