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

- JANUARY 22 -
NO CONDEMNATION

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. Joseph Prince

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

- JANUARY 21 -
MEDITATE ON GOD’S WORD

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. Joseph Prince

Knowing your value makes a difference

Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself and God our Father, who loved us and gave us everlasting consolation and encouragement and well-founded hope through [His] grace (unmerited favor), comfort and encourage your hearts and strengthen them [make them steadfast and keep them unswerving] in every good work and word.2 Thessalonians 2:16–17 AMPC

- JANUARY 19 -
KNOWING YOUR VALUE MAKES A DIFFERENCE

It is the Father’s love for you that gives you the power to overcome every mistake, failure, and sin in your life. The Bible puts it this way: “Sin is no longer your master, for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Rom. 6:14 NLT). Isn’t that beautiful?

Today you are living under the freedom of God’s amazing grace—His unmerited, undeserved, and unearned favor in your life. Grace gives you freedom. Freedom from lack, from fear, from addictions, from the torment of guilt, and from every curse and every sin! The more you experience the love and grace of your heavenly Father, the more you fall in love with Him and out of love with sin.

Did you know that the enemy has no hold over people who know their Father loves them? If Adam and Eve had believed in God’s love for them, the devil would not have been successful in tempting them. Unfortunately, they chose to believe the lie that the serpent had planted by portraying God as stingy and selfish, as if He was withholding something good from them.

That’s why I want you to be anchored in the Father’s love. You will be unshakable. You will have no desire to touch certain things, go to certain places, or be associated with certain people. You will keep away from negative influences because you trust your Father’s heart for you and believe that He only wants what’s best for you. You rest, knowing that He is watching out for you to protect you and insulate you from harm.

I’ve seen that children who are secure in their father’s love are able to say no to all kinds of temptations. This is because that vacuum in their lives is already filled. They don’t have to do things to win the approval of their friends when they can find absolute security, identity, and approval in their parents’ love for them and, most of all, in their heavenly Father’s love for them.

In the same way, when we trust in our Father’s love for us, we will have the power to say no to temptations. When you have an abiding revelation of just how valuable, precious, and righteous you are in Christ, it becomes increasingly easy to say no to sin.

The more righteousness-conscious you are and the more conscious of how valuable and precious you are in Christ, the more you will know that your righteous identity in Christ and sin don’t go together—and the more you will experience the power to say no to temptation.

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

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

- JANUARY 16 -
WHAT PRODUCES PEACE IN YOUR HEART?

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. Joseph Prince Ministries

Look to 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

- JANUARY 13 -
FIX YOUR EYES ON JESUS

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.

You are the Beloved

When He had been baptized, Jesus came up immediately from the water; and behold, the heavens were opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting upon Him. And suddenly a voice came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”Matthew 3:16–17

- JANUARY 9 -
YOU ARE BELOVED AND WELL PLEASING

After Jesus’ baptism, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness, and the devil came to tempt Him saying, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3).

Many years ago when I was studying this, the Lord opened my eyes and showed me that the devil had subtly left out the word “beloved.” Just moments ago, God the Father had just affirmed Jesus as His beloved Son at the Jordan River. However, when the devil came to tempt Jesus, he removed the word “beloved” and simply said, “If You are the Son of God . . .”

The Lord unveiled to me that if you are reminded that you are the beloved of the Father, you can never be successfully tempted! Even the devil knew this, and that’s why he removed the word “beloved” when he spoke to Jesus. Now that’s a powerful truth!

So every time you are tempted, just remind yourself, “I am God’s beloved child, and my Father loves me.” No temptation can triumph over you when you rest securely in your Father’s love.

Now observe Jesus’ reply. He didn’t have to prove to the devil that He was the Son of God. Secure in His identity as God’s beloved Son, He simply replied, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God’” (Matt. 4:4). And what words had the Father just said at the Jordan River? “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

I want to encourage you to personalize this and meditate on it every day! That’s how the Father sees you today. He sees you in Christ, and in Christ you are His precious, beloved child, in whom He is well pleased. Place your hand on your heart and hear your Father in heaven saying these words to you:

“You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Would you believe that with all your heart today? If you are struggling to overcome a disorder or addiction, close your eyes and hear your Father saying to you, “You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.” Every time you are fearful, every time you are consumed by worry, anger, or depression, hear your Father saying to you, “You are My beloved child, in whom I am well pleased.”

Yes, right in the midst of whatever failures you may be experiencing, you are His beloved child, and He is well pleased with you because you are in Christ. Keep hearing it and repeating it until you find rest, peace, and joy overflowing in your heart.

If you feel like just crying in His presence, cry. He knows what you are going through and He understands—in a way that no one else can—the pain, hurt, suffering, and loss that you are experiencing. Let His perfect love cast out every fear and bring healing and wholeness to your heart.

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

UNGA Majority Pushes for Israel to Dispose of Nuclear Weapons and Surrender Facilities to IAEA

Even though Israel has never disclosed its nuclear inventory, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) voted that the Jewish state should dispose of whatever nuclear weapons it has.

While the Islamic Republic of Iran maintains its consistent streak of violations regarding the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), including deception regarding its nuclear facilities, the UNGA targeted Israel’s nuclear program on Friday. The vote overwhelmingly went against Israel with a 152-5 turnout, motioning that Israel should dispose of all of its nuclear weapons and hand over its nuclear sites to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA).

The resolution called on Israel “to accede to the Treaty without further delay, not to develop, produce, test or otherwise acquire nuclear weapons, to renounce possession of nuclear weapons and to place all its unsafe guarded nuclear facilities under the full scope of Agency safeguards as an important confidence-building measure among all States of the region and as a step toward enhancing peace and security.”

A couple of dozen European countries abstained from the vote, while Canada, Israel, Micronesia, Palau, and the United States voted against the resolution. While thought to be one of the few countries with nuclear weapons, Israel has never confirmed one way or another.

Israel and the Tribulation

God disciplines those He loves. For the nation of Israel, this time of correction is called Jacob’s Trouble, or the Tribulation. In Israel and the Tribulation, Amir Tsarfati looks at Israel’s rebellion against God before the period of correction begins, the peace and the horror the nation will experience during that time, and the spiritual restoration that will take place when the seven years conclude. Israel abandoned the relationship that God loved for religion which He hates. It is the remnant that survives the Tribulation who will return once again to the relationship the Lord wants. Continue reading…