Continue In God’s Grace - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture
…Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect
by the flesh? —Galatians 3:3

HOW WERE YOU first impacted by Jesus? Was it through the

law or was it His grace in your life that touched your heart? We

all began our relationship with the Lord because we were

impacted by His love and grace. Let us then continue in that

grace.

Don’t start with grace and end up with the law. Don’t start with

the new covenant, only to turn back to the old covenant!

Paul warned the Galatians against turning back to the law after

beginning in grace. He said, “I marvel that you are turning
away so soon from Him who called you in the grace [unmerited
favor] of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but
there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel
of Christ” (Galatians 1:6–7). Paul takes this very seriously. He

calls any gospel apart from the gospel of grace (God’s

unmerited favor) a perversion. Attempting to be justified by

the works of the Ten Commandments is a perversion of the

gospel of Christ.

Paul asked the church in Galatia point-blank, “…Did you
receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you
now being made perfect by the flesh [self-effort]?” (Galatians

3:2–3). Paul was saying to them, “You began by believing in

His grace, why are you now depending on your works? That is

foolishness! You should be continuing in His unmerited

favor!” These are strong words by Paul. Don’t start with grace

and end up with the law. Don’t start with the new covenant,

only to turn back to the old covenant! There are those who say

that they are not justified by the law, but believe that they

should keep the law for sanctification. My friend, both

justification and sanctification come by our faith in Jesus’

finished work alone.

When you are established in the new covenant of grace, you

will experience a tremendous sense of confidence and security

in Christ. When your confidence is in His unmerited favor and

not your performance, you will not feel as if you are constantly

jumping in and out of His favor and acceptance.

It is unfortunate that some believers have put themselves back

under the old covenant without realizing it. Sometimes, they

feel that God is on their side, but at other times, they feel that

God is far away from them. Sometimes, they feel that God is

satisfied with them, but at other times, they feel that God is

angry with them. All these feelings are based predominantly on

their own evaluation of how they have performed, how they

feel about themselves, and not how God sees them. Because

there is no new covenant scriptural basis for such evaluations,

they end up arbitrarily deciding if they are deserving of God’s

blessings and favor in their lives or not, when in fact, they

actually have access to His blessings all the time, simply

because of Jesus and His finished work at the cross. Today,

think, talk and act knowing that it is not about you or your

works—it is about Jesus and Him alone, and step out into His

blessings for you!

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that it was Your grace that first impacted

me and changed me forever. Help me to continue in that

grace, always looking at Jesus and what He has done for me. I

thank You that I am under the new covenant, which means

that You are always on my side, and that Your presence and

blessings are mine to enjoy.

Today’s Thought

My focus will not be on me and what I have done, but upon Jesus and what He has done.

– 100 Days of Favor

Continue In God’s Grace - Joseph Prince

Continue In God’s Grace - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“…Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh?” Galatians 3:3

 

HOW WERE YOU first impacted by Jesus? Was it through the law or was it His grace in your life that touched your heart? We all began our relationship with the Lord because we were impacted by His love and grace. Let us then continue in that grace.

Don’t start with grace and end up with the law. Don’t start with the new covenant, only to turn back to the old covenant!

Paul warned the Galatians against turning back to the law after beginning in grace. He said, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace [unmerited favor] of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Galatians 1:6–7). Paul takes this very seriously. He calls any gospel apart from the gospel of grace (God’s unmerited favor) a perversion. Attempting to be justified by the works of the Ten Commandments is a perversion of the gospel of Christ.

Paul asked the church in Galatia point-blank, “…Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh [self-effort]?” (Galatians 3:2–3). Paul was saying to them, “You began by believing in His grace, why are you now depending on your works? That is foolishness! You should be continuing in His unmerited favor!” These are strong words by Paul. Don’t start with grace and end up with the law. Don’t start with the new covenant, only to turn back to the old covenant! There are those who say that they are not justified by the law, but believe that they should keep the law for sanctification. My friend, both justification and sanctification come by our faith in Jesus’ finished work alone.

When you are established in the new covenant of grace, you will experience a tremendous sense of confidence and security in Christ. When your confidence is in His unmerited favor and not your performance, you will not feel as if you are constantly jumping in and out of His favor and acceptance.

It is unfortunate that some believers have put themselves back under the old covenant without realizing it. Sometimes, they feel that God is on their side, but at other times, they feel that God is far away from them. Sometimes, they feel that God is satisfied with them, but at other times, they feel that God is angry with them. All these feelings are based predominantly on their own evaluation of how they have performed, how they feel about themselves, and not how God sees them. Because there is no new covenant scriptural basis for such evaluations, they end up arbitrarily deciding if they are deserving of God’s blessings and favor in their lives or not, when in fact, they actually have access to His blessings all the time, simply because of Jesus and His finished work at the cross. Today, think, talk and act knowing that it is not about you or your works—it is about Jesus and Him alone, and step out into His blessings for you!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that it was Your grace that first impacted me and changed me forever. Help me to continue in that grace, always looking at Jesus and what He has done for me. I thank You that I am under the new covenant, which means that You are always on my side, and that Your presence and blessings are mine to enjoy.

 

Today’s Thought

My focus will not be on me and what I have done, but upon Jesus and what He has done.

 

-100 Days of Favor

Continue In God’s Grace - Joseph Prince

Won Over By God’s Grace - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace.” Romans 6:14

 

A DEAR SISTER from my church wrote to share about how the Lord had thoroughly transformed her life. She used to frequent nightclubs and pubs regularly, spout vulgarities, take drugs, stay away from home, and get involved in illegal activities such as theft and peddling pirated software.

It is vital for you to receive the gift of no condemnation because that is what will give you the power to overcome your weaknesses, destructive habits and addictions.

During this time, she was often depressed and even entertained thoughts of suicide. Finally, she hit rock bottom and felt that everything in her life had gone wrong. She could hardly convince herself to live on. It was during this period that her sister brought her to New Creation Church and she was impacted by the gospel of grace. This is her testimony:

I was introduced to grace for the first time and I learned that God does not despise or condemn delinquents like myself…I was amazed as I began to see Christianity from a new light for the first time.

To cut a long story short, I challenged the Lord one day to prove His existence and love for me and He did just that. Within a span of two weeks, I was completely won over by Jesus and gladly accepted Him into my life. As what people always say, the rest is history.

I would like to testify that it was GRACE and not the LAW that drew a great sinner like me to God. Over time, the Lord transformed me from a delinquent into a lady who is so in love with Jesus! He did not modify my outward behavior immediately when I was still a baby Christian. Instead, He poured His love and grace abundantly into my life, which eventually transformed me from the inside out. Grace may not produce immediate results, but the fruits are sure and permanent!

Just when my family members had given up their hopes on me, my Daddy God did a miracle by changing me effortlessly from within into a new person! Everyone around me marveled at the change when they saw the works of God in my life. I am a walking testimony of God’s existence and grace! Hallelujah!

Praise the Lord, isn’t this an awesome testimony? This sister was rescued at the lowest point in her life because she realized one powerful truth—God does not despise or condemn her. He LOVES her and it was this revelation of His love and grace (unmerited favor) that turned her life around completely!

Beloved, it is vital for you to receive the gift of no condemnation because that is what will give you the power to overcome your weaknesses, destructive habits and addictions. If you believe that God condemns you for your failures, would you run to Him for help?

Look at how Jesus gave a sinner the power to sin no more. He defended the woman who was caught in adultery. He looked tenderly into her eyes and asked her, “Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?” She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” (John 8:10–11).

You see, the Ten Commandments, in all their pristine holiness, cannot make you holy and cannot put an end to sin. The power to stop sin from destroying your life comes from receiving the gift of no condemnation from Jesus. Your Savior, who has fulfilled the law on your behalf, says to you, “Where are those who condemn you? NEITHER DO I CONDEMN YOU. Now, go and sin no more.” This is grace, my friend. This is His unmerited favor! The law says that God will not condemn you only if you stop sinning. However, Grace says, “I have taken your condemnation on the cross. Now, you can go and sin no more.”

Romans 6:14 says that “sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace [unmerited favor].” If you are still struggling with sin, it is time to stop depending on the law. Fall upon His unmerited favor like the apostle Paul did. When you know that Christ has made you righteous apart from your works, and that He has perfected you by His unmerited favor, that will give you the ability to overcome every sinful temptation, habit and addiction in your life!

Right now, when you reach out to your Savior Jesus, God sees you as perfect in Him. He does not condemn you for your past, present and even future mistakes because all the mistakes that you will make in this life have already been nailed to the cross. You are now free to sin no more, experiencing victory and success over every sin and bondage in your life!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that I have the ability to overcome every sinful temptation, habit and addiction in my life because of Your abundant grace and gift of no condemnation. Thank You for showing me that it is Your grace, and not the law, that transforms me from inside out. Only by Your unmerited favor and not my efforts am I changed from glory to glory. I receive Your gift of no condemnation anew today and thank You for victory over every sin and bondage in my life.

 

Today’s Thought

Knowing that Christ has made me righteous apart from my works gives me the ability to overcome every sinful temptation, habit and addiction in my life!

 

– 100 Days of Favor

Won Over By God’s Grace - Joseph Prince

Come As You Are To Jesus - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“You have turned for me my mourning into dancing; You have put off my sackcloth and clothed me with gladness.” Psalm 30:11

 

MY FRIEND, YOU are favored and accepted by God today because of His unmerited favor. Even if your life is a mess, He can take your mess and make it into something beautiful. Come to Him just as you are.

Years ago, one of my church members suddenly stopped coming to church for a long time. I met up with him to find out how he was doing and to see if everything was alright. He was very honest with me and told me that he was going through a lot of problems in his marriage, and that he was now addicted to alcohol. Then, he said this: “Let me get my life right, then I will come back to church.”

You are made holy, righteous and clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is His righteous standing that qualifies you—nothing more and nothing less.

I smiled and asked him, “Do you clean yourself before you take a bath?” I could tell from his expression that he was taken aback by my question, so I told him, “Come as you are to the Lord. He is the bath. He will cleanse you. He will get your life in order for you, and He will cause every addiction to lose its hold on you. You don’t have to use your own efforts to clean yourself before you take a bath!”

I am glad to share that this precious brother soon returned to church and Jesus turned his life around. Today, he is happily married, blessed with a beautiful family and is one of my trusted, key leaders. That is what the Lord does when you come to Him as you are, and allow Him to love you into wholeness. He will make all things beautiful in your life.

There are many people today who are like this brother. They want to get their lives together by themselves before they come to Jesus. They are under the impression that they need to make themselves holy before they can step into God’s holy presence. They feel like they are being hypocrites if they don’t sort out their lives first before coming to church.

Nothing could be further from the truth. You will never be able to make yourself holy enough to qualify for God’s blessings. You are made holy, righteous and clean by the blood of Jesus Christ, and it is His righteous standing that qualifies you—nothing more and nothing less. So stop trying to clean yourself before you go to the Lord. Come to Jesus with all your mess, all your addictions, all your weaknesses and all your failures. God loves you just as you are. However, He also loves you too much to let you stay the same. My friend, when you come to Jesus, He becomes your “bath.” He will wash you clean, whiter than snow! Jump into the bath today and allow Jesus to make you perfect, righteous and holy in God’s eyes!

 

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, Your grace saves the worst of us. No matter how messed up my life is, You can turn it around and make it beautiful. I come to You just as I am today, with all my faults and failings. I thank You that You have made me righteous with Your blood and that You are washing me with the water of Your Word and loving me into wholeness once more. Your unmerited favor in my life will remove every addiction and sickness, turn my mourning into rejoicing and fill my heart with Your robust peace!

 

Today’s Thought

No one cleans himself before taking a bath. So I’ll come to Jesus—the bath—just as I am.

 

-100 Days of Favor

Come As You Are To Jesus - Joseph Prince

Freedom From Destructive Habits - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

…And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:11

 

I HAVE RECEIVED so many testimonies from people who have been set free from destructive habits. These are sincere and precious people who desired to experience breakthroughs but did not know how to. However, once they learned about righteousness that comes from Christ apart from their works, they began to confess that they were still the righteousness of God every time they felt tempted. And bit by bit, the more they started to believe that they were righteous in Christ, and the more they refused to accept the condemnation for their past mistakes and for their present temptation, the more they became set free from the very addictions that bound them!

As Jesus is spotless and without blame, so are you in Christ!

A brother from the US, who has been listening to my messages for some time, wrote to share that he had been addicted to pornography and had lived a lifestyle of sexual immorality since he was 14 years old. Although he had accepted Jesus when he was 18 years old, he continued to struggle with this aspect of his life. This is what he wrote:

As a result of some bad influences and some of my own bad choices, I became a pornography addict and began to lead a sexually immoral life at the age of 14. I got saved when I was 18 years old, but I still struggled with those kinds of thoughts and some old, bad habits. I tried everything to break free from immorality and lustful thoughts.

Then, I heard Pastor Prince’s message titled, “Good Things Happen To People Who Believe God Loves Them.” I listened to it over and over again, and for the first time, God’s love became consistently real to me. I was able to receive God’s unconditional love over and over again, and it healed my heart.

God’s love has set me free! Thank you so much for the message that your church sends out to the world. It is truly changing lives!

The revelation that God loves him unconditionally despite his failures and imperfections was what helped this brother break free from habits that had gripped him for many years. Beloved, God does not want you to sin because sin will destroy you. But even if you have failed, you must know this: There is no condemnation because you are IN CHRIST JESUS and your sins are washed away by His blood! When God looks at you, He does not see you in your failures. From the moment you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, God sees you in the risen Christ, seated at His right hand! As Jesus is spotless and without blame, so are you! God sent His Son to die on the cross for you while you were still a sinner. Obviously, He does not love you only when you are perfect in your behavior and thoughts. His love for you is unconditional. Receive it afresh today and break free from every sin and addiction in your life!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that the power to overcome every challenge today is mine because I am righteous in Christ. Thank You for the gifts of righteousness and no condemnation. I know that my sins cannot stop Your grace, but Your unmerited favor working in my life will enable me to walk in victory in every situation.

 

Today’s Thought

Knowing and believing that God does not condemn me even when I have sinned empowers me to overcome that sin.

 

– 100 Days of Favor

Freedom From Destructive Habits - Joseph Prince

Quote of the Day

Quote of the Day

Freedom From Destructive Habits - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

…And Jesus said to her, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.” John 8:11

 

I HAVE RECEIVED so many testimonies from people who have been set free from destructive habits. These are sincere and precious people who desired to experience breakthroughs but did not know how to. However, once they learned about righteousness that comes from Christ apart from their works, they began to confess that they were still the righteousness of God every time they felt tempted. And bit by bit, the more they started to believe that they were righteous in Christ, and the more they refused to accept the condemnation for their past mistakes and for their present temptation, the more they became set free from the very addictions that bound them!

As Jesus is spotless and without blame, so are you in Christ!

A brother from the US, who has been listening to my messages for some time, wrote to share that he had been addicted to pornography and had lived a lifestyle of sexual immorality since he was 14 years old. Although he had accepted Jesus when he was 18 years old, he continued to struggle with this aspect of his life. This is what he wrote:

As a result of some bad influences and some of my own bad choices, I became a pornography addict and began to lead a sexually immoral life at the age of 14. I got saved when I was 18 years old, but I still struggled with those kinds of thoughts and some old, bad habits. I tried everything to break free from immorality and lustful thoughts.

Then, I heard Pastor Prince’s message titled, “Good Things Happen To People Who Believe God Loves Them.” I listened to it over and over again, and for the first time, God’s love became consistently real to me. I was able to receive God’s unconditional love over and over again, and it healed my heart.

God’s love has set me free! Thank you so much for the message that your church sends out to the world. It is truly changing lives!

The revelation that God loves him unconditionally despite his failures and imperfections was what helped this brother break free from habits that had gripped him for many years. Beloved, God does not want you to sin because sin will destroy you. But even if you have failed, you must know this: There is no condemnation because you are IN CHRIST JESUS and your sins are washed away by His blood! When God looks at you, He does not see you in your failures. From the moment you accepted Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior, God sees you in the risen Christ, seated at His right hand! As Jesus is spotless and without blame, so are you! God sent His Son to die on the cross for you while you were still a sinner. Obviously, He does not love you only when you are perfect in your behavior and thoughts. His love for you is unconditional. Receive it afresh today and break free from every sin and addiction in your life!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that the power to overcome every challenge today is mine because I am righteous in Christ. Thank You for the gifts of righteousness and no condemnation. I know that my sins cannot stop Your grace, but Your unmerited favor working in my life will enable me to walk in victory in every situation.

 

Today’s Thought

Knowing and believing that God does not condemn me even when I have sinned empowers me to overcome that sin.

 

– 100 Days of Favor

Freedom From Destructive Habits - Joseph Prince

The Power To Sin No More - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” Romans 8:1, NAS

 

TODAY, I WANT to talk about how you can have a victorious thought life. My friend, the solution to temptations, sinful desires and thoughts is found in the very first verse of Romans 8: “Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.” (By the way, some Bible translations, like the New King James Version, go on to say “who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.”

This was added by the later Bible translators. In the oldest manuscripts of the New Testament available today, the Greek simply states, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”)

You now have the power of Christ to rise above your temptation and to rest in your righteous identity in Christ apart from your works.

You may experience temptations and sinful thoughts from time to time, but right in the midst of that temptation, you need to know this: There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. Notice that this verse is in the present tense. Right now, even if at this very moment, sinful thoughts are going through your mind, there is no condemnation because you are IN CHRIST JESUS! Are we then to sit still and entertain those sinful thoughts? Of course not.

Sin cannot take root in a person who is full of the consciousness that he is righteous in Christ. You cannot stop birds from flying over your head, but you can certainly stop a bird from building a nest on your head. In the same way, you cannot stop temptations, sinful thoughts and desires from passing through your mind, but you can certainly stop yourself from acting on these temptations, sinful thoughts and desires. How? By confessing at the very moment of temptation that you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus!

The power of Jesus to overcome every temptation kicks in when you remain conscious that even at the point of temptation, Jesus is still with you and that you are righteous in Him apart from your works (Romans 4:6)! When you do that, you reject the condemnation for the temptation that you faced. You now have the power of Christ to rise above your temptation and to rest in your righteous identity in Christ apart from your works. That, beloved, is the overcoming life in Christ!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that because I am in Christ Jesus, I have the overcoming life. I also have Your unmerited favor because I am righteous in Christ, who is always with me. It is Your goodness and grace that will help me triumph over every challenge today.

 

Today’s Thought

I choose not to be sin-conscious, but conscious of the fact that I am righteous in Christ.

 

-100 Days of favor

The Power To Sin No More - Joseph Prince

Blessed Because Of God’s Goodness - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’” Exodus 16:11–12

 

MANY YEARS AGO, when I was studying God’s Word, the Lord spoke to me, saying, “Before the law was given, none of the children of Israel died when they came out of Egypt. Even though they murmured and complained against God’s appointed leadership, not a single one of them died. This is a picture of pure grace.” I had never heard anyone teach this before or read it in any book, so I quickly went through that portion in my Bible and indeed, I could not find anyone who died before the law was given!

Living under grace means that all the blessings and provisions that we receive are dependent on God’s goodness and not our obedience.

God had delivered the children of Israel from a lifetime of slavery by performing great signs and wonders. But when they found themselves caught between the Red Sea and the advancing Egyptian army, they complained to Moses, saying, “Because there were no graves in Egypt, have you taken us away to die in the wilderness? Why have you so dealt with us, to bring us up out of Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11). What audacity! And yet, did God punish those who murmured? No, in fact, He saved the Israelites spectacularly, opening up the Red Sea for them to escape from their pursuers who were closing in on them.

After they had crossed over to the other side of the Red Sea, they continued to murmur over and over again, in spite of God’s miraculous provisions and gracious protection. At a place called Marah, they complained that the waters were bitter and God made the waters sweet and refreshing for them (Exodus 15:23–25). Then, when they had no food, they grumbled to Moses again, saying, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:3). Their ungrateful diatribes were directed not only at Moses, but also at God. So did God rain fire and brimstone on them? No! He rained bread from heaven to feed them! It was as if every fresh murmuring brought forth fresh demonstrations of God’s goodness!

Do you know why?

It is because all these events occurred before the Ten Commandments were given. You see, before the law was given, the children of Israel lived under grace (unmerited favor). Living under grace meant that all the blessings and provisions that they received were dependent on God’s goodness and not their obedience. The Lord delivered them out of Egypt not because of their goodness or good behavior. He brought them out by the blood of the lamb (a picture of the blood of the Lamb of God) that was applied on their doorposts on the night of the first Passover.The children of Israel were dependent upon God’s faithfulness to the Abrahamic covenant, which was a covenant based on His grace (unmerited favor). Abraham lived more than 400 years before the law was given, long before there were the Ten Commandments. God had related to Abraham based on Abraham’s faith in His grace and not based on Abraham’s obedience to the law. God’s Word makes it clear that Abraham was not justified by the law: “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? ‘Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:2–3). How was Abraham made righteous? He believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness!

When the Israelites journeyed from Egypt to Mount Sinai, they were under the Abrahamic covenant of grace. Therefore, in spite of their sins, God delivered them out of Egypt and provided for them supernaturally, not based on their goodness and faithfulness, but based on His goodness and faithfulness. The good news for you and me is this: Today, we are under the new covenant of grace (unmerited favor), and God’s unmerited favor is upon us. His blessings and His provisions for us are based entirely on HIS GOODNESS and HIS FAITHFULNESS. Hallelujah! How cool is that?

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You for all the times You have blessed me despite my complaints and lack of faith. I am so glad that You bless me not because of my goodness or faithfulness, but because of Your goodness and faithfulness. I call this day blessed, fruitful and full of Your free favors because I am under Your pure grace!

 

Today’s Thought

God blesses me not because of my goodness and faithfulness, but because of HIS goodness and faithfulness!

 

– 100 Days of Favor

Blessed Because Of God’s Goodness - Joseph Prince

Grace And Truth Are One - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“For the law was given through Moses, but grace [unmerited favor] and truth came through Jesus Christ.” John 1:17

 

DID YOU KNOW that God sees grace (unmerited favor) and truth as one and the same thing? Notice in John 1:17 that truth is on the same side as God’s unmerited favor and both grace (unmerited favor) and truth came through Jesus Christ. When I did a study of this verse in its original Greek, I found out that “grace and truth” are actually referred to as a singular unit, since they are followed by the singular verb translated as “came.” In other words, in God’s eyes, grace and truth are synonymous—unmerited favor is truth and truth is unmerited favor.

You cannot separate truth from grace and grace from truth as they are both embodied in the person of Jesus Christ.

Sometimes, people tell me things like, “Well, it’s good that you preach grace, but we also have to tell people about truth.” This makes it seem as though grace and truth are two different things when, in fact, they are one and the same. You cannot separate truth from grace and grace from truth as they are both embodied in the person of Jesus Christ. In fact, just a few verses before this, John 1:14, referring to the person of Jesus, says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace [unmerited favor] and truth.” Grace and truth came together through the person and ministry of Jesus. Grace is not a doctrine or teaching. Grace is a Person.

This is contrasted with the old covenant of law that was given through Moses on Mount Sinai. We can see that God is very precise in dealing with the two covenants and does not mix them together. Grace is grace and law is law. Grace came by Jesus whereas the law was given through Moses. Jesus didn’t come to give us more laws. He came to give us His unmerited favor, which is His truth! It would be of immense profit to you to keep in mind that every time you read the word “grace” in the Bible, you translate it mentally as “unmerited favor,” because that is what it is.

My friend, “grace came.” It is one thing to give, but it is another thing to come. You see, I could send a DVD of my sermon to you instead of coming to you. But if I come to you, it’s personal. The law was given by Moses, but grace came by Jesus Christ. Every system of morality is about man trying to reach God with his discipline and good works, but in Christianity, God came down to where we were to lift us up to where He is!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that Jesus came personally to die for me and set me free from sin, bondages and eternal death. I thank You that He didn’t come to give me more laws, but to give me Your unmerited favor, which is Your truth. Today, I have been lifted up and am seated with Christ at Your right hand, all because grace came!

 

Today’s Thought

Jesus didn’t come to give me more laws. He came to give me His unmerited favor, which is His truth.

 

– 100 Days of Favor

Grace And Truth Are One - Joseph Prince

Jesus’ Peace Sets You Up For Success - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.” 1 John 4:18

 

JESUS GIVES YOU His shalom to set you up for success in life. You cannot be a success in your marriage, family and career when you are crippled and paralyzed with fear. Today, as you are reading this, I believe with all my heart that Jesus has already begun a work in your heart to liberate you from all your fears, whatever they may be. They may be the fear of failure, the fear of success, the fear of people’s opinions of you or even the fear that God is not with you.

Jesus’ shalom is on your side to make you a success in life.

All the fears that you are experiencing in your life today began with an untruth, a lie that you have somehow believed. Perhaps you have believed that God is angry and displeased with you, and that His presence is far from you. That’s why the Bible says, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.”

This scripture tells us that when you begin to have a revelation that God loves you perfectly (not because of what you have accomplished, but because of what Jesus has accomplished for you), that revelation of the unmerited favor of Jesus will cast out every fear, every lie, every anxiety, every doubt and every worry that God is against you. The more you have a revelation of Jesus and how He has made you perfect, the more you will free yourself to receive His complete shalom and succeed in life!

My friend, know that as a believer in Jesus Christ, you have absolute peace with God. The new covenant of grace is also known as the covenant of peace. Today, you stand upon the righteousness of Jesus and not your own. Today, because of Jesus, God says this to you: “I would not be angry with you, nor rebuke [condemn] you. For the mountains shall depart and the hills be removed, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed” (Isaiah 54:9–10).

God is on your side. Jesus’ shalom is on your side to make you a success in life. All of heaven’s resources are on your side. Even if you are caught in the midst of a storm right now, just think of the picture of the eagle chicks sleeping soundly in spite of the storm, nestled under the wings of their mother, their protector and provider. And may the shalom of God, which surpasses all understanding, guard your heart and mind through Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:7). Go in this peace, my friend, and rest upon His shalom!

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, give me a greater revelation of how perfectly You love me, for Your perfect love will cast out every fear in my life. You don’t want me fearful of failure, of people’s opinions of me or of what the future may hold. Because of Jesus, I am in a covenant of grace and peace where I will always experience Your kindness, and where the shalom of Jesus is always on my side to make me a success in life!

 

Today’s Thought

God is not angry with me. He does not condemn me, but loves me perfectly because of Jesus’ perfect sacrifice for me.

 

-100 Days of Favor

Jesus’ Peace Sets You Up For Success - Joseph Prince

Receive Jesus’ Shalom - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“A heart at peace gives life to the body…” Proverbs 14:30, NIV

 

THE BEST WAY to know if you are embroiled in the things of the world is to be objective and ask yourself this: “Is my heart troubled?” I believe that the number one killer in the modern world is stress. Medical doctors in my church have told me that if a patient has high blood pressure, they can advise the patient to cut down on sodium. They can also advise their patients to cut down on other excesses such as sugar or cholesterol. But as doctors, there is one thing that they cannot control in their patients, and that is their patients’ stress levels.

Stress is not from God. Peace is from Him!

I personally believe that the physical root cause of many medical conditions today is stress. Stress can produce all kinds of imbalances in your body. It can cause you to age prematurely, give you rashes, cause gastric pains and even lead to abnormal growths in your body. To put it succinctly, stress kills! Doctors tell us that certain physical symptoms are “psychosomatic” in nature. That’s because these symptoms are brought about by psychological problems such as stress. Stress is not from God. Peace is from Him!

I trust that you are beginning to understand why Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). Now, Jesus would not have used the word “peace.” The Greek New Testament renders “peace” as eirene, but since Jesus spoke Aramaic-Hebrew, He would have used the word “shalom”—“Shalom I leave with you, My shalom I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.”

In the Hebrew vernacular, “shalom” is a very rich and loaded word. There is no English word that can accurately encapsulate the fullness, richness and power contained in the word “shalom.” Hence, English Bible translators were only able to translate it as “peace.” But while the word “shalom” includes peace, it means so much more. Let’s look at the Brown Driver & Briggs Hebrew Lexicon to get a better idea of what Jesus meant when He said, “Shalom I leave with you.”

The Hebrew Lexicon describes “shalom” as completeness, safety, soundness (in body), welfare, health, prosperity, peace, quiet, tranquility, contentment, peace used of human relationships, peace with God especially in our covenant relationship and peace from war.1 Wow, what a powerful word! This is the shalom that Jesus has bequeathed you: His completeness, His safety, His soundness, His welfare, His health, His prosperity, His peace, His quietness, His tranquility, His contentment, His peace in human relationships, His peace with God through the covenant made at the cross and His peace from war. All these, my friend, are part of your inheritance in Christ today!

Can you picture the full implications of what it means to experience Jesus’ shalom in your life? Can you picture your life being free from regrets, anxieties and worries? How healthy, vibrant, energetic and strong you will be! Thank Him for this blessing today and start enjoying Jesus’ shalom in every area of your life.

 

Today’s Prayer

Lord Jesus, thank You for giving me Your shalom in every area of my life. I want to experience and walk in a greater measure of Your shalom. I want to live a life that is free of regrets, anxieties and worries, and experience more of Your health, energy and strength. Today, because I have Your shalom, I will walk in Your peace, prosperity and protection as I deal with the demands of this day.

 

Today’s Thought

Less stress plus more of Jesus’ shalom equals more health.

 

-100 Days of Favor

Receive Jesus’ Shalom - Joseph Prince

Guard What Comes Through Your Eye- And Ear-Gates - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.” Proverbs 4:20–22

 

I WAS WATCHING a popular program on television with the host of that program interviewing some experts about the economy in America. One “expert” was very positive and gave his reasons for being so upbeat. Then, another “expert” interjected and gave his reasons for a bleak economic outlook. I watched this program for over an hour and none of these “experts” agreed on anything in the end.

The more we hear and see Jesus, the healthier and stronger we become! Our mortal bodies become infused with His resurrection life and power!

The thing about such discussions, be it on television, the papers or the Internet, is that it’s supposed to present two sides—one good and the other bad. No real solution or resolution is actually offered. Sometime after watching that program, I shared with my pastoral team that I realized that I had unknowingly been feeding on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. That’s all I got from watching such programs—more knowledge of what was good and what was evil, but this knowledge did nothing for me.

On the other hand, when we feed on the person of Jesus, who is the tree of life, we find that His wisdom, understanding, peace, joy and unmerited favor will flow in our lives! Again, I am not saying that you should not watch the news. I am just saying that it is important for you to watch your viewing diet. It is far more powerful to be full of Jesus than to be full of worldly knowledge.

I always encourage my church to be mindful of their eye- and ear-gates. Essentially, this means that we need to be conscious of what we watch and hear on a regular basis. The Book of Proverbs, which is chock-full of God’s wisdom, tells us, “My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.”

God tells us to guard what we hear, what we see and what is in our hearts. He wants us to have our ears full of the gracious words of Jesus, our eyes full of the presence of Jesus and our hearts meditating on what we have heard and seen in Jesus. That’s what “give attention to my words” means today in the new covenant, for Jesus is God’s Word made flesh. John 1:14 says, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace [unmerited favor] and truth.”

It is all about beholding Jesus, and as we behold Him, we are transformed more and more into His likeness, full of unmerited favor and truth! Don’t miss this powerful promise, my friend. The result of tuning our ear- and eye-gates to Jesus is that He will be life and health to us. The Bible shows us that there is a direct correlation between hearing and seeing Jesus, and the health of our physical bodies. The more we hear and see Jesus, the healthier and stronger we become! Our mortal bodies become infused with His resurrection life and power!

If we are constantly feeding on the news media, it is no wonder that we feel weak and tired. There is just no nourishment for us there. Please hear what I am saying. It is all right to keep yourself abreast of current world events and be in the know about what is happening in the Middle East, trends in the economy and developments in the political arena. Such information may even be necessary for the industry that you are in. I am not asking you to become an ignoramus or to live in a cave. What I am saying is this: Know what is good for the wholeness of your body and mind. Be wise—don’t overdose yourself on information and knowledge that does not infuse you with God’s life and power.

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, help me to be wise in guarding what I let in through my eye- and ear-gates. I ask You to create in me a hunger for more of Jesus and His Word. I want my eyes to always behold His beauty and my ears to always hear His gracious words. And as I see and hear more of Jesus by Your Holy Spirit, I thank You for a greater measure of peace, wholeness and strength flowing through my body and soul.

 

Today’s Thought

The more I behold Jesus, the more I become saturated in His unmerited favor.

 

– 100 Days of Favor

Guard What Comes Through Your Eye- And Ear-Gates - Joseph Prince

Peace In The Midst Of A Storm - Joseph Prince

Today’s Scripture

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge…” Psalm 91:1, 4I

 

REMEMBER READING about an art competition where the theme given was “peace.” The artist who most effectively depicted peace in his artwork would win the competition. The artists gathered their paints, canvases and brushes and started creating their masterpieces. When the time came to judge the artworks, the judges were impressed by the various scenes of tranquility illustrated by the artists. There was a majestic piece capturing the brilliance of the sun setting over lush greenery, one that depicted a serene landscape of moonlit hills and another evocative piece that showed a lone man walking leisurely through a rustic paddy field.

Only Jesus can touch what you are feeling inside and turn that turmoil into His peace.

Then, the judges came upon a peculiar piece that looked almost horrifying and perhaps even ugly to some. It was the very antithesis of every other piece that the judges had seen. It was a wild cacophony of violent colors and the aggression with which the artist had lashed his brush against the canvas was obvious. It depicted a raging storm where the ocean waves were swollen to menacing heights and slamming against the craggy edges of a cliff with thunderous force. Lightning zigzagged across the blackened sky and the branches of the single tree that was perched atop the cliff were all swept to the side by the force of the gale. Now, how could this picture be the epitome of peace?

Yet, the judges unanimously awarded the first prize to the artist who painted the turbulent storm. While the results initially appeared to be appalling, the judges’ decision immediately became clear once you give the winning canvas a closer look. Hidden in a crevice in the cliff is a family of eagles snug in their nest. The mother eagle faces the blustering winds, but her young chicks are oblivious to the storm and have dozed off under the shelter of her wings.

Now, that’s the kind of peace that Jesus gives to you and me! He gives us peace, security, covering and protection even in the midst of a storm. The psalmist describes this beautifully: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.”

There is no safer place than under the protective shelter of your Savior’s wings. It does not matter what circumstances may be raging around you. You can cry to the Lord for His unmerited favor, as David did in Psalm 57:1—“Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me! For my soul trusts in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, until these calamities have passed by.” The New American Standard Bible says, “Be gracious to me, O God, be gracious to me, for my soul takes refuge in You; and in the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until destruction passes by.” What blessed assurance we can have today, knowing that even if destruction rages around us, we can take refuge in the Lord.

 

Today’s Prayer

Father, I thank You that in the midst of any crisis, I can take refuge in the shadow of Your wings and have Your peace. My trust is in You and I thank You that You will protect and deliver me and all my loved ones no matter what is raging around us.

 

Today’s Thought

Come what may, I can take refuge in the Lord and enjoy His peace.

 

-100 Days of Favor

Peace In The Midst Of A Storm - Joseph Prince