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coram_deo 23-Sep-21, 05:48 |
 Super Devotionals!This thread will be dedicated to Devotionals that I think are worth reading and meditating on over and over again, thereby earning the status, in my mind, of a Super Devotional. Here’s the first. From Joseph Prince Ministries: 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 - SEPTEMBER 23 - WHAT’S YOUR RESPONSE TO THE VOICE OF ACCUSATION? 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. |
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coram_deo 24-Sep-21, 05:42 |
This devotional speaks to the importance of praying Scripture aloud, and believers should always remember this verse written by the Apostle John: “Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4:4) From Joseph Prince Ministries: 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 - SEPTEMBER 24 - THE ENEMY IS BENEATH YOUR FEET 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. |
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coram_deo 26-Sep-21, 10:44 |
Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 1 John 4:10 KJV - SEPTEMBER 26 - KNOW YOUR FATHER’S HEART Today, I want you to reread the parable of the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11–32). As you read, keep in mind that this son utterly rejected and completely humiliated and dishonored his father, then only returned home when he remembered that even his father’s hired servants had more food than he did! It was not the son’s love for his father that made him journey home; it was his stomach. In his own self-absorbed pride, he wanted to earn his own keep as a hired servant rather than to receive his father’s provision by grace or unmerited favor. God wants us to know that even when our motivations are wrong, even when we have a hidden (usually self-centered) agenda and our intentions are not completely pure, He still runs to us in our time of need and showers His unmerited, undeserved, and unearned favor upon us. Oh, how unsearchable are the depths of His love and grace toward us! It will never be about our love for God. It will always be about His magnificent love for us. The Bible makes this clear: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10 KJV). Some people think that fellowship with God can only be restored when you are perfectly contrite and have perfectly confessed all your sins. Yet we see in this parable that it was the father who was the initiator, it was the father who had missed his son, who was already looking out for him, and who had already forgiven him. Before the son could utter a single word of his rehearsed apology, the father had already run to him, embraced him, and welcomed him home. Can you see how it’s all about our Father’s heart of grace, forgiveness, and love? Our Father God swallows up all our imperfections, and true repentance comes because of His goodness. Do I say “sorry” to God and confess my sins when I have fallen short and failed? Of course I do. But I do it not to be forgiven because I know that I am already forgiven through Jesus’ finished work. The confession is out of the overflow of my heart because I have experienced His goodness and grace and because I know that as His son, I am forever righteous through Jesus’ blood. It springs from being righteousness-conscious, not sin-conscious; from being forgiveness-conscious, not judgment-conscious. There is a massive difference. If you understand this and begin practicing this, you will begin experiencing new dimensions in your love walk with the Father. You will realize that your Daddy God is all about relationship and not religious protocol. He just loves being with you. Under grace, He doesn’t demand perfection from you; He supplies perfection to you through the finished work of His Son, Jesus Christ. So no matter how many mistakes you have made, don’t be afraid of Him. He loves you. Your Father is running toward you to embrace you! This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. |
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coram_deo 27-Sep-21, 05:43 |
Mark 2:22 - SEPTEMBER 27 - FREE FROM “AM I DOING ENOUGH FOR GOD?” 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. |
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coram_deo 27-Sep-21, 05:46 |
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coram_deo 28-Sep-21, 04:10 |
Romans 5:21 - SEPTEMBER 28 - ONLY GRACE BRINGS LASTING FREEDOM 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. |
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coram_deo 29-Sep-21, 10:22 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. 1 John 2:12 - SEPTEMBER 29 - WHY A REVELATION OF YOUR FORGIVENESS IS SO IMPORTANT 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. |
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coram_deo 29-Sep-21, 12:26 |
Speak Out Your Righteousness 29 September 2021 But the righteousness of faith speaks. Romans 10:6 Let me share something powerful with you about righteousness. In Romans 10:6, God's Word tells us that the "righteousness of faith speaks". Now, what does this mean? It means that God encourages us to not just believe in our hearts that we are righteous, but to also speak it out! So righteous one, declare your righteousness. Every day, boldly say, "Father, I thank You that I am righteous in Christ, not because of what I have done, but because of what Christ has done. It's a gift and I receive it with all my heart." I believe that when you speak and declare your righteousness, good things happen. You become conscious of all the blessings and all the promises that are due the righteous. Instead of disqualifying yourself, you'll start to believe God for good success, favor, and wisdom. Experiencing provision becomes effortless because you know your right standing in Christ. So stop disqualifying yourself and confess your righteousness! |
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coram_deo 02-Oct-21, 08:51 |
“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 - OCTOBER 2 - ARE YOU TRYING TO FIX YOURSELF? 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. |
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coram_deo 04-Oct-21, 10:01 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses. Colossians 2:13 - OCTOBER 4 - PERFECT SACRIFICE, COMPLETE FORGIVENESS You will never be sure that you have God’s unmerited favor if you are not sure if God has forgiven you of your sins. Beloved, I want you to know that your sins are forgiven not according to the riches of your good works, but according to the riches of God's grace (unmerited favor). All your sins—past, present, and future—have been forgiven. Don’t draw a timeline of God’s forgiveness of your sins. There are some Christians who believe that the forgiveness they received spans only from the day they were born to the day they became Christians. From that point onward, they think that they need to tread very carefully in case they lose their salvation. This belief is simply unscriptural. Colossians 2:13 states clearly that we have been forgiven of all our sins. Does “all” mean the same thing to you as it does to me? My Bible says that all our sins have been forgiven by Jesus' one sacrifice on the cross. We have been forgiven once and for all! The high priests in the old covenant had to offer sacrifices for sins daily. But Jesus, our perfect new covenant High Priest, offered the complete, perfect sacrifice “once for all when He offered up Himself” (Heb. 7:27). On the cross, He took upon Himself all the sins that you will commit in your lifetime, and once for all paid the full price for all your sins. Christ does not need to be crucified again for your future sins. In fact, all your sins were in the future when He died on the cross. So when you received Jesus into your heart, ALL your sins were completely forgiven! Now that you know that your sin debt has been completely cleared and settled by Jesus on your behalf, don’t expect God to deal with you according to your sins. When something negative happens, don’t imagine that God is coming after you because of what you did in the past. Instead, take God at His Word and expect to enjoy the benefits of the heavy price Jesus paid at the cross for you. We sowed nothing good, but through Jesus, we have reaped every good blessing. That, my friend, is called unmerited favor. And you honor what He has done for you by thanking Him and expecting these blessings to manifest in your life every day. This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. |
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coram_deo 05-Oct-21, 07:43 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 AMPC - OCTOBER 5 - SPEAK FORTH YOUR AUTHORITY Many people think that God has full control over the world today and so pin the blame on Him for disasters, tragic accidents, and sicknesses. Some people become atheists because they say they can’t worship a capricious God who would allow children to suffer terminal diseases. Sadly, what they don’t understand is that there is a devil who is very real, active, and destructive in this world. God is not the author of calamities and diseases. Our Lord Jesus came that we might have life and have it more abundantly! But the devil is a thief. He comes to steal, to kill, and to destroy (John 10:10). The world we live in today is a fallen world. God gave Adam and Eve dominion over this world, but the moment Adam and Eve bit into the forbidden fruit, sin and death corrupted it. Adam and Eve ceded control of this world over to the devil. Satan is called “the prince of the power of the air” in Ephesians 2:2, “the god of this age” in 2 Corinthians 4:4, and “the ruler of this world” in John 12:31. Now, this does not mean that Satan rules the world completely and has unlimited power in the world. Please pay absolute and close attention to this. It is so important that you know and understand that believers of the Lord Jesus Christ are no longer under the dominion of Satan’s power and influence in this world. In Christ, we may be in this world, but we are not of this world (John 17:11, 14). We belong to a higher power and His name is Jesus. The Bible also tells us, “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4). That is why we can stand firm, stand strong, and stand proud upon the promises of God, and speak, “It is well” over every area of our lives. We are His! We are not like sheep without a shepherd. All the blessings, promises, and protection that belong to the righteous “are Yes, and in Him Amen” (2 Cor. 1:20). We need only receive them by grace through faith. They are not received through our works, so no man can boast, but purely through faith in His unmerited favor (Eph. 2:8–9). Just take the promise in Proverbs 11:21 (KJV) that says, “The seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” This means that your sons and daughters shall be kept safe and protected in Jesus’ name. When fear works its way into your heart and you begin to get anxious about the safety of your children, just claim this promise in God’s Word and say, “Lord, I thank You that I am the righteousness of God in Christ, and You promised in Your Word that the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” When questions come to mind that try to put doubt in your heart about your righteousness and qualification in Christ, I encourage you to say, “By faith I have been made righteous and the seed of the righteous shall be delivered.” Furthermore, Psalm 112:2 (KJV) declares this of the believer: “His seed shall be mighty upon earth: the generation of the upright shall be blessed.” Amen! I want to encourage you to take the gospel of grace seriously. There is a real enemy and his aim is to deceive you into thinking you have to work for your righteousness, so he can keep you constantly feeling inadequate and disqualified. But the truth is this: new covenant righteousness is a gift received by faith, and the blood of our Lord Jesus has qualified you! Today God’s Word, God’s power, and God’s protection over you are far stronger than anything the enemy can throw at you. The devil is the ruler of this world, but don’t forget what God’s Word proclaims over you: “He Who lives in you is greater (mightier) than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4 AMP). You are so utterly cleansed by the blood of our Lord Jesus that today the Holy Spirit, God’s own Spirit, lives in you. And He Who is in you is greater than any demon, any adversity, and any bondage. Amen! This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. |
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coram_deo 06-Oct-21, 10:23 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: I ask you again, does God give you the Holy Spirit and work miracles among you because you obey the law? Of course not! It is because you believe the message you heard about Christ. Galatians 3:5 NLT - OCTOBER 6 - THE SECRET TO RECEIVING YOUR MIRACLE I attended a conference years ago and remember hearing about all kinds of things that we had to do to work the miracles of God. For instance, we were told that we had to pray long prayers. Please don’t misunderstand me. I am not saying that there is no place for long prayers. I love going to my Abba to just spend time talking to Him. I have also taught our church about the importance of praying, especially praying in the Spirit regularly. But is the secret to having miracles take place in your life found in praying, or even in fasting forty days and forty nights, as others say? Some people think they can twist God’s arm with their efforts and convince Him that they deserve a breakthrough or miracle from Him. Do you really think that because you have fasted or prayed for long periods of time, God is impressed with you and has to answer your prayers? Come on, my friend, the only reason God answers our prayers today is the finished work of Jesus. Don’t be deceived any longer. God is a debtor to no man. No man can deserve God’s blessings through his self-efforts. It is not about our sacrifices. It is about His sacrifice! All God sees is the work of His Son on the cross, and by virtue of Jesus, all His blessings and His miracle-working power are yours when you believe in His Son. Read today’s scripture carefully for what Paul said to the Galatians who were depending on their self-efforts. Then, consider all the people who received miracles from Jesus during His ministry on earth. Not a single one of them deserved it. They did nothing to earn their miracles. They simply received their miracles because of His grace. A few years ago, the Lord spoke to me and said, “When My people see My grace, I see their faith.” Do you remember the woman with the issue of blood who had been bleeding for twelve years? According to the law of Moses, she was considered unclean and was not supposed to be out in public places, much less touch anyone. Yet, the Bible tells us that “when she heard about Jesus, she came behind Him in the crowd and touched His garment” (Mark 5:27). She must have heard the wonderful testimonies of the people Jesus had touched and healed, and these accounts opened her eyes to see Jesus as a gracious Savior overflowing with mercy and compassion. The result? Faith ignited in her and the moment she touched the hem of His garment, she received her miracle. Was she ever conscious of her faith? No, she was conscious only of Jesus and His grace. When she saw His grace, He turned around and saw her faith. With great tenderness, He said to her, “Daughter, your faith has made you well” (Mark 5:34). My friend, you do not have to try to conjure up faith for healing or finances. Faith for any breakthrough or miracle in your life springs forth when you see His grace. He died so that you might live! You did not deserve it, but He still did it for you. See Jesus on the cross for you—the demonstration of His unconditional love and amazing grace. And when you see His grace, you will have unconscious faith to receive your miracle! This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. |
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coram_deo 07-Oct-21, 04:07 |
From the Joseph Prince Ministries’ app: The Right Definition Of Righteousness 07 October 2021 I do not frustrate the grace of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain. Galatians 2:21 What has a right understanding of your righteousness got to do with expecting good to happen to you today? Everything! Many believers associate righteousness with a list of things that they have to do, and if they fulfill this list, they feel "righteous." Conversely, when they fail in terms of their behavior, they feel "unrighteous." But this is the wrong definition and understanding of righteousness. Let's go back to what the Bible has to say. Look at 2 Corinthians 5:21: "For He [God] made Him [Jesus Christ] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him [Jesus Christ]." We are not righteous because we do right. We became righteous because of what Jesus did for us at the cross. "Righteousness," therefore, is not based on our right doing. It is based entirely on Jesus' right doing. Christianity is not about doing right to become righteous. It is all about believing right in Jesus to become righteous. Do you realize that we have been conditioned to associate being blessed with doing right? Most belief systems are based on a system of merit whereby you need to fulfill certain requirements—give to the poor, do good to others and care for the underprivileged—to attain a certain state of righteousness. It all sounds very noble, self-sacrificial and appealing to our flesh, which likes to feel that our good works have earned us our righteousness. But God is not looking at your nobility, sacrifices or good works to justify you. He is only interested in Jesus' humility at the cross. He looks at His Son's perfect sacrifice at Calvary to justify you and make you righteous! Attempting to be justified by your good works and trying your best to keep the Ten Commandments to become righteous is to negate the cross of Jesus Christ. It is as good as saying, "The cross is not enough to justify me. I need to depend on my good works to make myself clean and righteous before God." The apostle Paul said, "I do not frustrate the grace [unmerited favor] of God: for if righteousness come by the law, then Christ is dead in vain." My friend, consider carefully what Paul is saying here. He is effectively saying that if you are depending on your good works, your doing and your ability to keep perfectly the Ten Commandments to become righteous, then Jesus died for nothing! That's what "in vain" means—for nothing! So don't frustrate the grace of God by depending on your good works to make yourself righteous and put God on your side. Jesus' sacrifice is more than enough to justify you! And when you know that you are justified, you can be confident that the unmerited favor of God is on your side and expect good to happen to you today! |
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coram_deo 08-Oct-21, 08:46 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. Romans 8:37 - OCTOBER 8 - ANCHOR YOUR IDENTITY IN CHRIST Several years ago, I preached a message on how the devil sometimes uses the first-person pronoun to plant thoughts in our heads to deceive us. For example, he doesn’t say, “You have an eating disorder” or “You have an addiction.” The devil uses the first-person pronoun to sow thoughts such as these in your mind: “I have an eating disorder” or “I am addicted to pornography.” He makes you think that you are thinking those thoughts of defeat. He wants you to believe that is who you are. Upon hearing this message, a man named Walter, whom the devil had used this strategy on and trapped in a destructive addiction for many years, went home after church, locked himself in his room, and for the first time declared out loud, “I am not an addict!” He chose to reject this evil mind-set in the name of Jesus. He related this: “At that very moment, I felt something powerful happen inside me. I don’t know how to describe this. It was as if life became spectacular because of the love of God, and I couldn’t contain the feeling.” After making that confession out loud, Walter said, “My addiction stopped. I just lost all interest, and I don’t feel even a little bit tempted. All the wrong desires are gone, and best of all, I know I love Jesus more than ever before and I can’t live without Him. I am renewed. I am reborn. I know that everything is in His control, and I am blessed and forgiven.” Wow! What an amazing testimony of God’s power and goodness in this brother’s life. With just one declaration, he broke the mental stronghold that the devil had placed him under for many years. That is truly the power of right believing. If you can change what you believe, you can change your life, just like this brother did. Are there lies about your identity that you believe in today? Break the power of those lies by declaring your identity in Christ. Say out loud, “I am a child of God. I am healed, forgiven, righteous, and holy in Christ Jesus.” Instead of believing the devil’s lies when he uses the first-person pronoun strategy against you, speak your true identity in Jesus. This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. |
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coram_deo 09-Oct-21, 04:43 |
He refreshes and restores my soul (life). Psalm 23:3 AMP - OCTOBER 9 - FULLY RESTORED Jesus, our Passover Lamb, took upon Himself any condition that affects any part of your body and wants you healed of it. I want you to meditate on how He bore these infirmities so you can have perfect freedom from them (Matt. 8:17). For instance, if you or a loved one has a neurological condition such as recurrent migraines, encephalitis, meningitis, dementia, or are suffering the effects of a stroke, see your Savior’s brain afflicted with the condition on the cross as you partake of the Lord’s Supper. Let me share with you a powerful testimony of healing from Alzheimer’s disease that Paula from Texas sent to me: My mother was ravaged by Alzheimer’s disease. She was debilitated to the point that she did not recognize her family members. My parents live with me so I could see the daily moment-to-moment struggles and hardship. It was a miserable existence for her as well as for those of us trying to care for her. There were times I just missed my mom and wished to see her well again. Then one day, my sister shared a praise report with me after following your teaching on the holy Communion, so I immediately began to partake of the Communion with my mother. My mother went to bed on the third night after receiving the Communion and woke up the next day looking ten years younger. All the things she had forgotten how to do, she is doing again. She remembers who we all are now. She has stopped repeating herself, something she used to do from sun up to sun down, and is a complete joy to be around now. Jesus has healed her mind and set her free! We are still rejoicing that she is back. I asked her about her experience and the best she could describe was that she was lost and trapped, but that’s all over now. Nothing is too big for the finished work of Christ Jesus, and I praise Him for it. It has freed my mother! To God be all the glory and all the praise! As you advance in years, don’t accept the lie that you will become more forgetful. When the psalmist wrote that God “restores my soul,” he used the word nephesh for soul. Nephesh includes your life, your emotions, and also your mind. Even if you have experienced some degeneration in this area, the Lord can restore. And when the Lord restores, His restoration is always greater than the original in quality! This devotional is taken from the book The Healing Power of the Holy Communion—A 90-Day Devotional. |
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coram_deo 11-Oct-21, 07:14 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more. Romans 5:20 - OCTOBER 11 - THE FINAL JIGSAW PIECE 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. |
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coram_deo 12-Oct-21, 05:22 |
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7 - OCTOBER 12 - WHAT ABOUT THE CONFESSION OF SINS? When I was a young believer, I was taught that unless I confessed all my sins, I would not be completely forgiven by God. I was even told that if someone dies without having confessed all his sins, he would end up in hell. Well, that teaching put me in severe bondage. I really believed that I had to confess everything that I thought I had done wrong, including worries, fears, and doubts, because I knew that “whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Rom. 14:23 KJV). If you really believe that you need to confess all your sins to be completely forgiven by God, you will be confessing your sins all the time and everywhere you go! I tried that and it was impossible! It nearly drove me insane! But Pastor Prince, are you saying that we don’t have to confess our sins? So what about 1 John 1:9, which states, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness”? Listen carefully: Christians have taken this single verse out of context and built a whole doctrine of confession of sins around it when actually, chapter 1 of 1 John was written to address the Gnostics and their heresies that had crept into the church. The Gnostics were unbelievers who maintained that they had no sin (1 John 1:8). So John was saying that if they would confess that they had sin, and hence see their need for the Savior, God would be faithful and just to cleanse them from all unrighteousness. Can you now see how this does not apply to the believer who has already acknowledged that he is a sinner and accepted Jesus? We are not to live from confession to confession, but from faith to faith in Jesus Christ and His finished work. Also, our loving heavenly Father does not forgive us in installments depending on how diligently we confess our sins. Fellowship with Him is not broken because our forgiveness is not contingent on what we do. It is contingent on the finished work of Jesus. Now, this does not mean that we can’t be honest with God and acknowledge the wrong we have done. It’s a relationship, after all. But we don’t confess our sins in order to be forgiven. We confess our sins or speak openly to our gracious Father because we are already forgiven. I don’t go before Him begging for forgiveness. No, I talk to Him because I know that I already have His forgiveness, as today’s scripture states. I know that I can come to Him freely—He is my God, my Daddy God. So confession in the new covenant is just being honest about your failures and humanity and having an intimate relationship with God. It is the result of being forgiven and not something you do in order to be forgiven, to maintain your salvation, and be ultimately saved. If confession of sins is vital for our forgiveness, then the apostle Paul, who wrote two-thirds of the New Testament epistles, has done us a great injustice because he did not mention it even once in any of his letters to the churches. For example, when there were people in the Corinthian church living in sin that everyone in the church knew about, he did not say, “Go and confess your sins.” Instead, he reminded them of their righteousness, saying, “Don’t you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?” (1 Cor. 6:19). In spite of their sins, Paul still considered them temples of the Holy Spirit and he reminded them of this truth. My friend, this is the assurance that you can have today: the day you acknowledged that you were a sinner and confessed Christ as your Lord and Savior, you “confessed all your sins” once and for all. And God was faithful and just to cleanse you from all unrighteousness. All the unrighteousness of your entire life was cleansed at that point, and through the gift of righteousness in Christ Jesus you were set up to reign in life! This devotional is taken from the book Reign in Life—90 Powerful Inspirations for Extraordinary Breakthroughs. |
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coram_deo 12-Oct-21, 21:22 |
God’s Robust Peace 13 October 2021 “The peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Philippians 4:7) I want to talk to you today about experiencing God's kind of peace in the midst of fearful circumstances. My friend, peace is not the absence of trouble in your life. It is not the absence of turmoil, challenges or things that are not harmonious in your physical environment. It is possible to be in the midst of the biggest crisis in your life and still experience peace. That's the true kind of peace that you can experience with Jesus—peace that surpasses understanding. Naturally speaking, it does not make sense for you to feel completely at rest and at peace when you are in dire straits, but supernaturally, you can be filled with peace! The world defines peace, harmony and tranquility based on what is happening in the sensory realm. The world's notion of peace would look something like this: A man lying in a hammock on a white sandy beach in Hawaii with luau music playing softly in the cabana, coconut trees swaying in perfect unison and warm, blue waves rolling languidly along the shoreline. The world calls that peace—until reality kicks in, and the transient peace that was experienced just moments ago dissipates into thin air! You see, my friend, you cannot use your external surroundings to permanently influence the turmoil that you are feeling inside. Only Jesus can touch what you are feeling inside and turn that turmoil into His peace. With the Lord by your side, and from that abiding peace within, you can influence your external surroundings. It's not the other way round. With Jesus, transformation is always from inside out and not outside in. He puts a peace and rest in your heart that is so secure, you can face any challenge without worry or stress, regardless of your negative circumstances and environment. |
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coram_deo 13-Oct-21, 10:50 |
Q: Why do Christians contend that Jesus is the only way to truth? There are so many religions in the world with historical figureheads. My conclusion is to remain neutral on choosing one over the other. – R.S. A: When it comes to God’s truth, there is no such thing as staying neutral. Peter Larson wrote, “The life of Jesus is bracketed by two impossibilities: a virgin womb and an empty tomb.” There are many who acknowledge Jesus as a historical figure, but He is more. Someone wrote, “Buddha never claimed to be God. Moses never claimed to be Jehovah. Mohammed never claimed to be Allah. Yet Jesus Christ claimed to be the true and living God.” Buddha simply said, “I am a teacher in search of the truth.” Jesus said, “I am the Truth.” Confucius said, “I never claimed to be holy.” Jesus said, “Who convicts me of sin?” Mohammed said, “Unless God throws his cloak over me, I have no hope.” Jesus said, “Unless you believe in me, you will die in your sins.” An old monastery in India displays relics that are worshiped by Buddhists. Muslims point with pride to Mecca, where the body of their prophet is buried. Followers of Confucius revere the remains of their master, who is buried in an imposing tomb at Shandong, China. But what distinguishes Christianity from all other religions is the fact that Jesus lives and reigns as the only Savior of the world. We don’t need a religion; we need a Savior. Christianity is the faith of the empty tomb, a religion centered not on a dead leader but on the living Christ. |
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coram_deo 13-Oct-21, 21:38 |
From the Joseph Prince Ministries’ app: Speak The Word 14 October 2021 And since we have the same spirit of faith, according to what is written, “I believed and therefore I spoke,” we also believe and therefore speak. 2 Corinthians 4:13 Beloved, it is not enough for you to merely know the Word in your heart. You must say it. That's when latent power becomes actual power. When our Lord Jesus was tempted in the wilderness, He did not merely think about Scripture. He spoke it out loud. You can memorize thousands of Scriptures, but if you don't learn to say, "It is written," and release the Word, there will be no power. God's power is there, but it is all lying dormant inside you. The moment you speak it out, it is as if God is speaking. God's Word in your mouth is like God speaking. Amen! Fear is not something you can reason or analyze away. Fear is irrational. There are some fears that come into your life and you can think to yourself, Come on, what are the chances of that happening? or It's so silly to fear this. But have you noticed that those fears still hang around? We are in a war, my friend, and the only way to defeat fear is to speak the Word of God to whatever fear you have by saying, "It is written." It is written—"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). I want you to memorize that. It's a powerful verse of Scripture. Now, I want you to say this out loud: It is written—"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." Do you feel the power that comes with saying this aloud? This is the truth: God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. I don't care what kind of fears you are battling with—fear of growing old, fear of contracting this or that disease, fear of losing your job, fear of failure. Whatever the fear that has come against you, declare, "It is written." What if the fear comes back? Then say it again! Sometimes, I speak Scriptures over my situation in the morning, in the afternoon, and in the evening. Whenever the fear comes back, I speak the Word of God. If the devil wants a fight, give him one! Give him the sword of the Spirit and he will get the point every time. There are many Scriptures you can memorize. Write down the Scriptures that cover the areas of your need, and arm yourself with them! |
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coram_deo 14-Oct-21, 06:40 |
But the righteousness of faith speaks . . . But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith which we preach). Romans 10:6, 8 - OCTOBER 14 - APPLYING THE WRITTEN WORD Let me show you examples of how you can use the written Word to come against the attacks of the enemy. Let’s say that while driving to work one morning, you hear some professor saying over the radio, “One in every five women will develop this disease by the age of forty.” That’s the time you must say, “It is written—‘Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence’” (Ps. 91:3). If you do this, you are putting up a shield of faith and you are releasing power as you declare that regardless of what the reports of the world say, your God shall deliver you from every deadly disease! Here’s another example of when and how you can quote the written Word. Suppose for some reason, you are crippled by vivid images in your mind of yourself dying young and leaving your spouse and little ones to fend for themselves. Again, this is the time to speak the Word of God against those fears. Declare, “It is written—‘With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation’” (Ps. 91:16). Maybe you might know of an acquaintance who was killed in a fatal accident. Now, you are fearful that the same thing might happen to you. My friend, the enemy has just shot you with a fiery dart. We do not know what the other person believed. We can only be responsible for our own beliefs and lives. Perhaps your relatives or family members have died from the same illness and the enemy is now attacking you with thoughts that you will also develop diabetes like your father and uncle did, or die from the same heart condition they had. My friend, if you have been entertaining thoughts like these, NOW is the time to rise up and make this declaration: “A thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but it shall NOT come near me” (Ps. 91:7)! For something to happen at your right hand means that it has to be really close to you. This means that even if something unfortunate happens to someone close to you, do not allow fear to hold you in its paralyzing grip. Speak forth the written Word of God! This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. |
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coram_deo 15-Oct-21, 02:08 |
From the Joseph Prince Ministries’ app: No Weapon Shall Prosper Against You 15 October 2021 No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,” says the Lord. Isaiah 54:17 A life that is founded upon the gospel of Jesus Christ is unshakable. When you build your life upon the gospel, you are building on a strong foundation that will give you stability and the power of God for lasting breakthroughs (see Rom. 1:16). You may be going through an extremely difficult season right now. Perhaps you are reading this and you have just received a negative medical report, or maybe you are surrounded by some challenging circumstances at your place of employment. I want to encourage you to say this by faith: "I am too blessed to be stressed." Now invite our Lord Jesus into your situation. Involve Him in your area of need. Whether it is a healing, provision, or relationship breakthrough that you need, see and believe that the Lord is with you. My dear friend, don't put your trust in your own understanding. Instead, lean wholly on the one Who is more interested in your success than you are. The book of Proverbs tell us, "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe" (Prov. 18:10). Run to Him and cast all your cares upon Him for He cares for you. Speak with me this promise of God found in today's scripture into your situation right now: " 'No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgment you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me,' says the Lord." Amen and Amen! Meditate on the last line of this powerful scripture. In the new covenant of grace, your righteousness is from the Lord Jesus Himself. Now, the more you understand your righteousness in Christ, the more you will experience His promise in today's scripture. The opposite holds true. When God's people are not established in their righteous identity in Christ, they become susceptible to the weapons of the enemy. Weapons such as sickness, lack, guilt, condemnation, fear, depression, and all kinds of disorders and addictions. That is why it is so important to be sure that you are listening to the real gospel. God's Word proclaims that none of these weapons, even if they have already been formed, shall prevail against you. And every unfounded accusation, every malicious lie, and every false allegation you shall condemn! The enemy doesn't have a hold over your life. God does, and He holds it together! |
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coram_deo 15-Oct-21, 21:08 |
God Is Satisfied With You 16 October 2021 He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:6 When I was a teenager, I used to belong to a Christian fellowship group. We would sing this song which you may be familiar with. It went like this: "Is He satisfied, is He satisfied, is He satisfied with me? Have I done my best? Have I stood the test? Is He satisfied with me?" Let me just say that 10 out of 10 times when we sang this song, I would always believe that God was not satisfied with me. When we look to ourselves, all there is to see is the inadequacy and futility of our ability and performance. In and of ourselves, we will never meet God's standard for Him to be satisfied with us. We will always fall short! You can imagine how condemned we felt each time we sang this song. After all, we had never been taught that God was satisfied with His Son's sacrifice at the cross, and we did not understand what the new covenant of grace was all about. We were young and zealous for God, but defeated by our lack of knowledge. With all due respect to the songwriter, whom I believe had the best intentions when he wrote the song, this song is not based on the new covenant of God's unmerited favor. It negates the cross and places the emphasis back on you—what you must do, what you must perform and what you must achieve for God to be satisfied with you. But the question to ask today is not if God is satisfied with you. The question that we need to ask is this: Is God satisfied with the cross of Jesus? And the answer is this: He is completely satisfied! At the cross, our acceptance is found. There, Jesus cried out with His last breath, "It is finished!" (John 19:30) The work is complete. The full punishment for all our sins was exacted on Jesus at the cross. God will not punish the believer again, not because He has gone soft on sin, but because all our sins have already been punished in the body of Jesus. God's holiness and His justice are now on your side! Today, God is not assessing you based on what you have or have not done. He is assessing you based on what Jesus has done. Is God satisfied with Jesus today? Yes, of course He is! Then, to the same extent that God is satisfied with Jesus, He is satisfied with you. God's own Son had to be crushed at Calvary for this blessing to become a reality in your life. The gift of His unmerited favor and His righteousness is only a free gift for you today because the full payment for this gift was exacted upon Jesus' body. The cross made all the difference! Don't let anyone hoodwink you into thinking that you need to pay for your own sins. Don't let anyone deceive you with the lie that your eternal salvation in Christ is uncertain and shakable! |
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coram_deo 17-Oct-21, 07:23 |
Fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2 NASB1995 - OCTOBER 17 - THE KEY TO FAITH As humans, not only do we have a propensity to zoom in on every little flaw in our physical and emotional makeup, but we also have a tendency to know, remember, and replay in our minds the sins, failings, and mistakes we have made. We condemn ourselves for even our smallest flaws instead of focusing on how God really sees us—perfect in Christ. This is why it takes faith to believe that God sees you righteous. It takes faith to believe that He does not see you in your sins, that He does not observe sin or iniquity in you. It takes faith to believe that He means what He says when He says, “For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more” (Heb. 8:12). It takes faith to believe that God will not remember your failings and mistakes! But Pastor Prince, my sins are staring right at me. How can I have faith to believe that God doesn’t see them? My friend, the key to faith is found in looking to the source of faith—Jesus. As the Bible says, “fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith” (Heb. 12:2 NASB). Your faith to believe is found in Jesus! The Amplified Bible puts it this way: “Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].” In other words, turn your eyes away from your own flaws, imperfections, failings, and mistakes, and just fix your eyes on Jesus. The more you see Jesus and His finished work, the more faith arises in your heart to believe that all your sins are truly forgiven. You can start on a clean slate and have a brand-new beginning in Christ. The old is gone, and the new has come! This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. |
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coram_deo 18-Oct-21, 09:35 |
John 19:30 - OCTOBER 18 - SOUND THE RAM’S HORN I see a new generation of God’s people emerging as the grace revolution sweeps the globe. The truth is that only grace, found in the person of Jesus Christ, can lead us into the promised land. Moses, who represents the law, is dead (Josh. 1:2). And only Joshua (Yehowshua in Hebrew), a type of Christ, can bring us into the promised land. We can’t enter it based on the obsolete Mosaic covenant. We can’t inherit it based on our efforts to be justified through keeping perfectly the Ten Commandments. We can inherit it only through faith in the grace of our Lord Jesus. It is not by our works that we inherit God’s promises, but by Christ’s perfect, finished work. How did the wall of Jericho that stood between God’s people and the promised land come crashing down? Did God’s people have to use their own might to push down the wall? Did they have to fight an army? No, at just the blast of the rams’ horns and with a great shout, God caused the wall to crumble. The ram’s horn is a beautiful picture of the death of our Lord Jesus. The ram had to die for the horn to be obtained. The sounding of the ram’s horn is thus a proclamation of our Lord’s death and finished work. At the cross, when Jesus had paid fully for all our sins with His blood, He proclaimed, “It is finished!” It is the shed blood of Jesus that brings us out of captivity and into the promised land. What the ten plagues of Moses could not do, the blood of Jesus did. It was the blood of Christ, typified by the lambs’ blood applied to the lintels and doorposts of the Hebrew homes, that caused Pharaoh, a type of Satan, to finally release God’s people. God threw down His trump card—the blood of His Son! So it was His Son, the true Lamb of God, who brought them out of Egypt, and it was also His Son who brought them into the promised land. It is all Christ and Christ alone! Why couldn’t the miracles of Moses free God’s people? Because they were miracles of judgment. Judgment and condemnation will not free you, only the love and grace of our Lord Jesus, Who shed His blood at Calvary for you, can do that. My friend, are you hearing about the judgments of the law today, or are you hearing the ram’s horn being blown? One condemns and brings death, the other liberates and gives life. One causes you to remain in bondage to sin and live a defeated life, the other empowers you to break free and reign in life. Today, make sure you are hearing the true gospel that makes bondages and addictions crumble and fall away like the walls of Jericho did! This devotional is taken from the book Glorious Grace—100 Daily Readings from Grace Revolution. |
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coram_deo 19-Oct-21, 21:44 |
“While he yet spake, there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain which said, Thy daughter is dead: why troublest thou the Master any further? As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, he saith unto the ruler of the synagogue, Be not afraid, only believe.” (Mark 5:35-36) From Joseph Prince Ministries: Our Part in the New Covenant of Grace 20 October 2021 “Therefore let it be known to you, brethren, that through this Man is preached to you the forgiveness of sins; and by Him everyone who believes is justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39 What is our part in the new covenant of grace? Our part in the new covenant of grace is to simply believe! What should we believe? We are to believe in Jesus! But follow me closely now, this answer may not be as straightforward as it seems. If you were to ask people on the streets if they believed in Jesus, you would probably get all kinds of answers. There would be those who believe that Jesus existed as a historical figure, moral philosopher, charismatic leader or prophet. Sadly, the truth is that believing all these things about Jesus will not save them. So let's establish what it means to believe in Jesus. To believe in Jesus is to first and foremost, believe and receive Him as your personal Lord and Savior who died on the cross for all your sins. To believe in Jesus is to believe that Jesus is the only way to salvation and that once you receive Him, you receive the gift of eternal life. Furthermore, to believe in Jesus is to believe beyond the shadow of a doubt that all your sins—past, present and future—were all punished on the cross and that today (this is where the last clause of the new covenant applies), all your sins and lawless deeds He remembers NO MORE! Based on the new covenant of grace, what does God want you to believe? He wants you to believe with all your heart that He meant every word when He said, "...I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more" (Hebrews 8:12). You see, in the new covenant, there is nothing for us to do but to believe! Your part in the new covenant of God's unmerited favor is to believe that you are completely forgiven of all your sins, and that Jesus' blood cleanses you from all your unrighteousness and lawlessness. In God's eyes today, you are made perfectly righteous by Jesus' finished work. The new covenant's emphasis is to believe that you are forgiven of every sin and that God has erased them from His memory. If you don't believe this, it will be impossible for you to depend on and expect God to protect, provide for and prosper you. If you don't believe this, it will rob you of the ability to receive His goodness, blessings, unmerited favor and success in your life. So believe. Only believe! |
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coram_deo 20-Oct-21, 09:57 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: For as many as are the promises of God, they all find their Yes [answer] in Him [Christ]. For this reason we also utter the Amen (so be it) to God through Him [in His Person and by His agency] to the glory of God. 2 Corinthians 1:20 AMPC - OCTOBER 20 - WHERE IS THIS SECRET PLACE? Where is this secret place of the Most High and how do you get there? Before I answer this question, I want you to be careful of preaching and teaching about Psalm 91 that make “the secret place of the Most High” a place that only an elite few can go to, while the rest of us have no access to it because we haven’t done enough, such as pray for eight hours. Usually, the person who teaches along these lines is trying to say that there is a standard of holiness that you must attain before you can reach the secret place of the Most High. Now, if this is true and it takes eight hours of prayer at home to be in the secret place of the Most High, then how about those of us who have full-time jobs and can’t pray for eight hours, and who really need protection? Think about it for a moment. Who needs more protection—the one praying in the safety of his home or the one working out there? Clearly, it is the guy who is working out there in the world where accidents are possible and where he is exposed to all kinds of viruses. Yet, according to this teaching, he cannot access the secret place because he has not prayed eight hours a day! Does this even make sense to you? That’s why I don’t like teaching that makes certain people—especially the preacher—appear like they are part of an elite few. The Lord’s blessings are not just for an elite few. If a blessing is from our Lord, everyone has access to it. The young and the old, the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor—all have access by faith to His blessings that are freely given. Let me tell you where the secret place of the Most High is. The secret place of the Most High is a place where you are in Christ. Wouldn’t you agree that being in Christ is to be in the safest hiding place? How did you get to be in Christ? By receiving the Lord Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior. Once you are a born-again believer, our heavenly Father sees you in Christ. You are safe, protected, and secure in the hiding place! Be anchored in this truth and see yourself walking in a greater measure of His divine protection in the days to come. This devotional is taken from the book The Prayer of Protection Devotional—Daily Strategies for Living Fearlessly in Dangerous Times. |
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coram_deo 22-Oct-21, 11:24 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: Bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. 2 Corinthians 10:5 - OCTOBER 22 - BRING EVERY THOUGHT INTO CAPTIVITY Unfortunately, unbeknownst to many believers today, the enemy has launched malicious disinformation campaigns that have effectively enslaved them for years to low self-esteem, self-hatred, guilt, eating disorders, perversions, inordinate fears, and all kinds of crazy habits and addictions. I want to expose the enemy’s lies and to help you see with pristine clarity the enemy’s deceptive and manipulative tactics. These lies will collapse like a house of cards the second you see your true identity in Christ. Your weapons for this warfare are found in the truth of God’s Word, and they are mighty and have the power to overthrow and destroy every stronghold that has been built up through disinformation and wrong believing. And the way we can destroy these strongholds in our mind is by “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ” (2 Cor. 10:5). When I was a young believer, I was taught that it was my responsibility to bring my every thought into obedience to Christ. I tried and struggled with that for years and ended up with more mental oppression, stress, and guilt than I had started with. One day God opened my eyes and said to me, “Son, keep your focus and your thoughts always on the obedience of Christ, and that will be a powerful weapon to pull down the devil’s strongholds in your mind.” When He said that to me, it felt like the lights were suddenly switched on in my head. So what does it mean to capture every thought to the obedience of Christ? Simply this: to focus on Jesus’ obedience to the Father at the cross, through which we were all made forever righteous the moment we believed in Him. Can you see that our obedience today under the new covenant begins with choosing to believe that we are made righteous by Christ’s obedience at the cross? The apostle Paul describes our obedience as “obedience to the faith” (Rom. 16:26)—believing right about what Jesus has done to make us righteous. And when we believe right like this, we will find His grace motivating and empowering us to think and live right. God’s Word tells us, “The just [righteous] shall live by faith” (Rom. 1:17). You can say it like this: the righteous shall live by right believing. When you have right believing, you release the power of God to live right. The next time you have negative thoughts, catch yourself and look toward the obedience of Christ. See the cross. See Jesus. See Him washing your mind with His precious blood. When you believe the gospel, the true gospel that says you are righteous through Jesus’ obedience (Rom. 5:19), you will have right living. The right results will follow. My friend, the more you believe right that you have been made righteous and blessed through Christ’s obedience, the more you will see the fruit of obedience in your life. Praise Jesus for His marvelous grace! This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. |
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coram_deo 23-Oct-21, 07:53 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge. Hosea 4:6 - OCTOBER 23 - KNOW YOUR COVENANT RIGHTS IN CHRIST I cannot emphasize enough how vitally important it is for a believer today to know that he is under the new covenant of God’s unmerited favor and no longer under the law. Many good, well-meaning, and sincere believers today are defeated by their lack of knowledge of the new covenant and all the benefits that Jesus has purchased for them at the cross. “But Pastor Prince, we should not be looking at benefits when we believe in Jesus.” I am glad that you brought up this point. Let’s look at what the psalmist thinks about this: “Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's” (Ps. 103:1–5). Beloved, this is the heart of God. He wants you to remember all the benefits that Jesus has purchased for you with His blood! It is His heart to see you enjoying every single benefit, every single blessing, and every single favor from Him in the new covenant of His grace. Forgiveness of sin is yours. Health is yours. Divine protection is yours. Favor is yours. Good things and the renewal of youth are yours! These are all precious gifts from the Lord to you, and it brings Him unspeakable joy when He sees you enjoying these gifts and succeeding in life. But it is the lack of knowledge of what Jesus has accomplished at the cross that has robbed many believers of enjoying these good gifts and benefits. This reminds me of a story I read of a man who visited an impoverished old lady who was dying. As he sat next to her bed in the cramped confines of her dilapidated home, a single frame hanging on her spartan wall caught his attention. Instead of a picture, the frame held a yellowed piece of paper with some writing on it. He asked the lady about that piece of paper and she replied, “Well, I can’t read, so I don’t know what it says. But a long time ago, I used to work for a very wealthy man who had no family. Just before he died, he gave me this piece of paper and I’ve kept it in remembrance of him for the past 40 or 50 years now.” The man took a closer look at the framed contents, hesitated for a moment, then said, “Do you know that this is actually the will and testament of that man? It names you as the sole beneficiary of all his wealth and property!” For close to 50 years, that lady had lived in abject poverty, working day and night to eke out a meager existence for herself. During all this time, she was actually the owner of a sprawling estate and enviable riches. However, her own ignorance had utterly robbed her of a life of wealth and luxury that she could have enjoyed. It is a sad story, but what is even sadder is that this tragedy is played out every day in the lives of believers who do not realize the inheritance that Jesus bequeathed them when He gave up His life at the cross. What we need today are not more laws to govern believers. What we need is a greater revelation and appreciation of Jesus and everything that He has done for us! In Hosea 4:6, God lamented, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.” Let’s not be numbered among these people. Instead, let us be a people who are full of the knowledge of Jesus, His person, His love, and His finished work. Don't allow your ignorance to rob you anymore. Find out all about your covenant rights in Christ today! This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Favor—Daily Readings from Unmerited Favor. |
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coram_deo 26-Oct-21, 09:53 |
From Joseph Prince Ministries: “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!” John 1:29 - OCTOBER 26 - THE LAMB OF GOD I encourage you to start every new day with this thought: “God loves me and gave His only Son for me. Jesus is all for me today. I am saved, healed, favored, righteous, and accepted in Christ the Beloved.” Start your day by occupying your mind with Jesus. For a season in my life, before I even got out of bed, I would repeat to myself over and over again, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” Some mornings I would say it more than fifty times. I wanted it to be a revelation pulsating in my heart, an unshakable belief that God is for me and with me. When you occupy your mind with Jesus, every struggle, fear, and bondage that you are entangled with will lose its evil grasp on you! There is a beautiful picture of Jesus hidden in the Old Testament. Under the old covenant of the law, those who sinned were told to bring a sheep that was without blemish, wrinkle, or spot to the priest. The priest does not examine the person to see if he is perfect (without sin), because he has sinned. So the priest examines the sheep. If the sheep is indeed perfect, the person who has sinned lays his hands on the sheep in an act of transferring his sins to the innocent sheep. At the same time, the innocence and perfection of the sheep are transferred to the person. The sheep is then killed, and the person leaves with his conscience cleared and his sin debt forgiven. He walks away under an open heaven of God’s favor and blessing. Can you see Jesus in this Old Testament practice? The sheep without blemish, spot, or wrinkle is a picture of the perfect Lamb of God, Jesus Christ Himself, who takes away the sins of the world. The priest is a picture of God. He doesn’t examine you for your sins. Instead, He examines Jesus, and because Jesus is gloriously perfect, you can live today with your conscience cleared and your sin debt forgiven. You can walk under an open heaven and expect God’s favor and blessings in your life. What a beautiful picture of God’s abundant and lavish grace. Today, turn your eyes away from yourself and stop the self-introspection! Look to Jesus, the Lamb of God, and see His perfection as your perfection. See His innocence as your innocence, His righteousness as your righteousness. Be occupied with Him, and be transformed from the inside out. This devotional is taken from the book 100 Days of Right Believing—Daily Readings from The Power of Right Believing. |
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