Message from Amir Tsarfati

I believe that for the first time in history, God is using the church and Israel simultaneously. Because when Israel was in the land, the church did not exist, and when the church came to existence, Israel was spread all around the world. This is the first time ever the church exists and Israel is back in their land since 1948. And I believe it’s like the two trumpets that God gave Moses to make. “The Lord spoke to Moses, ‘Make two silver trumpets for yourself. You shall make them out of hammered work. You shall use them for calling the congregation, directing the movement of the camp. And when they blow both of them, all the congregation shall gather before you at the door of the tabernacle of meeting.’”

Israel is the time clock. See, I believe that relates to Israel and the church. Simultaneously, God is using the church and Israel to tell the whole world, “I’m about to do something.” Israel is a time clock to the physical departure of the church. You may be here this evening and do not understand. The Scriptures are telling us that God is about to take His church out of here.

The Bible tells us repeatedly that there are things to look for which indicate a transition to the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel is near.

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

“The Day” that is mentioned is the Day of the Lord. Hebrews makes it clear that it will be something we can see approaching. Jesus made the same kind of statement in the Olivet Discourse:

Matthew 24:32-34
“Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors! Assuredly, I say to you, this generation will by no means pass away till all these things take place.”

The fig tree becoming tender and putting forth leaves speaks of the rebirth, growth, and prosperity of the nation of Israel. It is a sign that the content of the Olivet Discourse is about to take place.

We are in a unique season of history as we watch world events unfold that indicate a change is near, even at the doors! That change is the transition from the church age to the 70th week of Daniel, which requires the removal of the church from the earth.

After all, the church was not present during any of the first 69 fulfilled weeks of the 70 determined for Daniel’s people and the Holy City (Daniel 9:24). That precedent implies the removal of the church before the 70th week can begin.

The last time the Jews had possession of Jerusalem at the same time the church existed was right after Jesus came the first time, while the church was still in its infancy. Now for the first time in history, not only are the Jews in possession of Jerusalem but the nation of Israel and the church exist simultaneously! Could it be that this unprecedented event has happened right before Jesus comes for His church, and then seven years later with His church at the second coming?

Of course this is purely speculation. But aren’t we supposed to live expecting Him to come for us at any moment?

1 Thessalonians 4:15-18
For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. Therefore comfort one another with these words.

With the world a delusional mess and the Middle East an exploding powder keg and much of the church not enduring sound doctrine, we should be expecting to hear the sound of the trumpet of God calling us to meet the dead in Christ and the Lord Himself in the air.

A wonderfully, comforting thought!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

Why a Revelation of Your Forgiveness Is So Important

I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake.

1 John 2:12

People have asked me from time to time, “Pastor Prince, why is an understanding of the complete forgiveness of my sins so important for me to walk in God’s unmerited favor?”

This is a good question. Let me share with you some of the implications involved. First, if you have no confidence that all your sins have been forgiven, then your eternal security and salvation will always hang in the balance.

Second, if you think that your sins were not fully dealt with at the cross, then you can never have the confidence to enjoy the Lord's presence because you can never be sure if He is on your side, or if He is waiting to punish you for your failures. You will constantly feel unworthy because of your assessment of your conduct, and you can never really have the boldness to ask God for big things, or believe that He will give you success in your life.

Third, if you do not believe that Jesus has already forgiven all your sins, it means that when you fail, you will believe that you are not “right” with God and that fellowship with Him has been cut off. And instead of depending on His unmerited favor to overcome your failure, you will feel that you need to confess your sin, be remorseful and make amends with God before you can restore fellowship with God and depend on Him again.

It comes down to this: When you don't have a clear sense of your complete forgiveness, you will constantly be on an emotional seesaw. Sometimes, you feel that things between you and God are all right, but at other times, you don't think that it is so. Sometimes, you feel confident that the Lord is with you to make you a success, but at other times, you feel like you blew it and the Lord will not help you until you confess your sin and make amends.

You will be in a constant cycle of feeling insecure, where you are always hopping in and out of God’s favor. All these feelings depend on how well you think you have performed, and ignore the cross of Jesus altogether. My friend, God does not evaluate you based on your behavior. He sees only Jesus’ perfect work. But because you do not believe that Jesus has indeed forgiven you of all your sins, you end up feeling like a total and complete hypocrite and failure.

I hope that you are beginning to see that understanding the complete forgiveness of your sins is not just for theologians. Thinking that your sins are not completely forgiven will fundamentally affect your relationship with Jesus. While He is all ready to bless you, give you favor and make you a success, unbelief in His finished work robs you of the ability to receive His goodness, His blessings, His unmerited favor, and His success in your life.

The cross of Jesus qualified you, but unbelief in the main clause of the new covenant disqualifies you. Meditate on what God says about your sins in the new covenant and free yourself to receive from Him today. The new covenant is based entirely on His unmerited favor. There is nothing for you to do, nothing for you to perform, nothing for you to accomplish. Your part in the new covenant is just to have faith in Jesus and to believe that you are totally forgiven and free to enjoy the new covenant blessings through His finished work!

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

Only Grace Brings Lasting Freedom

. . . as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Romans 5:21

Beloved, even as there are so many who are freed by a revelation of God’s glorious grace, there are people who are twisting God’s Word today, saying that when people are under grace, it will cause them to sin without restraint. This is a lie from the pit of hell. You cannot be under grace and not be holy any more than you can be under water and not be wet! It is being under grace that gives you the power to live a victorious life. The Word of God clearly states:

For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace
—Romans 6:14

When you are under grace and not under the law, sin shall NOT have dominion over you. The word “sin” here is a noun. It is the Greek word hamartia, meaning “a failing to hit the mark.” So you can say it this way: sicknesses, diseases, eating disorders, addictions, and any form of oppression or bondage (all examples of our missing God’s mark or standard for a glorious life) shall not have dominion over you. When? When you are not under the law but under grace!

Let me show you how being under grace enables you to overcome your challenges and live victoriously, with an amazing testimony from Anna of Iowa. Although she grew up in a godly environment, attended a charismatic church, spent daily time with God, and even taught in a Sunday school, Anna fell into bondage, but knew how to hide her addiction to cigarettes and marijuana well. She knew she was hurting the temple of God. She condemned herself for being a hypocrite, and felt absolutely worthless.

Throughout the sixteen years of bondage, I attempted so many times to quit my addictions, including the time I was pregnant with my two beautiful boys! I did quit for a while but as soon as I gave birth, I quickly picked up the habits again because the desires had never left my heart.

While my prayers for others have always been powerful and effective, I was very mad at God because my prayers for my own freedom seemed to go unheard, or at least unanswered.

Then, about a year and a half ago, I began to watch Joseph Prince’s television program daily. I also began ordering materials that the Holy Spirit led me to get, and I was in the word of grace for hours daily, even while under the influence of cigarettes and marijuana. Hope began to fill my heart—not hope that I would soon be free, but hope that no matter what my state was, my Father would NEVER be mad at me! His grace was enough for the apostle Paul, and His grace is enough for me!

For so long, I tried to earn the blessings, including the freedom of God. But after allowing the water of the Word to cleanse me daily, I was able to receive His love, grace, shalom, and all of His blessings, regardless of my behavior. Every time I used cigarettes or marijuana, I would say, “Thank You, Father, that I am the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!” I quit trying to quit and decided that His grace was enough for me!

Today, I have been set free from both addictions! I didn’t try to quit; it just happened. My heavenly Father has completely taken the desires away from me. Even when I am in public and exposed to others who are smoking, I still have no desire to do the same! Even right now, thinking about this great freedom, I have to cry, and cry out, “My Father is SO faithful!”

Thank you so much for daring to speak the truth. I am so grateful that Christ, through your ministry, has set me free! It’s time for the captives to be set free in the name of Jesus!

Beloved, what willpower and self-effort couldn’t do, God did by the power of His glorious grace. Grace is the power over every addiction that is destroying you. Only grace can give you lasting freedom.

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

Free from “Am I Doing Enough for God?”

“And no one puts new wine into old wineskins; or else the new wine bursts the wineskins, the wine is spilled, and the wineskins are ruined. But new wine must be put into new wineskins.”

Mark 2:22

Have you ever wondered what Jesus was referring to when He shared on the new wine and old wineskins? He was referring to the mixture of the two covenants.

The new wine represents the new covenant of grace, while the old wineskin represents the old covenant of law. Have you ever seen old wineskins? They are brittle, hard, and inflexible. That’s the law. It is inflexible. And when you pour the new wine of grace into the old wineskin of the law, you will lose both because the wineskin will be ruined and the wine will be spilled. The virtues of both the old and the new covenants will be cancelled out and lost.

I received a letter from Kirsten in Florida whose experience with mixing law and grace was similar to the Galatians. When she received her salvation at the age of seventeen, she experienced unconditional love for the first time in her life as God’s mercy and grace washed over her.

In the beginning, she said that church was a joy as they worshiped, shared, and prayed. But within a few years, she succumbed to a works mentality and began searching the Scriptures to discover what she needed to do. Having lost her joy and peace, she was tormented by thoughts of “not doing enough for God.”

Kirsten’s hope was reignited when she chanced upon one of my television broadcasts. She said, “That tiny spark of hope later burst into flames and set me free. Wow! God’s grace is real and it doesn’t depend on my ‘doing enough for Him.’

No more works that are motivated by guilt and shame that left me exhausted, overwhelmed, and drained. My peace and joy returned a hundred-fold, and I was able to relax and enjoy my relationship with God, my family, and my church.”

That wasn’t all. Her revelation of God’s grace put a newfound peace and rest in her heart such that when the economic downturn in 2008 wrecked America financially and affected her family, she chose to rest and believe that God would provide for her family.

“I prayed one morning for God to give us something that day based solely on His grace and not our efforts,” she said. “Less than thirty minutes later, my husband’s former employer called him and asked if he wanted his old job back! My husband now earns as much as he did in his best year prior to the downturn. God’s grace is amazing!”

Beloved, don’t allow a mixture of law and grace to invade your heart and mind. God hates mixture because it robs you of the freedom, peace, and joy that come from resting in His Son’s finished work. It robs you of the power to reign in life through the abundance of His grace!

You cannot put new wine into old wineskins. You will lose both. But if you just focus and meditate on His grace and goodness toward you and your family, like Kirsten, you will see His grace abundantly provide for you.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

It’s war!

I’m sorry that I cannot begin my newsletter as I usually do, but with war in the south, war in the West Bank, and now full-scale war in the north, there is no physical shalom in Israel. On Monday, the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) launched Operation Northern Arrows aimed at breaking the back of the terrorist organization, Hezbollah, in Lebanon and opening the door for the return of 800,000 northern Israelis to their homes. They had been forced to flee after hostilities began in the south with Hamas in Gaza following the October 7 massacre. Hezbollah had thought they’d do their terrorist brothers a solid by firing thousands of missiles over Israel’s northern border, sending Israelis in the area fleeing south. This they’ve continued to do in the months since.

For nearly twenty years, Hezbollah has been preparing for a major attack on Israel. They just needed to wait until they were strong enough, Israel was weak enough, and their Iranian masters gave them the go-ahead. In that long stretch of years, Hezbollah burrowed like moles into the Lebanese infrastructure. They built bunkers and tunnels. They established weapons caches and launch sites. They infiltrated the Lebanese society, essentially turning all of southern Lebanon into one big human shield. They accomplished their goals, becoming fully entrenched into the cities, towns, and fields.

Then a plan arose. Iran would unite the Houthis, Hezbollah, Hamas, and their other proxy militias into one coordinated attack on Israel that would decimate the hated Jewish land. It was a good strategy and would have caused major pain to Israel. But it never happened, because Hamas got antsy and decided they’d launch everything early, choosing October 7, 2023, as their kickoff day. The rest of the terrorist organizations were taken completely off-guard. Why would Hamas take such a foolhardy, premature action? I believe it is partly due to divine intervention and partly due to Hamas never being the brightest bulbs in the terrorist chandelier.

When Israel set its sights on Gaza, Hezbollah knew that a clock began ticking for them. It was obvious that the Israeli people had had enough. They were done with the threats coming from the north and the south. In the beginning of the war, the existential threat was from the south. But head of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, and all his minions knew that when the Jews were done in Gaza, they’d turn their targets to the north.

The terrorists in Lebanon scrambled to get themselves prepared, all while firing a steady barrage of missiles over the border in order to dissuade Israel from coming their way. Unfortunately for Hezbollah, their hard work over the past two decades was no match for Israel’s technological advances in the military arena. The terrorists worked to hide their weapons. However, Israel has 3D models of every building in Lebanon, and they know where the bad stuff is hiding.

That is where we find ourselves now in the midst of Operation Northern Arrows. Several days before the operation actually began, Israel struck Beirut in a targeted action that took out all of Hezbollah’s Radwan Force commanders, including Ibrahim Aqil who had replaced Fuad Shukr as the terrorist organization’s military chief. They had unwisely gathered together in an underground apartment to strategize an October 7 type attack, when a massive blast ended their schemes and their lives. The military legs were suddenly knocked out from under Nasrallah.

Then, the IDF warned the people of southern Lebanon to flee, and many people listened. Over a half million ran, either going farther north in the country or running east toward Syria. Once enough time for escape had been given, the air attack began on Monday. And it was devastating. If you want to follow the details of the actions in the north, as well as the West Bank, Gaza, and the rest of the Middle East, be sure to follow me on my Telegram channel. You’ll know it’s mine because I was just recently verified. So, make sure you look for the checkmark.

It’s estimated that in just the first day of attacks, more than fifty percent of Hezbollah’s weaponry was destroyed. Immediately, people began complaining that the IDF was targeting people’s homes. However, if you watch the videos of those homes being hit, you’ll see multiple secondary explosions as munitions cook off. In some, you’ll even see errant rockets firing and plunging into hillsides or open fields. In southern Lebanon, it is estimated that two of every three houses are storing Hezbollah munitions of some kind. It’s not that these poor people wanted to stash weapons in their homes. It’s just what happens when the bandidos ride into town and become the law.

In the ensuing days, more than 3000 targets have been struck. Will airstrikes be enough to break the back of Hezbollah? Sadly, it likely won’t. That is why the IDF is preparing for a ground maneuver into southern Lebanon which might even have begun by the time you are reading this. While the military is confident about success in Lebanon and optimistic about a short timetable, they are still preparing for what could become another drawn-out battle as was faced in Gaza.

For all the success the IDF is having, Hezbollah is not taking this lying down. Massive rocket barrages have been fired into Israel from Lebanon with the targets being farther south than they’ve been since the Second Lebanon War in 2006. I’ve mentioned before that I live within a mile of the Ramat David Airbase, which is the northernmost base of the Israeli Air Force (IAF). My family and I have spent many hours lately in our bomb shelter. Several days ago, we had a rocket drop in my town. I worry little for myself when the missiles are falling. But as a husband and a father who is passionately committed to protecting my family? Please, pray for me and those around me.

Even with the rockets falling, we’re getting by. Earlier this week, I was able to record a Breaking News Update during which you can make out the sound of the interception of rockets in the background. Later, I managed to get video of when a rocket had fallen just across a dirt field from our CONNECT office. That’ll get the adrenaline flowing. Yesterday, I was able to record the first CONNECT Authors’ Corner with Steve Yohn, during which we talked about our upcoming thriller, The Sick Man’s Rage. It was very timely, because the book begins with the events of October 7, then works its way forward. All the time we recorded, I kept listening for the siren that would send me and my crew scurrying to the shelter. Then, this morning I recorded a new episode of Explore the Bible with Steve’s dad, Dr. Rick Yohn. I’ll keep you apprised of when each show will be released.

Despite Hassan Nasrallah’s efforts, he is becoming a lonely man. Of the 18 primary members of Hezbollah’s military chain of command who were below him, only two are still alive. And it is not just his dead staff that are disappearing, so are his live peers. Fellow clerics are urging him to stop Hezbollah’s madness in Lebanon. Mohammad Ali Al-Husseini, a Lebanese cleric, fellow Shi’ite scholar, head of the Islamic-Arab Council in Lebanon, and number two man in the Muslim World League issued a statement pleading with Nasrallah to pull out of Lebanon. He said, “Your [operations] in southern [Lebanon] can no longer be tolerated…. I swear, the war against Lebanon is only one step away, and only you can stop it and save our country from destruction and the people from perdition. Make a brave and historic decision to immediately stop the military operations.” The Sheikh told Nasrallah that he should hand southern Lebanon over to the Lebanese army and leave. We’ll see if that happens.

As always happens, because Israel is showing such dominance it is now receiving pressure from its “friends” for a ceasefire. The United States and France have been working on details that would lead to a 21-day ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah. Israel’s benefit would be a severing of the connection between Hezbollah and Hamas, with fighting continuing in the south but not the north. Nasrallah and Hezbollah would gain a temporary respite, during which they could come out from their hidey-holes without fear of having missiles drop on their heads.

Why would Israel possibly agree to this, especially knowing that it is only temporary? Ultimately, there is no benefit. A non-defeated Nasrallah will never agree to eventually pull back beyond the Litani River and disarm. It will take a constant barrage on Hezbollah to finally break their backs so that they are ready to surrender. We must keep the pressure up, not give the terrorists breathing room. I can’t imagine the Israeli government agreeing to this, but I’ve been surprised before.

Even as it heats up in the north, the battles still rage in the West Bank and Gaza. Just because focus shifts, it doesn’t mean that the terrorists pack up and move on. The IDF has much work to do still, particularly in Judea and Samaria.

In news that is closely tied to Israel, but in a round-about way, former president Donald Trump was presented evidence by U.S. intelligence of “tangible and specific” threats of assassination by Iran. As he was reading that, Iran’s President Pezeshkian was enjoying a meeting in New York City with France’s President Emanuel Macron. This begs the question why a man whose country is threatening a former U.S. president is sitting comfortably and worry-free within the Big Apple?

While Iran’s president hobnobs in New York, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei was apparently accidentally given access to his own X account on which he promptly posted, “Hezbollah is winning.” Interesting perspective there, Mr. Supreme Leader. He then went on to post about how he’s feeling good about the Carolina Panthers’ chances for the Super Bowl, how Southampton has a real shot to rocket up the table in the Premier League, and how he’s laying down money that the North Melbourne Kangaroos are going to take out the Richmond Tigers in next year’s Australian Footy Grand Final.


The Ministry

Join me this morning for a new show called “Let’s Connect”! I recently had the privilege of hosting three sisters who are dear friends of mine. We walked down memory lane together, then enjoyed some of their amazing messianic music. Tune in today at 10:00 AM PDT!

Join Jan Markell, Pastor Barry Stagner, Pastor Mike Golay, and me for another CONNECT Round Table on Monday at 10:00 AM PDT as we discuss why the rapture matters. As prophecy unfolds around the world, it seems that so much of the church is disregarding this crucial topic. We don’t want it to become irrelevant!

Make sure to take the time to visit our Behold Israel Shop to check out our most recent additions! We have even added a build-your-own-bundle feature in order to provide you with efficient pricing as you add more books to your cart. At the end of the day, our passion is to get resources into the hands of people everywhere. We have also added new accessories and apparel!

Next Wednesday evening begins Rosh Hashanah. While its name means “the head of the year”, it is not the beginning of the biblical calendar. Instead, it is a very significant day that has a whole lot to do with God’s prophetic plan. Be watching for a special video I will be releasing that will give you a lot of background surrounding this special time of year.

May God bless you for your continued prayers and financial support of Behold Israel. I have seen His hand in very special and practical ways over these past weeks as the northern fighting has ramped up. It is such an encouragement to me and the whole team at Connect to know that you are lifting us up before the Lord in prayer.

Awaiting His Return,

The Final Jigsaw Piece

Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more.

Romans 5:20

It is so vital that you believe in God’s love for you. Because of His super-abundant grace, your past doesn’t have to determine your future.

In Christ, you have a new life, a new beginning, and a new future. Read this precious testimony I received from Daphne from the United Kingdom and see this truth reflected:

I am a recovered alcoholic who received Jesus Christ five years ago. At that time, even after being saved, I was still full of self-condemnation and found it hard to believe that Jesus really cared about me. I thought He was very angry with me and that I needed to try to be good. For us alcoholics who have been very ill with addiction, this self-condemnation and the belief that we are never going to be able to do what God expects of us often sends us back to drink, develop an addiction to drugs, and even die as a result of complications.

But when I heard Pastor Joseph Prince preach on television, suddenly, the final jigsaw piece fell into place. It was the first time I had heard about God’s grace. After that, I bought and read Pastor Prince’s books. Grace and truth in the person of Jesus came and made all the difference. The changes happened in me once I understood and believed that everything had already been done for me at the cross, and that Jesus wanted to heal me and pour His grace into my life.

Today, Daphne sponsors many alcoholic women through a twelve-step recovery program and even runs a retreat for them. But she runs the program “with God’s grace at the forefront so that it is not a legalistic program.” She says:

When I help the women begin their journey with the program, I give them my copies of Pastor Prince’s books to read. I also show them clips of Pastor Prince’s messages.

These women now have a much better chance at lasting freedom. Before receiving the message of grace, they had the same wrong beliefs I had. Like me, they believed that they could never live up to what an angry God of judgment expects of them. Without right believing about the true God and His grace, lasting sobriety is just not possible for any of us and we would all have gone back to drinking.

Since listening to the gospel of grace, I now believe that the Lord wants to help us all because He loves each one of us. I love seeing people recover from their addictions. It’s His grace alone that has given my friends and me true freedom. I have also been able to forgive others and myself.

My friend, condemnation kills! It is a dangerous and vicious trap that keeps you imprisoned. It eats at you from the inside out, and you can’t just will it away or just tell yourself to forget about the mistakes and bad choices you have made.

Our sins demand a resolution. The wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). Our conscience cries out against us and demands that punishment for our sins be meted out.

That is why you need to have an unshakable revelation of your righteous identity in Christ. At the cross Jesus took your place of punishment and condemnation and became the full payment for all your sins. And when you believed in Jesus, you were justified by faith!

The cross of Calvary has made all the difference and is the only answer that will satisfy your guilty conscience. This was what Daphne experienced, and what God did for Daphne, He can and wants to do for you too.

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

The Enemy Is Beneath Your Feet

Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

Luke 10:17–19

In Luke 10, we see our Lord Jesus sending seventy disciples out against the kingdom of darkness, as “lambs among wolves.” Look in today’s scripture at the exchange between the seventy disciples and the Lord Jesus when they returned. My friend, the power and authority our Lord Jesus gave them to operate in is the power and authority we have as believers today!

Romans 16:20 declares that the God of peace will crush Satan underneath our feet! He is a defeated foe. The Bible is very consistent and always puts the devil beneath your feet (Gen. 3:15, Eph. 1:22). You are not at the mercy of the enemy’s attacks. Don’t put him on a pedestal, as if he has power and dominion over you. Remind yourself that in Christ, you are “far above all principality and power and might and dominion” (Eph. 1:21), and every lion and serpent you shall trample underfoot!

We exercise our authority as believers when we go on the offensive against the enemy today. How do we do that? We wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God! Our authority, our strength, and our victory are found in His Word.

Look at how the Bible describes the armor of God: “Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God” (Eph. 6:14–17).

Do you see that the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God, is the only piece of the armor that is offensive? That is why, for every round of attack the devil launched at our Lord Jesus, He fought back with the sword of the Spirit—He used the written Word of God.

When we pray the prayer of protection in Psalm 91, we are praying according to the Word of God and wielding the sword of the Spirit. So no matter what report is roaring at you, be it from doctors, bankers, or from the news media, take your place of authority and lay hold of scriptures for your situation. Fight back with the Word of God!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

When the fullness of the Gentiles has come in, He’s going to go back to the Jews, lift up that veil, and then the Bible says, “All Israel will be saved.” As it is written in the book of Isaiah, “The Deliverer will come out of Zion. He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob. This this is my covenant.” By the way, the Deliverer would come out of what? Hello?

Okay. You’ve got to be more vocal than this. The Deliverer will come out of… Zion.

It’s not the Zion Park in Utah or wherever it is. The Deliverer will come out of Zion. This is another name for the nation of Israel. Okay? Clear? Good. Because to be a Zionist is not a bad thing. It’s to believe that the land of Israel belongs to the people of Israel. That’s all it is. You can be a Gentile and a Zionist. The world tries to convince you that it’s a bad word. Zionist. You know who calls you a Zionist? All the terrorists. “We are going to kill the Zionists.” I’m proud that they call me a Zionist. I wish they knew what it meant. The Deliverer will come out of Zion.

Romans 11:25-27
For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: “The Deliverer will come out of Zion, and He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; for this is My covenant with them, when I take away their sins.”

Zion is an interesting term scripturally. It represents the mountain on which the first and second temples stood, it symbolizes the whole city of Jerusalem, and it represents the entire nation of Israel. The interesting part is that the word “Zion” actually means “a parched place”.  

Ezekiel 19:13
And now she is planted in the wilderness, in a dry and thirsty land.

“She” in this passage is Israel and she’s portrayed as a dry and thirsty land. This is true literally and spiritually to this day. Yet that is not the end of the story.

Isaiah 44:1-3
“Yet hear me now, O Jacob My servant, and Israel whom I have chosen. Thus says the LORD who made you and formed you from the womb, who will help you: ‘Fear not, O Jacob My servant; and you, Jeshurun, whom I have chosen. For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, and My blessing on your offspring.’”

Someday this parched land is going to experience a flow of water from Zion and be refreshed and restored. Someday this spiritually dry people are going to experience an outpouring of the Holy Spirit and be made alive. 

What is this land? Israel. Who are these people? The Jews. 

If you bear the label “Zionist” today, that means you believe the Jews are God’s chosen people and Israel is their God-given national homeland. You believe that God brought them back into their homeland and is going to pour out His Spirit on them and awaken them to the fact that their Messiah, the Holy One of Israel, is none other than Yeshua, Jesus of Nazareth. 

To say that modern Israel is not Biblical Israel and modern Jews are not God’s chosen people is to say the Bible is wrong and portions of things promised to Israel are never going to come to pass. The same is true when someone calls the Jews occupiers. 

The truth is that if you are called a Zionist, that means you believe God is faithful to His word and promises, and Israel is living proof!

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

What’s Your Response to the Voice of Accusation?

In righteousness you shall be established; you shall be far from oppression, for you shall not fear; and from terror, for it shall not come near you.

Isaiah 54:14

It is important for you to be established in the righteousness of Christ, because it will determine how you respond to the voice of accusation when you are believing God for big things, and trusting Him for answered prayers.

“Who do you think you are?”

“Don’t you remember how you yelled at your spouse this morning? Why should God give you favor for your important presentation at the office today?"

“Look at how easily you lose your cool on the road. How can you have the cheek to expect good things to happen to you?”

'You call yourself a Christian? When was the last time you read your Bible? What have you done for God? Why should God heal your child?”

Do these accusations sound awfully familiar? Now, how you respond to this voice of accusation will expose what you really believe. This is the litmus test of what you believe. This is where the rubber meets the road!

A person could think, “Yeah, you are right. I don’t deserve this. How can I expect God’s favor to be on me for my presentation at the office when I was so harsh with my wife this morning?" Now, that's the response of someone who believes that he needs to earn his own righteousness and place of acceptance before God. This person believes that he can expect good from God only when his conduct is good and his own checklist of self-imposed requirements are met to the hilt.

He would probably storm into his office, still seething with anger at his wife. Worst of all, he feels cut off from the presence of Jesus because of his anger and thinks that he does not qualify to ask for God’s favor for his presentation. He steps into the boardroom disheveled and disorganized. He forgets his points and fumbles, causing his company to lose that major account. His bosses are disappointed with him and give him a huge tongue-lashing.

Frustrated and shamed, he drives home like a maniac, sounding his horn at every car that does not move the instant the traffic lights turn green. When he gets home, he is even more upset with his wife because he blames her for putting him in a foul mood in the morning, for his terrible presentation and for the loss of the major account! It’s all HER fault!

Now, see the difference if this person thinks, “Yeah, you are right. I don’t deserve to have God’s favor at all because I lost my temper with my wife this morning. But you know what? I am not looking at what I deserve. I am looking at what Jesus deserves. Even right now, Jesus, I thank You that You see me perfectly righteous. Because of the cross and Your perfect sacrifice, I can expect God's unmerited favor at my presentation. Every one of my shortcomings, even the tone I used this morning, is covered by Your righteousness. I can expect good not because I am good, but because You are good! Amen!”

See the amazing difference? This person is established upon Jesus’ righteousness and not his own right doing or good behavior. He goes to work depending on the unmerited favor of Jesus, and he aces the presentation and clinches a major account for his company. His bosses are impressed by his performance and mark him for the next round of promotion. He drives home with peace and joy, feeling the Father’s love and favor. Consequently, he is more patient with other drivers.

Now, does this mean that he sweeps all his failings under the carpet and pretends that they never happened? No way! This man, full of the consciousness that the Lord is with him, will find the strength in Christ to apologize to his wife for the tone he had used on her. You see, a heart that has been touched by unmerited favor cannot hold on to unforgiveness, anger, and bitterness.

Which of the above accounts demonstrate true holiness? Of course, it is the second account. Depending on God’s favor results in a life of practical holiness. Right believing always leads to right living!

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

Only Grace Brings Hope

“. . . the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound… to give them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness . . .”

Isaiah 61:1, 3

After several decades of ministry, I have found that only the preaching of God’s radical grace brings hope to believers. Only the finished work of Jesus can bring us wholeness, shalom-peace, and freedom from condemnation and a painful past. Let me share with you a heartfelt praise report I received from Alena, who lives in New Zealand. Listen to how God put her heart back together:

Pastor Prince, I grew up in a home with an abusive father whose difficult ways strained our family relationships to the breaking point. When his health deteriorated with multiple diseases, the Lord placed in my heart my parents’ need for help. I asked Him, “Why me? I can’t stand my father’s ways!” In the end, I told God that although I didn’t want to, I would do it for Him.

My care for my parents lasted many, many years, and I sacrificed much to take care of my father. I put my entire heart into it, praying for him and keeping him company when he was lonely. Yet, right up to the moment he died, all I received from him was rejection. Whenever I went to him, he would just turn his face away. He never relented, not when I asked him for forgiveness for anything I may have done to cause him hurt, and not even on his deathbed.

You can imagine how heartbreaking that was. During his funeral preparations, I was so devastated that I couldn’t even think straight. I was totally broken. I couldn’t breathe through the pain and overwhelming guilt in my heart.

Reading your book has brought a healing release that I needed so much because of all the guilt and condemnation that had built up inside me. The release was so tremendous that I jumped for joy, cried my heart out for days, and felt God’s peace in my heart and life. I feel so free! Free from the weight of legalistic teachings, rejection, and bondage. The weight that came off me was phenomenal. My heart that was once so full of pain became so light, so at peace.

Thank You, Jesus, for Your finished work on the cross! I am free from condemnation! Every day, I confess over my family and myself that I am greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved! Hallelujah!

You may be familiar with the guilt and condemnation Alena experienced during that devastating period in her life. Perhaps condemnation has also imprisoned you in a suffocating grip over some things that may have happened in your past.

Beloved, God in His love and grace wants to set you free today. What you need to know is that no amount of trying to fulfill God’s law can ever bring you the wholeness and restoration you need. But where you could not and cannot, Jesus fulfilled the law on your behalf and paid the price for your sins at the cross.

Today, your part is to believe in your Savior and receive from Him the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness. That’s how you receive healing for your broken heart and body, wholeness for your mind, and His strength and victory to overcome every area of defeat and darkness in your life. It’s time to step into a life of rest in Christ Jesus and His finished work, and watch Him give you the breakthrough you need.

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

What the Savior Endured

His visage was marred more than any man, and His form more than the sons of men.

Isaiah 52:14

Our Lord Jesus chose the bread and wine as the elements of the holy Communion because they are practical, visual reminders of what happened to Him as He went to the cross. Both grain and grapes have to go through a process of being pulverized before you can get bread or wine.

You don’t get wine from just eating grapes. The grapes have to first be trampled upon and completely crushed. They are then left in the dark to ferment. That’s what happened to our Lord Jesus.

It is important we discern the Lord’s body for our health. Each time you partake of His broken body by eating the bread, don’t rush through it. Partake with a revelation of what He did for you, and meditate on the process the bread had to go through.

To get bread in Jesus’ time, the wheat stalks first had to be threshed, either through beating (Judg. 6:11 NASB) or with the use of a threshing sledge (Isa. 41:15). It was a violent process that involved beating, crushing, and cutting the wheat to separate the grain from the stalks. Then the grain had to be ground in a millstone or beaten in a mortar to get flour. After that, water had to be added, and the flour was then kneaded and punched into dough before it was baked over fire.

All this is a picture of what happened to our Lord Jesus. To become the Bread of Life for you and me, He was brutally beaten and pounded over and over again during His trial and crucifixion. When He was condemned by the high priest and Sanhedrin, they mocked Him, spat on Him, and beat Him. They blindfolded Him and struck Him on His face (Luke 22:63–64; Mark 14:65). He was then sent to Pontius Pilate, who had Him savagely scourged by Roman soldiers (Matt. 27:26). Then they put a scarlet robe on His battered body, twisted a crown of thorns, and rammed it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, bowed before Him, and mocked Him. They spat on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again, driving the thorns deeper and deeper into His flesh with each blow. When “they were finally tired of mocking him,” they led Him away to be crucified (Matt. 27:27–31 NLT).

All of that was before His body was nailed to the cross. We can never fully imagine or understand the horrifying torture, degrading humiliation, and excruciating pain our Savior endured for our sakes. He suffered so that you and I would not have to suffer the scourge of sickness in our bodies. By the scourging He bore, we are healed! Hallelujah!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Shalom from Galilee! You know, sometimes you look at the events happening around you and all you can do is sit back and say, “Oh, my goodness.” I mean, seriously! If you’ve read my thrillers, you know what a great fan I am of the Mossad and how highly I think of their skillset. But the events of Tuesday and Wednesday? Again, oh my goodness!

It was 3:30 PM, Tuesday afternoon. All the Hezbollah leadership and mid-level guys were out doing their Hezbollahy things – buying some fruit, visiting family, torturing prisoners. Suddenly, their pagers went off. Yes, you read that right. Their pagers, just like what happens to millions of people every day all around the world, or at least it did back in the 90s. The message was an error code that kept the device beeping and vibrating for ten seconds. Some lifted their pagers up so they could read the code before clearing it. Others just figured there was a problem and cleared the code while the device remained on their belts. As soon as they pressed the clear button, the devices exploded.

It was ugly. Many had their waists severely burned. Others had others parts of their nether regions seriously and permanently compromised. The ones who got the worst of it, though, were those who were trying to make out the numbers on the tiny LED screen. Many of them were blinded. Others lost their lives. It was the most direct, well-planned, and perfectly executed cyberstrike of the modern era. More than 4000 Hezbollah terrorists were wounded initially, and at least 11 were killed. Four hundred of those wounded are in critical condition, more than 500 lost their eyesight, and 18 high-ranking terrorist commanders were injured.

This all started with Hassan Nasrallah, head of Hezbollah, calling on his minions to abandon their cell phones, because they could be tracked. He encouraged them to go back to low tech communications, like pagers. So, the terrorist organization put in an order with a Taiwanese company who subbed the order out to a Hungarian company that just might have been tied in very deeply with the Mossad. Hungary, by the way, claims the devices were never in their country. But one way or another the order was fulfilled, with a free bonus to 5000 of the pagers – 20 grams of PETN explosives. Once completed, they shipped them to Lebanon where they were distributed to various levels of leadership. Soon, all the cool terrorists were sporting them on their belts. The run-of-the-mill terror-guys didn’t need them, because they just follow the orders of their bosses.

Then came 3:30 PM, the alerts, and the explosions. It happened all across Lebanon and even into Syria. Lebanese terrorists were taken down. Some Syrians were hit. Even Iran’s ambassador to Lebanon, Mojtaba Amani, lost an eye and had his other severely damaged. Strange that an Iranian ambassador would be carrying a Hezbollah pager, don’t you think? The Iranian connection goes even farther with the son of Ali Maruf Hejazi, the Iran Supreme Leader’s representative in Lebanon, seriously injured in both of his eyes when his Hezbollah pager blew up. Later in the day yesterday, Al-Hadath, a Saudi newspaper, reported that 19 members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) were killed by the pagers in Syria and another 150 were injured.

Back in Lebanon, it was chaos for Hezbollah. They had ditched their cell phones and now their pagers had blown up. Thankfully for the terrorists, many of the leaders who had survived the attack still had their hand-held radios. They were large and a little clunky, but they kept them connected.

Then Wednesday came, and it all started happening again.

But this time, the explosions were bigger because those hand-held radios the terrorists still had were bigger. Bigger devices, more explosives. Sixty buildings, 15 cars, and dozens of motorcycles were damaged or destroyed by the hundreds of blasts. First reports said that 14 people have been reported killed and more than 450 injured. Hezbollah is at a loss. Their communications have broken down. They’d try to send smoke signals, but they’re probably concerned that the Mossad somehow poisoned their wood to emit deadly fumes. They are truly at the point that Nineveh was when the prophet Nahum wrote that they are “empty, desolate, and waste! The heart melts, and the knees shake; much pain is in every side, and all their faces are drained of color.” That is a very apt description of many who are in Lebanon’s overfilled hospital rooms today.

The details of how the intelligence agency (allegedly) pulled off this second feat remain murky. But it’s not the first time that Israeli intelligence assassinated someone by a hand-held device. In the early 1990s, Yahya Ayyash, Hamas bombmaker and head of Hamas’s West Bank division of the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigade, was a busy young man. Known as “the Engineer”, he was responsible for making bombs that killed dozens of Israelis in at least eight suicide attacks. After a little arm-twisting, the Shin Bet convinced an acquaintance of Ayyash’s to get a certain cell phone into the hands of the terrorist so that they could listen in on his conversations. This acquaintance gave the device to his nephew, whose phone Ayyash would often borrow. Sure enough, Ayyash came by to use the nephew’s phone so he could call his father. After confirming that it was Ayyash on the line, the Shin Bet triggered 15 grams of RDX explosive that they had stashed inside the device and Ayyash was killed instantly.

But this is the first time a cyberattack on communication devices was this widespread. The rigging of the pagers and the hand-held radios is truly an intelligence feat! As of this morning, the official numbers put the dead in the two attacks at 26 and the wounded somewhere well over 3000. The unofficial numbers, however, say that already a hundred are dead, many more are wounded than officials are reporting, and hundreds of terrorists are not expected to survive.

What other nation can you imagine pulling this off? Steve Yohn and I joked yesterday that some people thought we had crossed a line of believability when we put explosives into artwork in By Way of Deception. That’s despite that plot being based on an actual attack on the Natanz nuclear facility when explosives were built into the framework of a desk that was then smuggled into the plant. But we both had to admit that loading mini bombs into thousands of pagers and walkie-talkies then having Hezbollah themselves distribute the deadly devices to their own people was beyond even our wild imaginations. And that’s just from the information that we know. Even as I’m writing this, reports are coming in that the order may have been taken by a European-based Israeli shell company, which would mean that Hezbollah actually paid Israel for all the devices that exploded. Not long after, a Bulgarian newspaper reported that a company in Sofia called Norta Global Ltd sent the pagers. We may never know the full truth. What I do know is that as a writer and an Israeli, I am giving my government and my intelligence agencies an awe-filled standing ovation.

As an Israeli, however, I am also pleading with my government to go into the north immediately. Hezbollah has been greatly weakened. They are afraid of their communications systems. Their leaders are wounded or dead. Now is the time to finish off Hezbollah for the sakes of the Israelis and the Lebanese. I know that there is pressure coming from the United States. The last thing the Harris campaign wants is an expanded battle during Biden’s tenure. But Mr. Prime Minister, you know that it has to be done! We must push hard today, so that we don’t have to push hard tomorrow. This is despite the fact that so many are against us, including the fools at the United Nations who just voted 124-14 to deny Israel of its right to self-defense in Gaza and the West Bank. I was very encouraged Tuesday, when I heard that resituating northern Israeli residents back into their homes was added to the official war goals. Of course, that can only happen when Hezbollah is disarmed and pushed out of southern Lebanon. I was also hearted when I learned late last night that the Israeli cabinet granted Netanyahu and Defense Minister Gallant the green light to take military action against Hezbollah, even if it leads to all-out war.

I understand the risk. It was a difficult week for Israel. In Rafah on Tuesday, four young Israeli soldiers lost their lives. Capt. Daniel Mimon Toaff, 23, Staff Sgt. Amit Bakri, 21, Staff Sgt. Dotan Shimon, 21, and Staff Sgt. Agam Naim, 20, were killed in Rafah when there was an explosion in the building they were in. Agam Naim, a paramedic and the first female killed in combat in Gaza, was only two days away from going on leave. Our hearts break for their families. Pushing hard in the north is going to cost more lives. I know, I have children in active service and in the reserves. But it must be done if we are ever going to have peace. 

According to Ezekiel 38, when Russia comes down with Turkey, Iran, and her other allies, Lebanon and Syria will not be part of the attack. I believe Syria will be out of the fight because they’ll be dealing with the destruction of Damascus as spoken of by the prophet Isaiah:
 

The burden against Damascus. “Behold, Damascus will cease from being a city, And it will be a ruinous heap” (Isaiah 17:1).
 

What Lebanon is facing right now could possibly be the reason why they are irrelevant. Unfortunately, a fight against Hezbollah means a fight against Lebanon, because the country has allowed the terrorist organization to become so imbedded into their infrastructure. If Israel is forced to fight tooth and nail to destroy Hezbollah, the country could end up in shambles. Let’s pray that the Lord intervenes, the guilty receive justice, and the innocent are allowed to live in peace, whether they live in Israel or in Lebanon.

Fresh Grace for Every Failing

The faithful love of the Lord never ends! His mercies never cease. Great is his faithfulness; his mercies begin afresh each morning.

Lamentations 3:22–23 NLT

My friend, every time you fail, there is fresh grace from Jesus to rescue you. Every time you fall short, confess your righteousness in Jesus by faith. I know you probably won’t feel particularly righteous, and that is why you need to say it by faith.

I have received so many testimonies of breakthroughs from people around the world who, even as they succumb to their addictions, would confess, “Even right now, I am the righteousness of God in Christ” and eventually found freedom from their bondages. It could be a smoking addiction or an alcohol or pornography addiction.

Michael, a brother in Australia, happily shared, “I have just given up smoking by following what you’ve taught in your books and DVDs (about being conscious of and confessing my righteousness in Christ) whenever I was tempted to smoke. I have also been set free from twenty years of drug and alcohol abuse and am free of paranoid thoughts. I couldn’t give them up through my own efforts, but through Christ I have.”

The more these people confessed and saw themselves as righteous in Jesus, even in the midst of their failings, the more they came to see their true identity in Christ. The dead leaves began to fall, and they came to the place where they didn’t have any desire to ever smoke another cigarette, drink another drop of alcohol, or visit another pornographic website. New leaves, new flowers, and new fruits unconsciously and effortlessly sprang up in their lives. Grace put an end to the barrenness and torment of winter and ushered in perpetual spring for them.

Beloved, if you are grappling with something right now, stop struggling and start receiving. Start receiving the abundance of the Lord’s unmerited favor. Start receiving the free gift of His righteousness. Start receiving the cleansing power of His forgiveness. There is nothing for you to do but to soak it all up and to allow His resurrection power to drive out every symptom of death and decay in your circumstances and in your life.

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

Gathered Under His Wings

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were not willing! See! Your house is left to you desolate.”

Luke 13:34–35

There’s a beautiful picture hidden in verse 4 of Psalm 91. It’s a picture of a mother hen protecting her chicks. The scriptures above record how the Lord Jesus looked at Jerusalem and lamented over it. Later, Jesus wept over Jerusalem, saying, “For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation” (Luke 19:43–44). The Greek word for “wept” in verse 41 is klaio, and it means to be so affected emotionally as to sob and wail aloud.

Can you see the Lord’s tender mercies toward Israel as He shed much tears over her? He wished that He could gather Israel under His feathers as a mother hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but the Lord could not force His protection on them because they rejected Him. I believe that as our Lord wept, He foresaw not only the Roman siege of Jerusalem, when the temple was burned to the ground and many of the Jews killed or sold as slaves, but He also foresaw the horrors of the Holocaust.

Notice that the Lord said, “But you were not willing!” This clearly tells us that the Lord will not force on us His protection if we are not willing to come under His wings.

Beloved, are you willing to have the Lord Jesus protect you and your family today? Then tell Him. Let’s never take our Lord’s protection for granted. Instead, let’s take time daily to let Him know that we are putting our trust in Him for His covering and protection.

Do you want to know what happens when you do that? Look at what Boaz said to Ruth: “The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge” (Ruth 2:12). Wow! It was already a privilege for this Moabite outcast, who was disqualified by the law, to find refuge under the wings of the God of Israel. But God even rewarded her for doing so.

In the same way, it is a privilege for us to be able to take refuge under His wings. Yet when we tell the Lord that we need Him and want His refuge, He gives us a full reward for trusting Him and for coming under His wings. What a God!

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

I believe that the most significant end-time prophecy is the rebirth of Israel and the rebirth of the fig tree. You have to understand, Israel in the Scriptures has been described as three different types of trees: the vine, the fig, and the olive. Each and every one of them was a symbol of something else. The vine was a symbol of the spiritual privileges of Israel. The fig was a symbol of Israel’s national privileges, and that’s why the birth of Israel as a nation. They were still the people of God, He still cared about them, but there was no rebirth as a nation back in the land. So the national privileges are the fig, and the religious ones, the olive tree. That olive tree that had roots deep, the roots of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God says, “I am the Lord and remember My name. I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

So when somebody says to you, “Oh, we, the Muslims, we believe in the same God as you. We believe in the God of Abraham.” Well, ask him if he believes in the God of Isaac and Jacob also, because that’s the full name of our God. And if they stop at Abraham, that’s not the same God, folks.

May 14, 1948 was a day of great prophetic significance as it began the final march toward the end of the church age and the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel. The fig tree Jesus spoke of in Matthew 24:32 has “become tender and put forth leaves.” The Greek word translated as “tender” means “to be full of sap” which carries the nutrients to the leaves making it ready to bear fruit.

Satan is well aware of the sequence of events that will take place during the last days and his efforts are to destroy the fig tree before it bears the fruit of Zechariah 12:10, which reads, “And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn.”

The enemy has attempted this through the Holocaust and the current and growing antisemitism around the world. But he has also done this “in-house” through spiritual deception convincing some that the church is the new Israel, while others he has convinced that the Bible has been corrupted and a “new and improved” word from God has now come. This is what the Mormons and Muslims have done. They will use familiar sounding terminology but they have an altogether different dictionary. The Mormons use the name Jesus, but their Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer and both are the offspring of a former human from a different planet who became a god. Same vocabulary, different dictionary. The Muslims have a personage they call Isa whom they say is the Jesus of the Bible. They claim he was born of a virgin and performed miracles, but he did not die on the cross for the sins of the world. Which means the Islamic Jesus is not the Jesus of the Bible.

This is why genealogies in the Bible are so important. Luke 3 records the genealogy of Jesus all the way back to Adam through David, Jesse, Boaz, and on to Jacob, Isaac, and Abraham, and then finally all the way back to Adam.

Genesis 17:15-19
Then God said to Abraham, “As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. And I will bless her and also give you a son by her; then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples shall be from her.”

Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, “Shall a child be born to a man who is one hundred years old? And shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?” And Abraham said to God, “Oh, that Ishmael might live before You!”

Then God said: “No, Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his descendants after him.”

The Lord said that His everlasting covenant was not with Ishmael but with Isaac and his descendants. How do we know this is still true? The descendants of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob are back in their national homeland just as the Bible foretold. And that means Israel is about to bear the fruit of coming to know their Messiah at the end of the Tribulation, and the Rapture is about to bring an end to the church age. 

Even so, come quickly Lord Jesus,

The Gospel Brings Health and Provision

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!

Matthew 7:11

I have had people call me a health and wealth “prosperity gospel” preacher. Actually, there is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel.” There is only one gospel and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Through Jesus' finished work on the cross, you can depend on Him for His resurrection life to pulsate and flow in your physical body from the crown of your head to the soles of your feet. Sicknesses and diseases are not from God. On the cross, Jesus bore not just our sins, but also our sicknesses, diseases, and infirmities, and “by His stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5)!

That’s not all, my friend. On the cross, Jesus bore the curse of poverty! This is what the Word of God declares: “For you know the grace [unmerited favor] of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich” (2 Cor. 8:9). Read 2 Corinthians 8 for yourself. The entire chapter is about money and being a blessing financially to those who are in need. So don’t let anyone tell you that the verse is referring to “spiritual” riches. Let me tell you this: It is the devil who wants you sick and poor, but the God I know has paid a heavy price to redeem you from the curse of sickness and poverty!

Let’s understand how God deals with us from the point of relationship. As a parent, how would you teach your child character and patience? With sicknesses and diseases? Of course not! There are institutions where we put such parents! Again, as a parent, how would you teach your child humility? By cursing your child with poverty for the rest of his life? No way! Now, isn’t it amazing how everything becomes crystal clear when we start thinking from the point of view of a parent, and put our own children in the picture?

When you start to think along the lines of relationship, everything will converge and you will begin to see things from God’s perspective. He is our Father who operates on the frequency of relationship, and through His unmerited favor in our lives, we learn character, patience, and humility as we rest from our self-efforts and depend on Him. The more we know our Father, the more we become like Him. This is how God causes us to grow from glory to glory in every area of our lives. It is simply by beholding Him (2 Cor. 3:18)!

You know that as parents, we always seek the best things for our children. How much more would our Father in heaven want the best things for us, His precious children? In the same way that you want your children to be healthy, God wants you to enjoy His divine health. And in the same way that you want your children to always have more than enough, God wants you to enjoy His supernatural provision.

When He provides, get ready for a net-breaking, boat-sinking load (Luke 5:6-7). Get ready for twelve baskets full of leftovers (John 6:13)! The Bible puts things in perspective most clearly in Matthew 7:11—If you then, as imperfect parents, “know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him”!

My friend, get this right: God abhors sickness and He loathes poverty. He gave everything He had to annihilate sickness and poverty, when He gave us His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. He placed all of humanity’s sin, as well as the curse of sickness and poverty on the body of Jesus. All you need to do right now is respond to Jesus' finished work—your sins have already been forgiven. Your physical body will be healed and your poverty will indeed be history!

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

Are You Trying to Fix Yourself?

“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.”

Matthew 5:17 NIV

I can never emphasize this enough: Christianity is about having a relationship with a loving God. My friend, it is when you get a revelation of God’s desire to have a personal, loving relationship with you and how Jesus has forever made secure this relationship that real transformation from the inside out begins to happen to you.

Listen to how this revelation led fifty-year-old Jarvis, whose personal life was a daily struggle, to his breakthrough:

I have gone to church for as long as I can remember. I have run the sound at church for nine years, painted, cleaned, donated time, and done everything I was able to. I gave my 10 percent and more. I also sang praises, read books, and spoke in tongues. I did all this and yet was miserable. I lived in lack, had no confidence, and had no relationship with Jesus. I always wondered what was wrong with me.

My friends in church were like me too and we all acted as if life was wonderful when, in fact, it was the complete opposite. In the end, I was mentally and physically drained with all things concerning God. I read numerous books on how to fix ME. I prayed and had people pray for me but nothing changed! I thought that I had a problem and even wondered if I had a mental issue. I felt like the worst husband and father even though I love my wife and have the two greatest kids in the world.

One day, just before going to bed, I discovered your television program. I saw only three minutes of preaching before your broadcast ended, but I heard enough to want to know more. I picked up my Kindle Fire and typed in “Joseph Prince.” I downloaded a free preview of one of your books, read one chapter, and bought the book.

I read three chapters that night and was SET FREE before I went to bed. I have never experienced anything like this in my entire life. “The law has been fulfilled by Christ . . .” Oh man, GLORY TO GOD! What a blessing this book has been.

My life is forever changed. I am back to reading the Word, worshipping with CDs, and praying in the Spirit. I’m in love with Jesus, I am on FIRE, and I am not a fake trying to impress others. I have an intimate relationship with Jesus that I didn’t know was possible and that has been the greatest blessing of all. I know my life will never be the same!

I pray you will discover, as Jarvis did, that the answer to your struggles does not lie in you trying to fix yourself. If you go down this route, you will never see an end in sight.

The truth is, because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice, nothing you have or have not done can hijack or derail the loving relationship God wants you to have with Him. Let this truth sink into your heart and begin to enjoy a relationship with your heavenly Father where you can freely receive His love and grace for you.

All your fears, confusion, and struggles to receive from Him will come to an end. You won’t be struggling to love Him. Instead, your heart will be fired up with love for Him, and like Jarvis, you will know and see how your life will never be the same!

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

Stand Still

“Listen, all you of Judah and you inhabitants of Jerusalem, and you, King Jehoshaphat! Thus says the Lord to you: ‘Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s. . . You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!’ Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you.”

2 Chronicles 20:15, 17

When King Jehoshaphat and the small tribe of Judah were besieged on all fronts by 3 powerful and bloodthirsty armies rapidly advancing toward Jerusalem (2 Chron. 20), the king set himself to seek the Lord and pray with hope before all the assembly of Judah. It was then that the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jahaziel, who spoke the words of the Lord that we read in today’s scripture. On hearing these words of hope, all Judah humbled themselves before the Lord, bowing before Him and worshiping Him.

Today the Lord is saying the same words to you in your situation. Hope in Him for He loves you! You don’t have to live in fear and discouragement when you know that the battle is not yours, but the Lord’s. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord. The battle is His, and you will not need to fight in it.

What do you do when you don’t know what to do? The best thing you can do is to stand still. Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord in your situation.

But Pastor Prince, if I stand still, nothing will happen!

My friend, standing still is not inactivity or doing nothing. It’s a posture of hope, and it involves keeping your hope anchored on the person of Jesus and having a sure and confident expectation of good. When the marauding armies of Pharaoh were charging toward the children of Israel, hell-bent on annihilating them, Moses simply declared to the terrified Israelites, “Do not be afraid. Stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exod. 14:13). The Hebrew word for salvation is yeshua, which is actually the name of Jesus. So salvation is the person of Jesus, and He is with you.

When you are caught in a hopeless situation, learn to position yourself— stand still and see the saving power of Jesus work on your behalf. He will never leave you nor forsake you (Heb. 13:5). And as you center yourself, your thoughts, your beliefs, and your hopes on Him, He will lead you concerning what to do, just as He led Jehoshaphat to a triumphant victory over his enemies.

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

Message from Amir Tsarfati

Shalom from CONNECT in Israel! As I work on this, it is still Wednesday. In other words, today is 9/11. I can still remember being in the Twin Towers on September 10, 2001, asking my friend who accompanied me what would happen if a plane were ever to strike the buildings. Isn’t it interesting that I was in-country when America was viciously attacked, but I was out of Israel on October 7, 2023, when my country was brutalized. Thinking back 23 years, I can recall the day after the towers came down. Sorrow, anger, shock, vengeance – all were in the hearts and minds of the people. The same emotions filled the population here in Israel eleven months ago. Although I missed the day of the invasion, I was home soon after and have been riding the aftermath rollercoaster ever since. Just as the memory of 9/11 still haunts so many over twenty years later, I know the specter of 10/7 will plague the minds of Israelis for decades to come.

A major reason that Hamas was able to hit Israel so hard was that we didn’t take their cunning and their ruthlessness seriously enough. We didn’t know the details about the miles of tunnels under Gaza nor the immense size of the weapons cache smuggled in from Egypt through the Philadelphi Corridor. We learned our lesson on the military side. We are also learning our lesson on the political side.

This past Friday, the German newspaper BILD published a document that appears to have come from the computer of Yahya Sinwar. In it, we find a ceasefire strategy that shows the manipulative and disingenuous of Hamas’s claims to want to return hostages and end the war. The article detailed six key points:

1)    Blame Israel: Hamas is committed to blaming Israel for every failed hostage negotiation. This is going according to plan. Despite Hamas rejecting every deal that doesn’t include a complete Israeli surrender, the media lays the responsibility at the feet of Netanyahu without fail. Just last week, the BBC was found to have breached journalistic rules 1500 times in the past months, pushing their agenda of anti-Israel propaganda in order to brainwash the people.

2)    Preserve Military Power: Hamas is not thinking about giving up. They are ready to fight to the death of the last of their human shields. But they may be facing trouble very soon now that the IDF has closed the underground armament highway from Egypt through the Philadelphi Corridor. In fact, Defense Minister Yoav Gallant revealed a letter yesterday from the recently exterminated Khan Yunis brigade commander Rafa Salama to Yahya and Mohammed Sinwar in which he reported that 70% of Hamas’s weapons had been destroyed, 95% of its rockets were ruined, and 50% of his operatives had been killed or wounded. Worse yet, 60% of his terrorists who were still of able body had fled, leaving him at only 20% strength. In summary, Hamas is not negotiating from a position of strength.

3)    Use Hostages for Pressure: This is where Hamas is finding its most success, both in Israel and abroad. Last Friday, 25,000 demonstrators marched in Tel Aviv demanding that Netanyahu sign a hostage deal. This is despite the fact that there is no hostage deal. I understand the pain of the families of the hostages. But we cannot just cut and run out of Gaza. Hamas must be broken, or there will soon come a day when the butchers will pour over the border again, slaughtering more people and kidnapping more hostages.

4)    Prolong the Negotiations: Hamas does not want a deal. They thwart every attempt. That is because the greatest weapon they have is public opinion. The longer they can extend the talks – despite the suffering of their own civilians – the more the pressure will build against Israel’s government to either cave or to throw Netanyahu out of office.

5)    Use Arab Forces as a Buffer: This is a strategy in which they envision placing Arab troops along the border between Israel and Gaza. Doing this will allow Hamas to buy time and regroup, as they prepare for a future confrontation.

6)    Keep Raising the Price for Hostages: Like going to a retailer who ups the price every time to reach for your wallet, Hamas continues to raise their demands with each negotiation. Again, this is because they have no interest in returning the hostages. They are just pawns in Hamas’s terrorist game. This was made quite clear this past week when RAdm. Daniel Hagari of the IDF showed the horrific conditions in which six hostages were kept for the last 11 months. When it became evident that the hostages were about to be rescued, Hamas put a bullet into the back of each innocent’s head. To Hamas, Israeli hostages are no different than their own civilians – they are just cannon fodder to be used then disposed of when their usefulness is at an end.

This is what Israel is dealing with. Anyone who believes that Netanyahu or his government can just negotiate their way out of this conflict has absolutely no understanding of the true situation.


The Middle East

If you have not subscribed to my Telegram channel, I would encourage you to do so. It will keep you on the cutting edge of what is happening in the Middle East and in the world. Also, if you missed my CONNECT MidEast Update Tuesday, please take time to watch it. It will take what you read in this newsletter to a deeper level.

Israel’s Focus Shifting North
Israel Defense Minister Yoav Gallant clearly indicated the changing attention of the Israeli Defense Forces from south to north when he told troops, “The center of gravity is moving northward, we are near to completing our tasks in the south, but our mission here is not yet done.” A second indication of this shift also came Tuesday when US CENTCOM chief Gen. Michael Kurilla met with IDF Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Herzi Halevi and others to discuss Lebanon. Israel will not be safe as long as the terrorist group Hezbollah has thousands upon thousands of rockets pointed toward the border.

In preparation for the coming attack, the Israeli military has been daily destroying Hezbollah’s ability to launch their missiles. This included an unusual strike in the heart of Syria last Thursday into Friday. The target was an Iranian research facility that worked with drones and chemical weapons. There were three waves to the attack at Masyaf. The first destroyed access roads to the targeted facility. The second wave took out the anti-aircraft batteries. The third wave brought commandos in helicopters. They took out a number of people at this Iranian research facility, confiscated computers, then destroyed the compound. When they left, they brought some prisoners with them to be interrogated. If you want to find out more about this, watch my Breaking News Update from this morning.

Unfortunately, there are many more sites to hit and so many more rocket launch locations to go, as evidenced by the 60 rockets fired at Israel from Lebanon in a single hour just yesterday. This shift of focus to the north will be the first time that my region in Jezreel will be seriously affected by the war. My family and I are preparing for some difficult times ahead. Still, we are anticipating the beginning of the northern battle, because once it starts, we will be that much closer to it being over with. It is then we can experience peace again, reestablish tourism, and no longer fear being attacked in our own homes.

New Eastern Front in Israel
Even as the IDF gears up for the north, a new front is rearing its ugly head. Citing Iran’s Ayatollah Khamenei’s statement that the West Bank will be armed like Gaza, Israel’s Foreign Minister Israel Katz wrote on X, “The Iranian terror octopus is working to establish an eastern terror front against Israel and moderate states in the region.” Many don’t realize that 50-60% of those living in Jordan are Palestinian. So, it was no wonder that when a Palestinian opened fire at the Allenby Crossing between Israel and Jordan on Sunday, killing three Israeli civilians, there was great celebration in Jordan with the passing out of sweets and the setting off of fireworks.

You’ve read in this newsletter many times about the terrorist threat in the West Bank. Where do you think their weapons came from? You need only look to the east. In fact, just this past Sunday, police foiled an attempt to smuggle 74 handguns into Israel from Jordan. Then, the next day near the Na’aran settlement in the West Bank’s Jordan Valley, the IDF located and confiscated more handguns, along with a shotgun. Sadly, when the terrorists don’t have guns, they make do with what they have. The day after the attack at the Allenby Crossing, a 58-year-old Palestinian drove his tanker truck into a bus stop killing 24-year-old Staff Sgt. Geri Gideon Hanghal. Fellow soldiers, along with a civilian, ensured that the perpetrator would never have the opportunity to hurt anyone ever again.

Bad Day in Gaza
Yesterday was a difficult day in Gaza. A Yanshuf (Black Hawk) helicopter on an evacuation mission crashed near Rafah, killing Sgt. Maj. (res.) Daniel Alloush, 37, and Sgt. Maj. (res.) Tom Ish-Shalom, 38, and injuring seven others. While these Israelis gave their lives to aid someone else, Hamas is sacrificing other people’s lives to aid themselves. An Israeli news station reported Tuesday that the terrorist organization has profited by at least a half billion dollars by stealing humanitarian aid, then selling it to civilians who are in need. That right there is the epitome of the Hamas mindset.

An interesting idea is being discussed that could eventually bring normalization to the region. One of the strongest relationships for Israel to come from the Abraham Accords is the one they share with the United Arab Emirates (UAE). While Prime Minister Netanyahu demands open-ended control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the border with Egypt, he is open to discussions that might place an Emirati-controlled buffer between Gaza and Israel. It will be interesting to watch if the Emiratis and other Arab states warm up to the idea.

The United States Election
Tuesday saw the first post-convention debate between the presidential candidates. On one side was former president Donald Trump. On the other side were current vice president Kamala Harris and the two moderators from ABC. I will not give my opinion as to who I thought won the verbal contest, because I’ve got no business declaring winners. I am an Israeli. I have no vote.

I will tell you, though, that the world is closely watching the United States. I know that all of Israel is monitoring it, because we know that our future will be affected by the outcome. Harris claimed in the debate that she has always been a big supporter of Israel, then immediately followed by saying that too many innocent Palestinians are being killed and we need a two-state solution. Oy! When Trump was asked what he would do, he responded by saying that if he were president October 7 never would have happened. And he’s probably right. Still, as an Israeli, I would have liked to hear him say that he’s going to let us fight this war to the end.

So many parts of this globe will feel the effects of the November election. My prayer is that the church pours out in droves, prays on their way to the election booth, then votes the way the Holy Spirit is leading. If that is done, then good cannot lose.

Erdoğan is Still being Overly Chatty
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan of Turkey has a vision of making his country the center of Sunni Islam. To become so, he needs to somehow find a way to matter on the world stage. Thus, the president is using his platform to try to rally Muslim nations together against Israel. At a recent event, he blustered, “The only step that will stop Israel is the alliance of Islamic countries.” He went on to complain about Israeli expansionism, which is understandable when you consider all the colonies Israel has established around the world. Oh wait, there are no colonies. Maybe the president needs to look up the word “expansionism” in the dictionary. I do not think it means what he thinks it means. All that being said, President Erdoğan has developed a passionate hatred for Israel and will do what he can to help destroy the nation. That’s why it is not surprising at all that I spent a great amount of time last week filming the promo to our next book, The Sick Man’s Rage, that focuses on Turkey and its desire to destroy Israel. According to the prophecies of Ezekiel, Turkey must rise up and join an alliance with Russia and Iran and others. Together, they will strike Israel. Unfortunately for them, their attack will not quite go as they planned.

Got Any Extra Missiles?
If you happen to have any ballistic missiles laying around, I hear Russia will be more than happy to take them off your hands. U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken claimed Tuesday that Iran has sent more than 200 short-range ballistic missiles to Russia. In return, Russia provided Iran with technological information that just maybe could have been nuclear in nature. As part of a food-for-arms deal, North Korea has sent millions of rounds of ammunition and artillery shells to Russia, along with a hefty supply of ballistic missiles. So, if you have any spare rockets, give Putin a call. I hear that with every hundred missiles you send, you get a free set of hand-painted matryoshka nesting dolls. What a deal!


The Ministry

As I mentioned earlier, October 7 was a day of unimaginable horror. Few, if any, of us will ever experience the unfathomable terror of being chased down, assaulted, and killed. Because of that lack of personal experience, there is a danger of downplaying the nightmare of each individual and relegating the victims into statistics. Steve Yohn and I are determined to not let that happen. That is why the beginning of our next novel takes the reader through that traumatic day, both from the standpoint of a victim and that of the helpless friends and family who could only sit by and watch. From there, the rest of the thriller lets you see how Israel deals with those who perpetrate violence on its people, along with the ones who support them. The Sick Man’s Rage is a novel unlike anything you’ve read before. Preorder your copy today.

How do we know that what’s in our Bible is what God intended to be there? Maybe the formulators of the New Testament simply took the many Gospels that had been written, threw them up in the air, then chose the first four that landed in a basket. If you want to know why you can trust your Bible, then join Dr. Rick Yohn and me on Monday, September 16 at 11:00 AM PDT for “Explore the Bible”. And, don’t forget, you can also go to the “Explore the Bible” page on our website for even more resources.

As I mentioned above, if you missed Tuesday’s CONNECT MidEast Update, be sure to check it out. We dove deep into what is happening in the north of Israel and the threat coming from the east. Also, on Monday I had a great time with Pastor Barry Stagner and Pastor Mike Golay for CONNECT Q & A. As always, it was deep, powerful, and just plain fun!

Make sure to take the time to visit our Behold Israel Shop to check out our most recent additions! We have even added a build-your-own-bundle feature in order to provide you with efficient pricing as you add more books to your cart. At the end of the day, our passion is to get resources into the hands of people everywhere. We have also added new accessories and apparel!

The world is in upheaval. But those of us who belong to the Messiah can have blessed peace. No matter what happens, He will carry out His plan to perfection. Thank you to everyone who has prayed for us and supported this ministry. May God bless you deeply.

Awaiting His Return,

Protection in the Father

For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit.

1 Peter 3:18

Can I show you a beautiful picture of God’s love for you found in the story of Daniel? We saw how in Daniel’s case, the law of the land was violated and how, in spite of his love for Daniel, the king had to carry out the law and punish Daniel. If he hadn’t, he would have been an unrighteous king.

Now, imagine if someone came again a year later to accuse Daniel of this crime and asked for Daniel to be punished again, what would the king do? Would the king throw Daniel into the lions’ den again? No! Daniel had already been sentenced; he had already paid the price for his violation of the law.

My dear friend, because our Lord Jesus has been punished on the cross in your place, the devil cannot come to the King and ask for you to be punished and thrown into the lions’ den. You see, your sins were forgiven not because the King simply decided to close an eye and let you off the hook. The King forgave your sins righteously after judging them in the body of our Lord Jesus Christ. He who was completely without sin took your place and bore the full weight of the punishment for your sins (2 Cor. 5:21). ALL your sins have been legally and judicially judged at the cross. Because of His finished work, once you received the Lord Jesus into your heart, God’s justice and righteousness are on your side!

Do you know how much God loves Jesus, His beloved Son and the apple of His eye? Then I pray that you will have a revelation of how much your Father in heaven loves YOU. To redeem you, God paid the price with the blood of His only Son. It must have been a most difficult decision for Him. None of us would ever fully comprehend what God experienced in sending His own beloved Son to the cross.

We catch just a small glimpse of the torment that God suffered when we read about King Darius’s suffering. King Darius wanted to save Daniel, but he could not violate his own law. Similarly, God loves His Son, but He knew the only way to save us, who had violated the law, was to sacrifice His own Son, Jesus Christ. May this revelation of His amazing love and grace give you boldness to come freely to Him and find protection under His wings.

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