Take, Take and Take More

Take, Take and Take More

Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
1 Corinthians 2:12

TAKE, TAKE AND TAKE MORE!

As a child of the Most High God, God wants you to know the things that have been freely given to you. He wants you to receive them freely although it cost Him His Son. He paid the price, but He wants you to receive the blessings freely. That is His love toward you.

Perhaps you are asking God, “How is it that I don’t have this blessing? And why do I have so little of that?”

I believe that He is saying this to you: “What do you lack, My child? Health? Take it! It has been paid for with the life of My Son.

“Do you need peace of mind? My Son wore the crown of thorns on His head to give it to you. Take it!

“Lack wisdom? Take My wisdom!

“Need victory? Victory is not something you attain. It is a gift to be received. Take it!

“Take My provision! Take My favor! Every time you come into My Presence, take, and take some more!”

God, your heavenly Father, wants you to receive like the prodigal son, who deserved nothing, but received everything (see Luke 15:11–24). God delights in giving freely. And He delights in you receiving freely because it shows that you value and appreciate His Son’s sacrifice.

You miss it when you are busy trying to earn what has been freely given to you, when you think that you must do more for God to bless you, or that you must pay the price for it. God cannot give it to you based on your works because if it is by works, it is no longer by grace. When you try to work for it, you frustrate the grace of God and make light of Jesus’ work at Calvary.

My friend, the days of trying, striving and earning are over. The days of take, take and take more have come. Take and you will bring pleasure to God’s heart!

– Pastor Joseph Prince

The Twelve Wells and Seventy Palm Trees

The 12 wells and 70 palm trees

Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve wells of water and seventy palm trees; so they camped there by the waters.
Exodus 15:27

THE 12 WELLS AND 70 PALM TREES

Would you like to know an important biblical key to divine health? It is found in today’s verse, which comes right after God says, “I am the Lord who heals you.” He said this to His people after He brought them out of Egypt (see Exodus 15:26).

The wells of water and palm trees speak of refreshment. They paint a picture of an oasis in the desert. The Israelites rested and were refreshed there. But why the numbers 12 and 70?

There are no insignificant details in the Bible. The 12 wells of water and 70 palm trees represent anointed ministries that refresh you with God’s Word. So if you want to know Jesus as the Lord who heals you, sit under anointed preaching of God’s Word because when His Word goes forth, it will heal you. His Word is medicine to all your flesh (see Proverbs 4:22)!

How did I make that connection? Let the Bible interpret the Bible. Matthew 10:1 says that when Jesus had “called His twelve disciples to Him, He gave them power over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all kinds of sickness and all kinds of disease.” He sent out the 12 and said to them, “And as you go, preach, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out demons…” (Matthew 10:7–8).

Then, in Luke 10:1, the Lord “appointed seventy others also, and sent them two by two before His face into every city and place where He Himself was about to go.” He also said to the 70, “And heal the sick there, and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you’” (Luke 10:9).

In other words, Jesus anointed the 12 and then the 70 disciples to preach God’s Word and heal the sick. Today, if you want refreshment, if you want health and healing, don’t sit under ministries that tell you that God doesn’t always want to heal and that He sometimes gives you diseases to teach you lessons. Instead, sit under anointed ministries that preach the good news and practice healing the sick. My friend, that is how you can begin to walk in divine health!

– Pastor Joseph Prince

A Greater Blessing is in Store for You

A greater blessing is in store for you

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?
Romans 8:31

A GREATER BLESSING IS IN STORE FOR YOU

Whenever the devil throws something at us, we need not lose hope. In fact, we can be sure that God will turn it around for our greater blessing because He is for us.

When God first made a man, He gave man dominion over everything on earth. (Genesis 1:26) But when Adam fell, sin and death entered the world, and the man lost his authority to the devil.

So did the devil win? No, God executed His redemption plan by sending His Son Jesus to die for us. And He wants us to know that Jesus’ death did more than just restore us to the same position that Adam had—it placed us in a much higher position!

When the Father raised Jesus from the dead, we who are in Christ were raised with Him. In other words, we are now seated with Him at God’s right hand in the heavenly places, “far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come”! (Ephesians 1:21) Adam never had this position. So through Jesus’ death and resurrection, we have received so much more.

In the Old Testament, we read of how God brought the Israelites out of bondage in Egypt into a land flowing with milk and honey. The devil thought that he could foil God’s plan by putting giants in the promised land to stop the Israelites from inheriting it. But God outsmarted the devil. He allowed the Giants to build their homes and cities, dig wells and cultivate crops until the right time came. Then, He brought the Israelites into the land and evicted the giants!

So the Israelites ended up inheriting large beautiful cities which they did not build, houses full of all good things which they did not fill, hewn-out wells which they did not dig, and vineyards and olive trees which they did not plant! (Deuteronomy 6:10–11) Although the devil tried to prevent God’s plan for His people from coming to pass, they ended up receiving so much more!

Beloved, the devil may throw obstacles and evil circumstances at you, but God will turn those evil schemes around for your greater blessing because He is for you!

– Joseph Prince

You are Perfect in God’s Eyes

You are perfect in God's Eyes

But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down on the right hand of God… For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified.
Hebrews 10:12, 14, KJV

YOU ARE PERFECT IN GOD’S EYES

God sees you with no flaw, spot or imperfection, so honor His Word and the finished work of His Son by saying, “Amen!” Don’t doubt your perfection in Christ.

To see yourself as far from being perfect is not modesty, but a failure to understand the perfect sacrifice that Jesus has made for you.

The Bible tells us, “For by one offering He hath perfected forever them that are sanctified”. Did you get that? You have not only been sanctified, that is, made holy, but by the same offering of His body, you have been perfected. You are both holy and perfect in God’s eyes!

Your sins have been purged perfectly. Today, Jesus is seated at His Father’s right hand not because He is the Son of God (although that is true), but because His work of purging your sins is completely finished and perfect!

So instead of being conscious of your sins, which is to have an evil conscience (Hebrews 10:22), you can have a perfect conscience, a conscience that is free from the guilt and condemnation of sins.

When you find yourself conscious of your sins, just say, “Thank You, Lord Jesus, for Your wonderful work at the cross. It is a perfect work that has removed all my sins completely.

“Holy Spirit, thank You for convicting me of righteousness, not my own, but God’s righteousness given to me as a gift. Keep on convicting me in the days to come, reminding me especially when I fail that I am still the righteousness of God in Christ.”

My friend, God sees you perfect without any spot of sin. He sees you covered in the beautiful white robes of His own righteousness. He treats you like a righteous man because that is what He has made you. So expect good things to happen to you because blessings are on the head of the righteous! (Proverbs 10:6)

– Joseph Prince

Jesus Can Identify with Your Pain

Jesus can identify with your pain

‘And if you bring as an offering a grain offering baked in the oven, it shall be unleavened cakes of fine flour mixed with oil, or unleavened wafers anointed with oil.
Leviticus 2:4

JESUS CAN IDENTIFY WITH YOUR PAIN

Private pains, deep hurts, shameful addictions. You may think that nobody understands what you are going through, but God does. He can identify with all your pains and is able to help you (see Hebrews 2:18, 4:15).

In the Old Testament, the grain offering brought to God speaks of Jesus’ life on earth. The fine flour, which the grain offering is made with, is flour that has been pounded, ground, beaten and sifted through to get it consistently even and fine. Therefore, it typifies the humanity and sufferings of Jesus.

One of the ways the Jewish women prepared the grain offering was to bake it. The baking done in the depths of the oven speaks of the “hidden” sufferings that Jesus went through. I believe that Jesus faced sufferings that we cannot fully understand. Even as a young boy, He must have gone through sufferings that prepared Him to die for all humanity at the cross. And during His ministry years, it must have grieved Him when time and time again, He found unbelief not just in the people around Him, but even in His disciples.

Jesus also suffered at the hands of men—slanderers who misunderstood Him. Once, the Pharisees insinuated that He was born out of wedlock because His mother was with child before she married Joseph (see John 8:39, 41). That scandalous remark, probably not the first, must have hurt Him.

Consider also the temptations He faced. There were not only three. God’s Word says that He was tempted for 40 days (see Luke 4:2)! Not all the temptations were recorded. Those 40 days must have tried Him sorely.What do all these mean?

My friend, Jesus went through all those temptations and sufferings for you, yet He did not sin (see Hebrews 4:15). There is no temptation or suffering that you are going through that He cannot identify with. So come to His throne of grace today and receive His superabounding grace to face and overcome those trials in your life!

Declare God’s Word Over Your Situation

Declare God's Word Over Your Situation

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”
Psalm 91:2

DECLARE GOD’S WORD OVER YOUR SITUATION

When a great storm arose as Jesus and His disciples were in a boat on the Sea of Galilee, He did not say to His disciples, “The storm is here to teach us courage.” Instead, He took authority over the storm and said, “Peace, be still!” And there was a perfect calm (see Mark 4:39).

When He met the widow of Nain whose only son had died, and on another occasion, the two sisters whose brother Lazarus had died, He didn’t tell them, “God wanted to take him home.” No, He spoke to the dead son: “Young man, I say to you, arise” (Luke 7:14). And standing outside Lazarus’ tomb, He said, “Lazarus, come forth!” (John 11:43). And both men came back to life.

What have you been saying about your situation?

When you feel the pain in your body, don’t say of the Lord, “God wants me sick to teach me to trust Him more.” Instead, say, “Lord Jesus, I thank You that by Your stripes I am healed” (see 1 Peter 2:24).

And while trying to make ends meet, don’t say of the Lord, “The Lord keeps me poor to keep me humble.” Instead, say, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (see Psalm 23:1).

We are living in the last days when there are terrorist attacks and deadly viruses lurking around, and the world is afraid. But we will not speak negative words and be fearful like the people of the world. Instead, we will speak God’s Word and reign over these things. Like the psalmist, we will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

So find out what God’s Word says about your situation, believe it and declare it. And because God’s Word cannot return to Him void (see Isaiah 55:11), you will see what you believe and confess come to pass!

– Pastor Joseph Prince

You are a Son/Daughter and an Heir of God

You are a Son and an Heir of God

And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.
Galatians 4:6–7

YOU ARE A SON AND AN HEIR OF GOD

Perhaps these questions have been popping into your head lately: “If You are a Christian, why are you sick? If your heavenly Father is so wonderful, why do you have so many problems? Doesn’t your God help you, His child?”

And if you have been tempted to ask, “God, I am Your child. Why is this happening to me?” know that Jesus knows exactly how you feel because 2,000 years ago, the devil played the same trick on Him—“If You are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3). You see, the devil’s intention was to make Jesus doubt His Sonship, and the devil wants to do the same thing to you today.

He wants to destroy the Spirit of sonship in you and in the body of believers. He knows that once you really believe that you are a son of God, something happens—you begin to live life as “an heir of God through Christ.”

As a son and an heir of God, you inherit all the blessings of God which Jesus died to give you, including salvation, healing, provision, wholeness, favor, intimacy with God and answered prayers. And Jesus rose from the dead to make sure that what He died to give you, you get. He is alive today to enforce this rich, blood-bought inheritance in your life!

My friend, you are an heir of God through Christ. This means that you are joint heirs with Jesus (see Romans 8:17). So His inheritance is your inheritance too!

What is provision when you are an heir of God? He owns every beast in the forest and the cattle on a thousand hills (see Psalm 50:10). All the diamonds and gold came from Him. What is healing when you are an heir of God? He is your Creator and the very breath of your life.

Beloved, enjoy every bit of your inheritance in Christ, not because you deserve it, but because it was paid for by Jesus’ blood!

– Joseph Prince

One Thing is Needful

One Thing is Needful

My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart;
Proverbs 4:20–21

ONE THING IS NEEDFUL

George Müller, who lived in the 1800s, cared for about 10,000 orphans in total in his five large orphanages. But he never allowed his huge responsibility to take him away from the Word of God. He said that every day, he would set aside time to study the scriptures until his inner man was happy in the Lord.

Once, Müller met a man who worked between 14 and 16 hours every day. He told the man, “You are destroying your health. You don’t have time for your family and, most importantly, you don’t have time to nourish your inner man with the Word of God.”

The man replied, “I hear you, but I can’t see how I can cut down my working hours and spend time in the Word because even with the 14 to 16 hours I put in each day, I still can’t put enough bread on the table for my family.”

As the man walked away, Müller said, “He doesn’t believe that if he gives time to God’s Word first, God will take care of all his needs.”

Likewise, do you really believe that every day, only one thing is needful? Even if the bills don’t get paid, the children are not making any headway in their studies and the office work is not completed, all these things can wait. Only one thing is needful—that you spend time in the Word of God.

When Martha complained to Jesus that her sister Mary had left her to serve alone (Mary was sitting at Jesus’ feet and hearing His Word), Jesus defended Mary by saying, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her” (Luke 10:41–42).

My friend, you will not lose out when you take the time to sit down and listen to God’s Word. Even your health and well-being will be blessed (see Proverbs 4:22). So take time today to meditate on His Word. It will make your way prosperous (see Joshua 1:8–9), and give you divine health and good success!

– Pastor Joseph Prince

Incidentally, today is mum’s birthday.