WHEN YOU BRING JESUS INTO YOUR SITUATION, HE CAN CAUSE EVERY BITTER EXPERIENCE TO BECOME SWEET!

GOSPEL CORNER:

15/07/24

Jesus makes everything beautiful in your life. I want to encourage you to see Him in the midst of everything that you do and learn to bring Him into the picture.

When you look at your past, the scars of yesterday may still be throbbing in your memories. Perhaps you were emotionally hurt by someone you trusted. Perhaps you grew up in a dysfunctional family.

As you look back now, you may still feel angry, frustrated, and disappointed all at the same time, and the hurt still pierces your heart. But in the midst of your pain, start involving Jesus.

See the Lord holding you, gently healing your wounds. Jesus is right there restoring you, putting courage into your heart and taking away all the sense of shame and guilt.

Beloved, He wants you to know that your past will not determine the future that He has for you. Once you involve the Lord and put Him into your bitter waters, He will turn the bitterness into sweetness.

That is what the Lord did for the children of Israel. When they came to a place called Marah, they could not drink its waters because they were bitter. Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a tree, which Moses cast into the waters. When he did that, the Bible says that “the waters were made sweet.”

When you bring Jesus into your situation, He can cause every bitter experience to become sweet! Talk to Him and allow His presence to restore you to wholeness today!

Why did the foul-tasting, undrinkable waters become refreshing and sweet? The answer lies in the tree that was cast in. The tree is a picture of the cross on which our Lord Jesus hung, bearing every broken heart and every sting of betrayal.

DON’T JUST PURSUE THE PROTECTION, SEEK THE PROTECTOR! YOU CAN RECITE PSALM 91 FIFTY TIMES A DAY, BUT IF YOU HAVE NO RELATIONSHIP WITH JESUS, THERE WILL BE NO RESULTS.

GOSPEL CORNER

14/ 07/24

When we read about the story of Daniel found in Daniel 6, we see that Daniel made a habit of praying three times a day. Now, depending on how established you are in God’s grace, you can interpret that as a religious routine, or you can see his dedicated prayer time as an outward expression of his intimate relationship with the Lord.

Please be clear about this. I am not saying that if we want to be protected like Daniel, we have to pray three times a day. What I am saying is that protection is a result of closeness and intimacy with the Lord.

There are no formulas, steps, or shortcuts to walking in divine protection. Simply walk close with the Lord and you will unconsciously be under the shadow of His wings.

Don’t just pursue the protection, seek the Protector! You can recite Psalm 91 fifty times a day, but if you have no relationship with Jesus, there will be no results.

The prayer of protection is not transactional; it is relational.

You’ve missed the point if you have to ask how many times a day you should pray. That is equivalent to asking your spouse, “How many times a day must I kiss you?” I wouldn’t want my wife, Wendy, to ask me that!

Relationships are birthed from the heart. They are not governed by formulas, rules, or algorithms. You kiss your spouse because of love. It is not an obligation; it is a privilege and pleasure.

In the same way, don’t mechanize your relationship with God. Every day, you can choose whether or not to meditate on His love for you. Daniel chose to do it three times a day. We can learn from that without turning it into a dry formula.

What Daniel had was an intimate relationship with the Lord. I pray that you will have this too. The Bible tells us that in his daily prayers, Daniel was always giving thanks to God.

It is so good to live with thanksgiving in your heart toward the Lord. Each and every day, there are so many things that our Lord protects us from that we are not even aware of.

Give thanks to Him for His love for you. Praise Him and set your mind daily toward Him. Be so conscious of how close you are to Him and how utterly loved you are—and enjoy the protection that comes from being found in the shadow of His wings!

THAT IS PRECISELY WHY GOD SENT HIS SON. HE KNEW THAT MAN WOULD NEVER BE ABLE TO FULFILL ALL HIS COMMANDMENTS.

13/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
Philippians 2:13, NLT

DESTINY DESIRES
It’s one thing to have the desire to live for God and do what pleases Him. That’s great, but God doesn’t stop there. He says, “I’m going to give you the power to do it. I’m going to give you the favor, the courage, the skill, and the resources that you need.” You’re going to feel strength that you’ve never felt, ability that you’ve never had, favor like you’ve never seen. God doesn’t just give you the desire; He gives you the ability to accomplish what He puts in your heart.

God has destiny desires lined up for you, things you want to accomplish that He drops in your heart. Others will think it’s too big, it doesn’t make sense. They’re intimidated. It’s because God didn’t put the desire in them. That desire is leading you down the best path—a path of abundance, a path of greater influence, a path of helping more people, making a bigger difference, seeing your gifts come out in greater ways. Get ready. That desire will be stronger than anything that tries to hold you back.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that You are working in me and giving me desires to do Your will and the power to do it. Thank You that I have the strength to overcome and be disciplined to do the right thing. I believe that You are leading me down the best path for my life. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO


What qualifies you for God’s protection?

I ask this question because I have heard many ministers whose teachings make it seem like you have to qualify for God’s blessings. They make it sound like God blesses you only if you are able to love the Lord with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

This also applies in the area of your protection. When they read, “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him” (boldface mine), they conclude that God’s protection is dependent on us fulfilling the condition of loving the Lord perfectly.

Unfortunately, such teaching robs you of the faith to believe God for divine protection over yourself and your loved ones. Anything that is dependent on our efforts is on a shaky foundation, because no matter how “good” a Christian we think we are, our love for the Lord will fail.

That is precisely why God sent His Son. He knew that man would never be able to fulfill all His commandments.

In sending His Son, He was saying to us, “I know you can’t, so let Me love you with all My heart, all My mind, and all My strength.” Therein lies the beautiful love story we call the gospel of Jesus Christ.

God SO loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son to save and ransom us. The Lord Jesus Christ Himself fulfilled all the requirements of the law. Today, even when our love for Him wavers, even when we fail, He still delivers us from evil!

One Scripture that beautifully encapsulates the crux of the new covenant of grace is 1 John 4:10 (boldface mine): “In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [the atoning sacrifice] for our sins.”

I pray that your heart will be anchored on this revelation. The emphasis of the new covenant is God’s love for you, not your love for God.

Am I saying that your love for God is unimportant? Of course not. What I am saying is that our love for Him will always waver, but His love never fails.

The Bible declares that “the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases” (Lam. 3:22 ESV, boldface mine). I am so grateful that we are under the new covenant of God’s amazing grace, where we can depend on His unconditional, unchanging, and irrevocable love for us!

IN CHRIST, WE HAVE AUTHORITY TO TREAD UPON THE LION AND THE COBRA. THE FOWLER’S SNARES SHALL BE FOILED AND THE HUNTER SHALL BE THE HUNTED.

12/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“Some urged me to kill you, but I spared you; I said, ‘I will not lay my hand on my lord, because he is the LORD’s anointed.’”
1 Samuel 24:10, NIV

RESIST THE URGE
After David killed Goliath, King Saul became so jealous of David’s popularity that he repeatedly tried to kill him. David could have fought back and killed Saul, but he recognized that Saul had been anointed as the king. David respected that he was under God’s authority, so he spent years in the wilderness being chased by Saul. More than once David could have easily killed Saul, but he spared his life.

God could trust David with so much influence, honor, and resources because he kept passing the test. Even when he was under great pressure, he was kind and respectful to someone who wasn’t kind to him. When you treat people that way, you’re proving to God that you can handle more influence and responsibility. This is a major test. To go where God wants you to go, you have to be good to people who are not good to you. When you let God refine you and don’t let the offense get in but stay in peace, you’re going to see God’s favor and blessing in great ways.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that You are refining my character and using the pressure of difficult relationships to make me stronger and grow me up. Thank You that You are fighting my battles and helping me to be respectful and kind. I am going to stay in peace and see Your favor. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”


Do you know that as a believer in Christ, you have authority over the enemy?

It is true that the devil is the god of this fallen world (2 Cor. 4:4 NASB), who “walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Pet. 5:8). But we, as believers, are not called to cower in fear like the people of the world, for God’s eternal Word proclaims that “He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world” (1 John 4:4).

In Christ, we have authority over the devil and all his cohorts. In Christ, we have authority to tread upon the lion and the cobra. The fowler’s snares shall be foiled and the hunter shall be the hunted.

Our role in this increasingly dangerous world isn’t to be passive and indifferent, waiting to be devoured by the roaring lion. We are endued with power and authority to hunt down the roaring lion!

The Bible records the account of how Samson was in the vineyards of Timnah when suddenly “a young lion came roaring against him” (Judg. 14:5). Now, what would you do if you were suddenly ambushed by a lion?

Psychologists tell us that there are essentially three possible responses that are instinctively triggered when a person is unexpectedly thrust into an extremely dangerous situation—fight, take flight, or freeze. While most of us would probably either take flight or freeze, Samson instinctively rose to fight: “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon him, and he tore the lion apart as one would have torn apart a young goat, though he had nothing in his hand” (Judg. 14:6).

Now, that’s taking authority! The hunter came at Samson but found itself the hunted!

Sometime later, Samson passed by the lion’s carcass and saw a swarm of bees and some honey in it. So he scooped out some of the honey and ate it. It was from this experience that Samson came up with this riddle, “Out of the eater came something to eat, and out of the strong came something sweet” (Judg. 14:14).

There is a beautiful picture here for all of us. Instead of being eaten by the lion, Samson obtained something sweet to eat. What is the spiritual truth for us today?

Out of every evil and negative thing the devil throws at you today, God will make something sweet for you. Your giants will be as bread to you. God will turn every bitter adversity into sweet honey for you!

GOSPEL CORNER: BE OF GOOD CHEER! THERE IS NO DISEASE OR CONDITION THAT IS GREATER THAN THE PERFECT, FINISHED WORK JESUS HAS ACCOMPLISHED FOR YOU. DECLARE WHAT YOU’VE BEEN MADE IN CHRIST AND SEE YOUR BODY MANIFEST THIS TRUTH!

11/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
“The son shall not suffer for the iniquity of the father, nor the father suffer for the iniquity of the son.”
Ezekiel 18:20, ESV

BREAKING NEGATIVE CYCLES
Many of the things we struggle with have been passed down in our family line. We inherit our parents’ DNA that determines our eye color and height, and we also inherit genetic predispositions to attitudes, habits, and behaviors. Research shows how depression, anger, low self-esteem, and addictions can be passed down. The Scripture calls this “an iniquity,” which means a hereditary weakness. Whole families may battle with alcoholism, dysfunctions, or strife and division that keep getting passed down.

It’s good to study your family history and see what your strengths and weaknesses are. Where does your family excel, and where do you see a pattern of mediocrity, compromise, and failure? Today’s Scripture says that you don’t have to let an iniquity continue on through you. It’s been in your family line, but you can put an end to the negative cycle. You can be the exception, the difference maker, the one who says, “I’m going to deal with this addiction, this anger, this compromise, this depression. I’m not going to let my history keep me from my destiny.”

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that I don’t have to be defined by my family’s past, by dysfunctions or iniquities that were passed down to me. Thank You that I can take a stand and remove anything that is holding me back. I declare that I will be the difference maker who rises up to put it to an end. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO


The Bible says, “As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.” This means that how you see yourself determines your physical health. So how do you see yourself in the midst of your symptoms, or after hearing your doctor’s negative report?

Beloved, the truth is that through Jesus’ finished work at the cross, you are completely righteous and completely redeemed from every curse of sickness (Gal. 3:13 NIV). You are God’s beloved child for whom Jesus did a complete work to save, heal, and deliver.

So don’t see yourself as the sick trying to get healed. You are the healed, righteous, and beloved child of God facing some symptoms.

Be of good cheer! There is no disease or condition that is greater than the perfect, finished work Jesus has accomplished for you. Declare what you’ve been made in Christ and see your body manifest this truth!

GOSPEL CORNER: IF YOU REFUSE TO BOW TO YOUR CIRCUMSTANCES AND CONTINUE TO BE CONSCIOUS OF THE LORD’S PRESENCE, WHEREVER YOU ARE PLACED, WHATEVER YOUR ENVIRONMENT, YOU WILL RISE TO PROMINENCE.

10/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
One day Jesse said to David, “Take this basket of roasted grain and these ten loaves of bread, and carry them quickly to your brothers.”
1 Samuel 17:17, NLT

NOT ANOTHER ORDINARY DAY
On the day that David’s father told David to take a supply of food to his three brothers who were in the army and caught in a standoff with the Philistines, he thought he was just running an errand, no big deal. It seemed like it was just another ordinary day when, in fact, it was a destiny moment. In the sovereignty of God, David arrived just as Goliath came out and threatened the Israelite army. He was at the right place at the right time to become the champion of the Israelites and defeat Goliath. If he would have been three hours later, he wouldn’t have heard Goliath. If he had refused to deliver the food to brothers who didn’t appreciate him, he would have missed his destiny. God was ordering his steps, and He is ordering your steps. David’s purpose came tracking him down, and your purpose will come tracking you down. You think you’re just going to work, just taking care of the kids, when God turns it into your destiny moment and you defeat your giant.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
“Father, thank You that in the routine of my ordinary days You break in with these destiny moments that change everything. Thank You that You’re orchestrating what You’ve ordained for my life to be fulfilled. I believe that even now You’re lining up what I need. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”

SECTION TWO


Hebrews 13:5 says that God’s presence in your life is a guaranteed constant. But I want you to know that you cannot evaluate God’s presence and His unmerited favor in your life based on your circumstances. To help you understand what this means, let’s look at the life of Joseph.

Joseph refused the advances made by Potiphar’s wife, and as the common saying goes, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned!” She maliciously accused Joseph of attempting to rape her, brandishing as “evidence” the garments that Joseph had left in her hands when he fled from her. When Potiphar heard his wife telling her version of the story, his anger was aroused and he seized Joseph, stripped him from the place of authority he had given him and threw him into prison.

Just put yourself in Joseph’s shoes. What is happening here? It sounds all too familiar, doesn’t it? With the painful memory of his brothers casting him into the pit still fresh in his mind, here he is once again, cast into a dungeon even though he was innocent.

Any average person would be bitter and angry with God! Most people would ask, “Where is God? Why had God brought him this far, only to abandon and forsake him? How could this happen? Where is the justice against this false accusation?”

But Joseph was literally no “average Joe”! He knew that the Lord would never leave him nor forsake him. Joseph considered not his circumstances, but kept his focus on the presence of the Lord.

And boy, did the Lord deliver him! I want you to read this for yourself to see what the Lord did for Joseph:

But the LORD was with Joseph and showed him mercy, and He gave him favor in the sight of the keeper of the prison. And the keeper of the prison committed to Joseph’s hand all the prisoners who were in the prison; whatever they did there, it was his doing. The keeper of the prison did not look into anything that was under Joseph’s authority, because the LORD was with him; and whatever he did, the LORD made it prosper.

—Genesis 39:21–23

Regardless of whether he was a common slave, an overseer in Potiphar’s house or now a prisoner facing the prospect of life imprisonment for a crime he did not even commit, Joseph did not evaluate God’s unmerited favor in his life based on his circumstances. Instead of getting bitter, he kept his hope in the Lord. Instead of throwing in the towel and giving up on God and on life, he kept his confidence, knowing that all his success was wrapped up in the presence of the Lord.

What does this tell you? If you refuse to bow to your circumstances and continue to be conscious of the Lord’s presence, wherever you are placed, whatever your environment, you will rise to prominence. You will have favor with your bosses and they will promote you to man-in-charge. And whatever you do will prosper!

GOSPEL CORNER:  READ WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF YOU STARTED SEEING YOURSELF AS BLESSED, PROSPEROUS, TALENTED, HAVING A BOUNTIFUL YEAR

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
TODAY’S WORD

Today’s Scripture
…and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator.
Colossians 3:10, NIV

BE RENEWED
You won’t be successful as long as you have a negative image of yourself. Like a magnet, the image you have of yourself will keep pulling you toward it. If you see yourself struggling, barely getting by, having a scarcity mentality, that’s what you’re moving toward. What would happen if you started seeing yourself as blessed, prosperous, talented, having a bountiful year? Then because you have the right image, because you’re in agreement with God, you’d be moving toward abundance, overflow, good breaks, a bountiful life. You’d put your shoulders back and carry yourself as the royalty God created you to be.

God’s Word says that when we face adversities, “the Lord delivers us out of them all.” It says that when the enemy comes in like a flood, God will raise up a barrier. If you see yourself as a victor and not a victim, then even in tough times you’ll stay confident, hopeful, expecting God’s favor, knowing that He didn’t bring you this far to leave you. He hasn’t failed you in the past, and He’s not going to start now.

A Prayer for Today
“Father, thank You that I can start this day with a fresh new attitude because You dwell in me and have given me a new nature. Thank You that I can get in agreement with Your Word and believe what You say about me. I’m going to be my best and make the most of this day. In Jesus’ Name, Amen.”


There is a beautiful story of a Moabite woman named Ruth in the Bible. In the natural, Ruth had everything against her.

She was a poor widow, and she was a Moabitess, a Gentile in the Jewish nation of Israel. But even after her husband died, Ruth remained with her mother-in-law Naomi. She left her family to follow Naomi back to Bethlehem, and made Naomi’s God—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—her God.

Now, because of their poverty, Naomi and Ruth could not afford to buy grain, and Ruth had to go out to the field to perform the menial task of gleaning whatever the reapers had left behind. I want you to notice that Ruth was depending on the Lord’s favor for she said to Naomi, “Please let me go to the field, and glean heads of grain after him in whose sight I may find favor” (Ruth 2:2).

Ruth was confident that God would give her favor even though she was a foreigner and had no connections with anyone in the field. She didn’t even know whose part of the field she would be able to glean in.

Look at the Bible’s account of what happened next: “And she went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers: and her hap was to light on a part of the field belonging unto Boaz, who was of the kindred of Elimelech.” Of all the spots in the field that Ruth could have wandered into, her “hap” was to come to the part of the field that belonged to Boaz, who was a man of great wealth, and who also happened to be Naomi’s relative.

“Hap” is an old English word and it means “to happen” to be at the right place. However, in the original Hebrew text, the root of this word is the word qarah!

When Ruth trusted in God’s unmerited favor, she qarah-ed or happened to come to the part of the field that belonged to Boaz. To cut a long story short, Boaz saw Ruth, fell in love with her, and married her.

Ruth was possibly at the lowest point of her life just before she met Boaz. All the natural factors were against her. But because she put her trust in the Lord, who put her at the right place at the right time, her situation was turned around completely.

In fact, she became one of the few woman to be mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus in Matthew 1:5, which states that “Boaz begot Obed by Ruth.” What an honor to be included in the genealogy of Jesus Christ. Talk about being at the right place at the right time!

My friend, no matter what natural circumstances may be against you today, have confidence in the unmerited favor of Jesus and He will give you what I call “qarah success.” He will cause you to be positioned at the right place at the right time to experience His protection and success in your relationships, career, and finances.

GOSPEL CORNER: AS YOU RECEIVE HIS WISDOM, RICHES AND HONOR, AS WELL AS LONG LIFE, WILL FOLLOW AFTER YOU. RUN TO HIM RIGHT NOW!

08/07/24

In Genesis 41:38–41, we see how when Pharaoh saw that the Spirit of God was in Joseph and that there was none who was as wise and as discerning as Joseph, Pharaoh placed him in charge of the whole of Egypt.

My friend, I want you to note this: Joseph knew that God was the source of his wisdom. When Pharaoh said, “I have had a dream, and there is no one who can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that you can understand a dream, to interpret it,” Joseph immediately replied, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh an answer of peace” (Gen. 41:15–16).

Joseph knew that his wisdom was a result of the Lord’s unmerited favor and would not take any credit for it. Clearly, here was a man who understood grace, and could be trusted with increase, promotion, and more good success.

Observe the wisdom of Joseph in action. Joseph did not just interpret Pharaoh’s dream. He went on to advise Pharaoh on how to take advantage of the seven years of abundance to prepare for the seven years of famine that were revealed in his dream.

Did you notice how Joseph’s wise advice led to the creation of a position of influence for himself? That is how the wisdom of the Lord operates.

Proverbs 18:16 says, “A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.” Joseph knew that his wisdom was a gift from the Lord. He knew that he did not earn it and that it flowed from the Lord’s unmerited favor toward him.

The Lord’s ways are amazing. See the extent of Joseph’s promotion in Genesis 41. In the space of less than an hour, he rose from a lowly prisoner to the highest possible office in all of Egypt.

That, my friend, is the unmerited favor of God! No striving, no self-effort, no compromises, and no manipulation, just pure grace and grace alone made all the difference in Joseph’s life!

Remember that when the Lord is with you, you are a successful person. If you feel like you are in a prison now, stuck in a hopeless situation where you don’t know what to do, ask the Lord for wisdom.

The Bible says, “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5). To ask the Lord for wisdom is to say, “I can’t, Lord, but You can. I give up on my own efforts and depend entirely upon your unmerited favor and wisdom.”

As you receive His wisdom, riches and honor, as well as long life, will follow after you. Run to Him right now!

GOSPEL CORNER: LIKE JESUS, YOU CAN INCREASE IN WISDOM AND IN GOD’S UNMERITED FAVOR.

07/07/24

God’s Word tells us that “Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men” (Luke 2:52). Like Jesus, you can increase in wisdom and in God’s unmerited favor.

How? You have probably noticed that some believers seem to experience a lot more unmerited favor than others. I believe that this is because these believers understand the key to accessing God’s favor.

Romans 5:2 clearly spells out that “we have access by faith into this grace [unmerited favor] in which we stand.” To gain access to your computer or your bank account, you need a password. To gain access to and increase in God’s unmerited favor, the “password” or key that we need to have is faith, faith to believe that YOU, ___ (insert your name), are highly favored!

One of the things that I have taught my church members to do is to declare over themselves that they are greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved.

“How do we know that we are greatly blessed, Pastor Prince?”

Read Hebrews 6:13–14 for yourself. God wanted us to be so anchored in the sure and steadfast knowledge that He will bless us, the seed of Abraham, that He swore by Himself, saying, “Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you.”

“How can we say that we are highly favored?”

Ephesians 1:6 tells us that by God’s grace (unmerited favor), God “made us accepted in the Beloved.” In the original Greek text, the word “accepted” is the word charitoo, which means “highly favored.”

“And are we really deeply loved by God?”

God didn’t just love us. John 3:16 says that “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son.” He demonstrated how He SO loved us when He sent Jesus to die on the cross for us.

I pray that the verses that I have shown you here will help you believe that through Jesus, you are indeed greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved. If these truths are still not established in your heart, start speaking them.

Look at yourself in the mirror every morning and declare boldly, “Because of Jesus’ perfect work on the cross, I am righteous by His blood, and I am greatly blessed, highly favored, and deeply loved! I expect good things to come my way. I expect good success and I have a confident expectation of good!”

GOSPEL CORNER:HIS BLOOD DOES NOT COVER SINS TEMPORARILY LIKE THE BLOOD OF BULLS AND GOATS IN THE OLD COVENANT. HIS BLOOD BLOTS OUT AND COMPLETELY ERASES ALL OUR SINS.

06/07/24

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES
Today’s Word

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
Is anything too hard for the LORD? I will return to you at the appointed time next year, and Sarah will have a son.”
Genesis 18:14, NIV

The Appointed Time
It had been twenty-five years since God promised Abraham “to become a great nation,” and now at ninety years old, Sarah laughed at the seeming impossibility of having a son. God said in effect to her, “You may be doubting, and you don’t see how, but I have already set the right time.” Even though the fulfillment took far longer than they thought, at the appointed time it happened just as God said.

Whatever God has promised you, He’s already set the right time. It’s already in your future, but you have to understand that God’s timing is not our timing. On the way to your promise being fulfilled, there will be opportunities to get discouraged and give up on what you’re believing for. Don’t live with an “it’s never going to happen” mentality; live with a “right time mentality.” If you knew your right time was coming in one month, you wouldn’t waste time trying to figure it out or be worried. God doesn’t tell us when, but He promises that when the time is right, He’s going to make it happen.

A PRAYER FOR TODAY
Father, thank You that I am not limited by my circumstances or seeming impossibilities. Thank You that what looks as though it’s too late to be fulfilled is not a problem for You. I believe that You have the right time, an appointed time, and that You will make it happen. In Jesus’ Name, Amen

SECTION TWO

There is power in the blood of Jesus to forgive you of all your sins, and understanding this is crucial to living a victorious life. The enemy fears this truth the most and that is why he attacks this teaching on the forgiveness of sins so vehemently.

If the enemy can get you to believe the lie that you are not completely forgiven and keep you sin-conscious, he will be able to keep you defeated, condemned, fearful of God, and caught in a vicious circle of failure.

The writings of the Gnostics are malevolent because they propagate the lie that Jesus was a mere mortal, which means that His blood has no power to cleanse us from all our sins. This is a lie from the pit of hell!

Jesus is the Son of God and His blood is untainted by any sin. That is why the shedding of His pure and innocent blood is able to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

His blood does not cover sins temporarily like the blood of bulls and goats in the old covenant. His blood blots out and completely erases all our sins.

This is the blood of God Himself, shed for the forgiveness of all our sins! We need to start to realize that this is not a “basic teaching.” This is the gospel of Jesus Christ.

In the end times, people will not be anti-God, but they will be anti-Christ. The anti-Christ movement in the end times will attempt to devalue Jesus’ deity, the cross, and His power to forgive all our sins.

That is why, in these last days, we need more preaching about Jesus, His finished work, and the new covenant of His unmerited favor. We need more new covenant, Christ-centered preachers who will put the cross of Jesus as the focus of all their preaching.

The only way to stem this deception from creeping into the church is to focus on exalting the person of Jesus and the central tenet of the new covenant, which is the complete forgiveness of sins! This is the gospel and when the gospel truth is preached, people will be set free.

There should be no compromise when it comes to the gospel of Jesus. Forgiveness of sins is based on His grace (unmerited favor) alone, and we have access into this grace by faith. Our part is to only believe!

This is what makes the gospel the good news. Take away the complete forgiveness of sins and it is no longer the “gospel,” which means “good news.”

Beloved, believe that all your sins are forgiven. That is your part in the new covenant. That is how you become established in the new covenant of grace and experience the fullness of His unmerited favor!