Follow the Lord

Hebron therefore became the inheritance of Caleb . . . because he wholly followed the LORD God of Israel.

Joshua 14:14

What are your eyes fixed on today? Are they focused on the darkness that is in the world? Or are they fixed on the Lord’s promises for your life?

My chief intention in this devotional is to turn your eyes away from the destruction you see every day, and to turn them to our beautiful Lord Jesus.

Do you know what Caleb’s secret to long life was? The passage above tells us that it was found in simply following the Lord.

Hebron was the name for one of the cities of refuge instituted by the Lord. In Hebrew, Hebron means fellowship or “association.” This speaks of intimacy, closeness, and connection with the Lord.

There is no formula to long life. The prayer of protection is not a mantra. What we need to note is the importance of having an intimate relationship with Jesus.

Our Lord Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly. Follow Him and find the path to a long and abundant life.

Don’t forget that everything Caleb experienced was under the old covenant. His renewal of youth and unabated strength and vigor were all experienced under the old covenant.

How much more should we be experiencing this renewal of youth, boundless energy, and length of days under the new covenant of grace that is established on better promises (Heb. 8:6)! Amen!

In a psalm that Moses wrote, it says, “The days of our lives are seventy years; and if by reason of strength they are eighty years” (Ps. 90:10). Some people have used this to teach that our expected lifespan is therefore between seventy and eighty years.

But it is important we interpret this psalm in the context of the children of Israel being in the wilderness and under God’s wrath. We have also seen that even under the old covenant, Caleb transcended this lifespan and was still going strong at eighty-five years old.

So dear reader—you who are under the new covenant—I encourage you to aim high. Don’t settle for living till just seventy or eighty years old, when God has promised, “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Ps. 91:16).

Your satisfaction is the limit and according to your faith, be it unto you. I pray that as you stay close to our Lord Jesus, you will live long, live strong, and live under the protective covering of His wings.

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

Rest In His Love

 'And therefore did the Jews persecute Jesus, and sought to slay him because he had done these things on the sabbath day.'

John 5:16

The Sabbath was first mentioned in Scripture in Exodus 16, when the Lord started miraculously providing the children of Israel with manna in the wilderness. The Israelites were commanded to gather twice as much manna on the sixth day because God would not provide any on the seventh day.

Shortly after this, the Lord commanded the observance of the Sabbath day in the ten commandments that were communicated to Moses on Mt. Sinai on the two tablets of stone (Ex. 20:8-11). In this command, God connected this Sabbath day with the rest that He took on the seventh day of creation.

As revealed in Colossians 2:16-17, the Sabbath was symbolic. According to Exodus 23:12, one of the purposes of the Sabbath was to give man and his animals one day of physical rest each week. Today's medical science has proven that our bodies need at least one day of rest each week to function at our peak. Deuteronomy 5:15, also clearly states that the Sabbath was to serve as a reminder to the Jews that they had been slaves in Egypt and were delivered from bondage, not by their own efforts, but by the supernatural power of God.

However, in the New Testament, there is an even clearer purpose of the Sabbath stated. In Colossians 2:16-17, Paul reveals that the Sabbath was only a shadow of things to come and is now fulfilled in Christ. Hebrews 4:1-11, talks about a Sabbath rest that is available to, but not necessarily functional in, all New Testament believers. This New Testament Sabbath rest is simply a relationship with God in which we have ceased from doing things by our own efforts and are letting God work through us (Gal. 2:20; Heb. 4:10).

The Sabbath is not a day, but rather a relationship with God through Jesus. Rest in His love and let Him use you today. Andrew Womack

Message from Amir Tsarfati

The Bible tells us that at the end of the thousand years, Jesus Himself will physically sit on the throne of David and He will reign from Jerusalem and every nation will have to come to Jerusalem every year to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. Zechariah 14 tells you about that. There will be probably different new airlines: Air Messiah, Messiah Airline, Jesus Airways. They’re all coming. And think about it. Every nation must come because the nation that will not be there will not be having the blessing from God. God will not pour rain upon that nation. So they all will come and they will see Him and they will know that He’s King and the world will be as close as possible to what it was before the curse of sin came. As close as possible because it’s never going to be that perfect. That’s why God will have to make all things new eventually.

But think about it. Perfect, almost perfect world, perfect righteousness coming out of Jerusalem to the whole world. All of us will have our glorified bodies. No diets. You will never be late anywhere. We will reign and judge with Him. You understand that? And you would think that by then the world is convinced. But what’s going to happen when the thousand years is going to expire? Satan, the Bible says in Revelation 20, will be released from the bottomless pit for a short time. And guess what’s going to happen when he’s released for a short time? Verse 7 of Chapter 20 says, “Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and he will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle whose number is of the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city.”

The world that witnessed this wonderful righteousness coming out of Jerusalem is going to come and turn against it. All of this is going to happen, whether you like it or not. Through those verses I read from Ezekiel, who can you see controls the Middle East? God controls the Middle East. It’s not Russia and it’s not China and it’s not America and it’s not Iran and it’s certainly not Saudi Arabia. They know nothing. That is why Psalm 2 says, “Why do the nations rage and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves and the rulers take counsel together.” Eventually, what it is it? It’s against who? It’s against the Lord and against His anointed saying, what? “Let us break their bones in pieces and cast away their cords from us.” This is what the world wants. “We don’t want to live under God’s rules. We don’t want to live under God’s laws and amazing statues. We don’t. We want to do whatever we want to do. We are gods. We want to replace God.”

Jeremiah 17:9
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; who can know it?

Among the many scriptural and practical ways this is proven to be true, none make it more clear than the end of the Millennial Reign of Christ on earth. After a thousand years of Satan being bound, after a thousand years of perfect justice on the earth, after a thousand years of a near Eden-like condition on the earth, this happens:

Revelation 20:7-10
Now when the thousand years have expired, Satan will be released from his prison and will go out to deceive the nations which are in the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, whose number is as the sand of the sea. They went up on the breadth of the earth and surrounded the camp of the saints and the beloved city. And fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them. The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

As we watch the world degrade further and further into delusion, these verses remind us that, apart from God, the human heart remains desperately wicked. We also need to remember that remaining apart from God is the choice of billions.

Romans 1:20-22
For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools.

Brothers and sisters, someday all of this foolishness and its impact on our lives will end. Someday we will live in a city whose builder and maker is God. We will walk streets of gold, we will meet saints from every age and corner of the earth, we will see angels and hear the mantra of the four living creatures. Someday we will see Jesus and when we do, we will be like Him (1 John 3:2).

Until that time, as we see the nations rage and the people plot vain things against the Lord, we need to remember this:

Philippians 4:6-7
Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Through Christ, our minds and hearts are guarded in a desperately wicked world. And in this season of history, as well any other, we can have the peace God. 

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus!

God Will Never Be Angry with You

“For this is like the waters of Noah to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah would no longer cover the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed,” says the LORD, who has mercy on you.

Isaiah 54:9–10

A warning is issued in 1 Peter 5:8—“Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” I know that a lion roars to intimidate and to bring fear, but I used to wonder what kind of fear the devil tries to instill in the believer.

We must let the Bible interpret the Bible. We can’t base our interpretations on our denominational backgrounds or our experiences.

One day, I was reading Proverbs 19 when I came across verse 12: “The king's wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.” Who is the king that this verse refers to? It is our Lord Jesus!

So when the devil goes about like a roaring lion, he is trying to impersonate the King. He is trying to make you feel as if God is angry with you.

Every time you hear preaching that leaves you with a sense that God is angry with you, guess what? You have just been roared at!

But know this, beloved: God will NEVER be angry with you ever again. He only has to tell us this, but He wanted us to be so sure that He swore in His Word that He would never be angry with us again.

Today’s verses are from Isaiah 54, which is right after the famous messianic chapter of the sufferings of Christ in Isaiah 53. Therefore, Isaiah 54 is spelling out the triumphs and spoils of His sufferings.

Do you know why God will never be angry with us again? It is because of what Christ has accomplished for us!

On the cross, God poured out all His anger on the body of His Son. Jesus exhausted all the fiery indignation of a holy God against all our sins, and when all of God’s judgment of our sins had been completely exhausted, He shouted, “It is finished!” (John 19:30).

And because our sins have already been punished, God, who is a holy and just God, will not punish us today when we believe in what Christ has done. God’s holiness is now on your side. His righteousness is now for you, not against you. You are His beloved, in whom He is well pleased because of Jesus' finished work!

The next time the devil tries to rob you of your sense of being beloved by making you think that God is angry with you, just ignore him. Ignore him when he says, “How can you call yourself a Christian?”

You are a righteous, accepted, and beloved child of God! When you believe this, you will have the confidence to face every challenge with boldness, knowing that you have God’s unmerited favor on your side!

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

Jesus, the True Bread of Life

“I am the bread of life. Your fathers ate the manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which comes down from heaven, that one may eat of it and not die.”

John 6:48–50

I trust that you are excited to see Jesus in the Scriptures, so I want to unveil Jesus to you in Old Testament scriptures through the use of typology. If you are not familiar with the use of typology in interpreting the scriptures, I hope the examples you will read here will give you a good understanding of it.

The Bible says, “It is the glory of God to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter” (Prov. 25:2). God has hidden the mysteries of His beloved Son and His finished work throughout the Bible, and it is our glory as kings to search out all these things concerning Himself. Are you ready to see Jesus?

Let’s first look at the account of the children of Israel as they journeyed in the wilderness. The Bible tells us that “the soul of the people became very discouraged,” and they began to murmur and complain against God and His appointed leadership, Moses, saying, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread” (Num. 21:4–5).

Can you imagine this? God had delivered them from a life of slavery in Egypt with His mighty hand, protected them from Pharaoh’s army with a pillar of fire, and parted the Red Sea for them to pass through. Instead of being grateful, they complained and even referred to the manna from heaven as “worthless bread.”

According to the psalmist, the manna was “the bread of heaven . . . angels’ food” (Ps. 78:24–25). For forty years in the wilderness, God provided them with food for champions, food that kept them free from sicknesses and diseases, food that descended daily from heaven.

All they had to do each morning was to collect enough for their consumption. Yet, they despised the manna.

Jesus said in today’s scripture that the manna God gave them was a picture or type of Himself. The church today needs to be careful not to make the same mistake that the children of Israel made when they called the manna from God “worthless bread.”

In many places, there is an underemphasis on Jesus Christ and an overemphasis on all sorts of doctrines and principles that can be extracted from the Word. Churches must be careful not to consider Jesus as “worthless bread” by relegating Him to the periphery of their teachings.

Anybody who doesn’t focus on Jesus Christ and His finished work has neither the power nor the wisdom of God, because the Bible says that Christ crucified is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor. 1:23–24). He is the true bread from heaven and only He satisfies!

The devil is afraid of any church that preaches Jesus Christ on the cross because he knows that when people know how God sent His only begotten Son to die on the cross for them, they will see that they have a merciful God who loves them unconditionally. They will know the truth, and the truth will set them free (John 8:32)!

Let me add one more thing. Do you know that every morning, the children of Israel had to go out to collect fresh manna?

The manna could not be stored overnight for consumption the next day as it would turn stale and breed worms. Ever wondered why God didn’t just give them a week’s supply of manna?

Well, it is because God wants His people to open the Scriptures every day to collect fresh manna of Jesus and be satisfied with His grace. He doesn’t want us to live on past revelations of Jesus, for His mercies are new every morning. He delights to fill your heart with His grace, peace, wisdom, and joy every day. Hallelujah!

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

We Don’t Have All the Answers

“I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.”

Hosea 2:15 NLT

Maybe you are going through a difficult valley. Maybe you are disappointed with God because you have lost a loved one or because you have been battling that medical condition year after year.

I want to encourage you not to ask, “Why?” Asking why will only lead you on a downward spiral into depression. Don’t ask, “Why did this happen to me?” Don’t ask, “Why is my child not healed even though I have trusted You for years?” or “Why is my loved one going through one tragedy after another?”

The fact is, in this fallen world, we don’t have all the answers. One day, we will receive our new bodies, where the corruptible will put on incorruption, and the mortal will put on immortality (1 Cor. 15:53). But until then, I recognize that sometimes bad things happen and I don’t know why.

But what I do know is this: God is a good God. He loves us, and He is never behind any pain we go through. Our faith in Him is not based on our experiences; it is based on the unchanging, eternal Word of God, which cannot lie.

Even when things didn’t go the way you wanted them to, don’t remain in your disappointment. The devil wants you to get angry with God and to give up on His promises. But keep believing that God is for you and not against you.

Even if the enemy has destroyed something in your life, and even if years have been lost as you waited for the manifestation of your healing, or the days of your youth have been stolen from you, keep believing that God can restore to you what you have lost (Joel 2:25, Job 33:25).

My friend, “let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful” (Heb. 10:23). Keep on looking to the Lord for your breakthrough. And if you find that you are too tired to believe anymore, I pray that this promise will carry you through:

But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.

—Isaiah 40:31

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

How to Increase in God’s Unmerited Favor

Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Romans 5:1–2

God’s word tells us that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52).

This is a good verse to pray and speak over your children—that they first increase in favor with God and then in favor with man. Your “vertical relationship” with God should always be given priority over your “horizontal relationship” with the people around you.

Like Jesus, you can increase in wisdom and in God’s unmerited favor. How?

You have probably noticed that some believers seem to experience a lot more unmerited favor than others. I believe that this is because these believers understand the key to accessing God’s favor.

Romans 5:2 clearly spells out that “we have access by faith into this grace [unmerited favor] in which we stand.”

To gain access to your computer or your bank account, you need a password. To gain access to and increase in God’s unmerited favor, the “password” or key that we need to have is faith, faith to believe that YOU, _______________ (insert your name), are highly favored!

One of the things that I have taught my church members to do is to declare over themselves that they are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved.

“How do we know that we are greatly blessed, Pastor Prince?”

Read Hebrews 6:13–14 for yourself. God wanted us to be so anchored in the sure and steadfast knowledge that He will bless us, the seed of Abraham, that He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

“How can we say that we are highly favored?”

Ephesians 1:6 tells us that by God's grace (unmerited favor), God “made us accepted in the Beloved.” In the original Greek text, the word “accepted” is the word charitoo, which means “highly favored.”

“And are we really deeply loved by God?”

God didn't just love us. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” He demonstrated how He SO loved us when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.

I pray that the verses I have shown you here will help you believe that through Jesus, you are indeed greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved. If these truths are still not established in your heart, start speaking them.

Look at yourself in the mirror every morning and declare boldly, “Because of Jesus’ perfect work on the cross, I am righteous by His blood, and I am greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved! I expect good things to come my way. I expect good success and I have a confident expectation of good!”

Once you receive Christ, you are standing on favor ground. You are no longer on condemnation ground. God looks on you as His favorite child!

“But Pastor Prince, how can God have so many favorites?”

Hey, He is God. Don't try to limit an infinite God with your finite mind.

The Bible tells us that God counts the very hairs on each of our heads (Matt. 10:30). I love my daughter very much, but I have never counted the number of strands of hair on her head.

His love for each of us is intimate and deeply personal. In His eyes, we are all His favorites!

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

“Abba, Father!”

For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.

Romans 8:15–16

I love it when I’m in Israel and I hear little children running around in playgrounds, calling out, “Abba! Abba!”, and jumping into their daddies’ embraces. To the Jews, Abba is the most intimate way in which you can address your father.

It’s a beautiful picture of the truth that through Jesus, you have received the Spirit of sonship by whom you cry out “Abba, Father.” Did you notice that the Holy Spirit refused to translate the original Aramaic word “Abba” into English?

In Abba’s arms, a child is most secure, protected, and loved. No enemy can pull a child out of his or her Abba’s strong arms.

That’s the image God wants us to have when we pray to Him and call Him “Abba.” Of course, you can call Him “Daddy” or “Papa,” or whatever term helps you to see God as a warm, loving, and caring Father.

Unless you can see Him as your Abba Father, you will continue to have a “spirit of bondage again to fear” (Rom. 8:15), referring to the Old Testament fear of God. It’s a slavish fear of judgment and punishment that brings you into bondage and makes you afraid of God.

But God doesn’t want you to fear Him. He wants you to have a Spirit of sonship! Too many believers are living with an orphan, fatherless spirit. If you are entangled with all kinds of fears, guilt, and worries today, what you need is a good heavenly dose of the Father’s love for you!

Something amazing happens in your spirit when you see God as your Father. If my daughter, Jessica, has a nightmare, all she has to do is cry out, “Daddy!” and Daddy is there!

Jessica doesn’t have to go, “O Father that liveth and inhabiteth the next room, I plead with thee to come to me at this time of peril, that thou mayest rescue me from this nightmare!” All she has to do is to cry out, “Daddy!” and I’m there.

Similarly, in your moments of weakness you don’t have to approach God with perfect prayers. You just cry out, “Daddy!” and your heavenly Father runs to you!

You are not coming before a judge. You are coming before your Father, your Daddy God, who embraces and loves you just the way you are.

Take time to come to your Abba Father today. Believe that He loves you unconditionally today. See Him welcoming you with a smile on His face and with outstretched arms. Run into His embrace, bask in His perfect love for you, and let it melt away every worry, fear, and insecurity.

When you believe and receive your Father’s love for you, it will put unshakable peace and strength in your heart!

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

See What God Sees

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Romans 12:2

Learning to see what God sees is a powerful key in right believing. It involves replacing your wrong beliefs with right beliefs based on God’s Word.

When Jesus saw the man with the withered hand, He didn’t just see the withered hand, He saw that there was more than enough grace for that hand to be made completely whole. Jesus said to the man, “Stretch out your hand!” The man did as told, and his hand was completely restored and made as whole as his other hand (Mark 3:1–5).

Now, you don’t say “stretch out your hand” to someone whose hand is obviously shriveled and disabled unless you see differently. Jesus sees differently from you and me.

That’s why we need to go back to God’s Word and learn to see what He sees. When Jesus sees a disease, a lack, or someone trapped in fear, guilt, addiction, and sin, He doesn’t just see the problem. He sees God’s healing, grace, and power superabounding in that area of weakness.

You too can change what you believe by seeing beyond what your natural eyes see. Press in to see what God sees. In your very area of lack, struggle, or challenge, see His superabounding grace all around your current situation.

Jesus says to you today, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9). Give all your weaknesses, failings, and mistakes to the Lord Jesus and see Him transform your weaknesses into strengths.

What you believe is powerful, so are you going by what you see or what God sees?

You may not be able to stop negative thoughts from passing through your mind or unhealthy emotions such as fear gripping your heart but you can definitely anchor your thoughts and emotions on the unshakable Word of God. You can certainly ensure that you believe right regarding what God says about you in His Word, which contains His precious promises to you.

The more you learn and believe right about His love and what His Word says about your situation and your life, the more your thoughts will line up with His thoughts about you. You’ll begin to develop thoughts of peace and not of evil, thoughts of hope and a bright future (Jer. 29:11). And you’ll be transformed!

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

You Have God’s Presence and Favor Regardless of Your Circumstances

Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? If I ascend into heaven, You are there; if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me.

Psalm 139:7–10

Hebrews 13:5 says that God’s presence in your life is a guaranteed constant. But I want you to know that you cannot evaluate God’s presence and His unmerited favor in your life based on your circumstances. To help you understand what this means, let’s look at the life of Joseph.

Joseph refused the advances made by Potiphar’s wife, and as the common saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”! She maliciously accused Joseph of attempting to rape her, brandishing as “evidence” the garments that Joseph had left in her hands when he fled from her. When Potiphar heard his wife telling her version of the story, his anger was aroused and he seized Joseph, stripped him from the place of authority he had given him and threw him into prison.

Just put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. What is happening here? It sounds all too familiar, doesn’t it? With the painful memory of his brothers casting him into the pit still fresh in his mind, here he is once again, cast into a dungeon even though he was innocent.

Any average person would be bitter and angry with God! Most people would ask, “Where is God? Why had God brought him this far, only to abandon and forsake him? How could this happen? Where is the justice against this false accusation?”

But Joseph was literally no “average Joe”! He knew that the Lord would never leave him nor forsake him. Joseph considered not his circumstances but kept his focus on the presence of the Lord. Regardless of whether he was a common slave, an overseer in Potiphar’s house, or now a prisoner facing the prospect of life imprisonment for a crime he did not even commit, Joseph did not evaluate God’s unmerited favor in his life based on his circumstances.

Instead of getting bitter, he kept his hope in the Lord. Instead of throwing in the towel and giving up on God and on life, he kept his confidence, knowing that all his success was wrapped up in the presence of the Lord.

And boy, did the Lord deliver him! I want you to read this for yourself to see what the Lord did for Joseph:

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

—Genesis 39:21–23

What does this tell you? If you refuse to bow to your circumstances and continue to be conscious of the Lord’s presence, wherever you are placed, whatever your environment, you will rise to prominence. You will have favor with your bosses and they will promote you to man-in-charge. And whatever you do will prosper!

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

Words from Amir Tsarfati

“I decide if I’m a male or a female. I decide what a family is all about. I decide if I want borders or I don’t want borders. I decide if my children will be male or female regardless of how they were born. I decide. It’s me. It’s all about me. I am God.” I mean, the world is changing. And it’s funny because it used to be individuals, then it became movements. Now it becomes government funded.

He who sits in the heavens shall laugh. The Lord shall hold them in derision. You think you know something? You know nothing. You don’t control anything. You barely control yourself. You don’t control anything. God says, “I’m in full control. I allow you to do all these things. I’m going to judge you for all these things.” And for the rest of us, why are we so concerned? Why? I remember the two disciples going down to Emmaus. Remember them? They were walking. Jesus rose from the dead, remember? They’re just walking.

Have you ever seen a Jew that is angry? He’s using his hands. You tie our hands behind our backs, we cannot talk. And they were talking and they were talking and they were talking. And the Bible says that they were talking, and Jesus appears and they look at Him and they were talking. Jesus is walking before them and they were talking and talking. And He says, “What are these things that you are talking about and why’re you’re so sad?” Jesus, the resurrected Lord, starts walking by them. They’re talking about the Lord. He’s walking right by them. They look at Him and they continue. And he said, “Are you the only stranger? You haven’t heard the things that happened?” And Jesus said, “What things?” I love that answer. “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet, mighty indeed. We were thinking that He was going to redeem Israel.”

And He’s like, “And?” “And now it’s the third day.” “And?” “Yeah, and two women from our group, they walked to the tomb and they found it empty, and they came and the men ran all the way back there and yet they saw that the women actually were right.” “And?” They just told Jesus that Jesus resurrected, and they still didn’t get it. 

You see, here we are looking at world events and instead of being so happy, what are we? We’re telling each other of all the bad things that are happening all around us as if we did not know that it’s going to happen. And you know what? Jesus did not rebuke the Pharisees or the Sadducees when He was walking on the road to Emmaus. Who did He rebuke? His disciples. And He said, “Oh, foolish ones and slow of heart to believe…” What? “That which the prophets have said.”

You’ve been going to the synagogues every Saturday. Every Saturday you hear the words of the prophets read to you about what Messiah’s all about, where He’s going to come to, where He’s born, by how He’s going to be born, the fact that He has to die, the fact that He has to resurrect, the fact that He’s coming back, ought not the Messiah to have suffered all these things. And then, beginning with Moses and all the prophets, He expounded to them about Himself.

Wow. The Bible is really something we need to consider as serious. “Oh, can you stay with us and have dinner with us?” “I need to go.” “Please stay with us.” “All right.” And then He took the bread and blessed it and they must have seen some pierced hands there, and their eyes were opened and He was gone.

Psalm 2:1-5
Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against His Anointed, saying, “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.” He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. Then He shall speak to them in His wrath, and distress them in His deep displeasure.

While it may seem odd to read of the Lord laughing at someone, imagine this scene: a mouse is wildly gesturing and squeaking all sorts of threats at a grizzly bear! Certainly our fictitious grizzly would laugh at the idea he was in any sort of danger.

This disparity of power is what is pictured in the passage above. When God created, He said there are two genders, male and female. When someone says there are 72 genders or whatever the current tally is at, He laughs at the idea.

To say to God, “We are going to break to bonds of truth and cast away the cords of Your word,” is like a mouse threatening a grizzly bear. He, God, will hold them in derision, a word which means “to mock, ridicule, laugh at, scorn.”

The two dejected disciples were heading home on the very day Jesus rose from the dead. They were discouraged, despite having already been told He was raised from the dead. Then Jesus showed up.

Luke 24:25-27
Then He said to them, “O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself.

Jesus was saying to the downcast pair, “Why didn’t you believe My word? How foolish it is not to.” The same is true today. With the preponderance of scriptural evidence regarding the regathering of the Jews to their national homeland, and with the abundance of verses that point to a major defection from truth both in the world and the church in these last days, how foolish is it to side with those who are saying, “Let us break their bonds in pieces and cast away their cords from us.”

There is one more attitude that is prevalent and foolish in our day:

2 Peter 3:3-6
Scoffers will come in the last days, walking according to their own lusts, and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.” For this they willfully forget: that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of water and in the water, by which the world that then existed perished, being flooded with water.

The word scoffer can also be translated as a false teacher or a mocker of God’s word. These people are in abundance today, which should tell us, along with the defection from truth and strong delusion we are seeing around us, Jesus is coming for us soon!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Faith Is Not a Struggle

So faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

Romans 10:17 NASB

Have you ever felt like you needed more faith? Have you ever looked at yourself and told yourself that if you just had more faith, you would see your financial breakthrough or healing?

My friend, I have good news for you today: faith is not a struggle. The Scriptures show us that the hearing of faith and the works of the law are total opposites (Gal. 3:2, 5). And since the works of the law are about our self-efforts, there is no self-effort in faith.

For years, my own ministry was a ministry that disqualified people. I would tell my congregation, “There’s nothing wrong with God, nothing wrong with His Word, so there must be something wrong with you!”

But one day, I heard the Lord speaking to me on the inside. He said, “Stop disqualifying My people! My blood has already qualified them. Stop disqualifying them!”

Now, I know that faith is the opposite of the law, and that the more people become self-conscious and the more they look at their self-efforts to receive from the Lord, the more faith is depleted from them.

So when the Lord opened my eyes to grace, I changed what I was preaching entirely and began to declare, “There’s nothing wrong with God, nothing wrong with His Word, and guess what? Through the blood of Jesus, there’s nothing wrong with you! Receive your miracle!”

Hallelujah! Once I stopped pointing the people to what was wrong with them and pointed instead to what was right with them because of Jesus, faith was imparted, and we began to experience an explosion of healing miracles like never before. Cancers were healed, tumors were supernaturally removed, and lives were transformed.

That is what happens when believers know that they have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. They begin to understand that they have the blood-bought right to be healed, to experience financial breakthroughs, and to enjoy restoration in their marriages!

When people begin to see more of Jesus, when they begin to become more and more conscious of Jesus having been crucified on their behalf, faith no longer is a barrier to receiving God’s promises.

Why? Because the more they see what Jesus has done for them, the more they see what Jesus has qualified them for, the more faith springs up within them and miracles break forth. Hallelujah!

Beloved, you don’t have to wish that you had more faith for whatever miracle you are asking God for right now. You don’t have to try to conjure up more faith.

Simply see Jesus on the cross for you and the faith you need to face any situation or challenge will come into your life. Just look to Jesus and His grace toward you! He is the author and finisher of faith (Heb. 12:2).

Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. The more of Jesus and His love you hear, the more faith rises in your heart.

Get hold of teachings that preach all about Jesus and His finished work. Make it your priority to listen to the good news preached.

There is power in the gospel of Jesus Christ! Reach out and receive your miracle from your loving Savior today!

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

Only Good Gifts

“If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!”

Matthew 7:11

As a father, it always pains me to see my children unwell. My firstborn daughter, Jessica, is all grown up now, but I remember how it broke my heart to see her bawling when she was suffering from viral fever as a baby.

I remember cradling her in my arms and praying over her as I paced around her room the whole night. I sponged her feverish body over and over again. As long as she was sick, I could not rest.

I hated the fever that was causing my baby to convulse in pain. I would have done anything to alleviate her discomfort. If I could have taken her fever in my own body so she would not have to go through the pain, I would have gladly done so.

What I feel when my children are unwell is only a microcosmic reflection of what our heavenly Father feels for us when we are unwell. He wants us brimming with health and life. He hates sicknesses and diseases because of what they do to us.

But the difference is this: He was able to take our sicknesses, and He put them on Jesus’ own body as He hung on the cross, so that we would not have to suffer them. The Bible tells us: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matt. 8:17).

Why did our Lord Jesus do that? Because He loves us so much. He could not rest until He had secured our salvation, our health, and our wholeness. Finally, when He had borne every sin, every disease, and every infirmity upon His own body, He cried, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) and rested.

The Bible shows us this clearly: God is a good God. He is our loving heavenly Father. That is why I cannot understand why there are those who teach that God sometimes uses sickness to teach us a lesson or that we need to “pray hard” for His healing.

Can you imagine any earthly father inflicting suffering on his own child? Must you be persuaded to alleviate your child’s pain?

There are even some people who claim that it is sometimes God’s will for us to be sick. But when their own children fall sick, they do everything within their power to ensure their children recover. If it were really God’s will for us to be sick, seeking recovery would be deliberately trying to get out of God’s will!

My friend, reject anything that even remotely suggests that God uses sickness and suffering to teach us something. Our Father is full of grace and mercy and wants us to be healthy, provided for, and protected from every evil occurrence, sickness, and disease!

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

Break the Cycle of Defeat

Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.

Romans 8:1 NASB

People who believe erroneously that God is hard on them for their failures will inevitably be hard on the people around them, and most of all, they will end up being really hard on themselves. They cannot forgive themselves for the mistakes they’ve made in the past and end up punishing themselves, whether they know it or not.

It’s a vicious cycle of defeat. The more they can’t forgive themselves, the more they hurt themselves with all kinds of behaviors and the more they end up bound by various destructive addictions. This leads to even more guilt, which in turn drives them to punish themselves even more—and the cycle continues.

I believe the root cause of many sinful habits, fears, and addictions can be traced to condemnation. I want to talk to you today about going after condemnation as the root to help you receive God’s forgiveness in those areas so that you can break out of your cycle of defeat and step into a new cycle of victory.

Are you living with some unresolved guilt and condemnation today? I have great news for you. When you realize that God’s heart is not in condemnation but in forgiveness, your entire life can be turned around for His glory! I have personally witnessed so many lives transformed when they just take a small step of faith to believe in His grace and receive His forgiveness in their lives.

Instead of punishing themselves for their mistakes and disqualifying themselves, these people began to correct their beliefs and receive God’s forgiveness by seeing Jesus taking on their punishment. They began to see their Savior qualifying them to receive every blessing from God for their marriages, families, and careers.

Right now I want to encourage you to release the built-up guilt and condemnation for whatever mistakes you’ve made over the years to the Lord. Would you pray this prayer with me?

“Lord Jesus, I don’t want to live under guilt and condemnation anymore. Today, I release all my failings, sins, and mistakes into Your loving hands. And I receive Your forgiveness right now into my heart. Thank You for Your precious blood that washes me whiter than snow. Right now I stand in Your righteousness, favor, joy, and peace. Amen!”

It’s a simple but powerful prayer. I encourage you to pray this prayer every time you fail and experience guilt and condemnation in your heart.

Stop punishing yourself—your answer is found at the cross of Jesus. I promise you that when you turn to Jesus and remind yourself just how forgiven and righteous you are in Christ every time you fall short, you will start living like the forgiven and righteous person Jesus has made you.

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

Say Yes to Jesus

But the people’s minds were hardened, and to this day whenever the old covenant is being read, the same veil covers their minds so they cannot understand the truth. And this veil can be removed only by believing in Christ. . . . So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.

2 Corinthians 3:14, 18 NLT

I want to encourage you to be consumed with the person of Jesus. God’s Word says that “you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God—that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption” (1 Cor. 1:30 NIV).

Jesus Himself is your wisdom, your righteousness, and also your holiness!

The Greek word used here for “holiness” is hagiasmos, the same Greek word used for “sanctification.” Our holiness or sanctification is found in the person of Jesus.

So whenever you have an unclean thought, or a stirring in you, or a temptation to sin, stop for a while and look at Jesus. See the cross. See and experience His love, forgiveness, and grace for you afresh. Jesus is your victory over every temptation, addiction, and bondage!

Some people believe that all you have to do is say no to temptation. But you know what? Your willpower is no match for sin. The reality is, the more you try to say no by your own efforts, the worse it becomes.

The apostle Paul describes this very struggle, which he himself experienced: “For the good that I will to do, I do not do; but the evil I will not to do, that I practice” (Rom. 7:19).

So the answer is not to depend on your willpower to say no to temptation, but to depend on God’s grace and say yes to Jesus! In the midst of your struggle and temptation, say YES to Jesus. Say, “Lord Jesus, I thank You that You are my righteousness, my holiness, and my redemption.” Turn every temptation into an opportunity to look to and praise Jesus!

That’s what Paul did. Just look at what he says in Romans 7:24–25: “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Paul’s answer for victory over sin is found in a person. His question was, “Who will deliver me?” It wasn’t, “Which commandment will deliver me?”

Your liberty from every sinful habit is found in the person of Jesus! Say yes to Him! He is your righteousness and holiness. Let Him come into the areas where you feel the weakest and allow His grace to transform you from the inside out.

My friend, it is so clear from today’s scripture that holiness is all about becoming more and more like Jesus and it comes about when the veil of the law is removed. When the veil is removed, we see our beautiful Savior face-to-face and His glorious grace transforms us from glory to glory. The gospel of glorious grace always produces glorious lives.

I pray that as you read more and more about God's grace, you will have a greater revelation of just how wonderful your Savior is, just how perfect His work on Calvary was, and just how deeply loved YOU are.

And as you behold Jesus, may you grow from glory to glory and shine as a testament to all of His goodness!

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

Pulling Down Strongholds

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds.

2 Corinthians 10:3–4

As you meditate on Bible promises that proclaim God’s truth over your life, you are already beginning to win the battle for your mind. It’s not a coincidence that Jesus was crucified on Golgotha, which actually means “Place of a Skull” (Matt. 27:33). Your breakthrough has to begin in your mind first.

This battle for your mind is not waged externally. Our weapons in this battle are not physical or tangible. Our weapons are the weapons of right believing and they are mighty in God for pulling down strongholds that have kept us bound. These are strongholds that can only be utterly torn down by rightly believing in the truth of God’s Word.

The devil can only sow wrong thoughts in your mind but he cannot control what you believe! When you start to believe right, every lie and wrong thought will melt away like butter on a hot, sunny day. Lies can imprison and defeat you only to the degree that you don’t allow God’s truth to come into your situation to liberate you.

Listen closely to what Jesus said: “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:31–32). What this means is that whatever stronghold you are trapped in today, truth from Jesus will set you free!

Strongholds are wrong thoughts and lies that have been perpetuated in your mind over weeks, months, or even years. These entrenched wrong beliefs cause you to live in bondage to addictions and in a state of fear, guilt, anxiety, or chronic depression.

God’s Word tells us in no uncertain terms that the warfare takes place in our minds and is won by us “pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God” (2 Cor. 10:4–5).

The place where the enemy launches his attacks against you is in your thoughts and imagination. I believe that once you are aware that there is a war for your mind, and that it is between wrong beliefs and right beliefs, you have already won half the battle!

Keep hearing, keep believing, and keep renewing your mind with the truth of God’s grace and love for you. And whatever stronghold you may be trapped in today, the truth from His Word will set you free!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

When Israel will acknowledge Jesus as Messiah, that’s the Israel that will be saved. “I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem,” Zechariah 12, “the spirit of grace and supplication. Then they will look at Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only Son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.” There has to be – you see, the Tribulation, as hard as it’s going to be, is the only thing that will break the religious spirit of Israel. It is the only thing that will bring them to the point where the rabbis and their tradition are not going to save them. 

That’s why the Bible says in Hosea, chapter five, verse 15, “I will return again to my place until they acknowledge their offense, and through their affliction, they will earnestly seek me.” So Israel will be judged. Yes, and the ones that will not choose the mark of the Beast, and the ones that will eventually run away from him rather than worship him, those are going to be kept in the desert for 1,260 days, as Revelation chapter 12 says, and that these are the ones that Jesus will bring back to Himself upon His second coming, and these are the ones that are going to receive Him, and then all Israel indeed will be saved.

Among the many consequences of the fallacies of Replacement Theology and Dual Covenant Theology is they rob the beauty we can witness and the lessons we can learn from God’s relationship with His chosen people.

Replacement Theology says that God replaced His chosen people with another group, the church. Dual Covenant theology says God has a different covenant through which He will save the Jews than He does for the salvation of the Gentiles. Both teachings are grievous errors in Biblical interpretation and thieves and robbers of wonderful truths.

Jeremiah 31:35-37
Thus says the LORD, Who gives the sun for a light by day, the ordinances of the moon and the stars for a light by night, Who disturbs the sea, and its waves roar (The LORD of hosts is His name): “If those ordinances depart From before Me, says the LORD, then the seed of Israel shall also cease from being a nation before Me forever.” Thus says the LORD: “If heaven above can be measured, and the foundations of the earth searched out beneath, I will also cast off all the seed of Israel for all that they have done, says the LORD.”

Replacement Theology requires that God break an everlasting, unconditional covenant made with both Israel and the land He promised to them. Dual Covenant theology makes the Holy One of Israel a misnomer because they sat that Israel can be saved without the One whom the title represents, Jesus.

The truth is that Israel has not been replaced by the church, and in order for any Jew to be saved they must come to the King of Jews for salvation just like any Gentile. 

Romans 11:25-27
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

If the church has replaced Israel, then why is Paul talking about God taking away their sins and all Israel being saved? If Dual Covenant theology is true, then Jews can be saved by keeping the law. So, why is Paul referring to a Deliverer out of Zion, which is an idiom for Jerusalem?  

The lessons we should be learning from Israel are that God keeps His word, and He disciplines those whom He loves. God never loses track of His people. Israel is God’s timepiece, and the last days center on Israel. God never meant for Israel to become religious, instead He desires a relationship with His people. God can protect His people through anything. On and on the list goes of lessons we can learn from God’s special relationship with His chosen people.

Does “God saving all Israel” include unbelieving Jews who reject the Messiah? No. No one is saved because of their nationality, and anyone who is saved receives that salvation by the blood of the Lamb of God slain from the foundations of the world – Jesus.

Zechariah 13:8-9
“And it shall come to pass in all the land,” says the LORD, “that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall be left in it: I will bring the one-third through the fire, will refine them as silver is refined, and test them as gold is tested. They will call on My name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘This is My people’; and each one will say, ‘The LORD is my God.’”

Two-thirds of the Jews will die during the Tribulation and they will all die in unbelief. The Jews who come to faith in Yeshua, Jesus, will survive the Tribulation by means of divine protection, and in the end they will declare, “The Lord is my God!”

Acts 2:36
“Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.”

The declaration that “the Lord is my God” is an acknowledgement that the surviving Jews of whom the Lord will say “This is My people” will finally see Jesus as whom they never before would accept Him to be – God with us.

Zechariah 12:10
“And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

It is at this moment, when Jesus returns to the Mount of Olives, that Israel, all Israel, will be saved and declare that Jesus is my Lord and my God.

Replacement Theology and Dual Covenant theology are not just heresies, they are robbers and deniers of the faithfulness of God to those whom He has chosen. One of the biggest takeaways for us regarding God’s covenant relationship with Israel is this:

Romans 8:38-39
For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Our God is faithful, and His relationship with Israel is proof of just how faithful He truly is!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Forgiveness Opens the Door

“Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.”

1 Corinthians 2:9

Cruel words spoken in anger. A betrayal of trust. Promises broken. A destructive relationship you knew you should not have entered into.

Have you been down those dark paths before? There are so many people who are living in the shadow of guilt and condemnation. The mistakes of their past haunt them and it is a painfully lonely and arduous journey for them.

Perhaps the paralyzed man who was let down through the roof by his four faithful friends in the book of Mark understood a little of this. The Bible tells us he was paralyzed to the point where he could only lie on a mat, which was how his friends carried him to the house Jesus was in.

With the man lying inert on his mat, his four friends lowered him through the roof, right in front of Jesus—the only way they knew how to bring their crippled friend before Jesus and secure his healing. Scripture tells us that when Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralytic, “Son, your sins are forgiven you” (Mark 2:5).

To all who were watching this scene unfold that day, that must have been a very strange thing for Jesus to say—“your sins are forgiven you.” The man was clearly paralyzed. He was obviously there for healing. What had forgiveness to do with his condition or healing?

But Jesus knew it was exactly what this poor man needed to hear for his healing to manifest. And indeed, at Jesus’ next words, “Stand up, pick up your mat, and go home,” the paralyzed man “jumped up, grabbed his mat, and walked out through the stunned onlookers” (Mark 2:11–12 NLT).

What had transpired? Jesus saw, when no one else could, that the man needed to hear he was forgiven, that God was not condemning him. And those words opened the door to his healing and broke him loose from his paralysis.

No wonder the onlookers were stunned—the man went from being immobile and helpless to being active, strong, and completely whole right before their eyes!

My beloved friend, if you are paralyzed by a heavy sense of condemnation over something in your past, I want you to know beyond any doubt that God is not withholding your breakthrough from you. He loves you, understands your pain and suffering, and has forgiven you through the cross. He wants you to know that your past does not have to poison your future.

No matter how many dark days you have experienced, God has prepared many wonderful open doors of opportunity, favor, and good success for you to walk through in the days ahead. Your brightest and most glorious days are still ahead of you.

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

Perfect Love

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.

1 John 4:18

Fear is a destructive bondage. Fear paralyzes you and prevents you from fulfilling the amazing destiny that God has for you. Fear makes you feel inadequate and insecure, and comes with unhealthy side effects ranging from panic attacks to sleep disorders. Fear is irrational.

Fear is a spiritual condition, which is why you can’t reason fear away. You can’t simply tell someone who is struggling with fear and gripped by panic attacks to just stop being fearful.

A spiritual condition cannot be remedied naturally. Fear can be eradicated only by a personal encounter with the person of Jesus.

Beloved, if what I just described about fear is all too familiar to you, I want you to know that it is not your heavenly Father’s heart for you to live tormented by fear. There is no fear in God’s love. His perfect love drives out all fears.

I don’t know if you have ever experienced God’s love, but my desire is that TODAY you will catch a revelation of His love for you in a deep and personal way. And as His love floods your heart, I pray that every fear that has you bound will forever be cast out of your life.

John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have ever-lasting life.”

Oh, how clearly this verse proclaims that God SO loves you. And if you only knew how much He esteems and treasures His beloved Son, you would catch a glimpse of how much He loves you, because He gave up His Son for you.

That is why I preach and write about the gospel of grace. The gospel of grace is all about unveiling God’s perfect love—a love whose length and depth and height were demonstrated at the cross. A love that gave up the Son of God as a sacrifice. A love that bore your sins and mine so that we can receive His everlasting life and live free of any bondage.

My friend, the more you immerse and anchor your heart on God’s perfect and unconditional love for you, the more fear will lose its hold on your life!

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

God Can Turn Your Evil Day into Good Days

Rest from their enemies . . . sorrow to joy . . . mourning to a holiday.

Esther 9:22

Today, many Jews still celebrate the feast of Purim. The name Purim is derived from “the lot” which a Gentile, Haman, cast concerning the fate of the Jews when they were in Persia under King Ahasuerus.

Haman, the villain in this story in the book of Esther, hated the Jews and sought to exterminate them. He got King Ahasuerus to allow him to issue a decree to annihilate all the Jews in one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar. But God used Queen Esther and her uncle Mordecai, both Jews, to turn the tables on Haman and save the Jews.

Haman was hanged on the very gallows that he had constructed for Mordecai! Then, the king allowed Queen Esther and Mordecai to issue a counter-decree to allow all the Jews to defend themselves and destroy their enemies in one day—the thirteenth day of the twelfth month of Adar!

So instead of the Jews being exterminated on that fateful day, their enemies were destroyed! God turned an evil day for the Jews into good days. He turned their mourning into rejoicing and gave them victory over their enemies.

My friend, God can do the same for you today. He only wants you to remain in your position of rest in Christ. You see, because of Jesus’ finished work at the cross, you are seated in heavenly places in Christ, far above every principality and evil assault the devil can throw at you (Eph. 2:6).

Just as Mordecai sat within the king’s gate and refused to stand up and bow to Haman, let’s not “bow” to the devil by being persuaded to move from our position of rest in Christ. Don’t allow him to get you worried, frantic, and doing things to save yourself.

Queen Esther was also in a position of rest before Haman was executed (Est. 7). She was seated on a couch as Haman pleaded with her for his life. While doing so, he accidentally fell over the couch where the queen was. The king, thinking that Haman was assaulting his queen, sent him to the gallows!

Beloved, remain at rest in Christ’s finished work, and He will turn your evil day into days of rejoicing and feasting!

This devotional is taken from the book Destined to Reign Devotional—Daily Reflections for Effortless Success, Wholeness and Victorious Living.