100 Days Of Favor (38 page)

Unfortunately, sometimes, the hardest thing for us to do is to sit down! Sometimes, the most challenging thing we can do is to cease from our own efforts and rest solely on Jesus’ unmerited favor. Often, we are like Martha—worried, busy and troubled about many things. It can all be legitimate things that we are worried about. In Martha’s case, she was trying her best to serve the Lord. She ended up doing many things that day, but missed out on doing the
one
thing that was actually needful.

Believers who do that one thing that is needful are not worried about anything else. On the other hand, believers who fail to do that
one
thing end up being troubled about
many
things. Do you believe that only one thing is needful—to rest at Jesus’ feet and receive from Him?

Now, is it practical to just be occupied with Jesus? Absolutely. We find that later, in the Gospel of John, Mary took a pound of very costly oil of spikenard, anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair to prepare Him for His burial (John 12:3–8). On resurrection morning, some women came with ointment to anoint Jesus’ body, but it was too late then. They were doing the right thing, but at the wrong time. The Lord had already risen. But Mary did the right thing at the right time. This shows us that when you do the one thing that is needful, you will end up doing the right thing at the right time, and God will cause all that you touch to be amazingly blessed.

Like Mary, choose to focus on the beauty, glory and love of Jesus. Choose not to be troubled about many things or constantly occupied with yourself. Like Peter, turn away from the storm and look at Jesus, and you will start walking above the storm. Beloved, choose to focus on the Lord and rest in His finished work. As Jesus is, so are you in this world!

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, although I have many things to do today, I choose to sit at Your feet and to receive from You. Minister Your words of life to me! I want to draw from You and drink of You. I thank You that when I spend time at Your feet, You will put me at the right place at the right time and cause me to prosper and enjoy good success!

Today’s Thought

When I do the one thing that is needful, I will end up doing the right thing at the right time.

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 88

Be Righteousness-Conscious And Experience Every Blessing

Today’s Scripture

“
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

H
AVE YOU NOTICED
how it is usually only the first part of Isaiah 54:17 that is quoted: “No weapon formed against you shall prosper”? Now, do you want to know the secret to unleashing this promise of protection and walking fully in your inheritance in Christ? Interestingly, this verse is rarely quoted in full: “‘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.” You see, beloved, it is when you know that your righteousness is from the Lord that no weapon formed against you will prosper, and every tongue of accusation, judgment and condemnation that rises against you will fail!

God wants you to use your faith to believe that even when you have failed, He is a God who justifies the ungodly and makes them righteous. This is grace.

For many of us, it is easy to confess that you are righteous when everything is going well. But let’s talk about the times when you are faced with a crisis at home or at work, when you have made a mistake, when you are sick, when you are tempted or when you are depressed. That is when the devil, who is the “accuser of our brethren” (Revelation 12:10), will come against you and scream accusatory thoughts of condemnation in your ears: “You call yourself a Christian? You think that God will hear your prayer this time?”

My friend,
that
is the time to start speaking your righteousness, and no weapon formed against you shall prosper. Instead, you will walk in all your inheritance in Christ, which includes the blessings of Abraham. The accuser wants you to focus on your performance, and if you go into the realm of the law, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect (Romans 4:14). But if you maintain your belief and confession that you are righteous in Christ, the promise to Abraham and all the blessings of being an heir of the world will be unleashed into every aspect of your life.

The accuser is very subtle. He has no problems with you using your faith for other things, like a new car or promotion, as long as you don’t use your faith for the most important thing—believing that you are righteous by faith in Jesus. Once you focus and channel all your faith in that direction, not only will the accuser lose his power over you, all the blessings that you desire will also be added to you! As God’s Word promises, “…seek
first
the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be
added
to you” (Matthew 6:33).

“But Pastor Prince, don’t deserve Abraham’s blessing.”

You are absolutely right, my friend. None of us deserve the blessing of Abraham and that is why it is important that we know that we are righteous by faith. We are not getting what our own righteousness deserves. We are getting what Jesus’ righteousness deserves. We did nothing right, but Jesus did everything right on our behalf. This is grace—God’s undeserved, unearned and unmerited favor. His grace is the key to becoming an heir of the world and to experience the full blessings of Abraham.

You need to read this portion of the Scriptures for yourself:

For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.
But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.

—
R
OMANS
4:2–5

The secret to Abraham’s blessings is found in verse five (see bolded part). What did Abraham believe? He believed that God justifies the ungodly. Take some time to meditate on this. God wants you to use your faith to believe that even when you have failed, He is a God who justifies the ungodly and makes them righteous. This is grace.

My friend, put your faith in His unmerited favor instead of your works. Being righteous is not based on your perfect performance. It is based on His perfect work. Your part is to use your faith to believe that you are indeed righteous by faith, so that you will reign in this life, become an heir of the world, and live an overcoming and victorious life.

Today’s Prayer

Father, I declare that even when I have failed, no weapon formed against me will prosper because I have the righteousness of Jesus Christ. Every tongue that rises up against me in judgment and condemnation, I have the right to condemn because I am righteous in Christ. And because I have Your gift of righteousness, I will reign in life through Christ. I will enjoy Abraham’s blessing and live an overcoming and victorious life!

Today’s Thought

No weapon formed against me can prosper because I am the righteousness of God in Christ!

Today’s Reflection On Favor

DAY 89

The Righteousness Of Faith Speaks

Today’s Scripture

For Moses writes about the righteousness which is of the law, “The man who does those things shall live by them.” But the righteousness of faith speaks… —Romans 10:5–6

L
ET ME SAY
something about faith. You cannot have faith without speaking it. When you study Romans 10, you will notice that it says that “the righteousness which is of the law…
does
…But the righteousness of faith
speaks.
” The law is about doing, whereas faith is about speaking. It is not enough to just know in your mind that you are righteous. It is not enough to just read this chapter or hear a sermon on righteousness and mentally agree that you are righteous. You need to open your mouth and say by faith, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” This is where many believers are missing out on the blessing of Abraham. They are not speaking their righteousness by faith.

Our first response when we discover a symptom in our body, when we receive a bad report or when we are faced with a trial, should always be to say, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.”

Our first response to a trying situation is very important. Our first response when we discover a symptom in our body, when we receive a bad report or when we are faced with a trial, should always be to say, “I am the righteousness of God in Christ.” Come on now, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is when we need to speak it. You need to not only know that you are righteous, you need to believe and speak your righteousness in Christ. It is not faith until you speak it! Paul said, “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). The spirit of faith is clearly about believing and speaking. So it does not matter how many sermons or books on righteousness you have heard and read. You need to believe it and speak it.