Joseph Prince (May-31-2025) Daily Devotional: God’s Guarantee of Your Precious Inheritance

God has revealed them [the things He has prepared for those who love Him] to us through His Spirit. . . . Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God. - 1 Corinthians 2:10, 12

Even though you may not be able to see right now the good things that God has for your future, today’s scripture says that the Holy Spirit is in us to reveal to us the things that God has freely given to us. These are precious and priceless gifts, such as the gift of forgiveness, of no condemnation, of righteousness, of eternal life, and the different gifts of the Spirit that God has placed in all our lives!

Because you are a believer in Jesus Christ, not only have all your sins been forgiven, but you have also been justified by faith and made righteous by His blood. And the Holy Spirit lives in you! You have something that the patriarchs of the Old Testament never had.

Abraham, “the friend of God” (James 2:23), never had it. Moses, who led the children of Israel out of Egypt, never had it. And even David, whom the Bible calls “a man after [God’s] own heart” (Acts 13:22), never had it.

They had the Spirit on them, but not in them. Back then, the Holy Spirit would come and go (1 Sam. 16:13–14, Ps. 51:11). You and I, however, have been so perfectly cleansed by the blood of Jesus—once and for all—that the Holy Spirit now lives in us and abides with us forever (John 14:16–17)!

The apostle Paul tells us that when we believed in Jesus, He identified us as His own by giving us the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God’s guarantee that He will give us the inheritance He has promised and that He has purchased us to be His own people (Eph. 1:13–14).

My friend, when you believed the gospel and got saved, God sealed you with the Holy Spirit of promise to attest that you have been given the free gift of righteousness and the gift of eternal life through Jesus’ finished work. That is why when you hear the purity of the gospel of grace being preached, the Holy Spirit in you responds with great joy and great peace.

Listen to this praise report by Pete from Oklahoma:

When I heard one of Pastor Joseph Prince’s sermons for the first time, I knew that this message of grace was what I’d been seeking my entire Christian life. I felt like I was born again, all over again!

Since then, I’ve been listening to and feeding on the word of grace daily. I think I cried every day as the understanding that all of my sins are forgiven began to sink in. My faith has shot through the ceiling and my life has been radically transformed!

My wife and my four kids have also been listening to Pastor Prince’s sermons and we are forever “ruined” by this incredible message of grace. This truth has borne fruit in our lives and caused us to be blessed beyond anything we could ever think of!

When Pete and so many other people hear preaching on the love of God and His beautiful grace, the shackles of Christian religion, legalism, self-righteousness, and years of toilsome condemnation start to break off one by one. Precious intimacy with the Lord Jesus is restored. Fear is replaced with His perfect love, insecurities with His assurance of grace, and self-doubt with His strong embrace of affirmation. The preaching of the gospel of grace changes lives!

Joseph Prince (May-30-2025) Daily Devotion: You Are a Blessing Going Somewhere to Happen

 

Deuteronomy 28:10 - Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord, and they shall be afraid of you.

Today, we are called by the name of Christ—Christ-ians. Therefore, the blessing of Deuteronomy 28:10, which says, “Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the Lord” is no longer just a promise but reality!

The second part of the verse—“and they shall be afraid of you”—is also true for you. People will respect you. Your boss will favor you and even your competitors will esteem you highly. They know that there is something special about you because good things happen when you are around!

I experienced this blessing when I first started working. I worked in a small third-floor office which constantly smelled of salted fish because there was a salted fish stall on the ground floor. It was in that small, dingy office that I kept on confessing that I was blessed by the Lord, and I experienced divine favor with my clients. My boss could see that there was something different about me.

The company’s business flourished and before long, we moved out of that small office to a building which in the mid-eighties was considered an information technology hub. There, we occupied a couple of offices, and started specializing in computer software and courses. Soon, we occupied the entire floor! That was how much God was prospering us.

God was also blessing me tremendously. I was drawing a very good monthly income, enjoying the favor of my boss and was in his inner circle. A few years later, I decided to go into full-time ministry. When I broke the news to my boss, he cried. I never knew how much I meant to him until then. It was only then that I realized what a blessing I had been to him by the grace of God.

Beloved, because you are also called by the name of the Lord, wherever you go, you are a blessing. His blessing is on you. The people around you will look at you and know that you are a blessing going somewhere to happen!

Joseph Prince (May-29-2025) Daily Devotion: Continue in God's Grace

2 Corinthians 3:6 - …for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

To the Jews, the feast of Pentecost is a celebration of the giving of God’s law. It takes place 50 days after the Passover feast. When God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments at Mount Sinai, it was 50 days after they had celebrated their first Passover and come out of slavery in Egypt.

But what happened after God gave them the law on the first Pentecost? Three thousand people died (see Exodus 32:28)! Contrast this with another Pentecost in the New Testament. In the book of Acts, it says that when Pentecost had fully come, God gave not the law but the Holy Spirit, and what happened? Three thousand people got saved (see Acts 2:41), which goes to show that “the letter [the law] kills, but the Spirit gives life!”

The law, which was “written and engraved on stones,” ministered death. It killed 3,000 people. That is why the apostle Paul calls it “the ministry of death” and “the ministry of condemnation” (2 Corinthians 3:7–9). On the other hand, the Spirit ministered life—3,000 people got saved.

My friend, when you come under the law by trying to keep God’s commandments in order to be blessed, it will lead to death. There will be deadness in your marriage, ministry, health, career…in your life. But when you depend on the Spirit of grace, it will lead to life. You will see breakthroughs and miracles (see Galatians 3:5), and manifest the fruit of the Spirit.

So if you want to be blessed, make sure that you are on the right mountain. You see, the law was given on Mount Sinai, but the Spirit on Mount Zion. That is why the Bible says that “you have not come to the mountain [Sinai] that may be touched and that burned with fire, and to blackness and darkness and tempest…But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels” (Hebrews 12:18, 22). The Lord blesses you out of Zion (see Psalm 128:5), and not Sinai!

Beloved, by grace you have been saved through faith (see Ephesians 2:8). Now, continue in the Spirit of grace. Remain on the right mountain and He will continue to supply miracles in your life!

Joseph Prince (May-28-2025) Daily Devotional: Who You Are in God’s Eyes

We love Him because He first loved us. - 1 John 4:19

Do you believe that God loves you with an unchanging love today? Even if you’ve just failed or made a mistake? This, my friend, is where the rubber meets the road in our Christian walk every day.

I’m here to tell you beyond the shadow of a doubt that God loves you with an everlasting love. His love for you is unconditional (Titus 3:3–5 NASB). It is a love that is so pure, pristine, and marvelous. It has nothing to do with your performance, but everything to do with who you are in His eyes—His beloved.

The emphasis of the old covenant of the law was all about your love for God, whereas the emphasis of the new covenant of grace is all about God’s love for you. The sum total of the law under the old covenant is, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength” (Deut. 6:5, Matt. 22:37, 40).

Let’s be honest here. Have you ever met anyone who can love God this way? Of course not. It’s a human impossibility. The law was designed to show us that we are incapable of loving God perfectly.

Knowing that man wouldn’t be able to fulfill His commandment to love Him with all his heart, all his soul, all his mind, and all his strength, do you know what God did? He demonstrated how only He could love us with all His heart, all His soul, all His mind, and all His strength when He sent His beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to redeem us from all our sins with His own blood.

That is why the new covenant is all about God’s love for you and not your love for Him! Under grace, God doesn’t want you to focus your thoughts on, “Do I really love God?” That’s not the focus of the new covenant. Under grace, God wants you to focus on His love for you. Therefore, the questions you should be asking yourself are:

“Do I know how much God loves me today?”

“Do I really believe that God loves me right now?”

Choose to believe right about how God loves you today. It makes all the difference in the world to how quickly you are able to get back on your feet, and go from faith to faith and strength to strength in your walk with Him.

Joseph Prince (May-27-2025) Daily Devotion: God Remembers What You Say in Faith

Isaiah 55:11 - So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Some years back, I had a skin condition which refused to heal. I told God about it and began to take the Holy Communion believing and confessing that by Jesus’ stripes I was healed. Nothing happened, or so it seemed.

But the Lord did not forget about my skin condition. One day, He prompted me to check my body to see if it was still there. I did so and realized that it had disappeared! God had not forgotten the Word which I had confessed in faith.

A couple in the United States who has been hearing me preach on God’s grace began to catch a revelation of God’s love for them. They started confessing their righteousness in Christ, and meditating on provision scriptures and declaring that they were debt free through Jesus’ finished work. Not long after, the wife phoned their mortgage company to make two mortgage payments on their home. They had a total of about US$80,000 left to pay. To her utter surprise and delight, she was told that both accounts were at a zero balance. The company had forgiven both mortgage loans! Indeed, God did not forget the Word that this couple had spoken in faith.

Maybe you shared God’s Word with a troubled friend a few years ago. You bump into him one day and he tells you, “Remember that day? You said something which transformed my life!” Your mind draws a blank because you have forgotten what you said. But God did not forget. He remembered what you said that day in faith.

You see, if the words you confess in faith for yourself or over your loved ones are God’s own words, He says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Because what is promised to you is God’s Word, you will see the manifestation of His promise. He will certainly watch over His Word to perform it (see Numbers 23:19)!

Joseph Prince (May-26-2025) Daily Devotion: Getting Filled With All the Fullness of God

 

Ephesians 3:19 - to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.

We would all like to experience more health, abundance and success in our lives. God, being God, has all of these things, won’t you agree? So to be full of God is to be full of health, abundance and success. But how does one become full of God?

In the past, I was told that to be “filled with all the fullness of God,” I had to fast a certain number of days, pray a certain number of hours and speak in tongues incessantly! I am not belittling fasting, praying or speaking in tongues, but to be filled with all the fullness of God is not about what you do. It is not even about your love for Christ. It is actually about knowing the love of Christ! No one ever told me that if I knew how much God loves me and focused on His love for me, I would be full of Him.

When God made you, He designed you to run at optimal level when you are filled with His love, like a car that runs at its best when it is filled with the right kind of petrol or gasoline. When you realize how much God loves you and you feed on His love for you, you will be supernaturally filled with the fullness of God.

And to be full of God is to be full of everything God is to you and has for you. To be full of God is to come to a place of life, health, peace, abundance—total wellness.

Also, when you are conscious of how much God loves you and you become filled with the fullness of God, what follows is the next verse—God doing exceedingly abundantly above all that you can ask or think, according to the power that works in you (see Ephesians 3:20). You will experience the tremendous blessings of God exploding in your life! You will become a blessing magnet!

So as God’s beloved, continue to be nourished by His love for you, and experience more health, abundance and success in your life!

Joseph Prince (May-25-2025) Daily Devotion: Let It Go!

Exodus 15:26 - …I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the Lord who heals you.”

After crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel came to a place called Marah. The waters there were bitter. That is why the place was called Marah, which means “bitter.” The Israelites could not drink any of the water, so the Lord made the bitter waters sweet (see Exodus 15:23–25). Then, He brought up the subject of the diseases of Egypt and, for the first time, revealed Himself to His people as “the Lord who heals you.”

Why did the Lord suddenly mention the diseases of the world (Egypt represents the world in the Bible) at a place called “bitter”? What do diseases have to do with bitter waters? I believe that it is because He wants His people to know that a major cause of diseases in their bodies is harboring bitterness and resentment!

Some years ago, a lady shared with me about her sister who had died of cancer at a young age. She said, “Pastor Prince, a number of years before she passed on, she went through a very bitter divorce. She was very bitter toward her ex-husband.” Then, she asked me, “Is there a relationship between her bitterness and the cancer?”

I have studied the subject of healing for many years. I have read many books. I have listened to many sermons and I have sat under many healing ministries. And they all say the same thing: If you have unforgiveness in your heart long enough, that unforgiveness can sometimes translate into a disease in your body.

So if you have been bitter about something or someone, it is time to let it go! Your health, joy and life are more important. If you are already sick and you know that bitterness has something to do with it, let it go! See Jesus as your healer. He is standing at your place of bitterness today and He is saying to you, “My child, I can make your bitter waters sweet. I am the Lord who heals you.”

My friend, let it all go and let Jesus heal not just your diseases, but your broken heart too!

Joseph Prince (May-24-2025) Daily Devotion: Jesus Wore the Crown of Thorns for You

 

John 19:2 - And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head…

If hard work is the formula for prosperity, then everyone who works hard should be prosperous. But this is certainly not the case. Many people who work very hard are still in lack!

I am not advocating laziness. What I am saying is that working hard by the sweat of your brow is not how God’s provision comes. In fact, if you have to work overtime all the time and are stressed out, you are probably operating under the curse.

What curse is that? It is this curse: “In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread” (Genesis 3:19). And it refers to the stress, struggle and anxieties that come with working hard and yet producing little. Now, work itself is not a curse since God gave Adam work before the fall—Adam was to tend the garden of Eden. It was only after he sinned that the land was cursed and it brought forth thorns, and man had to toil to eat of it (see Genesis 3:17–18).

But praise God, Jesus wore the thorns on His head to show you that He has borne this curse for you and redeemed you from it. He wore the crown of thorns so that you can work stress-free and yet have the results. You don’t have to be worried and stressed out day and night like the people of the world just to get ahead in life. Your heavenly Father can get you there without the worries and stress (see Matthew 6:31–33).

Beloved, every curse that was supposed to fall on your head fell on Jesus’ head, typified by the crown of thorns. He wore the crown of thorns for you so that you can have peace of mind. He wore the crown of thorns for you and took your curse so that you can wear the crown of glory and take His righteousness, and all the benefits of that righteousness!

Today, don’t labor and toil like the people of the world. Instead, expect to see the blessings of God come into your life without blood, sweat and tears because Jesus wore the crown of thorns for you!

Joseph Prince (May-23-2025) Daily Devotional: A Door of Hope

“I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.” - Hosea 2:15 NLT

Are you among the people who think that when you fail, God leaves you and only returns when you get your act together? Some people think that they must clean up their lives and overcome all their struggles on their own before they can come before the presence of God. Well, I have a simple question for you: Do you clean yourself before you take a bath? Of course not!

In the same way, God wants you to come to Him just as you are, with all your weaknesses, idiosyncrasies, wrong beliefs, hang-ups, and all your bondages, fears, and addictions. He is the bath! You don’t have to try to clean yourself up before you come to Him.

But Pastor Prince, what if the mess I’m in is entirely of my own doing? Can I still just come to God as I am and expect Him to help me?

Yes, even if your trouble is due to your own willfulness or a mistake of your own making, He is still with you. He has never left you, and He never will. He will never forsake you (Heb. 13:5).

You are precious in His eyes. Can you imagine living life with the kind of confidence, assurance, and peace that comes when you are truly anchored in this truth?

Today, even if you find yourself in the Valley of Trouble, know that you will not remain there for long. You will walk through it and not remain or camp there (Ps. 23:4).

God is opening a door of hope in your life today for you to step out of your darkness and into His marvelous light (1 Pet. 2:9). Things are going to get better. The breakthroughs that you have been waiting for are coming your way.

Step through the door of hope and out of your Valley of Trouble today. Jesus is your door of hope!

Believe in His love for you and allow Him to lead you to freedom. In His loving presence, you will find forgiveness, healing, and restoration. He will mend your life and transform you from the inside out.

Joseph Prince (May-22-2025) Daily Devotion: God Will Surely Show You Kindness

2 Samuel 9:7 - So David said to him, “Do not fear, for I will surely show you kindness for Jonathan your father’s sake, and will restore to you all the land of Saul your grandfather; and you shall eat bread at my table continually.”

When the people in the palace heard that King Saul and his son Jonathan had died in battle, they panicked. Fearful that David was coming to seize the throne, and kill all the sons and grandsons of Saul, they ran for their lives. A nurse took Mephibosheth, Jonathan’s son, and ran. But as she fled, the five-year-old boy fell and became lame in both feet (see 2 Samuel 4:4).

The poor boy would not have been crippled if they had known that David actually loved Jonathan and Saul, and would have looked after Jonathan’s son because he had made a covenant with Jonathan (see 1 Samuel 18:3).

In this story, King Saul represents the human race. He is like Adam who sinned against God and forfeited all that God gave to man. He had the position, but not the power anymore because of sin. Jonathan, who came after Saul, represents Jesus, who came as a human. Jonathan was not like Saul—he was good, just as Jesus is not like Adam—Jesus is the perfect Man. David represents God. So Jonathan’s covenant with David speaks of Jesus’ covenant with God. Mephibosheth represents believers today who are “lame” in some way—sick, depressed, fearful, poor and so on.

Now, Mephibosheth became lame because of bad news that was based on a lie. Many believers today are suffering needlessly because they believe the wrong things about God. They think, “My sin has found me out! God is coming after me!”

Well, I have good news for all Mephibosheths: David is not after your life! When David looked for Mephibosheth, it was to show him kindness, to take care of him and restore to him the land that had belonged to Saul his grandfather.

Likewise, God is not out to get you. He knows all about your sins and still loves you. That is why He sent Jesus as the payment for your sins. And because of Jesus’ covenant with Him, He says to you, “Don’t be afraid, I will surely show you kindness. I will restore all to you and you shall always eat at My table!”

Joseph Prince (May-21-2025) Read Daily Devotional: Look Intently

“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

I want to show you something powerful in the story of Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the wilderness when the children of Israel were bitten by snakes. I believe it is going to release you to partake of the holy Communion with greater revelation each time you come to the Lord’s Table.

In the Numbers 21 account of this story, we read that even though many were killed by the snakebites, anyone among the children of Israel who looked at the bronze serpent was healed. The Hebrew word used for look in Numbers 21:9 is nabat, which means to “look intently at.”

In the same way, when you partake of the holy Communion, be conscious of Jesus and how He bore all your sins and sicknesses in His own body. Don’t partake with consciousness of the symptoms in your body.

Beloved, I know that the waves of nausea that immobilize you are real. The shortness of breath you have been struggling with is real. The pain that slices through your head with every move is real, just as the painful bites from the fiery serpents were real for the children of Israel.

Right now, I pray that every pain and every discomfort be removed from your body in the mighty name of Jesus. Our Lord Jesus called healing “the children’s bread” (Matt. 15:26). If you are a child of God, healing belongs to you.

But my friend, your healing will not come from focusing on your condition. Your healing will come as you do what the children of Israel did—they looked away from their wounds and looked at the bronze serpent lifted up on the pole.

Today, as you partake of the Communion, partake in remembrance of your Lord Jesus and not in remembrance of your pain. Look to Him intently and with the expectation He will save you and heal you.

See Him lifted on the cross, being judged with your disease. If you have a problem with your kidney, see Jesus’ kidney smitten with your disease at the cross. If you have a degenerative condition in your spine, see Jesus’ spine smitten with that condition at the cross.

When you see Jesus’ body smitten with your disease, it cannot remain in you. Even if you have a “terminal” disease others have died from, look to Him and receive your healing!

Joseph Prince (May 20, 2025) Daily Devotion: Be Conscious of Your Position in Christ

 

John 15:5- I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

In this verse, Jesus says, “I am the vine, you are the branches.” He did not say, “I am the vine, try to be the branches.” In other words, He wants us to realize that we are already the branches. We do not have to struggle to become the branches.

As His branches, we only have to abide or remain in Christ our vine. How do we do that? We do that by simply being conscious every day of our position in Christ. Because we have received Christ, we are in Christ and are accepted in the Beloved (see 2 Corinthians 5:17, Ephesians 1:6) God accepts us because we are in the Beloved and He is in us. And that is how God sees us today when we come into His presence.

What the devil wants to do then is to get you to focus on your condition instead of your position in Christ. The condition you are facing could be financial lack or deteriorating health. The devil wants you to focus on your condition and forget your position—that you are the righteousness of God in Christ and that you are seated with Him in heavenly places at the Father’s right hand (see 2 Corinthians 5:21, Ephesians 2:6). He wants you to forget that you are an heir of God and a joint heir with Christ (see Romans 8:17).

The devil knows that once you focus on your position in Christ, it will give you the power to change your condition and circumstances. John 15:5 says that you will bear “much fruit.” This means that when you pray against any lack, abundant supply will flow. When you pray for healing, sickness will leave.

My friend, none of these things can happen by your own doing, but by His life which flows through you. Just as sap flowing through the branches of a vine will cause them to bring forth fruit, His life flowing through you will bring forth a bountiful harvest of provision, healing and miracles. You only need to remain conscious of who you are in Christ!

Joseph Prince (May-19-2025) Daily Devotion: Moved by the Spirit, Not by Human Honey

 

Leviticus 2:11 - No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven, for you shall burn no leaven nor any honey in any offering to the Lord made by fire.

Imagine yourself walking past the prodigal son sitting in the pigpen (see Luke 15:11–24). You look at him and see him salivating for the pigs’ food. Believing that it is good to show kindness, you give him money to buy food for himself.

That is human kindness which says, “I am a Christian. I should be kind, good and forgiving.” Such human sweetness or kindness may be likened to honey. Interestingly, while we elevate it, God tells His people not to bring Him a grain offering with honey in it.

The grain offering speaks of Jesus’ life on earth. Not mixing honey in the grain offering speaks of how the compassion and goodness we see in Jesus during His earthly ministry were all divine. There was no “honey” of human goodness, which is inevitably tainted with human weakness.

In retrospect, the worst thing one could do for the prodigal son was to give him money when he was in the pigpen. Not only would he not have gone home, but what the Lord was doing in his heart would also have been spoiled. This is what happens when we go by the goodness of our human hearts instead of the goodness of God in our hearts, which is directed by His love, wisdom and perfect timing.

My friend, God does not want you to be moved by what you see but by His Spirit. There were many needy folks surrounding Jesus during His time on earth. But He did not heal every sick person around Him, feed every hungry stomach he passed or raise all who were dead. Isaiah 11:2–3 tells us that the Lord was not moved by what He saw or heard. He was moved only by the Spirit.

You too have the Spirit in you (see 1 Corinthians 3:16). Be moved by Him. Follow the peace that He puts within your spirit to do or refrain from doing something. That peace is the peace of God. Acting on that peace will cause God to be exalted, and His divine goodness and kindness to really be a blessing to you and others!

The Difference Between חֵן (Chen) and חֵסֵד (Chesed)

 

What is the difference between חֵן and חֵסֵד in the HebrewBible?

In the Hebrew Bible, the terms חֵן (pronounced chen) and חֵסֵד (pronounced chesed) are distinct concepts, though both are often translated into English in ways that can obscure their nuances (e.g., as "grace," "favor," or "kindness"). Below, I’ll clarify their meanings, usage, and differences based on their biblical context and Hebrew lexicography.

חֵן (Chen)

• Meaning: Chen refers to favor, grace, or charm, often describing an unmerited positive disposition or approval from one party toward another. It can also imply beauty or pleasantness in a person or thing that evokes favor.
• Key Characteristics:
• Chen is often about receiving favor or approval, either from God or humans, without necessarily implying a covenantal or ongoing relationship.
• It emphasizes a quality that makes someone or something pleasing or attractive, sometimes in a subjective or aesthetic sense.
• It is not inherently tied to obligation or loyalty but is more situational, often describing a moment of kindness or acceptance.
• Biblical Examples:
• Genesis 6:8: "But Noah found favor (chen) in the eyes of the Lord." Here, chen indicates God’s gracious favor toward Noah, singling him out for salvation.
• Proverbs 31:30: "Charm (chen) is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting..." Here, chen refers to a pleasing quality, often associated with outward charm or grace.
• Exodus 33:12: Moses finds chen (favor) with God, indicating divine approval or kindness in a specific context.
• Lexical Insight: Chen often appears in the phrase "find favor in the eyes of" (e.g., matza chen b’einei), suggesting a relational dynamic where one party is pleased with another, often without an explicit reason.

חֵסֵד (Chesed)

• Meaning: Chesed is a richer, more complex term, often translated as loving-kindness, steadfast love, mercy, or covenant loyalty. It denotes a deep, enduring commitment to act with kindness, faithfulness, or mercy, often within a relational or covenantal framework.
• Key Characteristics:
• Chesed is frequently tied to covenant relationships, whether between God and His people or between humans (e.g., family, friends, or allies).
• It implies faithfulness, loyalty, and generosity, often going beyond what is required or expected.
• It is proactive and enduring, not merely situational, and often reflects God’s character or ideal human behavior in relationships.
• Biblical Examples:
• Exodus 34:6-7: God describes Himself as "abounding in chesed and faithfulness," highlighting His steadfast love as a core attribute.
• Psalm 136: Repeatedly declares, "His chesed endures forever," emphasizing the eternal, reliable nature of God’s love and mercy.
• Ruth 1:16-17: Ruth’s commitment to Naomi reflects chesed as loyal, sacrificial love within a familial bond.
• Lexical Insight: Chesed often appears in contexts of covenant (e.g., God’s covenant with Israel) or mutual obligations, and it can involve acts of kindness that exceed normal expectations (e.g., Boaz’s generosity to Ruth in Ruth 2:10-12).

Key Differences

• Relational Context:
• Chen is often situational, describing a moment of favor or approval, not necessarily tied to an ongoing relationship.
• Chesed implies a deeper, often covenantal or relational commitment, emphasizing loyalty and enduring kindness.
• Scope and Duration:
• Chen is typically momentary or specific, like receiving favor in a particular instance (e.g., Esther finding chen before the king in Esther 5:2).
• Chesed is long-lasting, often describing a consistent character trait or repeated acts of kindness (e.g., God’s enduring chesed toward Israel).
• Motive and Expectation:
• Chen can be unmerited and spontaneous, often tied to someone’s pleasing qualities or God’s gracious choice.
• Chesed often involves a sense of duty, loyalty, or covenantal obligation, though it may still be freely given.
• Theological Emphasis:
• Chen highlights God’s (or a person’s) favor or grace in specific situations, often without explicit reference to a broader relationship.
• Chesed is central to God’s character and covenant with Israel, reflecting His faithful love and mercy (e.g., in the Psalms and prophetic literature).

Overlap and Nuance

While chen and chesed can overlap (e.g., both may describe God’s kindness), chesed is broader and more relational, often carrying a sense of obligation or loyalty, whereas chen is narrower, focusing on favor or grace in a given moment. For example, someone might receive chen (favor) from God without a covenant, but chesed typically implies a deeper bond, as seen in God’s covenantal love for Israel.

Cultural and Linguistic Notes

• In Hebrew thought, both terms reflect positive attributes, but chesed is more central to theological discussions of God’s nature and human ethics.
• English translations (e.g., "grace" for chen or "mercy" for chesed) can blur distinctions, so consulting the Hebrew context is key.
• In post-biblical Jewish tradition, chesed became a cornerstone of ethical teaching, emphasizing acts of kindness and charity.

If you’d like specific examples analyzed further or a deeper dive into particular passages, let me know! I can also search for additional scholarly insights or discussions on X if you’re interested in real-time perspectives.

Joseph Prince (May-18-2025) Daily Devotion: Thank Your Way to Greater Blessings

 

Luke 17:15 - And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God,

People who have a grateful heart are always praising God. You often hear them say, “God is good!” They know that God is the reason for every blessing they get.

But there are those who look to God for blessings and when they get blessed, they just go on their merry way. Their hearts are captivated by the blessings instead of the One who has blessed them.

Jesus had an encounter with both these types of people when He walked into a village one day. Ten lepers cried out to Him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!” (Luke 17:13). Now, when you call out to Jesus for mercy, He always hears you. On another occasion, when two blind men cried out to Him, “Son of David, have mercy on us!” He took the time to give them their miracles (see Matthew 9:27–30).

So these 10 lepers cried out to Him for mercy. He stopped, looked at them and said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And “as they went, they were cleansed” (Luke 17:14). But only one came back and fell at Jesus’ feet, giving Him thanks. Notice the very sad words of Jesus that followed: “Were there not 10 cleansed? But where are the nine?” (Luke 17:17).

The other nine obviously knew that it was Jesus who had cleansed them. Yet, they did not bother to go back and thank Him. My friend, let it be said of you that when the blessings come, you remember to give God the praise, glory and honor, and acknowledge that He is the source of every blessing in your life.

Do you know that when the man came back to thank Jesus, he received the additional blessing of becoming whole? Jesus said to him, “Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole” (Luke 17:19, KJV). He was not just cleansed of leprosy, he got his missing fingers and toes back!

My friend, when your heart is thankful toward God, you position yourself for even greater blessings!

Joseph Prince (May-17-2025) Daily Devotion: Read the Good News Today?

Matthew 6:33 - …seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.

God doesn’t want you grabbing the newspaper first thing in the morning and reading all the bad news in the world. He knows that if you do that, your heart will be full of cares, anxieties and even fears.

This happened to a mother who read in the newspaper that children from China studying in our local schools were becoming top students. She wrote to the press, voicing her concerns about the stiff competition her child would face from these students, even for the top jobs in Singapore in the future.

When you are reading the newspapers, magazines, medical journals, economic reports, watching movies or surfing the Internet all the time, then you are getting your “nourishment” from these sources instead of God’s Word. Now, I am not against these things. But if you constantly feed only on earthly things which cannot satisfy, you will fill your heart and mind with cares and worries.

Jesus doesn’t want you to end up worrying about your life—what you will eat, drink or wear—as these are the things that the Gentiles (people of the world) seek. He says that your heavenly Father knows very well that you need these things (see Matthew 6:31–32).

That is why He promises you that if you would seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, all these things that the world seeks after will be added to you. It will not just be given but added, which means greater in quantity and quality!

If you are faced with lack, don’t pursue material goods. Pursue God your provider. If you are sick, don’t pursue the “cure.” Pursue God your healer.

My friend, don’t grab the newspaper or call your friend first thing in the morning to talk about the latest bad news. Instead, grab your Bible and read all the good news God has for you for the day. And as you seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, all the things that the world is running after will be added to you!

Joseph Prince (May-16-2025) Daily Devotion: Scourged for Your Wholeness

Isaiah 53:5 …and by His stripes we are healed.

Under Roman law in Bible times, a criminal was either scourged for a lesser crime and then set free, or crucified straightaway if guilty of a greater crime. But Jesus was both scourged and crucified. Pontius Pilate had hoped that after scourging Jesus and presenting His bloodied body to the people, they would be satisfied and willing to let Him go. But the people were not and demanded His crucifixion instead.

Don’t think for a moment that the people had power to inflict such suffering on Jesus. It was all part of God’s plan and the scourging was necessary for only by His stripes are we healed.

The Roman whip used for scourging was made of leather straps embedded with glass, bone and metal hooks. With just one strike, the instrument would have been wrapped around Jesus’ body, causing the glass, bones and hooks to cut deep into His flesh. And as the whip was pulled back, the hooks would have stripped His flesh off, exposing muscle and bone. Indeed, the psalmist says, "They pierced My hands and My feet; I can count all My bones. They look and stare at Me" (Psalm 22:16–17), and "The plowers plowed on My back; they made their furrows long" (Psalm 129:3).

Although 39 was the maximum number of times one could be whipped according to Jewish law, I believe that Jesus was whipped more times than that because the Romans, who were not likely to regard Jewish law, carried out the scourging.

Whichever the case, His back would have been reduced to a mass of bloody, mutilated flesh. That day, Jesus’ blood flowed freely from His body for your deliverance from every kind of disease and physical affliction. God allowed every one of those stripes to fall on His Son’s body so that your body need not be scourged with diseases.

My friend, if you are sick or suffering from some physical condition, know that Jesus took the scourging as full payment for you to be free of that condition. He bore those stripes so that, today, there is no sickness, no disease left for you to bear. By His stripes you have been healed!

Joseph Prince (May-15-2025) Daily Devotion: Believe First, and You Will See

Matthew 8:13 - …as you have believed, so let it be done for you…

You may have heard some people say, “How can I believe it when I don’t see it? If I can only see it or feel it, I may just believe that something is happening!”

The woman with the issue of blood who came to Jesus could have felt the same way. For 12 long years, she had gone from one doctor to another, trying every conceivable cure they could offer. She not only grew worse, but ended up losing all her money to those doctors and their “cures.”

Then, something happened to her when “she heard about Jesus” (Mark 5:27). She started believing that He could and would heal her to the extent that she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well” (Mark 5:28). Acting on her belief, she made her way to Jesus and touched His garment. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was healed of that affliction. Jesus, her true physician, also pronounced her healed.

Beloved, God wants you to know that when you believe Him, you will see your miracle. What you believe Him for, you will receive.When a church member lost her wallet at a swimming pool, she prayed together with her husband, declaring their belief that God would restore the loss. One day later, not at the swimming pool but at her feet in the car, she found her wallet! She simply believed that God would restore her loss and she saw the restoration.

In another case, a lady who had skin cancer wore long sleeves all the time to conceal her condition from others. During one of our church camps, she went forward for prayer, believing God for her healing. After one of our pastors, Pastor Henry, prayed for her, she went back to her room, rolled up her sleeves and saw that all the cancerous scarring on her arms had disappeared! Her doctor later confirmed that she had been cured of skin cancer. She believed God for healing and saw it.

The world says, “Unless I can see it or feel it, I will not believe it.” But God says, “If you will believe it, you will feel it. Indeed, if you will believe it, you will see it!”

Joseph Prince (May-14-2025) Daily Devotion: Consider the Lillies of the Field

Matthew 6:28–29 - “So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

You may think that you must work very hard to provide for yourself and get ahead in life. But God wants you to consider the lilies of the field—they do nothing. They toil not, spin not and struggle not. Yet, they grow and are clothed by God while simply resting and basking in the sunshine of God’s love! And when God clothes them, they look even more glorious than King Solomon, the richest king who ever lived.

Like the lilies of the field, God wants you to let Him take care of providing for your material needs, instead of you striving to do it yourself. When you let go and let Him, you will see Him bless you supernaturally, abundantly and generously!

This is what happened to one of our church members who had been looking for a job. Initially, he received only two calls for interviews after sending out 12 résumés. Refusing to be discouraged, he believed that God wanted to bless him not just with a job, but with a position of influence too.

God was faithful. This church member soon became the business manager of an engineering company even though he had no engineering background. He was offered a very attractive remuneration package and within his first week on the job, was asked to quote on two projects. He knew that this was God’s doing because it was difficult enough just to secure an appointment with contract managers to discuss projects, let alone be asked to quote on not one but two projects. Before long, he was offered the position to run the entire Singapore subsidiary with only one other business development manager. He was then only 25 years old!

My friend, God can do for you what He did for this person. Just believe that if God clothes the lilies and grass of the field, which are here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will He clothe you, His eternal and precious child, with beauty and favor! All He asks is that you cease from your striving, allow Him to take over and just flow with Him!

Joseph Prince (May-13-2025) Daily Devotion: Jesus Overpaid Our Debt!

Hebrews 10:12 - But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God,

Do you know that we once owed God a huge debt? No, it was not a money debt, it was a sin debt. We owed God a sin debt which we could never pay. But God so loved us that He came up with a plan to pay the debt—He gave us His Son to die on the cross for our sins. Jesus was without sin. So when He went to the cross as punishment for our sins, He paid for us a debt He did not owe.

My friend, the reality is that our sin debt has been more than paid in full. In fact, Jesus overpaid it! Jesus’ sacrifice was an overpayment because it was not just a good man, revered for his saintly qualities and good character, who died for us. It was the Son of the living God, the Creator of the universe, the perfect Man, who died for us!

Because Jesus is God, His sacrifice is greater than the sacrifices of all good men—past, present and future—put together. His sacrifice avails for all who lived in the past, all who are currently alive and all who will live in the future. And His one sacrifice forever took away all our sins.

Jesus’ sacrifice was also an overpayment because His blood is of far more value to God than the blood of bulls and goats used in the past to atone for the sins of the Israelites. His blood is the blood of God Himself, not of animals. Because His blood is eternal, His blood cleanses us forever, so we have eternal forgiveness!

My friend, the next time you are mindful of a bad deed, remember that Jesus, your sacrifice for sins, not only paid 100 per cent for your sin, but His sacrifice was also an overpayment. You can therefore truly and completely rest in the presence of God, knowing that He is fully satisfied and completely at rest concerning you. He is not going to find some sin you had committed that Jesus’ blood failed to cover.

Beloved, God can righteously give you His blessings and you can expect to receive them because Jesus overpaid your debt!

Joseph Prince (May-12-2025) Daily Devotional: Blessed to Be a Blessing

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great; and you shall be a blessing. Genesis 12:2

What does it mean to be an heir of the world? Let’s take a look at Abraham’s life to see what the Lord did for him. God’s Word tells us that Abraham did not just become rich. He became very rich.

“Well, Pastor Prince, being an heir of the world refers to spiritual riches.”

Hang on, that is not what my Bible says. According to Genesis 13:2, Abraham was “very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold.” Now, if financial blessings are not part of the blessings of the Lord, then are you telling me that the Lord cursed Abraham with wealth?

I am so glad that God defined Abraham's riches very specifically. God must have foreseen a generation of people who would argue that He is against His people experiencing financial success, so He said clearly in His Word that Abraham was very rich in livestock, silver, and gold. Abraham wasn’t just rich spiritually.

Beloved, God is not against you having wealth, but He is definitely against wealth having you.

The Lord blessed Abraham so that he could be a blessing to others. He told Abraham, “I will bless you . . . and you shall be a blessing.” Similarly, He will bless you financially, so that you can be a blessing to others. You cannot be a blessing to those around you—your loved ones, local church, community, and the poor—if you are not blessed by the Lord first.

Now, you already know that finances alone don't make you a success. There are a lot of “poor” people in the world today who have a lot of money. They can have fat bank accounts, but their hearts are empty without the revelation of Jesus’ love for them.

You and I have something from Jesus that is far more superior. The success that we, as new covenant believers, can believe God for is good, holistic success that permeates every aspect of our lives!

What keeps you safe for financial success is when you know that your blessings come by Jesus’ unmerited favor. When you have that revelation, you will no longer be preoccupied with having money because you will be preoccupied with the Lord.

Amazingly, you will realize that the more occupied you are with Jesus, the more money follows after you! Now, why is that? It is simply because when you seek first the kingdom of God, and put Jesus, His righteousness (not your own righteousness), His joy, and His peace as your first priority, God's Word promises you that ALL the material things that you need will be added to you (Matt. 6:33).

The Lord always gives you money with a mission and prosperity with a purpose. He blesses you and when you are blessed, you can be a vessel to bless others.

The gospel of grace can be preached, churches can be built, precious lives can be touched, sinners can be born again, marriages can be restored, and physical bodies can be healed when you send out the Word of Jesus with your financial support.

Don’t love money and use people. Use money to love people. May it be settled in your heart once and for all that it is God’s desire for you to be a financial success and to have more than enough to bless others!

Joseph Prince (May-11-2025) Daily Devotion: Jesus Has You Covered

Leviticus 1:4 - Then he shall put his hand on the head of the burnt offering, and it will be accepted on his behalf to make atonement for him.

Imagine the perfection of Jesus covering you from head to toe in the sight of God every moment of the day. Does that sound like a dream? My friend, that is your reality today because Jesus became your burnt offering at the cross.

In the case of the burnt offering, when the offerer lays his hand on the animal sacrifice (see Leviticus 1:3–4), the perfection and beauty of the unblemished sacrifice is transferred to him, and God sees and accepts him in the perfection of the animal.

In Hebrew, the word “accepted” implies being treated with favor, delight and acceptance. This means that you, for whom Jesus became a burnt offering, are treated by God with favor, delight and acceptance because the beauty and perfection of Jesus have been transferred to you. As your burnt offering, Jesus has made atonement for you on your behalf.

Jesus is your atonement or covering for sin. How precious Jesus is to the Father is how precious you are to the Father because when the Father sees you, He sees Jesus, your atonement, your covering.

So every day, take Jesus as your burnt offering. Come to God and say, “Father, I thank You that Jesus is my burnt offering. He covers me from head to toe with His righteousness. I thank you Father, that You see me without spot or wrinkle. You see me covered in all the value and perfection of the work of Your Son. What He is to You, I am. Who He is to You, I am. As He is now, so am I. I am in Him” (see 1 John 4:17)!

Jesus has you covered. You don’t appear before the Father with all your faults and shortcomings. Jesus proclaims to you what is right with you in spite of what is wrong with you because He has covered you with His perfection. Today, hear Him telling you, “Go, girl! I have you covered. There is nothing for you to worry about!” Hear Him saying to you, “Go for it, son! I am covering you. There is nothing for you to fear!”

Joseph Prince (May-10-2025) Daily Devotional: Build Your Faith Upon His Promises

“He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you. In famine He shall redeem you from death, and in war from the power of the sword. You shall be hidden from the scourge of the tongue, and you shall not be afraid of destruction when it comes. You shall laugh at destruction and famine.” Job 5:19–22

I believe the Lord gave me the above portion of scripture to strengthen you. Let’s take a closer look at the first verse: “He shall deliver you in six troubles, yes, in seven no evil shall touch you.”

Now, I have read this verse a number of times before, but the Lord quickened this scripture in me, so let me share this fresh insight with you. I want to specially address those who have been greatly discouraged in the area of protection. Perhaps you have experienced a very difficult or even tragic event, or are going through a very challenging situation right now. Can I encourage you to build your faith upon His promises and not upon your experiences?

The Word of God says that in this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33). The fact that God declares in His Word that He will deliver us from troubles tells us that we will experience troubles. But God wants us to know that the more we hear preaching on Psalm 91, the more we quote it and remind ourselves of the Lord’s protection daily, the more our faith in His protection will grow.

Faith comes from “hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17 NASB). The more we hear, the more we believe! The more we claim and pray the prayer of protection, the more we will walk in its blessings. That is the intention of this book—to saturate you with the hearing and hearing of the Lord’s protection promises for your life until your faith is robust and overflowing.

My friend, deliverance from trouble is fantastic, but there is a promise that is even greater, and that is when you are at that place where “no evil shall touch you.” That’s my prayer for you and your loved ones.

While we live in dangerous times, we have an almighty God who watches over us. May we all increase and have a progressive revelation of the Lord’s protection in these last days. While none of us, myself included, are there yet, we are on a journey of faith, of walking fully in the promises of God’s protection.

Let’s give thanks to the Lord for His deliverance from all our troubles as we continue to believe we will come to the place where no evil will touch our loved ones and us!

Joseph Prince (May-09-2025) Daily Devotional: Win the Battle for Your Mind

For as he thinks within himself, so he is. - Proverbs 23:7 NASB

I want you to be aware that as you look to the person of Jesus and cultivate the power of right believing, you’ll experience some battles in your mind that will challenge your beliefs. Be encouraged to know that you don’t have to be afraid of these battles.

Jesus said, “And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32). Based on God’s Word, right believing is the key that unlocks the treasures of God in your life, giving you access to the fullness of His love, grace, favor, blessings, and forgiveness. Jesus has already paid the price on Calvary’s hill. The hindrance then between you and your victory is your wrong beliefs. The battle has to do with your beliefs.

The enemy knows that if he can control your thought life, he can manipulate your emotions and feelings. For instance, if he can make you entertain thoughts of guilt, failure, and defeat, you will begin to feel lousy about yourself, physically weak, and even depressed.

Our emotions are flags that indicate to us what our thoughts are. Thank God for emotions. They tell us if something is terribly wrong with our thoughts. Many of us are not cognizant when our thinking slides down a slippery slope to fear, doubt, pessimism, and anxiety. However, God has designed us in such a way that we can quickly recognize our thinking through our emotions. Try this: whenever you begin to sense negative emotions, such as fear, worry, guilt, and anger, stop and ask yourself, “What am I thinking?”

Your emotions follow quickly at the heels of your thoughts. If your thoughts are negative, you will naturally produce negative emotions. Conversely, if your thoughts are positive in Christ, you will produce positive emotions.

That is why there is a battle for your mind. The devil wants to keep your thoughts negative so that he can keep you defeated. He is a master of mind games, and he doesn’t play fair.

When he first tempted Adam and Eve in the garden, he made them doubt God’s motives by insinuating that God was deliberately withholding something good from them, when in reality God was protecting them. The devil’s strategy hasn’t changed—he is still using fears, lies, accusations, guilt, and condemnation to ensnare believers today and to make them doubt God’s perfect love, forgiveness, and superabounding grace.

My friend, are there areas you are fearful and anxious about today? Realize that those fears and anxieties indicate the presence of wrong beliefs in your life that God wants you to be freed from. Replace those wrong beliefs with right beliefs based on God’s Word, and you will eradicate those fears and anxieties. Through the power of right believing, you will win the battle for your mind.