Tuesday, November 17, 2009

The God Of More-Than-Enough

The God Of More-Than-Enough


Luke 5:9
9For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;

As a young Christian, I grew up hearing preachers say that God only supplies our needs, not our wants. Yet, in the Bible, God clearly shows us that He wants to meet not just our needs, but also our wants.

For example, the famous “shepherd psalm” begins with “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want”. (Psalm 23:1) Another psalm says, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing.” (Psalm 34:9–10)

One of the names of our God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the all-providing One”. He provides more than enough. The God of more-than-enough came in the flesh and walked among His people. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He did not give His disciples small blessings. That is why He said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets [plural] for a catch,” (Luke 5:4) and not “let down your net [singular]”. And what a catch it turned out to be — a boat-sinking, net-breaking catch! It was such a big and unexpected blessing that Peter and all who were with him were “astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken”.

Beloved, see God’s heart for you today. He wants to prosper you greatly. Don’t settle for anything less, thinking that He only supplies your needs and not your wants. If you need a job, know that He wants you to pray not just for a job, but for a position. When you have a position, you have influence and you are able to impact lives. Maybe what you need is a pay increment. Then, pray not just for that, but also to be in a position to give increments!

You may start out poor when you follow God. But you cannot remain poor when you follow the God of more-than-enough. In fact, like Peter, you too will be astonished that God supplies more than what you need and beyond what you have asked!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006–2008 New Creation Church

Thursday, November 5, 2009

Righteousness And Not Sin Imputed To You

Righteousness And Not Sin Imputed To You


Romans 4:8
8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”

You are blessed today because all your sins are forgiven in Christ. God does not count your sins against you. Instead, He counts you righteous in Christ. That is why you are the blessed man to whom the Lord does not and will not impute sin!

What happens to such a man? Let’s look at the story of Jacob to find out.

The Bible records how Jacob had deceived his father and cheated his elder brother Esau of his firstborn blessing. (Genesis 27:1–41) Yet, in spite of his sin of deception, God chose to speak to Jacob. And no, God did not say to this cheat, “You terrible sinner! How can you deceive your own father? You are cursed!”

No, to deceitful Jacob, God said, “I am the Lord God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants… Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you.” (Genesis 28:13–15) Here was a man to whom God did not impute sin!

God did not rebuke Jacob at all. Instead, we hear Him telling Jacob, “I will give to you… I am with you… I will keep you… I will bring you back… I will not leave you…” Jacob certainly did not deserve these blessings. This is one man who walked in the truth of Romans 4:8 — “Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin”! Now, I am not encouraging you to sin, but I want you to see the love and grace of God toward us.

If Jacob was so blessed, how much more you and I today, who are under the new covenant of grace established by the blood of Jesus. How much more is our blessedness because Jesus has removed all our sins at the cross!

Beloved, because of Jesus’ finished work, God does not impute sin to you. What He does impute to you is righteousness apart from works. (Romans 4:6) And because you are righteous, get ready for His blessings! (Proverbs 10:6)


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006–2008 New Creation Church

Sin Cannot Stop God’s Grace!

Sin Cannot Stop God’s Grace!


Romans 5:20
20Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more,

When a top executive is charged for corruption or a church minister is caught in the very act of adultery, you will probably hear the phrase “fallen from grace” being used of them. We have come to believe that when someone falls into sin, he falls from grace.

But God wants us to know that when someone falls into sin, he does not fall from grace — he actually falls into grace! Thank God His grace is there to put the person back on his feet.

The Bible tells of prostitutes and corrupt tax collectors — sinners — who fell into God’s grace and got back on their feet. If the sin in their lives could stop God’s grace, they would never have been able to receive His grace of healing, help and power to live right.

Now, it is important you understand that God hates sin because it destroys our lives, relationships and bodies. Sin is evil! But sin is not overcome by us talking about it and relying on our willpower to overcome it. It takes God’s grace to destroy sin. In fact, it is when you are under His grace that sin has no dominion over you. (Romans 6:14) It is when you see His grace in providing His Son to put away your sins and make you eternally righteous that sin will not dominate you.

The devil will say to you, “You think that you can still expect God’s blessings after what you did this morning?” That is when you must remind yourself that Christ alone is your perfection and righteousness. All of us have faults. None of us deserve God’s blessings. That is why we plead the grace of God, which is His unearned, unmerited and undeserved favor toward us.

Sin does not and cannot stop God’s grace. If His grace can be cut off by sin, Jesus would never have come to save us because we were all terrible sinners. But praise God, “where sin abounded, grace abounded much more”!

My friend, God’s grace is bigger, deeper, wider and more powerful than all the world’s sins put together. Receive His grace right now to walk in total victory over that weakness or evil habit in your life!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
All scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are taken from the New King James Version ®.
Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 2006–2008 New Creation Church

Sunday, November 1, 2009

‘All That I Have Is Yours’

‘All That I Have Is Yours’


Luke 15:31
31... ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.

After running a few errands for his parents, a little boy went to his father and said, “I know why you and mummy had me.” “Why?” asked his father. “So that you guys would have someone to run errands for you!” exclaimed the boy.

Like the little boy, do you see God as a Father who demands obedience and service from you? Have you ever felt that unless you obey Him and keep all His commandments, you don’t have a right to be blessed by Him?

Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son to show how some of us call God “Father” and yet don’t know His heart. There are two sons in this parable. We know what happened to the prodigal son, but we can also learn something about the older son. This is what he said to his father when he discovered that his father had thrown a party to celebrate the return of his irresponsible, spendthrift brother: “Lo, these many years I have been serving you; I never transgressed your commandment at any time; and yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might make merry with my friends.” (Luke 15:29)

Now, this son believed that his father had brought him into the world to serve him. He saw his father as someone issuing commandments to him all the time. And he saw himself as someone who had to obey those commandments to enjoy his inheritance. But the truth is that the father had already given him his inheritance. (Luke 15:12) The father even reminded him lovingly: “Son… all that I have is yours.” And I am sure that that inheritance included more than one goat!

Have you, like the older son, failed to understand your Father’s heart? Your heavenly Father already gave you a rich inheritance in Christ when you became His son. He wants you to know that you have received the Spirit of sonship. (Romans 8:15) So call out to Him, “Abba, Father!” and know how much He loves you. Because you are His heir, all that He has is yours to enjoy today!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
No part of this document or any related files may be modified, adapted, reproduced, distributed
and/or converted in any form and by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise)
without express written consent of the copyright holder.

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

How Tender Is God’s Heart Toward You

How Tender Is God’s Heart Toward You


Ephesians 2:7
7that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Have you ever blown things out of proportion and gotten angry with God when you were going through a trying time? This happened to Jesus’ disciples when a storm hit them hard. In their fear of drowning, they cried out to Jesus, who was getting some much-needed sleep in the boat, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38)

For accusing Him of not caring, you would think that they received a rebuke from Jesus. But it was the wind which received His rebuke, and a great calm followed. (Mark 4:39) Because of His tenderness toward His own, Jesus did not waste time taking offence. Instead, He wasted no time taking care of the problem that had caused His disciples so much anxiety and fear.

This also happened to two sisters, Martha and Mary, who did not hesitate to let Jesus know how they felt when He finally showed up days after their brother Lazarus had died. Both sisters made the same remark to Him: “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.” (John 11:21, 32)

Both sisters had seen Jesus’ miracles of mercy and love. Now, in their grief, they focused on how He could have prevented their brother’s death, but did not. They did not know His heart — how tender it was toward them and how His help would never fail them, but would even extend to raising their dead brother. (John 11:41–44)

Beloved, your heavenly Father sees you trying to stay afloat when you are in the midst of a storm. He sees you trying to provide for yourself and your family, and thinking, “If I don’t take care of these things, no one else will!” And He wants you to know how tender His heart is toward you, how He is not offended by all the bad things you have ever said of or to Him. He wants you to know how much He wants to and will help and bless you. So let go and experience afresh the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward you!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
No part of this document or any related files may be modified, adapted, reproduced, distributed
and/or converted in any form and by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise)
without express written consent of the copyright holder.

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

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

God Commands His Blessing On Your Storehouses

God Commands His Blessing On Your Storehouses


Deuteronomy 28:8
8The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses…

When Jesus walked on earth, He had no bank account or Visa card. Yet, He was rich, lacking nothing. He had whatever He needed for Himself as well as for the people around Him. When they needed healing, He provided it. (Matthew 12:15) When they needed food, He provided it. (Matthew 14:13–21) As long as they had Him, they had whatever they needed.

Likewise, when you have Jesus, you have an anointing within that makes you rich, even though in the natural, when you look at your finances, there may not be much. God Himself has promised that He will command the blessing on you in your storehouses. Notice that He said “storehouses”. This means that He will command the blessing on your bank accounts, investment plans and everywhere that you put your money! Your storehouses will be blessed because when God commands the blessing, the blessing has no choice but to come on your storehouses!

We saw this happen to one of our church’s storehouses — our investment in Marine Cove, an open-air, seaside shopping-cum-dining-cum-leisure resort complex. We invested in the place because we wanted to multiply the Lord’s money. We did not want to leave the money in the bank where the interest rate then was less than one per cent. We prayed about it and the Lord led us to invest in Marine Cove.

And since day one, we have been making money from that investment. In fact, our highest annual return was 11 per cent net! When SARS hit Singapore in 2003, people were avoiding the air-conditioned malls and coming to Marine Cove. The place was packed. Only God could have known how things would turn out. We even made money from the parking charges! That was how much the Lord was multiplying His money through our investment.

Beloved, just believe God when He says that He will command His blessing on you in your storehouses. Get ready your storehouses and make room for the blessings. Position yourself to capitalize on the opportunities that He is sending your way!


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
No part of this document or any related files may be modified, adapted, reproduced, distributed
and/or converted in any form and by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise)
without express written consent of the copyright holder.

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

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

Proclaim The Lord’s Death

Proclaim The Lord’s Death


1 Corinthians 11:26
26For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death till He comes.

In the Old Testament, whenever the children of Israel sacrificed a lamb for a burnt offering as they faced a strong enemy, victory was theirs. For example, in 1 Samuel 7:7–11, when the Philistines were coming against them, the prophet Samuel offered a lamb as a burnt offering. As it was being offered, the Lord came like a loud thunder on the Philistine army, confusing them. This led to victory for the Israelites.

Every time something bad happened to the children of Israel, by offering a lamb sacrifice, they were proclaiming the Lord’s death, and the battle would turn in their favor.

Today, when we are faced with an enemy, how do we offer our “burnt offering”? How do we proclaim the Lord’s death and come out victorious? Do we ask Jesus to come down to where we are at and die on the cross all over again?

Of course not. Jesus died once for all our sins — past, present and future. (Hebrews 10:12) His work is perfectly perfect and completely complete, so He doesn’t have to die for us again. Today, we proclaim His death simply by partaking of the Lord’s Supper.

Every time you partake of the bread and wine, you declare to the principalities and powers of darkness that the Lord’s death avails for you. Every time you partake, you are saying that because Jesus has been judged and punished in your place, you cannot be judged and punished. Because Jesus died young in your place, you will live long. And because He conquered death and stripped the devil of his powers, you will not be defeated. The victory is already yours!

That is why the psalmist David said, “You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies…” (Psalm 23:5) The Lord’s table is prepared for you in the presence of your enemies because when you partake of the bread and wine, you will see your enemies tremble and scatter! Why? Because when you proclaim the Lord’s death through the Holy Communion, you are reminding the devil and his cohorts of their humiliating defeat at Calvary’s cross! (Colossians 2:15)


© Copyright Joseph Prince, 2006. All rights reserved.
No part of this document or any related files may be modified, adapted, reproduced, distributed
and/or converted in any form and by any means (electronic, photocopying or otherwise)
without express written consent of the copyright holder.

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

My Life With Jesus...