The Secret to Godliness

. . . add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love. For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.

2 Peter 1:5–9

Have you been told you have to exhibit more Christian character, more self-control, more godliness, and more brotherly kindness? Like a thousand times, perhaps? I certainly was as a young believer. My friend, I totally agree that all these qualities are good and necessary, but the question is, how do we develop them? How should we preachers help believers to exhibit more Christian character?

When asked for the solution, most people would say, “Discipline! We need to focus more on the Ten Commandments and develop discipline, and then self-control, godliness, and brotherly kindness will come.” While all that sounds very good (to the flesh), that is not what the Word of God says in today’s scripture. Read it again, focusing especially on the last sentence.

It is clear that if a Christian lacks the qualities mentioned in today’s scripture, it is not because he lacks discipline, but because he “has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins”—the main clause of the new covenant. He has forgotten that the blood of Jesus has purchased for him the forgiveness of all his sins.

Beloved, if you remind yourself daily that you have been cleansed from all your sins, not only will it produce a genuine love for the Lord, but you will also exhibit more and more Christ-like qualities. Your heart will overflow with faith, self-control, godliness, perseverance, brotherly kindness, and love.

Let me share with you a wonderful praise report from a precious couple who experienced this very truth in their marriage and family. Andy (the husband) had discovered the gospel of grace through one of my books. Prior to this, he was a believer who loved the Lord, his family, and the church he attended. But Andy always experienced a struggle within himself where he would go through cycles of feeling up and down.

His wife, Danielle, who supported him through these cycles, described it this way: “One month he’d be fine. The next two weeks, not so much. Life was like a roller-coaster ride. . . these ups and downs became so regular that I could almost tell when things were going good and when they were going to swing downward again.” Needless to say, this negatively affected those closest to him—his wife and daughters.

However, as Andy began to learn about God’s grace, he came to see how he could rest in Jesus’ finished work. He explained the changes this brought: “The revelation that I’ve been forgiven through Christ and made righteous in Him made me Son-conscious instead of sin-conscious.

Now, when the accuser of the brethren tries to accuse me, the Spirit of truth convicts me of Jesus’ finished work! I still feel down at times of course, but I don’t sink to those depths as before and I’m not down as long as I used to be. I can’t explain it, but I’m so much more joyful now, and I’m just in love with Jesus all over again!”

You might like to hear how Danielle eloquently sums up how the revelation of Jesus’ forgiveness and grace has radically changed her husband:

I saw major changes in him! He’s become much calmer in handling frustrating situations. We’ve always had a good marriage, but now he treats me with so much more love and care and our marriage is even better! He also treats our girls better, showing much more patience with them. He spends much more time with them now and I can also see him really enjoying the time he spends with them.

The secret behind every godly man and woman is their belief in the truth that they have been forgiven. Their godliness stems from a revelation of their forgiveness. They are believers who believe and honor God’s Word. When God says that He is merciful and that He has forgiven all their sins, they take Him at His Word.

All day long, they are forgiveness-conscious. Even when they say the wrong thing, do the wrong thing, or have a wrong thought, they continue to be forgiveness-conscious. They see the blood of Jesus continually washing them. They see God in His mercy and grace. And because of their forgiveness-consciousness, they experience victory over sin.

I encourage you to meditate on the forgiveness and righteousness you have in Christ. This is the key to enjoying your relationship with God and experiencing His love manifesting in and through you! Beloved, the more you are anchored in Jesus’ grace and finished work, the more you will reign in life through Him!

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

Go to the Source

The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in mercy . . . He has not dealt with us according to our sins, nor punished us according to our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.

Psalm 103:8, 10–12

Psalm 103 is one of my favorite psalms of David, a beautiful psalm that describes who and what God really is—a gracious and merciful Savior. Believing right begins with what you believe about God and must be based on the solid foundation of God’s Word.

To know the truth about who and what God is, we can’t go by feelings, circumstances, human conjectures, or what we may have heard someone say about God. We have to go to the source!

If you heard a rumor that someone you knew was saying horrible and negative things about you, don’t believe it immediately. Go to the source first. Ask this person if this is what he or she really said or if this is what he or she really meant.

Many people allow precious friendships and relationships to become fractured because they believe the rumors. They become bitter, angry, and disappointed without ever verifying with the person if he or she had actually said those nasty things.

In the same way, in the world we live in, there are all kinds of wrong beliefs perpetuated about God: “God is angry at you.” “He is disappointed with you.” “God is allowing all these negative things to happen to you because He’s punishing you for your past sins.”

Please do NOT believe all this baseless gossip about God! Such impressions of God have damaged many people’s relationships with Him, and they live with a distorted perspective of who God really is.

Instead of receiving His love, grace, and forgiveness, they become afraid, distant, and fearful of Him. Instead of allowing Jesus to come into their situations, they live their lives running away, avoiding, and hiding from Him.

Come on, let’s honor God and go to the source. Look again at what the Bible says about Him in today’s scripture reading: He is “slow to anger, and abounding in mercy . . . as far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us.” This is our God! This is why you can always run to Him and believe that you can freely receive His help!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Shalom from under the missile-less, rocket-free, siren-silenced skies of the Jezreel Valley! What a blessing it is to be able to drive to work in the morning without having to keep one eye on the road and one eye looking up. It’s true, we are not officially at peace. There is still fighting going on in Gaza, Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank. However, for the most part the action is taking place outside our borders with very few aerial or ground terrorist attacks.

I can’t say that it is back to how it was before the black day of October 7, 2023. It can never again be how it used to be. In some ways we are better off now than we were then. In others, we are worse. One positive is that we have a buffer zone in both the north and the south. No longer can terrorists simply pour over the border. We’ve ensured there are enough cameras, kilometers, and guns to mow down any attempt at a Hamas-style redux coming from Lebanon, Syria, or Gaza. We’ve also decimated the manpower, weaponry (both ground and aerial), and leadership of Hamas and Hezbollah so we have nothing to fear from them anymore. Assad, too, is gone from Syria, and we’ve made sure that the massive store of weapons that he left behind is less than usable for any rebel groups who have rushed in to fill the leadership vacuum. It’s true that the Houthis still like to lob a missile at us every now and then just so they can feel relevant, but the sand is quickly running out of their hourglass. Payback is coming soon – in fact, you’ll see in breaking news below, it has already begun. Vengeance is coming to the Houthis and it will destroy once and for all the last bent spoke of Iran’s axis of evil.

All of that helps me to look at this coming season of Hanukkah and Christmas with true hope. With both holidays, we celebrate God’s provision coming at just the right time. Many will unite with their loved ones to rejoice over the birth of the Messiah, while those of us here in Israel will gather together as families to celebrate our festival of lights. But for many of us Israelis, the celebration will be different than it once was.

Think of a child who receives a Hanukkah gift or a Christmas present. There is joy, exuberance. They may shout and dance and maybe even run around the house. With each passing year, however, the celebration calms incrementally. Often, a grandfather’s delight is expressed with a smile, a hug, and a thank you, all from the comfort of his favorite chair. Part of that mellowing is age and maturity. Much of it, though, is life experience. Suffering and struggle often quiet the soul. This Hanukkah, there will be joy, but it will be tempered. As a people, we Israelis have aged over these last 14 months. Our gladness is moderated by both a very deep sorrow at what so many of our people have suffered and a greater perspective which recognizes that we have survived this fire but the global flames of antisemitism still burn.

Don’t get me wrong, there will be laughter and joy in my house as we celebrate. However, we will take time out to remember the hostages, to pray for the families who have lost loved ones, and to ask God’s healing for our soldiers who have been wounded and contentment for those who will spend this Hanukkah away from home. We will beseech the Lord to keep His hand of protection on Israel and we will pray for the peace of Jerusalem. From Behold Israel, we ask that you join us in these prayers.


MidEast Connect

If you missed “MidEast Update: Escalating Tensions, Strategic Shifts, and Prophetic Implications” from Tuesday, please take time to watch it. In much the same way this newsletter does, that video will walk you through what’s happening in Yemen, Lebanon, Gaza, Judea and Samaria, and Syria, but at a much deeper level. Also, I included some very interesting quotes from leaders of the region. It’s well worth the time. And while you’re there, make sure you are subscribed to the channel. We are nearing one million YouTube subscribers, a milestone which will open up many new connection benefits on the channel. If you already are subscribed, don’t be afraid to share us with a few friends.

One more reminder is to subscribe to my Telegram channel. The YouTube updates and the newsletter are compilations of the steady stream of information that I post every day. If you want the blow-by-blow as it happens, Telegram is the place for you!


Yemen
Why is Yemen shooting missiles at Israel? Why are they even in this fight? In the past, it was solely because of Iran. When Iran said to shoot a missile, the Houthis asked, “How high?” But now that Iran’s terrorist axis has broken down with the fall of Syria, the fact that this group shot another ballistic rocket at Israel on Monday makes no sense. That’s more than a half-dozen ballistic missiles and five drones just since the beginning of November. It’s like the enemy soldier who knows that his side has lost but refuses to stop fighting. Because of his stubborn stupidity, a bullet will eventually take him out. Those bullets are already coming Yemen’s way. On Monday, U.S. CENTCOM conducted a precision airstrike against a command-and-control facility in the Yemeni capital of Sana’a. It was from this facility that plans were made to attack U.S. navy warships and merchant vessels.

Then, in breaking news from last night, the Houthis fired yet another missile at Israel, as well as sent a drone. Little did they know that Israeli F-16s were already on their way to Yemen’s capital. Once the Houthi ballistic missile reached Israeli airspace, it was brought down by an Arrow 3 interceptor. The Arrow 3 is a sophisticated, non-explosive interceptor that destroys enemy projectiles through kinetic contact which causes the missile’s warhead to explode. Not having a warhead itself makes the Arrow 3 lighter and faster but also requires it to be super-accurate. This interceptor broke the Houthi’s missile into pieces but didn’t set off its warhead which eventually detonated when it struck the ground at an empty school in Ramat Gan. No one was injured. The drone was also taken out.

The Yemeni rebels did not get off quite so easily. Fourteen IDF fighter jets raced into Yemen dropping dozens of bombs on targets in the ports of Hodeidah, Ras Issa, and Al-Salif. In the capital city of Sana’a, fuel and oil tanks, along with a power station, were hit. This coordinated strike is the first time that Israel has struck the capital city. All the F-16s accomplished their missions, and all returned home safely. As Israel’s Defense Minister Israel Katz said following the strike, “Whoever raises a hand against the State of Israel, his hand will be cut off. Whoever harms us will be harmed sevenfold.”


Lebanon
We are in the third week of the ceasefire, and Israel continues to strike targets in Lebanon. “But, Amir, doesn’t that mean that Israel is breaking its word?” No, it doesn’t. We committed to not pushing any farther into Lebanon, and to even pull back. However, we also said that we would continue to destroy any offensive weapons that could be used against us by Hezbollah. These “cleaning” operations are continuing all over the south. In fact, if you have already read my new thriller, The Sick Man’s Rage, you’ll recognize the towns of Metula, Israel, and Kfarkela, Lebanon, as the area that Nir Tavor and his team crossed the border in an underground tunnel. On Monday, I posted a picture on Telegram of a decimated Kfarkela and, rising above it, a strong, intact Metula. That one shot tells the whole story of the battle between Israel and Hezbollah’s Lebanon.


Gaza
Will there be a hostage deal before Donald Trump returns to the presidency? It’s hard to say. Trump has promised action when he is in power, but that’s still a month away. Even though Hamas is 95% destroyed, they are still attempting to maintain political power. As of now, their greatest asset is humanitarian aid and public opinion. They say that their people are starving, and that Israel is the reason why. By inflating the casualty numbers and deflating the huge number of humanitarian trucks Israel has sent into Gaza, they sway the gullible, liberal masses to their side. Antisemitic bastions like the United Nations and the World Food Bank have all condemned Israel for having a siege mentality toward the Gazans. The truth is that Hamas is stealing the supplies sent in, keeping what they want for themselves, then selling the rest to civilians at inflated prices.

Because their leadership is pretty much gone, Hamas is now operating more as a criminal gang than a terrorist organization. There is no long-range thinking. Their plan is to steal all they can and fight to the very last human shield. Then they hope to scurry away. The problem is that the IDF has blocked all their avenues of escape, and even if they did get away there is no country that would take them. They are pariahs, even among Muslim countries. The United Nations loves them, as long as they stay where they are. But they certainly don’t want them within their borders, because they’d be the obnoxious freeloaders who drive the golf carts into the pool down at the club. The best course of action for Hamas is to surrender now, while they still have workable lungs. Then they can pray that enough mercy is extended to them to allow them to spend the rest of their lives in a prison cell.


Judea and Samaria
There is one more setting for an Iranian attack against Israel, and that is in the West Bank and Samaria. Tehran is trying to stir up the Arab population in order to set them loose on the Israeli population. This has led the IDF to deploy Rafael’s Sentry Tech surveillance system, complete with a remote-controlled machine gun on top. In addition, there are regular military operations into the West Bank to weed out members of Hamas and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ). These raids, however, aren’t the only thing that the terrorists need to watch out for. Now that all has fallen apart down in Gaza, these two primary groups in the West Bank have begun fighting each other. That works for us. Let the terrorists fight the terrorists, then the IDF can just follow the sound of the gunfire and take them all into custody.


Syria
For as long as I can remember, Syria has been our most bitter enemy. At any time, the Assad regime, along with Russia or Iran or whoever was their partner du jour, could decide to attack us and push down through northern Israel. But now Assad is gone, and so is his government. In fact, he is so gone that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stood on Syrian Mount Hermon Tuesday and promised that Israel will remain within Syria’s borders at least until the end of 2025. For those of you in other parts of the world, that may not sound like a huge deal. But for me, my mind is absolutely blown!

When Assad fled, he ran with just his wallet which happened to be loaded with hundreds of millions of dollars. Unfortunately, his military’s equipment was too extensive to fit into his overhead bin, so he left it all behind for the rebels. That was not good news for Israel. But rather than sit and wring our hands worrying what would happen if this weapon fell into the hands of this group and that weapon fell into the hands of that group, Netanyahu and his government made a decision. Best just to destroy it all. And that’s what they’ve been doing for the last week.

What’s amazing is how quiet it has been. There is no public outcry from the United Nations or the European countries. Even the other Arab nations have been silent. Why? Because if those weapons got into the wrong hands, they could end up within their borders. So the world watched and scowled, then went behind closed doors and high-fived each other. All those planes, naval ships, missiles, guns, and chemical weapons wouldn’t be bothering any other country anymore. The only ones who were upset were the Russians and the Iranians who saw their financial and materiel investments going up in flames. Not even the rebels who took over Syria made a big stink about it. They’re too busy figuring out how to make Iran pay for the tens of thousands of lives lost in the war to worry about picking what they know would be a losing fight with Israel. Once we finish our work in Syria, we need to turn our attention to destroying the Iraqi militias and obliterating Iran’s nuclear program that is getting so close to obtaining its coveted weapon.


Meanwhile, Ahmed al-Sharaa is the interim leader of Syria, and the prime minister of his rebel group has taken over a matching role in the nation. Despite al-Sharaa’s history with al-Qaeda and ISIS, he is presenting a moderate persona, even dropping his nom de guerre, Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, to go back to his birth name. On Monday, when a British delegation visited him, not only did he appear without a head covering, but he allowed himself to be photographed with a female member of the delegation who was also not wearing anything on her head. If the al-Qaeda or ISIS rebel groups had reached Damascus first, a picture like that would never have been allowed. It will be interesting to watch the direction Syria takes, especially after its first elections which are scheduled for spring 2025.

There are still some concerning areas of Syria. In the north, Turkey is amassing soldiers with the goal of wiping out the Kurds. Because the Kurds have traditionally been somewhat allies of the U.S. and Israel, it is likely that Turkey’s President Erdoğan is in a rush to attack before Trump gets into office. There are also radical pockets throughout the country made up of extremists like al-Qaeda and ISIS.


Iran
The Islamic regime in Tehran is crashing. Decades of work and hundreds of millions of dollars spent building up their terror network have all collapsed into the sand. Other than a mediocre militia here and there, their vast terrorist web has been blown away. Even if they had the heart or inclination to attempt a new network, they don’t have the money. Ever since Trump was elected, the Iranian rial has been in freefall. It’s lost about 10% of its value in the last month, trading at 777 rials to one U.S. dollar.

There is no place in the Middle East for Iran to plot and scheme on an international level anymore. So, they are now looking to Africa. Tehran is holding talks with Sudan about establishing a military port in Port Sudan. Interestingly, Russia is working on the same thing. Let’s see, Russia, Iran, and Sudan…it’s starting to smell a bit like Ezekiel 38 round these parts.


The Ministry
Thank you for helping make The Sick Man’s Rage a bestseller on Amazon and in Publishers Weekly! Steve and I have been so blessed and encouraged by the incredible reviews we’ve been reading online. If you order your copy through Amazon today, most places can still get delivery before Christmas. Or, you can just walk into your local bookstore and pick up a copy. And, if you’ve already read The Sick Man’s Rage, but somehow missed the first three in the series, you can order a special bundle through the Behold Israel store. All three books for only $12 total. What a deal!

If you missed “CONNECT Round Table: The Prophetic Landscape Heading Into 2025” on Monday, it’s worth checking out. I was joined by Jan Markell, Pastor Barry Stagner, and Pastor Mike Golay to discuss where we are now in God’s prophetic timeline and what we can expect in the year ahead. Then, as I mentioned above, be sure to watch “Mideast Update: Escalating Tensions, Strategic Shifts, and Prophetic Implications” from Tuesday to get the full scoop of everything I talked about above.

As 2024 approaches an end, we want you to know how much we appreciate your support and sacrifices to advance the truth. If you sense God’s leading to provide a year-end gift, our donation link can be found HERE. All donations are tax deductible in the USA and Canada.

Next week, there will be no newsletter due to Hannukah and Christmas, but we’ll be back to ring in the new year the week after. Until then, thank you for your prayers and your support. May you have a blessed celebration with friends and family!

Awaiting His Return,

Rest in Jesus’ Finished Work

But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace [unmerited favor] in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.

Ephesians 2:4–7

Look at the above passage. It tells us that by God’s unmerited favor, we are seated together with Christ at the Father’s right hand. What does it mean to be seated together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus?

It means that today, we are in a position of rest in Jesus' finished work. To be seated in Christ is to rest, to trust in Him, and to receive everything our beautiful Savior has accomplished on our behalf.

My friend, God wants us to take the position of relying on Jesus for good success in every area of our lives, instead of relying on our good works and human efforts to achieve success. What a blessing it is to be in this position of dependence on our Savior!

But instead of looking at Jesus, believers are misled by the devil into looking at themselves. For thousands of years, the devil’s strategy has not changed. He is a master at accusing you, pointing out all your flaws, weaknesses, mistakes, and blemishes. He will keep on reminding you of your past failures and use condemnation to perpetuate the cycle of defeat in your life.

When the apostle Paul found himself sinking into self-occupation, he became depressed and cried out, “O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me...?” (Rom. 7:24). In the very next verse, he sees God's solution and says, “I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!”

Likewise, beloved, it’s time for you to step out from being self-conscious and self-occupied, and begin to be Christ-occupied instead.

Today, you should no longer be asking yourself, “Am I accepted before God?” This question puts the focus back on you and this places you under the law. I know that there are people who will encourage you to ask yourself this question, but it is an error to ask yourself if you are accepted before God.

The correct question to ask is, “Is Christ accepted before God?" because as Christ is, so are you in this world (1 John 4:17). Don’t ask, “Am I pleasing to God?” Instead, ask, “Is Christ pleasing to God?”

Can you see the difference in emphasis? The old covenant of law is all about you, but the new covenant of grace is all about Jesus! The law places the demand on you to perform and makes you self-conscious, whereas grace places the demand on Jesus and makes you Jesus-conscious.

Can you imagine a young child growing up and always wondering in his heart, “Am I pleasing to Daddy? Am I pleasing to Mummy? Do Daddy and Mummy accept me?” This child will grow up emotionally warped if he does not have the security and assurance of his parents’ love and acceptance.

That is why your loving heavenly Father wants you rooted, established, and anchored in His unwavering love for you. He demonstrated His love for you when He sent Jesus to become your sin on the cross so that you can become His righteousness. Our part today is to turn away from ourselves and to look at Jesus!

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

A Picture of Pure Grace

Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 118:1 NLT

Years ago, I was sitting in my living room, just spending time in the Word, when the Lord spoke to me and said, “Son, study the journey of the children of Israel from Egypt to Mount Sinai, for this is a picture of pure grace. Not a single Israelite died during this period although they murmured and complained.”

I had never heard anyone preach that before or read it in any book. So, feverishly, I turned to that portion of the Scriptures, trying to find someone who had died, so that I could prove God wrong! Have you been there before, trying to prove God wrong? Well, you can never succeed, and indeed, I could not find any Israelite who died even though they murmured and complained.

God had rescued the children of Israel from their Egyptian slave masters by performing great signs and wonders, yet, the children of Israel failed to honor Him, and murmured and complained over and over again.

When the Egyptian army came thundering toward them from behind and the Red Sea was before them, the Israelites cried out to Moses saying, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?” (Exod. 14:11).

That was a complaint against God, and murmuring and complaining are sins. But what was God’s response? He opened up the Red Sea and they crossed over to dry land on the other side, safe from their enemies.

Then, even after God had brought them safely to the other side of the sea, they complained about the bitter waters at Marah. What was God’s response? He made the bitter waters sweet (Exod. 15:23–25). In the wilderness, they cried out against Moses when they were hungry.

What was God’s response? He rained bread from heaven (Exod. 16:2–4). But still, the children of Israel complained. When there was no water again, they cried out against Moses, saying, “Why is it you have brought us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” (Exod. 17:3). What was God’s response? He brought water out of the flinty rock.

Every time the children of Israel murmured and complained, it only brought forth fresh demonstrations of God’s favor, supply, and goodness. Why? Because during that period, the blessings and provisions they received were not dependent on their obedience or goodness. They were dependent on God’s goodness and His faithfulness to the Abrahamic covenant (Exod. 2:24), which was a covenant of grace.

Can you see what the Lord was showing me? The Israelites’ journey from Egypt to Sinai was a picture of pure grace. Their blessings were not dependent on their goodness but His goodness, not on their faithfulness but His faithfulness. Before the Ten Commandments were given, they were under grace and nobody was punished even when they failed. But immediately after the law was given (Exod. 20), their failure resulted in punishment.

Beloved, the good news is that we are no longer under the old covenant of law. We have been delivered from the law through Jesus’ death on the cross. Because of Jesus Christ, we are now under the new covenant of grace. This means that today, God does not assess and bless us based on our performance, but on His goodness and faithfulness.

If you have been struggling with a challenge for some time now, look away from yourself, your mistakes, your lack, and your imperfections. Look instead at and give thanks for the pure grace God extends to you today because of the finished work of His Son. Let your confidence and trust not be rooted in your imperfect performance, but in His constant and unwavering goodness, love, and undeserved, unmerited, and unearned favor toward you, and see Him supply all that you need.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

We already know why He came. We already believe in Him. We already have the Holy Spirit. We already have that peace that surpasses all understanding. We already have that life, this new life, new heart, new spirit. Our suspense is over. But something else should be birthed in us instead of that suspense. And that’s the anticipation.

1 Thessalonians says, “For they themselves declare concerning us what manner of entry we had to you and how you turn to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for His Son,” – to wait for His Son – “from heaven whom He raised from the dead, even Jesus who delivers us from?” He delivers us from?

Congregation: Wrath.

“The wrath to come.” Not through the wrath, but from the wrath. He will take us before the wrath, so we will not go through the wrath. Titus 2 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that in denying ungodliness and worldly lust, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for….” We’re not anxious. This is no longer suspense of who He is. It’s “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of…” who? We already know who He is. Of who? “Of our great God.” He’s not a man only. He’s a man and He’s God. This is not just a man. This is not someone who is a human only. He is God who came in the shape of a man, but He’s God – the deity of Christ. That matters.

While it is true that anticipation has two sides, the side we favor is not the sense that something awful or unknown is on the horizon. Rather, it is the opposite. That someday something is coming that the word “wonderful” falls short of describing.

1 Corinthians 15:51-53
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed— in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality.

Paul reminds us that putting on immortality and incorruptibility are not simply possibilities. They must happen. He also says they will happen as fast as the human eye can twinkle. It will be simultaneous with the resurrection of the bodies of the dead in Christ. 

Since Paul said this must happen, there is no suspense as to what type of anticipation to expect. It is the good kind, knowing something wonderful is coming. On top of knowing it must happen, we have the heightened anticipation of not knowing the day or the hour which makes every day an equal candidate.  

Think about how living in anticipation of something amazing happening each day would impact our outlook. It would change how we view hardship and change how we handle painful situations. It would change how we approach the normal stresses of life if we lived with the anticipation that something incredible could very possibly happen today.

The great part about our anticipation is that it is not simply a pipe dream. It is completely possible today and every day, because it is real. 

John 14:1-3
“Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.”
 
We have all been offered by well-meaning people the sage advice to “not worry” when we are facing something difficult with an unknown outcome. Typically, it is offered without the mechanics of how to “not worry”. But Jesus didn’t tell the disciples, “Let not your heart be troubled”, then leave them hanging. He said let not your heart be troubled, and then gave them the tools to follow through.

Jesus said He’s going to prepare a place for them (and us). Since He is doing so, He will come again and receive them (and us) to Himself so we can be where He is.  

This is why He could say without any flippancy, “Let not your heart be troubled”. Because he followed up with, “I’m coming back to get you so you can be where I am.”

We can and should live every day in the anticipation of His arrival to meet us in the air.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

It’s Written on Your Heart

For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Philippians 2:13

God has made it so easy for us in the new covenant to be directed by His wisdom and love. We no longer have to run to prophets to find out His will for us. He Himself leads us!

For those of you who want to serve the Lord, but don’t know where to start, just ask yourself what is in your heart. If you have a desire to work among children, then do so.

As a new covenant believer, that’s how your Father leads you. He puts His laws in your mind and writes them on your heart!

Perhaps you feel a prompting to bless someone financially, even though the person looks prosperous. Follow that prompting because today, God speaks to you directly and He has made it easy for you to know His will through His promptings in your heart.

We all know how looks can be deceiving. For example, many con artists believe that church folks are gullible. Therefore, they dress down with a well-rehearsed sob story so as to move you to give to them.

On the other hand, there are noble people who dress up on Sundays to honor the occasion, but they may be in dire straits financially. Hence, we need to follow the promptings of our hearts and not the sight of our eyes.

So when you feel a desire to do something good for someone, do it, knowing that you have a brand-new heart that hears God, and that it is God who works in you both the willingness and the ability to do it!

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

God Is Your Refuge from Evil

Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

Psalm 91:9–10 KJV

Isn’t the above passage beautiful in the King James Version? You can make the Lord your habitation.

First John 4:16 says, “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” The more you stay in His love, the more God Himself becomes your dwelling place. No evil shall befall you and no plague shall come near your dwelling. And as you make Him your dwelling place, He protects your dwelling. No plague shall even come near your home!

In another psalm, it is written, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Ps. 46:1). As we make the Lord our city of refuge and allow Him to put us upon His shoulders, He becomes our “very present help” even if we encounter trouble.

Iris from Australia experienced God’s protection for herself when a cyclone hit the area she lived in. Read her testimony here:

A mini cyclone hit our street and the surrounding area recently. As I huddled in the hallway with my husband and our cat, I declared, “Thank You, Jesus, that You are the calm in the storm!”

When the wind stopped, we went outside and saw a lot of fallen trees on the road. The trees in our street were huge and as tall as thirty meters. As a result, many cars were crushed by the trees and some houses were also damaged. My husband’s work car was damaged slightly but our family car was left unscathed. And praise the Lord no one was injured!

As the damaged trees were being cut down across the road, I realized something. The path of the wind had cut through a few properties across the road and when it came near our house, it stopped completely! It did not come near us and our house was completely undamaged.

Everyone in our street was so surprised that the big tree in our backyard was untouched and that we had no cleanup of our own to do. Praise Jesus! He is the calm, peace, and protection I need!

Wow, praise the Lord! I love this testimony—when the Lord Himself is your refuge and your protection, even cyclones have to stop in their tracks when they come near you!

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

Message from Amir

Shalom from Israel! I’ve been sitting here trying to figure out how to start off this newsletter and the best words that I can think of are “Oh, my goodness.” The past few weeks we’ve talked about the craziness in the world with South Korea’s bizarre martial law, France voting out its government, the ceasefire in Lebanon, and so many other wild occurrences. This week, Syria stepped up, said, “Hold my Arak,” then proceeded to drive the 54-year-long Assad regime right out of the country! Those of us watching could only stand by and give a slow clap while our jaws hung open. What we just saw in Syria was a God-work of epic proportions. More about the God part later.

Today’s newsletter will give you the who, what, and why of all that took place just on the other side of Israel’s northeast border. But it will be limited because of space. If you want the full breakdown, particularly of the history of Syria, what led to this rebellion, and the identities of all the players in the region, please watch my "MidEast Update: The Fall of Damascus" from Tuesday. In less than 48 hours, it already has nearly 300,000 views on YouTube due to its in-depth examination of the events. Please take time to watch it, so that you too can be informed as to what has happened and how you can be praying as a result.

What Happened?
Syria’s most recent regime began with Hafez al-Assad in 1970. Yes, there was a rich history prior to that going back to the time of Abraham, which you can hear about in my MidEast Update. But for our purposes here we’ll start with the beginning of the Alawite regime. The Alawites are a small Syrian minority that align closely with Shi’a Islam, a fact which didn’t play too well in what was Sunni Syria. Al-Assad was ruthless, butchering men, women, and children throughout the country.

When Hafez died, his son, Bashar, an unassuming-looking ophthalmologist, took over. Bashar was as bad, if not worse, than his father. Not only did he massacre the Syrian people, even using chemical weapons, he allowed Russia and Iran to join in the fight. In the 13-year civil war that began in 2011 as part of Barack Obama’s Arab Spring, more than 600,000 Syrians lost their lives. Many of them were outright slaughtered by government soldiers. As hard as the rebel armies fought, they couldn’t defeat the ruling minority Alawites because al-Assad had both Russia and Iran propping him up – sometimes with troops, and always with weapons.

But then at the end of November, the fighting in the north began to grow. Turkey weighed in on the side of the rebels, arming them to fight the government troops. More and more rebel groups began loading up their weapons and soon the force pushed southward. Aleppo, Hama, and Homs were all taken. Southern rebels saw what was happening and they, too, slammed their magazines into their AK-47s and set off. Soon, the rebels were entering Damascus and Bashar al-Assad fled to Russia where he was warmly welcomed partly due to his stunning personality and partly due to the $158 billion bank account he brought with him.

Who are the Major Players?
Essentially, the primary aggressors in the civil war are made up of Sunni rebels and Kurds. The Kurds are the largest people group in the world without a homeland, covering parts of Turkey, Iran, Iraq, and Syria. They are unwanted by all four countries in which they reside, with each of the countries at times trying to wipe them out and at others aiding them in settling into a neighboring nation. This is how Turkey got involved. One great way for Turkey to get the Kurds out of their country is to give help to the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK), the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), Peshmerga, and the People’s Protection Unit (YPG), a group which plays a significant role in my latest thriller, The Sick Man’s Rage, which was just released last week.

But of even greater consequence in the civil war are the Sunni rebels. The largest of these is Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham (HTS), which has taken the lead in establishing the new government. The leader of this rebel group is Ahmed al-Sharaa. Although this is the man’s real name, until this past weekend he was known his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammed al-Jolani. Unfortunately, his al-Jolani persona, was notorious for its previous ties to both al-Qaeda and the Islamic State (IS) in Iraq. Not the best track record with which to launch a new government. So, now it’s back to al-Sharaa. Unfortunately, he can’t change the names and reputations of his fellow Sunni groups, the Syrian Free Army (SFA), the Syrian National Army (SNA), the Islamic State in Syria (ISIS), and the Southern Operations Room (SOR), a group made up of Druze tribes and Syrian opposition groups.

Needless to say, it isn’t very encouraging to those of us in Israel to have these schmoes running the show. But we take our encouragement from three sources. First, the rebel groups are fighting each other. These aren’t a bunch of buddies who decided to team up and attack. HTS took the lead and when the rest saw them gaining ground, they joined in. But these guys hate each other. There’s no joy to us when we see them killing each other. However, we are glad they’re pointing guns at each other and not at us. Second, these groups have revenge against Assad on their minds. In one prison alone, Sednaya, north of Damascus, records were found indicating 29,000 executions taking place on the grounds. A mass grave was found containing the skeletons of prisoners who had been slaughtered, then their bodies dissolved in acid. These were the family and friends of the rebels. They’re out for blood. And not just of the Assad regime, but of the Iranians and Russians who propped up the president and his vicious military.

The third source of encouragement to Israelis is our own military. Iran and Russia had spent a lot of money outfitting Assad’s incompetent army. Prime Minister Netanyahu and the IDF were determined that this war materiel would not fall into the hands of the rebels. Thus, they launched Operation Arrow of Bashan. In only two days this week, Israel destroyed 80% of Syria’s military capabilities. This breaks down to the destruction of two navy facilities where 15 naval vessels were docked. At the same time, dozens of sea-to-sea missiles were destroyed. The Syrian air force was massively damaged, their airfields were blown up, and their anti-aircraft batteries were decimated. Scud missiles, cruise missiles, surface-to-sea missiles, surface-to-air missiles, surface-to-surface missiles, UAVs, fighter jets, attack helicopters, radars, tanks, hangars, and so much more were all blasted to pieces. There were air strikes on 130 assets, including weapons depots, military structures, launchers, firing positions, research centers, training centers, weapons caches, and chemical weapons stores. The take-offs and landings from the Ramat David airfield near my home was non-stop! As that was taking place, IDF tanks were in the buffer zone between Syria and Israel widening the gap to ensure safety on the Israeli side of the border. For the first time since October 7, 2023, it is now safe for many northern Israelis to go back to their homes.


Current Syria
It is evident that nearly everyone wants this war over as soon as possible, including the rebels. Ahmad al-Sharaa of the HTS said, “We have turned to stability. The [Syrian] people are exhausted, and we will not enter into another war.” Will they keep moving to Israel? No, says al-Sharaa. “Our concern was about Iran and Hezbollah who carried out the massacres.” By all appearances, al-Sharaa truly wants to go mainstream. He has installed the prime minister of his unrecognized rebel state as the new prime minister of the Syrian Transitional Government, with a term running until March 2025. Both the United States and the United Nations are already considering removing HTS from its list of terrorist groups if al-Sharaa can keep his people from going too crazy.

Unfortunately, Ahmad al-Sharaa can only control his own people, and even then only to an extent. Throughout Syria, there are mass executions and ethnic and religious cleansing taking place by HTS and SNA forces. And you can be sure that ISIS is carrying out their fair share of atrocities. Syria is not the place to be if you are a Christian or a Shiite Muslim. It’s for this reason that the United Kingdom is saying, “You’ll have to show us a lot more if you’re getting off our terrorist list.”

We can dance and cheer that Assad is out, but we must remember that these are not better people. They’re just different molds of the same dough. True, Russia and Iran are not pulling their strings. But with no oversight at all, the crazies just get crazier. We need to pray that calm and sensibility come to the new government, and that somehow al-Sharaa gets the will and the ability to cool the insanity that is taking place in Syria.

Quick List of Winners and Losers

Losers
1.    Bashar al-Assad and his government – although a $135 billion nest egg makes the cold Moscow winters a little warmer
2.    Russia – they no longer have power in Syria, and they aren’t wanted
3.    Iran – their 45-year strategy of building proxy militias has just been blown sky high. They are in a greatly weakened state, and they better watch their backs when Trump gets into office. It’s likely their nuclear program will quickly disappear

Winners
1.    Syrian rebels – they’d been fighting to push the Assads out for decades. They’ve finally done it. Unfortunately, they are being way too exuberant in their street justice
2.    Turkey – they’ve been pouring money and manpower into training and equipping the rebels. Now they have influence in the new Syria
3.    Israel – Neither Iran nor Russia is on our borders anymore. Instead, it’s just a bunch of crazies who have enough problems of their own to try messing with us. Still, we’ll keep our eyes on them


What Does this Mean for Israel?
I’ve had many people ask me if this is a fulfillment of Isaiah 17:1 which says that Damascus must be destroyed. It is not. Assad’s regime was destroyed. Damascus is still standing.

As I mentioned earlier, the north is now back open for Israeli citizens to move home. Not all are ready to do so, but they can if they want. If you had told me a few months ago that by December both Hamas and Hezbollah would be gone, I would have told you that you were dreaming. But this is what we see. Both terrorist groups are decimated to the point of being non-threats. That doesn’t mean Israel will give up hunting down threats. It’s just that we no longer have to worry about an invasion from the north or the south.

Israel is in a very strong place right now. Netanyahu has done what he said he would do; he has brought safety back to Israel. Many doubted him and many still do, but he has proved his mettle and will go down in history as one of the greatest Israeli leaders of all time. We are also in a great place because of the U.S. elections. Many in the incoming Trump administration are more Zionist than even some in our government. With our united front, Iran should be quaking in their boots. We’ve already seen the Iranian axis fall; next we’ll see their nuclear program collapse. It also looks very good for Israel in the Middle East. With the incoming Trump presidency, I see both the Saudis and the Indonesians quickly lining up for normalization with Israel under the Abraham accords.

With the collapse of Iran’s axis, Hamas has been left hanging. With prayer and strong negotiations, I believe we could see a hostage deal soon. Trump has already made it clear that the U.S. will step in to see the hostages returned quickly. Already Israel’s Defense Minister Katz and America’s Secretary of Defense Austin are talking about the negotiations with Hamas. The terrorists counted on two things: the public outcry for the hostages would overcome the government and Netanyahu would be forced to back down. Neither happened. Hopefully, individual Hamas members will give in to temptation and take the proffered $5 million for every hostage returned. Then they can slip away scot-free to enjoy their boon, at least until they get a secret visit from the Mossad.

These times are historic. Ever since October 7, we’ve constantly reminded ourselves “…but God is still on the throne.” This past week, He reminded us that He was there all along working and maneuvering. Then, when the timing was right – Bam! – He stepped in and did something marvelous before our eyes. He truly is the almighty God who proves over and over that He will never neglect to take care of His children.

Jesus’ Peace Sets You Up for Success

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

1 John 4:18

Jesus gives you His shalom to set you up for success in life. You cannot be a success in your marriage, family, and career when you are crippled and paralyzed with fear. Today, as you are reading this, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has already begun a work in your heart to liberate you from all your fears, whatever they may be. They may be the fear of failure, the fear of success, the fear of people’s opinions of you, or even the fear that God is not with you.

All the fears that you are experiencing in your life today began with an untruth, a lie that you have somehow believed. Perhaps you have believed that God is angry and displeased with you, and that His presence is far from you. That’s why the Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

This scripture tells us that when you begin to have a revelation that God loves you perfectly (not because of what you have accomplished, but because of what Jesus has accomplished for you), that revelation of the unmerited favor of Jesus will cast out every fear, every lie, every anxiety, every doubt, and every worry that God is against you. The more you have a revelation of Jesus and how He has made you perfect, the more you will free yourself to receive His complete shalom and succeed in life!

My friend, know that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have absolute peace with God. The new covenant of grace is also known as the covenant of peace. Today, you stand upon the righteousness of Jesus and not your own. Today, because of Jesus, God says this to you: “I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke [condemn] 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” (Isa. 54:9-10).

God is on your side. Jesus’ shalom is on your side to make you a success in life. All of heaven’s resources are on your side. Even if you are caught in the midst of a storm right now, just think of a picture of eagle chicks sleeping soundly in spite of the storm, nestled under the wings of their mother, their protector, and provider. And may the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Phil. 4:7). Go in this peace, my friend, and rest upon His shalom!

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

What Spiritual Warfare Looks Like

“You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the LORD of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

1 Samuel 17:45

To show you what it means to engage in spiritual warfare, let me share with you the precious journey taken by Anna, who was part of our ministry team for my Grace Revolution Tour. While she was in Dallas, Texas, she went through a horrifying ordeal.

She recounted experiencing a numbness in her legs that quickly progressed to her diaphragm. Unable to move, she was rushed to the emergency room where she underwent a five-hour emergency surgery for spinal cord compression caused by multiple lesions and tumorous growths along her entire spinal cord. Without warning, she found herself bedridden with stage-four cancer that had metastasized from the thoracic area to her neck and bones. Given a life expectancy of three years, this is how she described her battle:

All that I, a frightened sheep, could do was to just stay really close to the Great Shepherd. During my entire thirty-three days of hospitalization, Jesus became my impenetrable “safe house,” protecting me from further assaults by the devil. I requested for visitors to be kept to a minimum, choosing to spend the time with the One whose very presence and words were now my very life and healing. Just hearing the way the doctors and nurses talked about my cancer caused the life and peace in me to leak—I felt that I had touched death.

But I remained in my “safe house,” Jesus. I fed on God’s Word during my waking hours, often drifting off to sleep with Pastor Prince’s sermons playing on my iPad. Every time I took my cancer medication, and after undergoing each round of radiotherapy, I would also partake of the holy Communion. I believe that was the reason I didn’t experience any of the side effects, except for temporary hair loss, throughout my fifteen cycles of radiotherapy treatment. I just continued daily in the Word and in partaking of the holy Communion.

The cancer was real, but Anna knew the true battle was a spiritual one. Of course, she was fearful. But she is a child of God and was not going to take the enemy’s attacks lying down or allow him to intimidate her. She fought back, armed with the sword of the Spirit (Eph. 6:17), knowing that her God was backing her up all the way.

Anna reminds me of how David refused to cow in fear before the giant Goliath as the other soldiers of Israel did. Rather, he got angry and demanded to know “who is this uncircumcised Philistine, that he should defy the armies of the living God?” (1 Sam. 17:26). David was conscious only of how big his God was. The enemy may come against you with a sword, spear, and javelin, but when you come to him in the name of the Lord of hosts, that Goliath is no match for your God!

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

“No Condemnation” Comes First

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”

John 3:17

The story of the woman caught in adultery in John 8:1–12 demonstrates something very important. What enables someone to have the power to overcome sin? The threat of the law obviously didn’t stop the woman from committing adultery. But receiving Jesus’ acceptance—knowing that even though she deserved to be stoned to death, He did not condemn her—that gave her the power to “go and sin no more.”

Notice that Jesus saved the woman righteously. He didn’t say, “Don’t stone her. Show mercy to her.” What He said was, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.” And on their own accord, the Pharisees and religious mob all left. Notice also that Jesus did not ask the woman, “Why did you sin?” No, what He asked was, “Has no one condemned you?”

It seems as if Jesus was more preoccupied with the condemnation of the sin than the sin itself. He made sure that she walked away not feeling the condemnation and shame. Let’s not reverse God’s order. When God says something comes first, it must come first. God says “no condemnation” comes first, and then you can “go and sin no more.”

Christian religion has it in reverse. We say, “Go and sin no more first, then we won’t condemn you.” What we need to understand is that when there is no condemnation, people are empowered to live victorious lives, lives that glorify Jesus. Grace produces an effortless empowerment through the revelation of no condemnation. It is unmerited and completely undeserved. But we can receive it—this gift of no condemnation—because Jesus paid for it at the cross.

Truth be told, none of us could have cast the first stone. We have all sinned and fallen short. In Christ, we are all on equal ground. If a brother or sister gets tangled in sin, our place is not to judge them, but to restore them by pointing them to the forgiveness and gift of no condemnation that are found in Jesus.

The only person who is without sin and who could have exercised judicial punishment on the woman was Jesus, and He did not. Jesus was in the flesh to represent what was in God’s heart. It wasn’t judgment. His heart is unveiled in His grace and His forgiveness. I like to say it this way when describing what happened as the Pharisees waited to stone the woman: The Pharisees would if they could, but they could not. Jesus could if He would, but He would not. That’s our Jesus!

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

Message from Amir

There’s a global suspense all around us, but we know who the Messiah is. We have the peace. We have the joy of our salvation. We have the Holy Spirit. We have a new heart. The only thing that is not new, the only redemption that is still left, is the redemption of our body because He needs to finish that work, and that will happen very fast. Keep on taking care of yourself. I’m not saying don’t. But this is not what’s going to be in heaven. Okay? I will barely recognize you up there, but I want you to know that for us, the suspense is over. For us, it’s over. Don’t be frantic. Don’t be like someone who is all day long looking for when, for the day, for the... All you need to live life like right now is with that readiness, the expectancy, and to eagerly wait for His return. And this is why in Revelation 22:20, “He who testifies to these things says, ‘Surely I am coming quickly.’ Amen.” And now we say, “Even so, come, Lord Jesus.”

Many today have a negative perception of Christianity because, in their minds, they see it as a list of “thou shalt nots”. Therefore, it is restrictive to pursuing their desired behaviors. Peter even made this observation about how they view us as followers of Christ:

1 Peter 4:4
In regard to these, they think it strange that you do not run with them in the same flood of dissipation, speaking evil of you.

The word dissipation means “unsavedness”. In other words, the world will think it strange that we don’t do what they do, and they will call us evil for not participating with them in those things. Think about how this applies today. The pro-life group is viewed as a threat to women’s health, although it is the pro-choice crowd who are actually the guilty party in that accusation. The believers of the biblical definition of the sanctity of marriage are viewed as bigots and haters. 

We are viewed as narrow-minded fools bound by the content of a fictional book supposedly authored by a nonexistent God. The reality is that the opposite is actually true. We are not bound; we are the most free people on the planet. 

John 8:36
Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

We are free from worry about the future because we already know it. We are free from ignorance about what happens after you die, for Jesus has proven it. We are free from the fear of wars and rumors of wars that dominate the media and the minds of the masses in these last days, because we know the ultimate outcome of them all. God wins!

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.

We are even free from living under the anxieties created by the perilous times in which we now live. We are so free from these things that we have peace that the world cannot understand.

We also know that there is coming a transition for us as we move from this life to the next. New bodies await us that will never grow old nor will they fight against our flesh’s desire to rule our decisions and actions.

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be, but we know that when He is revealed, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. 

In these crazy times we need to remember that Jesus said He is coming suddenly. For us, it seems likely it is very soon! When He does come, in a moment and twinkling of an eye, we will be like Him for we will see Him as He is!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

What Imparts Faith

“Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.”

Acts 13:38–39

In Acts 14:8–10, where Paul heals a crippled man in Lystra, we see that Paul does not lay his hands on the man to heal him. The faith to be healed came from just listening to Paul preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, and when he simply responded to the apostle’s command to stand up, he was healed.

While what Paul preached to the man was not recorded for us, we do have one of Paul’s sermons recorded word for word for us by the Holy Spirit in the preceding chapter (Acts 13:16–41). And the highlight or climax of that sermon is found in today’s scripture.

Now, listen carefully to this: the power of the gospel that Paul preached to the crippled man is found in the forgiveness of all your sins for “everyone who believes.” There is no other qualification for being forgiven of all your sins.

The old covenant was based on justification by works (obedience to the Ten Commandments). You had to perform to be forgiven. But the new covenant of grace is based entirely on justification by faith (believing in Jesus Christ). Can you see the radical difference?

The demand is no longer on you, but on Christ. This is the good news: all who believe in Jesus receive the forgiveness of all their sins and are justified from all things! Good news? Hallelujah! There is no better news than this!

We have experienced this time and again in our church services. As people are sitting in the service and hearing the gospel of grace and Jesus’ finished work being preached, healing miracles break forth!

This has happened not just in our church services, but also in other places. One of my dear friends, a pastor of a dynamic grace church in Holland, shared with me a wonderful healing miracle that took place in his car as he was driving to Romania with a few friends. On this particular day, he was on his way to Romania for a preaching engagement. He was listening to one of my sermons in his car, something that he did often.

Lulled by the monotony of the long drive, one of his friends dozed off in the backseat. This friend had been involved in a jet ski accident some years ago, and since then he often suffered sharp pains in his back. Somehow, through the fog of sleep, he heard me preach this: “Jesus has already healed you and the devil is the one giving you lying symptoms in your body.”

He said “Amen!” in his heart, agreeing that Jesus had already healed him by taking his sin and bearing his sicknesses and pains on the cross. At that moment, he felt the power of God go through him, and he was completely healed! All the pain in his back was gone!

That’s the power of hearing and hearing the gospel of Jesus. That’s how faith comes! The more of Jesus you hear, the more of His grace you receive. The more revelation you get of His finished work, the more you will receive an impartation of faith for any situation, even the seemingly impossible ones!

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

Rightly Divide the Word

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

2 Timothy 2:15

When our Lord stood in the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the book of Isaiah, He proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord and stopped reading just before the words, “and the day of vengeance of our God.” In doing so He showed us how to rightly divide the Word of God as today’s scripture instructs us to do. He made it precisely clear that we are in the age of grace.

When you learn to rightly divide God’s Word, I believe that you will begin to see His grace, His love, and His security flood every area of your life. Let me share with you a precious testimony of restoration that illustrates this. Valerie, a lady from Illinois, shares:

I became a believer almost twenty years ago and my life changed tremendously. Despite being saved, I felt that something was still wrong because I was repeatedly diagnosed with cancer—four times in all.

After my last relapse of cancer, I watched Pastor Joseph Prince on television and ordered his materials. The first thing I remember learning was that all of my sins have been forgiven! Before that, I was taught of the need to repent and receive forgiveness from God whenever I sinned. I also learned that God was not looking at my performance to accept me, love me, or bless me, but at Jesus’ finished work on the cross. What a deep blessing these truths were to my heart, body, and soul!

I became a partner with the ministry and today, I have all of Pastor Prince’s teachings and I meditate on them all the time. Now, my walk with the Lord is amazing! I no longer feel condemned or guilty and I am no longer walking in fear! I also have a revelation of Christ’s love for me and I have an intimate relationship with Him.

With God’s help, my finances have also improved. I am fifty-six years of age and I now have my first home! On top of all this, I am cancer-free, have witnessed salvations in my family, and am enjoying better relationships with my family members.

I can’t express in words how much Pastor Prince’s ministry has blessed my life. It is forever changed! My eyes have been opened to GOD’S GRACE and I will never go back to my old beliefs and ways of thinking.

Isn’t it amazing that as Valerie began to learn how to rightly divide God’s Word, she began to experience God’s abundant restoration in quite literally every area of her life, that included an intimate relationship with Him, restoration of physical health, and blessed family relationships?

This is such an encouragement to my team and to me because preaching the gospel of grace is all about helping and lifting up God’s precious people. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be a part of this grace revolution that is transforming one life, one marriage, and one family at a time across the entire world. All honor, glory, and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!

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

Test Everything You Hear with God’s Word

Do not despise prophecies. Test all things; hold fast what is good.

1 Thessalonians 5:20–21

I encourage you to test everything you hear with God’s Word. I always tell my church to read the Bible for themselves instead of simply swallowing all that any preacher, including myself, says. Be wise and don't just swallow everything—hook, line, sinker, fisherman and even his boots!

Be discerning when you hear something that does not sit well in your spirit, such as when a preacher tells you that “God gives you sicknesses to teach you a lesson.” Ask yourself, “Is this in line with the new covenant of God’s unmerited favor? Are there new covenant scriptures to back up this teaching?”

The answer is obvious once you align it with Jesus and what He has done on the cross for you!

Why would God give you sicknesses when Jesus has taken every sickness and disease upon His own body at the cross? With full assurance in your heart that sickness is not from God, you can have faith to be healed!

But what assurance can you have if you believe the lie that the condition is from God?

Now, instead of thinking that God is against you, you realize that He is on your side! Your confidence is restored, faith is renewed and His healing can flow unabated through every cell, tissue and organ in your body!

Let me just share with you the words of Miles Coverdale, who said, “It shall greatly help thee to understand Scripture, if thou mark not only what is spoken or written, but of whom, and unto whom, with what words, at what time, where, to what intent, with what circumstance, considering what goeth before, and what followeth after.”

Essentially, he was saying that to understand the Bible, we need to read everything in its context. What powerful advice from the man who translated and produced the first English Bible in the 16th century.

My friend, rightly divide the covenants whenever you read the Bible and you will never be ashamed. Now that you have received Jesus into your life, you are under the new covenant and it is your new covenant right to enjoy Jesus’ unmerited favor to succeed in life!

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

Message from Amir

Shalom from the Philippines! I am wrapping up my time here in this beautiful island nation. It has been a great season of rest and preparation. I have also enjoyed connecting with many friends. Just this past weekend, I had the joy of visiting the ambassador of the Philippines to Israel, His Excellency Ambassador Pedro “Junie” Laylo Jr. and his wife, Carijane, who just completed their term. In addition, I was blessed to spend time with my good friends Pastor Edwin and Milet Tugano from New Life Christian Center in Alabang. It is always a wonderful time being with people who love the Lord.

It was very exciting to see the launch of my new thriller, The Sick Man’s Rage, on Tuesday. I’ve already said much about it, so I’ll refrain here. I’ll only say that it is a great gift with the important purpose of sharing the Gospel in an exciting and action-filled story. Pick up your copies today!

This last week, Syria blew up. It has always been a powder keg with so many antagonistic groups living in the nation. So, while it wasn’t a surprise, it was important. I’m sure many are confused about who is who in Syria, and, even more so, how it all relates to Bible prophecy. I’ll explore a few of the details of the fighting below, but let me take a moment to back out to the big picture here.

Damascus is a city that the Bible predicts will be decimated (Isaiah 17:1). Widening out from the city itself, we can also see that Syria, which has been a bitter enemy of Israel since 1948, isn’t mentioned among the nations in the future war of Gog from the land of Magog described in Ezekiel 38. Ultimately, what we learn relating to the nation to Israel’s north is that Damascus must fall. This will contribute to Israel being strong, safe, and prosperous. It is then that the enemy will attack from the north.

For Israel to finally be safe and to prosper, we not only need a victory in our present wars against Hamas and Hezbollah, but we need a friendly US administration to expand the peace circle and stand strong against the axis of evil. This certainly seems to be the direction we are heading.

My friends, we are truly living in biblical times!


The MidEast Update

The Rapidly Shifting Syrian Civil War
There are so many moving parts and they are shifting so quickly that it would be impossible for me to lay them all out in this newsletter. That is why I will once again encourage you to subscribe to my Telegram channel. There you will find all the action as it happens, as well as analysis of what all is taking place.

Opposition forces (those against President Assad’s government) have launched a swift and unexpected offensive. Significant territories have been already captured, including the very important city of Aleppo. As their influence spreads, the strategic city of Hama is next on their list. In fact, some sources report that just this morning rebel forces have entered the city even as Assad’s leaders escape by helicopter..

Assad’s forces haven’t just been sitting by idly. They, with the help of Russia and Iran, have hit back hard, causing many casualties among the rebels. But it’s not just the government forces who are fighting the rebels. They are fighting each other. Rebel militias are fighting against Al Qaeda soldiers, while Al Qaeda soldiers are fighting with Kurdish rebels. It’s a mishmash of people who hate each other and who can’t seem to put their differences aside and unite in order to attack a common enemy. In Israel, we have our eyes on the Kurds, who at times have been our allies in the past. Fictional examples of this relationship are in my thrillers Operation Joktan and The Sick Man’s Rage. Ultimately, we aren’t rooting for any of the sides, because everyone except the Kurds wants to kill us. The last thing we want is to see Al Qaeda troops massing on our northern border.


Iran Mad at Turkey over Syria
Remember in the past when I’ve said that all of the Middle East is interconnected? The Islamic Regime in Iran is now angry at Turkey for the civil war in Syria. Tehran says that the rebel onslaught could not have happened without Turkish help. They aren’t the only ones with this opinion. The Kremlin lays the blame at Ankara’s feet, saying they also got help from Washington and London. Are they correct? Maybe. It wouldn’t be surprising. Meanwhile, Iran is putting teeth to their blame saying that if the Kurds turn around and attack Turkey, then President Erdoğan better not come running to Tehran for help.


Israel Forces Iranian Transport to Turn Back
While much attention in Syria has been focused on the ground, the skies above held some interesting action. An Iranian cargo plane lifted off Saturday night toward Syria. According to the manifest, it was loaded with humanitarian aid. This would have been true if it was headed to a region where the people primarily ate lead and gun powder. But, as that seemed unlikely, the Israel Defense Forces got involved. Fighter jets intercepted the cargo plane as it traversed Syria and informed them in no uncertain terms that there were two directions they could go. One was back and the other was straight down. Wisely, the Iranian pilots chose back. This is a huge demonstration of the power that Israel is gaining in the region.


Fighting Under the Ceasefire
Just because the ceasefire against Hezbollah has gone into effect, that doesn’t mean that the fighting has stopped. When Israel signed on to the agreement, they also reserved the right to destroy anything they found that could be used by the terrorist organization against them. That has led the IDF to continue to hit danger zones, including munitions storage and launch areas. Just yesterday, a drone was used to take out a Hezbollah rocket launcher in southern Lebanon’s Majdal Zoun. Meanwhile, Lebanese forces are just now finally deploying into areas from which the IDF withdrew, with the purpose of keeping Hezbollah out.


Israel’s Magic Vaporizing Machine
For some time, Hamas has had difficulty explaining the disparity between their highly inflated casualty rates and the actual number of bodies they are able to produce. However, after careful investigation, the Palestinian Investigation Squad or some such body discovered the truth. It was the Israelis using their amazing body disappearing weapon that was causing all the dead to vaporize into thin air. It makes so much sense! I’ve long told you that Israel is on the cutting edge. Here’s proof! Even our imaginary technology is mind-blowing!


A Tale of Two Presidents
The 45th and soon-to-be 47th president of the United States wrote in a post on Truth Social that if the hostages are not released prior to his swearing in, there will be “ALL HELL TO PAY” in the Middle East. In response, Hamas has threatened to kill all the hostages. That would be a horrific mistake on their part. Meanwhile, the 46th president took time out from his very busy schedule to pardon his son, Hunter, who was facing sentencing for gun crimes and tax evasion. Also waiting on the Hunter Biden dance card were federal prosecutors anxious for a little jig to the Ukrainian folk tune “Burisma”. Joe Biden promised months ago that he would not bail his son out with a pardon. The Right didn’t believe him, the Left pretended to believe him, but deep down everyone knew that this day would come.


South Korea’s Brief Implosion
Late night Tuesday, South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol went on television and declared martial law, shocking the nation. Mayhem ensued. Military personnel entered the National Assembly building and were met by politicians and staffers armed with fire extinguishers. Scuffles ensued, windows were broken, but the military never made it into the main assembly hall. A little more than three hours after martial law was declared, 190 of the 300 members of the National Assembly voted unanimously to void the declaration. There has been constant fallout ever since. The heads of the departments of Yoon’s cabinet, as well as the senior secretaries, all resigned. The Assembly called for Yoon to resign too, and, when he refused to so, articles of impeachment were filed against him. A vote on his removal could come as soon as tomorrow. South Korean politics have also been sketchy waters to swim in. It will be interesting to watch how this plays out.


France Dissolves Its Government
Not wanting to be outdone in the political craziness department, the French National Assembly passed a no-confidence motion against the government of Prime Minister Michel Barnier. This is the first no-confidence vote to pass in France since 1962, and Barnier will go down as the shortest serving prime minister in the Modern Republic. President Emmanuel Macron, for his part, stepped over Barnier’s lifeless political body, declared that he would remain until the end of his 2027 term and promised to name a replacement.


United Nations being the United Nations
With the Syrian Civil War rekindled, the war between Russia and Ukraine threatening to go nuclear, and South Korea doing whatever it was that South Korea just did, the United Nations decided they would tackle the most pressing issue of the day. In a vote of 97 pro, 8 con, and 64 abstentions, the UN adopted a resolution calling for Israel to withdraw to pre-1967 lines. Good job focusing on what’s most important in the world. Just the United Nations being the United Nations.


The Ministry

When I arrive in Israel this coming weekend, I will hit the ground running. On Monday, I’ll be joining my dear friend Pastor Barry Stagner for a CONNECT Q & A. This is our time to answer your questions, so please join us for this enjoyable hour. Remember, our times for these video gatherings has changed. Again, we’ll be meeting on Monday, December 9, and the time will be 8:00 AM PST. I hope to see you there!

If you’ve been craving a clear and concise explanation of what’s happening in the Middle East, that is exactly what I’ll be providing for you on Tuesday, December 10, once again at 8:00 AM PST. The Syrian Civil War, the ceasefire – the MidEast Update will cover it all. Plan on watching!

I’ve been very excited for Wednesday’s CONNECT Anchor Podcast. Behold Israel’s own Pastor Mike Golay will be sitting down with me to discuss some of the recent struggles he’s gone through during the recovery from his accident. It’s a powerful time, and I invite you to be there a little later in the morning on Wednesday, December 11, at 10:00 AM PST.

If you didn’t watch yesterday’s “Explore the Bible”, you missed a great time. Dr. Rick Yohn and I answered the question, “Why Read the Old Testament?” As a Jew, the Old Testament has always been dear to me, and I was not surprised to discover that the same was true for Dr. Rick! If you’ve ever wondered why that first two-thirds of the Bible is so important, this is the video for you!

For those of you familiar with this ministry, you know that we rarely ask for financial gifts. But Giving Tuesday, just two days ago, is one of those rare occasions. If, after you give your regular commitment to your local church, you feel led to support this ministry, we would greatly appreciate it. It is your prayers and your gifts that help us accomplish all that we are able to do. Thank you, and may God give you a blessed Christmas season.

Awaiting His Return,

Find Friends Who Can Carry You

Then they came to Him, bringing a paralytic who was carried by four men.

Mark 2:3

Sometimes it is difficult for us to have faith when we are on our own. When you have no strength and no faith, you need others to pull you through. I want to share with you a precious testimony from Audrey, a leader in my church who experienced that for herself.

In the twenty-ninth week of her pregnancy, her water broke and she was admitted to the hospital for bed rest. Friends prayed with her and her husband, encouraged them, and believed with them for the birth of a healthy baby. She and her husband partook of the holy Communion as frequently as they were able to.

In the thirtieth week, baby Jenna was born, weighing 1.5 kg (3.3 lb), thankfully with no major complications. She was able to breathe on her own and all her organs were functioning properly. She gradually progressed from a tiny baby supported by tubes and needles to tube feeding and finally to normal feeding.

Audrey’s daily commute to the hospital was exhausting, but she was thankful for kingdom friends who kept them in prayer. Many of them partook of the holy Communion on their own as they prayed for Jenna and her parents. After forty days in the hospital, Jenna was finally allowed to go home.

However, Jenna was soon back in the hospital ICU as her heart rate suddenly became critically low and later became too high. Audrey was devastated and by this time was “out of prayer and out of faith.” But church leaders and friends kept surrounding them in an environment of faith and prayer even when they kept meeting with setbacks.

During that period, Audrey shared that I preached a fresh message about the Communion in church, and after she heard it, she and her husband persevered and kept partaking of the Communion for baby Jenna until finally she was out of danger. It was an arduous journey, but Jenna went home strong and healthy. Hallelujah! Audrey shared:

As I think of how Jesus healed the paralytic based on the faith of the four friends who lowered him through the roof, I thank God we also had these “four friends.” Our friends continually prayed for Jenna and encouraged us to press in to claim God’s healing and to partake of the holy Communion.

If you have been dealing with a long, drawn-out medical condition or you are exhausted from caring for a loved one, depression can creep in as the burden gets too heavy for you. My friend, bring your cares to God, knowing He cares about you with deepest affection, and watches over you so very carefully (1 Pet. 5:7 AMP).

At the same time, I want you to know God never meant for you to function in a vacuum. His heart is for you to be planted in a local church and not forsake “the assembling of ourselves together” but to exhort and encourage one another (Heb. 10:25). The church is not perfect by any means. But we have a perfect Savior who has done a perfect work on the cross, and there is safety, healing, and provision in the house of God.

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

Know the Truth that Liberates

“And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.”

John 8:32

A good friend of mine who’s a fellow minister once suggested to the dean of a reputable Bible school that “grace” be incorporated into the school’s curriculum. The dean replied, “You have to be careful when it comes to grace.” This apprehension about grace is prevalent in many Christian circles. The moment they hear “grace,” they go on high alert!

I told my minister friend that I don’t agree grace should be a topic in a Bible school’s curriculum. Grace is not a topic—grace is the gospel. It is the good news! The word “gospel” simply means “good news.” Grace is not a theology topic, doctrine, or subject. It is a person, and His name is Jesus. That’s the reason the Lord wants you to receive the abundance of grace, for to have the abundance of grace is to have the abundance of Jesus!

John 1:17 says, “the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ”. Do you see? The law was given, implying a sense of distance, but grace came in the person of Jesus Christ. Jesus is the personification of grace. Jesus is grace! Now, I want you to notice something else too: based on this scripture, truth is on the side of grace and not on the side of the law.

Today’s scripture declares that “you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” Well, my friend, grace is the (definite article) truth that will set you free, not the law of Moses. The law is on the side of Moses, but grace and truth are on the same side as our Savior. Yet, there are people today holding on to the law of Moses and preaching it as if it is the “truth” that liberates. My friend, the grace of God is the only truth that liberates! Truth is on the side of grace!

Unfortunately, there are well-meaning people today who are afraid that when you tell a believer that he is completely forgiven by grace and no longer has to earn his right standing before the Lord via the law of Moses, it will cause him to go out and live a life of sin and debauchery. However, the Bible is very clear that the “strength of sin is the law” (1 Cor. 15:56).

It is not grace that gives people the strength to sin; it is the law! The more you are under the law, the more sin is strengthened! Conversely, the more you are under grace, the more sin will be depleted of its strength.

In fact, the Bible declares that “sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Rom. 6:14). Now, don’t just gloss over this powerful revelation. This means that the more grace you receive, the more power you have to overcome sin. In other words, sin shall not have dominion over you when you receive the abundance of grace!

So who switched the roles? Will the real gospel please stand up? Do you see how the devil has pulled the wool over the eyes of God’s sheep and put up fences surrounding the gospel of grace?

My friend, the truth that has the power to break down your prison doors and make you free is the truth of His grace. Your freedom is found in believing in Jesus—His grace and His love in your life. Every dark thought and evil addiction that may have held you captive cannot but scatter when they are exposed to the light of His grace and truth!

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

Whose Love Is Perfect?

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

John 3:16

When I was the president of my youth ministry, I used to preach hard and strong messages, telling my youths, “You’ve got to love God! You’ve got to love the Lord with all your heart, all your mind, and all your soul!” All that time, when I was preaching this to the young people, I was wondering to myself, “How in the world do I do that?”

I would look at myself and check my heart, mind, and soul—did I really love the Lord that perfectly? How could I expect my youths to love the Lord that way when I knew that I myself had failed?

At that time, I was not established in the new covenant of grace yet. I did not know that by preaching that way, I was actually placing all my youths under the law because the sum total of the law is to love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength (Matt. 22:37–40, Mark 12:29–30).

Let me ask you this: Has anybody ever been able to love the Lord with all his heart, mind, and soul? No one. Not a single person has been able to do that. God knew all the while that under the law, no one could love Him that perfectly. So do you know what He did? The Bible says, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son . . .” I love that little word “so.” It speaks of the intensity with which God loves us.

When God sent Jesus, He was effectively saying this to us: “I know that you can’t love Me perfectly, so watch Me now. I will love you with all My heart, all My soul, all My mind, and all My strength.” And He stretched His arms wide and died for us. This is what the Bible says about what Jesus did on the cross: “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die.

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. 5:7–9).

My friend, the cross is not a demonstration of our perfect love and devotion to God. The cross is God’s demonstration of His perfect love and His perfect grace (unmerited favor) toward us, for it was while we were still sinners that Jesus died for us. He did not die for you and me because of our perfect love for God. He died for you and me because of HIS perfect love for us!

Let me give you the Bible's definition of love to make this even clearer for you: “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). Beloved, that's the emphasis of the new covenant of grace (unmerited favor)—HIS love for us, not our love for Him!

As we raise up a new generation of believers, let us raise up a generation that is impacted by God’s unmerited favor and that boasts in His love for us. When we receive His love for us and start believing that we are His beloved, look at the result that 1 John 4:11 spells out: “Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.” Notice that the love for one another comes after our experience of His love for us! It stems from an overflow.

You cannot love others when you have not first been filled by His love. And when you are overflowing with His love, you will fulfill the law effortlessly without even trying because God’s Word tells us, “Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law” (Rom. 13:10).

Step into that river today. Change the quality of your relationships by believing and being conscious of the fact that you are His beloved!

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