GOD IS NOT PUNISHING YOU FOR SOME SIN

Some Christians believe that although you have forgiveness of sins, you are not free from the penalties of your sins. In other words, you can still expect punishment from God. For example, some married Christian couples have been told that they are childless because God is punishing them for having had pre-marital sex. So although God has forgiven them of that sin, He still has to punish them for it.

I am certainly not for pre-marital sex, but I want you to know that God, who is the only one who can fully appreciate the full value of His Son’s blood and who is completely satisfied by His Son’s sacrifice, is at rest in His heart today concerning your sins! That is why He is not against you even when you fail. Neither is He out to punish you when you sin. No, He still loves you, is for you and wants to help you overcome that sin.

In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats could only “cover” sins and not take them away (see Hebrews 10:4). But the blood of Jesus is not like the blood of animals! For by one sacrifice, the eternal blood of the Son of God has forever removed your sins (see Psalm 103:12) and cleansed you of all unrighteousness (see 1 John 1:9)! In fact, God is so satisfied with His Son’s perfect work that He says to you today, “Your sins and lawless deeds I will by no means remember!” (see Hebrews 10:17). And if God does not remember them, why would He punish you for them?

Beloved, you have “redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.” Because Jesus’ work is complete, all your sins have been completely forgiven. And complete forgiveness means that the penalties for your sins can no longer fall on you because they had already fallen on Jesus at the cross (see Isaiah 53:5).

So don’t think for one moment that God is punishing you for some sin just because something bad happened to you. Look to the cross and know that all your sins have already been punished fully in the body of Christ. Believe that God is for you and expect victory!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

'LORD, I CANNOT, BUT YOU CAN!"

Have you ever tried to break a bad habit on your own? You probably found that when you tried to stop it by sheer willpower, you saw improvement for a while, and then bounced back to square one. Worse, you found yourself binging on the very thing that you were trying not to do. And your condition is worse than before you started your “I’m going to quit” program!

The changes were temporary because it was you doing it.

A church member who had been a chain-smoker used to believe that with willpower, he could quit smoking. He would tell himself, “If there is a will, there is a way!” But he discovered that with willpower, he could stop smoking for a week or two, and then he would succumb to the pull of nicotine again.

When he turned his life over to God and learnt about God’s grace, he told God, “I realize that I cannot stop smoking. I cannot, but You can break my habit, Lord.” And every time he lit up, he would say, “Lord, I am trying to stop smoking, but I cannot. I am trusting You.” He would even say, “I am still righteous because of Jesus’ blood.”

Well, in the very same year, all his cravings to smoke vanished! When asked how he succeeded, he would say, “It is entirely God and none of me! It is all by His grace.” This man lost all the desire to smoke. That is true transformation.

When you receive the grace of God to do for you what you cannot do, you will experience effortless and permanent change on the inside, which in turn changes your actions on the outside. The Bible tells us that God works in us to give us both the will and ability to perform what He desires. It is God who removes the old want to’s and gives us new ones. And He even gives us the power to carry them out!

Beloved, look to His grace to do what you cannot do. Say, “Lord, I cannot, but You can!” Then, what you experience will not merely be behavior modification, but true and lasting inward transformation!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

HEARING RIGHT PRODUCES RIGHT BELIEVING

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

We all want to live victorious, overcoming lives. And to live right, we need to believe right.

But Pastor Prince, how do I begin to believe right?

Hearing plays a huge part in right believing. You cannot believe right unless you are hearing right. Man, that was good! I don’t want you to miss that. You cannot believe right unless you are hearing right. I believe the woman with the issue of blood in Mark 5:27-29 began to believe right when she began to hear right. God’s Word tells us that “faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ” (Rom. 10:17 NLT).

What you hear is vital. If you are believing God for a breakthrough in your life, pay attention to what you are listening to. Are you hearing messages that are full of the good news of Jesus? After you listen to these messages (or read these resources), are you filled with the heavy sense of what you need to do? Or are you filled with the empowering sense of who Jesus is in your life and everything He has done for you at the cross?

According to the law, the woman with the issue of blood was unclean, unworthy, and disqualified. If she had heard that Jesus was no different from the religious Pharisees of her day, there was no way she would have had a positive expectation of good. Under the law, when the unclean touches the clean, the clean becomes unclean. But under the grace of God, when the unclean touches the clean (Jesus), the unclean becomes clean! This woman didn’t defile Jesus with her uncleanness when she reached out and touched His garments. On the contrary, she was infected with Jesus’ health and wholeness and made completely whole. Oh, the beauty and the depths of God’s amazing grace!

What have you been hearing about Jesus? Are you hearing about a hard, legalistic, and religious Jesus who is demanding, harsh, and unforgiving? Or are you hearing the true good news of His love, grace, and tender mercies toward you?

The true gospel of grace always imparts hope and faith to you to believe in Jesus and His goodness. No matter how long you have been struggling or how long it has been since you saw any results, I want to encourage you to fill your ears, eyes, and mind with the good news of Jesus. Trust me, when you incline your ear to messages that are all about His grace, you will inevitably begin to have a positive, confident expectation of good. When your heart is filled with hope through hearing all the amazing stories about Jesus, like the woman, you’ll reach out in faith. Beloved, reach out and receive your miracle and freedom from your loving Savior today!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

CONTINUE IN GOD’S GRACE

I have had people tell me, “Pastor Prince, please pray for me. I can’t see a way out of the mess I am in. I know that this whole thing is my fault. Right now, I don’t even know whether God will hear my prayers.”

If you think about it, a whole lot of our troubles are of our own making. But it is when we deserve the punishment and not the blessing that we can receive grace—the undeserved favour and unmerited help of God!

When we stop trying to be deserving of God’s help, we find God more than willing to be our Savior. But when we continue to try to work things out, we are trying to be our own saviours. God will say, “Save yourself because I can’t help you when you don’t need My help.”

You might be thinking, “But Pastor Prince, don’t you know, God helps those who help themselves?”

Contrary to popular belief, this saying that “God helps those who help themselves” is not in the Bible! God does not help those who help themselves. He helps those who are helpless and dependent on Him. He helps those who look to Him as their only source of help for their problem.

If you say, “My problem is that I am weak.” God says, “That is not a problem. I am your strength.” If you say, “Lord, my face is the problem. I am ugly.” God says, “My face will shine on yours. I am your glory.” If you say, “Lord, I am the problem. I am a nobody.” God says, “I will make you a somebody.”

Unfortunately, many of us are still trying to help ourselves, thinking that for certain matters, we don’t really need God. But God says, “Without Me, you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Do we really believe that? Or do we believe that without Him, we can still do some things to help ourselves?

Only when we realize that we can do nothing, and are nothing in and of ourselves, can we do all things through Christ who strengthens us (see Philippians 4:13). Then, we will see the undeserved, unmerited help and favour of God deliver us from every evil!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

BOLD AS A LION

The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favour is like dew on the grass.  Proverbs 19:12 (boldface mine)

Today, we are beneficiaries of God’s favour, because His wrath against our sins has already been completely satisfied at Calvary. In Hebrew, the word used for “favour” is ratsown, which means His pleasure, delight, goodwill, and acceptance.

Our place of protection was purchased with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, we have been made righteous, and all the blessings of the righteous, including protection, provision, and length of days, are our inheritance. That’s the place we are in today. Isn’t that beautiful? No wonder the Scriptures tell us, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov. 28:1). It also tells us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). A righteous man (or woman) is who you are in Christ, and when you pray the prayer of protection in Psalm 91, your prayers avail much, for God answers your prayers!

I received a testimony of God’s divine protection from Sally, who lives in South Africa. Be encouraged as you read how she prayed for protection knowing that she is righteous in Christ:

I was driving a rented car when I heard a loud bang. With­in moments, the car was on fire. I immediately switched off the engine to get out. But to my horror, I could not remove the seat belt or open the door! I was stuck.

Finally, I managed to get the door opened. By then, the flames were threatening to come inside the car and I had to close the door again because I was trapped by the seat belt. I called out to Abba Father and just declared, “I am Your righteousness. You are the only One who can save me!” As those words were echoing in my ears and heart, I heard a click as the seat belt was released. I dashed out of the car.

When the fire department arrived, they were able to stop the blaze. I praise the Lord for delivering me safely out of this dangerous situation! I realized that the devil has long been defeated and we don’t have to fear anything anymore.

Praise the Lord for His deliverance and protection. I rejoice that we are shielded from danger because of the righteousness we have in Christ!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

JESUS ALWAYS HAS TIME FOR YOU

Ever been too busy to get something done, and then find out that it’s too late when you finally get down to it? As human beings, we live our lives constrained by time. But Jesus, the one who created time, is not time-bound. He always has time for each one of us!

Even in His earthly ministry, in His limited form as Man, He always had time to minister to people. Consider a typical day in His ministry: When a severely demon-possessed man cried out from the tombs of a distant region, He had time to sail all the way from Galilee to the country of the Gadarenes to save that lonely, tormented man. On the way there, He had time to respond to the cries of His disciples when a fierce storm arose. He awoke from a much-deserved sleep and calmed the storm for them

After He saved the demonized man and returned to Galilee, another man, Jairus, came to him for help. Jairus’ 12-year-old daughter was dying and he begged Jesus to come to his house to heal her. Jesus agreed—He had time. But on His way there, a woman with a 12-year bleeding condition secretly touched the hem of His garment and received her healing. Though Jairus’ daughter was in the throes of death, Jesus had time to find out who had touched Him, just so that He could minister to that person.

While Jesus was ministering to the woman, He received a death report concerning Jairus’ daughter. Now, in the natural, Jesus was “too late.” Yet, He did not consider it a waste of time to encourage Jairus, “Do not be afraid; only believe, and she will be made well” (Luke 8:49–50). He wasn’t troubled or harried. He took time to go to Jairus’ house and He raised the little damsel from the dead.

My friend, this same loving Jesus always has time for you, His beloved. He hears your cries, cares about the little and big things that bother you, and will come and save you. Even when He is “busy,” He has time to stop and minister to you. Even when it seems “too late,” He will still see to it that you get your miracle!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission).

GETTING FILLED WITH ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD

We would all like to experience more health, abundance and success in our lives. God, being God, has all of these things, won’t you agree? So to be full of God is to be full of health, abundance and success. But how does one become full of God?

In the past, I was told that to be “filled with all the fullness of God,” I had to fast a certain number of days, pray a certain number of hours and speak in tongues incessantly! I am not belittling fasting, praying or speaking in tongues, but to be filled with all the fullness of God is not about what you do. It is not even about your love for Christ. It is actually about knowing the love of Christ! No one ever told me that if I knew how much God loves me and focused on His love for me, I would be full of Him.

When God made you, He designed you to run at optimal level when you are filled with His love, like a car that runs at its best when it is filled with the right kind of petrol or gasoline. When you realize how much God loves you and you feed on His love for you, you will be supernaturally filled with the fullness of God.

And to be full of God is to be full of everything God is to you and has for you. To be full of God is to come to a place of life, health, peace, abundance—total wellness.

Also, when you are conscious of how much God loves you and you become filled with the fullness of God, what follows is the next verse—God doing exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think, according to the power that works in you (see Ephesians 3:20). You will experience the tremendous blessings of God exploding in your life! You will become a blessing magnet!

So as God’s beloved, continue to be nourished by His love for you, and experience more health, abundance and success in your life!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

ANCHOR YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Romans 8:37

Several years ago, I preached a message on how the devil sometimes uses the first-person pronoun to plant thoughts in our heads to deceive us. For example, he doesn’t say, “You have an eating disorder” or “You have an addiction.” The devil uses the first-person pronoun to sow thoughts such as these in your mind: “I have an eating disorder” or “I am addicted to pornography.” He makes you think that you are thinking those thoughts of defeat. He wants you to believe that is who you are.

Upon hearing this message, a man named Walter, whom the devil had used this strategy on and trapped in a destructive addiction for many years, went home after church, locked himself in his room, and for the first time declared out loud, “I am not an addict!” He chose to reject this evil mindset in the name of Jesus. He related this: “At that very moment, I felt something powerful happen inside me. I don’t know how to describe this. It was as if life became spectacular because of the love of God, and I couldn’t contain the feeling.”

After making that confession out loud, Walter said, “My addiction stopped. I just lost all interest, and I don’t feel even a little bit tempted. All the wrong desires are gone, and best of all, I know I love Jesus more than ever before and I can’t live without Him. I am renewed. I am reborn. I know that everything is in His control, and I am blessed and forgiven.”

Wow! What an amazing testimony of God’s power and goodness in this brother’s life. With just one declaration, he broke the mental stronghold that the devil had placed him under for many years. That is truly the power of right believing. If you can change what you believe, you can change your life, just like this brother did.

Are there lies about your identity that you believe in today? Break the power of those lies by declaring your identity in Christ. Say out loud, “I am a child of God. I am healed, forgiven, righteous, and holy in Christ Jesus.” Instead of believing the devil’s lies when he uses the first-person pronoun strategy against you, speak your true identity in Jesus.  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

JESUS WORE THE CROWN OF THORNS FOR YOU

If hard work is the formula for prosperity, then everyone who works hard should be prosperous. But this is certainly not the case. Many people who work very hard are still in lack!

I am not advocating laziness. What I am saying is that working hard by the sweat of your brow is not how God’s provision comes. In fact, if you have to work overtime all the time and are stressed out, you are probably operating under the curse.

What curse is that? It is this curse: “In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). And it refers to the stress, struggle and anxieties that come with working hard and yet producing little. Now, work itself is not a curse since God gave Adam work before the fall—Adam was to tend the garden of Eden. It was only after he sinned that the land was cursed and it brought forth thorns, and man had to toil to eat of it (see Genesis 3:17–18).

But praise God, Jesus wore the thorns on His head to show you that He has borne this curse for you and redeemed you from it. He wore the crown of thorns so that you can work stress-free and yet have the results. You don’t have to be worried and stressed out day and night like the people of the world just to get ahead in life. Your heavenly Father can get you there without the worries and stress (see Matthew 6:31–33).

Beloved, every curse that was supposed to fall on your head fell on Jesus’ head, typified by the crown of thorns. He wore the crown of thorns for you so that you can have peace of mind. He wore the crown of thorns for you and took your curse so that you can wear the crown of glory and take His righteousness, and all the benefits of that righteousness!

Today, don’t labour and toil like the people of the world. Instead, expect to see the blessings of God come into your life without blood, sweat and tears because Jesus wore the crown of thorns for you!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

GOD WILL SURELY SHOW YOU KINDNESS

When the people in the palace heard that King Saul and his son Jonathan had died in battle, they panicked. Fearful that David was coming to seize the throne, and kill all the sons and grandsons of Saul, they ran for their lives. A nurse took Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, and ran. But as she fled, the five-year-old boy fell and became lame in both feet (see 2 Samuel 4:4).

The poor boy would not have been crippled if they had known that David actually loved Jonathan and Saul, and would have looked after Jonathan’s son because he had made a covenant with Jonathan (see 1 Samuel 18:3).

In this story, King Saul represents the human race. He is like Adam who sinned against God and forfeited all that God gave to man. He had the position, but not the power anymore because of sin. Jonathan, who came after Saul, represents Jesus, who came as a human. Jonathan was not like Saul—he was good, just as Jesus is not like Adam—Jesus is the perfect Man. David represents God. So Jonathan’s covenant with David speaks of Jesus’ covenant with God. Mephibosheth represents believers today who are “lame” in some way—sick, depressed, fearful, poor and so on.

Now, Mephibosheth became lame because of bad news that was based on a lie. Many believers today are suffering needlessly because they believe the wrong things about God. They think, “My sin has found me out! God is coming after me!”

Well, I have good news for all Mephibosheths: David is not after your life! When David looked for Mephibosheth, it was to show him kindness, to take care of him and restore to him the land that had belonged to Saul his grandfather.

Likewise, God is not out to get you. He knows all about your sins and still loves you. That is why He sent Jesus as the payment for your sins. And because of Jesus’ covenant with Him, He says to you, “Don’t be afraid, I will surely show you kindness. I will restore all to you and you shall always eat at My table!”  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

GRACE WHEN YOU LEAST DESERVE IT

Not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith.

Philippians 3:9

The grace of God is the unearned, undeserved and unmerited favour of God. When God answers you in your most undeserving moment, that is grace. That is His amazing, unmerited favour! At your lowest point, in your darkest hour, His light shines through for you and you become a recipient of His unmerited favour, and a recipient of favour can’t help but want to extend grace to others.

My friend, in and of ourselves, we don’t deserve anything good. But because we are in Christ and in His righteousness, God will not withhold any blessing from our lives today. Our part is not to struggle in our own works and be independent from God, but to focus on receiving all that we need from Him.

I believe that the more righteousness-conscious you are, the more you will experience God’s unmerited favour. When the voice of disqualification comes to remind you of all the areas that you have fallen short in, that’s the time to turn to Jesus who qualifies you and hear His voice. That is the true fight of faith! The fight of faith is to fight to believe that you are made righteous by faith and not by works. Paul, speaking of his own achievements under the law, said that he counts them all “as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith” (Philippians 3:8–9).

So there are clearly two types of righteousness in the Bible: (1) A righteousness that comes from your obedience and from you trying to earn your way to attain it. (2) A righteousness that comes from faith in Jesus Christ.

Only one of these has a solid, unshakable foundation. One is built upon you and your ability to keep the law, while the other is built upon the Rock of all ages—Jesus Christ. One can only give you the occasional confidence to ask for God’s favour, depending on how well you perceive you have done. The other gives you confidence ALL THE TIME to access His unmerited favour, even when you feel that you are greatly undeserving.

What do you want to depend on when push comes to shove—your wavering righteousness or the perfect, rock-solid righteousness of Jesus? It is your faith in the righteousness of Jesus that gives you the right to God’s unmerited favour. Today, because of what Jesus did on the cross, you can expect good things to happen to you. You can ask God for big things and reach out to the blessed destiny that He has for you and your family. His righteousness is your right to God’s unmerited favour! Don’t let any voice of accusation tell you otherwise!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

WHICH IS EASIER TO SAY?

Let me ask you a question which Jesus asked the Pharisees: “Which is easier, to say [to the paralytic], ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?” (Luke 5:23).

In the context of ministering to a paralytic, saying “Your sins are forgiven” is probably easier. Why? Because you don’t need an outward manifestation to prove that his sins are forgiven. But when you tell him, “Rise up and walk,” he must rise up and walk, or you will look very foolish! So that makes saying “Your sins are forgiven” easier than saying “Rise up and walk.”

The truth is, what is seemingly more difficult for man in the natural is not so for God. With God, physical healing is clearly “easier” for Him than forgiveness of sins. The latter is the “harder” and greater miracle because it required God to deliver up His beloved Son to take on all our sins and shed His blood on the cross.

Yet, when faced with a loved one stricken with cancer, or when gripped by mounting debts after being jobless for a long time, we seem to find it harder to believe and say that God has already given us the breakthroughs we need, than to believe and say that our sins are forgiven. Saying that our sins are forgiven seems easier than saying that God has already given us the miraculous physical healing, supernatural financial breakthrough or divine favour at the next job interview.

But since God has done the “harder” and greater miracle of “having forgiven you all trespasses,” there is nothing He will not do for you (see Romans 8:32)! In fact, if you think that there is something that God is withholding from you, you are implying that that something is greater than the forgiveness of sins which Jesus died to give you! But nothing can be greater than the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.

So hear the Lord telling you today, “Your sins have been forgiven you. You have perfect acceptance before God. Rise up and be healed! Rise up and walk in health, wisdom, favour, protection and wholeness!” (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

JESUS—THE ONE WHO ALWAYS BELIEVES

Jesus said to him, “If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.”

Mark 9:23

Mark 9:23 has been traditionally taught to mean that you can have your miracle if YOU can believe. If you can’t believe, then Jesus isn’t going to give you your miracle.

But if you study the Greek structure of the verse, it’s actually saying, “Can you believe that all things are possible to Him [Jesus] who is always believing?”

That makes a world of difference! It’s not about how well or how much you can believe, but WHO you believe. Jesus is the only one whose faith is always constant and never wavers. His faith never fails! And if you can believe that all things are possible for Jesus who never doubts, never wavers, then you are on your way to receiving your miracle!

Beloved, have faith not in your faith, but in Him who always believes and always wants to do good to you!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

BE CONSCIOUS OF YOUR POSITION IN CHRIST

In this verse, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He did not say, “I am the vine, try to be the branches.” In other words, He wants us to realize that we are already the branches. We do not have to struggle to become the branches.

As His branches, we only have to abide or remain in Christ our vine. How do we do that? We do that by simply being conscious every day of our position in Christ. Because we have received Christ, we are in Christ and are accepted in the Beloved (see 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:6) God accepts us because we are in the Beloved and He is in us. And that is how God sees us today when we come into His presence.

What the devil wants to do then is to get you to focus on your condition instead of your position in Christ. The condition you are facing could be financial lack or deteriorating health. The devil wants you to focus on your condition and forget your position—that you are the righteousness of God in Christ and that you are seated with Him in heavenly places at the Father’s right hand (see 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:6). He wants you to forget that you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ (see Romans 8:17).

The devil knows that once you focus on your position in Christ, it will give you the power to change your condition and circumstances. John 15:5 says that you will bear “much fruit.” This means that when you pray against any lack, abundant supply will flow. When you pray for healing, sickness will leave.

My friend, none of these things can happen by your own doing, but by His life which flows through you. Just as sap flowing through the branches of a vine will cause them to bring forth fruit, His life flowing through you will bring forth a bountiful harvest of provision, healing and miracles. You only need to remain conscious of who you are in Christ!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

GOD WANTS YOU TO DRAW FROM HIM

For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.

Mark 10:45

Did you know that giving to you actually brings joy to God’s heart? When you place a demand on Him—like look to Him to heal you—you let Him be God. When you draw from His fullness—His abundance of life, health and blessing—you delight Him!

That’s why God wants you to come expectantly to Him for your healing today. See Him ready to pour His abundance out for you. See Him rejoicing when you call upon Him. As you see His heart of love that always wants to give to you, you will see your healing manifest!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

MOVED BY THE SPIRIT, NOT HUMAN HONEY

Imagine yourself walking past the prodigal son sitting in the pigpen (see Luke 15:11–24). You look at him and see him salivating for the pigs’ food. Believing that it is good to show kindness, you give him money to buy food for himself.

That is human kindness which says, “I am a Christian. I should be kind, good and forgiving.” Such human sweetness or kindness may be likened to honey. Interestingly, while we elevate it, God tells His people not to bring Him a grain offering with honey in it.

The grain offering speaks of Jesus’ life on earth. Not mixing honey in the grain offering speaks of how the compassion and goodness we see in Jesus during His earthly ministry were all divine. There was no “honey” of human goodness, which is inevitably tainted with human weakness.

In retrospect, the worst thing one could do for the prodigal son was to give him money when he was in the pigpen. Not only would he not have gone home, but what the Lord was doing in his heart would also have been spoiled. This is what happens when we go by the goodness of our human hearts instead of the goodness of God in our hearts, which is directed by His love, wisdom and perfect timing.

My friend, God does not want you to be moved by what you see but by His Spirit. There were many needy folks surrounding Jesus during His time on earth. But He did not heal every sick person around Him, feed every hungry stomach he passed or raise all who were dead. Isaiah 11:2–3 tells us that the Lord was not moved by what He saw or heard. He was moved only by the Spirit.

You too have the Spirit in you (see 1 Corinthians 3:16). Be moved by Him. Follow the peace that He puts within your spirit to do or refrain from doing something. That peace is the peace of God. Acting on that peace will cause God to be exalted, and His divine goodness and kindness to really be a blessing to you and others!  (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

PRAY THE PRAYER OF JABEZ!

Jabez was more honourable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let Your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.

1 Chronicles 4:9–10, NIV

There was once a boy named Sorrow. His mother gave him that name because she bore him in pain. You can imagine that with a name like that, it’s quite likely no one liked him.

So do you know what Sorrow, otherwise known as Jabez in the Old Testament, did? He called on the God of Israel to BLESS him! “Oh, that You would bless me and enlarge my territory.” That’s asking God for provision and increase. He also asked for God’s hand to be with him so that he would be blessed in all that he did and be protected from harm. God not only granted Jabez his request, but He also considered Jabez more honourable than his brothers!

Today, do the honourable thing—ask the Lord to increase and enlarge the favour, wisdom, abilities and opportunities for growth you currently have to a whole new level. Ask Him for divine wisdom to protect you from making unwise decisions that lead to painful consequences. (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

WHAT THE NEW COVENANT HINGES ON

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

Hebrews 8:12

Today, because of the cross, you are under the new covenant of grace. Now, what does the new covenant hinge on? Beloved, God is so good. The new covenant that God has made is not dependent on anything that you and I must do because He knows that we will always fail. Listen carefully. The new covenant works because of one thing only, and it is the last clause of the new covenant—“For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.” To the measure that you have a revelation of this clause and all its blessings, to that measure you will walk in it.

Note the word “For.” It means “because.” The new covenant works because God says that He will be merciful to our unrighteousness, and our sins and lawless deeds He will remember no more! “No more” means that there was a time God remembered our sins, even to punish them to the third and fourth generations (Exodus 20:5). This is found in the Ten Commandments. However, today, God says emphatically, “No more!” (It is the double negative that is used in the Greek.) “No more” means that God will never again remember our sins against us because He remembered (to punish) all our sins in the body of His Son. Jesus bore God’s punishment of our sins on the cross. Now, we can walk in the new covenant and hear God say, “Your sins and lawless deeds I remember no more.”

My friend, the new covenant works because of the last clause. In other words, because of Hebrews 8:12, God can put His laws in our minds and write them on our hearts, and all of us can know Him and be led by Him. It is His mercy toward us that enables us to hear Him and be led by Him to victory in every situation! (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries, used with kind permission)

BELIEVE FIRST AND YOU WILL SEE

You may have heard some people say, “How can I believe it when I don’t see it? If I can only see it or feel it, I may just believe that something is happening!”

The woman with the issue of blood who came to Jesus could have felt the same way. For 12 long years, she had gone from one doctor to another, trying every conceivable cure they could offer. She not only grew worse, but ended up losing all her money to those doctors and their “cures.”

Then, something happened to her when “she heard about Jesus” (Mark 5:27). She started believing that He could and would heal her to the extent that she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well” (Mark 5:28). Acting on her belief, she made her way to Jesus and touched His garment. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was healed of that affliction. Jesus, her true physician, also pronounced her healed.

Beloved, God wants you to know that when you believe Him, you will see your miracle. What you believe Him for, you will receive. When a church member lost her wallet at a swimming pool, she prayed together with her husband, declaring their belief that God would restore the loss. One day later, not at the swimming pool but at her feet in the car, she found her wallet! She simply believed that God would restore her loss and she saw the restoration.

In another case, a lady who had skin cancer wore long sleeves all the time to conceal her condition from others. During one of our church camps, she went forward for prayer, believing God for her healing. After one of our pastors, Pastor Henry, prayed for her, she went back to her room, rolled up her sleeves and saw that all the cancerous scarring on her arms had disappeared! Her doctor later confirmed that she had been cured of skin cancer. She believed God for healing and saw it.

The world says, “Unless I can see it or feel it, I will not believe it.” But God says, “If you will believe it, you will feel it. Indeed, if you will believe it, you will see it!” (Article & Picture; courtesy of Joseph Prince Ministries used with kind permission)