The Best That Heaven Has

“Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.”

Luke 12:32

Our Lord Jesus went into a synagogue on the Sabbath, and a man was there with a withered hand. The Pharisees were looking for opportunities to accuse Jesus of wrongdoing, so they challenged Him, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath?”

Our Lord answered, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will not lay hold of it and lift it out? Of how much more value then is a man than a sheep? Therefore it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath.” Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand,” and restored it as whole as the other (Matt. 12:9–13).

This is what I want you to know: when someone is sick, the Lord never faults and condemns the person. He sees the person as a sheep that has fallen into a pit and needs rescuing.

If you are dealing with a medical condition, don’t allow the accuser to disqualify you from receiving your healing by telling you things like, “You should have watched your diet” or “You should have exercised more.” Even if you were at fault, the Lord Jesus can heal you, and He is most willing to.

That doesn’t mean you neglect wisdom in taking care of your health. If you allow Him to, the Lord can lead you even in practical matters like what to eat and how to exercise. The key here is not to pay attention to the voice of shame, condemnation, and accusation. Listen instead to the voice of your Shepherd coming to rescue you!

Our Good Shepherd says He gives His life for the sheep (John 10:11). But do you know the context of this verse? Let me show you:

“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”

—John 10:10–11

Even though He is our Shepherd, He laid down His life as the Lamb of God. Revelation 5:12 declares, “Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.”

Why does God use the picture of the Lamb and not the Shepherd in the sacrifice? Because God wants you to see that Jesus died in your place. He, the Good Shepherd, became the Lamb of God for you.

You can have life more abundantly not because you deserve it but because He gave His life for yours. He took your sicknesses and your pains and gave you His wholeness and His health.

Today hear your Lord Jesus saying to you, “Do not fear, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” Whatever condition you might be faced with, you can believe you will see the full manifestation of your healing. Keep partaking of the Tree of Life through the holy Communion and allow His abundant life to flood your body each time you partake.

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

Your Fears and Anxieties Dissipate in God’s Presence

The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD.

Psalm 97:5

No matter where you are, the Lord is with you. Even in the midst of your fears, while you are alone in your room, He is there with you.

The moment you begin to be aware of His presence and cultivate His presence, all your fears, anxieties, and worries will melt like butter on a hot day, or as the psalmist David puts it, “The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the LORD.”

You cannot psych yourself out of fear nor can you psych yourself out of worry. You can’t just tell yourself, “Come on, stop worrying. There is nothing to worry about.”

It just doesn’t work. The debt will still be staring you in your face and your problems will still be as insurmountable as ever no matter how hard you try to psych yourself up. That is what the world is trying to do, but it does not work. It takes the presence of the Lord to keep you free from worry.

Jesus is not asking you to psych yourself up and live in a state of denial. No way! He is saying to you, “In the midst of your affliction, I am your shield. I am your defender. I am your fortress. I am your refuge. I am your supply. I am your healing. I am your provider. I am your peace. I am your joy. I am your wisdom. I am your strength. I am the glory and the lifter of your head!” (Psalm 3:3). Amen!

He is not asking you to pretend that the facts are not there. He wants you to realize that HE IS THERE WITH YOU!

When you know that He is with you and for you, and you put your problems in His mighty hands, you will begin to get a more accurate evaluation of just how “big” your problems are. When they were in your hands, the weight and burden of your problems may have crushed you. But when you involve Jesus, the once-monumental problems become microscopic against the largeness of His love and goodness toward you!

Today, as you consider all that you need to do and the expectations placed on you, see Jesus there with you. He is your supply, wisdom, peace, and strength.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

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,

Jesus Comes to You in Your Valley

Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. And he blessed him and said: “Blessed be Abram of God Most High, possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand.”

Genesis 14:18–20

I don’t know what valley you are in right now, but I want to share a powerful picture in the Bible that I pray will encourage you.

Every time something is mentioned in the Bible for the first time, it is always significant. Do you know where you find the bread and the wine of the Communion mentioned together for the first time? It’s there in today’s scriptures.

Who is Melchizedek? The Bible tells us that our Lord Jesus is “a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek” (Heb. 7:17). Many scholars believe he is a pre-incarnate appearance of Christ. But it is clear that Melchizedek is a type of Christ.

Melchizedek was the king of Salem, which means “peace.” But Salem means much more than peace. It also means “complete, safe, perfect, whole, and full.”

Melchizedek met Abram in the Valley of Shaveh, or the King’s Valley (Gen. 14:17). The King’s Valley is actually in the Kidron Valley. Kidron in Hebrew is from the word qadar, which means “darkness.”

Melchizedek wasn’t the only person present with Abram. Bera, the king of Sodom, went out to meet Abram before Melchizedek arrived (Gen. 14:2, 17). Bera’s name in Hebrew means “son of evil.”

I gave you all that background because I want you to see this: when you are in a place of darkness, your Lord Jesus comes to you, bearing bread and wine.

You might be asking, “Won’t the Communion become something legalistic that I have to do?” Not if you see yourself receiving the bread and the wine from the Lord Jesus Himself. The Communion is not something that you do; you receive the Communion just as Abram did.

In your time of darkness, don’t forget that the Lord has given you the Communion as a tangible, practical way of remembering all He has done for you and encountering His love. You don’t have to handle the situation all by yourself. The Lord is with you, and He wants you to bring Him every fear and every worry. Talk to Him.

Whenever I am afraid I like to sing the words from the psalms of David to strengthen myself in the Lord. May you be filled with His strength as you meditate on and worship Him with these words from the psalmist:

You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble; You shall surround me with songs of deliverance . . . Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

—Psalm 32:7; 56:3

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

Satan's Power Is Limited

'And when the devil had ended all the temptation,

he departed from him for a season.'

Luke 4:13

The wording of this verse implies that Satan exhausted his arsenal of temptations on Jesus and then had to leave.

We have mistakenly given Satan too much credit. He does not have a limitless number of temptations that he can pull on us. As 1 Jn. 2:16 says, there are three areas where the devil tempts us: (1) the lust of the flesh, (2) the lust of the eyes, and (3) the pride of life. Jesus' three temptations correspond to these.

By ascribing to Satan limitless temptations and abilities, we have built up our adversary to be bigger than he is. The truth is, 'There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]' (I Cor. 10:13).

Satan would like you to think that he is tougher than he really is. One of his greatest weapons is intimidation, but he has been defeated. His teeth have been pulled. Now he can only roar as a lion seeking to devour uninformed souls who don't know their authority in Christ (1 Pet. 5:8).

Today, realize that whatever Satan is fighting you with is only temporary. Don't quit. In due season you will reap, if you faint not (Gal. 6:9). Andrew Womack

Transformed from the Inside Out

Therefore there is now no condemnation at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death.

Romans 8:1–2 NASB

Today, let’s look at the Greek word for repentance—metanoia. Meta means “change,” while noia is from the word nous, which means “mind.” So metanoia or repentance means “a change of mind.”

Why is changing your mind important? Simply because right believing always leads to right living.

When you believe right about God’s grace, about your righteousness in Christ, and how you are called to be set apart for holiness, everything changes! His love touches you in the deepest recesses of your heart and you begin to experience transformation from the inside out.

That’s the grace revolution in action. You begin to live above defeat and experience lasting breakthroughs because the power to fight off any temptation is not from without, but from within. It is not contingent upon your willpower; it is contingent upon the power of the Holy Spirit living mightily and actively in you, bearing witness to the gospel truths you believe.

This precious testimony I received from Robert bears out this point poignantly:

I am a pastor in North Carolina who was preaching right living and trying to live right and do increasingly more to serve Jesus. But I also had a fifteen-year struggle with addiction to spit tobacco. I even stood on the pulpit one Sunday and confessed my addiction. I held up a can of tobacco and said that I, as David did to Goliath, would cut off its head and feed its carcass to the birds.

Full of remorse, I told the people I had resolved to put the addiction away, and many came to the altar that day to cast off their addictions too. However, I was back at mine within a week and feeling great condemnation. I fought and fought, quit and quit, over and over again.

Eventually a friend gave me some of Pastor Prince’s teaching materials. I was amazed at what I was hearing and reading, because I had never heard the gospel preached in this manner. I knew it was truth and it began to set me free. I heard Pastor Prince preach a sermon where he said that the solution was to quit trying to win on my own and to confess to the Lord, “Lord, I cannot, but You can.”

This became my motto and I quit trying to quit using tobacco. I no longer stayed buried under guilt and condemnation. I believed and confessed that even though I was struggling with this tobacco habit, God still loves me no less and that Jesus’ finished work still avails for me.

I can now testify that I have been tobacco-free for more than a year. Every time an urge pops up, I say to the Lord that I know His grace and what He has for me are much better than tobacco, and the urge leaves.

Praise God! This message of unmerited favor has changed my life and ministry. I am now preaching and teaching grace every time I step onto the pulpit! Thanks be to God and thank you, Pastor Prince.

My dear reader, no matter how long you may have struggled with a bad habit, I want you to know it is never too late to invite our Lord Jesus and His grace into your situation. It is never too late to return to His grace, the only power that can give you permanent inside-out transformation.

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

When You Have No Faith

By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised.

Hebrews 11:11

Perhaps you are at a place where you feel like you can’t conjure up any more faith, let alone “not waver at the promise of God” like Abraham (Rom. 4:20). Maybe you are thinking, I have tried and tried to believe for so long. I have no more faith to carry on.

Let me show you what today’s verse says about Sarah. There was faith involved when Sarah conceived and bore a child. But if you think faith is awfully hard and that you simply have no faith, I pray this will encourage you.

How did Sarah receive her miracle after so long and when it seemed impossible in the natural? She “judged Him faithful who had promised.” It seems so simple, but therein lay her miracle.

The faith walk isn’t hard. It is easy and effortless. When your faith runs out, judge God faithful. When you do not know how to have faith anymore, reckon on His faithfulness. Remember that He is faithful. Lean on His faithfulness.

Don’t give up because you think you don’t have enough faith. Once God gives you a promise, it is not for you to conjure up faith. It is for you to rest in the One who promised, knowing that He is faithful.

There is a beautiful verse I want you to emblazon across your spirit that will steady you in the fight of faith when it seems like your answers are not forthcoming: “If we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny Himself” (2 Tim. 2:13). Even when you are faithless, He remains faithful.

At the cross, as Jesus carried all our sins, God the Father had to turn away from His Son, and Jesus cried out, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (Matt. 27:46). He paid the price for you and me to have God’s constant presence, and because of that, God will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). He will never relax His hold on you.

When you feel faithless, know that you don’t have to try to hold on to Him—He is the One holding on to you. The Bible says the Lord your God holds your right hand, saying to you, “Fear not, I will help you” (Isa. 41:13).

When you have no more strength to even have faith in your battle with your sickness, may I encourage you to do this? Take time to go into the Lord’s presence and tell Him:

Lord Jesus, thank You for Your faithfulness to me. You are faithful in Your goodness to carry out Your promises in my life. You are faithful to heal me and to restore to me every bit of health and well-being I have lost through this sickness. Right now, because You are faithfully upholding me, I can let go and rest in You. It is Your faithfulness that will cause my healing to manifest. Amen.

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

Knowing God's Plan

'He said, I [am] the voice of one crying in the wilderness,

Make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Esaias.'

John 1:23

John knew who he was and what he was called to do. This was one of the keys to his success.

Unlike most of us, John did not have an identity crisis growing up. He knew God's plan and purpose for his life from the beginning and he spent his entire life preparing for it.

God has a plan for your life just as surely as he did for John the Baptist. To succeed in life, you must find God's plan for your life and then devote yourself to fulfilling that plan.

It is not enough to simply 'do your own thing' and then ask God's blessing upon it. Once you know you are doing God's will, you never have to ask for God's blessing. God's will is already blessed.

The Lord created you with a purpose in mind. Your talents and abilities were given you to fulfill His purpose. Although you may find limited success using these talents for your own uses, you will never find your true potential until they are directed by and for the Lord.

The good news is that God wants to reveal His perfect plan for your life to you more than you want to know it. You can rest assured that if you ask for knowledge of His plan for your life, you will receive (Mt. 7:7). He will show you His good, acceptable and perfect will (Rom. 12:1-2). Andrew Womack

No Condemnation

“For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned.”

John 3:17–18

My friend, if you’ve been living in the abyss of fear for as long as you can remember, it is time for your liberty. You can begin on this journey of freedom today by believing that God’s heart is full of love, grace, and mercy toward you.

Listen to your Father’s heartbeat in today’s scripture. Do you believe in Jesus? There is no condemnation for anyone who calls upon the name of Jesus! All who call on Him and believe in Him are not condemned but saved. That is the good news of the gospel.

Unfortunately, many believers are still living under the heavy yoke of condemnation and fear because they hear the Mosaic covenant being proclaimed and put themselves under the Ten Commandments.

Look at how the apostle Paul describes the Ten Commandments in 2 Corinthians 3:7–9: “But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious . . . how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory.”

Can you see the clear distinction that God makes in His Word? The Ten Commandments minister death and condemnation because no man was able to keep God’s perfect law.

Failure to keep the law at any point brings you under its curse, condemns you, and hangs a death sentence over your head. See how in contrast, the covenant of grace “exceeds much more in glory” because it ministers the spirit of liberty and the gift of God’s righteousness.

Now, please understand this: the Ten Commandments are glorious! The problem has never been the Ten Commandments or God’s perfect law. The problem has always been imperfect man’s ability to keep God’s perfect law. That is why our Lord Jesus came not to abolish the law, but to fulfill it on our behalf (Matt. 5:17).

And the law was perfectly fulfilled at the cross when He cried out, “Finished!” (John 19:30). He met the demands of the first covenant, which is the Mosaic covenant of the Ten Commandments, in order to put the second, which is the new covenant of God’s grace, into effect (Heb. 10:9–10 NLT)!

Beloved, we are in the age of God’s grace. That is why we preach the gospel of grace! My friend, the cross of Jesus has made all the difference! You no longer have to live in condemnation and fear under the old covenant of the law. You are now under the new covenant of grace, where you are fully forgiven, justified, and made righteous by Jesus’ blood to reign in life.

When you realize you are justified by faith and not by your works in the new covenant of God’s grace, something liberating happens. You become free from the ministry of condemnation and the death it ministers—guilt, insecurity, dread, anxieties, and all sorts of debilitating fears.

Condemnation robs you of peace in your heart and of joy in your relationship with your Father. It robs you of faith and confidence in His love and ability to save you.

But when you know and believe you are not under the ministry of condemnation but the ministry of righteousness, you can come freely before your heavenly Father and cast every concern on your heart to Him. You will not be constantly fearful that your failures will cause Him to punish you or withhold His blessings and protection from you, because you know that Jesus bore the punishment meant for you upon Himself at the cross.

My friend, perhaps you know what it’s like to battle fear every day. Perhaps you’ve been plagued by fears of being unable to cope with certain changes in your circumstances. Maybe fearful thoughts of losing your health, your job, your children, or your very life keep you awake at night. Perhaps you suffer from severe anxiety attacks and the very thought of going anywhere outside of your home fills you with suffocating fear.

I want you to know that this is not the life God wants you to live. Through the sacrifice of His Son and the perfection of Christ’s finished work, He has made a way for you to live free from the captivity of fear.

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

Meditate on God’s Word

This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.

Joshua 1:8

Look at the instructions that God gave Joshua when he was appointed as Moses’ successor: “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.”

God told Joshua that to have good success, he had to meditate on the law day and night. Joshua lived under the old covenant, so how should we, who live under the new covenant, benefit from this scripture?

We need to read this portion of Scripture in view of Jesus’ finished work. That is why it is essential for you to be firmly established on the rock-solid foundation of the new covenant of grace. Now that you know that we are no longer under the law, what is the new covenant way to be blessed and to experience good success?

Joshua only had the law to meditate upon because the New Testament had not been written yet. For us, the secret to good success is found in meditating on God’s Word in the light of the new covenant of grace.

Before we can go into what it means to meditate on God’s Word, what exactly does it mean to “meditate”?

When the Bible talks about meditation, it’s not referring to a mental exercise. The Hebrew word for meditation in the Old Testament is the word hagah, which means to utter or mutter. So to hagah is to speak under your breath.

Notice that the Lord told Joshua, “This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth.” He did not say that it “shall not depart from your mind.” The key to meditating on God’s Word is not mental contemplation. It is in speaking God’s promises with your mouth!

“Pastor Prince, does this mean that I should keep repeating God’s Word? For instance, should I keep saying ‘by His stripes I am healed’ when I need healing?”

Meditating on God’s Word does not mean making vain repetitions of scriptures. It is much more and is something that first occurs deep in your heart. The psalmist David captured the essence of meditation most aptly when he said, “My heart was hot within me; while I was musing, the fire burned. Then I spoke with my tongue” (Ps. 39:3).

As you are meditating on God’s Word, ask the Holy Spirit to give you a fresh revelation of Jesus. Let that scripture burn with revelation in your heart. And as you speak out of that burning revelation, God anoints the words that you speak. When you declare, “By His stripes I am healed,” and that declaration is uttered with a sense of revelation and faith in Jesus, there will be power in your declaration!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Now, the topic of the rapture of the church is often something that is either controversial – which means people don’t exactly know how to take it and they have very many different opinions about it – or often is completely neglected by thousands of thousands of churches all around the world. This is something that I believe is the work of the enemy. To neglect what is most likely the most important thing that can be promised to believers in Jesus is definitely to steal from them their only hope, their blessed hope, the main hope for every believer.

And the title of this message is “The Mystery of the Rapture”, and it’s not for nothing. It truly is a mystery. In fact, I want you to know that a mystery is not secret. Secret is secret and mystery is mystery. And when the Bible wants to talk about mystery, the Bible talks about mystery. When the Bible wants to say secret, the Bible says secret. Mystery and secret are two different things. Mystery is something that is not hidden, but is transformed from shadow to substance. Something that at a certain point we saw it, but we didn’t understand. Then, in light of new revelations, now we understand what it was all about. Yet, secret is something that is hidden and that we cannot see nor feel.

So when God reveals secrets, it’s something we never heard of. When God reveals a mystery, we are going to say, “Aha! Now I understand it.” And it’s interesting because for the entire Bible we find 33 times the word “mystery”. We find it in the Old Testament in the book of Daniel. The mystery that we’re talking about is that dream that Nebuchadnezzar had. And that mystery eventually was solved by God, the God of Israel, who revealed the true meaning of that dream to Daniel, for him to share with the king. And that mystery was all about things that existed and will come to pass. And then Daniel just interpreted it. He received an understanding of something that existed. Thus, it’s a mystery.

Yet, we find that word mystery also in Romans and Corinthians and Ephesians and Colossians and 2 Thessalonians and 1 Timothy and in the book of Revelation. In the book of Daniel, the mystery was all about the true God. The mystery revealed who the real God is. When all the other people tried to give their own interpretations, it was the Lord God of Israel that gave the true one.

But then as we move in Romans 11, there’s the mystery about Israel and God’s plan for Israel, which means Israel has been there. They are going through things, but there’s a mystery about their role even in the future that God in Romans 11, in light of Jesus and in light of New Testament, is indeed revealing to all people. So that’s Romans 11. In Colossians chapter 2, is the mystery of the true Messiah. Colossians 2:2 talks about a mystery about Christ. And if that’s not enough, in Ephesians 5:31-32, we see the mystery of the relationship between the church and Christ. It is a mystery.

“Mystery” is a word that reveals a wonderful truth about our relationship with the Lord.

1 Corinthians 2:14
But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

The word mystery means, “the counsels of God not revealed to ordinary mortals.” In other words, because we know the One who knows all, we know things others don’t and can’t know.

In Matthew 11 Jesus rebuked the cities where He did not do many miracles because of their unbelief. Then He said this:

Matthew 11:25
At that time Jesus answered and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and have revealed them to babes.”

Remember many of Jesus’ encounters, including all of His negative ones, we were with the supposed ultra religious of the day, the Pharisees. He revealed that things had been hidden from them and revealed to babes, who are symbolic of the spiritually uneducated.

Acts 4:13
Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Because they, and we, know Jesus, there are things revealed to us that those who are wise in their own eyes and supposedly prudent, meaning they think they have it all figured out, don’t know.

Because we know Jesus, we know He is coming again to receive us unto Himself. We know this will happen when the dead in Christ rise first, and then we who are still alive will meet Him and them in the air. Because we know Jesus, we know this event will last for only a twinkling of an eye, but the result of it will last forever.

Because we know Jesus, we know things others can’t know because they are spiritually discerned. Because we know Jesus, there are things revealed to us that are not understood by ordinary mortals, meaning those still spiritually dead.

A thing described as a mystery is not something we don’t or can’t know. It’s just the opposite. It is something unknown to those who don’t know Him.

1 Corinthians 4:1
Let a man so consider us, as servants of Christ and stewards of the mysteries of God.

A steward is one who is charged with the responsibility of distributing the master’s good to others. We are stewards, caretakers, of the mysteries of God and charged with making them known in our homes, families, and churches.

Ephesians 6:19
“…and for me, that utterance may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel.”

The gospel is the key that opens the door to understanding God’s mysteries. Without it, others will never understand the glory and hope of knowing God and all the things that those who know Him now see clearly.

Tell someone about Jesus today!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

No Smell of Smoke on You

So Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego stepped out of the fire. Then the high officers, officials, governors, and advisers crowded around them and saw that the fire had not touched them. Not a hair on their heads was singed, and their clothing was not scorched. They didn’t even smell of smoke!

Daniel 3:26–27 NLT

There is truly no other god who can rescue like our God. Whatever circumstances you might be thrown into, our Lord Jesus is the fourth man with you in the midst of the fire. Notice how He didn’t stand outside of the fire, but was in the fire together with the three friends, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, when they were thrown inside for defying King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon.

This brings a whole new meaning for us when we read the verse, “Be strong and of good courage, do not fear nor be afraid of them; for the LORD your God, He is the One who goes with you. He will not leave you nor forsake you” (Deut. 31:6).

Our Lord doesn’t deliver you from afar; He is with you in the midst of your adversity. Call upon Him and He will answer you. When Jesus is with you, nothing can harm you!

Don’t you just love how the Word of God describes the three friends when they came out of the furnace? They were in the fire, but it had absolutely no power over them. It did not even leave a trace of smoke on them! Now, that’s a beautiful picture of God’s divine protection!

Beloved, as you call upon the Lord in your day of trouble, my prayer for you is that the trial you are going through will have no power over you; it will not even leave a smell on you. Instead, I declare in Jesus’ name that you will walk out of that challenge in your life and the only smell on you will be the fragrance of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 2:14)!

And as the people around you witness how the Lord delivers you, may they come to know His wonderful name and give Him praise. Instead of being negatively affected by whatever trial you might face, I pray that you will receive honor and promotion just like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Amen!

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

The Ministry Of John The Baptist

'In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judaea.'

Matthew 3:1

These scriptures record the ministry of John the Baptist. He spent thirty years in the deserts of Judaea preparing for this ministry. Then it only lasted about six months before He baptized Jesus and men started following the Messiah. Yet in those brief six months He turned an entire nation to God.

He did not take the normal approach and go where the people were. He was out in the wilderness and the people came to him. He had no advertisements other than the testimonies of those who had heard him. He wasn't a flashy evangelist wearing the latest styles of the day. He didn't do anything the way the religious leaders taught it was supposed to be done in their seminaries, yet it worked.

In six short months, an entire nation was stirred in anticipation of their Messiah through a man who was not 'normal.'

One thing that keeps many of us from being used by God is our 'herd instinct.' We are so afraid of what someone else will think. We try to be like everyone else and then we wonder why we are getting the same results as everyone else. That's not smart.

John was completely yielded to the Holy Spirit and he succeeded against all the odds. Dare to follow the Holy Spirit, even against the crowd, and you will get supernatural results, too! Andrew Womack

Always Accepted in Christ

“You shall also make a plate of pure gold and engrave on it, like the engraving of a signet: HOLINESS TO THE LORD. . . . So it shall be on Aaron’s forehead, that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things . . . and it shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the LORD.”

Exodus 28:36, 38

In the Old Testament, Aaron was the first high priest of Israel. The high priest of Israel is a picture of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our permanent High Priest today. God instructed that the golden plate of the miter (headdress), which has the Hebrew words Kadosh Le Yahweh (“Holiness to the Lord”) engraved on it, should always be on the forehead of the high priest so that all Israel would be accepted before God.

What this means is that even when Israel failed in their thought life, they were still accepted by God because He judged the nation of Israel based on their high priest. If the high priest was accepted, the entire nation was accepted.

Today we have a perfect High Priest in Christ. It’s not your thoughts that qualify you to be accepted by God. Under the new covenant of grace, God is no longer judging you based on your thoughts. God judges you based on His Son.

If He is righteous, God sees you as righteous. If He is blessed, God sees you as blessed. If He is under God’s unclouded favor, God sees you as under His unclouded favor. If His thoughts are always perfect and filled with holiness unto God, God sees your thoughts as perfect in Christ!

Today when the devil comes to torment your mind, point him to Jesus. Jesus’ thoughts are always holy. Remember how the golden plate is always around the forehead of your High Priest and His thoughts are always filled with holiness to God.

Look at Exodus 28:38 again: “It shall always be on his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord.” Therefore, even when your thought life isn’t always perfect, know that Jesus’ thoughts are always perfect.

And it’s because of His perfection that you are always accepted in Him before God. God will never reject you because your thoughts are imperfect. He is looking at Jesus, and as long as His thoughts are holy, you are accepted!

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

God's Choice

'And she [was] a widow of about fourscore and four years,

 which departed not from the temple,

but served [God] with fastings and prayers night and day.'

Luke 2:37

Let's suppose that Anna was fourteen years old when she married. She would have been 105 years old. Yet she was still fasting and praying night and day! Satan tries to convince us that God won't use us. He may cite things like age or lack of abilities, or failures that we've had. But just like Anna, there are many scriptural examples of the Lord using those who would be considered unusable by worldly standards.

Moses was eighty years old before he began to fulfill God's plan for his life and he worked right up until he was 120 years old. Abraham was in his nineties before he had the son that God had promised him.

Gideon was another one who looked unusable. He was hiding from the Midianites when an angel of God appeared and told him he was a mighty man of valor (Judg. 6:11-12). He couldn't believe it at first and had to have the Lord confirm it three times.

Truly, ...God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty... (1 Cor. 1:27-28).

If you feel foolish or weak, then you qualify. Let the Lord use you today. Andrew Womack

What Produces Peace in Your Heart?

. . . giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.

Colossians 1:12

Several years ago, I had the privilege of counseling one of my wife’s close friends. Wendy’s friend was a young Christian who attended another church. Over dinner, she shared that one of her spiritual leaders had told her that the Christian life was difficult, and that she had to suffer for the Lord and pay her dues. She was told that she had to work hard, pray hard, and make sure that she read the Bible every day so that God would be pleased with her.

Once she shared all that with us, I felt that it was my responsibility to tell her the good news. So I shared with her that we do not read the Bible because we want to qualify for God’s blessings. We read the Bible to find out about our blessings and inheritance in Christ.

See the difference? I told her that if I stopped reading the Bible for a few days, I should not be feeling guilty; I should be feeling hungry.

God is not pleased with us on the condition that we read the Bible, pray long prayers, and pay our dues. No, absolutely not! He is pleased with us because our trust is in Jesus, who qualified us.

The Bible never said that it is our works that qualify us. Today’s scripture says, “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.”

It is the Father who has qualified us, and He qualified us by sending His Son to save us. He has qualified us to be partakers of His favor, healing, provision, love, joy, peace, and well-being. All these blessings are the inheritance of the saints, purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. We partake of our inheritance by giving thanks to the Father for sending His Son.

I shared with this lady that she can wake up every day and say, “Father, I thank You that You have qualified me to walk in victory, healing, and supply.” I told her that she should not be racking her brains wondering what she must do to qualify for God’s goodness. His goodness is already hers!

There are too many teachings today telling believers what they must do to qualify for this and that. God’s way is for us to know that through Jesus, we are already qualified.

At the end of the dinner, I said, “Test whatever I have shared with you about the goodness of God, His grace, and Jesus’ work at the cross against what you have been taught. Which produces peace in your heart? Joy and peace are the trademarks of the kingdom of God. God is not the author of confusion.”

She reflected on what I had shared with her and said, “While I may not understand everything about Jesus because I am a baby Christian, I know that all you’ve shared has produced great peace and joy in my heart.”

Let me ask you the same question today: what produces more peace and joy in your heart—to know that God will never punish and condemn you again for your sins because Jesus has already been punished and condemned for you, or to hear that God is sometimes pleased but sometimes angry with you depending on how you perform?

Beloved, the answer is found in Jesus and His finished work. It is found in His grace, not in your own doing. By trying to qualify yourself today for God’s blessings with all your Bible reading, praying, and hard work, you are asking Him to assess and judge you according to your goodness and faithfulness.

Is that what you really want? If not, then begin to put your trust in the finished work of Christ today and enjoy peace, joy, and every blessing that flows from His unconditional love for you!

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

Come Boldly into Jesus’ Presence

“On that day I will raise up the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down, and repair its damages; I will raise up its ruins, and rebuild it as in the days of old.”

Amos 9:11

The prophetic passage above speaks of our time. The interesting feature about the tabernacle of David in contrast to the tabernacle of Moses is that it had no veil separating man and God. David could go directly to worship the Lord before the ark of the covenant.

When our Lord Jesus died on the cross and cried out, “It is finished!” (John 19:30), the Bible tells us that at that precise moment “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Matt. 27:51), opening the way into the Holy of Holies! Through Christ, there is no longer any separation between God and man. Whosoever believes in Jesus shall never perish. Hallelujah!

Isn’t it wonderful to know that when you are in Christ, all your sins are forgiven, and that you can come boldly to His throne of grace to worship Him? God has raised up the tabernacle of David with a new generation of worshipers who are not afraid of God and not afraid to draw near and receive His promise of divine protection. None of us can ever do enough to merit God’s protection, but praise be to God, we are all qualified by the blood of Jesus Christ!

On the night of the first Passover, when the children of Israel applied the blood of an innocent lamb on their doorposts, God said to them, “Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Exod. 12:13). Jesus became that innocent lamb that was sacrificed for us when He shed His blood and died on the cross.

Today, as believers in Christ, His blood protects us. I’m believing with you that all evil, all destruction, and all danger shall pass over you and not come near you and your family. Let us come boldly to worship our Lord in the tabernacle of David where there is no veil. Come boldly under His wings and worship the Lord daily with the prayer of protection. His precious blood has been shed at the mercy seat for our total redemption, protection, and salvation.

Psalm 91 was written for worship. Come boldly into our Lord’s presence daily and pray the prayer of protection. There is no veil, no failure, and no shame that separates you from God today because of our Lord’s finished work at Calvary. Come before your heavenly Father, worship Him, and receive His protection for you and your entire household!

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

Fix Your Eyes on Jesus

“For we have no power to face this vast army that is attacking us. We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you.”

2 Chronicles 20:12 NIV

Today I’d like to share with you a powerful truth that will help you see how you can effectively drive fear out of your life and keep it out. It is a precious truth that will garrison your heart and mind from the enemy’s lies.

Take time to worship the Lord, especially when it feels like overwhelming odds are against you. Do what King Jehoshaphat did when his enemies joined forces and amassed a formidable army to destroy Israel.

In the natural, Jehoshaphat knew Israel had no chance of winning the battle. But he chose to do something you and I need to learn to do whenever we are besieged by our enemies. He cried out to the Lord, saying, “We do not know what to do, but our eyes are on you” (2 Chron. 20:12 NIV). Jehoshaphat then placed not commandos but worshipers at the head of his army, and this is what they sang: “Give thanks to the LORD, for his love endures forever” (2 Chron. 20:21 NIV).

Instead of despairing because of their enemies, they chose to fix their eyes on the Lord, giving thanks to Him and singing of His love. This happened long before the cross of Jesus. How much more can you and I sing of His love, which never fails, which endures forever!

And do you know what happened? The Lord defeated Israel’s enemies by turning them against each other, and Jehoshaphat’s troops did not even have to lift a finger to fight. Instead, when they came to the place that was supposed to be their battleground, their enemies were already dead, and all they ended up doing was collecting so much plunder that it took them three days to collect it all.

In Jesus’ name, may this happen to you too. When you are overwhelmed by challenges, and you don’t know what to do or even how to feel, just cry out to the Lord and tell Him, “Lord, I don’t know what to do, but my eyes are on You.”

That’s the most powerful posture you can take, with your eyes fixed not on your enemies but on your Savior. As you focus on His love that endures forever, the Lord Himself will fight your battle for you (2 Chron. 20:15).

May you be so conscious of His perfect love that every fear is driven from your life, and may you walk away so much stronger than before your enemies tried to come against you!

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

It’s All About God’s Love

“Therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much. But to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little.”

Luke 7:47

Her story is heartrending. In the Bible’s account, this woman in Luke 7 was described as “a sinner.” Many believe that she was a prostitute. When she came to Jesus, He did not chase her away, humiliate her, or condemn her for her sins. He knew how guilt had been eating her up on the inside and had compassion for her.

As she neared Jesus, she began weeping. Then, she washed His feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and anointed them with the precious ointment that would have cost her an entire year’s wages. Without hesitation, she lavished it on Jesus’ feet and worshiped Him.

In response, Jesus said that those who know and believe how abundantly God truly loves and has forgiven them will end up loving God very much. Simply put, those who have been forgiven much, love much. Those who have been forgiven little, love little. That’s why the emphasis of the new covenant is not about your love for God; it is about God’s love for you.

Do you see that your love for God in the new covenant is birthed out of a genuine and authentic relationship with Him? It is not a groveling display that is birthed out of the fear of punishment or religious obligation. Under grace, we are able to love God because He first loved us.

That is why people under grace become the holiest people you will ever meet. Their holiness flows out of their love relationship with Jesus! They have experienced His unconditional love in an intimate and personal way that transforms them. They just want to live lives that glorify and honor the name of Jesus.

Friend, we have all been forgiven much, but many don’t know and don’t believe this. Give up on trying to overcome your own failings, mistakes, addictions, and bondages, imagining that God requires this of you before you can come before Him.

When you fail, come to Jesus with boldness and confidence as this woman did. Feel free to weep in His sweet presence and simply worship Him. Pour out everything that is on your heart to Him.

Don’t worry, He will not heap more guilt and condemnation upon you. He will remind you of the cross and say, “Your sins are already forgiven. I have already paid the price for your sins at Calvary. Rest in My forgiveness and love for you.”

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

Bold As a Lion

The king’s wrath is like the roaring of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.

Proverbs 19:12

Today, we are beneficiaries of God’s favor because His wrath against our sins has already been completely satisfied at Calvary. In Hebrew, the word used for “favor” is ratsown, which means His pleasure, delight, goodwill, and acceptance.

Our place of protection was purchased with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, we have been made righteous, and all the blessings of the righteous, including protection, provision, and length of days, are our inheritance. That’s the place we are in today. Isn’t that beautiful?

No wonder the Scriptures tell us, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion” (Prov. 28:1). It also tells us, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much” (James 5:16). A righteous man (or woman) is who you are in Christ, and when you pray the prayer of protection in Psalm 91, your prayers avail much for God answers your prayers!

I received a testimony of God’s divine protection from Sally, who lives in South Africa. Be encouraged as you read how she prayed for protection knowing that she is righteous in Christ:

I was driving a rented car when I heard a loud bang. Within moments, the car was on fire. I immediately switched off the engine to get out. But to my horror, I could not remove the seat belt or open the door! I was stuck.

Finally, I managed to get the door opened. By then, the flames were threatening to come inside the car and I had to close the door again because I was trapped by the seat belt.

I called out to Abba Father and just declared, “I am Your righteousness. You are the only One who can save me!” As those words were echoing in my ears and heart, I heard a click as the seat belt was released. I dashed out of the car.

When the fire department arrived, they were able to stop the blaze. I praise the Lord for delivering me safely out of this dangerous situation! I realized that the devil has long been defeated and we don’t have to fear anything anymore.

Praise the Lord for His deliverance and protection. I rejoice that we are shielded from danger because of the righteousness we have in Christ!

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