Thursday, June 12, 2008

You Have The Victory!

Romans 8:37
37Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

If God’s Word says that we are more than conquerors through Christ, then we are. We are not going to become, we already are. We may be experiencing some failures or setbacks in life right now, but only good will come out of our situations because God says that “in all these things we are more than conquerors”. We have victory!

You see, God has placed us in Christ, in the highest place of the universe where He has exalted His Son. We are not trying to get to victory ground, we already are on victory ground. We don’t confess God’s Word to get victory, we confess His Word because we already have victory. We don’t fight for victory, we fight from victory.

The devil will try to steal our victory. He will come against us with lies and fears, and cause us to be conscious of our failures, weaknesses and symptoms in areas such as our health. But we are not trying to be healed, we are healed. We are healed because God’s Word has already declared that “by His stripes we are healed”. (Isaiah 53:5)

A sister in our church was seeing two psychiatrists. She was under psychiatric care and medication for panic attacks for the most part of her life. She said that when she started coming to church and learning about Jesus, the truth of God’s Word began to dawn on her heart.

She started believing that victory over her condition was already hers and began confessing it. From then onwards, all her fears were removed and her panic attacks were no more. Today, she has a sound mind, is free from all medication and knows that her life is greatly blessed through Jesus who loves her.

The moment you accept Jesus as your Saviour, you are born again and the new person inside you is more than a conqueror. You are already on victory ground and you have victory over every challenging situation in your life!

Monday, June 9, 2008

Convince Yourself, Not God!!

Mark 5:28
28For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

With a crowd thronging Him, Jesus was touched by a lot of people that day (Mark 5:31), but only the touch of one woman drew a response from Him. Her touch sparked off instant healing in her body, releasing her from a sickness that had plagued her for 12 years.

Do you want to know how to touch God and receive the miracle you need?

When the woman heard that Jesus was coming by her village, she said to herself, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” On her way to see Jesus, she probably told herself many times, “If I touch His clothes, I will be healed. I will be made whole.” We don’t know how long she had been saying that to herself, but she convinced herself that Jesus would heal her.

If you are sick, convince yourself that Jesus is your healer and that by His stripes you are healed. You don’t need to convince God. He is not the one who needs to be persuaded because His blessing is already pressing on you! It is you who needs to be persuaded that God has already given you your miracle. That is the reason you confess His Word — to convince yourself, not God, to persuade your heart, not His.

Some people confess their faith to others to convince God indirectly. For example, if they are believing God for a child, they go around telling their friends, “I am believing God for a child.” They are actually trying to convince God to bless them. They are telling God, “I’ve told so many people what I am believing You for. It would be very embarrassing if You don’t make it happen.” Their confession proceeds from unbelief and is used to manipulate God.

It is okay to tell others if you want to, but don’t do it to prove your faith or to convince God. You just need to convince yourself that God loves you and delights in blessing you. Just say to yourself, “By His stripes I am healed. I am fruitful. I will not suffer lack. I am greatly blessed, highly favoured, deeply loved!” And let God take care of the rest.

Friday, June 6, 2008

Life Above The Sun

John 10:10
10… I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

When you are not enjoying abundant life, you will feel as if life is full of toils. In your heart, life is meaningless and empty. You feel like someone “grasping for the wind”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11)

It seems as if nothing you do adds up to much. The Bible calls this life “under the sun”. (Ecclesiastes 2:11) Someone who lives life under the sun may or may not know God, but God is either forgotten or not the centre of things in his life. His thoughts are earthly and he does things to gratify his flesh. In the end, he finds life depressing and unfulfilled. Life under the sun is full of despair.

But this is not so with someone who lives life above the sun with God. For life with God is filled with joy and pleasures at His right hand. (Psalm 16:11) Life is abundantly full and good just as Jesus promised — “...I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”

When you live life above the sun, your thoughts are heavenward and you become Christ occupied. And you live for Him because you know that all things were created through Him and for Him. (Colossians 1:16) When you live for His glory, your life takes on a new meaning and purpose.

God’s Word says, “And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.” (Colossians 1:17) The Greek word for “consist” means “held together”. In Christ, all things are held together. And that is why when Christ is the central figure in your life, you will have it all together. Your mind will be held together. Your hopes and dreams will be held together. Your family will be held together by the cords of His love. You will not lose anything in life.

Your life will not be empty but full and filled because “Christ in you, [is] the hope of glory”. (Colossians 1:27) It is a wonderful life — this life lived above the sun. And you will have an even more wonderful life to come in heaven!

Wednesday, June 4, 2008

Be Conscious Of Your Everlasting Righteousness

Daniel 9:24
24“Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness…

On Sunday, we hear a message that says, “I’m the righteousness of God in Christ.” On Monday, we are still confessing, “I’m the righteousness of God in Christ.” But come Wednesday or Thursday, we begin to confess our sins! Then, when Sunday comes, we get a fresh revelation of our righteousness in Christ and we start to confess our righteousness again. Why do we do that?

It cannot be that on Sunday, we are righteous. Then, a few days later, we become unrighteous because of sin, but are “re-righteoused” when Sunday comes again. No, our righteousness is an “everlasting righteousness”! Jesus has obtained “eternal redemption” for us. (Hebrews 9:12) By one offering of Himself, He has “perfected forever” them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)

“But Pastor Prince, I just sinned. How can I still be righteous?”

My friend, it is not what you do that makes you righteous. It is what Christ has done at Calvary. Romans 5:19 says, “For as by one man’s [Adam] disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.” It is the obedience of one Man — Christ, and not your obedience, that has made you righteous!

God wants you established in what Christ has done. He wants you conscious of your everlasting righteousness in Christ. How do you do that? You can listen to anointed messages that remind you of your righteousness in Christ. And don’t just know it in your head. Speak it. Every morning, tell yourself, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ!” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

You don’t need a revelation of how sinful you are. You know it when you sin. The devil reminds you of your sins. Even your friends and loved ones sometimes point out our sins. What you need, instead, is a revelation of how forever righteous you are in God’s eyes, especially when you sin.

And when you are conscious of this gift of righteousness that is everlasting, you will reign in life! (Romans 5:17) You will reign over sin, bad habits, sicknesses, lack and everything that holds you back from a victorious life!

Tuesday, June 3, 2008

God Is Not Judging You!

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

In some circles, people see God as a judge who has exacting demands for man. And when they fall short or when things go wrong in their lives, they feel that God is judging them.

My friend, the truth is that if you are a believer, God does not bring any charge against you. Instead, He justifies you because of the blood of His Son. In fact, God’s Word goes on to say that the One who has the right to condemn you, chose instead to die for you, and is risen at the Father’s right hand to be your righteousness! (Romans 8:34)

But what the devil tries to do is to get you to believe that God watches you with a critical eye and judges you when you do wrong. Satan has deceived many sincere Christians into believing that if they have done something wrong, sickness or some other evil thing has a right to come onto their bodies or into their families. And when these things happen, he convinces them that they are suffering God’s judgment because of their wrongdoing. In the meantime, these sincere Christians struggle with condemnation because they think that they are the cause of these problems.

Nothing could be further from the truth. Ever since the cross, where Jesus was judged in your place for every one of your wrong actions, thoughts and words, God no longer judges His children. You need not accept condemnation or evil things happening to you because Jesus took your punishment at the cross.

So when you start to feel condemned for your actions or when you experience negative circumstances, say, “It is written: It is God who justifies me. I am completely forgiven and made righteous before Him. I refuse to accept condemnation and I reject every symptom of the curse that I am seeing in my circumstances!”

Then, simply stand on the truth of God’s Word, and watch Him bless and deliver you!

Monday, June 2, 2008

See God As The Good Father

Luke 15:31
31“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

Faith is believing that we have a good God, and that He protects and provides for those who trust in Him.

Remember the parable of the prodigal son? (Luke 15:11–32) Jesus shared it to illustrate how good our heavenly Father is. The wayward son had squandered his father’s inheritance before he decided to go home to ask his father to make him a hired servant.

But before he could reach home, his father saw him from afar, ran towards him and embraced him. And instead of making him a hired servant, he turned to his servants and said, “Bring out the best robe! Get a ring and sandals for my son! Let’s kill the fatted calf and celebrate!”

Now, when the older son returned from work and heard about the celebration, he became angry and refused to enter the house. When his father came out to ask him what was wrong, the older son complained, “Look, I’ve served you all these years. Yet, you never gave me a calf to celebrate with my friends. But as soon as this prodigal son of yours comes home, you kill the fatted calf for him!”

Notice what his father told him: “Son, you are always with me and all that that I have is yours. We should celebrate because your brother was dead but is alive again. He was lost but is now found.”

Can you see how the older brother perceived his father? He saw his father as a hard and stingy man. He believed that he had to work to get something good from his father. He didn’t realise that he already had an inheritance! He could have killed the fatted calf anytime for a celebration!

Like the father in the parable, God has already given you an inheritance in Christ. Don’t fail to enjoy it by doubting God’s goodness or by believing that you must work for it. See your Father’s heart of love and goodness towards you, and celebrate your inheritance today!

Sunday, June 1, 2008

The Lord Is Your Refuge

Psalm 91:1–2
1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Every day, we are bombarded with news of conflicts, natural disasters, diseases and new strains of drug-resistant viruses. We also hear of people losing their loved ones in freak accidents. And we ask ourselves, “Is there a place where I can take refuge from a world gone mad?”

Yes, there is! God foresaw all these things and He has promised in His Word protection from every evil known to man. There is no trap set by the devil that our Father cannot deliver us from, if we trust in Him and take Him as our refuge. That is His promise in Psalm 91.

Whether it is an earthquake at midnight, a crazy sniper, an unknown virus or a terrorist attack at noonday, God says, “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.” (Psalm 91:5–6)

Because you have made Him your dwelling place, angels are watching over you right now. (Psalm 91:9–11) They give heed to the voice of God’s Word, so you should give voice to God’s Word. This means that you should agree with and speak what God’s Word says about His preserving and protecting you. Then, angels are sent to minister to you. (Hebrews 1:14)

My friend, don’t say, “If it can happen to them, it can also happen to me!” Say, “A thousand may fall at my side and 10,000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me!” (Psalm 91:7) The world says that there is danger everywhere. God says, “You are in this world but not of this world. You have My protection because you are of Me and in Me.” (John 17:14–23)

You have access by faith into the secret place of the Most High where no evil can touch you. There is no need to fear living in the end times because the Lord is your refuge and your fortress. His Word says so. And those who trust His Word completely, find His Word completely true!

My Life With Jesus...