Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs (26 page)
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Authors: Joseph Prince
Tags: #Devotional, #Grace, #Joseph Prince
BOOK: Reign In Life: 90 Powerful Inspirations For Extraordinary Breakthroughs
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Up to this point, God had dealt graciously with them. He opened up the Red Sea, rained manna from heaven, and brought water out of the flinty rock, even though they kept murmuring and complaining. But the moment they said those prideful words, God had to change His tone. He told Moses to instruct the people not to go near the mountain, for “whoever touches the mountain shall surely be put to death” (Ex. 19:12).
Why do you think God changed His demeanor here? It was because man presumed on his own strength and entered into a covenant based on his obedience. This is what we call self-righteousness. Since the people wanted to be judged based on their performance, in the very next chapter, God gave them the Ten Commandments. From then on, because they boasted that they could do all that God commanded, God had to assess them based on His laws. He would bless them if they kept His commandments, but they would be cursed if they failed to obey any commandment, becoming guilty of all (James 2:10).
Now, after the children of Israel placed themselves under the law, boasting that they could fulfill all that God demanded of them, the works of the flesh
immediately
manifested. They broke the very first commandment—“You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3)—by fashioning a golden calf and worshiping it as their god (Ex. 32:1–8)! Isn’t that sad? So be careful when you boast of keeping or defending the law, because the works of the flesh will follow soon after.
immediately
manifested. They broke the very first commandment—“You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex. 20:3)—by fashioning a golden calf and worshiping it as their god (Ex. 32:1–8)! Isn’t that sad? So be careful when you boast of keeping or defending the law, because the works of the flesh will follow soon after.
From that point onward, every time the children of Israel murmured and complained, many of them would die. Observe this:
before Sinai, none died. After Sinai, the moment they murmured, they died
. Before Sinai, no failure could stem the tide of God’s favor. But now that the Israelites were under the covenant of law, sin had to be punished. Their blessings and provisions no longer depended on God’s goodness, faithfulness, and grace. Under the covenant of law, their blessings depended on their perfect obedience, and every failure and sin would result in judgment and punishment.
before Sinai, none died. After Sinai, the moment they murmured, they died
. Before Sinai, no failure could stem the tide of God’s favor. But now that the Israelites were under the covenant of law, sin had to be punished. Their blessings and provisions no longer depended on God’s goodness, faithfulness, and grace. Under the covenant of law, their blessings depended on their perfect obedience, and every failure and sin would result in judgment and punishment.
You would think that after two thousand years, people would learn, but there are believers today who are still using the same refrain as the children of Israel at the foot of Mount Sinai. They are bragging, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.” But to come under this system of the law is to put yourself under an inflexible standard that has to minister death and condemnation. The law condemns the best of us, but grace saves the worst of us.
My friend, instead of fighting to be under the old covenant of law today, realize that because of Jesus Christ, we are now under the new covenant of grace, where God does not assess us based on our performance, but on
His
goodness and faithfulness. If you are still trying to be justified by your obedience to the law, you are effectively negating for yourself what Jesus has already done for you on the cross! Stop holding on to the old covenant that the Bible says God has already made obsolete. I declare to you that the cross of Jesus has made the difference. It has freed you to receive and experience God’s undeserved, unmerited, and unearned favor—His pure grace that is completely dependent on His goodness and faithfulness!
His
goodness and faithfulness. If you are still trying to be justified by your obedience to the law, you are effectively negating for yourself what Jesus has already done for you on the cross! Stop holding on to the old covenant that the Bible says God has already made obsolete. I declare to you that the cross of Jesus has made the difference. It has freed you to receive and experience God’s undeserved, unmerited, and unearned favor—His pure grace that is completely dependent on His goodness and faithfulness!
Today’s Thought
The cross of Jesus Christ has freed me to receive and experience God’s undeserved, unmerited, and unearned favor—His pure grace that is completely dependent on His goodness and faithfulness
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You that the old covenant based on the law and my perfect obedience has been made obsolete and that I never need to win Your love and approval through my own efforts. Thank You that the new covenant of grace is all about what Jesus accomplished on the bloodstained cross for me. Because of Him, I can always receive Your love and goodness and walk in Your peace, favor, and victory in every situation. Amen
.
.
This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief
.
.
1 T
IMOTHY
1:15
IMOTHY
1:15
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith
.
.
G
ALATIANS
3:13–14
ALATIANS
3:13–14
Today’s Scripture
… giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light
.
.
C
OLOSSIANS
1:12
OLOSSIANS
1:12
S
everal years ago, I had the privilege of counseling one of my wife’s close friends. Wendy’s friend was a young Christian who attended another church. Over dinner, she shared that one of her spiritual leaders had told her that the Christian life was difficult, and that she had to suffer for the Lord and pay her dues. She was told that she had to work hard, pray hard, and make sure that she read the Bible every day so that God would be pleased with her.
everal years ago, I had the privilege of counseling one of my wife’s close friends. Wendy’s friend was a young Christian who attended another church. Over dinner, she shared that one of her spiritual leaders had told her that the Christian life was difficult, and that she had to suffer for the Lord and pay her dues. She was told that she had to work hard, pray hard, and make sure that she read the Bible every day so that God would be pleased with her.
Once she shared all that with us, I felt that it was my responsibility to tell her the good news. So I shared with her that we do not read the Bible because we want to qualify for God’s blessings. We read the Bible to
find out
about our blessings and inheritance in Christ. See the difference? I told her that if I stopped reading the Bible for a few days, I should not be
feeling guilty;
I should be
feeling hungry
. God is not pleased with us on the condition that we read the Bible, pray long prayers, and pay our dues. No, absolutely not! He is pleased with us because our trust is in
Jesus
, who qualified us.
find out
about our blessings and inheritance in Christ. See the difference? I told her that if I stopped reading the Bible for a few days, I should not be
feeling guilty;
I should be
feeling hungry
. God is not pleased with us on the condition that we read the Bible, pray long prayers, and pay our dues. No, absolutely not! He is pleased with us because our trust is in
Jesus
, who qualified us.
The Bible never said that it is our works that qualify us. Today’s Scripture says, “giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” It is
the Father
who has qualified us, and He qualified us by sending His Son to save us. He has qualified us to be partakers of His favor, healing, provision, love, joy, peace, and well-being. All these blessings are the inheritance of the saints, purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. We partake of our inheritance by giving thanks to the Father for sending His Son.
the Father
who has qualified us, and He qualified us by sending His Son to save us. He has qualified us to be partakers of His favor, healing, provision, love, joy, peace, and well-being. All these blessings are the inheritance of the saints, purchased with the blood of Jesus Christ. We partake of our inheritance by giving thanks to the Father for sending His Son.
I shared with this lady that she can wake up every day and say, “Father, I thank You that You have qualified me to walk in victory, healing, and supply.” I told her that she should not be racking her brains wondering what she must
do
to qualify for God’s goodness. His goodness is
already
hers!
do
to qualify for God’s goodness. His goodness is
already
hers!
There are too many teachings today telling believers what they must do to qualify for this and that. God’s way is for us to know that through Jesus, we are already qualified.
At the end of the dinner, I said, “Test whatever I have shared with you about the goodness of God, His grace, and Jesus’ work at the cross against what you have been taught. Which produces peace in your heart? Joy and peace are the trademarks of the kingdom of God. God is not the author of confusion.”
She reflected on what I had shared with her and said, “While I may not understand everything about Jesus because I am a baby Christian, I know that all you’ve shared has produced great peace and joy in my heart.”
Let me ask you the same question today: what produces more peace and joy in your heart—to know that God will never punish and condemn you again for your sins because Jesus has already been punished and condemned for you, or to hear that God is sometimes pleased but sometimes angry with you depending on how you perform?
Beloved, the answer is found in Jesus and His finished work. It is found in His grace, not in your own doing. By trying to qualify yourself today for God’s blessings with all your Bible reading, praying, and hard work, you are asking Him to assess and judge you according to
your
goodness and faithfulness. Is that what you really want? If not, then begin to put your trust in the finished work of Christ today and enjoy peace, joy, and every blessing that flows from His unconditional love for you!
your
goodness and faithfulness. Is that what you really want? If not, then begin to put your trust in the finished work of Christ today and enjoy peace, joy, and every blessing that flows from His unconditional love for you!
Today’s Thought
God is pleased with me because my trust is in Jesus, whose finished work has qualified me for all of God’s blessings
.
.
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You that I don’t have to qualify for or earn Your blessings and love. Thank You that You are pleased with me because my trust is in Jesus, who has qualified me for all Your blessings. I believe that because of the finished work of Jesus, I will enjoy the blessings that flow from Your grace and unconditional love—favor, healing, wisdom, love, joy, peace, and well-being for my family and me. Amen
.
.
But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy
.
.
J
AMES
3:17
AMES
3:17
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ
,
,
E
PHESIANS
1:3
PHESIANS
1:3
For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us
.
.
2 C
ORINTHIANS
1:20
ORINTHIANS
1:20
Today’s Scripture
…the goodness of God leads you to repentance
.
.
R
OMANS
2:4
OMANS
2:4
A
re you struggling to live the Christian life today? Your rest is found at the cross of Jesus. If you want to experience success without painful struggling and striving, then realize that it is no longer about you doing this or that right. It is about depending on what Jesus has done for you.
re you struggling to live the Christian life today? Your rest is found at the cross of Jesus. If you want to experience success without painful struggling and striving, then realize that it is no longer about you doing this or that right. It is about depending on what Jesus has done for you.
But Pastor Prince, we have to preach God’s law and His judgment, or there will be no repentance from the people
.
.
My friend, God’s heart is never to condemn. We want judgment, but God wants mercy. Today’s Scripture states that “the goodness of God leads you to repentance.” Do you know how Jesus transformed a foul-mouthed fisherman such as Peter into a pillar of the early church? Being a fisherman, Peter was probably also a big, burly guy. So how did Jesus bring him to his knees? Was it fiery preaching on God’s judgment or a hard sermon on the law of Moses that broke this fisherman? Neither! Jesus blessed Peter with a boat-sinking, net-breaking load of fish, and when Peter saw God’s goodness, he bowed down at Jesus’ feet and said, “Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!” (Luke 5:8). Now, pay close attention here. Which came first—Peter’s repentance or the goodness of God? Clearly, it was the goodness of God that came first. My friend, it is truly the goodness of God that leads us to repentance!
Nevertheless, there are still people who insist that we have to preach on repentance. Well, I believe that we should do it God’s way—preach the goodness of God and allow the goodness of God to lead people to repentance. Such repentance will be true repentance. It will not be a repentance that is motivated by the fear of God’s judgment and punishment. It will be a genuine repentance that is motivated by His grace, unconditional love, and compassion. After all, our ability to love God stems from our first tasting His love for us. It is when we experience His love for us that we can respond with our love for Him. The Bible says, “We love Him because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19).
Do you know how the Word of God defines love? Apostle John said, “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins” (1 John 4:10). This is the Bible’s definition of love. It is not about
our
love for God, but rather
His
perfect love for us. As opposed to conventional belief, true repentance from the heart results from a revelation of God’s immense and unyielding love. It is not found in fearing His laws, judgment, and indignation. When Peter saw Jesus’ goodness and love, he fell to his knees in surrender to Jesus.
our
love for God, but rather
His
perfect love for us. As opposed to conventional belief, true repentance from the heart results from a revelation of God’s immense and unyielding love. It is not found in fearing His laws, judgment, and indignation. When Peter saw Jesus’ goodness and love, he fell to his knees in surrender to Jesus.
Carrie is someone who can totally identify with this. Writing to me from Texas, she said:
Although I have been saved for thirty-eight years, most of that time I did not understand God’s grace and His love for me. I lived in fear and torment that God was angry with me because I was not perfect, did things that were wrong, and didn’t repent enough. I read my Bible every day, prayed every day, and I wanted to believe all of the good promises in the Bible. Instead, I believed the lies the devil was telling me, like how I was not good enough, no matter how hard I tried. It created anxiety in me that grew so bad I eventually went to a psychiatrist for help, but didn’t get the help I needed. As the days went on, I became more and more of a wreck
.
.
Then, in December 2009, I came across your television broadcast. As I listened, I couldn’t believe what I was hearing, yet everything you said made so much sense. Soon after that, I bought one of your books at our local Christian bookstore. As I read your book, I started to get an understanding of what Jesus did for us on the cross. I started seeing verses from the Bible that I had read so many times before in the context of God’s grace and they brought so much peace to my heart and mind
.
.
The beautiful message of grace in your book has truly transformed my life. Since then, I have read the book four or five times. Every time I read it, I get new revelation of how much God loves me and how much I am forgiven of all of my sins, past, present, and future. I now have a wonderful relationship with my wonderful Savior, Jesus Christ, not based on fear as before but based on a revelation of His grace. He has given me His “abundant provision of grace and gift of righteousness” that I could never earn. Now, I live in peace and joy. I am continuing to grow “in the knowledge and grace of our Lord Jesus Christ” not out of a sense of obligation, but out of a genuine desire to see more of His love, grace, and beauty
.
.
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