Practicing God’s Presence December 16, 2018 bizadmin “…and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.” Matthew 1:23 PRACTICING GOD’S PRESENCE God has promised you His constant presence (see Hebrews 13:5), but are you conscious of His presence every day? When you are conscious of His presence every day, you will experience a peace that gives you rest, joy inexpressible in your spirit and a power that nothing in this world can offer. In fact, you will begin to be peaceful and powerful like Jesus. You will speak and behave like Him. This is because you cannot be in God’s presence without His beauty, love, peace, power and glory rubbing off on you. But how do you practice being conscious of God’s presence? Start by seeing God with you in whatever you do and wherever you are. For example, at your board meeting, while deliberating on issues, see the Lord there in the boardroom with you, guiding you in your thinking. And you can be sure that His presence will bring clarity of thought and wisdom to you. You will find yourself flowing with great and sound ideas. If you are going for an interview, see the Lord there in the interview room with you, putting answers in your mouth. Your nervousness will melt away as you see His favor on you bringing on smiles and approving nods from the interviewers. Perhaps you are going for surgery. Well, see the Lord in the operating theatre with you, guiding the hands of the surgeons. Your worries will dissipate because nothing can go wrong in the Lord’s presence. If you are in the middle of an argument, see the Lord standing within earshot. Your words will change and your body language will become more reconciliatory as you see Him right there with you extending His grace to you. There will be a restraint which is not borne of willpower, but which comes supernaturally when you know that the One who loves you and watches over you is with you. Beloved, when you become conscious of God’s presence in your life, worries and fears will have no foothold in your mind. You will see Him maximizing your joy and fun, and prospering you in what you say and do! – Joseph Prince
You have a Strong Kinsmen Redeemer December 14, 2018 bizadmin Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case… Jeremiah 50:34 YOU HAVE A STRONG KINSMAN-REDEEMER! Ruth, a young, poor and childless widow in the Old Testament, lay at the feet of Boaz, her potential kinsman-redeemer (see Ruth 3:7). As a rich and close relative of her in-laws, Boaz had the power to redeem her from her plight. Ruth was simply obeying Naomi, her mother-in-law, who had told her to go and lie down at Boaz’s feet. In the Jewish custom of those days, this was a posture which said, “Please redeem me for you are a close relative.” Notice Boaz’s response to Ruth: “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request” (Ruth 3:11). Beloved, Boaz is a picture of Jesus who is our kinsman-redeemer. He is our kinsman, having been born into this world as one like us. And He is our Redeemer because He redeemed us at a great price when He shed His blood for us on the cross. As your Redeemer, not only is Jesus willing, but He also has the power to restore to you all that you have lost. That is why you can go to Him and say, “I blew it and now my family is suffering. My finances are dwindling fast. But I come to You, my kinsman-redeemer…” And you will find that He will redeem you because your Redeemer is strong. The Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead your case, causing only blessings of wisdom, deliverance, restoration, provision, and liberty to come out of your situation! Just as Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet, the feet of Jesus is the place of redemption and blessings. Both Jairus the synagogue ruler (see Mark 5:22) and the Syro-Phoenician woman (see Mark 7:25–26) fell at Jesus’ feet. And there at His feet, they received healing for their daughters. When you take your place at Jesus’ feet, looking to Him for help, expect to receive His blessings. There is nothing to fear knowing that as Boaz did for Ruth, Jesus, your heavenly Boaz, will do for you all that you have requested! – Joseph Prince
Call it the way God calls it December 10, 2018 bizadmin …God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did; Romans 4:17 CALL IT THE WAY GOD CALLS IT! Many a time, when we look at ourselves, we don’t see what we can become. But when God looks at us, He sees what we can become by His grace. When Jesus first saw Simon, whose name in Greek means “reed,” He changed his name to “Peter,” which means “rock.” But did Peter instantly become someone with the characteristics of a rock—solid, stable and unshakable? No, for a long time, he continued to act like a reed that bends every which way the wind blows. Once, when Peter saw Jesus walking on water, he took a bold step of faith and said, “Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.” Then, as he was walking on the water, he saw the boisterous wind, got scared and when he began to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!” (Matthew 14:28–30). Another time, he said, “Lord, I am ready to go with You, both to prison and to death” (Luke 22:33). Then, a few hours later, he denied knowing Jesus not once, but three times (see Luke 22:54–62). Yet, throughout his reed-like behavior, Jesus kept calling him “rock” until one day, how Jesus saw him began to take root in him. That day, on the Day of Pentecost, Peter stood up to preach and 3,000 people were saved (see Acts 2:41)! Peter had indeed become a rock, a pillar in the early church. That was how Jesus transformed Peter. And that is how God wants us to change the people and situations in our lives. “Pastor Prince, are you telling me to call my wife ‘a fruitful vine’ as in Psalm 128:3? You should see my wife. She looks more like a dried-up sour prune!” My friend, God did not tell us to call those things which exist as they exist. What is the point of stating the obvious? It is not going to change anything. No, God tells us to call those things which do not exist as though they did, and they will! – Joseph Prince
A Way of Escape December 8, 2018 bizadmin You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil; my cup runs over. Psalm 23:5 A WAY OF ESCAPE The table is set. The bread and wine are there, and Jesus says to you, “Come, My child, partake.” But you tell Him, “Lord, I am unworthy!” You are afraid to come to the Lord’s table perhaps because you have been taught that if you partake in your “unworthy” state, you will come under God’s fiery judgment. My friend, Jesus has washed you whiter than snow and qualified you with His own blood, so you are as worthy as worthy can be! The most humble thing you can do now is to acknowledge His perfect sacrifice and accept His invitation with gladness. In 1 Corinthians 11, Paul tells the church how to partake of the Lord’s Supper so that they will not drink judgment to themselves. The word “judgment” in verses 29 and 34 is krima in the original Greek text. It refers to a divine sentence. And in the context of this passage, the divine sentence refers to sickness. But when was this divine sentence of sickness passed? It was passed when Adam sinned (see Genesis 3:19). When he sinned, death entered the world (see Genesis 2:17), and man would grow old and weak, fall sick and die. So it is not that God is passing sentences of sickness on people today. How can that be when Jesus said, “For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved” (John 3:17). God is not in the business of condemning but saving. And the Greek word for “saved,” sozo, also means to preserve, heal and make whole. God does not want you to suffer the divine sentence of sickness that is already in the world, so He has given you a way of escape, paid for by the blood of His Son. He wants you to be healthy and whole, without the diseases of the world, and He has made this possible for you through the Holy Communion. So don’t be robbed of this tremendous blessing any longer because of erroneous teachings that have put fear in your heart. Come boldly to the Lord’s table today and receive afresh His health, strength, wholeness and life!
Merry Christmas 2018 December 1, 2018 bizadmin Today is the first month of Christmas. Have you done your shopping yet? Stay tuned for another Bible Giveaway! This time it is 30 Days to Understanding the Bible! There will be just one giveaway coming soon in January. I will post a blog about it and announce the winner soon from the comments. The last giveaway was a blast! Unfortunately, my apologies I could not give to all of you due to the limited copy of just one per comment for residents of the USA only. For this month, dad will undergo a heart bypass on 5th and admitted on 2nd in a semi-private hospital. We will stay in a nearby condo and visit him for 16 days, as it takes about 10 days to recover after the surgery without complications. Since dad is now 81 years old, he is considered high-risk. 75% will survive the heart bypass at this age where they will take a vein from his leg and replace his clogged arteries. Thank you for your prayers in advance. And Merry Christmas in 2018, the season’s greetings, the time of giving and receiving is here!
Jesus is Your Restorer and Nourisher November 29, 2018 bizadmin And may he be to you a restorer of life and a nourisher of your old age… Ruth 4:15 JESUS IS YOUR RESTORER AND NOURISHER Famine impoverished the life of Naomi, an Israelite. But it was the deaths of her husband and two sons that left her completely destitute (see Ruth 1:1–5). Or so she thought, until Boaz, who was a wealthy and close relative, entered her life. As her kinsman-redeemer, Boaz married Ruth, Naomi’s widowed daughter-in-law. And through that union, Naomi had a grandson. The birth of her grandson gave her a new lease of life, causing the womenfolk in her village to declare that the restorer of life and the nourisher of her old age had come into her life (see Ruth 4:14–16). Boaz is a picture of Jesus, our kinsman-redeemer. Jesus became our kinsman when He was born into this world as one like us. And He became our Redeemer when He paid with His life and blood at the cross to redeem us. Jesus gave Himself to us as our restorer of life and nourisher of our old age. When the restorer of life is in our lives, what we have lost can be restored (see Joel 2:25−26). And with the nourisher of our old age in us, our bodies can be gloriously renewed even though we advance in our years. That is why when Moses died at the age of 120, his eyes were not dim and his natural vigor was not diminished (see Deuteronomy 34:7). Caleb, at 85 years old, could still drive out the giants from the land. God had literally nourished his body and made it strong for war (see Joshua 14:11). Sarah was certainly rejuvenated in her old age by God for she was still desirable to a king at the age of 90 (see Genesis 20:1–2). God even renewed her womb. She received strength to conceive seed (see Hebrews 11:11), giving birth to Isaac in her old age. Beloved, God is outside of time and your faith in Him brings you into this timeless zone. There, what the years have stolen will be restored. And even as your years increase, you will not grow weak and weary because the restorer of life and nourisher of your old age is in you! – Joseph Prince
Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl November 27, 2018 bizadmin “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” Deuteronomy 28:5 BLESSED ARE YOUR BASKETS, KNEADING BOWLS AND NETS! In Bible times, reapers carried baskets on their backs to collect the harvest from the fields. They had to ensure that their baskets were strong and sturdy so that what they gathered would not fall out. The women of that day used kneading bowls to knead dough for making bread. If they used poor-quality pots which broke easily, they would not be able to make bread. So baskets and kneading bowls in those days represented the means by which one got his material blessings. Beloved, your Father in heaven does not want you to worry about the methods by which you get your blessings. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, He says to you, “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.” This means that if you are a cab driver, your cab will not break down on your rounds because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your cab.” If you are a businessman, your capital investment will not fail you because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your capital investment.” And if you are a salesman, your products will be looked upon favourably because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your products.” These blessings are yours because Jesus paid for them with His death and He enforced them with His resurrection. On one occasion, Jesus told Peter to throw his nets into the water. When Peter threw one net down, he caught so much fish that the net “was breaking.” To save the bumper haul, the other disciples quickly filled their boats with the fish, lest the net gave way completely (see Luke 5:4–7). After Jesus rose from the dead, a similar incident took place. Once again, Jesus asked His disciples to cast their net out. They caught a multitude of fish. But “although there were so many, the net was not broken” (John 21:11). Notice that in the first case, the net was breaking. In the second case, it was not! Something supernatural happened to their nets after Jesus rose from the dead! Beloved, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only are you blessed (see Ephesians 1:3), but your nets, baskets and kneading bowls—the means by which you obtain your blessings—are also blessed!
The God of More-than-Enough November 19, 2018 bizadmin For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken; Luke 5:9 THE GOD OF MORE-THAN-ENOUGH As a young Christian, I grew up hearing preachers say that God only supplies our needs, not our wants. Yet, in the Bible, God clearly shows us that He wants to meet not just our needs, but also our wants. For example, the famous “shepherd psalm” begins with “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Another psalm says, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34:9–10). One of the names of our God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the all-providing One.” He provides more than enough. The God of more-than-enough came in the flesh and walked among His people. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He did not give His disciples small blessings. That is why He said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets [plural] for a catch” (Luke 5:4), and not “let down your net [singular].” And what a catch it turned out to be—a boat-sinking, net-breaking catch! It was such a big and unexpected blessing that Peter and all who were with him were “astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken.” Beloved, see God’s heart for you today. He wants to prosper you. Don’t settle for anything less, thinking that He only supplies your needs and not your wants. If you need a job, know that He wants you to pray not just for a job, but for a position. When you have a position, you have influence and you are able to impact lives. Maybe what you need is a pay increment. Then, pray not just for that, but also to be in a position to give increments! You may start out poor when you follow God. But you cannot remain in lack when you follow the God of more-than-enough. In fact, like Peter, you too will be astonished that God supplies more than what you need and beyond what you have asked! – Joseph Prince