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!

You Are Of More Value Than Many Sparrows

Matthew 6:26
26“Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they?”

Perched on a tree branch, two birds were observing passers-by rushing from one place to another. Looking at their faces, one bird asked the other, “Why is man so full of worries and cares?” The other bird answered, “Maybe they don’t have a heavenly Father like we do.”

I believe that the Lord made birds to tell us that we are of more value than many birds put together. Jesus clearly tells us that. In Matthew 10:29, He said, “Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin?...” Then, in Luke 12:6, He said, “Are not five sparrows sold for two copper coins?...” What this means is that these sparrows are so cheap that you can buy four of them for two copper coins, and you get one thrown in for free!

Sparrows are numerous, common creatures in Israel. Yet, not even one of these cheap, common birds falls to the ground without the Father’s knowledge. Not one of them is forgotten before Him. So will He forget you who are of more value than all these birds put together? Jesus said, “Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them…” If God feeds the birds of the air, how much more will He feed you, His precious, beloved child!

“Why don’t I see the supply then?” you may ask.

The answer is worry. That is why Jesus also said, “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’… For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” (Matthew 6:31–32)

Beloved, if God cares for cheap, common birds, and feeds and supplies them every day, how much more will He care for you, His dear, precious child! Let your heart be at rest as you hear Him say to you, “Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” (Matthew 10:31)

See Yourself In Christ

Ephesians 1:3
3Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

I remember going through a terrible time of depression when I was 18 years old. Believing that I was demon-possessed, I sought out a great man of God to have him cast the devil out of me. But when this man of God laid hands on me, he began to prophesy over me. He said, “Joe, I see you preaching to thousands, and used by God to impact thousands of lives. Joe, you are called by God and the devil is attempting to stop you.”

“What? I came here for deliverance! I am only interested in saving my own life, not preaching nor impacting lives,” I thought to myself.

You see, what happened was that at that moment, God allowed this man to step into the timeless zone He exists in to bring my future before me. As far as God was concerned, my future had already happened, though I was only 18 years old then. Today, I am a pastor of a church which has a membership of more than 15,000. Today, I am seeing what was told to me long ago.

The fact is that God does not see as we see. Abraham was a childless 100-year-old man and his wife, Sarah, at 90 years old, was doubly dead in her womb. (Genesis 17:17) Yet, God saw him and talked to him as if he were already the father of many nations.

And God wants us to see the way He sees. We are bound by time and that can limit our vision. Right now, you may see yourself going through a trial in your marriage, work, finances or health. But God sees a blessed marriage, a great success at work, supernatural increase in wealth and a healed body because He tells you that you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ.

You see, God sees you in Christ. So when you see yourself in Christ, who is outside time, you step into the timeless zone. And in that timeless zone in Christ, whatever needs and trials of yours are already removed, repaired, restored or resurrected! In that timeless zone in Christ, you are blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places!

Pray Up Your Immune System!

1 Corinthians 14:4
4He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself…

Many Charismatics believe that when you speak in tongues, you edify or build up your spirit man. Well, that is only one-third true. The Bible does not say that the speaker edifies his spirit. No, it says that the speaker “edifies himself”. This means his entire self — spirit, soul and body. So he who speaks in tongues builds up his spirit, soul and body.

Does this include building up your immune system? Yes, it does! Brain specialist Dr Carl Peterson of Oral Roberts University found out through research and testing that when a person prays in tongues, his brain releases two chemical secretions that are directed to his immune system, giving it a 35 to 40 per cent boost. Interestingly, these secretions are triggered from a part of our brain that has no other apparent activity and which is activated only when we pray in tongues.

Now, your immune system is your first line of defense against diseases. During the SARS outbreak in Singapore in 2003, not everyone who had the disease died. Only those whose immune systems were weak succumbed to the disease and died. So many people resorted to vitamins and herbs then to boost their immune systems.

A 74-year-old church member decided to build up his immune system against more heart problems. For more than 30 years, two of his arteries were 70 per cent blocked and five smaller vessels were 80 per cent blocked. So during a church service, when I asked those who wanted to be healed of heart problems to stand up, he stood up, placed his hand over his heart and prayed in tongues.

He shared that at that moment, he believed that the Holy Spirit touched him and that he became a different person. When he went for his medical check-up, his surgeon found that all the blockages in his blood vessels were gone! Even a scheduled heart-related operation was cancelled as there was no necessity for it. Indeed, he was a different person. He literally had a change of heart — a brand new heart from God!

Beloved, you may not have a heart condition, but you can still pray in tongues and pray up your immune system!

Jesus Perfects Your Prayers

Hebrews 7:25
25Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.

The Bible says that Jesus always lives to make intercession for us. Once, I used to think that Jesus is seated at the Father’s right hand today, praying all the time, waiting and hoping for the Father to do something.

But that is not the truth. Look at what Jesus prayed when He stood before Lazarus’ tomb. He declared, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.” (John 11:41) He prayed these words before Lazarus came forth from his tomb alive. Jesus knew that His prayers would always come to pass because the Father always hears Him. (John 11:42)

So what does “Jesus always lives to make intercession for us” mean then? Because Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14), we get a picture of what happens when we pray if we understand what the high priest did with the burnt offering of a bird in the Old Testament. (Leviticus 1:14–17)

The birds brought to the high priest are a picture of our prayers flying to the Lord Jesus because we pray to the Father in Jesus’ name. Now, just as the high priest removes the bird’s feathers after killing it, Jesus removes all that is superfluous and unclean from our prayers, which are usually tainted with our self-centredness and fleshly desires.

Then, just as the high priest offers the bird as a burnt sacrifice, a sweet aroma to the Lord, Jesus our High Priest adds His perfection, beauty, excellence and fragrance, which the Father so delights in, to our prayers. And He presents our prayers to the Father as the perfect prayer.

My friend, that is how Jesus lives to make intercession for us. And He does all this because He loves us. When you know that He presents a perfect prayer on your behalf to God, you don’t have to run to a church leader to pray “more accurately” for you.

You can take advantage of His intercession for you and say, “Lord Jesus, I don’t know what else to say… please pray for me.” And when Jesus prays for you, His prayers will always be answered because the Father always hears His Son when He prays!

Jesus' Blood Speaks Better Things

Hebrews 12:24
… 24to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Today, forensic science tells us that blood has a voice. DNA can be extracted from just one swab of a murderer’s blood and the results used in court as evidence.

So blood in a sense can speak. And when it is the blood of Jesus, it speaks better things than that of Abel. Abel’s blood cried out, “Vengeance! Vengeance!” after his brother Cain murdered him. (Genesis 4:8–11) But Jesus’ blood cries out forgiveness for our sins, healing for our bodies, and peace and soundness for our minds. It cries out protection for our coming-ins and going-outs, prosperity for the works of our hands, the righteousness of Christ as our acceptance before God and much more!

In the Bible, Jesus’ blood speaking of “better things” is found in the context of the last days when things are being shaken, so that the things that cannot be shaken will remain. (Hebrews 12:27) God wants you to know that you will not be shaken when you put your faith in Jesus’ blood, which speaks for you. That is why God wants you to see Jesus’ blood shed for you in every area that causes your heart to tremble and your confidence to be shaken.

For example, if you are afraid of losing your job, speak the blood of Jesus over your job. His blood cries out, “Prosperity!” for you. It says, “Favour with his boss!” And in these days when you are shaken by fears that terrorism may strike anyone, anywhere, anytime, plead the blood of Jesus which cries out, “Protection and deliverance!” When fear rises in your heart as the doctor gives you his prognosis, plead the blood of Jesus over your body. His blood cries out, “Healing and wholeness!”

The blood of Jesus, which speaks better things, will never lose its power. Beloved, see that you do not refuse Him who speaks. (Hebrews 12:25) See that you keep hearing the voice of grace, good news and better things, which speaks salvation, righteousness, protection, deliverance, prosperity and healing over your life!

He Is The God Of Your Valleys Too

1 Kings 20:23
23Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.”

In 1 Kings 20, we find the Syrians being defeated by the Israelites. Then, some of the Syrian king’s advisers gave the king what they thought was the reason for their defeat. They said that they had fought on the hills and lost because Israel’s God is the God of the hills. So if they were to fight the Israelites on the plains or in the valleys, they would win.

What stupid advice! They thought that the God of Israel only helped His people up in the hills and mountains, and not down in the valleys.

Now, mountains refer to our good times, and valleys, our bad times. Some people have this idea that God is the God of our good times, but He is not there when we are going through bad times. They think that He leaves us helpless in the valleys, especially when the troubles are of our own making.

My friend, I want you to know that our God is the God of the mountains, but He is also the God of the valleys!

He laid aside His crown of glory, His royal majesty and came down for us, stepping into a human body as a baby. He came down to where we were for the sole purpose of dying on the cross for our sins, so that He could bring us up to what the Father has for us at His right hand. He came down to crown us with glory and honour, to clothe us with robes of righteousness and make us His bride, sharing everything that He has with us. That is the grace of God. He came down to our valley.

So whatever you are going through right now, know that God is right there in your valley with you. He is holding you in His arms and carrying you through the valley. Victory is already yours. Just as the Israelites were also victorious in the valley (1 Kings 20:28–29), so will you be because the God of the valleys is right there with you!

God Will Cause Your Gift To Prosper You

Proverbs 17:8
8A present is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; wherever he turns, he prospers.

When we see something mouldy, we throw it away. But when Alexander Fleming saw his culture dishes contaminated with mould, he discovered penicillin. You see, he had a gift which prospered him.

Joseph, a Hebrew slave in Egypt, had nothing except his gift of interpreting dreams. But look at what the gift did for him! It prospered him, making him the most powerful man in Egypt after Pharaoh. (Genesis 41)

“But, Pastor Prince, what if I don’t have any gift?”

My friend, don’t let anyone tell you that you don’t have any gift. God has given each person a gift that can bring them tremendous blessings, open doors of opportunities and bring in great financial blessings.

Now, perhaps you may not be aware that you have a gift inside you, or perhaps it has profited you nothing thus far as you have not found out how to use it. You need to take your gift and ask God for wisdom to cultivate it until it becomes such a powerful tool or “precious stone” that wherever you turn, you prosper.

This was the case with a church brother who was tremendously gifted in the creative arts. For a long time, he lacked the confidence and boldness to leave the security of his police job and step out on his own. But when he began to seek God’s wisdom for his situation, God dispensed wisdom to him which gave him boldness to leave his job and go back to school to pursue the creative arts. In school, he prospered, becoming one of its top students and impressing the principal so much with his creative gift that he was offered a teaching position in the school even before he graduated.

Now, please don’t go and leave your job after reading this. Instead, what you should do is ask God for wisdom regarding your gift. For when the wisdom of God is added to your gift, that gift or present “is a precious stone in the eyes of its possessor; wherever he turns, he prospers”.

God Sees Glorious Things In You!

1 Samuel 16:7
7… For the Lord does not see as man sees; for man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.

Picture David when he was a shepherd boy. Many who knew young David in his pre-Goliath days would very likely have seen just an ordinary youth — one who lived at home with his parents and siblings, enjoyed the outdoors and loved music. But where others saw a typical teenager, God saw a king in young David. He saw David’s name being uttered in honour forever, for even the Lord Jesus is called the Son of David!

Picture Moses after he had settled down comfortably in the desert with a beautiful wife, lovely children and loving in-laws. He might have seen himself happily retiring in the near future. But God had bigger plans for Moses. God had big dreams for him. God saw the Red Sea opening before him and an entire Egyptian army being wiped out in his presence. God saw in him the deliverer of His people.

Now, step back a little less far in time with me. See a little boy standing alone during play time. Nobody wants him on their team because he is scrawny and seen as a weakling. As he grows into his teens, he suffers from an inferiority complex. He stammers and stutters so much that all his friends laugh at him. But today, he is the senior pastor of New Creation Church. Several times each week, he stands in front of a crowd of more than 16,000 people to preach. And he receives invitations worldwide to speak in churches and pastors’ conferences. There was no way I could have ever conceived in my mind what God saw in me in those early years and the dreams that He had for me.

Beloved, God does not see as man sees. He saw in fearful Gideon a mighty man of valour and called him so even when he was hiding from his enemies in fear. (Judges 6:12) He saw in young David a king and anointed him as one. (1 Samuel 16:10–13) He saw in meek Moses a deliverer and drew him from obscurity. (Exodus 3) Today, God looks beyond what man sees and says about you, and He has dreams for you that are bigger than you can imagine!

God Makes Everything Work Together For Good

Romans 8:28
28And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

In this verse, “all things” is literally all things — the good, the bad and the ugly! Now, it does not mean that all things are from God. Some things, such as accidents, sicknesses, broken relationships and divorces are not from God. They are from the devil or just part of the fallen world that we live in. What this verse does tell us is that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose”. That is our inheritance as God’s beloved children.

Do the people of the world have this inheritance? No. When bad things happen to them, they are what they are — bad things. But when bad things happen to the children of God, it does not end there. God can make those bad things work together for good. In other words, the devil may throw lemons at you, but God can take those lemons and make refreshing lemonade for you!

For example, if you have been retrenched, believe that God, who makes all things work together for good, has a better job for you. Indeed, we have received testimonies from church members who have ended up with better jobs and higher salaries after they were retrenched.

It is important that you remember that God is not behind anything that is bad and ugly. But when those things happen, know that He is able to make all things work together for good. And don’t let anyone tell you that all things will work together for good only if you love God and are called according to His purpose. These two things are not conditions but descriptions of believers. Believers are those who love God because they know that God first loved them. (1 John 4:19) And they are called according to His purpose for they have been born again.

And because you have been born again, all things in your life will work together for good. This is your inheritance as a beloved child of God!