Why a Revelation of Your Forgiveness Is So Important September 30, 2021 bizadmin I write to you, little children because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake. 1 John 2:12 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 you assessed 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 think 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 you don’t think that it is so at other times. 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 you are beginning to see that understanding the complete forgiveness of your sins is not just for theologians. Thinking that your sins are not entirely forgiven will fundamentally affect your relationship with Jesus. While He is all ready to bless you, give you a 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 to accomplish. Your part in the new covenant is to have faith in Jesus and to believe that you are forgiven and free to enjoy the new covenant blessings through His finished work!
It Is All About Jesus September 12, 2021 bizadmin “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” Matthew 8:17 You might be familiar with the verse Isaiah 53:4, which says, “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” But notice how the author of the gospel of Matthew quoted it in today’s scripture. I love the word Himself because it is so personal and so intimate. Surely He Himself took our diseases and our infirmities. It wasn’t an angel. Your health and wholeness were too important to Him, so He Himself bore your every sickness and disease. Take some time to meditate on the Word Himself. Take some time to remember the One who suffered and died for you, the One who took your infirmities and bore your sicknesses, so you need not bear them. Jesus Himself did it because you are so precious to Him. Whatever condition the doctors have diagnosed you with, Jesus Himself has taken it upon His own body. Don’t focus on looking for healing; focus on the Lord Jesus Himself. Focus on the One “who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by His stripes, you were healed” (1 Pet 2:24). Many times when you seek Him and spend time in His presence, your fears and worries melt away. You find that in His presence, there is shalom-peace. There is healing. There is wholeness. And when you look for your symptoms, you find them no more. Why? Because you are in the presence of the Healer. When God told the children of Israel, “I am the LORD who heals you” (Exod. 15:26), He was introducing Himself as Jehovah Rapha. He was not saying, “I will give you healing” or “I will provide you health.” He was saying, I AM your healing, and I AM your health. When you touch Jesus, you touch healing. He does not give healing as though it were a thing. He gives Himself. You don’t have to seek after healing, provision, and protection. When you have Jesus, you have all you need. If there is an area of death in your body, the Lord says to you, “I am the resurrection and the life” (John 11:25). If doctors have told you that you will die young, the Lord says to you, “I am your life and the length of your days” (Deut. 30:20). If you have received a negative diagnosis and are fearful, the Lord says to you, “Do not be afraid. I am your shield” (Gen. 15:1). If you have been dealing with relapse after relapse and the discouragement is overwhelming you, the Lord declares to you, “I am your strength and your song” (Exod. 15:2)!
The Power of Redeeming Thoughts September 4, 2021 bizadmin Fix your thoughts on what is true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise. Philippians 4:8 NLT THE POWER OF REDEEMING THOUGHTS What mental movies are you playing in your head today? Are they thoughts of defeat and despair or thoughts of victory and favor? Faith is simply saying what God says about you and seeing what God sees in you and your situation. It takes a thought to heal a thought. Unlike the world, which teaches you to empty your mind to achieve peace, God’s way is to fill your mind with fresh, powerful, and redeeming thoughts. The apostle Paul tells us, “Fix your thoughts on what is true, and honorable, and right, and pure, and lovely, and admirable. Think about things that are excellent and worthy of praise” (Phil. 4:8 NLT). So it’s not just trying to blot out bad thoughts with your willpower. It takes a thought to replace another thought. It takes a right belief to replace a wrong belief. You need God’s truth to replace the enemy’s lies that have kept you in bondage. My friend, if a wrong, bad, or negative thought is lodged in your mind today and you can’t seem to shake it, stop trying! Perhaps you’re lying in a hospital bed and can’t help but think of the worst-case scenario. You’re attempting to suppress it, but it’s not working. Well, stop! Please stop trying to erase it from your mind. That won’t work. What you need to do is replace that destructive thought with a thought that’s from God. That’s the only way to deal with a wrong thought and begin the healing process. Start to meditate on truths such as, “Surely Jesus has borne my sicknesses and carried my pains. The chastisement for my wholeness fell upon Him, and by His stripes, I am healed. With long life He will satisfy me” (Isa. 53:4–5 and Ps. 91:16). Begin to play mental movies of yourself getting well, being discharged from the hospital, having fun with your kids, or going on a nice holiday!
Make Jesus Your Priority and See Blessings Added to You August 24, 2021 bizadmin Therefore do not worry, saying, “What shall we eat?” or “What shall we drink?” or “What shall we wear?. . For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. Matthew 6:31-33 MAKE JESUS YOUR PRIORITY AND SEE BLESSINGS ADDED TO YOU When I talk about not worrying and keeping our eyes on Jesus, some people think I am not practical. Beloved, you can worry all you like about your current crisis, but it will not improve or change your situation one bit. Please understand that I am not making light of what you are going through. I am just offering you the best solution I know that works. Your breakthrough will not come as a result of your struggle. It will come when you rest in the person of Jesus and His finished work. Jesus said, “do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on” (Matt. 6:25). Now, Jesus was not saying that these things—food, drink, and clothing—are not important. In fact, He says that “your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things.” But what Jesus wants us to do is to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,” and He promises that “all these things shall be added to you.” Now, who is God’s righteousness? Jesus Christ. And who is the king of the “kingdom of God” that we are to seek? Jesus Christ (Rev. 19:16)! Jesus was actually referring to Himself when He was preaching this. When you seek Him first in your life and make Him your priority each day, all these material provisions—what you will eat, drink and wear—will be added to you. God does not delight in taking things away from you. He delights in adding to you, increasing you, promoting you, and enriching you. Psalm 68:19 says, “Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits . . .” The Lord loads us with benefits daily! That is how good our Savior is. His mercies and His unmerited favor are new every morning. That is the way to live and enjoy life, knowing that Jesus is with you and for you every step of the way. Put Jesus first in everything that you do. Honor Him and give Him preeminence in your daily life. Partake of His finished work daily by reading His living words to you. Practice the presence of Jesus and be conscious that He is with you, the same way that Joseph in the Bible was conscious that the Lord was with Him. Jesus will bless the works of your hands, and everything you touch will indeed prosper and bring success into your life.
Only Believe in Jesus August 19, 2021 bizadmin “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so, must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14–15 ONLY BELIEVE IN JESUS Do you know why Jesus chose the cross? He went to the cross so that whoever believes in Him can receive the gift of eternal life. Whoever believes, that is all you need to do to step into the inheritance that was purchased for you with the blood of the Son of God. Believe in HIM. Believe in Jesus. Believe in what He has done for you at the cross. Believe that all your sins have been imputed to Him and all His righteousness has been imputed to you (2 Cor. 5:21). Believe in the divine exchange. Believe in His love. Believe that all your sins have been punished at the cross and that through Jesus, you have received the gifts of righteousness and eternal life. Look at John 3:15 again. Tell me, who qualifies for salvation? The Word of God doesn’t say, “Whoever obeys Him perfectly and keeps all His commandments.” It doesn’t say, “Whoever never fails again.” It simply says, “Whoever believes in Him.” Whoever believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. The only action needed on your part is to believe! Pastor Prince, how can simply believe in Jesus make me righteous? There must be something more that I must do to earn and deserve God’s love for me. Don’t write it off just because it sounds simple, and don’t underestimate the power of right believing. When you believe right—when you believe that you are made righteous through Jesus—you will end up producing the fruits of righteousness. The apostle Paul refers to “the fruits of righteousness” in Philippians 1:11, and he specifies that they are “by Jesus Christ.” When you set your eyes on Jesus and Jesus alone as the source of your righteousness and forgiveness, you will end up producing the fruits of righteousness, holiness, and moral character. Indeed, the Bible tells us that when we don’t see or have forgotten that we have been cleansed from our old sins, we end up lacking in self-control, godliness, and brotherly love (2 Pet. 1:5–9). Can you see how when you believe right, you will end up living right? So make Jesus, His forgiveness, and His love the center of every part of your life!
Every Condition in Every Part August 11, 2021 bizadmin “Then they shall eat the flesh on that night; roasted in fire, with unleavened bread and with bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat it raw, nor boiled at all with water, but roasted in fire—its head with its legs and its entrails.” Exodus 12:8–9 EVERY CONDITION IN EVERY PART If you’re trusting the Lord for healing breakthrough today, I want to arm your heart with this simple but critical truth: There are exclusions and conditions to God’s healing power. There are no exclusions whatsoever in the finished work of Christ. Its coverage is all-encompassing and perfectly comprehensive, and every condition has been covered! I want to highlight a powerful truth in the verses above. Why did God specifically mention that the lamb should be roasted in fire with its head, legs, and entrails? I believe He wants you to see that Jesus, your Passover Lamb, bore every condition in every part of your body. There is no disease, injury, or sickness He did not carry in His own body on the cross. The Israelites had lived under the stressful, cruel oppression of their slave masters and the horror of infanticide. Perhaps some of them suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder or had recurrent panic attacks. Perhaps some had chronic pain and physical disabilities from being brutally treated by their slave masters. But whatever condition they might have suffered from, I believe they were healed as they ate the roasted head, legs, and entrails of the lamb. Whatever affliction you might have in any part of your body, I want you to know every condition has been borne by Jesus on the cross. While God specifically instructed the children of Israel to eat the Passover lamb’s head with its legs and entrails, the whole lamb was roasted. This means no matter what disease you are battling today, Jesus has taken it on Himself. Today, I encourage you to receive the Holy Communion remembering the perfect love of our Lord Jesus and what His finished work of has accomplished for you. Your part is to keep partaking of the channel of divine health He has given you until you see the manifestation of your victory. Your part is to lift up your hands to Him and say, “Lord Jesus, I receive Your healing. By the stripes that fell on You, every part of my body—every cell, every organ—is healed and functions at peak efficiency. Thank You, Jesus, for Your healing.”
The Wisdom of Christ in Action August 3, 2021 bizadmin But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Corinthians 1:30 KJV THE WISDOM OF CHRIST IN ACTION Beloved, when you depend on God’s wisdom to succeed today, you will see whatever you do prosper. Simply observe how our Lord Jesus always flowed in divine wisdom in His earthly ministry. For example, look at what happened when the Pharisees brought the woman caught in adultery to Him. The Pharisees came to Him and quoted from the law, saying, “Teacher, this woman was caught in adultery, in the very act. Now Moses, in the law, commanded us that such should be stoned. But what do You say?” (John 8:4–5). They thought that they had succeeded in trapping Jesus because if He told them to stone her, then they would accuse Him of not demonstrating the forgiveness and grace that He had been preaching about. If He were to say that they should not stone her, then the Pharisees would accuse Him of breaking the law of Moses and bring a charge against Him. The Pharisees were probably gloating over the clever trap that they had devised. That is why they confronted Jesus in the public area around the temple. They wanted to embarrass Him in front of the multitudes that had come to hear Him teach. Now, observe the wisdom of Jesus in operation. He simply told them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first” (John 8:7). What majesty! They came to Jesus with the law of Moses and Jesus gave them the perfect standard of the law. Without flinching, He simply challenged the person who was perfect before the law to cast the first stone. The Pharisees who had come to ensnare Jesus began to walk away one by one, completely silenced. This same Jesus, with all His wisdom, is today our ascended Christ, who is seated at the Father’s right hand, and whom the Bible says is “made unto us wisdom!” From this and other accounts of Jesus in the Gospels, we see how in everything He does, our Savior is altogether lovely. He is never early, never late. He is always at the right place at the right time. He is always in perfect peace and there is no sense of hurry about Him. When it was time to be tender, He was infinitely gentle, gracious and forgiving—we see this from His response to the woman caught in adultery (John 8:10–11). When it was time to overturn the tables of the money changers, He did it with passion. He was never frazzled by the Pharisees’ attempts to trip Him up and was always flowing with divine wisdom. He is steel and velvet, meekness and majesty, perfect manhood and deity. This is Jesus and you are in Him! Begin to see yourself in Christ, who is always flowing with divine wisdom, always in control of the situation, and the same wisdom that flows in Him will flow in and through you.
Faith Comes by Hearing July 23, 2021 bizadmin So faith comes from hearing and hearing by the word of Christ. Romans 10:17 NASB FAITH COMES BY HEARING How does one change his mind from hiding from God to running to God? Well, today’s scripture tells us that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.” In Matthew 8, the man with leprosy had enough faith to come out of his hiding place and head straight for Jesus to seek healing because of the gracious words he had heard while Jesus was preaching to the multitudes. If our Lord had preached a hellfire-and-brimstone message of condemnation, do you think the man would have dared to approach Him for healing? Of course not. He would have walked away fearful of punishment and feeling more condemned and hopeless than ever. But because he heard words of grace—how God wanted to be a loving Father to him and provide for all his needs—faith arose in his heart, giving him the confidence to approach the Lord Jesus for his miracle. My friend, what you hear about God is of utmost importance. It can mean the difference between receiving your miracle and remaining where you are in your lack of bondage. It can draw you close to God or drive you further away from Him. Faith comes by hearing, but fear also comes by hearing. If you’ve been hearing about a God who is mostly angry and out to get you for your sins, how can you have faith to look to Him for help? If you’ve been hearing that He gives people (even believers) sicknesses and punishes them with horrible accidents for their sins, how can you look to Him for healing? If you’ve been hearing that He wants you and your family in poverty to keep you humble, how can you believe Him for financial breakthroughs or deliverance from mounting debts? How can you possibly trust God for anything good to happen to you if all you’ve been hearing are sermons that make you feel more condemned and fearful of His judgment? It’s sad, but the things I’ve just mentioned are the very things people hear about God. Just look at the movies made about God today—God is always portrayed as mean, judgmental, petulant, destructive, and even murderous! How they’ve perverted Who God really is—“compassionate and merciful, slow to get angry and filled with unfailing love” (Ps. 103:8 NLT)! Please understand me. God does have anger, but the Bible never defines God as wrath; it defines God as love (1 John 4:8, 16). Did our Lord Jesus ever condemn the prostitutes and tax collectors, those despised and rejected by society? No, He was a friend of sinners! Did He ever take away from the poor or inflict the sick with more diseases? No, He fed a hungry multitude with twelve baskets full of leftovers and healed everyone who sought Him for healing wherever He went! The Bible tells us that Jesus “went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him” (Acts 10:38). What does that tell us? God wants to do good, not evil, to us! If this were not true, God would not have been with Jesus, backing Him up. Jesus said, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority, but the Father who dwells in Me does the works” (John 14:9–10). If you want to know what God is really like (and not what man portrays Him to be), look at Jesus in the Gospels. He is God’s will in action, and He went about doing good—saving, delivering, healing, restoring, providing, guiding, and loving the unlovable. That’s our God!