01/10/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOE OSTEEN’S MINISTERIES
TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
David sent some servants to bring Jonathan’s son from Lo-Debar. His name was Mephibosheth, and he was the grandson of Saul.

2 Samuel 9:5, CEV

TODAY’S WORD
Carried to the Palace.
As a child, Mephibosheth had been crippled in an accident and could not walk. He was born into royalty, but his grandfather Saul and father, Jonathan, had been killed. Now he was living as an adult in Lo-Debar, one of the poorest, run-down cities of that day. When King David found out Mephibosheth was alive, he sent his men to carry Mephibosheth to the palace. He restored to Mephibosheth all the land that belonged to Saul and allowed Mephibosheth to live in the palace and sit at the king’s table. Mephibosheth couldn’t believe it. I love this picture of Mephibosheth being carried to the palace. God was showing us that even when life throws you a curve, when it’s unfair, when you are dealt a big setback, God is still going to carry you into your destiny. The right people, the right breaks, the favor, the promotion, are going to come looking for you. God has not forgotten about you. He’s going to carry you into your purpose, carry you into the palace, carry you into abundance, carry you into victory.

PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for loving me and looking out for me because You want me to have all that belongs to me as Your child. Thank You that You found me and brought me to live with You in Your palace forever. I believe that You are carrying me all the days of my life and meeting my every need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Let me share something powerful with you about righteousness. In Romans 10:6, God’s Word tells us that the “righteousness of faith speaks.”

SECTION TWO ú

Now, what does this mean? It means that God encourages us to not just believe in our hearts that we are righteous but to also speak it out!

So righteous one, declare your righteousness. Every day, boldly say, “Father, I thank You that I am righteous in Christ, not because of what I have done, but because of what Christ has done. It’s a gift and I receive it with all my heart.”

I believe that when you speak and declare your righteousness, good things happen. You become conscious of all the blessings and all the promises that are due the righteous.

Instead of disqualifying yourself, you’ll start to believe God for good success, favor, and wisdom. Experiencing provision becomes effortless because you know your right standing in Christ. So stop disqualifying yourself and confess your righteousness!

JOE OSTEEN’S MINISTERIES

Today’s Scripture
With our tongues we bless God our Father; with the same tongues we curse the very men and women he made in his image. Curses and blessings out of the same mouth! My friends, this can’t go on.

James 3:9–10, MSG

30/09/24

TODAY’S WORD
Whether we realize it or not, when we go around speaking negative words over ourself, we’re actually cursing our future. You have enough people in life against you, so don’t be against yourself. The enemy would love for you to go around feeling wrong inside, as though you’re not up to par, you’re at a disadvantage. Too many people swallow that bait and go around speaking defeat. “I don’t have a good personality. I’m too old. I don’t have what it takes to be successful. I wish I had my cousin’s good looks.” No, you’ve been made in the image of God. When you criticize yourself as less-than, you are criticizing God’s creation. You’re saying, “God, You didn’t do so well when You made me.” No, God wasn’t having an off day when He created you. He calls you a masterpiece. He put His DNA in you. You have royal blood flowing through your veins. Don’t cancel out the blessing, the favor, the abundance, by speaking defeat. Don’t let tongue trouble keep you from becoming who you were created to be.

Prayer For Today
“Father, thank You that You have given me the power of words to bless my life and bless others. Thank You for all the good things that I can speak over my future. Help me to pay attention to my words and keep speaking words of victory, health, and favor. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

A precious brother who attends Grace Revolution Church in Dallas shared with me a precious testimony of how the Lord had protected him and his wife from the tragic terrorist attacks that took place in Paris:

To celebrate our anniversary on November 10, 2015, I wanted to do something very special. My wife enjoys cooking and baking and loves French cuisine. We had been talking about traveling to Europe and I thought this would be a good time for us to travel to Paris to celebrate our anniversary. I had set up a trip leaving on the Wednesday and returning on the Sunday of that week.

However, I forgot Pastor Prince’s Grace Revolution Tour was taking place in Dallas during the same weekend. Because I was trying to keep the trip a secret, my wife didn’t know to remind me either! But when I told her my plan three weeks early, she quickly pointed out my oversight and I rescheduled the trip for springtime. I was disappointed at that time about not getting to go on the trip.

We now know that the terrorist attack in Paris started on the afternoon of the Friday I’d planned for us to be there. Had we gone to Paris as I had originally planned, we would have been there during the attack.

Pastor Prince had been preaching on divine protection quite a bit, especially over the year before. We had been hearing from Pastor Prince not to take our protection for granted, and had started sharing with our boys about how we are protected by our Father. We had begun praying with them to thank the Lord for His protection over our lives. We both felt that we had experienced God’s “right place, right time” protection.

I’m not sure how close we would have been to the horrible terror acts had we gone on the trip, but I do know that God’s grace kept us thousands of miles out of harm’s way. We were protected, enjoying that time with our family, singing praises to God with the church’s worship team, and learning more about grace from Pastor Prince in Dallas!

Do you see, dear reader, how we can learn about and be led to walk in God’s divine protection over our lives when we take His Word seriously and are planted in a local church? In every way, our lives and our marriages will be preserved, protected, and flourishing.

GOSPEL CORNER

29/09/24

The solution to money problems is the wisdom of God. Today, as you believe God for increase, I want to encourage you to ask God first for wisdom with regard to all the provision challenges that you are facing right now.

In James 1:5, we learn that if anyone lacks wisdom, “let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”

The wisdom of God will help you to identify and solve the money problems that you are currently experiencing. Don’t prioritize accumulating material things. God’s Word declares that wisdom is the principal thing. My friend, in all your getting, get wisdom and understanding!

28/09/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
So Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel and Jeshua the son of Jozadak rose up and began to build the house of God which is in Jerusalem; and the prophets of God were with them, helping them.
Ezra 5:2, NKJV

RISE BACK UP
In the book of Ezra, fifty thousand Israelite men had returned to Jerusalem from exile under the leadership of Zerubbabel and Joshua to rebuild the temple. But opposition had arisen after the completion of the foundation, and for sixteen years all construction was halted until the prophets Zechariah and Haggai showed up. Despite year after year of discouragement, delay, and opposition, when the prophets said it was time to start rebuilding, Zerubbabel stirred up his faith. He got in agreement with God, got his passion back, and rose up to lead the people.

Perhaps today you’re facing some delays, opposition, and setbacks to your dreams and desires. There are times when it seems as though the enemy gets the best of us and the bottom falls out. You’re right where Zerubbabel was. But God has not changed His mind. He’s saying, “It’s still going to happen.” Now your part is to rise up. Get your passion back and start believing again. This is a new day. Get ready. What didn’t work out the first time is about to happen.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for the dreams and the desires You put in my heart. Thank You that the setbacks and opposition do nothing to change Your mind and that a breakthrough is coming. I believe that it’s time to rise up and begin again. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO

[Would you agree with me that more Christians today know about the Ten Commandments than about the new covenant of God’s unmerited favor? For that matter, if you walked down Times Square in New York City and started to interview people at random, most would probably have heard about the Ten Commandments, but know nothing about the new covenant of grace that came by Jesus Christ.

In fact, the world identifies Christianity with the Ten Commandments. Isn’t it sad that the world knows us by the laws that are obsolete and not by the unmerited favor that Christ died to give us?

It is no wonder we are losing a whole new generation of young people to the world! The law holds no appeal or attraction, and the Bible itself calls the law obsolete (Heb. 8:13). If we keep on shoving the Ten Commandments down the throats of our young people, don’t be surprised when they are turned off by legalistic forms of Christianity.

More importantly, don’t forget that the strength of sin is the law. The law has no power to stop sin. The law will not impart to them their precious identity in Christ, which will give them the strength to abstain from premarital sex, prevent them from getting into drug abuse, and stop them from losing their sexual identity. Only God’s own sacrifice on the cross can give them their new identity as a new creation in Christ Jesus!

Young people, when you catch a revelation of Jesus and just how precious you are in His sight, your lives will be supernaturally transformed. You will stop being harassed by suicidal thoughts. You will stop wanting to put yourselves at risk to “fit in” or to get the attention that you crave.

Young ladies, you will come to see and value yourselves differently as you learn to value yourselves in the same way Jesus values you. Overflowing with Jesus’ perfect love for and acceptance of you, you will not be under the illusion that you need to give your bodies away to find acceptance and love from some guy. You will love yourselves as Jesus loves you!

Young men, you will develop supernatural self-control to manage your raging hormones. You will do it not by your own willpower but through Jesus’ power flowing through you. You will learn how to flee youthful lusts. You will know that being “cool” means respecting the opposite sex, and not putting yourselves and your girlfriends at risk of contracting sexually transmitted diseases and having unwanted pregnancies.

Young people, when you know that Jesus has an awesome destiny laid out for you, the desire to be involved in gangs and destructive activities such as alcohol and drug abuse and promiscuity will dissipate in Jesus’ unmerited favor and love for you. Supernaturally, your desires for the things of the world will disappear as they get replaced with the desire for Jesus!

That’s the power of God’s grace (unmerited favor) and His unconditional acceptance of us through the cross. What the law could not do, God did for us by sending His own Son, Jesus Christ!

GOSPEL CORNER

27/09/24

TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost—also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic. But now we have lost our appetite; we never see anything but this manna!”
Numbers 11:5–6, NIV

WHAT ARE YOU SEEING?
When God brought the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt, He led them on a journey through the wilderness to the Promised Land. There were no stores or water towers, yet God provided them with manna to eat every morning and all they needed. They saw the hand of God daily, but all they focused on was what they didn’t have. Even God’s miraculous provision of manna seemed common, and what they had eaten as abused slaves seemed far better. God was in their presence, but they were ungrateful and ended up not going into the Promised Land.

The key to the journey we’re on is what we’re seeing. If you focus on the negative—what’s lacking, how long it’s taking, what you don’t like—you won’t find joy in the journey, and doubt will come. You’ll start complaining and miss God’s best. You’ll miss that all along the way, God is sustaining you, protecting you, providing for you, ordering your steps. You have to recognize His goodness. You have to take time every day to thank Him for what He’s doing.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for the journey that You are leading me on. Thank You for all that You are doing, how You’re sustaining me and providing for me and making my crooked paths straight. I believe that You are ordering my steps and will bring me to where You want me to be. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO

I used to think that among Jesus’ 12 disciples, John was the Lord’s favorite disciple and the one who was the closest to Him because the Bible calls John “the disciple whom Jesus loved.” I was under the impression that John had a special favor with Jesus, and always wondered what made him so special that he stood apart from the other disciples.

Don’t you want to be known as the disciple whom Jesus loves? I do!

Then one day, when I was reading God’s Word, the secret of John’s favor dawned on me. The Lord opened my eyes and showed me that the phrase “the disciple whom Jesus loved” is actually found only in John’s own book!

Check it out for yourself. You will not find this phrase being used in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It is found only in the Gospel of John. It is a phrase that John used to describe himself!

Now, what was John doing? He was practicing and personalizing the love that Jesus had for him.

We are all God’s favorites, but John knew the secret of accessing Jesus’ unmerited favor for himself. It is your prerogative to see yourself as the disciple whom Jesus loves, and to call yourself that!

When I started to teach that the secret of John’s favor lay in his personalization of God’s love, the people in my church literally stepped into a new dimension of experiencing God’s unmerited favor in their lives. I have seen how some of them really took this revelation and ran with it. Some of them customized the wallpapers of their cell phones to say “The disciple whom Jesus loves,” while others signed off their text messages and emails with the phrase.

As they kept reminding themselves that they are the disciple whom Jesus loves, they began to grow in the consciousness of the Lord’s love for them. At the same time, they began to grow in being favor-conscious!

I have piles of praise reports on how our congregation members have been so blessed just by being conscious of Jesus’ favor in their lives. Some of them have been promoted, some have received spectacular increments to their paychecks, and many have won various prizes at company functions and in other contests, including all-expense-paid vacations.

The world calls this “luck,” but for the believer, there is no such thing as luck. There is only the unmerited favor of Jesus!

26/09/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
There the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up.
Exodus 3:2, NLT

THE BEST IS COMING
For forty years Moses had lived in the desert for killing an Egyptian foreman who was mistreating a Hebrew slave. Moses knew he was called to deliver the Israelites, but he got out of God’s timing and had to flee for his life. He felt like he had missed his destiny. But one day God appeared to him in a burning bush. He could have come to him in a cloud, very peaceful, or at a lake, very serene. But God came to Him in a fire, and He didn’t say, “Moses, you made too many mistakes and missed your destiny.” No, God said, “You’re still going to deliver the Israelites.” The fire was saying, “Moses, you’re about to see new gifts and opportunities come out.”

You may think you’ve failed too often, made too many mistakes, and missed your destiny, but God has not given up. You haven’t seen the best part of your life. Out of the fires of adversity, God is bringing blessings, favor, promotion, and influence. He will use it to propel you into new levels of your destiny.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You for the calling You put in my heart and that my mistakes and failures cannot nullify it. Thank You for the refining process You are working through the fires of adversity to bring it to pass in my life. Help me to be patient and know You are always on schedule. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

When I preach on our total forgiveness in Christ, someone will inadvertently ask, “But Pastor Prince, if all my sins are forgiven, that means my future sins are too. But how can my future sins be forgiven?”

Well, that’s a great question. The reality is, when Jesus died on the cross two thousand years ago, all our sins were in the future.

There are people who argue that there is no Scripture that says that all our future sins are forgiven. They teach that when we receive Jesus, all our past sins are forgiven, but our future sins are only forgiven as we confess them and ask God for forgiveness.

First let me say to those who claim there is no Bible verse stating that our future sins are forgiven, that there is also no Bible verse stating that only our past sins are forgiven! But there is a Scripture that clearly states, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Eph. 1:7, emphasis mine).

In the original Greek text, the verb for “have” is in the present tense, which indicates durative action, meaning we are continually having forgiveness of sins, including every sin we will ever commit.

Furthermore, in 1 John 2:12, it says, “I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name’s sake.” The Greek perfect tense is used here for “are forgiven,” meaning this forgiveness is a definite action completed in the past, with the effect of this action continuing into the present. This means that God’s forgiveness avails for you in your present, and continues into your future. Do you see that?

Next, I want you to consider today’s Scripture. Colossians 2:13–14 declares that Jesus forgave all our sins! The word “all” is the Greek pas, meaning “every kind or variety . . . the totality of the persons or things referred to.” It refers to “all, any, every, the whole.”

So “all” means all. God’s forgiveness of our sins covers every sin—past, present, and future! When we received the Lord Jesus as our Savior, we received the total and complete forgiveness of all our sins.

In Hebrews 10:11–14, the Bible says, “And every priest stands ministering daily and offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. But this Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat down at the right hand of God, from that time waiting till His enemies are made His footstool. For by one offering He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified.”

Now, according to this Scripture, as a believer, for how long are you perfected? Forever! How can you be perfected forever, if your future sins are not forgiven? Obviously, they are!

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

GOSPEL CORNER

Today’s Scripture
Then He said to them, “Follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.”
Matthew 4:19, NKJV

BEYOND THE FLAWS
One day Jesus saw Peter casting his net into the Sea of Galilee and called him to be His disciple. Peter was a poor fisherman, not a religious leader, synagogue priest, or man of faith. He wasn’t refined and was hot-tempered, impulsive, and used bad language. Jesus already knew that Peter would deny Him three times. Yet God chose him to be one of the twelve disciples who would change the world. Why Peter? Because Jesus could see that in that poor, disadvantaged, uneducated fisherman was a world changer, a history maker. God looks beyond our flaws, our failures, our weaknesses, and He sees the masterpiece we can become.

The enemy would love for us to go through life feeling inferior, focused on our weaknesses, weighed down with regrets, guilty from past mistakes, condemned, ashamed. But Jesus calls us to leave our nets and follow Him. Don’t let negativity limit your life. You are who God says you are. He says you’re a masterpiece. He says you have greatness in you. He says you are destined to leave your mark. Rise up and follow!

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You see world changers in rugged fishermen like Peter. Thank You that You’re working in my life just as You did in Peter, and You will bring me to completion. I am looking beyond my flaws and failures to see the masterpiece in the making. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.

SECTION TWO

When our Lord stood in the synagogue in Nazareth and read from the book of Isaiah, He proclaimed the acceptable year of the Lord and stopped reading just before the words, “and the day of vengeance of our God.”

In doing so He showed us how to rightly divide the Word of God as today’s Scripture, 2 Timothy 2:15, instructs us to do. He made it precisely clear that we are in the age of grace.

When you learn to rightly divide God’s Word, I believe that you will begin to see His grace, His love, and His security flood every area of your life. Let me share with you a precious testimony of restoration that illustrates this. Valerie, a lady from Illinois, shared:

I became a believer almost twenty years ago and my life changed tremendously. Despite being saved, I felt that something was still wrong because I was repeatedly diagnosed with cancer—four times in all.

After my last relapse of cancer, I watched Pastor Joseph Prince on television and ordered his materials. The first thing I remember learning was that all of my sins have been forgiven! Before that, I was taught of the need to repent and receive forgiveness from God whenever I sinned.

I also learned that God was not looking at my performance to accept me, love me, or bless me, but at Jesus’ finished work on the cross. What a deep blessing these truths were to my heart, body, and soul!

I became a partner with the ministry and today, I have all of Pastor Prince’s teachings and I meditate on them all the time. Now, my walk with the Lord is amazing! I no longer feel condemned or guilty and I am no longer walking in fear! I also have a revelation of Christ’s love for me and I have an intimate relationship with Him.

With God’s help, my finances have also improved. I am fifty-six years of age and I now have my first home! On top of all this, I am cancer-free, have witnessed salvations in my family, and am enjoying better relationships with my family members.

I can’t express in words how much Pastor Prince’s ministry has blessed my life. It is forever changed! My eyes have been opened to GOD’S GRACE and I will never go back to my old beliefs and ways of thinking.

Isn’t it amazing that as Valerie began to learn how to rightly divide God’s Word, she began to experience God’s abundant restoration in quite literally every area of her life, that included an intimate relationship with Him, restoration of physical health, and blessed family relationships?

This is such an encouragement to my team and to me because preaching the gospel of grace is all about helping and lifting up God’s precious people. I am deeply humbled and grateful to be a part of this grace revolution that is transforming one life, one marriage, and one family at a time across the entire world. All honor, glory, and praise to our Lord Jesus Christ!

24/09/24

GOSPEL CORNER

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
That night the angel of the LORD went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp.
2 Kings 19:35, NIV

LOOK BACK AND SEE.
In 2 Kings 20, soon before King Hezekiah received a promise of healing from God and then asked for a sign of assurance, he had seen the greatest victory of his life. The powerful Assyrian army was about to attack Jerusalem, but when Hezekiah prayed and asked God to help them, that very night an angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. Hezekiah and the people of Judah were spared. You would think Hezekiah wouldn’t need a sign for his promised healing. He had just seen a supernatural victory.

But how often do we forget what God has done? As with Hezekiah, God has shown up and turned things around for us. He’s healed us, protected us, freed us, promoted us. If you need a sign, look back at the goodness of God in your life.

Look back at how He gave you strength, how He promoted you and gave you breaks, how he turned your child around, how he brought someone great into your life to love. When you need evidence, look back at the faithfulness of God.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You for the history that I have with You and for the mercies You have shown out in my life. Thank You that I can remember Your constant goodness and every victory You’ve given me. I declare that Your faithfulness is all the evidence I need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

Do you believe that you are beloved and highly favored by God? Ephesians 1:6 says, “to the praise of the glory of His grace [unmerited favor], by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.”

It is not possible for us to make ourselves accepted. We are made accepted by the glory of the Lord’s unmerited favor.

The word “accepted” in Ephesians 1:6 is the Greek word charitoo. Now, the root word for charitoo is charis, which means “grace.” So charitoo simply means “highly graced” or “highly favored.” In other words, you are highly favored in the Beloved!

Now, we know that “the Beloved” in Ephesians 1:6 refers to Jesus. If you read on, it says in the next verse that “In Him [Jesus the Beloved] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace [unmerited favor].”

Now, why didn’t the Bible just say that we are highly favored in Jesus or in Christ? (There are no insignificant details in the Bible.) Why did the Holy Spirit choose specifically to say that we are highly favored “in the Beloved”?

“Beloved” is a warm and intimate term that was used by God at the Jordan River to describe Jesus. The Bible tells us that when Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, “He saw the heavens parting and the Spirit descending upon Him like a dove. Then a voice came from heaven, ‘You are My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased'” (Mark 1:10–11).

God the Father spoke publicly and His words were recorded for you to know that to be “accepted in the Beloved” means that God is well pleased with you today. See yourself sandwiched right smack in the midst of Jesus, God’s Beloved.

When God looks at you, He doesn’t see you in your failures and shortcomings. He sees you in Jesus’ perfection and loveliness!

Because you are in Christ, God says to you, “You, ___ (insert your name here), are My beloved, in whom I am well pleased.” Jesus is well-pleasing to God because He kept the law perfectly. You and I are well-pleasing to God because we are accepted and highly favored in the Beloved, who took all our sins and fulfilled the law on our behalf!

Immediately after Jesus was baptized, He was led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. The devil came to Jesus and said, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3).

Now, don’t forget that Jesus had just heard the voice of His Father affirming Him with the words “You are My beloved Son.” Do you notice that the devil deliberately left out the word “beloved”?

Friend, for the devil’s temptations to work, he cannot remind you that you are God’s beloved. The moment you are reminded of your identity as God’s beloved in Christ, he will not be able to succeed!

It is no wonder that the devil wants to rob believers of their sense of being God’s beloved. So don’t fall for the devil’s trick. Remind yourself today and every day that you are God’s beloved!

23/ 09/24

GOSPEL CORNER

One day, when I was studying the Word, the Lord said to me, “Notice how goodness and mercy follow you in Psalm 23:6.” Then, He brought me to John 10:4, where it describes how the shepherd goes before the sheep and the sheep follow him.

In a flash, the Lord opened my eyes to see a divine sequence: When you follow or pursue Him, the good shepherd, His goodness and mercy and all the blessings you need in life will follow after you!

My friend, don’t pursue the blessings. Pursue Jesus, the blesser. As you pursue Him, you don’t have to be concerned about the blessings because they will follow after you!

In fact, the Hebrew translation of Psalm 23:6 is much stronger and more aggressive. It literally says, “Surely goodness and mercy shall HUNT ME DOWN all the days of my life!”

22/09/24

GOSPEL CORNER

In Old Testament times, once a year, on Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement, the high priest would go into the Holy of Holies and sprinkle the blood of an innocent animal on the mercy seat. After the blood of the sacrifice was sprinkled on the mercy seat, all God saw of the ark of the covenant was the blood, and not the rebellion and failure of man.

However, under the old covenant, the blood of the animal sacrifices only covered the sins of the children of Israel for one year. What happened on Yom Kippur was only a shadow. Our Lord Jesus is the substance. He is the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world, and His sacrifice on the cross was once and for all (John 1:29, Heb. 9:12)!

In Exodus 25:17–22, the Lord told Moses, “You shall make a mercy seat of pure gold . . . And you shall make two cherubim of gold; of hammered work you shall make them at the two ends of the mercy seat. . . . of one piece with the mercy seat. And the cherubim shall stretch out their wings above, covering the mercy seat with their wings, and they shall face one another; the faces of the cherubim shall be toward the mercy seat. You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony, about everything which I will give you in commandment to the children of Israel.”

Where will the Lord speak from? From above the mercy seat. That is what my ministry is all about. I am preaching from above the mercy seat, preaching about His mercy and grace, about His shed blood, and about His finished work. There are people who are preaching from the judgment seat, preaching about the law and how we have fallen short.

The wages of sin is death. Under the law, there is no escaping death. But this ministry is all about the Lord’s mercy, grace, favor, love, and protection.

Under grace, Jesus died our death on the cross. He was punished with the death we deserved for our sins. He gave up His protection on the cross, so that we may walk in divine protection today. Hallelujah! Doesn’t this just fill your heart with assurance and peace today?