Have You Taken Your Love Break Today?

Have You Taken Your Love Break Today?

John 15:9
9“As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love.

In your workplace, you probably take coffee breaks, lunch breaks, tea breaks and definitely toilet breaks. Why not do the same in your spiritual life — take time out for breaks, especially love breaks?

What is a love break? It is the time you take to enjoy and feed on the love of Jesus for you. At any time during the day, wherever you are, find a quiet spot and feed on the love of Jesus. Just sit down and talk to Him. Say to Him, “Thank You, Jesus, for loving me. Nothing is going to happen to me that You don’t already know about. Jesus, when I could not save myself, You died for me. You gave up Your life for me. What else will You not do for me!”

Such love breaks are typified in the Old Testament by Aaron the high priest and his sons eating the breast of the animal sacrificed. (Leviticus 7:31) The breast of the animal speaks of the love of Jesus. Today, you are a priest to God. (Revelation 1:6) So spend time feeding on the love of Jesus for you, and see yourself nourished, strengthened and sustained by His love. Jesus is our High Priest today. This means that His food is in loving us. He enjoys loving us and is also “nourished” by His love for us.

But do not forget that the breast was roasted by fire (Leviticus 7:35), which speaks of God’s judgment on Jesus as He hung on the cross because He was carrying our sins. So as you feed on Jesus’ love for you, see Him loving you at the cross. When things around you are not going well, do not allow the devil to say to you, “If God loves you, how come these things are happening to you?” My friend, interpret God’s love for you based on the cross, not on your present circumstances.

During the day, when you are hard at work, when busyness sets in, when problems pile up or when discouragement comes, just stop everything and take a love break with Jesus! Let Jesus love you. Let yourself enjoy being loved by Him. Lean on His bosom, abide in His love and be nourished by His love for you!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Now My Eyes See You, Lord!

‘Now My Eyes See You, Lord!’

Job 42:5
5“I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear, but now my eye sees You.

You may have heard of God from a friend or colleague. Perhaps you continue to hear of Him in church services on Sundays. Like Job, you say to God, “I have heard of You by the hearing of the ear.” But God also wants you to be able to say to Him, “But now my eye sees You.”

When Job told the Lord, “My eye sees You,” he was not saying that he saw God physically. He was referring to the moment when he had a personal revelation of God.

Why was it so important for Job to have a personal revelation of God? You see, God wanted Job to know that without a personal revelation of Him, the devil could easily steal from him. But from the moment that Job had a personal revelation of God, things got a lot better for him, with God restoring to him double of everything that he had lost. (Job 42:10–16)

There was a lady who was separated from her husband because he had an affair with his colleague. But when she came to our church and began to have a personal revelation of God’s personal love for her, she believed God for the restoration of her marriage by the end of the year. She did not just hear of a God who “so loved the world”. (John 3:16) She came to know the God who so loved her!

Not long after that, her estranged husband started dating her and was soon falling in love with her all over again. God also “took care” of the other woman — she resigned from the company. And on the first of January the following year, the couple moved back into their matrimonial home, their marriage now built solidly on God!

My friend, when you are reading your Bible or hearing God’s Word being preached, and suddenly you exclaim, “I see it, Lord!” that is when your personal revelation of God has come. And you are now in a position to receive all that He has for you!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Get God’s Word For It

Get God’s Word For It

Matthew 4:4
4…He [Jesus] answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

When the devil tempted Jesus, Jesus turned the Word of God on him, saying, “It is written… It is written… It is written…” (Matthew 4:4, 7, 10)

Likewise, should the devil remind you of the pain in your body, say what God’s Word says: “It is written, ‘By His stripes I am healed!’” (Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24) And tell Daddy God, “I have Your Word for it and I am standing on Your Word. I am not trying to be healed. My healing has already happened. I don’t care what this body says. It has to line up with Your Word because by Jesus’ stripes I am healed!”

And if the devil says to you, “Look at the meager balance in your bank account. How are you going to pay your bills?” just say, “I am not trying to be rich. I am already rich and I have God’s Word for it. It is written, ‘My God shall supply all my needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.’ (Philippians 4:19) It doesn’t matter how much I have in the bank. God’s Word tells me that as the need arises, the supply will be there!”

When fear grips you, don’t say to yourself, “This fear is stupid. Come on, what are the chances of it happening to me?” Don’t try to rationalize or reason your fear away. Instead, speak God’s Word into the situation. Say, “It is written, ‘For God has not given me a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.’” (2 Timothy 1:7) What if the fear returns? Speak God’s Word again. Say, “It is written, ‘For God has not given me a spirit of fear…’”

When the devil tries to deceive you, give him the Word of God. There is something about the Word of God that causes him not to want to hang around those who use it. It reminds him of Jesus, the Word made flesh (John 1:14), who rendered him powerless and of no effect when He said, “It is written…”

God Is With You Upholding You

God Is With You Upholding You

Isaiah 41:10
10Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

It is easy to say, “Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!” when times are good. It is easy to believe that God loves you when you are on the mountain top enjoying the sunshine. But what happens when you are down in the dark valley surrounded by your enemies?

Perhaps today, you are in the valley of marital, financial or bodily trouble, and you are asking, “Where is God?”

My friend, He is right there with you. The God of the valleys says to you, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.”

When King Jehoshaphat was surrounded and outnumbered by his enemies, the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel and he said to the king, “Don’t be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you. Don’t fear or be dismayed. Tomorrow, go out against them for the Lord is with you.” (2 Chronicles 20:14–17)

What King Jehoshaphat did next was brilliant. He acted with wisdom from on high. Instead of putting his commandos in front, he put worshipers in front! What did the worshipers sing? They sang of God’s love for them — “Praise the Lord for His love endures forever!” And God utterly destroyed their enemies! (2 Chronicles 20:21–23, NIV)

Beloved, it is not the trials that make us strong, but our responses in those trials. The devil wants us to respond by asking, “Where is God?” But God wants us to respond with faith in His love for us. We are more than conquerors not because of our love for Him, but through Him who loves us. (Romans 8:37)

So whatever valley you are in today, don’t be afraid. God is there with you strengthening and upholding you. Just sing of His love for you and let Him fight your battles for you!

God Wants You Free From Worries

God Wants You Free From Worries

Matthew 6:25
25“Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Is your heart full of worries about your health, finances, family or future? Even when all is well, some people still worry because they have heard others say, “You should worry when everything is peaceful because something is wrong when the devil leaves you alone.” So they worry even when there is nothing to worry about!

But Jesus does not want you to worry about what you will eat or drink, or about your body and what you will put on your back. He tells you not to worry about your daily provisions because God, who is your heavenly Father, knows that you need all these things and He wants to add these things to you. (Matthew 6:32–33)

God is the same God who took care of the children of Israel in the wilderness, feeding them with manna every day for 40 years! (Exodus 16) Under His care, His people had no lack. When the people wanted meat for dinner, He simply rained quails on them. (Numbers 11:31–32) The children of Israel only had to pick them up. If they had gone to look for meat themselves, they probably would not have found any in the desert.

The problem with us today is that we think that we must do something to help ourselves. Some of us may even think that it is easy for Jesus to say, “Don’t worry. Take no thought for your life,” because He does not understand the problems we face in life.

But the truth is that Jesus understands the problems we face in life. In fact, He faced what I would call the “final problem” — death. Death is the “final problem” because it puts an end to all our other problems. Jesus faced death at the cross, conquered it and rose from the dead. And because He conquered the problem of problems, we can trust Him when He tells us not to worry!

Believe Your Debt Is More Than Paid!

Believe Your Debt Is More Than Paid!

Hebrews 10:22
22let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

I would like you to imagine this scenario: You borrow a huge sum of money from a friend and promise to pay him back in six months’ time. When the time comes, you feel really bad because you cannot repay him as you don’t have the money. A year rolls by without you repaying a cent. Now, you feel extremely guilty. You try to avoid your friend because you are too embarrassed and ashamed to see him.

Let’s say that your best friend hears about your plight. Out of the goodness of his heart, he goes to your creditor and says, “Look, I understand that my best friend owes you money.”

“Yes, he owes me US$50,000.”

“Here is US$100,000. I am paying you on his behalf.”

Your creditor says, “No, no, no! He owes me only US$50,000.”

Your best friend says, “I know. But take the US$100,000 so that you can never say that he still owes you money.”

Now, your debt has been paid, in fact, more than paid. But if you don’t know or believe this, that debt will still be on your conscience. You will still be afraid to see your creditor. And you will avoid him because he reminds you of your debt.

My friend, you need to know that Jesus was an overpayment when He offered Himself as your sin offering, because of the quality and worth of the Man Himself. My friend, He overpaid for your sins when He became your sacrifice on the cross.

But if you don’t know or believe this, you will suffer as your unbelief will rob you of assurance, joy and peace. You will still have debt on your conscience. Even though God is not imputing sin to you (Romans 4:8), sin is still on your conscience. And as long as sin is on your conscience, you won’t dare to draw near to Him.

Beloved, the truth is that your sins have been more than paid for. Jesus was an overpayment. So draw near to God today with no sin on your conscience!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Flow With Righteousness, Peace And Joy

Flow With Righteousness, Peace And Joy

Romans 14:17
17… the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

If we are supposed to seek first the kingdom of God every day (Matthew 6:33), then we should know what the kingdom of God is in the first place. I used to think that the kingdom of God was the mission fields and that to seek it meant doing missionary work.

Then, I realized that the kingdom of God was not something outside you flowing in — “the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking”, but something inside you flowing out — “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit”.

So to seek first God’s kingdom means to make it a priority every day to have your inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Righteousness is not your own righteousness based on what you do. It is not good works. It is a gift from Jesus who is your righteousness. (Romans 5:17; 1 Corinthians 1:30) God wants you to be established in the truth that you are the righteousness of God in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)

“Peace be with you” were the words that Jesus spoke to His disciples when He appeared before them after His resurrection. He also showed them His pierced hands and side. (John 20:19–20) God wants you to know that His Son’s finished work has given you peace. Your conscience can be at rest because your sin debt has been settled. You have peace with God and the peace of God.

Joy will come into your heart when you see Jesus in the scriptures, worship songs or anointed preaching. It is the same joy from the Holy Spirit which filled the disciples’ hearts when they saw Jesus, His hands and His side. (John 20:20)

So every day, make it a priority to see yourself righteous in Christ. Don’t be conscious of your sins. Instead, be conscious of your righteousness. And whether you are reading your Bible or listening to anointed preaching, see Jesus with His pierced hands and side, which speak of His finished work. See all your sins forgiven, and you will flow with peace and joy. When you do this, you are seeking the kingdom of God!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Nothing Can Stand Up To God’s Love

Nothing Can Stand Up To God’s Love

Romans 8:35
35Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

The pastor of our Hokkien and Mandarin congregations, Pastor Mark, used to suffer from certain health problems before he became a Christian. His doctor told him that he had to be on medication for life. He also had a huge financial debt. But when he caught hold of the teaching that he is God’s beloved, he believed it totally. He also believed that nothing could be greater than God’s love for him.

Today, Pastor Mark is off medication and completely delivered from that debt. God caused him to triumph over his sickness and debt because he cannot be defeated when he knows that he is God’s beloved.

Tribulation, distress or persecution cannot stop your heavenly Father’s love from working on your behalf. His love for you is bigger and stronger than your financial woes, marital problems or health concerns. And when God’s heart of love moves for His beloved, He opens doors that no one can shut and He makes a way when there seems to be none.

Even during lean times, you will never find the righteous forsaken. King David said, “I have been young, and now am old; yet I have not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his descendants begging bread.” (Psalm 37:25) Can famine or recession stop God’s love from providing for His beloved? No! So don’t think to yourself, “I must provide for my family. If I don’t, who is going to take care of them? How are they going to survive?” God wants you to know that His love will continue to provide abundantly for you and your family.

What about deadly pestilences such as bird flu and mad cow disease, natural disasters such as tsunamis and earthquakes, or terrorist bombings? My friend, these things cannot devour you because His love protects you. You will enjoy His protection when you know that you are His beloved.

Because God’s love is greater than all the evil put together, we are more than conquerors through Christ who loved us. (Romans 8:37) We always win in the fight of life not because of our love for Him, but because of His love for us!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Who Do You Say Jesus Is?

Mark 8:29
29He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” Peter answered and said to Him, “You are the Christ.”

Do you know that how you see Jesus determines what you receive from Him? If you see Jesus as your healer, you will receive healing. If you see Jesus as your refuge and fortress, you will receive protection.

The people of Nazareth, Jesus’ hometown, saw Jesus in the natural. They said of Him, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas? And His sisters, are they not all with us?” (Matthew 13:55–56) They saw Jesus in the natural. They did not see Him as God in the flesh. As a result, He could not do many mighty works there. (Matthew 13:58)

Today, many people, including some philosophers, see Jesus of Nazareth as a good person who led an exemplary life. They feel that if all of us could live our lives like Him, the world would be a better place.

They don’t see Jesus as the bread of God who came from heaven to give life to the world. (John 6:33) They don’t see Him as the one who came to give them living water, so that they would never thirst again. (John 4:14) They don’t see Him as the Lamb of God, who took away the sin of the world. (John 1:29) They don’t receive from Him what they need because they don’t esteem Him rightly.

Jesus did not come just to set a good example for man to follow. He came to be our Redeemer. (Galatians 3:13) He came to be our righteousness. (1 Corinthians 1:30) He came to be our shepherd, so that we will not lack anything. (Psalm 23:1)

Jesus asked His disciples once, “But who do you say that I am?” How you answer this question depends on how you see Jesus. And how you see Jesus will determine how and what you receive from Him. So see Him as your God, as everything He claims to be in His Word, and He will do mighty works in your life..

Compassion With Action

Compassion With Action

Luke 7:13
13When the Lord saw her, He had compassion on her and said to her, “Do not weep.”

My friend, there is no trial, difficulty or challenge we face today that our Lord Jesus cannot identify with. The moment we experience a trial, right there and then, because He “was in all points tempted as we are” (Hebrews 4:15), He feels it too and is able to sympathize with our weaknesses.

Jesus’ compassion for you is the same compassion He felt for the widow at Nain when He saw the dead body of her only son being carried out of the city gate to be buried. (Luke 7:11–15) It must have been terrible for her to experience the death of her only son after having already experienced the death of her husband. What a horrible thought to be left all alone in the world with no means of support! When Jesus saw her, He was moved with compassion and said to her, “Do not weep.”

Now, some religious leaders might also be moved to approach her, but only to say, “Look sister, something is terribly wrong. Your husband died. Now, your only son has died. You must find out what is wrong. You better ask God what sin you have committed and repent. Or perhaps there is a curse in your life that needs to be broken.”

Isn’t it beautiful that Jesus did not extend more confusion or condemnation toward her? He only extended His compassion to her, telling her, “Don’t weep.” This same Jesus will also come to you when you are most distraught and say, “Don’t cry.”

And Jesus’ sympathy does not stop at “Oh, you poor thing! I am so sorry about what has happened to you.” No, His sympathy will move Him to give you the miracle you need in your life. That is why He raised the widow’s son back to life!

Beloved, rest in the truth that He who is seated at the Father’s right hand today understands what you are going through and sympathizes with your weaknesses. The compassion of Jesus toward you causes Him to breathe life into your dead situation and turn it around for your good!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Christ, The Power And Wisdom Of God

Christ, The Power And Wisdom Of God

1 Corinthians 1:24
24.... to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.

People today run after two things: miraculous signs and wonders, and knowledge. It was no different in Bible times. The apostle Paul acknowledged that “Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom”. (1 Corinthians 1:22)

So when Paul preached Christ crucified as God’s solution to them, the message was “to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness”. (1 Corinthians 1:23) They didn’t understand how getting a revelation of Jesus and His death could give them the miracles they needed or the wisdom they wanted.

Beloved, we don’t have to run after miracles or wisdom today. We just need to run after Jesus because He is “the power of God and the wisdom of God”. The more we know Christ and Christ crucified, the more we will have the power and wisdom of God.

Several church members have shared how they have seen the power of God blast financial debts out of their lives. Not knowing what to do about their debts, they looked to the Lord to deliver them. And the Lord was able to do so mightily because He is indeed the power of God.

So if you are facing a financial debt, Christ has the power to remove the debt. And because He is also the wisdom of God, He will show you where you went wrong and teach you how to stay out of debt!

Let me give you another illustration. Let’s say a man, whose wife has left him, looks to Jesus to bring his wife back. Christ, the power of God, brings about a miraculous restoration of their marriage. But it is Christ, the wisdom of God, who will teach the husband how to keep his wife by showing him what he had done wrong and what to do to strengthen the marriage. If the husband does not have this wisdom, it will only be a matter of time before the same problems surface and his wife leaves him again.

My friend, Christ is both the power and wisdom of God to us. As the power of God, He removes obstacles in our paths. As the wisdom of God, He continually directs our paths!

The Beauty Of Living In The Cycle Of God’s Love

Contrary to popular opinion, Jesus’ command to His disciples was not to love one another, but to love one another, as He has loved us. The truth is that God wants you to live in the cycle of His love, and it begins with knowing how much your heavenly Father loves Jesus, whom He freely gave up for you, because He so loves you. Listen to this refreshing message and bask in the beauty of God’s love all over again!

The Beauty of Living in Gods Love

Supernaturally Multiplied Back To You

Supernaturally Multiplied Back To You

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

It pleases God when we believe that He is the giver, the blesser and that “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him”. Such was the faith of Ruth the Moabitess. When she decided to make the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob her God, she found Him to be her rewarder, who lovingly provided for her, divinely guided her, jealously protected her, gloriously redeemed her from her hopeless situation and richly restored her life.

Today, this same God says to you that He is your rewarder. And when He is involved in your life, you will be amply rewarded. Peter, the fisherman, would testify to that. His fishing boat, which represented his life, caught nothing the whole night. But in the morning, when the boat was returned to him after he had loaned it to Jesus, it was no longer the same boat. It was anointed, blessed and so magnetized that a great number of fish was attracted to it. In fact, he received a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish! (Luke 5:1–11)

Beloved, because God is your rewarder, if He borrows your “boat” even for a while, be assured that He will surely return it to you with a supernatural increase. Even if what you give Him is little, when placed in His hands, it will return to you blessed, anointed and multiplied.

This happened to the little boy who gave Jesus his lunch of five barley loaves and two fish. It must have thrilled the boy to see his small lunch supernaturally multiplied and satisfying not just him, but 5,000 men, not counting the women and children, and even leaving behind 12 baskets full of leftovers. (John 6:1–13)

Beloved, believe that God is a rewarder. When you give Him your finances, time, possessions and abilities, know for sure that He will return them to you blessed, anointed and multiplied!

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.

Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Down But Not Out

Down But Not Out
2 Corinthians 4:8–9 8We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; 9persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed…
Before you were a Christian, when something sad or bad happened to you, you cried until you had no more tears left. Your heart simply broke into pieces, and you felt trapped, depressed and totally defeated. But after having become a Christian, when something bad happens to you, you may still cry, but you feel comforted inside. You are sad outwardly, but your heart isn’t heavy. You don’t understand why, but deep down inside you, there is something lifting you up. That something buoyant, which is rising from the inside of you, is the life of Christ in you! You cannot be completely distressed because Christ in you is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) who says to you, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27) Yes, it may be a bad situation and you are in a tight spot, but Christ in you is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), and He says to you, “It will all be all right. I will provide a way out for you.” You know you are not defeated because Christ in you is your victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) and He says to you, “You are not fighting for victory, but fighting from victory because you already have the victory in Me.” Before you knew Christ, when you were down, you were out. But now, when you are down, you are not out because Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) “Hope” in the Bible means a definite, positive expectation of good. So Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious marriage! Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious family! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of glorious health! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of a glorious life! My friend, Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you. No bad circumstance that you are in can or will ever cause you to be destroyed or forsaken by God!
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Round-The-Clock Protection

Psalm 91:5–6

5You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

During World War II, German planes bombed London. Houses were leveled. But there was one that remained standing amidst the rubble. Its owner said that when she read Psalm 121:4, which says, “Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep,” she told the Lord, “Lord, since You don’t sleep, then there is no point in both of us keeping awake. I will sleep while You keep watch.” And she did, while the Lord protected her and her house.

In 2005, terrorists attacked London’s public transport system. That day, a Singaporean girl found herself unexpectedly late for work and could not get to the train station in time to board her usual train. When she finally neared the station, she realized that it had been bombed just a few minutes earlier. Her mother, who worships in our church, believes that God protected her daughter that day.

God wants you to know that you have round-the-clock protection — “You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.”

He protects you from “the terror by night”, which could refer to evils such as rape, kidnap or murder. He promises you protection from “the arrow that flies by day”. This could refer to bullets from a crazy sniper, drive-by shootings or home-made rockets fired into your territory.

God also shields you from “the pestilence that walks in darkness”, referring to viruses which you cannot see. You don’t have to be afraid of deadly viruses lurking somewhere or wonder if some deadly disease is developing in your body.

God also doesn’t want you to be afraid of “the destruction that lays waste at noonday”, such as a tsunami hitting the beach resort you are at, or a bomb going off in the shopping mall you are in.

You need not be afraid because God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, is watching over you 24 hours a day!

Freely Receive What God Freely Gives

Freely Receive What God Freely Gives

Romans 4:13
13For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.

God promised that you would be the heir of the world. It is the same promise that He made to Abraham. And because you are Christ’s, you are Abraham’s seed and an heir “according to the promise”. (Galatians 3:29)

When God made this promise to you, He made it so easy for you to receive — “through the righteousness of faith”. All you have to do is believe that as the heir of the world every blessing is righteously yours because Jesus died to give them to you. He also rose from the dead to enforce them in your life.

So don’t try to earn your blessings “through the law” — through your efforts or performance. Freely receive what God freely gives to you through Christ and His finished work at the cross.

When a church member was retrenched at 41 years of age, he refused to fret or think that he had to jostle with the rest of the people in the job market. Instead, he believed that by God’s grace, he would get a better job with a higher pay. Indeed, through a mutual acquaintance, a new job came along with a pay packet that was 60 per cent more than his previous one!

Another man was experiencing a strained relationship with his wife to the point that divorce was imminent. When he started attending our church, he realized that a happy marriage could be his, not by his trying to keep the marriage going or earning the love of his wife, but by believing that although he could see his own weaknesses, he was still the righteousness of God in Christ because of the blood of Jesus. Today, he and his wife are reconciled, and enjoying a blessed marriage.

Don’t let the devil disqualify you by bringing you the law and saying, “How can you receive this blessing when just last night, you broke God’s law?” or “Are you sure you deserve this?” Instead, say, “Father, I thank You that I receive everything freely by Your grace, Your unmerited favor in my life, because of the blood of Jesus!”

There Is Just Something Special About You

Isaiah 60:1
1Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

People might have said to you, “Why are you so lucky?” or “You seem to be looking younger and younger,” or “There is so much bad news these days, yet you seem untroubled by them.”

Now, the people of the world don’t have spiritual discernment. They can only go by your physical appearance, behavior and what happens to you. In other words, if they notice something different about you, it is because they see the evidence of God’s glory on your life — in your family and work life, health and finances.

Your friends and colleagues may have told you that you stand out from the rest as though a spotlight were on you. Indeed, this is so because of Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) When God’s glory rises upon you, your words carry weight, even if you are not eloquent. I should know. I stuttered and stammered right up into my teens. So when your words change people’s lives, you know that it is not you. It is the Lord!

You don’t have to be a straight-A student or someone able to speak the Queen’s English. You may be foul-mouthed like the disciple Peter, but when God changes you and His glory rises upon you, and you stand up and preach, 3,000 people get saved! (Acts 2:14–41) What is important is that God gives weight to what you say.

You might be a nobody like Joseph, a slave cast aside and forgotten in a dungeon. Yet, the greatest king on earth at that time sought Joseph out to have him interpret his dreams. In other words, God will give to you answers that the people of the world do not have.

Maybe it is your hands. When you lay hands on the sick, they recover. Maybe it is your ability to give counsel that is spot on, or your ability to speak into their future with a word of knowledge or word of wisdom from God.

“The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising.” (Isaiah 60:3) My friend, when you see this happening, it is because the people of the world are drawn to the glory of the Lord which has risen upon you!

Your Words Carry Power!

Your Words Carry Power!
Ecclesiastes 8:4 4Where the word of a king is, there is power…
In Bible times, a king’s word carried tremendous power. What he decreed would come to pass. It would be done. For example, if he said, “Raise the taxes,” the taxes would be raised. Do you know that we are kings? The Bible tells us that Jesus has washed us from our sins with His blood and made us kings. (Revelation 1:5–6) And as kings in Christ, our words carry power too. When we place our hands on a sick person and say, “Be healed,” the person is healed. When we lay hands on our children and say, “Be blessed,” our children are blessed. There is power in our words because they are the words of kings! When I was a young Christian in my teens, I wanted to practice what I had learnt about the power of my words. There was this particular plant near my home and whenever I passed by it, I would say to it, “Be cursed in Jesus’ name!” Many days passed. And I will never forget the day when I noticed that the leaves of the plant had turned brown! You may want to try this at home with your potted plants, but bless them instead! Since our words carry power, can you imagine the harm we do when we say to our loved ones things like, “You are always so careless”, “You are good for nothing” or “You are so stupid”? We are cursing them! The devil is happy when you use the power of your words against yourself and your loved ones. He wants to see you defeated. So instead of saying, “I am always short of money,” say, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Psalm 23:1) Instead of saying, “I am so useless. I can’t do anything,” start saying, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” (Philippians 4:13) Beloved, remember that as a king, what you say will come to pass because where the word of a king is, there is power. So learn to say what God says about you in His Word and see His promises come to pass in your life!
© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from theNew King James Version ®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Be Mindful Of Christ’s Obedience At The Cross

Be Mindful Of Christ’s Obedience At The Cross

2 Corinthians 10:5
5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,

Have you ever felt condemned because of the bad thoughts you have had? You could be in the middle of a prayer meeting when suddenly a dirty thought enters your mind. Actually, it is the devil who puts such thoughts in your mind. Then, he steps back, looks at you and knocks you on your head, saying, “How can you call yourself a Christian and still think such thoughts?”

I used to be in bondage over the bad thoughts I had because I felt that I had to confess every one of them and seek God’s forgiveness. But that is not what God’s Word exhorts us to do. You see, God wants us to bring “every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ”. Now, whose obedience are we to focus on? Christ’s obedience and not our own obedience!

But what is “the obedience of Christ”? It is His obedience at the cross, where “by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous”. (Romans 5:19) Jesus shed His blood for us at the cross. This means that when our thoughts condemn us, we are to focus our thoughts on Jesus’ obedience at the cross.

My friend, the devil can only make inroads into our minds when he gets us to focus on our obedience instead of Christ’s obedience. His strategy is to point us to our obedience or the lack of it to determine our standing before God. But just as our position as sinners is not based on what we do, but what the first Adam did, in the same way, we are forever righteous today not because of what we do, but because of what Christ, the last Adam, did on the cross.

So the next time your thoughts seem to condemn you, say, “I am righteous whether I have good or bad thoughts. My righteousness has nothing to do with my obedience. Jesus’ obedience at the cross made me righteous.” Then, go ahead and pray, knowing that you have access to God and His favor, and that He hears the prayer of the righteous. (Proverbs 15:29)

© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006–2009 New Creation Church

Satan Cannot Come Before God To Accuse You

Satan Cannot Come Before God To Accuse You

Romans 8:33
33Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.

The book of Job tells us that Satan came to God’s throne and complained about Job. (Job 1:6–12) God’s throne is the most holy place. So why did God allow Satan to come before Him?

Satan could come before God because Adam had given up his place when he bowed his knee to Satan in the garden of Eden. (Genesis 3) So Satan had the right to take Adam’s place and come before God.

But praise God, Jesus, the last Adam, has come! And the sprinkling of His blood has cleansed the things of heaven. (Hebrews 9:22–24) His blood has cleansed and redeemed the unclean place where Satan walked and stood before God. There remains, therefore, no place in heaven for Satan. He cannot come before God any more to accuse you.

Who then, is in God’s presence today? Jesus! He is there for us. (Hebrews 9:24) And since He is for us, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)

So what happened to Job cannot happen to you. Job longed for a mediator, but he had none. (Job 9:33) His dream is our reality. Today, we have Jesus as our Mediator making intercession for us! (1 Timothy 2:5)

However, since the devil cannot come before God any more, he comes to you on earth and accuses you in your conscience. His greatest tool is deception because he has no real power. (Colossians 2:15) He has to deceive you into thinking that God is against you, that He is angry with you because you have failed Him, or that your sickness or poverty is God’s punishment for your sins.

My friend, don’t fall for the devil’s lies. If it is God who justifies you, no one can bring a charge against you! Satan cannot come before God to accuse you. Instead, you have free access to God’s throne of grace to “obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need”. (Hebrews 4:16) Jesus’ holy blood has given you perfect standing in the presence of God!