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Authors: Joseph Prince
Tags: #Devotional, #Grace, #Joseph Prince
Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs (17 page)
BOOK: Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs
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My friend, don’t get sucked into legalism and be miles and miles away from God, never knowing His heart of love for you. God is not a legalist. He is your Father. Do not stay trapped on a never-ending religious treadmill based on your own efforts to try to earn His forgiveness, approval, and acceptance. Discover through the good news of Jesus Christ how much He loves you and wants you to enjoy His grace for every need. When you discover and are established in His grace, everything you do will be birthed out of an inward motivation that flows directly from a love relationship with Jesus, not religious obligation.
Today’s Thought
God is my Father. He is after a relationship with me, one that is completely dependent on His goodness and grace alone
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You for helping me to get off the never-ending treadmill of legalism that is based on my own efforts to try to earn Your forgiveness, approval, and acceptance. Thank You for calling me into a personal and intimate relationship with You. I want to respond to You out of a love relationship with You. I believe that my relationship with You is completely dependent on Your goodness and grace alone. Amen
.
.
Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!
1 J
OHN
3:1
OHN
3:1
“And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that I have is yours.’”
L
UKE
15:31
UKE
15:31
Today’s Scripture
Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus…let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience…
H
EBREWS
10:19, 22
EBREWS
10:19, 22
M
ost of us are aware that stress is the cause of many sicknesses and diseases. Experts have also identified fear as the cause of stress. But do you know that the deepest and most insidious root of many of our problems exists in the spiritual realm, and that it can only be destroyed by the power of Jesus’ finished work?
ost of us are aware that stress is the cause of many sicknesses and diseases. Experts have also identified fear as the cause of stress. But do you know that the deepest and most insidious root of many of our problems exists in the spiritual realm, and that it can only be destroyed by the power of Jesus’ finished work?
My friend, the deepest root of many of the troubles that afflict us is
condemnation
. It all began in the Garden of Eden when the first man, Adam, sinned, incurring a guilty conscience and condemnation. Your conscience is that which is within you that knows good and evil, and it knows that when there is sin, there must be punishment for it. The Bible calls a conscience that is perpetually conscious of sin, failure, and condemnation an “evil conscience,” which, without the blood of Jesus, there is no escape from. Unfortunately, many believers unknowingly carry with them an evil conscience that robs them of intimacy with God, and it is this constant sense of condemnation that is at the root of many of their afflictions.
condemnation
. It all began in the Garden of Eden when the first man, Adam, sinned, incurring a guilty conscience and condemnation. Your conscience is that which is within you that knows good and evil, and it knows that when there is sin, there must be punishment for it. The Bible calls a conscience that is perpetually conscious of sin, failure, and condemnation an “evil conscience,” which, without the blood of Jesus, there is no escape from. Unfortunately, many believers unknowingly carry with them an evil conscience that robs them of intimacy with God, and it is this constant sense of condemnation that is at the root of many of their afflictions.
You see, Satan, whose name in Hebrew literally means “the accuser,”
1
is a prosecutor at law and an expert at condemning you. He is always pointing out your faults and shortcomings. That is why the Bible calls him “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10). Even when you do something right, the accuser will say, “It’s not good enough.” Like the constant sound of dripping water, he will keep on accusing and spewing condemnation toward you. His crowning achievement is to bring about accusations in your life that you think are from God.
1
is a prosecutor at law and an expert at condemning you. He is always pointing out your faults and shortcomings. That is why the Bible calls him “the accuser of our brethren” (Rev. 12:10). Even when you do something right, the accuser will say, “It’s not good enough.” Like the constant sound of dripping water, he will keep on accusing and spewing condemnation toward you. His crowning achievement is to bring about accusations in your life that you think are from God.
Many a time, believers under condemnation think that it is the Holy Spirit convicting them of their sins and pointing out their faults. They begin to entertain negative thoughts about themselves. They begin to
believe
that they ought to have negative feelings about themselves because of all their sins and unworthiness. Hence, the devil’s objective is to bring about condemnation in your life, concealing it in a fog of deception, so that you would be the last person to think that you are under condemnation.
believe
that they ought to have negative feelings about themselves because of all their sins and unworthiness. Hence, the devil’s objective is to bring about condemnation in your life, concealing it in a fog of deception, so that you would be the last person to think that you are under condemnation.
The world has no solution for the enemy’s tactics, but as believers, we do. We have the power of the finished work of Jesus. His blood was shed and He was condemned on our behalf, so that we will never need to live in condemnation. By the grace of God, we can have a good conscience that is sprinkled with the blood of Jesus, and instead of being sin-conscious, we can be forgiveness-conscious.
The Word of God says that “worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins” (Heb. 10:2). Today, we can always be conscious of our righteousness in Christ Jesus, even when we fail, and draw near to God with a “true heart in full assurance of faith” that God is not angry with us. Beloved, because of Jesus Christ and the power of His finished work, you can reject any accusation, guilt, and condemnation thrown at you by the devil and by your own heart!
Today, when you approach the Father, when you look to Him to meet your needs, be conscious that your heart has been sprinkled clean from an evil conscience with the blood of Jesus. That is amazing grace—you can have forgiveness-consciousness and draw near to God with a true heart in full assurance of faith!
Today’s Thought
By the grace of God, my conscience is sprinkled clean with the blood of Jesus, and I can draw near to God today with a true heart in full assurance of faith
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Lord Jesus, I refuse to live under guilt and condemnation anymore because You have paid the price for my heart to be anchored in permanent peace. Right now, I release all of my negative thoughts about myself and feelings of unworthiness into Your loving hands. Help me to be conscious of Your blood that has cleansed and purified my conscience. I believe that I can draw near to You with a true heart in full assurance of faith that knows You are always for me. Amen!
For then would they not have ceased to be offered? For the worshipers, once purified, would have had no more consciousness of sins
.
.
H
EBREWS
10:2
EBREWS
10:2
For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation
.
.
2 C
ORINTHIANS
5:19
NLT
ORINTHIANS
5:19
NLT
Today’s Scripture
“And when He [the Holy Spirit] has come, He will convict the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they do not believe in Me; of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more; of judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.”
J
OHN
16:8–11
OHN
16:8–11
A
re you among the many believers who wonder how to differentiate between the enemy’s condemnation and the Holy Spirit “convicting them of sin”? That is a question that confuses a lot of believers, and the answer is really simple.
re you among the many believers who wonder how to differentiate between the enemy’s condemnation and the Holy Spirit “convicting them of sin”? That is a question that confuses a lot of believers, and the answer is really simple.
Now, pay attention to today’s Scripture because it will liberate you. The bottom line is that
the Holy Spirit never convicts a believer of his sins
. He
never
comes to point out your faults. I challenge you to find a Scripture in the Bible that tells you the Holy Spirit has come to convict believers of their sins. You won’t find any! The body of Christ is living in defeat because many believers don’t understand that the Holy Spirit is actually in them to convict them of their
righteousness in Christ
. Even when you fail, He is ever present in you to remind you that the blood of Jesus has made you totally forgiven and eternally righteous. That’s the Holy Spirit.
the Holy Spirit never convicts a believer of his sins
. He
never
comes to point out your faults. I challenge you to find a Scripture in the Bible that tells you the Holy Spirit has come to convict believers of their sins. You won’t find any! The body of Christ is living in defeat because many believers don’t understand that the Holy Spirit is actually in them to convict them of their
righteousness in Christ
. Even when you fail, He is ever present in you to remind you that the blood of Jesus has made you totally forgiven and eternally righteous. That’s the Holy Spirit.
Remember, it is important to always read Bible verses in their context. Many people end up misinterpreting Bible verses because they fail to do this. One way to read Bible verses in their context (and this is a key Bible interpretation principle) is to identify who the verses are talking about. So was Jesus talking about believers or unbelievers in John 16:8–11?
When Jesus said that the Holy Spirit would come to “convict the world of sin” because they do not believe in Him, it is clear that He was referring to unbelievers because they are of “the world.” And notice that the Holy Spirit does not convict the world of “sins” (plural). It is only one “sin” (singular) that the Holy Spirit convicts the world of, and that is the sin of unbelief, the sin of rejecting Jesus and not believing in His finished work.
But when people take John 16:8 out of its proper context, they start to believe erroneously that the Holy Spirit is here to convict believers of their sins. Jesus says that the Holy Spirit convicts you “of righteousness, because I go to My Father and you see Me no more.” Clearly, with the use of the second person pronoun “you,” Jesus was referring to His believers to whom He was talking. This tells us that the Holy Spirit was sent to convict believers of righteousness, not sin!
Now, are you made righteous by your works or by faith in Jesus? By now, you should know that you are made righteous by faith, for righteousness is not
right doing
, but
right standing before
God because of your right believing! So when you miss it,
the Holy Spirit comes to convict and remind you that you are the righteousness of God because of Jesus Christ
. He is present to remind you of the main clause of the new covenant—that God will be merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and your lawless deeds, He will remember no more (Heb. 8:12).
right doing
, but
right standing before
God because of your right believing! So when you miss it,
the Holy Spirit comes to convict and remind you that you are the righteousness of God because of Jesus Christ
. He is present to remind you of the main clause of the new covenant—that God will be merciful to your unrighteousness, and your sins and your lawless deeds, He will remember no more (Heb. 8:12).
Beloved, the Holy Spirit is your Helper (John 14:16). He was sent to live in you to help you, not to nag at you and point out all your faults. Nobody can live with a nag. The Holy Spirit is not a nag. No, He was sent to help you by convicting you of your everlasting righteousness in Christ. God’s inexhaustible grace in your life and the power of the cross can only be understood by the revelation the Spirit brings.
Right now, you need Him to show you that even if you have just failed, you are still the righteousness of God in Christ. This is why the Holy Spirit is called the “Comforter” (John 14:26
KJV
). He is here to comfort you and to point you back to the cross of Jesus every time you fail. The only thing that He will convict you of is your righteousness in Jesus Christ!
KJV
). He is here to comfort you and to point you back to the cross of Jesus every time you fail. The only thing that He will convict you of is your righteousness in Jesus Christ!
Today’s Thought
The Holy Spirit is my Helper. He has come to reveal and to convict me that I am the righteousness of God because of Jesus Christ
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You for sending the Holy Spirit to give me a revelation of Your inexhaustible grace in my life and the power of the cross. I welcome Your Spirit to always keep reminding me and convicting me of my everlasting righteousness because of Jesus. I believe that even when I fail, I am continuously cleansed by the blood of Jesus and stand before you completely clothed in Your robe of righteousness because of Jesus. Amen!
“But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”
J
OHN
14:26
KJV
OHN
14:26
KJV
…to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Where is boasting then? It is excluded. By what law? Of works? No, but by the law of faith. Therefore we conclude that a man is justified by faith apart from the deeds of the law
.
.
R
OMANS
3:26–28
OMANS
3:26–28
Today’s Scripture
Awake to righteousness, and sin not…
1 C
ORINTHIANS
15:34
KJV
ORINTHIANS
15:34
KJV
P
erhaps you find yourself under a constant siege of condemnation because you have been wrongly taught that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of their sins. You believe that the condemnation you feel is a result of the Holy Spirit’s conviction when it actually originates from the accuser. Rather than the Holy Spirit being your Helper, convicting you that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, that God will never abandon you even if you have sinned, you are left to struggle with sin, condemnation, and fear. It is time to “awake to righteousness.” As Pamela in Maryland discovered, when you do, oppression, bondage, and sin cannot maintain their hold in your life. Here is Pamela’s testimony:
erhaps you find yourself under a constant siege of condemnation because you have been wrongly taught that the Holy Spirit convicts believers of their sins. You believe that the condemnation you feel is a result of the Holy Spirit’s conviction when it actually originates from the accuser. Rather than the Holy Spirit being your Helper, convicting you that you are the righteousness of God in Christ, that God will never abandon you even if you have sinned, you are left to struggle with sin, condemnation, and fear. It is time to “awake to righteousness.” As Pamela in Maryland discovered, when you do, oppression, bondage, and sin cannot maintain their hold in your life. Here is Pamela’s testimony:
Dear Pastor Prince, at fifty-nine years of age, I was recovering from multiple fractures in my right ankle and fibula. In the first month, my mobility was severely limited and my physical condition weakened. During that season of stress, I was oppressed and tormented by strong feelings of fear of abandonment and rejection, experiencing panic attacks almost daily. I was plagued by nightmares and became unable to sleep—due in part to pain medication, but also to the extreme anxiety. Some nights, all I could do was read the Bible until I was exhausted and finally able to sleep
.
.
One day, I came across your television program and was “hooked.” Every day and evening, I watched your program, soaking up the words of life that you were speaking to my soul. I soon ordered one of your books. For the first time in my life, I heard that it was not the Holy Spirit convicting me of sin, but my conscience. As I read through the book, it was like water to my soul. I read it through three times, each time getting more freedom and peace
.
.
Now, at the age of sixty, I am healthier, happier, and freer than I have ever been in my life. I have been delivered from the stronghold of the fear of abandonment, neglect, and rejection that had oppressed me for most of my life. I have been able to forgive those who physically, emotionally, and sexually abused me, and to repent of my disrespect, self-hatred, bitterness, and resentment
.
.
Today, I am confident that my heavenly Papa loves me, not because of anything I have or have not done, but because of what Jesus did for me. I am continuing to learn that I am completely accepted and righteous in His beloved Son, Jesus, who is altogether lovely, trustworthy, and gracious. Now, I spend my days loving Him and being loved by Him, and I am better able to bless and serve others. Thank you!
BOOK: Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs
10.85Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads
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