Do Not Consider Your Own Body

And not being weak in faith, [Abraham] did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old), and the deadness of Sarah’s womb.

Romans 4:19

What should you do when you continue to be confronted with the symptoms or even when the enemy keeps reminding you of so-and-so who wasn’t healed? Keep on partaking of the holy Communion and thanking the Lord that everything you need for your healing has already been supplied through the cross.

Scripture tells us Christ has already redeemed you from the curse of every sickness and disease (Gal. 3:13). When our Lord Jesus instituted the holy Communion, He took the cup and “gave thanks” (Matt. 26:27). The Greek word for gave thanks is eucharisteo, which means “to express gratitude.”

This is why the holy Communion is also known as the Eucharist. You give thanks for something that is already done, that you have already received. So even if the symptoms are still in your body, you can give thanks and call yourself healed because His Word declares that “by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5).

Don’t try to “get” healing for yourself or your loved one. It is already yours! The enemy has been conquered (Col. 2:15). Jesus has already given you divine health. Always remember this: as a believer, you do not fight for victory; you fight from victory.

My friend, let’s be like Abraham, who was convinced God was able to do what He had promised. Even though Abraham was very advanced in years, he believed God’s promise that He would make him a father of many nations and did not consider his own body or the deadness of his wife Sarah’s womb.

And you know the story: Isaac was born to Abraham when he was already one hundred years old (Gen. 21:5) and when Sarah was about ninety. In the natural, that was impossible as they were both past the natural childbearing age.

But Abraham did not consider the deadness of his own body; he considered God’s promise. Romans 4:20–21 tells us he “did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform.”

In the same way, may I encourage you to be like Abraham? Do not consider the symptoms of sickness in your body. Instead, fix your eyes on our Lord Jesus and consider the promise in God’s Word, which declares that by Jesus’ stripes you are already healed. Keep partaking of the Communion in faith, thanking Him that His body was broken so yours might be whole. And as you partake, like the children of Israel, get ready for and keep expecting your physical deliverance.

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional.

Your Answer Is Found in a Person

O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!

Romans 7:24–25

The flesh in us can produce a whole gamut of emotions and thoughts, from defeat, jealousy, greed, and lust to anger, inferiority, condemnation, and arrogance. As long as we are in this physical body, the flesh is active in us.

But we can rejoice because when Jesus died on the cross, the Word of God tells us that He “condemned sin in the flesh” (Rom. 8:3). All the negative thoughts and toxic emotions from the flesh have already been judged and punished at the cross. Today we can experience victory over the flesh through the power of the cross.

You can read all about the apostle Paul’s struggle with the flesh in Romans 7:18–19: “For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) nothing good dwells; for to will is present with me, but how to perform what is good I do not find. For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice”.

Did you notice how many times the words “I,” “me,” and “my” are mentioned in just the two verses above? I’m sure you can identify with the apostle Paul here in his struggle with the flesh.

It’s the struggle we all face when we are occupied with ourselves and warring with the flesh within us. It’s a life of vexation, angst, defeat, and despair.

This is not where God wants you to live, my friend. A believer doesn’t live in Romans chapter 7. Through Christ Jesus, we should be living in Romans chapter 8. Let’s read on and discover how Paul broke free from this bondage of self.

Just a few verses later, Paul cries out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?” (Rom. 7:24). The answer, my friend, is found in a person, and Paul tells us this person is Jesus: “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Rom. 7:25).

Only our beautiful Savior, Jesus Christ, can deliver us from the flesh. And in Christ we can step into the first verse of Romans chapter 8, which proclaims, “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” (NASB).

This is where we as new covenant believers ought to live. Not in the domain of constant struggle and despair, but in the domain of no condemnation and victory.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing.

Unleash the Power

Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun! And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!”

2 Corinthians 5:17–20 NLT

What does preaching the gospel, the good news of our Lord Jesus Christ, do? The apostle Paul tells us in Romans 1:16 that it releases “the power of God” to bring His salvation into your life.

The word “salvation” does not just mean being saved from hell to go to heaven. “Salvation” is the ultra-rich Greek word soteria, which means “deliverance, preservation, safety, salvation.” It covers any area of your life that needs saving so that you can enjoy wholeness and well-being in your body, soul, and spirit.

Now, where do you find this salvation? In the gospel of Christ. Not in the old covenant of law.

It is the gospel of Jesus Christ that unleashes the power of God to save you and make you whole. It is this gospel that brings protection, healing, deliverance, and soundness to every area of your life.

It is no wonder the enemy brings opposition to anyone who preaches the gospel of Christ. He doesn’t want the power of God to come into people’s lives.

By the same token, if you want the well-being and wholeness of God to come into your areas of challenge, then make sure you are hearing the gospel of Christ, which is the gospel of the grace of God (Acts 20:24).

But what is it about the gospel of grace that makes it so powerful? We find the answer in Romans 1:17—“For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, ‘The just shall live by faith.’”

The gospel is so powerful because in it is the revelation that you have been made righteous by the work of Christ, not by your works. This is the glory of the gospel, the good news that when God looks at a man who has put his faith in what Jesus has done, God sees him perfect, complete, and righteous in Christ. It is knowing this that unleashes the power and salvation of God in all its richness into all areas of our lives.

Notice what the apostle Paul said in Romans 1:17—“The just [or righteous] shall live by faith.” You cannot walk in faith, talk in faith, or live a life of faith when you don’t understand that you have been made righteous by faith.

But once you realize that God is not counting your sins against you because of what Christ has done, peace and joy settle in your heart. Fear flees and hope springs forth. Faith for every blessing Christ purchased for you just erupts in you and activates the power of God to overcome every obstacle in your life!

My friend, whatever you may be struggling with today, come back to the Father’s loving embrace and grace. He loves you.

Receive the good news that you are a new creation in Christ; old things are gone. You have been reconciled to God through Christ’s perfect work at the cross. You are righteous in God’s sight (even when you fail) and are empowered to overcome every failing through His gift of no condemnation.

Let this good news of our Lord Jesus take hold in your heart. And in your every area of challenge, you will begin to experience lasting victory and a multiplication of His grace and peace in your life (2 Pet. 1:2).

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution.

Unveiling the Father’s Heart of Grace

“And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and in your sight, and am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ And they began to be merry.”

Luke 15:20–24

Do you want to see how your heavenly Father responds when you have failed? Then I encourage you to read the entire parable of the prodigal son in Luke 15:11–32. Better yet, if you are feeling stressed and worried about something, take time to pull away from life’s hustle and bustle and simply meditate on Jesus’ words in this story and let His message to you soak in.

When Jesus shared the story of the prodigal son, all the Jewish people who heard Him would have been familiar with the condemnation and punishment (death by stoning) that the law specified for a stubborn, rebellious son (Deut. 21:18–21). However, instead of the law they were familiar with, Jesus revealed the Father’s heart of grace and forgiveness in the new covenant. Hallelujah!

Did the son sin against his father? Yes, most definitely. But did the father heap guilt and condemnation on his son before he received his son? No, he did not. Did it matter to the father that his son’s intention for returning home was simply because he was hungry? No, it did not.

When the prodigal son “was still a great way off,” his father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell on his son’s neck and kissed him. What a wonderful picture of God’s heart of love!

This is an eyewitness account of what God the Father is like from Jesus Himself! See how He described God’s response to those who have sinned.

How is it that the father saw his son even when he was still a great way off? That’s because the father had been waiting and longing for his son to return. He must have kept his eyes on the horizon daily, hoping that each day would be the day his beloved son returned home.

Beloved, can you see God’s heart of love for you even when you have failed Him? You just have to take one step toward God and your loving Daddy in heaven will run toward you with no condemnation.

He wants to embrace you, kiss you, and lavish you with His love and blessings! He is waiting to clothe you with the robe of righteousness, put the signet ring of authority back in your hands, and shod your feet with the sandals of right standing. He wants to reinstate you, wash you, and throw a party because you came home!

Our God is a God who will run toward you with no condemnation! You can come boldly to God today and experience the intimate love of your heavenly Father in a deep and personal way as never before. I pray that this experience will heal, renew, restore, and transform you in a spectacular way because His love for you is nothing less than spectacular!

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs.

Build Your Faith Upon His Promises

“He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine He shall redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes. You shall laugh at destruction and famine.”

Job 5:19–22

I believe the Lord gave me the above portion of scripture to strengthen you. Let’s take a closer look at the first verse: “He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.”

Now, I have read this verse a number of times before, but the Lord quickened this scripture in me, so let me share this fresh insight with you. I want to specially address those who have been greatly discouraged in the area of protection. Perhaps you have experienced a very difficult or even tragic event, or are going through a very challenging situation right now. Can I encourage you to build your faith upon His promises and not upon your experiences?

The Word of God says that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33). The fact that God declares in His Word that He will deliver us from troubles tells us that we will experience troubles. But God wants us to know that the more we hear preaching on Psalm 91, the more we quote it and remind ourselves of the Lord’s protection daily, the more our faith in His protection will grow.

Faith comes from “hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17 NASB). The more we hear, the more we believe! The more we claim and pray the prayer of protection, the more we will walk in its blessings. That is the intention of this book—to saturate you with the hearing and hearing of the Lord’s protection promises for your life until your faith is robust and overflowing.

My friend, deliverance from trouble is fantastic, but there is a promise that is even greater, and that is when you are at that place where “no evil shall touch you.” That’s my prayer for you and your loved ones.

While we live in dangerous times, we have an almighty God who watches over us. May we all increase and have a progressive revelation of the Lord’s protection in these last days. While none of us, myself included, are there yet, we are on a journey of faith, of walking fully in the promises of God’s protection.

Let’s give thanks to the Lord for His deliverance from all our troubles as we continue to believe we will come to the place where no evil will touch our loved ones and us!

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times.

Win the Battle for Your Mind

For as he thinks within himself, so he is.

Proverbs 23:7 NASB

I want you to be aware that as you look to the person of Jesus and cultivate the power of right believing, you’ll experience some battles in your mind that will challenge your beliefs. Be encouraged to know that you don’t have to be afraid of these battles.

Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Based on God’s Word, right believing is the key that unlocks the treasures of God in your life, giving you access to the fullness of His love, grace, favor, blessings, and forgiveness. Jesus has already paid the price on Calvary’s hill. The hindrance then between you and your victory is your wrong beliefs. The battle has to do with your beliefs.

The enemy knows that if he can control your thought life, he can manipulate your emotions and feelings. For instance, if he can make you entertain thoughts of guilt, failure, and defeat, you will begin to feel lousy about yourself, physically weak, and even depressed.

Our emotions are flags that indicate to us what our thoughts are. Thank God for emotions. They tell us if something is terribly wrong with our thoughts. Many of us are not cognizant when our thinking slides down a slippery slope to fear, doubt, pessimism, and anxiety. However, God has designed us in such a way that we can quickly recognize our thinking through our emotions. Try this: whenever you begin to sense negative emotions, such as fear, worry, guilt, and anger, stop and ask yourself, “What am I thinking?”

Your emotions follow quickly at the heels of your thoughts. If your thoughts are negative, you will naturally produce negative emotions. Conversely, if your thoughts are positive in Christ, you will produce positive emotions.

That is why there is a battle for your mind. The devil wants to keep your thoughts negative so that he can keep you defeated. He is a master of mind games, and he doesn’t play fair.

When he first tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, he made them doubt God’s motives by insinuating that God was deliberately withholding something good from them, when in reality God was protecting them. The devil’s strategy hasn’t changed—he is still using fears, lies, accusations, guilt, and condemnation to ensnare believers today and to make them doubt God’s perfect love, forgiveness, and superabounding grace.

My friend, are there areas you are fearful and anxious about today? Realize that those fears and anxieties indicate the presence of wrong beliefs in your life that God wants you to be freed from. Replace those wrong beliefs with right beliefs based on God’s Word, and you will eradicate those fears and anxieties. Through the power of right believing, you will win the battle for your mind.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing.

Blessed to Be a Blessing

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing.

Genesis 12:2

What does it mean to be an heir of the world? Let’s take a look at Abraham’s life to see what the Lord did for him. God’s Word tells us that Abraham did not just become rich. He became very rich.

“Well, Pastor Prince, being an heir of the world refers to spiritual riches.”

Hang on, that is not what my Bible says. According to Genesis 13:2, Abraham was “very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” Now, if financial blessings are not part of the blessings of the Lord, then are you telling me that the Lord cursed Abraham with wealth?

I am so glad that God defined Abraham's riches very specifically. God must have foreseen a generation of people who would argue that He is against His people experiencing financial success, so He said clearly in His Word that Abraham was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. Abraham wasn’t just rich spiritually.

Beloved, God is not against you having wealth, but He is definitely against wealth having you.

The Lord blessed Abraham so that he could be a blessing to others. He told Abraham, “I will bless you . . . and you shall be a blessing.” Similarly, He will bless you financially, so that you can be a blessing to others. You cannot be a blessing to those around you—your loved ones, local church, community, and the poor—if you are not blessed by the Lord first.

Now, you already know that finances alone don't make you a success. There are a lot of “poor” people in the world today who have a lot of money. They can have fat bank accounts, but their hearts are empty without the revelation of Jesus’ love for them.

You and I have something from Jesus that is far more superior. The success that we, as new covenant believers, can believe God for is good, holistic success that permeates every aspect of our lives!

What keeps you safe for financial success is when you know that your blessings come by Jesus’ unmerited favor. When you have that revelation, you will no longer be preoccupied with having money because you will be preoccupied with the Lord.

Amazingly, you will realize that the more occupied you are with Jesus, the more money follows after you! Now, why is that? It is simply because when you seek first the kingdom of God, and put Jesus, His righteousness (not your own righteousness), His joy, and His peace as your first priority, God's Word promises you that ALL the material things that you need will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).

The Lord always gives you money with a mission and prosperity with a purpose. He blesses you and when you are blessed, you can be a vessel to bless others.

The gospel of grace can be preached, churches can be built, precious lives can be touched, sinners can be born again, marriages can be restored, and physical bodies can be healed when you send out the Word of Jesus with your financial support.

Don’t love money and use people. Use money to love people. May it be settled in your heart once and for all that it is God’s desire for you to be a financial success and to have more than enough to bless others!

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor.

You Are Qualified

Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.

Colossians 1:12–14

Years ago, when I first started preaching, one of my spiritual heroes back then had said, “There’s nothing wrong with God and nothing wrong with His Word. When you don’t receive from God, there’s something wrong with you.” So that’s what I taught my church too. I wanted my people to be healed and whole, and that’s why I taught them a list of reasons they were not receiving their healings, but that list just kept growing.

One day, I heard the voice of the Holy Spirit on the inside of me saying, “Stop disqualifying My people!”

I countered, “But Lord, I am not disqualifying them. I am trying to qualify them for Your healing.”

As I said that, my eyes were opened, and I repented. I cannot qualify anyone for healing, and neither do I need to try. God has already qualified us through the blood of His Son. The Word of God states this so clearly in the verses above.

Today you and I can give thanks to the Father who has qualified us. We are already qualified to partake of every blessing. And not only that, He has already delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. That means the devil no longer has any hold over us. He has no power over us. He has no authority to rob us of our health.

Whatever sin you might have committed, whatever mistakes you might have made, stop disqualifying yourself. Maybe you don’t think you deserve to be healed because of all the junk food you have eaten for years or because you haven’t been exercising. Nothing you can do is so powerful it can wash away the finished work of Christ.

Yes, we should eat healthily and take care of our bodies. But what I am saying is that even if you have made mistakes, you don’t have to disqualify yourself. That’s what grace is about—grace is for the undeserving!

There is nothing wrong with God, nothing wrong with His Word, and definitely nothing wrong with you because Jesus has effectively and perfectly removed all your sins through His blood. He has already qualified you to freely receive His healing. You can boldly declare “Yes” and “Amen” to this promise of God in Christ (2 Cor. 1:20). Now receive your healing!

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional.

Personalize God’s Favor in Your Life

Now there was leaning on Jesus’ bosom one of His disciples, whom Jesus loved.

John 13:23

I used to think that among Jesus’ 12 disciples, John was the Lord’s favorite disciple and the one who was the closest to Him because the Bible calls John “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” I was under the impression that John had a special favor with Jesus, and always wondered what made him so special that he stood apart from the other disciples. Don’t you want to be known as the disciple whom Jesus loves? I do!

Then one day, when I was reading God’s Word, the secret of John’s favor dawned on me. The Lord opened my eyes and showed me that the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is actually found only in John’s own book! Check it out for yourself. You will not find this phrase being used in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke. It is found only in the Gospel of John. It is a phrase that John used to describe himself!

Now, what was John doing? He was practicing and personalizing the love that Jesus had for him. We are all God’s favorites, but John knew the secret of accessing Jesus’ unmerited favor for himself. It is your prerogative to see yourself as the disciple whom Jesus loves, and to call yourself that!

When I started to teach that the secret of John’s favor lay in his personalization of God’s love, the people in my church literally stepped into a new dimension of experiencing God’s unmerited favor in their lives. I have seen how some of them really took this revelation and ran with it. Some of them customized the wallpapers of their cell phones to say “The disciple whom Jesus loves,” while others signed off their text messages and emails with the phrase.

As they kept reminding themselves that they are the disciple whom Jesus loves, they began to grow in the consciousness of the Lord’s love for them. At the same time, they began to grow in being favor-conscious! I have piles of praise reports on how our congregation members have been so blessed just by being conscious of Jesus’ favor in their lives. Some of them have been promoted, some have received spectacular increments to their paychecks, and many have won various prizes at company functions and in other contests, including all-expense-paid vacations.

A brother from my church signed up for a certain credit card during a special promotion in which new applicants stood to win a range of prizes. There were probably hundreds of thousands of people who participated in this promotion, but this young man just believed that he was highly favored, and because of that, he would win the top prize.

The day of the draw came and true enough, this young man won the top prize—a stunning black Lamborghini Gallardo! When he wrote to the church to share his testimony, he enclosed a picture of himself smiling from ear to ear, posing with his brand-new Lamborghini.

He said that he knew that he had won the car by the unmerited favor of God, and after he had sold off the car, he brought his tithe to the church, giving all glory and honor to Jesus. The world calls this “luck,” but for the believer, there is no such thing as luck. There is only the unmerited favor of Jesus!

This adapted devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor.

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Believing in replacement theology does not automatically make you an anti-Semite, don’t get me wrong. It actually makes you something maybe even worse, someone who denies the promises of God. Forget about us. What about God? I want to tell you, your stance on Israel matters. It matters today. It’ll matter tomorrow, and it will cost you. You understand? It will never be easy. Not on social media, not in the street, not in much of your church surroundings and church gatherings. It will never be easy, but it matters. Are you aware that God has predetermined a mass judgment specifically for how people treat Israel during the tribulation? Do you understand that as bad as what people did to Israel until now before they enter into the tribulation, the liberty to slaughter the Jewish people will be even greater then. 

We, the church, we are the salt of the Earth. What is the salt? What is salt doing? Preserving, yes, and giving taste. I heard all about that. But what is the main thing? Slowing down the decay. Do you understand that Roman soldiers that died in the battlefield and had to be carried for two weeks back home were put in a sack full of salt to preserve the body until burial? It’s not making them alive, but it’s slowing down the decay. This world is not going to be happy-clappy accepting Jesus. It’s going down. But as long as we’re here, we slow down that process. We are the restrainer. There is the Holy Spirit that is in us, and that makes us the temple of the Holy Spirit. It’s a restrainer. Only when the restrainer is taken out of the way, the antichrist can show his face. And then, one of the first things he’s going to do is persecute the Jews. To the point that Jesus tells them, when you see the abomination of desolation that Daniel spoke about, don’t even go home to pack. Run. Flee. Pray that it’s not on the Sabbath. Pray that it’s not in the wintertime, but flee, run.

And anyone who will belong to the antichrist by default will be anti-Jewish and anti-Christian, because there will be saints during the tribulation that will accept Jesus. And anyone who is against the antichrist by default is accepting Christ. And if he does, he will be for the Jews. Do you understand that?

The verses that refute Replacement Theology and the belief that modern Israel has nothing to do with the Israel of the Bible are many. None, however, are more conclusive than Joel 3. These verses are the proverbial nail in the coffin of such thinking: 

Joel 3:1-2
“For behold, in those days and at that time, when I bring back the captives of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather all nations, and bring them down to the Valley of Jehoshaphat; and I will enter into judgment with them there on account of My people, My heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; they have also divided up My land.”

The fact that Joel 3 opened with the phrase, “in those days and at the time”, tells us that the time period is a future season – “in those days” – and specifically, “at that time.” In other words, this is a prophecy about a specific time in the future for the nation of Israel. 

Joel 3:14-16
Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision! For the day of the LORD is near in the valley of decision. The sun and moon will grow dark, and the stars will diminish their brightness. The LORD also will roar from Zion, and utter His voice from Jerusalem; the heavens and earth will shake; but the LORD will be a shelter for His people, and the strength of the children of Israel.

The “Day of the Lord” clarifies “in those days and at the time” as the 70th week of Daniel, or the Great Tribulation, and the final battle when the Lord returns to fight against those who fought against Jerusalem (Zechariah 14:3).

If God has cast off His chosen people, what do we do with those verses and the events they describe? Since He hasn’t cast off His people, we must learn from this that He opposes those who oppose Israel and that believing that modern Israel is not biblical Israel or that the church has replaced Israel are both in opposition to the will of God clearly spelled out in His word.

If God defended Israel against those who came against them in the past and we know He will do so in the future, how ridiculous it is to think He acts differently in the present.

Modern Israel is biblical Israel, and no Christian should deny it.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

One Thing Is Needful

She had a sister named Mary, who seated herself at the Lord’s feet and was continually listening to His teaching.

Luke 10:39 AMP

If you have followed my ministry, you know that one of my favorite verses is Romans 5:17: “Much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.”

Unfortunately, there are people who mock what the Word of God says, thinking that receiving is too simplistic and insubstantial. Their focus is on doing, on duty, on what is man’s responsibility.

My dear reader, don’t ever underestimate the power of receiving. Man’s greatest doing—his greatest duty and greatest responsibility—is to humble himself to receive from the Lord Jesus!

Look at what Mary did—she sat at our Lord’s feet and just pulled, drew, and received from her Savior. But Martha came along and complained to Jesus, saying, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me” (Luke 10:40).

What was Martha consumed with? Duty, responsibility, serving, and doing!

I believe that the Martha-type of believers we have today who are constantly complaining against believers like Mary are precious, beloved, and deeply sincere. But they can be so committed to their duties that they forget the person it’s all about. Martha was zealous about serving the Lord, but she ended up being hopping mad with her sister and even chided the Lord.

Mary looked beyond the exterior and saw a fullness in the Lord to draw from. Martha, on the other hand, saw Him in the natural, as needing her ministry. Which sister do you think made the Lord feel like God? Whom was the Lord more pleased with?

Can you see how Martha completely missed the point of all her service? She was utterly consumed by her duty and missed the divine deity, the Lord Jesus Himself, Who was sitting right in her living room!

And listen to our Lord’s response (and I believe that He said this tenderly and with a loving smile): “Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42 KJV).

I believe that when Martha heard that, she had a revelation immediately. Instead of buzzing around and fuming at the Lord and her sister, she put down her pots and pans, removed her apron, and sat with her sister to receive from the Lord. Never underestimate the power of receiving from our Lord.

The more you receive the abundance of grace and gift of righteousness, the more you will reign, the more you will perform, the more you will be responsible, the more you will glorify the Lord, and the more you will fulfill your call, duty, and destiny. Because Mary did the one thing needful and focused on receiving from the Lord, she ended up performing the right ser- vice for Him.
We read in John 12:1–8 that she anointed the Lord with costly fragrant oil for His burial. All the other women who wanted to anoint Him for His burial were too late on resurrection morning (Luke 24:1–3). Mary was able to do the right thing at the right time because she kept her heart centered on receiving from the Lord. So keep receiving from Jesus. Every day, receive His Word, His grace, and His gift of righteousness. And keep confessing your righteousness in Him—it will result in you doing the right thing at the right time.

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution.

Consent to Be Rescued

“What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, ‘Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!’”

Luke 15:4–6

Do you remember the parable of the lost sheep Jesus told in Luke 15? When the shepherd found the lost sheep, he lifted it up and laid it upon his strong shoulders.

What did the sheep do? Nothing. It just consented to be rescued by the shepherd. Jesus calls this consent on the part of the sheep “repentance”—“there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine just persons who need no repentance” (Luke 15:7).

That is what God invites us to do today—to consent to be protected. He wants us to be on His shoulders, in the safety of Himself as our impenetrable fortress. In this place, no predator can attack His sheep.

On His shoulders, you are highly exalted above all your troubles, above all danger, all attacks, and far above all principalities and powers. Yes, far above Satan, above all the powers of darkness and the snare of the fowler. On His shoulders, you are far above every sickness, disease, and every name that is named. What a great place to be!

And does the Lord do this grudgingly? Absolutely not. The Bible tells us that the shepherd lays the sheep on his shoulders “rejoicing” (Luke 15:5). Our Lord rescues us with great joy in His heart and a big smile on His face.

Beloved, the safest place you can be today is on His shoulders. Jesus is your city of refuge. In your day of trouble, run to Him!

I pray you’ll anchor your heart on the wonderful verse that encapsulates this: “The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him, who shelters him all the day long; and he shall dwell between His shoulders” (Deut. 33:12).

When you make the Lord your refuge and dwelling place, you shall dwell safely in Him and no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling!

This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times.

Self Seeking Not God Seeking

'Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.'

John 6:26

Jesus knew the hearts of all men and therefore, He did not commit Himself to this crowd. Just the day before, these same people tried to take Him by force and make Him their king, but He withdrew and spent the night in prayer.

This crowd looked like they were seeking Jesus, but they were actually trying to use Jesus to seek their own end. It is true that there are many personal benefits to be reaped through serving the Lord, but the benefits are never to become our object. In all things, Christ must have the preeminence (Col. 1:18).

Jesus exposed the true intentions of the people's hearts by preaching a strong message of commitment. Those who were self-centered were offended and left while those who were willing to lay down their lives to experience God's abundant life remained. Commitment to God Himself (not what He can produce) is what always separates the true worshippers of God from the false.

As Jesus began to explain in these verses that He was the only way to the Father (Jn. 14:6) and that they would have to come through Him, the people grew angry. It always angers the flesh to think that all our righteous acts can't save us, but Jesus made it clear that our only part in salvation is to believe. Believe what? Believe on Jesus and His sacrifice - not ours. Salvation is a gift and cannot be purchased (Rom. 10:2-3).

Many times, we get so intent on seeking God in one area that we forget the greatest miracle of all, which is the love and redemption given to us from God through His Son. God loves us so much!

God’s Robust Peace

The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:7

I want to talk to you today about experiencing God’s kind of peace in the midst of fearful circumstances. My friend, peace is not the absence of trouble in your life. It is not the absence of turmoil, challenges, or things that are not harmonious in your physical environment.

It is possible to be in the midst of the biggest crisis in your life and still experience peace. That’s the true kind of peace that you can experience with Jesus—peace that surpasses understanding. Naturally speaking, it does not make sense for you to feel completely at rest and at peace when you are in dire straits, but supernaturally, you can be filled with peace!

The world defines peace, harmony, and tranquility based on what is happening in the sensory realm. The world’s notion of peace would look something like this: A man lying in a hammock on a white sandy beach in Hawaii with luau music playing softly in the cabana, coconut trees swaying in perfect unison, and warm, blue waves rolling languidly along the shoreline. The world calls that peace—until reality kicks in and the transient peace that was experienced just moments ago dissipates into thin air!

You see, my friend, you cannot use your external surroundings to permanently influence the turmoil that you are feeling inside. Only Jesus can touch what you are feeling inside and turn that turmoil into His peace. With the Lord by your side, and from that abiding peace within, you can influence your external surroundings. It's not the other way round.

With Jesus, transformation is always from inside out and not outside in. He puts a peace and rest in your heart that is so secure, you can face any challenge without worry or stress, regardless of your negative circumstances and environment.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor.

Overcoming Fear

And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.

2 Chronicles 20:3–4

Have you been in a situation where your circumstances appear to be completely hopeless? Where you felt immobilized and overwhelmed by the challenges surrounding you, with no way out or even a temporary respite in sight? Perhaps under the accumulated weight of it all coming against you at once, you feel as if your entire life is spiraling out of control and falling apart.

That is exactly what happened to King Jehoshaphat and the small tribe of Judah when they were besieged on all fronts by three powerful and blood-thirsty armies rapidly advancing toward Jerusalem (2 Chron. 20). With their enemies mercilessly bent on annihilating them and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem, they were facing a forlorn and hopeless situation, and it looked as though they were bound for a tragic end.

When Jehoshaphat was informed that a great multitude was coming against him, his first reaction was fear! I don’t know about you, but this gives me hope! I’m so glad that the Word of God gives us an authentic portrait of who Jehoshaphat was.

He wasn’t a valiant warrior king who was always full of faith and endowed with a disproportionate dose of fiery courage, always ready to take down his enemies. No, he was a regular guy. He did what you and I would have done—he panicked.

But what set Jehoshaphat apart was that even when he was fearful, the very first thing he did was to “set himself to seek the Lord” (2 Chron. 20:3). That is something you and I need to learn to do as well whenever we are fearful. Instead of spiraling deeper into the abyss of self-defeat, know that when you are feeling overwhelmed by your circumstances, that is the time you need to set yourself to seek the Lord.

It’s certainly not the time to run away from God or get bitter, angry, frustrated, and disappointed with Him. Hey, God is not the author of your troubles. He is the author and finisher of your faith, victory, and success.

Jehoshaphat shows us that it’s quite all right to experience bouts of fear from time to time. God doesn’t condemn you when you are afraid. But when you receive a negative medical report or some bad news about your family or business, set yourself to seek the Lord. Jesus is your answer! His perfect love for you will cast out all fear.

This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing.

Keep Speaking Your Righteousness

For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son.

Romans 8:3

I love today’s scripture. The answer, my friend, is found not in the law, but in the Son. The law was given by a servant, Moses; grace came through the Son, Jesus.

The grace revolution begins with a person and His name is Jesus. When you have Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and a revelation of His grace, you have everything. You have, most importantly, a new and righteous identity in Christ.

Many believers don’t realize this but revelations can be stolen and forgotten. That’s what happened to the Corinthian church and Paul had to step in to remind them of their righteous identity in Christ.

This is also why it is so essential for you to be part of a local church where you can keep on hearing and hearing messages that are full of the person of Jesus, and be surrounded by Christ-centered leaders and friends who will always point you back to the Lord and your righteous identity in Christ.

I want to encourage you to have a daily consciousness of your righteousness in Christ by speaking and confessing your righteousness out loud. Believe that you are righteous in Christ, and that righteousness is a gift you cannot earn. While knowing this is fantastic, I want you to take a step further with me today and begin to practice confessing your righteousness in Christ daily.

My dear friend, when you are stressed out and a thousand things are screaming for your attention, say quietly under your breath, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” When you read some horrible news in the morning papers and your heart is gripped with fear for your loved ones, just say quietly under your breath, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” And when you are feeling a temptation to indulge again in a past addiction, now you know what to do: say quietly under your breath, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.”

Your remaining in victory is directly related to how conscious you are of your righteous identity in Christ. If you truly desire to see lasting breakthroughs in your life and live above defeat, speak! Speak out, speak up, and speak without doubt. And I promise you that you will live more stress free, more fearlessly, more boldly, and more victoriously than ever before!

This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution.

Grace Is a Person, Not a Doctrine

For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

John 1:17

Do you know what makes Christianity unique and gives it the power to free people from all fears, condemning thoughts, and addictions? Many of the world’s belief systems are governed by moral codes, rules, and laws.

But Christianity is unique in that it is not about an impersonal list of dos and don’ts. It is about having a relationship with Almighty God. And it is God working in us and for us through this relationship that brings transformation in our lives.

Beloved, God is all about having a relationship with you today. The apostle John tells us that “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17).

Notice also that the law was given. This implies a sense of distance. In contrast, grace came! Grace is personal and came as a person—the person of Jesus Christ.

The law is hard, cold, and impersonal. You cannot have a relationship with two tablets of stone. But grace is gentle and warm. Grace is not a teaching or doctrine. Grace is a person, and you can have a relationship with a person.

God is not interested in mere obedience and submission. He is a God of love and He longs to have an intimate relationship with you.

Jesus came and died a cruel death on the cross, paying the full debt of sin with His own life so that you and I can reign in life today. His sacrifice fulfilled every requirement of the law perfectly on our behalf (Matt. 5:17 NIV). All that we were unable to do, He did on our behalf.

When you receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you are made holy and righteous by His blood once and for all. You can enter into a relationship with Almighty God and come boldly into His presence without any guilt, condemnation, or expectation of punishment.

You see, when you have fulfilled your debt to the lender for the mortgage on your house, you stop sending in your monthly payments because the debt has already been fulfilled. If the lender sends you a letter demanding additional payment, all you have to do is produce the title deed to your home. In the same sense, the debt that you and I owed to the law has already been fulfilled by our Savior, Jesus Christ! Hallelujah!

When the devil comes to accuse you with the law and shows you how you have fallen short and failed, turn your eyes away from yourself and point to the payment that Jesus made on the cross. Christ is your title deed, which is why you are called a “Christian” today.

You are not your own. You have been purchased with the precious blood of Jesus Christ. His blood, shed for you, is what makes your relationship with God secure. It is what gives you the basis to reach out and receive your freedom from your loving Savior today!

This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs.

Message from Amir Tsarfati

I see Christians who are now flocking to the new best thing on podcasts where they cannot even complete one sentence without five times the F-word and three times the S-word. A new hero of all of us.

Where are we? What fight are we fighting? This is it. It has everything we need. We don’t need to come up with new things. We don’t need to be seen as cool if we listen to this or do that or do this. No. We need to be the salt and the light in this world. We are in this world, but not of this world.

So, I hope and I pray that tonight, not only that we understand who really controls the Middle East, but we understand that God is in full control of everything that is happening all around the world, and that we are the most blessed generation ever, ever to live, since the first century.

We have more knowledge, more understanding, more comfort, more hope than any living creature that doesn’t have Jesus. We must give them hope. We must give them salvation. Through what? Through Jesus.

At a time when it seems for many that acceptance and tolerance have replaced reverence and holiness, we need to remember what the word of God has to say about such things:

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.

Note that speaking and hearing are both mentioned in this passage that talks about the words that come from the mouth. The things that are said and heard by the body of Christ are to be absent of corruption. The word “corrupt” in this passage means, “rotten, morally worthless, putrefied, or unfit for use”. This last definition tells us that there are things that should not come from our mouths or enter our ears for they are unfit to say or hear.

While it needs to be said that there are some things we hear that are outside of our control, that is not the context of this verse. Paul is talking about things within our control, things that are not fit for us to say or to hear.

Psalm 19:14
Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O LORD, my strength and my Redeemer.

While many would argue today that cuss words or dirty jokes are just words, King David states clearly that our words are to be of an acceptable nature to the Lord. This is important because it highlights that fact that the words that exit our mouths come from the heart. When we put rotten, morally worthless, putrefied, and unfit words into our ears, they are going to have an impact on our hearts if only in sense of having a comfort level with them. And we will wind up with a polluted resource of our words.

We need to remember that the Lord gave Israel 613 commands and ordinances for the single purpose of distinguishing them from the rest of the world. The same is true for us, only without the specifics of the Mosaic law. 

Philippians 4:8
Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things.

I am sure we have all had some commercial jingle or song from the past get stuck in our heads at one time or another, but consider if what you put into your head is true, noble, just, pure, and lovely. Are they things of good report? If so, then the next time something gets stuck on repeat in your brain, it won’t be unfit, rotten, or morally worthless.

Philippians 2:5
Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus.

I am sure there were many unfit and morally worthless words spoken at the time of Jesus, and I am equally sure that they never found their way into his heart or out of His mouth.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus 

Just a Groan Will Reach the Throne

Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.

Exodus 2:23–24

There is an enemy who wants to keep you enslaved to that medical condition in your life. The enemy wants to keep you in a place of despair and to keep you so focused on your disappointments you cannot lay hold of God’s promises for you. That is what he did to the children of Israel. When Moses told the Israelites that God would rescue them from their bondage, the Bible tells us “they refused to listen” as they had “become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery” (Ex. 6:6–9 NLT).

But God did not abandon them even though they refused to listen. He knew they were in a state of despair because they had suffered under the yoke of slavery for so long. Do you want to know what the children of Israel did that caused God to rescue them so mightily?

Read this for yourself in the verse above. The children of Israel were so oppressed all they could do was groan. There was nothing left in them to compose any prayers. And the Bible tells us God heard their groaning and He remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

I am sharing this with you because I want you to know that you do not need to craft impressive declarations of faith or do anything for God before He hears you. Just a groan will reach the throne. A simple sigh from you will reach the throne room of your Abba in heaven. If just a groan from the children of Israel could activate the covenant God had cut with their forefathers, how much more would your cry accomplish, oh child of the Most High!

If you are in a place of discouragement about your medical condition, cry out to Him and take this additional insight from the Passover as an encouragement. I love it that God told the children of Israel to partake of the Passover lamb in this manner: “And thus you shall eat it: with a belt on your waist, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand” (Ex. 12:11).

Why did they have to eat with belts on their waists, sandals on their feet, and staffs in their hands? God was telling them to be ready for their physical deliverance even as they ate the roasted lamb.

In the same way, when we partake of the Lord’s Supper, let’s partake with faith and expectancy. Our compassionate Lord Jesus has heard our groans and He is both willing and able to deliver us from any oppression.

Let’s partake expecting our miracle to take place, expecting our deliverance. That’s what the Israelites did despite their suffering, and they came out with not one sick, not one feeble.

I want to see that happening for my church and for you. We may not yet have come to the place where we can say there are “none feeble,” but I believe we are on our way.

This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional.

Opposition To The Gospel

 'Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to

send peace, but a sword.'

MATTHEW 10:34

This statement seems like a contradiction to some prophecies concerning Jesus and some of Jesus' own statements concerning peace, as well as what was written of Him in the New Testament Epistles. However, the peace that Jesus purchased was peace between God and man. We have peace with God (Rom. 5:1). We are exhorted to take this peace and extend it to all men, but it is also made very clear that not all men will receive it.

Peace can only come when we relate to God on the basis of faith in what He did for us, instead of what we do for Him. A person who is thinking that he must perform up to some standard to be accepted by God will have no peace. That puts the burden of salvation on our shoulders, and we can't bear that load. We were incapable of living holy enough to please God before we were saved, and we are incapable of living holy enough to please God now that we are saved (Heb. 11:6). We were saved by faith, and we have to continue to walk with God by faith (Col. 2:6). Not understanding this has made many Christians, who love God, unable to enjoy the peace that was provided for them through faith in Jesus.

The Gospel will always produce opposition from those who don't receive it. This 'sword of division,' even among family members, is not God's will, nor is it God that causes it. But, it will inevitably come, and Jesus was simply preparing His disciples for that time. As much as we would like everyone to receive the good news, we must not think it is strange when even our loved ones don't receive it. Jesus was rejected by His own, and we will be also. We must remain faithful to continue preaching the Gospel, for there are others who will receive. Keep sharing the 'Good News!' Andrew Womack