Down But Not Out

by Joseph Prince on Tuesday, July 12, 2011 at 2:16pm

2 Corinthians 4:89
We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair;9 persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed... Before you were a Christian, when something sad or bad happened to you, you cried until you had no more tears left. Your heart simply broke into pieces, and you felt trapped, depressed and totally defeated. But after having become a Christian, when something bad happens to you, you may still cry, but you feel comforted inside. You are sad outwardly, but your heart isnt heavy. You dont understand why, but deep down inside you, there is something lifting you up. That something buoyant, which is rising from the inside of you, is the life of Christ in you! You cannot be completely distressed because Christ in you is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) who says to you, 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) Yes, it may be a bad situation and you are in a tight spot, but Christ in you is the way, the truth and the life (John 14:6), and He says to you, It will all be all right. I will provide a way out for you. You know you are not defeated because Christ in you is your victory (1 Corinthians 15:57) and He says to you, You are not fighting for victory, but fighting from victory because you already have the victory in Me. Before you knew Christ, when you were down, you were out. But now, when you are down, you are not out because Christ in you is the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) Hope in the Bible means a definite, positive expectation of good. So Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious marriage! Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of a glorious family! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of glorious health! Christ in you is the definite positive expectation of a glorious life! My friend, Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you. No bad circumstance that you are in can or will ever cause you to be destroyed or forsaken by God!
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Thought Of The Day

Christ in you is the definite, positive expectation of all the glories of God revealed to you!

Round-The-Clock Protection
by Joseph Prince on Monday, July 11, 2011 at 1:58pm

Psalm 91:56
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. During World War II, German planes bombed London. Houses were leveled. But there was one that remained standing amidst the rubble. Its owner said that when she read Psalm 121:4, which says, Behold, He who keeps Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep, she told the Lord, Lord, since You dont sleep, then there is no point in both of us keeping awake. I will sleep while You keep watch. And she did, while the Lord protected her and her house. In 2005, terrorists attacked Londons public transport system. That day, a Singaporean girl found herself unexpectedly late for work and could not get to the train station in time to board her usual train. When she finally neared the station, she realized that it had been bombed just a few minutes earlier. Her mother, who worships in our church, believes that God protected her daughter that day. God wants you to know that you have round-the-clock protection You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. He protects you from the terror by night, which could refer to evils such as rape, kidnap or murder. He promises you protection from the arrow that flies by day. This could refer to bullets from a crazy sniper, drive-by shootings or home-made rockets fired into your territory. God also shields you from the pestilence that walks in darkness, referring to viruses which you cannot see. You dont have to be afraid of deadly viruses lurking somewhere or wonder if some deadly disease is developing in your body. God also doesnt want you to be afraid of the destruction that lays waste at noonday, such as a tsunami hitting the beach resort you are at, or a bomb going off in the shopping mall you are in. You need not be afraid because God, who neither slumbers nor sleeps, is watching over you 24 hours a day!
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Thought Of The Day

Fear not. Trust in your heavenly Father who gives you round-the-clock protection.

There Is Just Something Special About You

by Joseph Prince on Sunday, July 10, 2011 at 2:13pm

Isaiah 60:1
1

Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

People might have said to you, Why are you so lucky? or You seem to be looking younger and younger, or There is so much bad news these days, yet you seem untroubled by them.

Now, the people of the world dont have spiritual discernment. They can only go by your physical appearance, behavior and what happens to you. In other words, if they notice something different about you, it is because they see the evidence of Gods glory on your life in your family and work life, health and finances.

Your friends and colleagues may have told you that you stand out from the rest as though a spotlight were on you. Indeed, this is so because of Christ in you, the hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) When Gods glory rises upon you, your words carry weight, even if you are not eloquent. I should know. I stuttered and stammered right up into my teens. So when your words change peoples lives, you know that it is not you. It is the Lord!

You dont have to be a straight-A student or someone able to speak the Queens English. You may be foul-mouthed like the disciple Peter, but when God changes you and His glory rises upon you, and you stand up and preach, 3,000 people get saved! (Acts 2:1441) What is important is that God gives weight to what you say.

You might be a nobody like Joseph, a slave cast aside and forgotten in a dungeon. Yet, the greatest king on earth at that time sought Joseph out to have him interpret his dreams. In other words, God will give to you answers that the people of the world do not have.

Maybe it is your hands. When you lay hands on the sick, they recover. Maybe it is your ability to give counsel that is spot on, or your ability to speak into their future with a word of knowledge or word of wisdom from God.

The Gentiles shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising. (Isaiah 60:3) My friend, when you see this happening, it is because the people of the world are drawn to the glory of the Lord which has risen upon you!

Thought Of The Day

People of the world are drawn to the glory of the Lord which has risen upon you!

Your Words Carry Power!

by Joseph Prince on Saturday, July 9, 2011 at 2:19pm

Ecclesiastes 8:4
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Where the word of a king is, there is power

In Bible times, a kings word carried tremendous power. What he decreed would come to pass. It would be done. For example, if he said, Raise the taxes, the taxes would be raised.

Do you know that we are kings? The Bible tells us that Jesus has washed us from our sins with His blood and made us kings. (Revelation 1:56) And as kings in Christ, our words carry power too.

When we place our hands on a sick person and say, Be healed, the person is healed. When we lay hands on our children and say, Be blessed, our children are blessed. There is power in our words because they are the words of kings!

When I was a young Christian in my teens, I wanted to practice what I had learnt about the power of my words. There was this particular plant near my home and whenever I passed by it, I would say to it, Be cursed in Jesus name!

Many days passed. And I will never forget the day when I noticed that the leaves of the plant had turned brown! You may want to try this at home with your potted plants, but bless them instead!

Since our words carry power, can you imagine the harm we do when we say to our loved ones things like, You are always so careless, You are good for nothing or You are so stupid? We are cursing them!

The devil is happy when you use the power of your words against yourself and your loved ones. He wants to see you defeated. So instead of saying, I am always short of money, say, The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. (Psalm 23:1) Instead of saying, I am so useless. I cant do anything, start saying, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. (Philippians 4:13)

Beloved, remember that as a king, what you say will come to pass because where the word of a king is, there is power. So learn to say what God says about you in His Word and see His promises come to pass in your life!

Thought Of The Day

As kings in Christ, our words carry power. When we speak Gods promises, they will come to pass.

Be Full Of The Consciousness Of God

by Joseph Prince on Thursday, July 7, 2011 at 3:04pm

1 Corinthians 2:12
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things that have been freely given to us by God.
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You are probably familiar with the story of how David, with a sling and a stone, slew Goliath, a 10-feet-tall Philistine warrior. But have you ever wondered why David succeeded while the others in the army of Israel did not even dare to face Goliath?

Davids secret was that he was only conscious of victory and not defeat, because he knew a God who had rescued him time and again.

You can just imagine him saying, One day, I was taking care of my sheep when a lion came and took one of them. I was not willing to settle for that! I went after the lion, caught it by its beard and smote it. The Lord delivered me from the lions mouth. On another occasion, a bear came and took one of my flock. I went after the bear and smote it. So the Lord delivered me from the bear too. This same God, who delivered me from the paws of the lion and bear, will also deliver me from this Philistine. (1 Samuel 17:3437)

David was conscious of what God had done for him. He knew that God was for him, loved him, favored him and would give him victory again. My friend, you can also remind yourself that the same God, who did tremendous things for you in the past, will do the same for you again.

Be like David, who was conscious only of Gods goodness and faithfulness. Dont be like the army of Israel. The men were conscious of the negative words of Goliath. I believe that they must have talked about his threats, repeating his words to one another, and as a result, filled their hearts with fear. (1 Samuel 17:11, 24)

Beloved, dont feed on the negative words of man or the devil. It will only cause you to be anxious and fearful. Feed on Gods Word by reading the Bible and listening to messages about who you are in Christ and what He has done for you. Pump yourself up with Gods Word until you are full of the Spirit and consciousness of God, so that you might know the things that have been freely given to you by God!

Thought Of The Day

The same God, who did tremendous things for you in the past, will do the same for you again.

Freely Receive What God Freely Gives

by Joseph Prince on Wednesday, July 6, 2011 at 2:51pm

Romans 4:13
For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith.
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God promised that you would be the heir of the world. It is the same promise that He made to Abraham. And because you are Christs, you are Abrahams seed and an heir according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29)

When God made this promise to you, He made it so easy for you to receive through the righteousness of faith. All you have to do is believe that as the heir of the world every blessing is righteously yours because Jesus died to give them to you. He also rose from the dead to enforce them in your life.

So dont try to earn your blessings through the law through your efforts or performance. Freely receive what God freely gives to you through Christ and His finished work at the cross.

When a church member was retrenched at 41 years of age, he refused to fret or think that he had to jostle with the rest of the people in the job market. Instead, he believed that by Gods grace, he would get a better job with a higher pay. Indeed, through a mutual acquaintance, a new job came along with a pay packet that was 60 per cent more than his previous one!

Another man was experiencing a strained relationship with his wife to the point that divorce was imminent. When he started attending our church, he realized that a happy marriage could be his, not by his trying to keep the marriage going or earning the love of his wife, but by believing that although he could see his own weaknesses, he was still the righteousness of

God in Christ because of the blood of Jesus. Today, he and his wife are reconciled, and enjoying a blessed marriage.

Dont let the devil disqualify you by bringing you the law and saying, How can you receive this blessing when just last night, you broke Gods law? or Are you sure you deserve this? Instead, say, Father, I thank You that I receive everything freely by Your grace, Your unmerited favor in my life, because of the blood of Jesus!

Thought Of The Day

Freely receive what God freely gives to you through Christ and His finished work at the cross.

Rest And Receive Your Miracle

by Joseph Prince on Tuesday, July 5, 2011 at 4:35pm

Hebrews 4:9
9

There remains therefore a rest for the people of God.

In the healing of the paralyzed man at the pool of Bethesda (John 5:116), Jesus knew that for 38 years, the man had been flat on his back, unable to do anything for himself or others, no matter how hard he struggled.

In the case of the woman oppressed with a spirit of infirmity (Luke 13:1013), Jesus knew that the woman had been bowed over for 18 years. And in that condition, she saw very little that was beautiful in life, only the dusty ground, dirty sandals and bruised feet.

What about the man with a withered hand? (Luke 6:610) Jesus knew from His carpenter days how a useless hand could have easily given the man a very poor sense of self-worth.

I believe that all three of them must have struggled for so long to get back on their feet, to try to lift themselves up, to attempt to do something about their situations, only to be disappointed each time they failed. In fact, they got so frustrated with striving to get better that by the time they met Jesus, they had probably given up trying to change their situations.

It was then that Jesus came and extended His offer to turn their situations around. And when they embraced His offer, they received the miracles that they had sought for so long.

You too may have been struggling to get back on your feet, or to lift yourself out of the problem that has sorely weighed you down. You have attempted to do whatever you could, hoping that it would amount to something, but you have been frustrated time and again. My friend, God wants you to cease from all your struggling and accept the offer He extends to turn your situation around.

It is no coincidence that all three of them received their miracles on the Sabbath, the day of rest for the Jews. Gods Word says, There remains therefore a rest for the people of God. The day you cease from your own laboring and striving, and rest in the finished work of Christ, is the day you receive your miracle.

Jesus has done all the work. Whatever you need has been provided for at the cross. So just be at rest and receive your miracle!

Thought Of The Day

God wants you to cease from all your struggling and accept the offer He extends to turn your situation around.

Seek Gods Kingdom And He Will Solve Your Problems

by Joseph Prince on Sunday, July 3, 2011 at 2:04pm

Romans 14:17
...the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.
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Are you troubled by many things today? For example, are you concerned about your rebellious teenager? Perhaps you see him as your problem, so you do your best to discipline him, only to end up with a heart full of worries and pain. And he is no better!

God says to you, Dont focus on controlling your rebellious teenager. Instead, seek first My kingdom, which is righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. Be conscious of the righteousness you have as a gift from My Son. Keep your inner man flowing with My peace and joy, and I will take care of your child.

We tend to think that the people around us are the problem. When we dont get the promotion we want, we blame our bosses and colleagues. When we lose our temper, we blame our wives and kids. However, God wants us to stop looking outside and to start looking within because His kingdom is within us. (Luke 17:21)

The abundance of the kingdom of God is already inside you. As you seek first Gods kingdom, and follow His righteousness, peace and joy, the abundance within you will flow out and become a reality in your circumstances. (Matthew 6:33) You will find that God has not only taken care of what is troubling you, but has also added blessings to you, be it a promotion, well-behaved kids or a loving wife.

But Pastor Prince, how do I keep my inner man flowing with righteousness, peace and joy?

Be conscious of your righteousness in Christ. Dont be conscious of your sins and problems. Listen to anointed sermons that remind you of how righteous you are because of the perfect sacrifice of Christ. Peace and joy flow when you know that all your sins have been forgiven because of Jesus finished work.

So the next time something troubles you, dont focus on correcting the problem. Instead, seek first Gods kingdom and His righteousness. Make it a priority to have your inner man flowing with His peace and joy, and He will take care of that problem for you!

Thought Of The Day

Have your inner man flowing with Gods peace and joy, and He will take care of that problem for you.

Thursday, July 07, 2011

Are You in a Battle?

by Rick Warren So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament Im in! Romans 7:24a (LB) Do you ever question whether you are really a Christian? You accept Christ and everything is going so well, but then you begin to feel like there is always a struggle to do the right thing, and you are not always successful. What happened? The Apostle Paul struggled too. In Romans 7:15-23 he shared his personal struggles. He explained they were the struggles of his old nature, before he became a believer, conflicting with his new nature, received through the grace of Jesus Christ. You will have similar struggles and temptations right up until the day you enter heaven. Paul says you will continue to lose the battle between the two natures if you rely only on your willpower. You cant just say, Im going to stop sinning. It wont work. It will only lead to frustration. Over the next several days, I want to explain to you some of the frustrations the Bible says you will face if you continue to try to win this battle on your own. And then I want to show you the three things Paul says will help you get the victory. So stick with me! Ask God to help you see clearly the choices you must make, and ask him to help you understand the guidance he provides through the Holy Spirit.
Friday, July 08, 2011

Battle Signs, Part 1

by Rick Warren I dont understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I cant. I do what I dont want to what I hate. Romans 7:15 (LB) I love how gut-level honest the Apostle Paul is in Romans 7. Here he was, a mature believer, one of the greatest Christians who ever lived, sharing his struggles with his fellow believers. And Im so glad he did! He shared the emotional battle that is going on inside me and you and everyone who is a Christian when we try to do the right thing on our own effort. Paul highlighted six emotional costs. Today I want to cover the first three you will experience when there is a battle going on inside you between the old and new nature. 1. You will experience confusion. Paul said, I dont understand myself at all, for I really want to do what is right, but I cant (Romans 7:15 LB). Notice that Paul said I. He didnt lay the

blame on another person or an enemy. He recognized the confusion came from within himself. 2. You will experience guilt and shame. I know perfectly well that what I am doing is wrong, and my bad conscience proves that I agree with these laws Im breaking (Romans 7:16 LB). The word conscience means with knowledge. So if your conscience is bothering you, it means you did something with the full knowledge it was wrong. The outcome of a bothered conscience is guilt and shame. God doesnt want you to carry that around. 3. The outcome is compulsions and addictions. If you dont learn how to fight the battle inside you, it will lead to compulsions and addictions. As Paul said, I cant help myself because I am no longer doing it. It is sin inside me that is stronger than I am (Romans 7:17 LB). We have a natural human nature with a built-in resistance to doing the right thing. We want to do what is easy and fun, but we dont naturally want to do what is right and good. Sin is fun, and it can easily become habitual. Are any of these sounding familiar in your life? Talk to God about your concerns, but then listen for his guidance about what you should do. Tomorrow Ill show you three more.
Saturday, July 09, 2011

Battle Signs, Part 2

by Rick Warren In my mind I want to be Gods willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin. Romans 7:15 (LB) In Romans 7, Paul honestly shares his frustrations with his fellow believers. They are the same frustrations you and I face daily. Where do they come from? They come from trying to please God on our own power and in our own way. The Bible calls that living under the law. We know the law and were just going to keep forcing ourselves to do the right thing. There are emotional costs that result from living under the law. I covered three of them yesterday, and today Ill show you the final three that Paul highlights in Romans 7:15-23. 1. You will experience self-condemnation. Self-condemnation is when you start to feel bad and judge yourself, because you continually give in to your temper or laziness or whatever you struggle with and dont want to. As the Apostle Paul said, I know Im rotten on the inside, as far as my old sinful nature is concerned (Romans 7:18 LB). 2. You will experience frustration.No matter which way I turn I cant make myself do right. I want to but I cant! I find myself still enslaved to sin (Romans 7:18-20 LB). The Bible calls this the law of sin. The law of sin is like the law of gravity it always pulls you down. And the law of sin will continue no matter how hard you try to break your bad habits simply by willpower. 3. You will experience discouragement and despair. Paul said, In my mind I want to be Gods willing servant, but instead I find myself still enslaved to sin (Romans 7:23 LB). Paul recognized that every day there was a battle going on inside his mind. Continually losing that battle because youre fighting it with your own power will eventually lead to discouragement and despair. So you see how it is: my new life tells me to do right, but the old nature that is still inside me loves to sin. Oh, what a terrible predicament Im in (Romans 7:24 LB). The word predicament in Greek means totally exhausted. Are you exhausted, like Paul was, from the inner battle? Hold on because Jesus brings us hope!

Sunday, July 10, 2011

Winning the Battle

by Rick Warren Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin? The answer is through Jesus Christ our Lord! Romans 7:24-25 (LB) If youre exhausted from the emotional damages of the ongoing battle between your old and new nature, dont give up. Paul identified the struggles in Romans 7, and then he closed out the chapter with the cure Gods battle plan for victory. There are three things you need to do in order to get over the desire to do the wrong thing: 1. Deepen your understanding of Christ. Youve accepted Christ; youre a Christian; Jesus lives in you. But he doesnt just want to be in you; he wants to be in charge of you. You can give yourself either to your bad habits or to your Savior. Paul says in Romans 8:2, For the new spiritual principle of life in Jesus Christ lifts me out of the old vicious cycle of sin (LB). The more you make time to know Jesus and what he did for you, the more it will lift you out of the battle. 2. Detect and disarm the lies youre believing. Satan is the father of lies. He puts them in front of you all the time: Youre no good. You know better than God. Its not really a problem; you have a handle on it. When you listen to those lies, youre doomed. Thats why you need to detect and disarm the lies, so you can have the victory. If you want to stop defeating yourself, you have to stop deceiving yourself. 3. Declare your struggles to someone.Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so God can heal you (James 5:16 NCV). Revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. Thats one of my favorite sayings. If you want to just be forgiven, confess your sins to God. But if you want to be healed, confess them to somebody else. Its the power that comes from having a spiritual accountability partner or small group. The battle between your old and new nature is important, and you must learn how to fight if you want to live in freedom. It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery (Galatians 5:1 NIV).
Monday, July 11, 2011

by Jon Walker Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. Romans 8:12 (NIV) No matter what youve ever done, there is no condemnation in Christ. He sits at the Fathers right hand, not as an accuser, but as an advocate willing to give his life for you. God began the work to bring you back into his presence long before you were born. God knows you cant make the journey home on your own, so while you were still helpless Christ died for you (Romans 5:6 HCSB). Jesus offers mercy, not condemnation. He says, I desire mercy, not sacrifice (Matthew 9:13 NIV). His objective is to bring you back into intimacy with the Father, so hes not interested in making you jump through hoops to prove yourself worthy or to earn back Gods love. In a sense, Jesus says, You promise to do things in exchange for your forgiveness, but I want to give you forgiveness and grace as a gift. I desire mercy, not these sacrifices you hope will win back my love: You never lost my love!

No Condemnation

My purpose is not to condemn you but to let my life run free within you as the Holy Spirit connects you directly to the Father (Romans 8:1-2 NIV, author paraphrase). Besides, you cant wash all the stains away. So, let me do it for you. My blood will be the bleach to wash you white as snow, and my Spirit will begin to live directly in your heart. Wrapped in Christ, we are able to approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16 NIV). When you feel condemnation coming at you like a furious flood, look to Jesus, who says, I no longer condemn you. Go and sin no more (John 8:11 NLT, with author paraphrase).
Wednesday, July 13, 2011

The Battle for Your Mind

by Rick Warren Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires . Romans 8:5-6 (NIV) There is a battle going on inside you between your old, sinful nature and your new nature that comes from Christ. If you want to win this battle, youre going to have to change the way you think. Why? The way you think determines the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. If you act depressed, its because you feel depressed. And if you feel depressed, its because youre thinking depressing thoughts. If you want to get out of that depression, or whatever issue youre struggling with, you need to ask the Holy Spirit to give you better thoughts. Satan gives you thoughts they are temptation. And God gives you thoughts they are inspiration. Which are you going to choose? Romans 8:6 says, The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace (NIV). I dont know anyone who wouldnt choose life and peace over death. But the truth is you have selfdestructive thoughts all the time. So what do you do? Here is how the Holy Spirit frees me from uncontrolled thoughts: Its the principle of replacement whatever you want to change in your life, dont resist it; replace it. If youre watching television and a show comes on that you know is bad for you to watch, change the channel to something better. If you want to quit smoking but you keep thinking about cigarettes, focus on something else. The Bible says you have to replace the old mindset with the new mindset. Ask the Holy Spirit to give you new ideas to think about that will replace the old, bad thoughts. Youll find that hell answer your request. And when you start thinking about something positive instead of something negative, something good instead of something evil, the old will lose its appeal and wont have its allure anymore. So invite the Holy Spirit to have free access to your mind to help replace those uncontrollable thoughts. Ask something like this: Dear Holy Spirit, I give you permission to give me thoughts any time you want. Im wide open and I will accept them. I have an open mind to you.