Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs (10 page)
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Authors: Joseph Prince
Tags: #Devotional, #Grace, #Joseph Prince
BOOK: Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs
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Distortions and lies about God lead us away from Him and ultimately into the depths of despair and fear, like they did for Tina, who lives in Florida. Tina had been involved with a religious, cult-like organization for twelve years and became gripped by the terror that the devil was going to kill her. However, when she started watching my television program, listening to my sermon CDs, and immersing herself in the good news of Jesus Christ, her fears started to dissipate. She said, “Despite my erroneous beliefs, my awesome heavenly Dad lavished such tremendous love on me, all through hearing and reading about
the glorious gospel of grace!
He unveiled Jesus to me through your teaching, brought me out of spiritual darkness, and gave me the courage to walk away from the cult. As I face each new day, I know His presence is always with me, that I am His beloved and He loves me dearly. This is just the beginning of a greater restoration that God is bringing into my life. He is just that
good
, and there is no other like Him! Hallelujah!”
the glorious gospel of grace!
He unveiled Jesus to me through your teaching, brought me out of spiritual darkness, and gave me the courage to walk away from the cult. As I face each new day, I know His presence is always with me, that I am His beloved and He loves me dearly. This is just the beginning of a greater restoration that God is bringing into my life. He is just that
good
, and there is no other like Him! Hallelujah!”
I add my hallelujah as well! My friend, the moment you begin to have the right perceptions of God and draw near to Him, the devil cannot keep you bound in a life of defeat. All the lies, distortions, and erroneous teachings about God will collapse like a house of cards when your eyes are opened to His grace. You will realize that the Lord is not your problem but your answer—to every problem. Your freedom and victory are found in Him. He is your security, your righteousness…your all in all!
Today’s Thought
The closer I draw to the Lord, the closer I am to the answer to all of my problems
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Jesus, I so want to know You in truth. Thank You that Your Word is the truth that shows up all wrong beliefs, distortions, and lies about You. Today, I am running to You rather than away from You. Help me to always see You as the God of love and compassion You really are and to come boldly to receive Your mercy and grace. I believe that whatever challenges I face today, You are my unfailing answer. I believe that to know You, the only true God, is eternal life. Amen
.
.
All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ
.
.
E
PHESIANS
1:3
NLT
PHESIANS
1:3
NLT
…you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power
.
.
C
OLOSSIANS
2:10
OLOSSIANS
2:10
Today’s Scripture
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed
.
.
I
SAIAH
53:4–5
SAIAH
53:4–5
O
ne of the most evil teachings that I have heard is that God will chastise His own with sicknesses, diseases, accidents, and tragedies. When I was a teenager, one of the youth leaders in my previous church was involved in a horrible accident that nearly killed him. A church leader gathered some of us youths to go visit that youth leader and began to lament, “Why did this happen to him? What did he do to cause God to chastise him this way?”
ne of the most evil teachings that I have heard is that God will chastise His own with sicknesses, diseases, accidents, and tragedies. When I was a teenager, one of the youth leaders in my previous church was involved in a horrible accident that nearly killed him. A church leader gathered some of us youths to go visit that youth leader and began to lament, “Why did this happen to him? What did he do to cause God to chastise him this way?”
Can you imagine how I felt when I “realized” that God was behind the accident? Honestly, it frightened the living daylights out of me to think that God would chastise a believer using such a harsh method! I remember praying, “God, please don’t ever chastise me this way. Whatever it is, please, just tell me, all right? I will listen, I promise!” I didn’t want to draw near to Him also because I was afraid of Him, afraid that if I made a mistake, He would not hesitate to chastise me with an accident that could leave me crippled for life or even dead!
Do you know that this erroneous teaching is actually based on the old covenant and not the new covenant? In Leviticus 26:28, God says to those who fail to obey His commandments, “I will chastise you seven times for your sins.” But guess what? You are no longer under the covenant of law. You are under the covenant of
grace!
Jesus has already borne all your chastisement and punishment on the cross. Read it for yourself in today’s Scripture, then reread it and reread it once more.
grace!
Jesus has already borne all your chastisement and punishment on the cross. Read it for yourself in today’s Scripture, then reread it and reread it once more.
The prophet Isaiah saw a prophetic vision of our Lord Jesus on the cross, bearing the punishment for our transgressions. He declared that the chastisement that we deserved came upon Jesus so that you and I will never have to go through what He endured on our behalf. And by the stripes laid on Him as He bore our chastisement, we are healed! Hallelujah!
So how can anyone have the audacity to say that God will still chastise us with sicknesses, diseases, and accidents today? To say this is to negate the finished work of Jesus Christ! Under the new covenant, God will never again chastise the believer for his sins!
Whatever condition you have today, it is not from the Lord! Look to Jesus on the cross. See Him beaten and scourged for you, and receive healing and wholeness from Him. He has paid the price for your total healing. By His stripes you are healed!
Today’s Thought
Jesus has borne all my chastisement on the cross, and by His stripes I am healed
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You that Your eternal Word states that every curse and stroke of punishment and chastisement for my sins was placed upon Jesus’ body on the cross. I believe that by His stripes I am healed of every condition, affliction, and symptom that plagues my body today. I praise You that Jesus’ shalom-peace—perfect well-being and wholeness in every area—is mine because of His sacrifice for me. I open my heart and receive Jesus’ total and complete forgiveness and healing for my body, mind, and emotions. Amen
.
.
…Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed
.
.
1 P
ETER
2:24
ETER
2:24
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.”
G
ALATIANS
3:13
NASB
ALATIANS
3:13
NASB
“L
ORD
, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death
.
ORD
, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he saved them from their distress. He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death
.
P
SALM
107:19–20
NLT
SALM
107:19–20
NLT
Today’s Scripture
“My son, do not despise the chastening of the L
ORD
, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the L
ORD
loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
ORD
, nor be discouraged when you are rebuked by Him; for whom the L
ORD
loves He chastens, and scourges every son whom He receives.”
H
EBREWS
12:5–6
EBREWS
12:5–6
P
astor Prince, how can you say there is no chastisement and punishment in the new covenant? Today’s Scripture states it very clearly
.
astor Prince, how can you say there is no chastisement and punishment in the new covenant? Today’s Scripture states it very clearly
.
My friend, there is confusion in the church because the original Greek word for “chastens” in today’s Scripture has been poorly translated. The Greek word is actually
paideuo
,
1
which means child training.
Pai
is where you get the word
pediatrician
(a doctor who specializes in treating children), while
deuo
means to teach a child. You will find that the translation of the word
paideuo
as child training is more consistent with the context of the passage. Read on. The next verse says, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Heb. 12:7). Clearly, because God deals with us as sons, He disciplines and brings correction to us just as earthly fathers would their sons.
paideuo
,
1
which means child training.
Pai
is where you get the word
pediatrician
(a doctor who specializes in treating children), while
deuo
means to teach a child. You will find that the translation of the word
paideuo
as child training is more consistent with the context of the passage. Read on. The next verse says, “If you endure chastening, God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom a father does not chasten?” (Heb. 12:7). Clearly, because God deals with us as sons, He disciplines and brings correction to us just as earthly fathers would their sons.
Now, think about this for a moment: would you give your son a sickness, terminal disease, or accident to teach him a lesson? Then why do you think your loving Father in heaven would do that? No way! When you train your child, you give him lessons that will teach him things to benefit him in the future. And for him to benefit from the lesson, how can he die from it? So God would never use terminal sicknesses or fatal accidents to teach you and me—His children—lessons. In the new covenant, while there is no longer any punishment for sins, there is
child training
. But God does not train His children with sicknesses, diseases, or accidents any more than you and I do. He does it through His Word (see 2 Tim. 3:16–17, Heb. 12:9).
child training
. But God does not train His children with sicknesses, diseases, or accidents any more than you and I do. He does it through His Word (see 2 Tim. 3:16–17, Heb. 12:9).
Yet, sadly, there are still Christians who accuse our heavenly Father of using sickness and disease to discipline His children. What kind of God is that? Come on, He is our
Abba! Abba
is the most affectionate term you can use to address a father in the Hebrew language. It means “Daddy!” Do you really think your Daddy God will punish you that way?
Abba! Abba
is the most affectionate term you can use to address a father in the Hebrew language. It means “Daddy!” Do you really think your Daddy God will punish you that way?
If you earthly fathers know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more your heavenly Daddy who loves you (Matt. 7:11). Sicknesses, diseases, and accidents are from the devil, and because of Jesus’ finished work, we have been redeemed from every evil work and curse. We can receive protection from every evil occurrence, sickness, and disease. Our heavenly Father is one who “forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies” (Ps. 103:3–4). And by the stripes on Jesus’ back, we are healed!
Whenever you hear a teaching that puts fear in your heart, such as “God gives you diseases and accidents to teach you a lesson,” you can be sure that what you are hearing is not the gospel, or good news, of Jesus. The good news of Jesus always liberates as His perfect love removes every fear. The good news always imparts faith and exalts the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross!
My friend, reject anything that even remotely suggests that God is angry with you and is going to discipline you with painful, deadly things when you fail. Our Father is full of grace and mercy and wants us to be healthy, provided for, and protected from all evil occurrences! Let’s start to expect good gifts from Him.
Today’s Thought
God is my Abba Father who loves, saves, forgives, heals, and blesses me because of the cross. He is not a God who disciplines me with sicknesses and accidents when I fail!
Today’s Prayer
Abba Father, thank You for making me a part of Your family and calling me Your beloved child. Because of Your unconditional love for me, You sent Jesus, and I believe He bore every one of my failings at the cross. Because You love me, You want the best for me and You guide me with Your Spirit and Your Word. I open my heart to receive Your deep, intimate love for me. I believe that right now, You are forgiving, healing, redeeming, and crowning me with Your lovingkindness and tender mercies. Amen
.
.
All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work
.
.
2 T
IMOTHY
3:16–17
NASB
IMOTHY
3:16–17
NASB
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
H
EBREWS
12:9
EBREWS
12:9
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers
.
.
3 J
OHN
1:2
OHN
1:2
Today’s Scripture
And in Lystra a certain man without strength in his feet was sitting, a cripple from his mother’s womb, who had never walked. This man heard Paul speaking. Paul, observing him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, said with a loud voice, “Stand up straight on your feet!” And he leaped and walked
.
.
A
CTS
14:8–10
CTS
14:8–10
H
ave you ever wondered how the crippled man in today’s Scripture, who had never walked, came to be filled with faith when he heard Paul speaking? What words generated such faith?
ave you ever wondered how the crippled man in today’s Scripture, who had never walked, came to be filled with faith when he heard Paul speaking? What words generated such faith?
Let’s look at this closely in today’s as well as tomorrow’s reading. The Bible only says that Paul was “preaching the gospel” (Acts 14:7). It doesn’t say that he was teaching divine healing. The Bible also states that “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17
NASB
). So the man at Lystra was filled with faith because he heard the word of
Christ!
I know that in most Bible translations, it says that faith comes by hearing “the word of God.” But if you study the original Greek word for “God” here, it is not
Theos
for “God,” but rather
Christos
for “Christ.”
1
NASB
). So the man at Lystra was filled with faith because he heard the word of
Christ!
I know that in most Bible translations, it says that faith comes by hearing “the word of God.” But if you study the original Greek word for “God” here, it is not
Theos
for “God,” but rather
Christos
for “Christ.”
1
You see, faith does not come by simply hearing the word of God, because the word of God would encompass everything in the Bible, including the law of Moses. There is no impartation of faith when you hear the Ten Commandments preached. Faith only comes by hearing the word of Christ—teachings that have been filtered through Jesus’ finished work and the new covenant of grace. That means hearing preaching of the Word from Genesis to Revelation as long as it is from the perspective of Jesus and His grace. After all, Christ is in the Old Testament
concealed
, and in the New Testament
revealed
. In the Old Testament, you will find shadows of Christ in the five Levitical offerings, the tabernacle of Moses, and even in the high priest’s garments, but it takes a new covenant understanding to draw Christ out. Only when Christ is preached will faith be imparted.
concealed
, and in the New Testament
revealed
. In the Old Testament, you will find shadows of Christ in the five Levitical offerings, the tabernacle of Moses, and even in the high priest’s garments, but it takes a new covenant understanding to draw Christ out. Only when Christ is preached will faith be imparted.
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