The Gift of No Condemnation

When Jesus had raised Himself up and saw no one but the woman, He said to her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, LORD.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.”

John 8:10–11

People often ask, “If believers know that they are free from all condemnation, won’t they go out and sin?” Well, they should talk to Katy, who is chaplain for a corrections facility housing female prisoners in Southern California. After she discovered the message of grace and experienced freedom from condemnation, her life was not the same. She even felt led by the Lord to share directly out of one of my books with the women at the corrections facility. This was the reception:

God is using this revelation of His grace to heal the broken-hearted and set the captives free. Physical healings are taking place. Wrong mindsets are being changed. The women are also experiencing freedom from addictions, and their hurting lives are also being transformed by His great unconditional love and the abundance of His grace!

Katy and the female prisoners who received the gospel of grace would tell you it is a lie to even suggest that freedom from condemnation would lead to sin. It is just the opposite! Hallelujah! The women began to reign in life over their sins and addictions and to be healed of their brokenness. And they are not alone—this is the constant refrain in the letters and emails this ministry gets from people all over the world who can’t wait to share their deliverance and victory over things that have kept them in defeat.

My friend, freedom from condemnation doesn’t lead you deeper into sin. It actually empowers you to break free from sin, from its painful consequences, and it causes you to fall more deeply in love with Jesus and His grace!

From today’s scripture, you will notice that our Lord clearly did not think that freedom from condemnation would lead to a life of sin. Now, pay close attention to the account of the woman who was caught in adultery: Jesus gave her the gift of “no condemnation” before He told her to go and sin no more. Yet, many places today reverse the order and say to women such as the ones in the correctional facility, “Go and sin no more first, and only then will we not condemn you.” Subtly or not so subtly, they are being told to get their lives together first, before they can be part of the church. That’s the reason they and others are shying away from places where they hear this. It is not because they are rebelling against Jesus. It is because they have not been introduced to the real Jesus who gives the guilty sinner the gift of no condemnation!

Too often, nonbelievers have only been introduced to Christianity as a set of rules that only judges and condemns them. But my friend, Christianity is not about laws. It is about Jesus and how He shed His blood for the forgiveness of our sins, for without blood, the Bible says that there is no forgiveness of sins (Heb. 9:22). That is why Christianity is a relationship based on the shed blood of Jesus Christ. His blood washed away all our sins and He fulfilled all the righteous requirements of the law on our behalf.

Let me ask you a question: was the woman brought before Jesus guilty? Yes, she was “caught in adultery, in the very act” (John 8:4). But instead of condemning her according to the law of Moses, which required her to be stoned to death, Jesus showed her grace and gave her the gift of no condemnation.

Do you think that this woman would go off, look for her lover, and jump back into bed with him after she had received the gift of no condemnation? No, of course not! It is obvious that Jesus believed that when someone really has a revelation that God does not condemn him, he would have the power to get out of the vicious cycle of sin. He would have the power to “go and sin no more”!

The truth is that Jesus’ grace swallows up sin. Let His words—“Neither do I condemn you”—transform your heart today and give you the power to “go and sin no more.”

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

The Holy Spirit Leads Us Through Peace

Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth.

Genesis 8:11

Today I’d like to share with you the Hebrew word for “time”—eth, which first appeared in the phrase “in the evening” in the Bible passage above. What do you see? The first mention of right timing has to do with the dove—that’s a picture of the Holy Spirit. It’s the Holy Spirit who can guide you to be at the right place at the right time.

But look at what the dove has in its mouth—an olive leaf. When the flood during Noah’s time ended, God sent a message through the dove bearing a leaf that there would be no more such worldwide flooding and destruction (Gen. 9:15). It was a message of peace to men. It tells us that the message the Holy Spirit brings is one of peace.

My friend, the Holy Spirit leads us on the wavelength of peace. Sometimes, when you are about to do something, perhaps sign an agreement, plan a vacation, or take part in some activity, you might feel a lack of peace. If that happens, please stop and take time to pray about what you are about to do because the Holy Spirit speaks to us through the peace (or lack of it) He puts in us. He doesn’t speak to us through nagging or accusations. He leads us through peace. When there is no peace in your heart, it’s time for you to reevaluate your decision and listen to His leading.

There’s another beautiful truth hidden in the first occurrence of the word eth. Eth appears in the phrase “in the evening” not only in Genesis 8:11, but in other parts of the Bible as well (Gen. 24:11, Josh. 10:27). When I studied it, I realized that evening time is the time of our Lord Jesus’ finished work at the cross.

The Old Testament priests had two daily sacrifices, one in the morning at 9 a.m. and the other in the evening at 3 p.m. Jesus was crucified at 9 a.m. and He died at 3 p.m., thus fulfilling the type of both the morning and evening sacrifices. At the time of the evening sacrifice, all of God’s judgment had fallen on the body of Jesus. The floods of God’s judgment were ended by the sacrifice of Christ.

The Holy Spirit comes to you speaking peace, telling you that there is now no enmity between you and God, because judgment has passed. You are not perfect but you can have peace with God, and you can ask Him for success and be confident of His covering in all that you do because all your sins have been judged in the body of Christ!

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

Practice Jesus’ Presence and ‘Smell’ Like Him

Then one of the servants answered and said, “Look, I have seen a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.”

1 Samuel 16:18

David is a wonderful example of someone who talked to the Lord and practiced His presence all the time. Even as a young teenager taking care of his father's sheep in the fields, he would be singing psalms and hymns to the Lord and playing his harp.

In 1 Samuel 16, the Bible records that King Saul was very unsettled, and his servants told him that he was being troubled by a distressing spirit. They then advised him to bring David before him to play the harp for him, saying that evil spirits departed when David played the harp. One of the servants gave a glowing description of David as someone “who is skillful in playing, a mighty man of valor, a man of war, prudent in speech, and a handsome person; and the Lord is with him.”

Do you know why David could cause Saul to become refreshed just by playing his harp? Do you know why David could have such accolades heaped upon him? I believe that the key is in the last part of the verse: “the Lord is with him.”

A few years after Wendy and I got married, an incident happened that I will never forget. I was on my way home one day and I had stepped into a cramped elevator. A group of ladies squeezed into the same elevator as it stopped on another floor and boy, their perfumes were overpowering!

Anyway, almost dizzy from near-suffocation, I got home and kissed Wendy with my usual “Hello darling, I’m back.” She looked at me and said, “That’s a female fragrance. I know that fragrance.” I told her, “Listen, darling, listen. . . honestly, just now. . .” And that’s why it’s so important to have trust in your marriage!

I am sure that you have experienced something similar before. Have you ever been in a room filled with cigarette smoke? You may not smoke, but your hair and clothes will smell of smoke even after you have left the room. In the same way, you cannot be in the presence of the Lord without His glory, His majesty, His beauty, His power, His love, and His peace rubbing off on you. You begin to “smell” like Jesus, be powerful like Him, and be filled with peace like Him!

No wonder Acts 4:13 records this about Peter and John: “Now when they [the rulers and elders of Israel] 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.”

Beloved, choose to prioritize the presence of the Lord wherever you are. You will experience the undeniable evidence of His presence in your life.

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

Fill Up With God

'I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;

and that the world may know that thou hast sent me,

and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.'

 John 17:23

God loves us the same as He loves Jesus. A true revelation of this will quicken our faith and allow us to walk in the fullness of God. God's love is the key that opens the door to everything that God is. 'God is love' (1 Jn. 4:8).

God's love is not one dimensional. There is width, length, depth and height to it, which can only be comprehended through the revelation and knowledge of the Holy Spirit. Those who only have a superficial knowledge of God's love are like a person who looks at a one dimensional picture of the real thing.

In Ephesians 3:19, Paul prays for us to know the love of God which passes knowledge. How can we know the love of God if it passes knowledge? This sounds like a contradiction. The Greek word that is translated 'know' in this verse is GINOSKO, which is a verb expressing experiential knowledge. The Greek word that is translated 'knowledge' is GNOSIS, which is a noun denoting the act of knowledge. Simply, Paul is praying that we will experience the love of God which passes mere knowledge of it.

Since a true revelation of God's love makes us full with the fullness of God, then a lack of being full of God must mean that we lack understanding and experience of God's love. The end result of having understanding and experiential knowledge of God's love is that we will be filled with all the fullness of God. Andrew Womack

Abide in His Perfect Love

Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

Psalm 91:9–10

I know it can be very hard to feel God’s love for you when you are faced with multiple symptoms in your body, mounting debts from your medical bills, and worries about your future. We live in a world where we are governed by our five senses, and there are times when it is hard to believe in the love of Someone we can’t see, touch, or hear.

But we cannot depend on feelings and outward circumstances (that can change) to be assured of God’s love for us. It is so important we fix our eyes, instead, on our Lord Jesus, whose love for us is perfect, never changes, and never fails.

May I share with you some of the things you can do that I believe will help to keep you in His perfect love?

Instead of allowing the enemy to feed you with lies that cause you to be fearful, keep listening to messages that will keep you in the consciousness of God’s love for you. Embrace His love to drive out every fear.

Every time the enemy tries to attack you with fears, plug into a sermon that magnifies the Lord’s goodness and love for you. Instead of giving in to the devices of the enemy, keep listening to sermons about Jesus’ finished work.

Instead of reading articles on the internet that tell you how serious your condition can become, or reading your medical report over and over again, read praise reports about the Lord’s love and faithfulness. Read scriptures about His love and healing promises. Garrison yourself with the Word of God and keep yourself in His love.

The Bible tells us, “And we have known and believed the love that God has for us. God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16).

It’s not enough to know verses about His love. Keep meditating on them until you believe He loves you.

When we keep ourselves in the consciousness of God’s love, we are abiding in God. In other words, we are making Him our dwelling place. That is so powerful because when the Lord is your dwelling place, you are in a place of safety and protection.

Read Psalm 91 and declare over yourself that no evil shall befall you nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. As you abide in Him, the almighty God becomes your refuge and fortress.

It doesn’t matter how many people have died from the disease you have been diagnosed with. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you (Ps. 91:7). And even if you are already in trouble, the Lord is with you and He will deliver you.

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

A Man Under Grace Sees and Appreciates His Blessings

Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength . . . For he shall be like a shrub in the desert, and shall not see when good comes.

Jeremiah 17:5–6

One of the saddest things about a man who trusts in his strengths and self-efforts—“who . . . makes flesh his strength”—is that he cannot see good when it comes his way.

As a pastor, I have seen, down through the years, people who don’t put their trust in the Lord when it comes to their marriages, finances, and other areas of weakness. They are determined to trust in their own efforts, and tend to be rather arrogant and frustrated with the people around them.

Many a time, when you observe people like that, you realize that they cannot see the good things that are right under their noses. They don’t appreciate their spouses, neglect their children, and even when other blessings come their way, they miss them!

Why is it that they can’t see good when it comes? It is because people who trust in their own efforts have no ability to see and receive blessings from the Lord.

They only believe in the “good” that can come from their own efforts. That is why they are proud. You would probably notice that such people don’t say “thank you” very often to the people around them.

They feel like they are entitled to and deserve whatever they receive. They are rarely grateful or appreciative, and that is why they take their spouses for granted instead of seeing them as a blessing from the Lord.

In contrast, people who are living under grace and who trust in the Lord’s unmerited favor are constantly thankful, praising God and giving thanks to Jesus. They are grateful and appreciative of the people around them.

When I was still a bachelor, I had an idea of the kind of wife I wanted and brought my request to the Lord. But you know what? He over-answered my prayer and gave me Wendy! I am truly grateful to the Lord for Wendy and I know that it is the unmerited favor of Jesus.

When I look at my daughter Jessica, I know that I don’t deserve such a beautiful daughter, and yet the Lord gave this precious girl to me. You see, my friend, I did nothing to deserve it, but the Lord blessed me with an amazing family.

When you live under grace, you can truly enjoy the blessings around you because you know that they are undeserved. Look at the family, friends, and other blessings that God has given you today. See how He has blessed you with them because He loves you. And when you see them as blessings, they will enrich your life (Prov. 10:22)!

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

Rejoice In The Lord - Always

 'These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might

have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation:

but be of good cheer;I have overcome the world.'

John 16:33

The world experiences joy and happiness in direct proportion to their circumstances. Bad circumstances produce depression and sorrow, while good circumstances produce joy and peace. That's bondage, and does not have to be the case for a Christian. Our joy is not dependent on things, but rather on the person of Jesus Christ. He is our peace and joy.

The way we take advantage of this joy and peace in the midst of tribulation, is to have our minds and hearts stayed on things above and not on things of this earth. The invisible things of God are eternal while the visible problems on earth are only temporary. All the problems of this life grow very dim when we compare them to the glory of God that is ours through Jesus.

We can rejoice in the Lord always (Phil. 4:4) because rejoicing is an action, not a reaction to our environment. Joy is a gift from God that was given to us at salvation. It was placed within our born-again spirit and it doesn't fluctuate or diminish; it is constant. The Lord has put the joy inside us and we are to 'work it out' by choosing to obey this command in scripture.

We are commanded to rejoice 'IN THE LORD.' Many people are not experiencing true joy because their joy is in their circumstances. That is, they are waiting to rejoice when things in their lives are going good, and that doesn't happen very often. We are suppose to 'rejoice in the Lord always.'

That means we are supposed to rejoice in who the Lord is and what He has done for us. He never changes (Heb. 13:8) and His mercies and compassions are new every morning (Lam. 3:22-23). Andrew Womack

Exceedingly Abundantly Above

Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Ephesians 3:20–21

In Ephesians 3:18–19, we see that when we know the love of Christ, we will be filled with the fullness of God! That is amazing! But notice in today’s scripture that Paul didn’t stop there.

God becomes big in your life when you know His love. He will give you not just exceedingly, not just abundantly, but exceedingly abundantly above all you can ask or think!

So when you know His love for you, you can ask big and think big, and God will still exceed all that you ask or think! It’s all about His love for you and me. Yet, there are people today who continue to boast in their love for God, believing that He would bless them in tandem with their good works.

In my own life, there were some things that I had been believing God for, but for years, nothing happened, until I realized just how much God loves me. When I realized how much He loves me, it was like all of a sudden, the floodgate of His blessings opened wide, and all kinds of good things started happening to me, in me, and around me.

One such occasion was when my daughter, Jessica, was about two years old, and she was suffering from a viral attack that the doctors could not remedy. She cried all day and night. I tried everything I knew. I was binding and loosing, I was confessing the Word of God, I was shouting, I was laying hands . . . all to no avail.

And then the Lord brought me to Genesis 22, where God told Abraham to offer his son, Isaac, as a burnt offering to Him—a foreshadow of God sacrificing His own Son, Jesus.

As I read the passage, I realized just how much God loved me. He loved me so much that He did not withhold His Son, His only Son, the Son whom He loved, for me.

I began to weep from a deep and intimate sense of God’s overwhelming love for me. At that moment, I felt His love all over me.

And right there and then, my daughter stopped crying in the other room. From that point onward, she was completely healed! As I was experiencing a fresh revelation of His love for me, the miracle for my daughter happened!

Let me share another testimony with you. Bill, a brother from California, wrote to thank me for my teachings about our inheritance as God’s beloved children when we believe right. He shared that prior to his honeymoon in Cancun, rain and thunderstorms had been forecast for 80 to 90 percent of the duration of their trip.

One morning during his quiet time with God, it occurred to him that because God loves him and his wife, he could pray to God to change the weather for their honeymoon, for surely this was no big deal for the God of the universe. So three days prior to their departure, he prayed just that.

This was Bill’s report: “The sun was shining with storm clouds in the far distance everywhere we went during our six-day honeymoon. The thunderstorms were spectacular but always at a distance. Rain only fell late at night after we had retired to bed. Even though fierce storms were predicted along the entire coastline, we woke up every morning to sunshine and freshly watered, beautiful nature. Some will scoff and call this a coincidence, and some simply won’t believe that God changed the weather for one of His own. But I believe that’s exactly what He did!”

Let me say this again: when you know His love for you, you can ask big and think big, and God will still exceed all that you ask or think!

When you believe right, the floodgates of blessings open! Nothing is impossible when you believe right in the person of Jesus and in His love and goodness. Praise God!

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

Salvation in the Name of Jesus

And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.

2 Timothy 4:18

Psalm 91 ends with the power-packed verse, “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”

Many years ago, the Lord opened my eyes to see that apart from the four names of God that are mentioned in the first two verses of Psalm 91, there is another name of God, a fifth name, concealed in the very last word of Psalm 91.

You see, in Hebrew, the word “salvation” is the word yeshua. And Yeshua is the Hebrew name of our Lord Jesus! Now, isn’t that beautiful?

This is what God was saying: “With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My Yeshua.” Long life is found in our Yeshua. You can know God as El Elyon, God Most High, as the Almighty Shaddai, as Jehovah, and even as Elohim, but the name that gives you full and utter confidence is the name Jesus!

It is not enough to know that God is all-powerful. It is more important you know that God is willing to use His power and might to save you!

That’s what our Lord Jesus did at the cross for you and me. He came and He showed us His salvation by sacrificing Himself on the cross for your sins and my sins. He died young that we may live long. And not just live long in this world.

At the cross, He purchased for us the gift of eternal life, paid for with His own blood. The moment you received Jesus as your Lord and Savior, your salvation in Him was sure and secure!

I grew up in a church where I was taught that when you sin, you will lose your salvation and have to get born again all over again. This erroneous teaching oppressed my mind day and night. The enemy incessantly attacked me with thoughts that I had lost my salvation.

As I was seeking the Lord for answers one day, He opened my eyes and pointed me to the above Scripture passage from 2 Timothy.

Just like that, when the truth of God’s Word came in, all the oppression left me. And every time the thought that I had lost my salvation reared its ugly head again, I would quote this verse, boldly declaring, “It is written, ‘And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom.’”

Beloved, I highly recommend that you meditate on this Scripture. In this one verse you find the Lord’s protection and preservation unto eternity!

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

Embrace The Holy Spirit

'Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away:

for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you;

but if I depart, I will send him unto you.'

John 16:7

The Greek word translated 'expedient' means 'to be an advantage; profitable.'

How could any situation be more advantageous or profitable than having Jesus physically with you?

When Jesus walked on this earth in His physical body, He was subject to many physical limitations. For instance, He could not always be with every one of His disciples all the time. Through the ministry of the Holy Spirit, He could. Instead of Satan getting rid of Jesus, 120 'little Christs' (that is literally what the word 'Christian' means) came out of the upper room on the day of Pentecost.

Jesus taught His disciples as no teacher ever had, yet they had very little understanding because they were not born again. However, when the Holy Spirit came, He lead them into all truth and even showed them things to come.

The list of advantages of having the Holy Spirit in us as compared to having Jesus with us in His physical body, goes on and on. The advantages can all be summed up in that Jesus' power is now complete (Mt. 28:18) and no longer confined to one physical body.

There is no such thing as victorious Christian living without a moment by moment, hour by hour, day by day dependence upon the Spirit of God. Not only is the Christian life hard to live but it is impossible to live without the power of God Himself. Andrew Womack

God’s Heart Revealed

“He who has seen Me has seen the Father.”

John 14:9

How do you know it is God’s will to heal you? Just look at what Jesus did during His earthly ministry. When we look at Jesus, we see our heavenly Father’s heart for us, for Jesus said that anyone who has seen Him has seen the Father.

Throughout the Gospels, what do we see Jesus tirelessly doing?

And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all kinds of sick- ness and all kinds of disease among the people. Then His fame went throughout all Syria; and they brought to Him all sick people who were afflicted with various diseases and torments, and those who were demon-possessed, epileptics, and paralytics; and He healed them.

—Matthew 4:23–24

Then great multitudes came to Him, having with them the lame, blind, mute, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at Jesus’ feet, and He healed them.

—Matthew 15:30

When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.

—Luke 4:40

Over and over again, the Bible records how our Lord Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil” (Acts 10:38). He caused the lame to walk and the blind to see. He unstopped deaf ears. He cleansed people with leprosy. He even raised the dead.

And do you know what our Lord Jesus said about all that He did? He said, “The words I say to you I do not say on My own initiative or authority, but the Father, abiding continually in Me, does His works [His attesting miracles and acts of power]” (John 14:10 AMP).

Jesus said it was the Father who worked (through Him) wonderful healing miracles everywhere He went. Can you see that it is truly your heavenly Father’s desire for you to be completely healed of every disease?

Worship Brings Lasting Transformation

“She has come beforehand to anoint My body for burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”

Mark 14:8–9

When it comes to the value that we place on Jesus, let me share something powerful with you that will cause you to grow in your relationship with the Lord and bring lasting transformation in your life.

In the Old Testament, the burnt offering came in three sizes—literally, big, medium, and small (Lev. 1:1–17). The rich would bring an expensive bullock; the middle-income, a lamb; and the poor, a pair of easy-to-obtain pigeons or turtledoves.

Now, while the offerings differed in size, in terms of value to God, they were all equal and acceptable to Him, because they all reminded Him of the one final and perfect sacrifice of His beloved Son. So whether it was a bullock, lamb, or pair of turtledoves, they were all accepted and killed, and their blood was shed to make atonement for the offerers’ sins.

What’s the significance of knowing all this? The three animal sacrifices are actually typologies of our appreciation of Jesus and His finished work today. For instance, many believers have a lamb-sized revelation of Jesus. They know that Jesus is the Lamb of God who has washed away their past sins with His blood.

Then there are some Christians who have only a pigeon-size revelation of Jesus. They see Him as the Son of God Who came down from heaven to die for man’s sins.

And finally there are believers who have a bullock-size revelation of Jesus and His cleansing blood. As the bullock was the most expensive of the three sacrifices, these believers are spiritually rich because they have a large and deep revelation of Jesus, His blood, and how it has cleansed them of all their sins.

In the same way that all the three sacrifices were acceptable to the Lord, we as believers are all accepted in His sight, no matter what our revelation and how we value Jesus. But God wants you to grow from having a pigeon-size revelation of His Son to having a bullock-size appreciation of Him.

Why is this so important? Because everything starts from the inside out. That inward spiritual wealth will translate into outward benefits of peace, stability, joy, provision, and victory. Back then, the wealthier you were, the bigger the size of your offering. Today, the larger your revelation of Jesus, the more spiritually wealthy you are!

My friend, when you esteem Jesus, when you worship Him and give unto Him, it brings lasting transformation not only in your life. As we have seen with Mary in today's scripture, it also has an effect for generations and generations to come.

Mary poured out and gave her very best to the Lord, and Jesus said she prepared Him for His burial. In His words, Jesus enveloped her forever in the sweet incense of His praise of her.

Today we are still talking about and honoring what Mary did for our Lord two thousand years ago. Talk about your good works having an effect for generations to come!

Your time spent in studying the person of Jesus and worshipping Him will come back to you. You will experience a quality of life beyond your wildest imagination when the Lord Jesus is at the center of it all. And that is why the grace revolution is all about having a heart for Jesus!

Know Your Covenant Rights in Christ

My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.

Hosea 4:6

I cannot emphasize enough how vitally important it is for a believer today to know that he is under the new covenant of God’s unmerited favor and no longer under the law. Many good, well-meaning, and sincere believers today are defeated by their lack of knowledge of the new covenant and all the benefits that Jesus has purchased for them at the cross.

“But Pastor Prince, we should not be looking at benefits when we believe in Jesus.”

I am glad that you brought up this point. Let’s look at what the psalmist thinks about this: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Ps. 103:1–5).

Beloved, this is the heart of God. He wants you to remember all the benefits that Jesus has purchased for you with His blood! It is His heart to see you enjoying every single benefit, every single blessing, and every single favor from Him in the new covenant of His grace.

Forgiveness of sin is yours. Health is yours. Divine protection is yours. Favor is yours. Good things and the renewal of youth are yours!

These are all precious gifts from the Lord to you, and it brings Him unspeakable joy when He sees you enjoying these gifts and succeeding in life. But it is the lack of knowledge of what Jesus has accomplished at the cross that has robbed many believers of enjoying these good gifts and benefits.

This reminds me of a story I read of a man who visited an impoverished old lady who was dying. As he sat next to her bed in the cramped confines of her dilapidated home, a single frame hanging on her spartan wall caught his attention.

Instead of a picture, the frame held a yellowed piece of paper with some writing on it. He asked the lady about that piece of paper and she replied, “Well, I can’t read, so I don’t know what it says. But a long time ago, I used to work for a very wealthy man who had no family. Just before he died, he gave me this piece of paper and I’ve kept it in remembrance of him for the past 40 or 50 years now.”

The man took a closer look at the framed contents, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Do you know that this is actually the will and testament of that man? It names you as the sole beneficiary of all his wealth and property!”

For close to 50 years, that lady had lived in abject poverty, working day and night to eke out a meager existence for herself. During all this time, she was actually the owner of a sprawling estate and enviable riches. However, her own ignorance had utterly robbed her of a life of wealth and luxury that she could have enjoyed.

It is a sad story, but what is even sadder is that this tragedy is played out every day in the lives of believers who do not realize the inheritance that Jesus bequeathed them when He gave up His life at the cross.

What we need today are not more laws to govern believers. What we need is a greater revelation and appreciation of Jesus and everything that He has done for us! In Hosea 4:6, God lamented, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

Let’s not be numbered among these people. Instead, let us be a people who are full of the knowledge of Jesus, His person, His love, and His finished work.

Don't allow your ignorance to rob you anymore. Find out all about your covenant rights in Christ today!

Perfection Is Not Required

For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

2 Corinthians 5:21

When I was a young Christian, I was a victim of a flawed, legalistic teaching based on a misinterpretation of the apostle Paul’s teaching on the holy Communion in 1 Corinthians 11:27–30:

“Therefore whoever eats this bread or drinks this cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner eats and drinks judgment to himself, not discerning the Lord’s body. For this reason many are weak and sick among you, and many sleep.”

I was taught and warned, as perhaps you were, that if there was any sin in my life, including ones I didn’t know about or had forgotten to confess, that sin made me unworthy to partake of the holy Communion. I would bring judgment and sickness on myself, and I might even die before my time!

But how could I ever know if I was “worthy” enough? I was not living in sin or anything like that, but I knew that to God, sin is sin, and if anyone fails in even one area, he is counted guilty of all (James 2:10).

As a result, I was so fearful of the Communion I did not partake of it for many years. After all, I was no fool. Why would I risk it?

I was robbed of my inheritance because of well-meaning but erroneous preaching that put an invisible fence around what was meant to be a source of health and healing and a blessing for God’s people. A fence was put around it saying, “Don’t come near unless you are worthy.”

Don’t be robbed like I was.

This is what the Word of God says: Jesus’ blood has already been shed for us, and as believers, we are the righteousness of God in Christ (2 Cor. 5:21). We are completely righteous and worthy not because we are perfect, but because He is perfect.

He paid the full price for the forgiveness of our sins, which alone makes us worthy. His sacrifice at the cross has fully qualified us to receive His healing and victory over sin and every kind of bondage that is robbing us of health and life.

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

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