Call It Forth!

Romans 4:17
17… God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did;

“Pastor Prince, I feel the pain in my body. How can I go around saying that Christ has redeemed me from this sickness? How can I say that by His stripes I am healed?”

Well, God’s way is to call those things that are not as though they are. And because you are made in God’s image, you can also call those things that are not as though they are.

When God wanted to make Abraham a father of many nations, what did He do? He changed the way Abraham talked. At that time, Abraham did not even have a single child from Sarah because she was barren. So how could he become a father of many?

God changed the way he talked by changing his name from Abram to Abraham, which means “father of many nations”. (Genesis 17:5) Just imagine: From then on, every time he met someone, he would say, “Hi, my name is Father Of Many Nations.” Every time dinner was ready, Sarah would call out to Abraham who was out in the field, “Darling… Father Of Many Nations … dinner is ready! Father Of Many Nations…” You can just hear their neighbours saying, “They want a child so much they have gone mad!” But God changed the way Abraham talked, so that he called forth what God saw him already blessed with.

You know, when Jesus saw the man with a withered hand, He did not say, “My goodness! It is so withered!” He said, “Stretch forth your hand!” (Matthew 12:13) He called forth what He wanted. He looked at the paralytic and said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk!” (Matthew 9:6) He did not see the way it was in the natural. He saw the way God meant it to be and He called it forth.

Genesis 1 tells us that in the beginning, there was darkness over the face of the whole earth. God saw the darkness and He said, “Light be!” And light was. God called forth what He wanted and it became so! If it were you or me, we would probably have said, “Whoa! It is so dark!”

My friend, despite the pain, call forth your healing. It is pointless to state the obvious. No, change the way you talk. See the way God meant it to be, and start calling forth your healing and wholeness!

God Remembers Your Sins No More

Hebrews 10:17
17… “Their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

I don’t know about you, but I would say that Hebrews 10:17 is good news. God sees all our sins — past, present and future — and says, “Your sins I remember no more!” The words “no more” are a strong double negative in the original Greek text. In other words, God is saying, “Your sins I will never, by no means, remember!”

Has God lowered His standards? No, God is still perfectly holy. God did remember all our sins — 2,000 years ago at the cross. Every single sin we have ever committed or will ever commit has been punished to the full in the body of Jesus Christ, on the cross. That is why today, God remembers our sins no more. We should, therefore, not be sin-conscious.

Each time we fall into sin, God wants us to remember the cross and say, “Lord Jesus, you were sentenced for this sin I committed. You bore the judgment, so God will not judge me for this sin. You were condemned for this sin, so God will not condemn me for this sin.”

If you don’t revert to the cross, you will become sin-conscious and you will walk around with a certain expectation of judgment. And that expectation of judgment will give the devil a chance to make you think that God has something against you because of your sin.

You must come to the place where you know and believe that all your sins are forgiven, that there is no sin that will ever disqualify you from God’s blessings, that there is no sin that will ever send you to hell, because you are forgiven and saved eternally.

Hebrews 10:12, 14 says, “But this Man [Jesus], after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God… For by one offering He has perfected forever… ”

We are perfected forever because of Jesus’ perfect work on the cross. We are perfected by God’s full acceptance and perfect delight in His Son’s work that has so glorified His holiness. So today, God says to you, “I will be merciful. Your sins and lawless deeds I will remember no more.”

Time To Use Your Authority

Exodus 14:15–16
15And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it. And the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

The problem with the body of Christ today is not that we are not praying. We are praying. But many of us are praying desperate prayers. We are praying, “God, help… God, please… God, do something about the devil…”

If you are smiling a little by now, most likely, you know about such prayers and might have prayed a couple yourself. God does not want you to pray pleading prayers all the time. He wants you to use the authority He has given you to pray powerful prayers, to boldly command and to “stretch out your hand” to perform miracles.

When Moses stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s armies in hot pursuit, the Bible tells us that he cried out to God. But God told him, “Why do you cry to Me?”

There is a time for you to cry out to God and there is a time for you to use your authority. God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.”

The “rod” you have is the name of Jesus. As you command in Jesus’ name, your “sea” will open and you will go on dry ground through the midst of your problem.

Do you realise that Jesus did not say, “Go and pray for the sick”? He said, “Go and heal the sick.” (Matthew 10:8) So stop pleading and asking, and start using the authority you have in Christ.

Jesus told the church, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18–19) God wants you to go and use the authority that He has given you. And as you go, miracles will flow!

His Blood Keeps On Cleansing You

His Blood Keeps On Cleansing You


1 John 1:7
7But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.

During the day, the devil may whisper in your head, “You cannot go into God’s presence because you have not been reading your Bible and serving in church.” Or he will tell you that it is because of the sin which you have just committed.

The devil will always make you feel that you are not qualified or clean enough to go near God. But the truth is, regardless of how you feel and what you have done, the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin.

In the original Greek text, the tense for the word “cleanses” denotes a present continuous action. This means that once you are a believer, the blood of Jesus Christ keeps on cleansing you from every sin!

So you can rest knowing that you are always forgiven in this continuous “wash cycle” of Jesus’ blood. Because you are continually cleansed, you are always in the light. Of course, you will fail here and there, but you are still in the light because the blood is there continuously washing you!

The Bible says that we overcome the devil, the accuser of our brethren, by the blood of the Lamb. (Revelation 12:11) If you have sinned, remind yourself that Jesus’ blood keeps on cleansing you from every sin — 24 hours a day, seven days a week — and go on with God! The devil cannot defeat you when your faith is in the blood that cleanses you continuously.

Some Christians are guilt-stricken because their consciousness of their sins condemns them. Although Jesus’ blood continuously cleanses them, they hold on to their past mistakes and feel bad about them, thinking that they are being humble and holy when they do this. But this is nothing more than self-righteousness.

My friend, the eternal blood of Jesus Christ offers you eternal redemption and everlasting righteousness. My friend, it is time for you to accept the payment of Jesus’ blood as the final sacrifice!

From 'Deliverance' To 'No Evil Shall Touch You'

Job 5:19
19He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.

God will deliver you from all your troubles. (2 Timothy 4:18) But deliverance is actually not the best that God has for you because it implies that you are in trouble. God’s best for you is the place where no trouble or evil can touch you. And with God’s help, you will come to that place because the Bible says, “He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.”

This does not mean that God will deliver you only six times. It just means that as you keep believing God’s promises of protection, after some time, you will come to a place where no evil will touch you!

So when trouble comes, God does not want you to be discouraged. He wants you to know that it is only the devil trying to steal God’s Word from your heart. The devil is afraid of leaving God’s Word in your heart for even one second because he knows that it will lead you to a place where no evil can touch you. That is why he comes immediately to steal God’s Word from your heart.

He will do so by telling you, “Look, your child is sick. Where is God now?” You must not respond by saying, “Well, I guess it does not work. Maybe God’s promises of deliverance are not for my family.”

No, you must continue to stand on God’s promises. Say, “The previous flu my child had did not stay. God promises me deliverance and He did deliver my child then. So I will live life believing God’s promises of deliverance because His Word is true. And I will come to a place where no evil can touch me and my family!”

Even if in the next moment you happen to stub your toe against something hard, don’t be discouraged and wonder why God did not protect your toe. No, thank God that the devil had meant to cause greater harm to you but could not. Thank God that He delivered you. And keep standing on His promises until you come to the place where no evil can touch you!

Flow With Righteousness, Peace And Joy

Romans 14:17
17For 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 realised 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, but 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 that your sins are forgiven, and you will flow with peace and joy. When you do this, you are seeking the kingdom of God!

Every Curse Destroyed In Your Life!

Galatians 3:13
13Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”).

Do you know that when Jesus died, our sins were forgiven because He shed His blood? Without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins. (Ephesians 1:7, Hebrews 9:22) But why did Jesus have to die on the cross, since the capital punishment of Israel during the time of Christ was stoning, not crucifixion?

Jesus died on the cross because He knew the law which says, “… for he who is hanged is accursed of God”. (Deuteronomy 21:23) And He wanted to redeem us from every curse of the law, so He went to the cross, “having become a curse for us”. Jesus took all our curses at the cross so that we can take all His blessings!

The moment you received Jesus, every curse in your life was destroyed. And the way you experience it is to simply believe and confess what Jesus has done for you. Say, “Because of Jesus, I am blessed.”

So even if there is an area in your life in which you feel oppressed, for example, a skin condition that refuses to heal, you say, “Christ has redeemed me from this skin condition. I refuse it and reject it in Jesus’ name because by His stripes, I am healed!” (1 Peter 2:24)

“But Pastor, my father died of cancer. His father died of cancer. And I have been told that there is a likelihood that I might get it. It is in our blood!”

Yes, but it is the blood of Christ shed at the cross that has redeemed you from all curses, including diseases like cancer. God put the curse of cancer on Jesus on the cross. And He puts all the blessings of Jesus on you. Therefore, the only things that will come upon you and overtake you are the blessings of Jesus!

Done As You Have Believed

Matthew 8:13
13Then Jesus said to the centurion, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” And his servant was healed that same hour.

What are you expecting God to do for you today? Do you believe that God will respond according to your expectation?

When Jairus, distraught at the sickness that was claiming his daughter’s life, fell at Jesus’ feet, he entreated Jesus to personally come to his house to lay His hands on his daughter so that she would be healed. (Mark 5:23)

But do you know that Jesus can heal at a distance? He didn’t need to go to Jairus’ house to heal his daughter. Still, Jesus went and didn’t even chide Jairus for his little faith. He met Jairus’ expectation — his little daughter was raised from the dead that day. (Mark 5:41–42)

Why do I say that Jairus had little faith? Because there was a Roman centurion who came to Jesus about his servant suffering at home. He recognised the power Jesus had and asked only that Jesus “speak a word, and my servant will be healed”. (Matthew 8:8) Jesus told him, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.” The centurion’s servant was healed that same hour, true to his expectation.

My friend, there is no particular level your faith must reach before God gives you what you are asking for. Your faith does not initiate God’s giving. God has already given to you all things that pertain to life and godliness. (2 Peter 1:3) His blessings are pressing on you already! And at whatever level of faith you are at, God will respond. Jairus needed Jesus to go to his house to lay His hands on his daughter, and Jesus did. The centurion just needed Jesus to speak a word for his servant to be healed, and Jesus did. He met both their expectations.
My friend, don’t fix your eyes on how much or how little faith you have. Fix your eyes on the One who loves you, who has already given you what you need. When you come to Him, simply believe that He is waiting to meet your expectation. He will say to you, “Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it be done for you.”

Do Not Be Afraid! Your Saviour Has Come!

Luke 2:10–11
10Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. 11For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

If all is silent and dark in your life now, and you feel left out in the cold, just know that Jesus came to be your Saviour in such a time as this.

Jesus was born not in the comfort of a warm room, but in a cold manger. There was no room for Him in the inn (Luke 2:7) — so that there will always be room at the cross for your healing, deliverance, wholeness andprosperity, and a room in heaven for you because He had no room.

Jesus was born very quietly, so quietly that the Bible says only a group of shepherds came to Him while the rest of Bethlehem slept. (Luke 2:8–16) Like manna falling quietly from heaven, Jesus the True Bread from heaven came quietly. It was a silent night. But that was not all.

Jesus was also born during the darkest time in Israel’s history. The Bible says that Israel was under the tyranny of the Romans, the most powerful Gentiles who ever dominated them. It was during this time, when everything was so dark, that Jesus was born. Beloved, Jesus is not afraid to come to you in the darkest period of your life.

The first message of heaven to man — brought by angels to the humble shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem — was “Do not be afraid”. On that cold and silent night, the shepherds were afraid. God said, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord.”

It was not a judge or a lawgiver that was born. It was a Saviour who was born! He came to save His people. He came to save you and me. Even when you are in a cold, dark period of your life, don’t be afraid, for the Saviour has come and He will save you!

Compassion With Action

Hebrews 4:15
15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

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”, He feels it too and is able to sympathise with our weaknesses.

His compassion for you is the same compassion He felt for the widow at Nain when He saw the 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. Or perhaps there is a curse in your life that needs to be broken.”

Isn’t it beautiful that Jesus didn’t extend more confusion or condemnation towards 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, know that He who is seated at the Father’s right hand today understands what you are going through and sympathises with your weaknesses. Not only that, He will breathe life into your dead situation and turn it around for your good!

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 forever!

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 the 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!

Blessed Wherever You Are

Deuteronomy 28:3
3“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country.

You may have heard of people who think that to have better “luck”, they have to move to a new home, work for a certain company or even migrate to another country.

The truth is that it is not the place that gets you the blessings, but whether God’s blessings are on you. And for you, child of God, you are already blessed with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 1:20) He has paid for your blessings with His blood. So the blessing is not on the land but on the man!

It was in the city of Jerusalem that Jesus was whipped, cursed and spat on. And it was outside the city on Calvary’s hill that He was pierced and crucified. That is why you are blessed in the city as well as outside in the country! In fact, you are blessed regardless of the location.

Perhaps you work in a non-Christian company and your boss doesn’t quite like you. In fact, he sometimes mistreats you. But God can still bless you in spite of your boss. You get blessed because you believe God for it. It has nothing to do with your boss or the company.

And when you get blessed with a fast promotion or fat bonus, some friends may ask you to recommend them to your boss. They think that it is your boss or the company that is blessing you, not the Lord.

“But Pastor Prince, I don’t see the blessings.”

If you don’t see the blessings, check what you have been believing and saying. Have you been complaining and blaming everyone and everything around you — your parents, race, gender, environment and government — for your lack of blessings? You need to believe and confess that you are blessed because of Jesus’ finished work on the cross, not because you are of a certain race or work in a certain company.

My friend, it does not matter where you work or live, what colour your skin is or what you do for a living. If God blesses you, you are blessed! And it is all because of Jesus. So say to yourself, “I am blessed wherever I am — blessed in the city, blessed in the country!”


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

Blessed Is Everything That Comes Forth From You

Deuteronomy 28:4
4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…

The Bible records that Jesus’ spit healed a blind man (Mark 8:23–25), Peter’s shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15), and handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul’s body drove out evil spirits and diseases. (Acts 19:11–12) This tells us that what comes forth from our bodies can be so blessed that it brings about miracles and blessings to others.

Indeed, God said, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…” He was not just referring to your children, or He would have simply said, “Blessed shall be your children.” No, God meant that everything that proceeds from your body will be blessed. All the produce of your body will be of top-notch quality!

This includes your health. So even if your doctor has said that you have a particular medical condition in your body, just believe that God calls your health, the fruit of your body, blessed. And expect to walk in divine health for the rest of your life!

God calls your thinking ability, the fruit of your body, blessed too. You will impress your teachers and schoolmates in school with your mental prowess, or your superiors and colleagues at work with your innovative ideas and solutions. Your mental faculties will be of quality par excellence!

If you are married, you will enjoy a truly blessed marriage and a fulfilling sex life with your spouse. A secular song that laments, “I can’t get no satisfaction…” will never be true for you because God calls your marital relationship (including the sex part of it), the fruit of your body, blessed!

If you are a parent, God calls your children, the fruit of your body, blessed. This means that they are special, having exceptional qualities. So the child you are taking care of is not just a child. You are holding a champion in your hands. He will grow up to be a general in God’s kingdom!

Beloved, because Jesus has paid the price — His body was beaten, scourged and pierced for you, all these blessings are yours. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.

Believing Is Receiving

Mark 5:28–29
28For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” 29Immediately the fountain of her blood was dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction.

You have heard people of the world say, “I will only believe it when I see it.” Generally, that is the way the world thinks. But God’s ways are not like the ways of the world. The world says, “If I can’t feel it or see it, I cannot believe the miracle is here.” God says, “If you believe it before you feel it or see it, you will see your miracle.”

Believing first before seeing the evidence of what we are believing for is called faith. Faith is like a spark and Jesus is the dynamite powder. When He was on earth, the Bible records for us that there were many people who touched Him, but nothing happened. Why? They didn’t touch Him in faith. But when a woman came to Him in faith and touched Him, it sparked off an explosion of healing in her body.

Hearing about how good, kind and loving Jesus was fired her faith to believe that He could and would heal her. So convinced was she (even when the condition in her body was still evident) that she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” Did she experience her healing first before she believed? No, she believed first in Jesus’ goodness and power, acted in faith and only then felt the healing in her body.

In the same way, God wants you to believe in His goodness and love towards you. He wants you to know how willing He is to act on your behalf to bless you, and how, with Christ, He has already given you every good thing. (Romans 8:32)

He wants you to declare by faith that all is and shall be well with you, and expect to see just that. And then, no matter how long you have had the problem, no matter how bad the experts say it is, an explosion of healing and restoration will take place, and you will see your miracle!

A Priesthood That Blesses And Never Curses

Hebrews 5:9–10
9And having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who obey Him, 10called by God as High Priest “according to the order of Melchizedek”.

When Jesus died and rose again, He became our High Priest. But notice that Jesus’ priesthood is “according to the order of Melchizedek”. Why the Melchizedek priesthood?

The Melchizedek priesthood gives to man, whereas the Aaronic priesthood takes from man. We see this when Melchizedek gave bread and wine to refresh a tired Abraham after his battle with the enemy kings. (Genesis 14:14–20) So if Jesus’ priesthood is according to the Melchizedek order, then it is one in which we come into His presence to receive from Him!

Moreover, the first word that came out of Melchizedek’s mouth was “blessed” — “Blessed be Abram…” (Genesis 14:19) The Melchizedek order is just that — blessings. In other words, Jesus’ priesthood is one which blesses and never curses us!

So are we conscious of Jesus our High Priest giving to us every day? Are we alert to all the blessings coming from heaven towards us on earth? Now, it’s easy to believe God’s creation blessings — we know for sure that the sun will rise every morning.

Yet, while we have no problems believing the work of creation, we have problems believing the work of redemption. We sometimes find it hard to believe God for healing, prosperity, favour, protection, restoration and other blessings. We don’t believe easily that every day the Lord will take care of us, keep our bodies healthy and provide for all our needs.

Yet, creation is fallen. It can be a blessing as well as a curse. Sometimes, a storm arises, and powerful winds and rains destroy thousands of homes. Sometimes, dark clouds can hide the sun and make the whole day gloomy.

We can’t put our trust in creation, but we can certainly put our trust in redemption. And unlike creation, the blessings of redemption are all good and only good! The work of Jesus is not subject to the weather or anything else. The work of redemption is as sure as Jesus Himself, who died and rose again to be our High Priest to bring forth blessings for us to receive!

A Brand New Body At The Blast Of A Trumpet!

1 Thessalonians 4:16
16For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.

Today, Jews all over the world are celebrating Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Occurring usually in the month of September, this feast is celebrated with the blowing of trumpets — the shofar or ram’s horn. That’s why it is also called the Feast of Trumpets.

The Jews observe seven feasts: The Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Pentecost, Trumpets, Atonement and Tabernacles. The first four have been fulfilled literally by Jesus. He was the Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7), the bread of life (John 6:35) and the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. (1 Corinthians 15:20) And when Pentecost had fully come after His ascension, He sent us the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:1–4)

So the next feast that we are waiting for Jesus to fulfil literally is the Feast of Trumpets. Why is this feast significant to us? Because when Jesus fulfils it, it means that we are going up to meet Him in the clouds!

I am talking about the rapture of the church. When the trumpet sounds, "in the twinkling of an eye", in an atomic second, we who are alive will be changed. We will put on new bodies that will be like Jesus’! Those who are dead in Christ, wherever their graves are, will rise and also receive new bodies. They will go up first followed by we who are alive, and we will all meet the Lord in the air. (1 Corinthians 15:51–55)

This means that there is a possibility that you might not see death! The Bible says, “Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) It is one thing to be alive, but quite another to remain alive.

I believe that there is a generation of Christians who know the resurrection power of the Lord. They know how to put off sickness and death, and remain alive until the coming of the Lord. My friend, may you be counted as one of them as you take the Lord Jesus and His finished work as your victory over sickness and death!

'Now My Eyes See You, Lord!'

Job 42:5
5I 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.”

Now, 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 God, the devil could easily steal from him. But from the moment that Job had a personal revelation of God, it was upwards 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 in 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 God has for you!

Jesus Understands Your Struggles

Hebrews 4:15
15For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.

If someone has cheated you of a big sum of money and you are taking him to court, you would naturally want to hire a good lawyer who can represent you well and win the case. You wouldn’t want someone who has little experience and success in handling such cases. You would be asking yourself, “Can this guy really represent me? Is he familiar with my case? Does he understand what I am going though?” I am sure you would want the best lawyer in town representing you!

In the same way, I am so glad that right now at the Father’s right hand, we have someone who came as a Man to redeem us, and who fully understands what man goes through. When Jesus walked on earth, He went through every human emotion so that He could identify with all of us in all points. Jesus is God, but He is in the Father’s presence as Man, representing us.

My friend, you may feel that no one understands your struggles. Listen, while this may be true of man, it is not true of Jesus. He knows exactly what you are going through and He can sympathise with your weaknesses because He was “in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin”.

None of us have been tempted in all points. But God allowed Jesus to be tempted in all points so that He can understand and identify with the struggles of every single person on this earth. He can be touched with our humanity — our weaknesses, tears, disappointments, griefs... all points!

There is no trial, difficulty, challenge or temptation that you face that Jesus cannot identify with. My friend, the moment you go through it, right there and then, He feels it too. That is the kind of representative you have in Jesus! That is the love of God so that you will draw near to His throne of grace (not judgment) to find mercy and grace in time of need! (Hebrews 4:15–16)

You Have First-Class Righteousness

2 Corinthians 5:21
21For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

Some Christians believe that they have to work at becoming more righteous. And they kick themselves when they do wrong. They may not realise that by doing this, they are not seeking God’s righteousness, but are trying to establish their own righteousness by their law-keeping and right conduct.

Righteousness is not about right conduct. It is a gift from God to us through Jesus. And since it is a gift, we cannot earn it by our law-keeping and right conduct, we can only receive it!

How do we receive this gift? We receive it through the cross. God made Jesus “who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him”. So today, we are the righteousness of God in Christ! We are as righteous as Jesus is!

But some of us think that in the body of Christ, there are different classes of righteousness, like the seating positions in an airplane. They think that some of us have economy-class righteousness, others have business-class righteousness and a select few have first-class righteousness.

That is nonsense! When God gave us Jesus, He became our righteousness. So we have His righteousness. This means that we are 100 per cent righteous in God’s eyes! We cannot but have first-class righteousness!

You might say, “Pastor Prince, I don’t understand. How can I become the righteousness of God when I have done wrong?” Think about this: Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us. Jesus knew no sin, did no sin and in Him there was no sin. But at the cross, He received our sin and became sin for us.

Likewise, we, who were sinners, knew no righteousness, did no righteousness and in us there was no righteousness. But at the cross, we received His righteousness and became the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus.

At the cross, the divine exchange took place. Jesus took our place so that we might take His place. He did not deserve to be made sin, but He was made sin in our place. We did not deserve to be made righteous, but we were made righteous because we received His righteousness. Hallelujah! What good news, what amazing grace!

Blessed Is Everything That Comes Forth From You

Deuteronomy 28:4
4Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…

The Bible records that Jesus’ spit healed a blind man (Mark 8:23–25), Peter’s shadow healed the sick (Acts 5:15), and handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul’s body drove out evil spirits and diseases. (Acts 19:11–12) This tells us that what comes forth from our bodies can be so blessed that it brings about miracles and blessings to others.

Indeed, God said, “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body…” He was not just referring to your children, or He would have simply said, “Blessed shall be your children.” No, God meant that everything that proceeds from your body will be blessed. All the produce of your body will be of top-notch quality!

This includes your health. So even if your doctor has said that you have a particular medical condition in your body, just believe that God calls your health, the fruit of your body, blessed. And expect to walk in divine health for the rest of your life!

God calls your thinking ability, the fruit of your body, blessed too. You will impress your teachers and schoolmates in school with your mental prowess, or your superiors and colleagues at work with your innovative ideas and solutions. Your mental faculties will be of quality par excellence!

If you are married, you will enjoy a truly blessed marriage and a fulfilling sex life with your spouse. A secular song that laments, “I can’t get no satisfaction…” will never be true for you because God calls your marital relationship (including the sex part of it), the fruit of your body, blessed!

If you are a parent, God calls your children, the fruit of your body, blessed. This means that they are special, having exceptional qualities. So the child you are taking care of is not just a child. You are holding a champion in your hands. He will grow up to be a general in God’s kingdom!

Beloved, because Jesus has paid the price — His body was beaten, scourged and pierced for you, all these blessings are yours. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.