Not Satisfied with Just Being Saved October 2, 2019 bizadmin Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your descendants, I will give this land.” And there he built an altar to the Lord, who had appeared to him. Genesis 12:7 NOT SATISFIED WITH JUST BEING SAVED I don’t know about you, but I am not satisfied with just knowing that I am righteous by faith. I also want to get to know the One who made me righteous. I want to have an intimate relationship with my Savior! Abraham was such a man. He was righteous by faith, but he also had a close walk with God and was blessed by God in all things (see Genesis 24:1). His nephew Lot, on the other hand, although righteous too (see 2 Peter 2:7–8), had no heart for God. He ended up losing a lot when Sodom, the city he dwelt in, was destroyed along with Gomorrah. He was saved by the skin of his teeth! My friend, do you want to be a Christian like Lot, righteous but always finding yourself in trouble, or do you want to be a righteous-and-blessed Christian like Abraham? Then, like Abraham, have a heart for God. From place to place, Abraham would build an altar to the Lord. And in between altars, he grew very rich (see Genesis 13:2)! There is no biblical record, however, of Lot ever building an altar to the Lord. What is an “altar” in today’s context? It is a place where you know that you have a close relationship with God. For example, when my late father was in the hospital, I was worried and did not know what to do. I remember driving down the road and crying. After a while, I just threw my cares to the Lord. When I reached the hospital, I just laid my hands on my father and said, “Be healed in Jesus’ name.” And he was healed! Till today, I can remember the place where I had cast my cares to the Lord and leaned on His love for me. That is my “altar.” And it is not the only one. We have got to have this kind of relationship with God, one full of “altars” that remind us of His love, goodness, and faithfulness. Let’s not live the Christian life like Lot, saved by the skin of our teeth. Let’s walk closely with God as Abraham did, and be richly blessed in every area of our lives! -Joseph Prince
Lift Songs of Praise to the Lord September 28, 2019 bizadmin Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is. Ephesians 5:17 LIFT SONGS OF PRAISE TO THE LORD God wants us to walk as wise men and women, and not as fools (see Ephesians 5:15). Now, He will not tell us to walk in wisdom without showing us how. That is why His Word goes on to say, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” So what is the will of God? The next two verses tell us how to identify it: “And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord ” (Ephesians 5:18–19). As you allow yourself to be filled with the Spirit by lifting songs of praise to the Lord, singing or speaking (God knows some of us can’t sing!) psalms, hymns and spiritual songs, and making melody in your heart to the Lord, God promises that you will know what His will is for your situation. You will then have the wisdom to decide wisely what to do next. I have found this to be true in my own life. Whenever I face a difficult situation, the more I think about it, the more confused I get. The more I try my best to come up with a smart solution, the further the answer seems to get from me. But when I turn away from my problem and turn to God, singing in the Spirit and praising Him, I get a clearer perspective of the problem when I come back to it later. I also find an inner prompting to make certain decisions which in the end, turn out to be better than anything I could have come up with on my own. So my friend, lift up songs of praise to the Lord, whether times are good or bad. For when you fill your mouth with praises to God, He will lead you and guide you in all the affairs of your life. Even if you are stuck with a problem, He will show you the way to go or make a way out for you. Either way, you will get the wisdom and help that you need! -Joseph Prince
Give God’s Word Priority And See Good Success September 25, 2019 bizadmin This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then, you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success. Joshua 1:8 GIVE GOD’S WORD PRIORITY AND SEE GOOD SUCCESS In life, there is a good success and bad success. Bad success is the kind of success which robs you of time with your family, friends, and church, and destroys your health and relationships. With good success, on the other hand, you see prosperity in every area of your life. God wants you to enjoy good success and the key to this lies in what God told Joshua when he took over the reins following the death of his leader Moses—“This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have good success.” Spending time in God’s Word daily will give you godly wisdom, which will make your way prosperous and give you good success. Look at how Joshua’s life turned out in the end. When Joshua died, “they buried him within the border of his inheritance at Timnath Serah, which is in the mountains of Ephraim, on the north side of Mount Gaash” (Joshua 24:30). Joshua had a whole mountain for his inheritance! This means that he was prosperous and successful! It was also said that Israel served the Lord, not idols or other gods, all the days of Joshua’s life (see Joshua 24:31). This means that while Joshua was around, people were impacted for God’s glory. And at the end of his life, a fulfilled Joshua had this to say, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord” (Joshua 24:15). Having your family loving God and serving Him with you is the most important success and greatest prosperity that you can ever have. Beloved, when God’s Word takes priority in your daily life, not only will your finances be blessed, your ministry and family life will also be blessed!
He Gives His Angels Charge Over You September 23, 2019 bizadmin For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands, they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. Psalm 91:11–12 HE GIVES HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER YOU You are about to step onto the road when something pulls you back just in time to avoid being hit by a speeding car. You are shocked. When you come to your senses, you ask yourself, “Could it be that an angel just saved me from a fatal accident?” I believe that angels walk with us. The verse tells us that God has given His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. This means that they go ahead of you to protect you from the snares of the enemy. But we may not know it when we encounter an angel (see Hebrews 13:2). This was probably the case with a couple in our church who were holidaying at a beach resort on Penang Island when a tsunami struck at about 12.30 pm on 26 December 2004. It was slightly past 11 am when the wife suddenly had a craving for food from the mainland. The couple decided to check out earlier so that they could reach the mainland in time for lunch. While loading their luggage into their car at the hotel driveway, a man impatiently motioned to them to hurry up and get moving. Annoyed by his impatience, they quickly loaded their stuff and drove off. The minute they reached the mainland, they heard that a tsunami had struck Penang Island at the same beach where they were just a while ago. While thanking God for their narrow escape, it suddenly dawned on them that the impatient man could have been an angel charged by God to hurry them off! God tells us that we have an innumerable company of angels (see Hebrews 12:22). And He has given them charge over us to protect us from accidents and other dangers. So don’t live fearfully and limit your life. Believe that God loves you and that His angels walk with you and watch over you! -Joseph Prince
Like Father, Like Son September 21, 2019 bizadmin The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:16 LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON Everything produces after its kind. Dogs give birth to puppies; cats give birth to kittens, and tigers give birth to tiger cubs. In the same manner, when you are born again, you are born of God. You are a child of the Most High God. He is your Father, and He doesn’t see you in the flesh. He sees you in the Spirit. And His Spirit bears witness with your spirit that you are His child. So when the devil comes to you and says, “Well, your father died of cancer, his father died of cancer, and you are going to die of cancer too, just like your father,” just know in your heart that you are like your Father—your Father in heaven! Declare, “I am a child of the Most High God. He doesn’t have cancer, so neither do I!” My friend, when you are born of God, you are born to win. Because your Daddy God is a winner, you are one too! When you wake up in the morning, say, “I am a winner because God is a winner!” When you say that you cannot afford to buy something that you need, you have forgotten which family you now belong to. You have been born again into a very rich family—your Father owns every beast in the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills (see Psalm 50:10)! You have a Daddy God in heaven who is well able to supply all your needs (see Philippians 4:19). Even if there are areas of lack in your life now, don’t worry. Just ask God for the supply because your heavenly Father loves you and wants to supply your needs. When someone talks to you about a problem and asks, “What are we going to do about it?” you should say, “Don’t worry. Let’s talk to Daddy God about it. It is not a problem for Him, so it will not be a problem for us.” Beloved, even when all around you is going under, your Daddy God is still the same heavenly Father who kept Noah’s world afloat, his loved ones safe and sound, and his possessions intact. Your world will never go under because you are God’s beloved child! -Joseph Prince
Christ your Wisdom Gives you Good Success September 19, 2019 bizadmin But of Him, you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God… 1 Corinthians 1:30 CHRIST YOUR WISDOM GIVES YOU GOOD SUCCESS It is believed that there has never been a wealthier king than King Solomon. God gave him wisdom that not only made him wise in matters of justice but also brought him gold and silver (see 1 Kings 3:12–13). According to a report by the Illinois Society of Architects in 1925, the cost of Solomon’s temple in terms of existing values would have been about US$87 billion! The priests wore garments costing more than US$10 million! These amounts only cover what Solomon spent on the temple and not his assets. We can go on talking about the riches of King Solomon, but the Bible tells us that there is one greater than Solomon (see Matthew 12:42). His name is Jesus, and He is the most prosperous Man who ever lived and who will ever live. If there was a need to feed the hungry, He simply multiplied whatever food was placed in His hands. On one occasion, He multiplied five loaves and two fish to feed 5,000 men, not counting women and children. And incredibly, there were 12 baskets full of leftovers (see Matthew 14:15–21). If any of His own faced lack, it was not long before abundant provision flowed to them. Once, when His disciples caught nothing after a whole night of fishing, He merely spoke a word of command and schools of fish obeyed, swimming toward His disciples’ boat so that they received a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish (see Luke 5:1–7). In another incident, He provided the money for the temple tax, even if it took a fish to bring it to them (see Matthew 17:24–27)! My friend, this same Jesus has become for you wisdom from God. If you are a businessman, with Christ in you, you have wisdom that is greater than the wisdom of all the world’s business gurus put together. And if you are a student, Christ in you will manifest wisdom that is greater than all the wisdom of the brilliant minds in the academic world. Beloved, believe that because Jesus, God’s wisdom, is in you, there is no reason you cannot prosper today, and astound the world in the same way Solomon did! -Joseph Prince
What you are Conscious of will Manifest September 17, 2019 bizadmin You are of God, little children, and have overcome them because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. 1 John 4:4 WHAT YOU ARE CONSCIOUS OF WILL MANIFEST If you have been to a circus performance or watched one on television, you would be familiar with the act involving a lion and its trainer. But have you ever wondered why, besides holding a whip, the trainer would arm himself with a stool and point its legs toward the beast? The whole idea is to distract the lion. You see, as powerful as the beast is, it can be immobilized by distractions. If this man-eater is not distracted from time to time, it might just decide to maul the trainer to death! The devil is like the trainer. He knows that you have God’s power inside you because the Lion of Judah is in you, and “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.” So what the devil tries to do is immobilize you with distractions. For example, he may bring to your attention a pain in your body to distract you. And you find yourself going to a few medical journals or the Internet to find out more about the symptoms. You also decide to consult more than one doctor. And because you know of someone who has the same condition, you talk to him about it. In the end, you are distracted by the pain, the symptoms, your findings, the doctors’ reports, and your friend’s experience. And you find it hard to believe and focus on God’s Word about your healing. You have become immobilized, powerless, and fearful. So the devil’s trick is to get you to focus on your condition. When you are conscious of the symptoms in your body and your findings, you will see sickness manifest. But God wants you to focus on who you are and what you have in Christ. When you are conscious that you are the healed in Christ, you will see healing manifest. My friend, what you are conscious of will manifest. So be conscious of Christ, who is all the power of God inside you, and you will see that power manifest!
Turn Your Cares into Prayers September 8, 2019 bizadmin Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; Philippians 4:6 TURN YOUR CARES INTO PRAYERS My friend, God doesn’t want you to be fearful, fretful or anxious. Instead, He wants you to “be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” So when you have a care or worry, straightaway, turn that care or worry into prayer. That is supplication. And when you are troubled by a care or worry that you don’t know how to pray for, pray in the Spirit or tongues. And in the midst of that prayer, thank God that He is already your healing, provision, good success and victory. That, my friend, is thanksgiving. “Pastor Prince, if I am worried about something, how long should I pray?” Keep on praying. Pray in the Spirit until the worry lifts or dissipates, “and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). This was what one of our church members did when he found himself anxiously trying to access some important data in his USB flash drive. After a whole day at it with no results, he finally stopped himself from being anxious and instead, turned his worry into prayer, asking the Lord to settle it for him. As he prayed in tongues, he was also thankfully repeating in his heart that having the Holy Spirit—the Helper—with him was to his advantage (see John 16:7). Later that evening, using his wife’s computer, he succeeded in accessing the data in his flash drive after a few attempts. He quickly backed up the data. It was only when subsequent attempts to use the flash drive on his wife’s computer failed did it suddenly dawn on him that God had “resurrected” his flash drive that one time, just for him to recover his data! Beloved, I believe that we would all worry a lot less and enjoy our lives a lot more if only we realized this truth: Our Abba Father is so strong that there is nothing He cannot do, and He is so loving that there is nothing He will not do for us! -Joseph Prince