The Promise Of The Father by Joseph Prince
Acts 1:8
8 But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
Before Jesus went back to heaven, He told His disciples to “wait for the Promise of the Father”. (Acts 1:4) There are thousands of promises in the Bible, so which promise was He referring to?
The early church knew which promise Jesus was referring to because He had told His disciples, “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the Promise of the Father, which you have heard Me speak about. For John truly baptized with water, but you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.” (Acts 1:4–5) Jesus was referring to the baptism in the Holy Spirit with speaking in tongues. (Acts 2:1–4)
Jesus wants you to know the value of the Promise of the Father because He said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me...” He did not say, “You shall do witnessing,” but “You shall be witnesses”. In other words, your very person will be a witness to Him!
This is because the power you receive when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit is the same power that so anointed Peter that the sick were laid on the streets for his shadow to fall on them and heal them. (Acts 5:15) Even handkerchiefs and aprons from Paul’s body were so saturated with the anointing of the Spirit that when they touched the sick, people witnessed diseases and evil spirits leaving the sick! (Acts 19:12)
That same power caused a Holy Spirit-baptized church member, who prayed in tongues, to experience God’s healing power when he laid hands on his mother who was in an advanced stage of cancer. And because she was healed, she became a witness of the love and power of God to her friends and unbelieving relatives.
Beloved, when you are baptized in the Holy Spirit, you will be a witness to others that no problem, trial, disease or sickness is a match for the power of the Spirit in you!
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Feed your FAITH and your doubts will STARVE.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Friday, October 19, 2012
You Are God’s Beloved by Joseph Prince
You Are God’s Beloved by Joseph Prince
Ephesians 1:6
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
At the Jordan river, Jesus heard His Father say to Him, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Later, in the wilderness, Jesus heard the devil say to Him, “If You are the Son of God…” (Luke 4:3)
Notice that the devil not only questioned Jesus’ sonship, but he also dropped the word “beloved” when he said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God…” You see, the devil cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved because when you know this truth, whatever he wants to bring against you will not succeed!
Many girls are giving away their virginity because they need to feel wanted and loved. And young boys join gangs to feel accepted because they have been rejected and made to feel worthless by others.
But when you know that you are God’s beloved, no temptation can succeed against you, not even the “giants” who may taunt you. Consider David who slew Goliath. “David” in Hebrew means “beloved”. It takes a David to knock down a giant. In other words, it takes someone who knows that he is God’s beloved to win the fights of life!
You are God’s beloved not because of what you do. Christ did everything. He is God’s Beloved. But God put you in Christ. That is why you are “accepted in the Beloved”. And what God said to Jesus, He says to you today: “You are My beloved son. In you, I am well pleased.”
So if the devil tells you, “Hey, you call yourself ‘God’s beloved’ after what you just did?” have the assurance that it is not based on what you have done, but what Christ has done. And you are still God’s beloved because you are in Christ!
When you say that, I believe the devil screams in frustration because he has no power over you when you are conscious that you are God’s beloved. There is truly a place of safety when you know that you are His beloved.
My friend, we are not being proud when we call ourselves God’s beloved. How can we boast when we know that it is God’s grace that has made us accepted in the Beloved!
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Ephesians 1:6
6 to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
At the Jordan river, Jesus heard His Father say to Him, “You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased.” (Luke 3:22) Later, in the wilderness, Jesus heard the devil say to Him, “If You are the Son of God…” (Luke 4:3)
Notice that the devil not only questioned Jesus’ sonship, but he also dropped the word “beloved” when he said to Jesus, “If You are the Son of God…” You see, the devil cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved because when you know this truth, whatever he wants to bring against you will not succeed!
Many girls are giving away their virginity because they need to feel wanted and loved. And young boys join gangs to feel accepted because they have been rejected and made to feel worthless by others.
But when you know that you are God’s beloved, no temptation can succeed against you, not even the “giants” who may taunt you. Consider David who slew Goliath. “David” in Hebrew means “beloved”. It takes a David to knock down a giant. In other words, it takes someone who knows that he is God’s beloved to win the fights of life!
You are God’s beloved not because of what you do. Christ did everything. He is God’s Beloved. But God put you in Christ. That is why you are “accepted in the Beloved”. And what God said to Jesus, He says to you today: “You are My beloved son. In you, I am well pleased.”
So if the devil tells you, “Hey, you call yourself ‘God’s beloved’ after what you just did?” have the assurance that it is not based on what you have done, but what Christ has done. And you are still God’s beloved because you are in Christ!
When you say that, I believe the devil screams in frustration because he has no power over you when you are conscious that you are God’s beloved. There is truly a place of safety when you know that you are His beloved.
My friend, we are not being proud when we call ourselves God’s beloved. How can we boast when we know that it is God’s grace that has made us accepted in the Beloved!
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Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Behold The Glory Of Jesus In You By Joseph Prince
Behold The Glory Of Jesus In You
By Joseph Prince
2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Of course, you see yourself. But God does not want you to see yourself in the natural. You may be sick, weak, broke and depressed, yet God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you — healed, strong, rich and whole because Christ is in you. (Colossians 1:27)
God wants you to behold as in a mirror the glory of His Son who is in you by His Spirit. As you do this, His Word says that you are being transformed from glory to glory — from poor to rich, sick to healed, loser to winner!
The world may say to you, “It can’t be that easy. You can’t be transformed just by beholding the glory of Jesus. No, you must do something about you. If you don’t put in effort, nothing will happen. If you don’t start making changes, nothing will change.”
But the world will never understand that as you are beholding the glory of the Lord, who is the successful one in you, you are being transformed from a failure to a success. And this is not accomplished by any effort of yours to get ahead in life, but by the Spirit of the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6)
As you behold the glory of the Lord who is the healthy one in your sick body, you are transformed from sickness to health. And this is not accomplished by any effort of yours to keep fit and eat well, but by the Spirit of the Lord!
My friend, what can be easier than beholding the beauty of the Son? So stop focusing on yourself and your efforts. Look away from these things and begin to behold the glory of Jesus who is in you right now, and you will begin to behold the miracles that you need!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
By Joseph Prince
2 Corinthians 3:18
18 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.
When you look in a mirror, what do you see? Of course, you see yourself. But God does not want you to see yourself in the natural. You may be sick, weak, broke and depressed, yet God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you — healed, strong, rich and whole because Christ is in you. (Colossians 1:27)
God wants you to behold as in a mirror the glory of His Son who is in you by His Spirit. As you do this, His Word says that you are being transformed from glory to glory — from poor to rich, sick to healed, loser to winner!
The world may say to you, “It can’t be that easy. You can’t be transformed just by beholding the glory of Jesus. No, you must do something about you. If you don’t put in effort, nothing will happen. If you don’t start making changes, nothing will change.”
But the world will never understand that as you are beholding the glory of the Lord, who is the successful one in you, you are being transformed from a failure to a success. And this is not accomplished by any effort of yours to get ahead in life, but by the Spirit of the Lord! (Zechariah 4:6)
As you behold the glory of the Lord who is the healthy one in your sick body, you are transformed from sickness to health. And this is not accomplished by any effort of yours to keep fit and eat well, but by the Spirit of the Lord!
My friend, what can be easier than beholding the beauty of the Son? So stop focusing on yourself and your efforts. Look away from these things and begin to behold the glory of Jesus who is in you right now, and you will begin to behold the miracles that you need!
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Monday, October 15, 2012
God Uses The Humble by Joseph Prince
Meditate On
…”God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5
God Uses The Humble
In his first 40 years as an Egyptian prince who was looked up to and admired, Moses thought that he knew everything. The Bible says that he was “mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). Yet, God could not use him to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt.
But in the next 40 years, something happened to Moses. He had fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, and went to dwell in the Midian desert. He became a shepherd and was no longer considered mighty in words nor deeds. In fact, he had even become a stutterer (Exodus 4:10). And it was at this point in his life, when he probably thought that he was a has-been, and that his glory-days were behind him, that God appeared to him and said, “…I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people…out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). God could finally use Moses!
The Bible tells us that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Beloved, God will not impose His grace on us. Whenever we want to depend on ourselves and our wisdom to succeed, He will step aside and allow us to do so. His grace is given to those who humbly acknowledge that they cannot succeed in their own strengths and abilities. So when we let go of our self-efforts and humbly depend on His grace, He will take over and do in us and through us what we cannot do for ourselves!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
…”God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
1 Peter 5:5
God Uses The Humble
In his first 40 years as an Egyptian prince who was looked up to and admired, Moses thought that he knew everything. The Bible says that he was “mighty in words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). Yet, God could not use him to deliver His people from slavery in Egypt.
But in the next 40 years, something happened to Moses. He had fled Egypt after killing an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew, and went to dwell in the Midian desert. He became a shepherd and was no longer considered mighty in words nor deeds. In fact, he had even become a stutterer (Exodus 4:10). And it was at this point in his life, when he probably thought that he was a has-been, and that his glory-days were behind him, that God appeared to him and said, “…I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people…out of Egypt” (Exodus 3:10). God could finally use Moses!
The Bible tells us that “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” Beloved, God will not impose His grace on us. Whenever we want to depend on ourselves and our wisdom to succeed, He will step aside and allow us to do so. His grace is given to those who humbly acknowledge that they cannot succeed in their own strengths and abilities. So when we let go of our self-efforts and humbly depend on His grace, He will take over and do in us and through us what we cannot do for ourselves!
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Thursday, October 11, 2012
See The Little Things God Does By Joseph Prince
See The Little Things God Does
By Joseph Prince
Many a time, we look out only for big demonstrations of God’s love to feel loved and favored by God.
My friend, don’t just look out for the big blessings. Bless God when you do get them, but look out for the small blessings and tokens of His love that He showers on you each day. That little baby that smiled at you? That’s Jesus winking at you from heaven! That little note of encouragement from your colleague? God moved that person’s heart to bless you and to show you that He cares! What about yesterday’s shopping trip in which you found an item that you’ve been looking for at a special discounted price? That’s God placing you at the right place at the right time!
Beloved, don’t just look for the spectacular to be happy and miss all the small mercies from heaven. It’s the little things that matter in life—a note, a smile, a hug. Good gifts from your heavenly Father sometimes come in small packages, just like the manna from heaven. See in them how much He loves you, cares about the smallest detail of your life and is thinking of your good throughout the day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
By Joseph Prince
Many a time, we look out only for big demonstrations of God’s love to feel loved and favored by God.
My friend, don’t just look out for the big blessings. Bless God when you do get them, but look out for the small blessings and tokens of His love that He showers on you each day. That little baby that smiled at you? That’s Jesus winking at you from heaven! That little note of encouragement from your colleague? God moved that person’s heart to bless you and to show you that He cares! What about yesterday’s shopping trip in which you found an item that you’ve been looking for at a special discounted price? That’s God placing you at the right place at the right time!
Beloved, don’t just look for the spectacular to be happy and miss all the small mercies from heaven. It’s the little things that matter in life—a note, a smile, a hug. Good gifts from your heavenly Father sometimes come in small packages, just like the manna from heaven. See in them how much He loves you, cares about the smallest detail of your life and is thinking of your good throughout the day!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Saturday, September 29, 2012
Meditate On His Love By Joseph Prince
Meditate On His Love
By Joseph Prince
I find what Jesus said in Matthew 8:20 so beautiful. Let me tell you why. In the original Greek text, the word “lay” is a very unique Greek word, klino. It is seldom used in the New Testament. The only other place it is used in terms of Jesus resting His head is at the cross. When Jesus hung on the cross and cried, “It is finished,” the Bible says that “He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30, KJV). The word “bowed” here is the same Greek word klino.
My friend, it was only at the cross that the Son of Man finally found a place to rest His head. Jesus found His rest in redeeming you, in saving you. He found His rest in loving you.
So beloved, feed on Jesus’ love for you. Listen to sermons or sing songs about His love for you. You will be surprised at how strong it will make you. You will become more than a conqueror, not through your love for Him, but through Him who loves you (Romans 8:37)!
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By Joseph Prince
I find what Jesus said in Matthew 8:20 so beautiful. Let me tell you why. In the original Greek text, the word “lay” is a very unique Greek word, klino. It is seldom used in the New Testament. The only other place it is used in terms of Jesus resting His head is at the cross. When Jesus hung on the cross and cried, “It is finished,” the Bible says that “He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost” (John 19:30, KJV). The word “bowed” here is the same Greek word klino.
My friend, it was only at the cross that the Son of Man finally found a place to rest His head. Jesus found His rest in redeeming you, in saving you. He found His rest in loving you.
So beloved, feed on Jesus’ love for you. Listen to sermons or sing songs about His love for you. You will be surprised at how strong it will make you. You will become more than a conqueror, not through your love for Him, but through Him who loves you (Romans 8:37)!
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Tuesday, September 25, 2012
Lift Songs Of Praise To The Lord by Joseph Prince
Lift Songs Of Praise To The Lord by Joseph Prince
Ephesians 5:17
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not as fools. (Ephesians 5:15) Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
So what is the will of God? The next two verses tell us how to identify it: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”. (Ephesians 5:18–19)
As you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit by lifting songs of praise to the Lord, singing or speaking (God knows some of us can’t sing!) psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart to the Lord, God promises that you will know what His will is for your situation. You will then have the wisdom to decide wisely what to do next.
I have found this to be true in my own life. Whenever I face a difficult situation, the more I think about it, the more confused I get. The more I try my best to come up with a smart solution, the further the answer seems to get from me. But when I turn away from my problem and turn to God, singing in the Spirit and praising Him, I get a clearer perspective of the problem when I come back to it later. I also find an inner prompting to make certain decisions which in the end, turn out to be better than anything I could have come up with on my own.
So my friend, lift up songs of praise to the Lord, whether times are good or bad. For when you fill your mouth with praises to God, He will lead you and guide you in all the affairs of your life. Even if you are stuck with a problem, He will show you the way to go or make a way out for you. Either way, you will get the wisdom and help that you need!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Ephesians 5:17
17 Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.
God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not as fools. (Ephesians 5:15) Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.”
So what is the will of God? The next two verses tell us how to identify it: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord”. (Ephesians 5:18–19)
As you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit by lifting songs of praise to the Lord, singing or speaking (God knows some of us can’t sing!) psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart to the Lord, God promises that you will know what His will is for your situation. You will then have the wisdom to decide wisely what to do next.
I have found this to be true in my own life. Whenever I face a difficult situation, the more I think about it, the more confused I get. The more I try my best to come up with a smart solution, the further the answer seems to get from me. But when I turn away from my problem and turn to God, singing in the Spirit and praising Him, I get a clearer perspective of the problem when I come back to it later. I also find an inner prompting to make certain decisions which in the end, turn out to be better than anything I could have come up with on my own.
So my friend, lift up songs of praise to the Lord, whether times are good or bad. For when you fill your mouth with praises to God, He will lead you and guide you in all the affairs of your life. Even if you are stuck with a problem, He will show you the way to go or make a way out for you. Either way, you will get the wisdom and help that you need!
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
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