Worldly Wisdom Versus God’s Wisdom

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.

Psalm 1:1

Today, I want to talk about how you can depend on God’s wisdom to succeed. Wisdom from the Lord comes by God’s unmerited favor. It is not something that you can study for or acquire with your efforts. Wisdom from the Lord is something that the world cannot have.

This is not to say that the world does not have wisdom. Step into any bookstore today and you will find shelves full of books containing experts’ theories and methods on all sorts of subjects. The majority of these, however, stem from human wisdom, which strengthens and builds up only the flesh.

Whether they know it or not, the people of the world are crying out for true wisdom from the Lord. Just look at the constant demand for self-help books. But what we need is not more “self-help.” What we need is the Lord's help! Read books that are written by Spirit-filled believers and Christian leaders who encourage you to look to Jesus and not to yourself.

Psalm 1:1 tells us this from the start: "Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly.” Beloved, this means that there is counsel in human wisdom. But the man who does not walk according to the wisdom of the world is the man who is blessed.

At the same time, if his delight is in Jesus, and he meditates on Jesus day and night, Psalm 1:3 says, “He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.”

My friend, make a decision to walk in the counsel of the godly and not in the counsel of the world, and you will see whatever you do prosper. God has raised up men and women who are established in the truths of the new covenant, and who will help you keep your eyes on Jesus. In Him, you will find all the wisdom that pertains to life.

The Bible tells us that in Him “are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” (Col. 2:2–3) for your success. Keep looking to Jesus, draw on His divine wisdom, and see the difference it will make to you!

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

God Honors Our Faith

Then Joshua spoke to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel: “Sun, stand still over Gibeon; and Moon, in the Valley of Aijalon.” So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the people had revenge upon their enemies . . . for the LORD fought for Israel.

Joshua 10:12–14

Joshua, Moses’ successor who led the children of Israel into the promised land, was someone who dared to ask big. When Joshua was caught in the thick of battle with his enemies and the sun was about to set, he cried out for the sun and moon to stand still, and the Bible goes on to record that God answered his prayer.

I love this story. When my leaders and I were in the plains where this battle took place, we could see the sun over Gibeon on one side and the moon over the Valley of Aijalon on the other side. Both the sun and moon could be seen at the same time from that location.

Standing there, I could just imagine Joshua in the midst of the battle, raising his voice and pointing to the sun on one side to stand still and then turning to the moon to issue the same command. Joshua was asking God for more daylight because the momentum of the battle was to their advantage. He wanted to completely rout his enemies and not give them time to regroup.

When you think about what Joshua asked, it was both an audacious and inaccurate request! If you were attentive during your science classes in school, you would know that the earth orbits around the sun, not the sun around the earth!

So technically, when Joshua called for the sun and moon to stand still, God made the earth stand still instead. Joshua’s request was scientifically inaccurate, but nevertheless, God honored Joshua’s chutzpah faith! He understood that what Joshua needed was more daylight, and He made it happen.

Isn’t it encouraging to know that God didn’t correct Joshua and give him CliffsNotes on how the solar system that He built actually functions? It gives me great encouragement to know that even when our faith confessions may not always be perfect, God still honors our hope and faith in Him.

He loves it when we ask Him for big things. My friend, you can ask of Him, knowing that the battle truly belongs to the Lord, and that He will fight for you the way He fought for Israel because you are His covenant child.

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

Come Under His Wings of Mercy and Grace

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.

Psalm 91:4

It is wonderful when the Lord delivers you from the snare of the fowler. But Psalm 91 tells us that God wants us to step into something even better. Verse 4 goes on to say, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” There are so many powerful truths hidden in this simple line!

The Old Testament was written predominantly to the Jewish people, who would understand words such as “His wings” and “feathers” as pointing to the ark of the covenant, namely the cherubim on top of the ark.

Of all the furniture pieces in the temple, the ark was the most holy. It was placed in the Holy of Holies and typifies our Lord Jesus Christ. It was made of incorruptible wood and overlaid with gold. The wood represents His incorruptible and sinless humanity, while the gold speaks of His perfect divinity and deity. Our Lord Jesus was one hundred percent man and yet one hundred percent God.

The lid of the ark of the covenant, where you find the cherubim, was hammered out of one solid piece of gold. It is called kapporeth in Hebrew and is usually translated as “mercy seat.” To understand the significance of the mercy seat, we have to understand the contents within the ark of the covenant.

Three items were placed inside the ark of the covenant: the stone tablets on which God had inscribed the Ten Commandments, a golden pot of manna, and Aaron’s rod that had budded. The three items typify man’s rebellion—man’s rejection of God’s holy standards, man’s rejection of God’s provision, and man’s rejection of God’s appointed leadership.

God took these symbols of man’s rebellion and failure, placed them in the ark of the covenant, and covered them with His mercy seat. It’s a beautiful picture of His unmerited favor over our lives, of how mercy triumphs over judgment.

This is the secret place where God wants you and me to live each day—not under the claws of judgment, punishment, and condemnation, but under His wings of mercy, grace, and favor. This is the place of intimacy with our Lord Jesus; this is the place of divine protection.

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

True Rest for the Weary Soul

“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”

Matthew 11:28–30

Perhaps by now you are wondering whether the grace teaching you have been reading or hearing is doctrinally sound. Here’s the litmus test, my friend: the preaching of the new covenant of grace should always exalt Christ.

It should always reveal more and more of Jesus—His beauty and the perfection of His finished work on the cross. Jesus and what He has done are always glorified when true grace is taught.

There is no proper grace teaching without Jesus Christ. So ask yourself, have you been hearing about Jesus and what He has done, or have you been hearing about man and what he must do?

Now, what is the effect of hearing Jesus and His finished work exalted? It leads to a life of rest and good success, because His yoke is easy and His burden is light. Today’s scripture explains this very simply. Jesus was speaking to people who were weary and worn out by the requirements of the law of Moses.

The yoke of the law is hard and heavy. The yoke of grace is easy and light because it involves none of you and all of Christ. He has borne the burden of sin on your behalf. Under grace, your part is to only believe on Jesus Christ, and when you believe, you are made righteous and blessed!

I love this testimony from Nadia in South Africa that showcases the amazing grace that Jesus brings. This is the undeserved, unearned, and unmerited favor of God that leads to rest, joy, and true success for the weary soul:

Three years ago, I had a high-powered career with plenty of financial resources and a wonderful family. The flip side was constant exhaustion from a ridiculous schedule, guilt from not spending time with my young son and husband, and stress from trying to balance it all on my own. On top of everything, I had been taught that Jesus expected a perfect performance from me in order for His blessings to flow in my life. I was burned out and very deficient in many areas of my life, including joy.

As I read one of Pastor Prince’s books and listened to his CDs, I began to see how Jesus paid the price for my sins to give me His righteousness and freedom, and that it was His will for me to live an abundant life, full to the brim and overflowing. Very gently, Jesus began to move me away from the “success” that was making me so unhappy.

My husband and I made plans to change our circumstances so that I could be with my children on a more permanent basis. Despite the financial implications for our family, Jesus gave me such a shalom-peace about our decision. So I left my high-powered, financially stable job to begin my own consultancy. Jesus was amazing in providing for us throughout the year, not just financially, but also in quality time. I had time to draw infinitely closer to Him, time for my family, and even time for my hobbies, which included finishing the writing of my first novel.

However, being still involved with corporate life through my consultancy, I struggled to walk in the peace that Jesus promised us. The old habits I’d formed with regards to stress and worry still intruded into the new space Jesus had provided for me. Then, unexpectedly, the doors in my business began to close. Confused and uncertain, I felt as though I was in the middle of a hurricane as I tried to open the doors that would lead me deeper into corporate consulting. But through Pastor Prince’s sermon, “The Key of David—God Opens Doors That No One Can Shut,” Jesus reassured me that He was in control, and that I could trust Him because He loves me.

I stand in awe of Jesus because He has closed doors that weren’t good for me and opened doors beyond my grandest dreams. He opened the door to having my book published by one of the biggest international publishing houses in the world. In just five months, Jesus turned my situation around, giving me a new career in which I can reach and inspire many more people than I would ever have dreamed possible. He has provided me with family time and time to be with Him. I know from His Word that He will bring me good success. I now wake up looking forward to the day with such joy and expectation of His goodness—not because of anything I have done, but all because of Him!

When I look back on the journey Jesus has brought me through, I can see His grace at every turn. Jesus is so kind, magnificent, and altogether lovely! He has delivered me into a truly rich and bountiful life that is full of His joy and abundance!

That, my friend, is the grace of God. It provides rest and freedom from all your self-efforts. It is the unshakable basis on which you can expect God to provide for you and lead you to good success.

If you are weary and heavy laden, come to Jesus, the gracious one, and learn from Him all that He has done for you. His yoke is easy and His burden is light. By His grace, find rest, yes, true rest for your soul. Start receiving the treasures that were purchased for you by His blood and begin reigning in every area of life!

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

Start Your Day with Jesus

It is good to give thanks to the LORD, and to sing praises to Your name, O Most High; to declare Your lovingkindness in the morning, and Your faithfulness every night.

Psalm 92:1–2

Do you know that God has promised that no weapon formed against you shall prosper (Isa. 54:17)? Now, He did not promise that weapons would not be formed against you. He promised that even if weapons were formed against you, they would not hurt or defeat you.

There are all kinds of weapons formed against humanity, especially in these last days. Just think of the many kinds of deadly viruses, sicknesses, and diseases in the world. When you turn on the television and watch the news, all you seem to hear about are wars, unrest, disasters, financial collapses, violence, unemployment, famines, and new strains of deadly viruses.

It is amazing how many people wake up in the morning and the first thing that they do is grab the newspapers and read bad news before heading to work. Then, just before they go to bed, they watch the news!

Now, please understand that I am not against reading the newspapers or watching the news, or watching television for that matter. But I want to encourage you to start your day with Jesus instead, practicing His presence, acknowledging Him, committing your plans to Him, and trusting Him for His unmerited favor, wisdom, and strength for the day.

Remember to be like Joseph in the Bible. The Lord was with Joseph and he was a successful man! Your success does not come as a result of you being updated about the latest virus or you being cued in to the latest disaster. No, your success will come as a result of your being tuned in to the presence of Jesus in your life!

There are many people in my church who start the day each morning by partaking of the holy Communion, not as a ritual, but as a time to remember Jesus and the power of His cross.

They look to Jesus for His strength, receiving His divine life for their physical bodies as they partake of the bread. They renew their consciousness of their free gift of righteousness purchased by the blood of Jesus on the cross as they partake of the cup. What a way to start the day!

I have also come to realize that the last thought before you go to sleep is very important. I have tried this before and you can try it too—go to bed thinking about Jesus, giving thanks to Him for the day.

You can also meditate on one of His promises, such as the one found in Isaiah 54:17. Just say, "Thank You, Father. Your Word declares that no weapon formed against me shall prosper!” Most times, I wake up feeling rejuvenated, energized, and refreshed even though I did not sleep for many hours.

Conversely, if I go to bed with what I have just heard on the news swirling in my mind, I could sleep many more hours than usual, but still wake up feeling fatigued. Sometimes I even get a headache. Have you been there before? Well, you don’t have to experience that again.

Sandwich your day with the presence of Jesus. Start the day with Him, enjoy Him during the day, and end the day with Him on your mind!

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

Use Your Words to Bless

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For “He who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips from speaking deceit.”

1 Peter 3:8–10

Beloved, I want you to see that your words are powerful. What you speak over yourself can change your life.

Allow me to draw your attention to today’s scripture. God’s Word is so beautifully clear. If you desire to love life and see good days, all you need to do is to refrain your tongue from speaking evil.

It sounds simple. In fact, you may even contend that it is too simple. How many of us truly believe that our tongue wields so much influence and power over our future, even our day-to-day living?

The tongue seems minute and insignificant compared to the rest of our body. How can such a little organ, which doesn’t have any skeletal support, have such a direct and pronounced effect on our future?

Yet the Bible reminds us not to despise the tongue simply because it is small: “Look also at ships: although they are so large and are driven by fierce winds, they are turned by a very small rudder wherever the pilot desires. Even so the tongue is a little member and boasts great things” (James 3:4–5).

In the book of Proverbs, Solomon also declares, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Prov. 18:21). It is evident that God does not want you to underestimate the power of your words!

Notice that Apostle Peter’s quote was made in the context of our relationships with people. As you have been transformed by the gospel of grace, God also wants to transform your relationships with people. These people would be your spouse, kids, parents, relatives, friends, colleagues, employers, and business associates, and any other person you come in contact with!

I believe that people who have been touched by the grace of God are carriers of His Spirit of humility and graciousness. We are not people who render evil for evil, reviling for reviling. We are people called to be a blessing everywhere we go. That’s the grace revolution in action. Our Lord Jesus first transforms your relationship with God from the inside out, and that grace that you have experienced overflows into all your earthly relationships like a mighty tidal wave.

Let me show you something very interesting. The original Greek word for “blessing” in 1 Peter 3:9 is eulogeo, which means “to speak well of” and is where we get the English word “eulogy.” That is the key to speaking a blessing! Every time you speak well of something, you are blessing that thing and being a blessing!

So speak well of your marriage, your children, your family, and your friends. That’s how you bless and become a blessing everywhere you go. Bless your body too, by speaking well of it—don’t keep saying it’s getting old!

Speak well also of your relationship with the Lord. Call yourself the beloved of the Lord. Declare His protection, favor, and righteousness over you and your loved ones and begin to experience His blessings like never before. Every time you speak His blessings over your life, you are taking possession of your blessed place in Christ.

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

Under the Care of the Good Shepherd

The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me to lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside the still waters. He restores my soul; He leads me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

Psalm 23:1–4

If we’re honest, we all have some measure of wrong believing in our lives. Just ask yourself, “Have I often felt anxious, worried, or fearful that the worst would happen to me and my loved ones?” These negative, exhausting emotions are merely flags that indicate what we truly believe about ourselves, our lives, and God.

When we are fearful and worried all the time, we are living as if we don’t believe that we have a strong and able Shepherd who is tenderhearted toward us, who leads us to good places, who protects us and lovingly watches over us. So if worrying or being fearful seems to be your natural default mode, what you need to do is to keep hearing and learning about how much God loves you, and how precious you are to Him.

That is why the way out of constant worrying is not a matter of just thinking positively; it’s birthed out of knowing you have a personal and intimate relationship with a loving Savior who watches over your needs and tends to you as a loving Shepherd. The more strongly you believe that He is taking care of you, the more it will change your thoughts and feelings, and the less you will fall victim to unhealthy emotions and behaviors.

Today, if you need freedom from a bad situation, see Jesus, your good Shepherd, leading you out of it by His Word that brings life and illumination. The psalmist says it this way: “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Ps. 119:105). In The Message translation, it says, “By your words I can see where I’m going; they throw a beam of light on my dark path.”

My friend, the Lord wants to throw a beam of light on your path today. Whatever you are struggling with presently, no matter how insurmountable your challenges appear, when you start believing right, things are going to start turning around for your good!

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

Go for Jesus Himself

So it was, while they conversed and reasoned, that Jesus Himself drew near and went with them.

Luke 24:15

I love the fact that of all the words God could have chosen to call this beautiful meal, He chose the word Communion. It speaks of the relationship God wants to have with us, the closeness and intimacy He desires to have with us.

I know it can be easy to lose sight of that and even see the Communion as a means to an end, especially when you are battling symptoms in your body. But as you continue to come to the Lord’s Table, don’t just go after the healing and miss the One who prepared the table for you.

Pursue the healer and not just the healing. Pursue the blesser and not just the blessing. When you have Him, you have everything.

Today, I want to encourage you with one of my favorite stories in the New Testament. I pray that you do not go away with mere information about what the holy Communion is, but you experience what the two disciples did on the road to Emmaus when Jesus Himself drew near and walked with them.

That journey to Emmaus took place the same day our Lord Jesus rose bodily from the grave. What was so important to the Lord that He would do it on the day of His resurrection?

The resurrected Christ did this:

“And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.”

—Luke 24:27

Later the two disciples said to each other, “Did not our heart burn within us while He talked with us on the road, and while He opened the Scriptures to us?” (Luke 24:32).

As a pastor, that is what I endeavor to do every Sunday, and I pray that by the grace of God, you will see in the Scriptures, not a list of rules and regulations, not knowledge that puffs up the intellect, but things concerning Himself.

I pray that your heart burned within you as you see Jesus in the Scriptures and you experience His deep, personal love for you as never before. I pray that you will feel Jesus Himself drawing near to you, lavishing His love on you, and imparting to you all you need. And beyond what He can do for you or your loved one, beyond healing for that condition you might have been battling with, I pray that you have an encounter with the Lord Jesus Himself.

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

Spiritual Food

 'But he saith unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.'

John 4:32

Food is essential for life. Without it we couldn't grow. We get strength and vitality from food. Yet food can kill us. Improper diets kill more people than any disease.

Our soul needs nourishment too. The things we think on and the desires that we have are food to our souls. Jesus said, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God' (Mat. 4:4).

Jesus valued spiritual nourishment more than He valued physical nourishment. He was thrilled to see this woman and the people of this town respond to His gift of salvation. Likewise, we should set our desires on the things of God so that spiritual matters are more important to us than our physical food.

The wrong diet for our souls is the leading cause of failure and depression in Christians. Being spiritually minded produces life and peace. Being carnally minded produces death (Rom. 8:6).

In our health conscious society, many of us wouldn't dream of abusing our bodies with bad diets. Yet in our soulish area, we are killing ourselves by feeding on the wrong things. Treat yourself to a healthy spiritual meal today. Andrew Womack

Authority over the Enemy

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

Psalm 91:13

Do you know that as a believer in Christ, you have authority over the enemy?

It is true that the devil is the god of this fallen world (2 Cor. 4:4 NASB), who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). But we, as believers, are not called to cower in fear like the people of the world, for God’s eternal Word proclaims that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

In Christ, we have authority over the devil and all his cohorts. In Christ, we have authority to tread upon the lion and the cobra. The fowler’s snares shall be foiled and the hunter shall be the hunted. Our role in this increasingly dangerous world isn’t to be passive and indifferent, waiting to be devoured by the roaring lion. We are endued with power and authority to hunt down the roaring lion!

The Bible records the account of how Samson was in the vineyards of Timnah when suddenly “a young lion came roaring against him” (Judg. 14:5). Now, what would you do if you were suddenly ambushed by a lion?

Psychologists tell us that there are essentially three possible responses that are instinctively triggered when a person is unexpectedly thrust into an extremely dangerous situation—fight, take flight, or freeze. While most of us would probably either take flight or freeze, Samson instinctively rose to fight: “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand” (Judg. 14:6). Now, that’s taking authority! The hunter came at Samson but found itself the hunted!

Sometime later, Samson passed by the lion’s carcass and saw a swarm of bees and some honey in it. So he scooped out some of the honey and ate it. It was from this experience that Samson came up with this riddle, “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet” (Judg. 14:14).

There is a beautiful picture here for all of us. Instead of being eaten by the lion, Samson obtained something sweet to eat. What is the spiritual truth for us today? Out of every evil and negative thing the devil throws at you today, God will make something sweet for you. Your giants will be as bread to you. God will turn every bitter adversity into sweet honey for you!

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

Come As You Are to Jesus

You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.

Psalm 30:11

My friend, you are favored and accepted by God today because of His unmerited favor. Even if your life is a mess, He can take your mess and make it into something beautiful. Come to Him just as you are.

Years ago, one of my church members suddenly stopped coming to church for a long time. I met up with him to find out how he was doing and to see if everything was alright. He was very honest with me and told me that he was going through a lot of problems in his marriage and that he was now addicted to alcohol. Then, he said this: "Let me get my life right, then I will come back to church.”

I smiled and asked him, “Do you clean yourself before you take a bath?” I could tell from his expression that he was taken aback by my question, so I told him, “Come as you are to the Lord. He is the bath. He will cleanse you. He will get your life in order for you and He will cause every addiction to lose its hold on you. You don’t have to use your own efforts to clean yourself before you take a bath!”

I am glad to share that this precious brother soon returned to church and Jesus turned his life around. Today, he is happily married, blessed with a beautiful family, and is one of my trusted, key leaders. That is what the Lord does when you come to Him as you are and allow Him to love you into wholeness. He will make all things beautiful in your life.

There are many people today who are like this brother. They want to get their lives together by themselves before they come to Jesus. They are under the impression that they need to make themselves holy before they can step into God’s holy presence. They feel like they are being hypocrites if they don't sort out their lives first before coming to church.

Nothing could be further from the truth. You will never be able to make yourself holy enough to qualify for God’s blessings. You are made holy, righteous, and clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is His righteous standing that qualifies you—nothing more and nothing less.

So stop trying to clean yourself before you go to the Lord. Come to Jesus with all your mess, all your addictions, all your weaknesses, and all your failures. God loves you just as you are.

However, He also loves you too much to let you stay the same. My friend, when you come to Jesus, He becomes your “bath.” He will wash you clean, whiter than snow! Jump into the bath today and allow Jesus to make you perfect, righteous, and holy in God’s eyes!

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

Our Unshakable Foundation

If Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! . . . But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive.

1 Corinthians 15:17, 20–22

The apostle Paul proclaims Jesus Christ is risen from the dead in today’s scripture! And because He is risen, you are no longer in your sins. Jesus’ resurrection is the living proof that all your sins have been completely and totally forgiven.

Our forgiveness is not contingent upon us and what we have or have not done, so no one can boast that they earned their forgiveness through their own efforts. “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:8–9).

Through faith in Jesus’ finished work at the cross, we have received the gift of salvation. When something is a gift, it means that you cannot work for it, earn it, or merit it. A gift is lavished upon the recipient by the giver, and Jesus gave of His own life to ransom yours.

But Pastor Prince, I don’t deserve forgiveness.

You are absolutely right. We deserved punishment for all the sins we have committed and will commit in our lifetime. We deserved death, but Jesus took that death for us and gave us eternal life. He took what we deserved and gave us what we didn’t deserve. That is why we are saved by grace—His unmerited, unearned, and undeserved favor—through faith.

Now, always remember this: How are you saved? By grace through faith. How have all your sins been forgiven? By grace through faith. How have you been made righteous? By grace through faith. This is your unshakable foundation, built upon the finished work of Jesus Christ.

Don’t allow any teaching to diminish the cross of Jesus in your life and make salvation, forgiveness, and righteousness things you have to work at in order to maintain and keep. You received salvation, forgiveness, and righteousness by grace through faith in Jesus’ finished work, and they are secured by His obedience to the Father at the cross:

“Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous.”

—Romans 5:18–19

Righteousness is not about right doing. Righteousness is about right believing. You are made righteous in God’s eyes when you believe or put your faith in Christ and His sacrifice for you. It is through Jesus’ obedience that we have been made righteous and justified from all our sins. Justification is our Lord Jesus removing all the guilt and penalty of sin and proclaiming that we have been made righteous by His shed blood.

Beloved, when you are buffeted by the voice of accusation and condemnation over your failures, believe and learn to declare that you are saved, forgiven, made righteous (justified) by grace through faith in Christ. You’ll see His favor, wisdom, power, and every benefit of His finished work released into your situation to turn everything around for His glory.

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

The Secret of David

And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist. And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

Colossians 1:17–18

Have you ever wondered why God called David “a man after My own heart” (Acts 13:22)? What made him so special, and how can we also be a man or woman after God’s heart?

I believe David was special because he got hold of something that was of the greatest importance to God’s heart. He got hold of a divine thought and objective in God’s heart and made a vow to God in the wilderness to bring back the ark of the covenant to its rightful place among God’s people in Jerusalem (Ps. 132:1–5). Because David placed such importance on bringing back the ark, God considered him a man after His own heart.

For more than twenty years, King Saul had left the ark in a hilly place called Kirjath Jearim (1 Sam. 7:2). So David made it his passion to bring the ark to Mount Zion in Jerusalem, for the Lord had chosen Zion (which represents God’s grace, as opposed to Mount Sinai, which represents His law) as His dwelling place. God Himself said of Zion, “This is My resting place forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it” (Ps. 132:14).

When you understand the typology of the ark of the covenant, you will see that bringing the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem is the same as bringing Jesus Christ back into a place of prominence and making Him and His finished work the center of all our teaching and preaching and lives.

This was the secret to David’s blessings. He pursued the ark of the covenant and God called him a man after His own heart. Today, you too can be a man or woman after God’s own heart. You can pursue Jesus and bring Him back into the center of your life. Make Jesus the centerpiece of every aspect of your life.

When Gillian from New Jersey and her husband started doing this, not only did it make their relationship stronger, but one blessing after another came into their lives. Round about the time they were introduced to the gospel of grace through my television broadcast, Gillian and her husband were struggling to conceive after being childless for all eleven years of their married life. They had tried all means, including in vitro fertilization, and Gillian was finally told that between her system being “so messed up” and her husband being diagnosed with a low sperm count, diabetes, and other diseases, they could never have a child on their own.

“But we watched you every morning,” Gillian told me, “and as we listened, we got a better and better understanding of God’s grace. Your sermons always teach us to put Jesus in the center of our lives, and so we started doing that. We began to believe that Jesus has paid the full price for us to have whatever we need through Him. We would see Him and His finished work in our relationship with each other and in our challenges.”

Well, as Gillian gave the Lord center place by giving heed to the hearing of His Word, she heard me speak in one of my sermons of an anointing to have children. She shared, “Instantly, I believed it and received it into my spirit. Pastor Prince, I am now six weeks pregnant. What medical science could not do, our beautiful Savior did! Praise the Lord! Not only that, but God has also been increasing my business to the extent that I need new equipment now, and I have no doubt He will supply it all. We know we are truly God’s beloved.”

What an awesome testimony! My friend, like Gillian and her husband, make Jesus, His finished work, and His grace, the center of everything in your life. Make Him the center of your marriage, family, career, and finances, and allow the fullness of His blessings to flow in your life today!

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

More with You Than Against You

You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4

When you or a loved one faces a frightening medical condition, questions for which you have no answers can often overwhelm your mind.

What are we going to do? How long do I have? Who will look after my kids? How am I going to afford the treatment? Will I ever be the same? Why me?

What can you do when your thoughts are completely out of control and you can only imagine the worst is coming?

The Bible records the following account in 2 Kings 6 for our encouragement. Israel’s enemies were so desperate to capture the prophet Elisha that they sent a great army with horses and chariots by night and surrounded the city where he was staying. When Elisha’s servant woke up and saw this army, he despaired and cried out in fear, “What shall we do?”

May I invite you to read for yourself what happened next?

“So he [Elisha] answered, ‘Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ And Elisha prayed, and said, ‘LORD, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.’ Then the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.”

—2 Kings 6:16–17

It may feel like a formidable army of symptoms, negative reports, and maybe even financial debt has surrounded you. But, beloved, do not fear, for those who are with you are so much more than those who are with them.

Right now, I pray that the Lord will open your eyes so you might see the legions of angels stationed around you. Take your eyes off your enemies. The ability of your enemies to hurt you is nothing compared to the greatness of your God and His power to save you.

Take your eyes off the enemy so you may see the exceeding greatness of God’s power toward you. The same mighty power that raised our Lord Jesus from the grave, the same power that seated Him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places—far above all principalities, power, might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come (Eph. 1:19–21)—is working for you and for your loved one!

Is human papillomavirus a name? Is bacterial meningitis a name? Is Parkinson’s disease a name? Then it has to yield to Jesus, who is seated at the Father’s right hand, far above the diseases. And because you are in Christ today, as He is, so are you in this world (1 John 4:17)!

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

Slay Your Dragons

And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked.

Acts 14:8–10

Beloved, if you want to have faith for your breakthrough, make sure you are hearing and believing right about God through the word of Christ. By the way, in Romans 10:17, it is the word of Christ, not the word of God, as written in some Bible translations.

The Greek word used here is Christos for Christ. What’s the difference? The word of Christ refers to the word of the new covenant, the word of His grace.

In the book of Acts, the apostle Paul says, “So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified” (Acts 20:32).

What is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among the saints? It is the word of His grace or the word of Christ. The Bible exhorts us to “let the word of Christ [Christos] dwell in you richly in all wisdom” (Col. 3:16).

So if you’re feeling discouraged, I encourage you to keep hearing messages full of the grace and finished work of our Lord Jesus as was proclaimed by the apostle Paul. This was what the crippled man in today’s scripture did.

Whatever your circumstances, keep hearing about how your sins have all been forgiven through Christ and how you are today the righteousness of God in Christ. Whatever the prognosis you’ve heard, keep hearing about how much God loves you and wants to be a loving Father to you, to watch over you, provide for you, and deliver you from all your fears and afflictions.

My friend, when you give priority to this daily, you will have the word of Christ dwelling richly in you. And it is this word of His grace that will impart faith and hope to you.

When you know God’s love for you, it will cause you to run to Him instead of hiding from Him. His love upon you and in you will make you strong. It will cause you to overcome every temptation and fear, slay your giants, and live life with greater boldness and victory!

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

Your Refuge and Fortress

I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Psalm 91:2

What are you saying of the Lord today? If you are saying He gave you the trouble you are presently in or an illness to teach you humility, it’s time to change what you believe about Him. If you really believe that God is the author of your problems, would you really be running to Him for help?

My friend, let’s be like the psalmist who declared, “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’.”

The Hebrew word for “refuge,” machaceh, refers to a shelter from storms and danger. This shelter is like the bunkers that many Jews have in their homes in Israel today to shelter them from small-scale attacks. In the figurative sense, when you say the Lord is your machaceh, you are also declaring that He is your place of hope.

The Lord is also your fortress. In Hebrew, the word used for “fortress” is matsuwd. It refers to a castle or stronghold, a place of defense and protection against large-scale attacks. Isn’t that a beautiful picture? Whatever you might be going through right now, you can declare that the Lord is your refuge and your fortress—your protection in both small as well as big attacks.

Perhaps you have not been saying that God is behind your troubles. Perhaps you are not saying anything about the Lord at all. Perhaps God seems far away and you feel cut off from Him.

If that is you, can I encourage you to take a break today from whatever you have on your busy to-do list, and simply take time to dwell in His sweet presence? God is not distant; sometimes we are just too distracted to hear His voice or sense His loving presence.

Take a moment and see yourself in His secret place. Abide under His shadow. Savor His favor. Receive His wisdom. And find rest for your troubled soul. The feeling of being distant from God is only a feeling, nothing more. He has promised in His Word that He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

Our Lord Jesus paid for you to have access to God’s constant presence. At the cross, He cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” when God turned His back on Him (Matt. 27:46). He took our place and was rejected by God when He carried our sins so that today, we can take His place of being in the constant presence of the Father and take Him as our refuge and fortress.

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

Jesus Is Interested in Your Success

Let the LORD be magnified, who has pleasure in the prosperity of His servant.

Psalm 35:27

Do you believe that Jesus is interested in your success?

Take a moment to reflect on this.

My friend, I want you to know that Jesus delights in blessing you. It is His good pleasure to see you blessed in every area of your life!

Now, don’t put a limit on His blessings in your life. The blessings of the Lord are not (as some may erroneously believe) just seen in material things. Jesus is infinitely interested in your total well-being. He is interested in your family, career, fulfillment in life, marriage, ministry, and boy, does the list go on!

When it comes to your desires, hopes, and dreams, there is no detail that is too minuscule, minute, or insignificant for Jesus. Trust me, if it matters to you, it matters to Him!

Even if you go to Him in prayer to remove that small pimple on your nose, He is not going to look at you and reply mockingly, “Hey buddy, don’t you know that I’ve got a whole universe to run? Come to Me when you have a bigger prayer request.”

No way! A thousand times no! Jesus will never ridicule or deride your concerns as petty. He is never dismissive or condescending. He is not like some of your so-called “friends,” who may delight in poking fun at your shortcomings. If it bothers you, it “bothers” Him.

You are important to Jesus. Know with full assurance in your heart that Jesus knows you perfectly, and yet accepts and loves you perfectly. When you begin to understand that, you will realize that it is truly that unmerited favor, that favor from Jesus that you know you do not deserve, did not merit, and cannot earn for yourself, that will perfect every imperfection and weakness in your life.

If you are facing challenges, such as lack in any area, addictions, fears, sicknesses, or broken relationships, Jesus’ unmerited favor will protect, deliver, prosper, bring restoration to, and provide for you. His unmerited favor will transform you into wholeness, and it is the goodness of God, not your striving and self-efforts, that will lead you to live victoriously for His glory.

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

God Loves You Perfectly

But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him.

Romans 5:8–9

God is a God of forgiveness. He knows you perfectly and still loves you perfectly. We are slaves to the idea that if someone sees our flaws, they won’t love us anymore. Well, while that may be true in human relationships, God is not like that.

God sees all our imperfections, failings, and flaws on Jesus at the cross. Our sins and ugliness do not turn Him off. In fact, to Him they are occasions to demonstrate His grace and forgiveness through the blood of His Son, who has removed all our sins efficaciously at Calvary.

So don’t be embarrassed about your flaws, mistakes, and imperfections. God knows your weaknesses better than you do, and He loves you just the same. His Word reminds us that Jesus is not someone “who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses.” Instead, Jesus was tempted in all points, yet He was without sin (Heb. 4:15).

He understands every temptation and every trial that you are going through. He is not disappointed with you, and He is not waiting for you to live up to a set of dos and don’ts before He forgives and loves you. The Bible says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him” (Rom. 5:8–9).

Did you get that? When did God love you?

That’s right, when you were still a sinner. Before you even knew Him, when you were still in sin, He already loved you. How much more today, when you have been cleansed by Jesus’ blood and made righteous! Having received Jesus’ righteousness, you are righteous forever. Even when you fall into sin, your sins don’t make you a sinner again.

When you fall short today, you are still the righteousness of God. This is because your righteousness comes from Jesus. In the same way that a beautiful butterfly cannot morph back into a caterpillar, once you have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus, you cannot morph back into a sinner. Knowing your righteous identity in Him then gives you the power to overcome every sin, every addiction, and every bad habit!

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

The Born Again Experience

'Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel,

and knowest not these things?'

John 3:10

The Greek word translated 'master' here actually means, 'an instructor, doctor, teacher'. Nicodemus was a very educated man in religious matters, yet he didn't have the slightest idea what Jesus was talking about.

Nicodemus' relationship with God had all been academic. He knew a lot about God, but he didn't know God personally. Jesus had a union with God that was unique and Nicodemus was intrigued. God was Jesus' father. This was foreign to Nicodemus.

Jesus had not been educated by man and yet He knew God in a way that the theologians and seminary graduates of His day didn't. He shocked Nicodemus when He told him that the only way to truly know God was through an experience of becoming born again.

The number one thing that sets Christianity apart from religion is this born again experience. We don't just have a different doctrine than the others. We have been born from above. We have Jesus Himself living in our hearts. Christianity is a relationship, not a religion. We truly fellowship with God as our father. A man with a born again experience is never at a loss when confronted by a man with an argument. Andrew Womack

Experience Perfect, Unconditional Love

Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

Psalm 34:8 NLT

Beloved, just because you don’t know the Bible from cover to cover, don’t be intimidated by learned theologians who use very high-sounding theological words to try to dismiss the gospel of glorious grace.

The gospel is so simple that even fishermen such as Peter could grasp it, and yet it could also confound intellectual scholars such as Nicodemus (John 3:1–10). The learned Nicodemuses of today might hear the gospel of grace preached and leave wondering, “How can these things be?”

In contrast, the woman at the well in John 4, who encountered Jesus and His grace, couldn’t help but proclaim, “Come, see a Man!” and point people to the Savior! Today the grace revolution is led by precious people just like the woman at the well.

We have received so many testimonies of how imperfect people have risen up to become evangelists of the gospel of grace. They may not be as qualified as the Nicodemuses of this world, but what they do have is a life transformed and restored after an authentic encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Edwina is another case in point. Although she was born again when she was sixteen, every church she attended taught her she had to keep God’s laws to please Him. Believing that God was just waiting for her next wrongdoing in order to condemn her, she became rebellious, started having premarital sex, had an abortion, and ended up attempting suicide more than once. She shared:

I got married and had kids at a young age. When I got older, I tried my best to keep my life in order. I attended church, stayed true to my husband, and worked hard. But my husband was a womanizer, heavy smoker, gambler, drug addict, and an alcoholic. To keep him away from drugs, I sent him to work in Singapore.

When I eventually joined him there, he was in huge debt, still an alcoholic, and had a few girlfriends. I felt that he only wanted me to help pay his debt and it was not worthwhile to remain faithful. I started an online chat relationship that led to an affair. I felt wanted again but it just didn’t feel right.

Devastated, I cried out to God. Then, I remembered that my pastor in the Philippines had mentioned New Creation Church. So I attended a service with my husband and I cried throughout the sermon.

Pastor Prince shared how Jesus loved the woman caught in adultery unconditionally, giving her the gift of no condemnation to empower her to stop sinning. It was the first time I heard about a God who doesn’t condemn me.

I kept returning to New Creation Church, with or without my husband. I also listened to Pastor Prince’s sermons on my way to and from work. Not only did my affair come to an end, but Jesus also turned the water into wine in my marriage.

I now love my husband even more than before, and my husband also loves me. He has quit smoking, gambling, and drinking. We believe his debt cancellation is also on the way, in Jesus’ name!

I’m now so in love with Jesus and feel comfortable in His presence, whether I’ve done good or not. And I’m seeing more right living in my life now. I’m more honest and loving. I don’t boast in myself, but I boast in what the Lord has done in me.

Thank you, Pastor Prince, for being faithful in preaching the truth. And thank You, Lord Jesus, for loving me.

Beloved, as He did with the woman at the well and with Edwina, the Lord knows everything about you—every failure, every sin, and every shortcoming. Yet He still loves you with an everlasting love, a love that is completely unconditional, a love that nailed Him to the cross.

The truth is that you are, right now, the righteousness of God through Jesus’ precious blood. You can have a true and intimate relationship with THE LORD YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

The enemy may have stolen the intimacy and closeness between you and the Lord, but I want you to know that God is restoring relationships today. The grace revolution is a revolution of restoration—and the grace revolution is here.

As our heavenly Father has promised, He is setting up shepherds all around the world who are preaching THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. And His precious people shall no longer be fearful, no longer be discouraged, and no longer be lacking.

Right now I pray that as you receive the good news of the gospel of grace, you are being set free from every bondage that is weighing you down. In the name of our Lord Jesus, I see you healed from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. I see you freed from that secret addiction that has held you captive for years. I see you whole in all your relationships. Amen!

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