Joseph Prince (October 31, 2024) Daily Devotional: The Law Demands, Grace Supplies

God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it. Ephesians 2:8–9 NLT

In Luke 18, we read about a rich young ruler, who came to Jesus saying, “Good Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” (Luke 18:18). I believe that through this story, the Lord wants to help us understand that we can be justified only by faith and not our works.

Justification by faith produces hope, peace, and joy and a heart for Jesus that results in good fruit. Attempting to be justified by works produces fear, anxiety, and an inability to produce lasting fruit.

When the rich young ruler came wanting to be justified by his works, the Lord gave him the law to bring him to the end of himself. Jesus said to the rich young ruler who thought he had kept all the laws, “You still lack one thing. Sell all that you have and distribute to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; and come, follow Me.”

The rich young ruler was found lacking in one thing. The very first commandment is, “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3). Yet money was his god—he walked away sorrowful when the Lord asked him to sell all that he had (Luke 18:20–23).

There is no record that he gave even one nickel to the poor. But look at what happened when Jesus invited Himself to Zacchaeus’s house. Not one commandment, just pure grace was given. And it resulted in Zacchaeus’s giving half his wealth to the poor and making a public commitment to repay fourfold to everyone he had stolen from!

The law demands, grace supplies.

The law demands, and it results in fear, guilt, and sorrow. Grace supplies, and it produces generosity, holiness, and inward heart transformation.

Now, you tell me, which gospel should we preach? Justification by works through the law? Or justification by faith through the power of God’s grace?

Unfortunately, there are many believers who after they have been saved are taught and believe, like the rich young ruler, that they can be justified before God only by their works. They end up conscious of failing Him and with a fearful expectation of God’s punishment and judgment.

Every bad thing that happens to them reinforces that fear. Even when things are going well, they are fearful of losing God’s blessings or protection because of a mistake they may have just made.

The result? Insecurity, dread, anxiety, and all kinds of fears become constant companions that rob them of the joy of living, let alone living life with boldness and confidence.

Beloved, no man can meet the demands of the law and be justified. We can be justified only by faith in the blood of the Lamb. If you are not anchored in this truth and if your conscience is not washed by the Lamb’s blood, you will always be fearful.

Our justification is from faith to faith, not faith to works. It is “accomplished from start to finish by faith” and faith alone (Rom. 1:17 NLT)!

Joseph Prince (October-30-2024) Daily Devotion: He Is the Good of Your Valleys, Too!

Kings 20:23 - Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, “Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they.

In 1 Kings 20, we find the Syrians being defeated by the Israelites. Then, some of the Syrian king’s advisers gave the king what they thought was the reason for their defeat. They said that they had fought on the hills and lost because Israel’s God is the God of the hills. So if they were to fight the Israelites on the plains or in the valleys, they would win.

What stupid advice! They thought that the God of Israel only helped His people up in the hills and mountains, and not down in the valleys.

Now, mountains refer to our good times, and valleys, our bad times. Some people have this idea that God is the God of our good times, but He is not there when we are going through bad times. They think that He leaves us helpless in the valleys, especially when the troubles are of our own making.

My friend, I want you to know that our God is the God of the mountains, but He is also the God of the valleys!

God the Son laid aside His crown of glory, His royal majesty and came down for us, stepping into a human body as a baby. He came down to where we were for the sole purpose of dying on the cross for our sins, so that He could bring us up to what God the Father has for us at His right hand. Jesus came down to crown us with glory and honor, to clothe us with robes of righteousness and make us His bride, sharing everything that He has with us. That is the grace of God. He came down to our valley.

So whatever you are going through right now, know that God is right there in your valley with you. He is holding you in His arms and carrying you through the valley. Victory is already yours. Just as the Israelites were also victorious in the valley (see 1 Kings 20:28–29), so will you be because the God of the valleys is right there with you!

Joseph Prince (October-29-2024) Daily Devotion: Clothed with Jesus' Robe of Righteousness

Leviticus 1:6 - And he shall skin the burnt offering and cut it into its pieces.

Do you know who first clothed man with coats of skin? It was God Almighty Himself, when He found Adam and Eve hiding behind the bushes because they were afraid of Him. They had become fearful and conscious that they had sinned against God. In their sin-consciousness, they realized that they were naked and that the glory of God, which had been their covering, was gone.

So God killed an animal to clothe Adam and Eve with coats of skin (see Genesis 3:21). An animal had to die and its bloodied skin became their covering. This speaks of the blood of Jesus that covers you when He became your burnt offering. The Lamb of God did not just take away your sins. He also gave you His righteousness.

Beloved, you are covered by Jesus’ blood. You are righteous by His blood. God has clothed you with the robe of righteousness, which was paid for by Jesus’ blood. I am not talking about a physical robe made of cloth. I am talking about the robe of righteousness that was on Jesus when He said to the storm, “Peace, be still!” and there came a perfect calm (see Matthew 8:23–27), when healing flowed from Him to the sick and when He raised Lazarus from the dead (see John 11:38–44).

When you believe that you are righteous because of Jesus’ blood, you will see the effects of wearing His robe of righteousness. You will see miracles happening before your very eyes. You become a blessing magnet, a favor or grace magnet. It is not your own righteousness, but the righteousness of Jesus which you have put on, that is attracting all these blessings of God into your life.

My friend, have the consciousness of being clothed with Jesus’ robe of righteousness. Every day, 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. What He is to You, I am. As He is now, so am I. I am in Him.” And you will see the manifestations of the blessings of health, wholeness, protection and provision that the robe attracts!

Joseph Prince (October-28-2024) Daily Devotion: Blessed in More Ways Than One

Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,

We are not trying to get peace with God. We already have peace with God, having been justified by faith through our Lord Jesus Christ. This peace with God brings us the peace of God, which guards our hearts and minds (see Philippians 4:7). Then, the peace of God inside us will also translate into the peace of God outside us—in all our outward circumstances.

Firstly, we will find that what would normally cause us much care and anxiety will no longer be the case. Secondly, not only will everything turn out well, but we will also be blessed in more ways than one. This is what happens when Jesus, the Prince of Peace, is our peace.

A church member, though stricken with cancer, enjoyed the peace of God, knowing that He was her healer. She later received confirmation from two different doctors that she had been completely healed of cancer. In addition to receiving her blessing of complete healing, she also received from her insurance company a critical illness claim of S$50,000!

Another church member, upon hearing news of her retrenchment, committed the matter to God, believing that He would work all things out for her, especially her loss of a regular income. Shortly after, she received her retrenchment package—a substantial five-figure sum. And within days of her retrenchment, she received calls from her contacts in the industry, offering her jobs, two of which were jobs in well-known multinational corporations (MNCs).

At that time, she had not yet started looking for a job, so the calls were unexpected but welcomed. She finally opted to work for one of the MNCs—a dream come true for her—at a salary that was 30 per cent more than her previous one! When she simply prayed, “Abba Father, I trust You to look after me,” and rested in His love and peace, she was abundantly blessed.

Beloved, because Jesus is your peace, you are blessed in more ways than one. Your soul will prosper. Your health will prosper. Your finances will prosper. Your loved ones will be taken care of. Your relationships will flourish. You will enjoy the favor of God. All because you have the Prince of Peace!

Joseph Prince (October-27-2024) Daily Devotion: The Life of Jesus Is In You

John 10:10 - …I [Jesus] have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.

Though Jesus is completely God, He was born completely human. He went through temptation after temptation and conquered every one of them (see Hebrews 4:15). And all that overcoming power is found in His life. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

During Jesus’ ministry on earth, He conquered sickness, the winds and waves, the powers of darkness and death. It is His life that brings victory over the devil and all his works. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

Finally, Jesus went to the cross. And that life in Him put an end to everything that was natural of the Adamic race—sickness, poverty, failures, pains, curses and death. All that was natural ceased to be in that life of His. But all that was supernatural remained in Him. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

Then, Jesus rose from the dead. And in that life of His was added the power of resurrection. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

After His resurrection, Jesus went back to heaven to His Father. Today, He is seated at the right hand of God, resting in His finished work, occupying a place of the highest authority. And He put that life in you—the life of Christ is in you!

And because Jesus went back to the Father, the Holy Spirit came to indwell you (see John 16:7), so that you will live life with His anointing in you and walk in His overcoming power.

All that Jesus is, God meant for you to be. All that He has, God meant for you to have. All the exciting things that you read in  the Bible about Jesus, all the treasures of Him hidden in the Old Testament and the unsearchable riches in Him that you find in  the New Testament, all of that life of His, is not out there somewhere. God has deposited all of it in you, so that you can live the abundant life that Jesus came to give you!

Joseph Prince (October-26-2024) Daily Devotion: Forgive and Let God Do the Rest

Ephesians 4:32 - And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you.

People like to say, “I can forgive, but I cannot forget.” Have you heard that before? Now, in the first place, nowhere in  the Bible does God tell you to forgive and then to forget. It is not in the  Bible! The devil is adding something here to make the whole thing burdensome.

God only tells us to forgive because God in Christ has forgiven us a debt we cannot pay. When we do this, we do ourselves a favor because harboring bitterness and unforgiveness can sometimes destroy our health!

So just forgive and let God take care of the rest. When you really forgive, sometimes, He makes you forget. But sometimes, you still remember the incident because it was a major thing in your life. Yet, when you look back at it, the pain is no more there. The sting is gone and you are not bitter.

Joseph had forgiven his brothers before they came and bowed before him. He remembered what they did to him, but he did not remember it with bitterness (see Genesis 50:15–21). So you may remember the incident, but the bitterness is gone because you have put the cross in the picture—“God in Christ forgave me. Daddy, I forgive you. Mama, I forgive you. My cousin, I forgive you.”

When you forgive, forgive by faith, not by your feelings. We walk by faith, not feelings (see 2 Corinthians 5:7). Some people are waiting for feelings—“I am waiting, Father, for the right emotion to come on me to forgive that person.” That “right emotion” may never come!

No, forgive by faith, and do it once and for all. Spend time in prayer. Take out your diary and write it down: “Father, I bring this person before you. You know what he did to me. Father, as You forgave me through Jesus’ cross, even though I did not deserve it, by faith, I now forgive this person and I let my anger against him go in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Once you forgive by faith, you will see the sting of bitterness removed from your heart. You will experience the peace and joy of God filling your mind, and see a greater measure of wholeness in your body!

Joseph Prince (October-25-2024) Daily Devotion: True to Your Assessment

Leviticus 27:12- …the priest shall set a value for it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.

Your colleague says that this week is going to be a lousy one because the new boss is mean. You disagree and say that it is going to be a blessed week. Both of you will go through the same week, but with very different outcomes. While your friend’s week will indeed turn out to be a lousy one, yours will be filled with the favor of the Lord!

In the Old Testament, when someone brought what he had to the priest for a valuation, whatever the priest assessed the value of the item to be, it was so. If he assessed it to be of good value, then it was of good value. If he assessed it to be of poor value, then it was of poor value.

Today, you are also a priest because of Jesus’ blood (see Revelation 1:5–6). And “as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.” If you assess your year to be one of financial breakthroughs, so it will be for you. If you assess your life to be filled with divine health, so it will be for you.

There was a stroke patient who was bedridden. While listening to my recorded sermons, he assessed that with God as his salvation, his life would be long and satisfying (see Psalm 91:16). He believed that God would help him walk again. Not too long after his assessment, he was able to walk and was no longer bound to the bed! The next assessment he made about his health was complete recovery with God as his helper.

Actually, you have more authority than the Levitical priests of the Old Testament. They were of the old priesthood of mortal men. But you are of the greater and “forever” priesthood of Jesus (see Hebrews 7:8,17)! Not only that, you are a king-priest (see Revelation 1:6). In other words, you are a king as well! And as a king, your assessment is also binding because where the word of a king is, there is power (see Ecclesiastes 8:4)!

My friend, this means that you have a double portion of assessment power. Therefore, boldly assess good things for your life, and it will be so for you!

Joseph Prince (October-24-2024) Daily Devotion: God Has Seen Your Future, and It Is Good!

Isaiah 54:2 - “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.

At the end of 2004, during one of our services, the Lord told our church this: “I your God have gone ahead of you and I have already been to your future. I have seen it. And I declare that it is good.”

Although this word was given through me to our church, I believe that it is not only for our church, but also for every member of the body of Christ.

I tell you, when God declares your future good, it will be good! It will be filled with many wonderfully good days!

So what do you do when the Lord tells you that you are going to have a good future loaded with His blessings? You prepare for it! In other words, before the blessings come, before the increase comes, He wants you to enlarge the place of your tent and stretch forth the curtains of your dwellings.

For example, if you are believing God for a child, start reading books on babies and preparing the baby’s room. In fact, prepare to have more than one child. Start looking for a bigger place for your family for God says, “Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords, and strengthen your stakes.” Get ready for expansion!

My friend, God wants you to get ready, and expect such favor and increase in the days ahead that “you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations, and make the desolate cities inhabited” (Isaiah 54:3).

Because God has declared your future good, know that you stand on favor ground today. Expect good things to happen to you. Expect to see the favor of God on you and your family. Expect the blessings and increase of the Lord. Expect many good days to show up in your life!

COME! (Isaiah 55:1)

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Robert Alexander Portillo (@sanbertoalejandro)