Joseph Prince (December-20-2024) Daily Devotion: Your Next Stop is a Place of Abundance!

 

Psalm 66:12 - …we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.

Are you in a situation where people are stepping all over you and they seem to have the upper hand? You feel as if the challenge you are facing is so big that you are going through fire. And you are so overwhelmed by everything that is happening around you that you feel as if you are drowning.

My friend, I want you to know that your heavenly Father hears your cry for help and He will rescue you. The psalmist says that “we went through fire and through water; but You brought us out to rich fulfillment.” If you have been through the fire and water, then your next stop is a place of rich fulfillment or abundance!

This place of abundance was indeed the next stop for a church member who had suddenly found himself facing allegations involving some money laundering activities within the bank where he was one of the top executives. Investigations later exonerated him, but because of the bad vibes caused by the incident, he was asked to resign.

He was then aged 52. Friends told him to retire and relax, but retirement was far from his mind. This brother believed that if God had allowed this to happen, it must be that He was leading him to a better place, one of rich fulfillment. And indeed, soon after this difficult experience, one of the top banks offered him a handsome salary to join them in one of their top positions.

A few years later, at age 56, he was headhunted by one of the biggest public-listed companies to start a new division. He accepted the offer and was paid double what he had been earning. Beloved, your heavenly Father does not lie when He tells you that He will bring you out to rich fulfillment if you are going through a difficult time. Trust Him and you will find yourself stepping into your place of abundance!

Joseph Prince (December-19-2024) Daily Devotion: YOU ARE NEXT!

Psalm 50:10 - For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle on a thousand hills.

Suppose you have just heard of someone whose financial debts have been miraculously cleared. Or your elated friend has just told you that despite being an average student in school, he scored straight As in all his subjects. Perhaps on Sunday, you heard a newlywed couple share about how they won an all-expenses-paid trip for two to Hawaii, or how a once-childless couple is now expecting their miracle child.

When you see or hear of others being blessed, do you ever wonder when it will be your turn? Or do you even find yourself saying, “Oh, he got blessed with the very thing that I have been praying for. There goes my blessing.”

Now, just because man’s economy operates on the principle of shortage, it does not mean that God operates in the same manner. So the next time somebody gets blessed, tell yourself, “I won’t be disheartened. I won’t be jealous. I am the next one to be blessed!”

Always remember that God does not have to bless anyone at your expense. Nor does He have to bless you at anyone’s expense. We don’t have to be jealous of each other. There is a portion that God gives to you which no man can touch because it has your name on it—“A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven” (John 3:27).

Our God is a rich God. He owns the whole universe. He has contacts and blessings you do not know of and which are reserved just for you! There is more than enough for everybody with plenty of leftovers. In fact, you will not be able to take it all because when the blessings start coming in, they will come in a net-breaking, boat-sinking style. You will have to call for your friends in the other boats to come and help you (see Luke 5:1–7)! That is the kind of blessings that our God gives. So get ready for your blessings and overflowing abundance!

Joseph Prince (December-18-2024) Daily Devotion: See Your Situation Through God's Eyes

 

Psalm 1:3 -  He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.

When darkness covered the face of the earth, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light (Genesis 1:3). When a certain man paralyzed for 38 years lay helpless at the pool of Bethesda, Jesus said, “Rise, take up your bed and walk,” and immediately, the man was healed, took up his bed and walked (John 5:8–9).

You don’t say such words unless you see something others don’t. God does not see the way man sees. Man, however, must see the way God sees. We must see the vision of the Almighty.

The prophet Balaam saw the vision of the Almighty when the Spirit of God fell on him. As he looked down from a mountain at the camp of the Israelites, he found himself saying, “How lovely are your tents, O Jacob! Your dwellings, O Israel! Like valleys that stretch out, like gardens by the riverside, like aloes planted by the Lord, like cedars beside the waters” (Numbers 24:5–6).

Balaam would not have said this unless he saw Israel not in the natural, but as God saw it. At that time, the Israelites were a discontented lot, always murmuring and complaining in the wilderness. But when God looked at them, He saw them like flourishing gardens planted by the rivers—fruitful and prosperous.

Beloved, God wants you to see yourself the way He sees you—“like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither; and whatever he does shall prosper.” So see yourself like a tree planted by the rivers of water, bringing forth fruit in your season. See yourself as one who will not wither, whose health will not fail. See whatever you do prospering!

See the vision of the Almighty. That vision is always a good vision. Whenever you see your situation through God’s eyes, you will find that your situation will change because when you see as He sees, you allow Him to work as the Almighty in your life!

Joseph Prince (December-17-2024) Daily Devotion: Do You Know the Jesus of the Bible?

 

John 14:7 - “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.”

Someone once told me that just because you ask God for something, it does not mean that He will give it to you. Quoting 1 John 5:14–15, he said that we first have to ask according to His will before He hears and gives us what we ask of Him.

Of course, we do not ask for things that are against God’s will or Word. But what is normally implied in the earlier statement is that we don’t always know what God’s will for us is—“what will be, will be.” But didn’t Jesus say, “He who has seen Me has seen the Father” (John 14:9)? This means that if you want to know what the Father’s will, mind, heart or attitude toward you and your family is, just look at Jesus in the Gospel stories.

So if your child is sick, is it God’s will to heal him? Well, look at Jesus and see how He ministered to children who were sick—the Syro-Phoenician’s daughter who was demon-possessed (see Mark 7:24–30), Jairus’ daughter who was dead (see Mark 5:22–24, 35–43), and the widow of Nain’s only son who had died and was about to be buried (see Luke 7:12–15). Jesus cast out the demon. He raised the dead. He healed them all!

Beloved, don’t say, “We can never know God’s will. Sometimes He heals, sometimes He doesn’t. He may bless us, but He may also take away our blessings.” The Jesus of the Bible never made anyone sick. He never made anyone poor. He made the little become much with 12 baskets full of leftovers (see Matthew 14:20). He gave a net-breaking, boat-sinking load of fish to fishermen (see Luke 5:6–7).

Christian gifts

My friend, the Jesus of the Bible loves to heal, deliver, prosper and save people. This Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (see Hebrews 13:8). And He says to you today, “If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him.” So you can know God’s will for you. You can see what He will do for you when you know the Jesus of the Bible and what He did.

Joseph Prince (December-16-2024) Daily Devotion: Never Alone, Always Cared For

1 Peter 5:7 - casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

It does not matter how tightly knit our families are or how many close friends we have. When we go through a difficult time or trial, many a time, we still feel all alone and that no one really cares or understands.

Martha knew that feeling. She had on one occasion cried out to Jesus, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone?” (Luke 10:40). Jesus’ disciples also knew what it was like to feel small, alone and in trouble. They cried out, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” when they were swept up in a terrifying storm (Mark 4:38).

Today, maybe the cry of your heart is also, “Lord, do You not care that I am left all alone…that I am going under…that I am perishing?”

My friend, the Lord does care for you. He loves you so much that He wants you to cast all your cares upon Him—not just some but all your cares. He wants both your big and small cares. There is nothing too small or big for Him. If it is a care in your heart, He wants you to cast it upon Him.

When the apostle Peter wrote “casting all your care upon Him,” he was talking about the continuous act of casting all your cares upon the Lord. As a care comes, God wants you to cast it to Him. That is the lifestyle He wants you to adopt. Why? The verse gives us the reason—“for He cares for you.” You are casting all your cares upon the One who loves you, and who left all of heaven to come and die for you. That is who you are casting your cares to. It is not just any person, but it is the One who gave His life for you!

When you are going through a difficult time, God wants you to believe that you are never alone because He Himself has said that He will never leave you nor forsake you (see Hebrews 13:5). As the object of His care, He will take care of you for the rest of your life. You are never alone and always cared for!

Joseph Prince (December-15-2024) Daily Devotion: Practicing God's Presence

Matthew 1:23 - “…and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated, “God with us.”

God has promised you His constant presence (see Hebrews 13:5), but are you conscious of His presence every day? When you are conscious of His presence every day, you will experience a peace that gives you rest, joy inexpressible in your spirit and a power that nothing in this world can offer. In fact, you will begin to be peaceful and powerful like Jesus. You will speak and behave like Him. This is because you cannot be in God’s presence without His beauty, love, peace, power and glory rubbing off on you.

But how do you practice being conscious of God’s presence?

Start by seeing God with you in whatever you do and wherever you are. For example, at your board meeting, while deliberating on issues, see the Lord there in the boardroom with you, guiding you in your thinking. And you can be sure that His presence will bring clarity of thought and wisdom to you. You will find yourself flowing with great and sound ideas.

If you are going for an interview, see the Lord there in the interview room with you, putting answers in your mouth. Your nervousness will melt away as you see His favor on you bringing on smiles and approving nods from the interviewers.

Perhaps you are going for surgery. Well, see the Lord in the operating theatre with you, guiding the hands of the surgeons. Your worries will dissipate because nothing can go wrong in the Lord’s presence.

If you are in the middle of an argument, see the Lord standing within earshot. Your words will change and your body language will become more reconciliatory as you see Him right there with you extending His grace to you. There will be a restraint which is not borne of willpower, but which comes supernaturally when you know that the One who loves you and watches over you is with you.

Beloved, when you become conscious of God’s presence in your life, worries and fears will have no foothold in your mind. You will see Him maximizing your joy and fun, and prospering you in what you say and do!

Joseph Prince (December-14-2024) Daily Devotional: You Have a Strong Kinsman-Redeemer

Jeremiah 50:34 - Their Redeemer is strong; the Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead their case...

Ruth, a young, poor and childless widow in the Old Testament, lay at the feet of Boaz, her potential kinsman-redeemer (see Ruth 3:7). As a rich and close relative of her in-laws, Boaz had the power to redeem her from her plight.

Ruth was simply obeying Naomi, her mother-in-law, who had told her to go and lie down at Boaz’s feet. In the Jewish custom of those days, this was a posture which said, “Please redeem me for you are a close relative.” Notice Boaz’s response to Ruth: “And now, my daughter, do not fear. I will do for you all that you request” (Ruth 3:11).

Beloved, Boaz is a picture of Jesus who is our kinsman-redeemer. He is our kinsman, having been born into this world as one like us. And He is our Redeemer because He redeemed us at a great price when He shed His blood for us on the cross.

As your Redeemer, not only is Jesus willing, but He also has the power to restore to you all that you have lost. That is why you can go to Him and say, “I blew it and now my family is suffering. My finances are dwindling fast. But I come to You, my kinsman-redeemer…” And you will find that He will redeem you because your Redeemer is strong. The Lord of hosts is His name. He will thoroughly plead your case, causing only blessings of wisdom, deliverance, restoration, provision and liberty to come out of your situation!

Just as Ruth lay at Boaz’s feet, the feet of Jesus is the place of redemption and blessings. Both Jairus the synagogue ruler (see Mark 5:22) and the Syro-Phoenician woman (see Mark 7:25–26) fell at Jesus’ feet. And there at His feet they received healing for their daughters.

When you take your place at Jesus’ feet, looking to Him for help, expect to receive His blessings. There is nothing to fear knowing that as Boaz did for Ruth, Jesus, your heavenly Boaz, will do for you all that you have requested!