Proclaim The Lord's Death

Proclaim The Lord’s Death
By Joseh Prince

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)

Joseph Prince - How To Pray Powerful Prayers - 16 Jun 13

Why pray if God knows all my needs? Must I pray long and hard before God hears and answers me? Does God answer "selfish" prayers? Find out the answers and more as Joseph Prince tackles these common questions about prayer and exposes erroneous beliefs that have hindered believers from experiencing powerful prayer lives. Let right believing take root as you see through the scriptures how much God wants you to turn to Him and ask Him to provide for and restore to you—no matter how impossible your situation. Hear this message to step into a prayer life full of faith, rest, power and miracles!

No Persuasion Needed by Joseph Prince

He took him and healed him, and let him go.
Luke 14:4

No Persuasion Needed

Jesus was in the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees to eat bread on the Sabbath, and He was being watched closely. Imagine being invited to someone’s home for dinner just so the host and his friends can scrutinize you and find fault with you!

Despite the unfavorable circumstances, nothing could stop the goodness in Jesus’ heart from manifesting. The Bible says that “there was a certain man before Him who had dropsy” (Luke 14:2). Jesus could not look at this sick man and just forget about him. He wanted to cure the man even though He knew that the people around Him were against it.

So Jesus spoke to the Pharisees saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?” The uncompassionate and legalistic Pharisees remained silent. I love what Jesus did next: “He took him and healed him, and let him go.” Straight to the point! Then, Jesus turned to the Pharisees and said, “Which of you, having a donkey or an ox that has fallen into a pit, will not immediately pull him out on the Sabbath day?” (Luke 14:5).

Look at the word “immediately”. To the Lord, a sick person is like one in a pit requiring immediate help. This is how the Lord sees people who are sick. He sees them as needing immediate attention.

My friend, if you are sick today, Jesus wants you well. He will not say, “Today is My rest day. Come back tomorrow.” No, His right hand is stretched out and ready to pull you out of the pit. He needs no persuasion. Reach out in faith and take hold of His loving, mighty hand!

Supernatural

I trust in your love. My heart is happy because you saved me.
—Psalm 13:5 (ICB)

When it seems like absolutely everything is going wrong— trust Me. When your life feels more and more out of control—thank Me.

That’s not what usually pops into your mind first, is it? When you’ve missed the bus, lost your best friend, and the dog really did eat your homework—your first response is to complain. That’s only natural. But whining and complaining are like jumping on a giant slide. Once you start down, you only go faster and faster—more whining and complaining. And at the bottom of that slide, there’s nothing but a big pit of self-pity.

Put on the brakes! Don’t do the “natural” thing—do what is beyond natural. Do what is supernatural. Trusting and being thankful in the middle of a really bad day are supernatural responses, and they unlock My supernatural Power in your life. I’ll see you through whatever mess you’re in and fill you up with My Peace, which is beyond your understanding.

Not Satisfied With Just Being Saved by Joseph Prince

Not Satisfied With Just Being Saved by Joseph Prince

Genesis 12:7
7Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him.

I don’t know about you, but I am not satisfied with just knowing that I am righteous by faith. I also want to get to know the One who made me righteous. I want to have an intimate relationship with my Savior!

Abraham was such a man. He was righteous by faith, but he also had a close walk with God and was blessed by God in all things. (Genesis 24:1) His nephew Lot, on the other hand, although righteous too (2 Peter 2:7–8), had no heart for God. He ended up losing a lot when Sodom, the city he dwelt in, was destroyed along with Gomorrah. He was saved by the skin of his teeth!

My friend, do you want to be a Christian like Lot, righteous but always finding yourself in trouble, or do you want to be a righteous-and-blessed Christian like Abraham? Then, like Abraham, have a heart for God.

From place to place, Abraham would build an altar to the Lord. And in between altars, he grew very rich! (Genesis 13:2) There is no biblical record, however, of Lot ever building an altar to the Lord.

What is an “altar” in today’s context? It is a place where you know that you have a close relationship with God. For example, when my late father was in the hospital, I was worried and did not know what to do. I remember driving down the road and crying. After a while, I just threw my cares to the Lord. When I reached the hospital, I just laid my hands on my father and said, “Be healed in Jesus’ name.” And he was healed!

Till today, I can remember the place where I had cast my cares to the Lord and leaned on His love for me. That is my “altar”. And it is not the only one.

We have got to have this kind of relationship with God, one full of “altars” that remind us of His love, goodness and faithfulness. Let’s not live the Christian life like Lot, saved by the skin of our teeth. Let’s walk closely with God as Abraham did, and be richly blessed in every area of our lives!

The Race Is Not To The Swift by Joseph Prince

For they [God’s people] did not gain possession of the land by their own sword, nor did their own arm save them; but it was Your right hand, Your arm, and the light of Your countenance, because You favored them.
Psalm 44:3

The Race Is Not To The Swift

The world tells you that those with the qualifications, talents and experience get the jobs, promotions and high salaries.

My friend, though you live in this world, as God’s beloved child, you need not be limited by it. You have God’s favor—His unmerited, unearned, undeserved grace! Ecclesiastes 9:11 tells us, “The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong...” This means that even if you are not the smartest, strongest, most knowledgeable or best looking in the natural, God can still give you good success when you depend on His grace. It is His right hand, His arm and His favor that provide for you, fight for you, defend you and give you increase.

So instead of mulling over your “disqualifications”, be conscious of God’s favor on you. Smile and say, “God’s favor is all over me because of Jesus. I expect good things to happen to me today!” Beloved, be conscious of His favor. Believe it. Confess it. And you will experience it!

God Chooses the weak

For you see your calling, brethren, that not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called. But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.
1 Corinthians 1:26–27

God Chooses The Weak
By Joseph Prince

God’s ways are often opposite from the world’s ways. According to 1 Corinthians 1:26, “not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” Isn’t it fascinating to discover that while the world looks favorably upon the wise, mighty and noble, God does not? Let’s see in the next verse what God chooses instead: “God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.”

Isn’t it amazing? God has chosen the foolish and weak things to qualify for His abundant blessings. But the verse does not say that the foolish and weak things will remain foolish and weak. Instead, by God’s unmerited favor, they will put to shame the so-called wise and mighty things in this world. In His hands of grace, the foolish and weak things become even wiser and mightier than the wise and mighty things of the world.

My friend, God is interested in your success. Even if you are not the swiftest, strongest, wisest, most knowledgeable and most skillful in the natural, God can still bless you with good success when you depend on His grace. You can rise above the system of meritocracy and survival of the fittest through His undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor!