Joseph Prince (November-24-2024) Daily Devotion: Blessed Are Your Baskets, Kneading Bowls, and Nets

 Deuteronomy 28:5 - “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.

In Bible times, reapers carried baskets on their backs to collect the harvest from the fields. They had to ensure that their baskets were strong and sturdy, so that what they collected would not fall out. The women of that day used kneading bowls to knead dough for making bread. If they used poor-quality bowls which broke easily, they would not be able to make bread.

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So baskets and kneading bowls in those days represented the means by which one got his tangible blessings. Beloved, your Father in heaven does not want you to worry about the means by which you get your blessings. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, He says to you, “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.”

This means that if you are a cab driver, your cab will not break down on your rounds because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your cab.” If you are a businessman, your capital investment will not fail you because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your capital investment.” And if you are a salesman, your products will be looked upon favorably because God says to you, “Blessed shall be your products.”

These blessings are yours because Jesus paid for them with His death and He enforced them with His resurrection.

On one occasion, Jesus told Peter to throw his nets into the water. When Peter threw one net down, he caught so much fish that the net “was breaking.” To save the bumper haul, the other disciples quickly filled their boats with the fish, lest the net gave way completely (see Luke 5:4–7).

After Jesus rose from the dead, a similar incident took place. Once again, Jesus asked His disciples to cast their net out. They caught a multitude of fish. But “although there were so many, the net was not broken” (John 21:11). Notice that in the first case, the net was breaking. In the second case, it was not! Something supernatural happened to their nets after Jesus rose from the dead!

Beloved, because of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, not only are you blessed (see Ephesians 1:3), but your nets, baskets and kneading bowls—the means by which you obtain your blessings—are also blessed!

Joseph Prince (November-23-2024) Daily Devotion: God Wants to Set You Up for a Blessing

Ruth 2:12 - The Lord repay your work, and a full reward be given you by the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings you have come for refuge.”

Have you ever wondered why, in some  Bible stories, God asked the people to give what little they had to Him? It may appear cruel, but the truth is that God was setting them up for a blessing! God’s way is to use whatever we have, and multiply it back to us once we put it in His hands.

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The widow of Zarephath had only a handful of flour and a little oil to make one last meal for her son and herself before they faced starvation. But she trusted God and used a portion of the little that she had to make a cake for the prophet Elijah. And God rewarded her by making sure that her bin of flour was not used up and her jar of oil did not run dry until the drought ended (see 1 Kings 17:8–16).

Similarly, the boy who gave his little lunch of five loaves and two small fish to Jesus not only ate well, but he also saw it being used to feed more than 5,000 people with 12 baskets full of leftovers (see John 6:1–13)!

Whenever we give what little we have to God, whether it is money, time or energy, it opens up our hearts so that God can fill us up with more. And when we give our lives to God, we can trust Him to make things right for us and to be the rewarder of our faith.

When Ruth, a childless Moabite widow, left the comfort of her home to follow her mother-in-law Naomi and the God of Israel back to a foreign land (see Ruth 1:16), she was given a full reward by the Lord. God gave Ruth protection and ensured that she was well-provided for through Boaz, a wealthy relative who took on the role of kinsman-redeemer for her and Naomi (see Ruth 2:9, 4:9–10).

Beloved, as you trust God with what you have today, know that He loves you and is setting you up for more blessings. So expect to see even more of His provision and abundance in the days to come!

Joseph Prince (November-22-2024) Daily Devotion: Use Your Double Portion of Speaking Power

1 Peter 2:9 - But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people...

God calls us “a royal priesthood.” This means that we are kings as well as priests under the king-priesthood of Jesus Christ. This has never happened before in the history of God’s people. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were two distinct groups of people. You were either a king or priest, but not both at the same time.

Today, because we are in Christ, we are king-priests—a royal priesthood. This means that we have a double portion of speaking power because as kings, “Where the word of a king is, there is power” (Ecclesiastes 8:4), and as priests, “by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled” (Deuteronomy 21:5).

So if you are a Christian businessman, you will have an edge over worldly businessmen. What you say about your business deals will come to pass. And if you are falsely accused, know that by your very word, every controversy and every assault will be settled!

And as a king-priest parent, when you bless your children, your words have the power to set in motion supernatural events which will bring them into God’s abundance and superabounding grace. And there will be such a courage and resilience about them that it will empower them to win the fights of life!

When the devil comes to you and says that you will die young because your father and grandfather died young, or that you will never be successful because you are not well-educated, you must remember that the devil is neither a king nor a priest. There is no power in his words. But there is power in yours because you are a king-priest in Christ!

So instead of agreeing with him, believe and declare, “I will not die young. With long life He will satisfy me and show me His salvation!” Say, “The Lord will make my way prosperous and give me good success!” Use your double portion of speaking power and see these blessings come to pass!

Joseph Prince (November-21-2024) Daily Devotion: Ask in Jesus' Name and Receive

John 16:23 - “…Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.

Do you always end your prayers with “in Jesus’ name”? Maybe your Sunday school teacher taught you to do this, or maybe you have heard church leaders and other believers utter it at the end of their prayers.

I used to say “in Jesus’ name” very quickly as if those were magic words that would get my prayers answered. Then, one day, I heard the Lord asking me why I was doing that.

The Lord wanted me to realize that whenever I pray and say “in Jesus’ name,” I am putting my entire faith for my prayer to be answered not in who I am or what I have done, but in the person and name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, and what He has done at the cross!

Whenever we ask God for anything in Jesus’ name, Jesus says to us, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give you.” This means that in your prayer for healing, when you say “in Jesus’ name,” healing comes over your sick body because it is by His stripes that you are healed (see 1 Peter 2:24). In your prayer for protection, when you say “in Jesus’ name,” you are kept safe because the blood of Jesus protects and delivers you from evil (see Exodus 12:13).

Beloved, the good name of your family cannot save you. Your pastor’s name cannot save you. Even the name of the latest medical breakthrough cannot save you. Only one name under heaven can save you—Jesus! And the good news is that His name in Hebrew, Yeshua, means salvation—healing, preservation, wholeness, wellness, provision, safety and deliverance for you and your family!

So these days, whenever I pray, I slow down at the end of my prayer and say, “Father, I ask all this not based on what I have or have not done, but based on Jesus and His finished work at the cross. I ask all this in Jesus’ name. Amen!”

Joseph Prince (November-20-2024) Daily Devotion: No Leaven but the Truth

 

 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.

When I was a young Christian, I heard of an illustration for Psalm 23 about shepherds who sometimes break the legs of sheep which habitually stray, so as to teach them not to stray. That erroneous teaching—“The Lord is my Shepherd, He breaketh my legs”—stuck with me for years, causing me needless fear of God’s punishment when I felt that I had strayed from Him.

Such erroneous teachings are what God’s Word refers to as “leaven.” That is why Jesus cautioned His disciples, “Take heed and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees” (Matthew 16:6).  The leaven of the Pharisees was their doctrine of legalism, which judges and condemns people who fail to keep God’s laws. The leaven of the Sadducees was their doctrine of humanism, which discounts the supernatural and teaches that everything can be explained away using reasoning or science.

When God told His people in Leviticus 2:11, “No grain offering which you bring to the Lord shall be made with leaven,” we are reminded that how we appreciate Jesus, our grain offering, must not be mixed with wrong teachings. For example, when we talk about “suffering with Christ” (Romans 8:17), we must know that it is not about suffering sicknesses or lack, things which Jesus has redeemed us from, but suffering persecution, scorn and rejection for His name’s sake, which we are likely to face as good Christians.

My friend, what you believe about Jesus is important because the Holy Spirit bears witness only to the truth (see John 16:13). So ask Him to unveil the beauty of Christ and the perfection of His finished work to you when you read God’s Word. Find out from the Word how Christ has redeemed you from every curse and paid for you to enjoy all of God’s blessings with His sacrifice at the cross.

Beloved, get rid of any leaven in your believing. Believe and declare that you are healed, not sick; abundantly supplied, not in lack; and forever righteous in Christ. And when you start believing and confessing God’s truths, the anointing of the Holy Spirit will be released for the breakthrough you need!

Joseph Prince (November-19-2024) Daily Devotion: Just Trust God's Goodness and Pray in the Spirit

1 Corinthians 14:14 - For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful.

God has given us a powerful prayer gift—praying in tongues, which is not limited by distance, time or head knowledge. When you pray in tongues, you could be praying for your future or even a loved one overseas. You won’t know what you are praying unless God tells you. This is because your “understanding is unfruitful”—your mind is not involved.

“But Pastor Prince, I must know what I am praying!”

Sometimes, it is better not to know what you are praying. In 1993, I had a long season of praying in the Spirit. If I had known then everything that I was praying in tongues, I would have freaked out! For example, I would have been afraid if I had known that the Holy Spirit was saying, “Father God, in the year 2002, anoint Joseph Prince to preach six messages every week to more than 10,000 people.” That has come to pass. But back in 1993, one service was enough to tire me out!

So I thank God that I don’t know what I am praying when I pray in tongues. I simply trust His goodness and pray in tongues for everything that He has planned for me to come to pass in His perfect timing.

Beloved, don’t stop praying in tongues just because you don’t know what you are praying. You could be praying for the safety of a loved one in a life and death situation. Especially when you feel an urge to pray because you sense danger, pray! Pray until you sense a release as the burden is lifted. The Holy Spirit will know exactly what is going on, who is in danger and how to pray for deliverance (see Romans 8:27).

You may say, “Well, I can just pray in English.” You can, but your prayer will be very limited because you don’t know everything. It is better to pray in tongues because the Spirit knows all things.

My friend, you don’t belong to the natural, limited realm. You belong to God who is unlimited! So pray in tongues, and see great things happening for you and through you.

Joseph Prince (November-18-2024) Daily Devotion: The God of More-Than-Enough

Luke 5:9 - For he and all who were with him were astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken;

As a young Christian, I grew up hearing preachers say that God only supplies our needs, not our wants. Yet, in  the Bible, God clearly shows us that He wants to meet not just our needs, but also our wants.

For example, the famous “shepherd psalm” begins with “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want” (Psalm 23:1). Another psalm says, “Oh, fear the Lord, you His saints! There is no want to those who fear Him. The young lions lack and suffer hunger; but those who seek the Lord shall not lack any good thing” (Psalm 34:9–10).

One of the names of our God is Jehovah Jireh, which means “the all-providing One.” He provides more than enough. The God of more-than-enough came in the flesh and walked among His people. And as He walked by the Sea of Galilee, He did not give His disciples small blessings. That is why He said to Peter, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets [plural] for a catch” (Luke 5:4), and not “let down your net [singular].” And what a catch it turned out to be—a boat-sinking, net-breaking catch! It was such a big and unexpected blessing that Peter and all who were with him were “astonished at the catch of fish which they had taken.”

Beloved, see God’s heart for you today. He wants to prosper you. Don’t settle for anything less, thinking that He only supplies your needs and not your wants. If you need a job, know that He wants you to pray not just for a job, but for a position. When you have a position, you have influence and you are able to impact lives. Maybe what you need is a pay increment. Then, pray not just for that, but also to be in a position to give increments!

You may start out poor when you follow God. But you cannot remain in lack when you follow the God of more-than-enough. In fact, like Peter, you too will be astonished that God supplies more than what you need and beyond what you have asked!

Commemoration of Christian Martyr John Allen Chau ( December 18, 1991 -- November 17, 2018)

                      

John Allen Chau

To learn more about John's incredible testimony, watch this video (start at 1:12:58):

                                        

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