Where Is This Secret Place?

For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God.

2 Corinthians 1:20 AMPC

Where is this secret place of the Most High and how do you get there? Before I answer this question, I want you to be careful of preaching and teaching about Psalm 91 that make “the secret place of the Most High” a place that only an elite few can go to, while the rest of us have no access to it because we haven’t done enough, such as pray for eight hours.

Usually, the person who teaches along these lines is trying to say that there is a standard of holiness that you must attain before you can reach the secret place of the Most High. Now, if this is true and it takes eight hours of prayer at home to be in the secret place of the Most High, then how about those of us who have full-time jobs and can’t pray for eight hours, and who really need protection?

Think about it for a moment. Who needs more protection—the one praying in the safety of his home or the one working out there? Clearly, it is the guy who is working out there in the world where accidents are possible and where he is exposed to all kinds of viruses.

Yet, according to this teaching, he cannot access the secret place because he has not prayed eight hours a day! Does this even make sense to you?

That’s why I don’t like teaching that makes certain people—especially the preacher—appear like they are part of an elite few. The Lord’s blessings are not just for an elite few.

If a blessing is from our Lord, everyone has access to it. The young and the old, the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor—all have access by faith to His blessings that are freely given.

Let me tell you where the secret place of the Most High is. The secret place of the Most High is a place where you are in Christ.

Wouldn’t you agree that being in Christ is to be in the safest hiding place? How did you get to be in Christ? By receiving the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior.

Once you are a born-again believer, our heavenly Father sees you in Christ. You are safe, protected, and secure in the hiding place! Be anchored in this truth and see yourself walking in a greater measure of His divine protection in the days to come.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Nowhere in the Bible do we have a suggestion that the Messiah is just a human being. The Bible tells us more than once that Messiah will be the Son of God. Whether you read in the book of Isaiah that unto us a Son is given and He will be mighty God, everlasting Father. Or you can even read in the book of Proverbs in chapter 30, what’s His name and what’s His Son’s name? You shall know. The Bible tells us that in the days to come, God will give Israel a New Testament, a new covenant. In the book of Jeremiah, chapter 31, verse 31 it suggests that the new covenant will not be based upon the law of Moses, which was broken by the people of Israel because it’s simply impossible to be fulfilled. Jesus fulfilled the law, and, by doing so, no one else is required anymore to do so. He fully filled the law. There is no other way to reach to God but through Jesus. Jesus said that to the Jews, I am the way, I am the truth, and I am the life. No one can come to the Father, but through Me.

“Justification by faith” is a phrase most Christians are familiar with, yet some of the specifics of it are unfamiliar to them. Justification is often defined as “just as if it never happened” (in reference to our sin). This is a great way to understand the end result of justification by faith, but it skips over the process of getting there.

1 Timothy 2:5-6
For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.

God has not just arbitrarily acted as though our sin never happened. That would violate His justness. The wages of sin had to be paid by death, and in due time Christ died for the ungodly (Romans 5:6).

This is the mediation that Paul wrote to Timothy about. A mediator was required to represent both sides of an issue equally. As the Triune Godhead, neither Father, Son, or Holy Spirit could represent humanity as mediator. For man, there was no one who was of a divine nature who could represent God as a mediator. 

Hebrews 10:5
Therefore, when He came into the world, He said: “Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body You have prepared for Me.”

If mediation was going to happen, resulting in the justification by faith of all who believe, a mediator who could equally represent both sides was necessary. God could not represent man because He is God and not a man. No man could represent God because he is man and not God. So, God became a man in the person of Christ so that mediation could be possible.

How did this justification happen through the God-man, Christ Jesus? 

Romans 5:7-11
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. For if when we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. And not only that, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconciliation.

When Christ mediated for mankind through His death, reconciliation with God became possible by faith. When Jesus fulfilled the law, He fulfilled it as a representative of mankind thus mediating as an equal representative of man and God.

Colossians 1:21-22
And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled in the body of His flesh through death, to present you holy, and blameless, and above reproach in His sight.

Justification required debt satisfaction, and no man could nor ever will fulfill the law. Jesus did, and, because He died as a sinless Savior, He could mediate for all mankind having endured the suffering and wages of sin He did not deserve.

This nullifies all arguments of “how could a God of love” allow suffering, hunger, or any of the other things people use to accuse God of unfairness or deny His existence. His Son demonstrated a love that is incomparable by paying the sin debt of all humanity by virtue of dying a sinner’s death despite having lived a sinless life. 

The only One who could offer such meditation had to be one who could represent both God and man equally, and, thus, the necessity of the birth of Emmanuel, the God man, the man Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 4:15-16
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 

Justification is a wonderful Christian doctrine. It reminds us that access to God, and His help, is our right through Christ. In Christ, we bypass the second death (and, for one generation of people, the death of the body too!), Through Christ we can come boldly to the throne of grace. The word “boldly” means that we can come to the very throne of God because through Christ we have the right to do so.

There is only One who can mediate between God and man, and no human could ever qualify to do so, unless that human was actually God in human flesh – God with us. Jesus is God the Son, and His sinless life and sinner’s death made it possible for whosoever will to come through Him to the Father, for He and the Father are One.   

Justification – just as if your sin never happened – is a great way to understand this complex doctrine, but we cannot skip over the “how" of the justification process. It is the very heart of the gospel in that Christ died for the sins of the whole world, and whoever believes on Him will be saved!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

God Is Our Comfort

'And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you

another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;'

John 14:16

Remember that Jesus was saying these things to His disciples so that they would not be offended. Jesus is speaking to His disciples about the Holy Spirit, who is the Comforter. The ministry of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer is the front line of defense against the devil and his devices of defeat. The phrase, 'The God of all comfort' carries the idea of a divine comforter who encourages, refreshes, strengthens, aids, assists, and is an ever present help in the time of need. The ways that God chooses to comfort are not always the same. He may deliver you or remove the cause of the affliction, or He may comfort you with words giving you a hope for the future. He also uses people to share their faith with you by prophesying. He sends fellow-laborers to serve and strengthen you by the ministry of the Word, and uses the body of Christ as a channel to comfort you, using prayer.

The point is that the source of all comfort is God, no matter what channel He chooses to use.

In 2 Corinthians 12:9, God revealed to Paul that His strength is made perfect in our weakness. Paul, who had experienced God's comfort in a way that perhaps no other man has, now reveals how the Lord accomplished this. It was through the power of the Holy Spirit. True Christianity is not the absence of trials, but the strength and comfort of Jesus through the Holy Spirit, that will bring us through to the other side.

Even a strong metal container with a vacuum inside will be crushed just by normal atmospheric pressure. But that same container, with an equal or greater amount of pressure inside, will be just fine. Likewise, an individual who is void of God's comfort inside will be crushed by the pressures of this life. But a believer who takes advantage of the comfort available to him through the Holy Spirit, can withstand anything. Victory is not dependent on the pressures without, but rather on the comfort within. Andrew Womack

Our Comfort Is In Eternity

'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.'

John 14:2 

This is Jesus' last teaching to His disciples before His crucifixion. Jesus' disciples were about to go through the greatest test of their faith that they had ever encountered. Jesus said that He was saying these things so His disciples would not be offended. Jesus was preparing them for what was to come. Why then speak of preparing them a mansion in heaven? The reason for this was to comfort the disciples and help them put things in perspective. In 1 Thessalonians 4:18, Paul tells us to comfort one another with words about being gathered unto the Lord in the air. Paul said again, 'I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us' (Rom. 8:18). Someday, all of our trials will seem like nothing and this can be a great comfort to us now.

Also, when we think about being with the Lord through all eternity, it helps us to put things in proper perspective. It is easy to get fearful about our problems and think all is lost. However, for those of us who are born again, if worse comes to worse, we still have the promise of Jesus wiping all the tears from our eyes and preparing a habitation for us where all our former sorrows will have passed away. This keeps us from despairing and makes us much stronger in our faith.

In heaven, there are many dwelling places and Jesus is preparing one for us.

The thing that is going to make heaven 'heaven' is the fact that we will be with Jesus. No doubt, there will be things to see and do that will be wonderful, but nothing will compare to being with the one who loved us and died for us. A preoccupation with the details of what things will be like in heaven is missing the point. Andrew Womack

The Key to Faith

Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Hebrews 12:2 NASB1995

As humans, not only do we have a propensity to zoom in on every little flaw in our physical and emotional makeup, but we also have a tendency to know, remember, and replay in our minds the sins, failings, and mistakes we have made. We condemn ourselves for even our smallest flaws instead of focusing on how God really sees us—perfect in Christ.

This is why it takes faith to believe that God sees you righteous. It takes faith to believe that He does not see you in your sins, that He does not observe sin or iniquity in you. It takes faith to believe that He means what He says when He says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb. 8:12). It takes faith to believe that God will not remember your failings and mistakes!

But Pastor Prince, my sins are staring right at me. How can I have faith to believe that God doesn’t see them?

My friend, the key to faith is found in looking to the source of faith—Jesus. As the Bible says, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:2 NASB). Your faith to believe is found in Jesus! The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].”

In other words, turn your eyes away from your own flaws, imperfections, failings, and mistakes, and just fix your eyes on Jesus. The more you see Jesus and His finished work, the more faith arises in your heart to believe that all your sins are truly forgiven. You can start on a clean slate and have a brand-new beginning in Christ. The old is gone, and the new has come!

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

Turn Back To God

'But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not:

and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.'

Luke 22:32 

The concept of 'conversion' is mentioned in the Holy Scriptures at least 14 times. The basic meaning of the term is a turning or returning to God. This implies a turning away from sin and a turning to God. Repentance and putting faith in God are corresponding synonyms to conversion.

The theological basis for conversion lies in the truth of the 'atonement.'

Although man lapses into sin, the truth of the atonement remains. When men turn to God in repentance and faith, the effects of the atonement - reconciliation and forgiveness - avail.

The apostle Paul expresses the act of conversion in this way: 'Turning to God from idols to serve the living and true God' (1 Th. 1:9). Also, 'to open their eyes (the Gentiles), and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me' (Jesus) (Acts 26:18).

Jesus instructed Peter to get back into ministry after he repented of his denial. If Jesus had not given Peter this command, many people might have doubted that Peter should be in a position of leadership. Indeed, Peter himself must have doubted whether or not he was fit. After Jesus' resurrection, the Lord again admonished Peter three times to serve Him by ministering to His sheep.

In the context of Luke 22, Peter's faith was shaken and he denied the Lord but did not reject Him. Jesus' admonition to Peter was that when he turned back again to Him (converted), he was to strengthen the brethren. Andrew Womack

There Is Just Something Special About You

But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

1 Peter 2:9

It is the Lord’s manifested presence, His glorious power working in your heart and through your hands that will cause everything you touch to prosper with the Jesus-kind of results. In fact, even your harshest critic will have to conclude that the Lord is with you and is prospering the work of your hands!

Beloved, stop looking at your outward circumstances or the position you are in. Whether your employer is a believer or not, Jesus can make ALL that you do prosper when you depend on His unmerited favor in your career!

And believe me, when that begins to happen, your employer will sit up and notice that there is something special about you. You will stand out in a crowd!

Remember that the same Lord who was with Joseph is with you today. His name is Jesus and because Jesus is with you, you can expect good success in everything that you do!

For example, when you are placed over a sales project, believe that your sales team will hit record levels of sales never achieved before in your organization. When you are overseeing the finances of a company, believe that you will find legal ways to help your company save on operating expenses and increase its cash flow like never before.

When you are placed in a business development role, believe that Jesus will cause doors that have always been closed to your company to be opened to you because of His unmerited favor upon your life.

Perhaps your company is just a small IT start-up in the Silicon Valley, but for some reason, all the big boys in the business like you. They can't put their finger on it, but there is just something special about you that makes them compete to find ways to collaborate with you, leaving you spoiled for choice!

Perhaps you are a homemaker. You can also expect Jesus’ presence in your life to give you favor with your children. Instead of constantly resisting and arguing with you, they will find you and your words irresistible. God can increase your influence over them.

My friend, that’s the unmerited favor of God in action. In the natural, you may be unqualified and inexperienced, but remember that all your disqualifications exist in the realm of the natural.

You, beloved, live and operate in the supernatural realm! The Lord Jesus is with you 100 percent. You are a successful person in the Lord’s eyes and as you depend on Him, He will cause everything that your hands touch to prosper.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

We need to have a heart for this nation [Israel]. We need a longing for them to find salvation, to find their peace between themselves and God, and to not have to go through the tribulation. Israel is going to be here whether you like them or not. Israel is going to stay here whether you love them or not. Israel is God’s people, whether you love this or not – whether you support it or not.

God never asks you whether they should be His people or not. God is asking you, “What are you doing about it? Do you love them, support them, pray for them, and share with them that which saved you?” That’s what He’s asking. So what’s next for Israel is actually something that is affecting all of us, but it’s something that is also challenging you even today.

So I hope and pray that you understand that the Bible is clear about what’s coming next. What is left for you is to do what God is expecting all of us to do, and that’s to share the good news with the people He loves so much and who He wants to be with Him forever.

As we watch our world spiral downward into Nazi-era antisemitism, we need to recognize that the side effect of this will be and is a disdain, and eventually hatred, for those in support of the nation of Israel. This will eventually migrate into a hatred of those who love not only the Jews but also the King of the Jews, Jesus of Nazareth.

Revelation 6:9-11
When He opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which they held. And they cried with a loud voice, saying, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth?” Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while longer, until both the number of their fellow servants and their brethren, who would be killed as they were, was completed.

As we watch global antisemitic thought and behavior arise, we must remember that this is not a coincidence nor happenstance. Rather it is the precursor to what John prophesied will happen during the Tribulation. We also know that at the end of the Tribulation, the treatment of the Jews by the surviving inhabitants of the earth will be judged by Jesus after His return.

Matthew 25:31-40
“When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, ‘Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ And the King will answer and say to them, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’”

The righteous, those who helped Jesus’ brethren, were admitted into eternal life. Those on His left did the opposite. They did not help His brethren and they went into everlasting punishment. Keep in mind that this is not an attitude of the Lord exclusive to this moment in time. It is His attitude today as well.

Genesis 12:3
“I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

Zechariah 12:3
“And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.”

The phrase “heave it away” in Zechariah comes from a single Hebrew word that means “to impose a burden.” In the Genesis verse, the Lord says of the descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob that He will curse the one who curses them. The word “curse” means exactly what we think, “to be put under a curse.” The word “curses”, however, is a different Hebrew word that means “to think little of or to despise.” Again, this is not limited to the time of dividing the sheep and goats, but it is proven to be true historically and is thus currently true. Those who think little of Israel and despise them will be cursed.

This is not to say that loving Israel saves you, but it does tell us what the attitude of the saved should be towards Israel. It is completely inconsistent to say you love the King of the Jews but despise the Jews of the King. So don’t let the ignorant antisemites of our day bully you into silence. If God has not cast off Israel – and He hasn’t – we shouldn’t either.

In these last days it is important to stand with the few, not the many. The majority is not always right and the majority of the world is completely wrong about Israel and the Jews.

Pray for the nation and people of Israel that they might be saved and have their eyes opened to the Holy One of Israel who is one and the same as the head of the church, Jesus Christ, the Son of God!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

A New Revelation Of Love

'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another;

as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.'

John 13:34

Jesus previously stated that all the law and the prophets were dependent on loving God first, and then loving your neighbor as yourself. These truths were already in the law but people missed them. So, this commandment was not new in the sense that it had never been given before, but it was brought to the forefront and given new meaning through the example of Jesus. Jesus not only loved His neighbor as Himself, He loved us more than Himself.

John, the apostle who wrote this gospel, later wrote about the new commandment of love. No doubt, he received his inspiration from this teaching of Jesus. John wrote, 'Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word which ye have heard from the beginning. Again, a new commandment I write unto you, which thing is true in him and in you: because the darkness is past, and the true light now shineth' (1 Jn. 2:7-8). He then goes on to speak of loving one another.

This commandment, or the revelation that God gave to man through His Word, wasn't new, but was never clearly seen by men because of the darkness that separated them from God. In the light of Jesus' life, the darkness was removed and the old commandment of love became new through the example of Jesus in a way that mere words could never express. Andrew Womack

Presenting the Real God

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.” Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed.” Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.

Matthew 8:1–3

There is so much wrong believing today about who Jesus is. I am asking you to throw out every idea, concept, and picture that you may have of a “religious” Jesus. Allow me to introduce the real Jesus to you, for this is where it all begins.

I’m not talking about the religious Jesus you may have heard about growing up, but the real Jesus who walked along the dusty streets of Jerusalem and upon the raging waters of the Galilee.

He was the one whom the sick, the poor, the sinful, the down and out, and the outcast instinctively gravitated to and felt at ease with. He was God in the flesh and He manifested God’s tangible love.

In His presence, those who were imperfect didn’t feel fearful of Him, or sense judgment or condemnation from Him. To those who sought Him for healing, restoration, and supply—no matter what their past or background—He always extended a loving, compassionate heart and hand to them and oversupplied their need.

Contrary to what a lot of people think, you don’t have to be “religious” to have access to God and His help. In fact, the less “religious” you are, the better. The real Jesus didn’t come to bring a new religion. He didn’t come to be served and waited upon. No, He came to serve, and serve He did.

The real Jesus created the universe with one command and orchestrated the paths of each planet so that none would collide. He had every right to demand service from those He created, yet He supplied service.

He bowed down and with His own hands washed the grime and filth from His disciples’ feet. Those same hands would later be pierced with coarse nails at the cross, and He would with His own blood wash us of the grime and filth of all our sins by taking them upon His own body. What a far cry from the condemning, judgmental, faultfinding God whom many have portrayed Him to be!

This is the true Jesus—totally unlike what many of us have been taught about God. He is willing and able to meet your need today and love you into wholeness.

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

What About the Confession of Sins?

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Ephesians 1:7

When I was a young believer, I was taught that unless I confessed all my sins, I would not be completely forgiven by God. I was even told that if someone dies without having confessed all his sins, he would end up in hell.

Well, that teaching put me in severe bondage. I really believed that I had to confess everything that I thought I had done wrong, including worries, fears, and doubts, because I knew that “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23 KJV).

If you really believe that you need to confess all your sins to be completely forgiven by God, you will be confessing your sins all the time and everywhere you go! I tried that and it was impossible! It nearly drove me insane!

But Pastor Prince, are you saying that we don’t have to confess our sins? So what about 1 John 1:9, which states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”?

Listen carefully: Christians have taken this single verse out of context and built a whole doctrine of confession of sins around it when actually, chapter 1 of 1 John was written to address the Gnostics and their heresies that had crept into the church.

The Gnostics were unbelievers who maintained that they had no sin (1 John 1:8). So John was saying that if they would confess that they had sin, and hence see their need for the Savior, God would be faithful and just to cleanse them from all unrighteousness.

Can you now see how this does not apply to the believer who has already acknowledged that he is a sinner and accepted Jesus? We are not to live from confession to confession, but from faith to faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work.

Also, our loving heavenly Father does not forgive us in installments depending on how diligently we confess our sins. Fellowship with Him is not broken because our forgiveness is not contingent on what we do. It is contingent on the finished work of Jesus.

Now, this does not mean that we can’t be honest with God and acknowledge the wrong we have done. It’s a relationship, after all.

But we don’t confess our sins in order to be forgiven. We confess our sins or speak openly to our gracious Father because we are already forgiven. I don’t go before Him begging for forgiveness.

No, I talk to Him because I know that I already have His forgiveness, as today’s scripture states. I know that I can come to Him freely—He is my God, my Daddy God.

So confession in the new covenant is just being honest about your failures and humanity and having an intimate relationship with God. It is the result of being forgiven and not something you do in order to be forgiven, to maintain your salvation, and be ultimately saved.

If confession of sins is vital for our forgiveness, then the apostle Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament epistles, has done us a great injustice because he did not mention it even once in any of his letters to the churches.

For example, when there were people in the Corinthian church living in sin that everyone in the church knew about, he did not say, “Go and confess your sins.” Instead, he reminded them of their righteousness, saying, “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?” (1 Cor. 6:19). In spite of their sins, Paul still considered them temples of the Holy Spirit and he reminded them of this truth.

My friend, this is the assurance that you can have today: the day you acknowledged that you were a sinner and confessed Christ as your Lord and Savior, you “confessed all your sins” once and for all. And God was faithful and just to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

All the unrighteousness of your entire life was cleansed at that point, and through the gift of righteousness in Christ Jesus you were set up to reign in life!

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

Anchor Your Identity in Christ

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.

Romans 8:37

Several years ago, I preached a message on how the devil sometimes uses the first-person pronoun to plant thoughts in our heads to deceive us.

For example, he doesn’t say, “You have an eating disorder” or “You have an addiction.” The devil uses the first-person pronoun to sow thoughts such as these in your mind: “I have an eating disorder” or “I am addicted to pornography.”

He makes you think that you are thinking those thoughts of defeat. He wants you to believe that is who you are.

Upon hearing this message, a man named Walter, whom the devil had used this strategy on and trapped in a destructive addiction for many years, went home after church, locked himself in his room, and for the first time declared out loud, “I am not an addict!” He chose to reject this evil mind-set in the name of Jesus.

He related this: “At that very moment, I felt something powerful happen inside me. I don’t know how to describe this. It was as if life became spectacular because of the love of God, and I couldn’t contain the feeling.”

After making that confession out loud, Walter said, “My addiction stopped. I just lost all interest, and I don’t feel even a little bit tempted. All the wrong desires are gone, and best of all, I know I love Jesus more than ever before and I can’t live without Him. I am renewed. I am reborn. I know that everything is in His control, and I am blessed and forgiven.”

Wow! What an amazing testimony of God’s power and goodness in this brother’s life. With just one declaration, he broke the mental stronghold that the devil had placed him under for many years.

That is truly the power of right believing. If you can change what you believe, you can change your life, just like this brother did.

Are there lies about your identity that you believe in today? Break the power of those lies by declaring your identity in Christ.

Say out loud, “I am a child of God. I am healed, forgiven, righteous, and holy in Christ Jesus.” Instead of believing the devil’s lies when he uses the first-person pronoun strategy against you, speak your true identity in Jesus.

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

Test The Gifts Of The Spirit

'And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the passover.'

Luke 22:13 

When a true gift of the Spirit is in operation, things will always be as the Lord has said (an exception to this is if there are conditions to meet).

This is the ultimate test of whether or not someone's words are God-inspired (Dt. 18:22).

We cannot be led by just our own feelings concerning the gifts of the Spirit.

In 1 Corinthians chapter 12, the apostle Paul gives us direction governing the use of spiritual gifts that must supersede any urge or leading that we feel.

The first test to apply to any gift of the Spirit is to ask, 'Does it glorify Jesus?' That's the point Paul is making. The Holy Spirit will never lead anyone to defame Jesus in any way. Jesus made it very clear that the Holy Spirit would only glorify Him. Any utterance or act that denies Jesus is not from the Holy Spirit.

In Paul's day, there was a transition being made from Judaism to Christianity. Some Jews were teaching that keeping the Old Testament law could produce salvation. They violently opposed Paul's teaching, that faith alone in Jesus could produce salvation. Paul considered any utterance like this as calling Jesus accursed and it definitely would not be from the Holy Spirit.

Also, the pagan religions of Paul's day believed in many gods. Anyone who tried to make Jesus just another god or 'a' way to God instead of 'the' way to God would be calling Him accursed. The Holy Spirit would never inspire anyone to do this. Those who are truly moved by the Holy Spirit in their utterances will always glorify Jesus. Andrew Womack

Fully Restored

He refreshes and restores my soul (life).

Psalm 23:3 AMP

Jesus, our Passover Lamb, took upon Himself any condition that affects any part of your body and wants you healed of it. I want you to meditate on how He bore these infirmities so you can have perfect freedom from them (Matt. 8:17).

For instance, if you or a loved one has a neurological condition such as recurrent migraines, encephalitis, meningitis, dementia, or are suffering the effects of a stroke, see your Savior’s brain afflicted with the condition on the cross as you partake of the Lord’s Supper.

Let me share with you a powerful testimony of healing from Alzheimer’s disease that Paula from Texas sent to me:

My mother was ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease. She was debilitated to the point that she did not recognize her family members. My parents live with me so I could see the daily moment-to-moment struggles and hardship. It was a miserable existence for her as well as for those of us trying to care for her. There were times I just missed my mom and wished to see her well again.

Then one day, my sister shared a praise report with me after following your teaching on the holy Communion, so I immediately began to partake of the Communion with my mother. My mother went to bed on the third night after receiving the Communion and woke up the next day looking ten years younger. All the things she had forgotten how to do, she is doing again. She remembers who we all are now. She has stopped repeating herself, something she used to do from sun up to sun down, and is a complete joy to be around now. Jesus has healed her mind and set her free!

We are still rejoicing that she is back. I asked her about her experience and the best she could describe was that she was lost and trapped, but that’s all over now. Nothing is too big for the finished work of Christ Jesus, and I praise Him for it. It has freed my mother!

To God be all the glory and all the praise! As you advance in years, don’t accept the lie that you will become more forgetful.

When the psalmist wrote that God “restores my soul,” he used the word nephesh for soul. Nephesh includes your life, your emotions, and also your mind.

Even if you have experienced some degeneration in this area, the Lord can restore. And when the Lord restores, His restoration is always greater than the original in quality!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Now it’s interesting because the Bible says that Moses said to the Lord, “Look how amazing Moses is.” You can tell he’s a Jew here, by the way. He says, “See, you say to me, bring up these people, but you have not let me know whom you will send with me. Yet you have said, I know you by name and you have also found grace in my sight. Now therefore, I pray, if I have found grace in your sight, show me now your way that I may know you and that I may find grace in your sight.” And then how did he end up his interesting monologue here? “And consider that this nation is Your people.” Don’t stick me here with them all by myself. Tell me I’m not leaving this place until You are going to be with me. And remember, I may be related to them, but they’re Your people. This nation is Your people. And do you think God was offended by this? No.

If there is one thing God loves, it’s that we, in our petition and our prayer, and even when we talk to Him, we always, always tell Him how much we know His word, His promises, and everything that He’s doing. It’s not offending Him. He loves, He delights in that.

Psalm 83 also says, “Do not keep silent, oh God, and do not hold your peace and do not be still, oh God, for behold your enemies, the enemies of God make a tumult. And those who hate you, those who hate God have lifted up their head and they have taken crafty counsel against your people.” Who are His people? “Consulted together against your sheltered ones.” Who are they? “And they have said, ‘Come let us cut them off from being a nation.’” That means it speaks of a specific nation. “That the name of Israel may be remembered no more.” The enemy’s aim is to cut off Israel from being a nation, that the name of Israel will be remembered no more. And you can clearly see that it’s His people, God’s people, and it’s His sheltered ones.

There are many elements of Bible prophecy indicating we are likely near the tribulation that require a certain amount of calculated speculation. The growing antisemitism in the world, as a prophetic fulfillment, requires no speculation.

Zechariah 12:3
And it shall happen in that day that I will make Jerusalem a very heavy stone for all peoples; all who would heave it away will surely be cut in pieces, though all nations of the earth are gathered against it.

Pair this verse with what Paul would later write and you will find the cause and effect of what we are seeing today regarding Israel.

2 Thessalonians 2:9-12
The coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan, with all power, signs, and lying wonders, and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

The response of much of the world to the events of October 7 is nothing short of delusional. As you read this, it has been sadly reported that more Americans support Hamas than Israel. This can only be described as a strong delusion. 

Hamas, and their sponsors like Iran and Qatar, want to cut Israel off from being a people, and a majority of the world supports this by favoring a terror group over the only people who have a right to the land of Israel, the Jews. The actions of Hamas on October 7 were demonic, and a delusional world supports them.

Zechariah 12:9
It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem.

Those who come against God’s sheltered ones are someday going to experience the very thing they were hoping to accomplish against Israel, they will be cut off. 

Remember the prefix “anti” in the term “antisemitic” means “against or instead of.” Don’t listen to anyone, including and especially celebrities, who say “modern Israel is not Biblical Israel.” This too is antisemitism.

These things tell us with certainty that the night is far spent and the day of the Lord is at hand.

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Follow The Leading Of The Holy Spirit

'For the kingdom of heaven is as a man travelling into a far country, who called his own servants, and delivered unto them his goods.'

Matthew 25:14

The parable of the talents continues the theme of being ready for the Lord's return, but it also makes a strong point that we are accountable to the Lord for the gifts He has given us. The Lord intends us to use these gifts to further His kingdom – not keep them hidden.

This parable also shows the Lord dealing with His servants according to their own individual gifts and abilities. The servants who doubled their Lord's money were praised equally, even though one had produced two and one-half times as much revenue for His Lord than the other. Every man's work shall be judged as to what sort it is – not what size it is.

Most people today are preoccupied with quantity of ministry instead of quality of ministry. The Lord is going to reward us based on how well we did, not on how much we did. Those who are not governed by the Holy Spirit in their actions will see all their good works burned up on the day we stand before the Lord and He tries our works. Those who acted only under the guidance of the Holy Spirit will find that their works will endure the test, and they will receive a reward.

Many people choose to do good things thinking that God will be pleased. It is our positive response to God's direction (faith) that pleases God (Heb. 11:6). We were created with a purpose, and every individual has a God-given plan for his life. Unless our actions are in agreement with God's plan for our life, they will not abide the test of God's fire. Andrew Womack

Perfect Sacrifice, Complete Forgiveness

And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

Colossians 2:13

You will never be sure that you have God’s unmerited favor if you are not sure if God has forgiven you of your sins. Beloved, I want you to know that your sins are forgiven not according to the riches of your good works, but according to the riches of God's grace (unmerited favor).

All your sins—past, present, and future—have been forgiven. Don’t draw a timeline of God’s forgiveness of your sins.

There are some Christians who believe that the forgiveness they received spans only from the day they were born to the day they became Christians. From that point onward, they think that they need to tread very carefully in case they lose their salvation.

This belief is simply unscriptural. Colossians 2:13 states clearly that we have been forgiven of all our sins.

Does “all” mean the same thing to you as it does to me? My Bible says that all our sins have been forgiven by Jesus' one sacrifice on the cross. We have been forgiven once and for all!

The high priests in the old covenant had to offer sacrifices for sins daily. But Jesus, our perfect new covenant High Priest, offered the complete, perfect sacrifice “once for all when He offered up Himself” (Heb. 7:27).

On the cross, He took upon Himself all the sins that you will commit in your lifetime, and once for all paid the full price for all your sins. Christ does not need to be crucified again for your future sins.

In fact, all your sins were in the future when He died on the cross. So when you received Jesus into your heart, ALL your sins were completely forgiven!

Now that you know that your sin debt has been completely cleared and settled by Jesus on your behalf, don’t expect God to deal with you according to your sins. When something negative happens, don’t imagine that God is coming after you because of what you did in the past.

Instead, take God at His Word and expect to enjoy the benefits of the price Jesus paid at the cross for you. And when we understand the heavy price He paid for our sins because of His love for us, sin loses its appeal and hold on our lives. Our Lord Jesus, His grace, and His glory become what we want to pursue and live for.

We will also understand that we sowed nothing good, but through Jesus, we have reaped every good blessing. That, my friend, is called unmerited favor. And you honor what He has done for you by thanking Him and expecting these blessings to manifest in your life every day.

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

Speak Forth Your Authority

He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world.

1 John 4:4 AMPC

Many people think that God has full control over the world today and so pin the blame on Him for disasters, tragic accidents, and sicknesses. Some people become atheists because they say they can’t worship a capricious God who would allow children to suffer terminal diseases.

Sadly, what they don’t understand is that there is a devil who is very real, active, and destructive in this world. God is not the author of calamities and diseases.

Our Lord Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly! But the devil is a thief. He comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10).

The world we live in today is a fallen world. God gave Adam and Eve dominion over this world, but the moment Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit, sin and death corrupted it.

Adam and Eve ceded control of this world over to the devil. Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2, “the god of this age” in 2 Corinthians 4:4, and “the ruler of this world” in John 12:31.

Now, this does not mean that Satan rules the world completely and has unlimited power in the world. Please pay absolute and close attention to this. It is so important that you know and understand that believers of the Lord Jesus Christ are no longer under the dominion of Satan’s power and influence in this world.

In Christ, we may be in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17:11, 14). We belong to a higher power and His name is Jesus. The Bible also tells us, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

That is why we can stand firm, stand strong, and stand proud upon the promises of God, and speak, “It is well” over every area of our lives. We are His! We are not like sheep without a shepherd.

All the blessings, promises, and protection that belong to the righteous “are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). We need only receive them by grace through faith. They are not received through our works, so no man can boast, but purely through faith in His unmerited favor (Eph. 2:8–9).

Just take the promise in Proverbs 11:21 (KJV) that says, “The seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” This means that your sons and daughters shall be kept safe and protected in Jesus’ name.

When fear works its way into your heart and you begin to get anxious about the safety of your children, just claim this promise in God’s Word and say, “Lord, I thank You that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and You promised in Your Word that the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.”

When questions come to mind that try to put doubt in your heart about your righteousness and qualification in Christ, I encourage you to say, “By faith I have been made righteous and the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” Furthermore, Psalm 112:2 (KJV) declares this of the believer: “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Amen!

I want to encourage you to take the gospel of grace seriously. There is a real enemy and his aim is to deceive you into thinking you have to work for your righteousness, so he can keep you constantly feeling inadequate and disqualified. But the truth is this: new covenant righteousness is a gift received by faith, and the blood of our Lord Jesus has qualified you!

Today God’s Word, God’s power, and God’s protection over you are far stronger than anything the enemy can throw at you. The devil is the ruler of this world, but don’t forget what God’s Word proclaims over you: “He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 AMP).

You are so utterly cleansed by the blood of our Lord Jesus that today the Holy Spirit, God’s own Spirit, lives in you. And He Who is in you is greater than any demon, any adversity, and any bondage. Amen!

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

How To Esteem Others More Than Self

'And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you,

Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren,

ye have done it unto me.'

Mark 25:40

When a kind act was done to someone in need, Jesus said it was done unto Him. The Lord deeply feels our hurts. When someone is neglected, Jesus says He is also being neglected. We have a high priest who is touched by the feelings of our infirmities (Heb. 4:15). When we hurt, He hurts. When we are blessed, He is blessed. The God of the universe is intricately involved with every detail of our lives.

How can we esteem others better than ourselves when really we think we are better than others? Some people are better athletes than others. Some are better businessmen than others. Some are better speakers than others, and so forth.

First, we need to recognize that our accomplishments don't make us better than others. There is a difference between what we do and who we are. Better performance does not make a better person. A person's character can be severely wanting even though his performance is good.

Secondly, to esteem someone better than ourselves simply means to value them more than we value ourselves. To some that may seem impossible, but it isn't.

That is exactly what Jesus did. If Jesus, who was God in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16), could humble Himself and value our good above His own welfare, then we should certainly be able to do the same. It can happen when we die to self and live to God.

If we think only about ourselves, we will be selfish. If we get out of self and think more about the benefit of others than the benefit of self, then we will be selfless. It's a matter of focus. Andrew Womack

Jesus Was God

'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.'

John 1:1

Jesus was not just a man sent from God, He was God.

This is the most important statement of the New Testament. On this truth hangs all other truths.

If Jesus was only a man, then regardless of how good He was, His life could only provide a substitute for one other man. But since He was God, His life was worth more than every human life since creation. Indeed it was worth more than the sum total of the universe that He created.

Any compromise on this point will negate the work of Christ in our lives. Jesus was God manifest in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16)! Yet this Almighty God came to dwell in a human body. He humbled Himself and took the form of a servant (Phil. 2:7).

Christ's humanity truly made Him one of us. He suffered the same temptations and pressures that we suffer (Heb. 4:15). It was His divinity, however, that gave Him the power to save us to the max (Heb. 7:25). We must never let His humanity blind us to the fact that Almighty God Himself became our friend (Jn. 15:13-15). And we must never let His divinity blind us to the fact that He knows exactly how we feel and cares for us.

Let the Holy Spirit give you a true revelation of the deity and humanity of our Lord Jesus Christ throughout this new year. Andrew Womack