Category: February 2016

Mark 5:28

For she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.”

With a crowd all around Him, Jesus was touched by a lot of people that day (Mark 5:31), but only the touch of one woman drew a response from Him. And her touch sparked off instant healing in her body, releasing her from a sickness that had plagued her for 12 years. Do you want to know how to touch God and receive the miracle you need? When the woman heard that Jesus was coming by her village, she said to herself, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” On her way to see Jesus, she probably told herself many times, “If I touch His clothes, I will be healed. I will be made whole.” We don’t know how long she had been saying that to herself, but she was convinced that Jesus would heal her. The key word here is convinced!

If you are sick, convince yourself that Jesus is your healer and that by His stripes you are healed. You don’t need to convince God. He is not the one who needs to be persuaded because His blessing is already on you! It is you who needs to be persuaded that God has already given you your miracle. That is the reason you confess His Word – to convince yourself, not God, to persuade your heart, not His.

Some people confess their faith to others to convince God indirectly. For example, if they are believing God for healing, they go around telling their friends, “I am believing God for healing.” They are actually trying to convince or persuade God to heal them. They are telling God, “I’ve told so many people what I am believing You for, it would be very embarrassing if You don’t make it happen.” Their confession proceeds from unbelief and is used to try and manipulate God.

It is okay to tell others if you want to, so that they can stand in faith with you for your miracle. But don’t do it to prove your faith to God and to convince Him. You just need to convince yourself that God loves you and delights in blessing you. Just say to yourself, “By His stripes I am healed. I will not suffer lack. I am greatly blessed, highly favored, deeply loved!” And let God take care of the rest.

John 19:30

So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.

Imagine looking at Leonardo da Vinci’s famous Mona Lisa painting in the Louvre museum. Would you think of adding more brush strokes to it? Of course not! It was done by a master, so what could you possibly add to the painting to improve it? In the same way, that is how we are to look at Jesus’ work on the cross. He cried out, “It is finished!” You cannot complete a completed work. You cannot finish a finished work. Our salvation is won. Our sins are all forgiven. We are made forever righteous by His blood. Christ paid completely and perfectly for our total forgiveness, righteousness and every blessing!

In fact, these three words, “It is finished”, come from one Greek word teleo. In the days of Jesus, a servant would use it when reporting to his master: “I have completed the work assigned to me.” (John 17:4) The word means, “It is finished, it stands finished and it will always be finished!” Perhaps the most significant meaning of teleo is how it is used by merchants: “The debt is paid in full!” When Jesus gave Himself on the cross, He met fully the righteous demands of the law. He paid our debts in full!

Today, it is not our works that will bring us the blessings. It is Christ’s finished work. Christian living is not about doing, but believing in His finished work. Under the law, we must do. Under grace, it is done!

Maybe you are faced with overwhelming odds today. Jesus promises, “It is finished!” You are not going to be delivered because you have already been delivered. You are not going to be healed because you are already the healed! God healed you 2,000 years ago! Isaiah 53:5 declares, “By His stripes you are healed!” You are already pregnant with healing. Keep resting in His finished work and it will manifest! The work is finished. The victory is won. Our blessings have been bought by His blood! Live life knowing that there is nothing for you to do – only believe! It is finished!

Ephesians 1:7

In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Have you ever got up in the morning and said, “Today, I will not sin.” When you do this, you are no longer Christ-conscious but sin-conscious, even though you have not sinned yet. Have you also tried confessing every sin? I have! Whenever I sinned I would ask God to forgive me for that sin The problem with that is that when you fall into sin, God wants you to be Christ-conscious. This means that when you have missed the mark, God wants you to be conscious that in Christ, you have forgiveness of sins through His blood. God wants you to be conscious that Christ was wounded and bruised for your sins, and that the chastisement for your peace was upon Him. (Isaiah 53:5) When you are Christ-conscious, you will have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. (Romans 5:1) You will know that you are the righteousness of God in Christ because He who knew no sin was made sin for you. (2 Corinthians 5:21) He took your sin and now you have His righteousness.

So when you fall, don’t be conscious of your failure and feel bad or condemned. Instead, be conscious of who you are in Christ, pick yourself up, dust yourself off and continue your walk with God!

Philippians 4:19

And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.

Are you facing a lack in any area of your life, be it finances, health or relationships? Know that in that very same area, God has already prepared His superabundant supply which will abound toward you, and on top of that, His grace and more of His grace!

In John 6:1-13, Jesus was with a large crowd of people who were hungry. The problem then was a lack of food. But Jesus knew that where there is lack, there is superabundant supply in His Father’s kingdom to overcome that lack. His disciples, however, did not know that. They did not think the same way as Jesus did. They told Him that there was a boy with five loaves and two small fish, but they did not think that that would amount to anything. They said, “What are the five loaves and two fish among so many?” (John 6:9) They saw only the problem, the lack. But Jesus took the little, lifted it up as He looked to heaven and gave thanks to His Father, whose supply is so much more than we can ever ask for. When Jesus started distributing the little that was in His hands, a miracle happened. Five thousand men, not counting the women and children, ate as much as they wanted and for as long as they were hungry! The supply kept flowing as long as the need was there. And after they were filled, there were 12 baskets full of leftovers! That is God’s superabundant supply. In God’s kingdom, there is no such thing as the Father not having enough or not wanting to give abundantly to His children. No, He promises that He will supply all our needs according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus!

God wants us to always be conscious of His grace abounding toward us and enveloping us. So let us, like Jesus, acknowledge God’s superabundant supply by thanking Him for it and for whatever is in our hands. Let us believe that His superabundant supply will flow and multiply the little that we have, and fill us to overflowing!

Psalm 91:1-2

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Every day, we are bombarded with news of conflicts, natural disasters, diseases and new strains of drug-resistant viruses. We also hear of people losing their loved ones in freak accidents. And we ask ourselves, “Is there a place where I can take refuge from a world gone mad?” Yes, there is! God foresaw all these things and He has promised in His Word protection from every evil known to man. There is no trap set by the devil that our Father cannot deliver us from, if we trust in Him and take Him as our refuge. That is His promise in Psalm 91.

Whether it is an earthquake at midnight, a crazy sniper, an unknown virus or a terrorist attack, God says, “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.” (Psalm 91:5-6) Because you have made Him your dwelling place, angels are watching over you right now. (Psalm 91:9-11) They give heed to the voice of God’s Word, so you should give voice to God’s Word. This means that you should agree with and speak what God’s Word says about His preserving and protecting you. Then, angels are sent to minister for you. (Hebrews 1:14) Don’t say, “If it can happen to them, it can also happen to me!” Say, “A thousand may fall at my side and 10,000 at my right hand, but it will not come near me!” (Psalm 91:7) The world says that you can expect danger all around. God says, “You are in this world but not of this world. You have My protection because you are of Me and in Me.” (John 17:14-23)

You have access by faith into the secret place of the Most High where no evil can touch you. There is no need to fear living in the end times because the Lord is your refuge and fortress. His Word says so. And those who trust His Word will find His Word completely true!

Hebrews 12:24

…to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.

Today, forensic science tells us that blood has a voice. DNA can be extracted from just one small drop of the murderer’s blood and the results used in court as evidence. So blood in a sense can speak. And when it is the blood of Jesus, it “speaks better things” than that of Abel. Abel’s blood cried out, “Vengeance! Vengeance!” after his brother Cain murdered him. (Genesis 4:8-11) But Jesus’ blood cries out forgiveness for our sins, healing for our bodies, and peace and soundness for our minds. It cries out protection for our coming-ins and going-outs, good success for the works of our hands, the righteousness of Christ as our acceptance before God and much more!

In the Bible, Jesus’ blood speaking of “better things” is found in the context of the last days when things are being shaken, so that the things which cannot be shaken will remain. (Hebrews 12:27) God wants you to know that you will not be shaken when you put your faith in Jesus’ blood, which speaks better things for you. That is why God wants you to see Jesus’ blood shed for you in every area that causes your heart to tremble and your confidence to be shaken.

For example, if you are afraid of losing your job, speak the blood of Jesus over your job. His blood cries out, “Favor with his boss!” And in these days when you are shaken by fears that terrorism may strike anyone, anywhere, anytime, plead the blood of Jesus which cries out, “Protection and deliverance!” When fear rises in your heart as the doctor gives you his prognosis, plead the blood of Jesus over your body. His blood cries out, “Healing and wholeness!”

The eternal blood of Jesus, which speaks better things, will never lose its power. See that you do not refuse Him who speaks. (Hebrews 12:25) See that you keep hearing the voice of grace, which speaks salvation, righteousness, protection, deliverance, provision and healing over your life!

1 Samuel 17:45

Then David said to the Philistine, “I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”

Ever wonder why two people can hear the same thing and yet have very different responses? For one, what is said makes him afraid and discouraged. For the other, his heart is so filled with faith that he dares to come against the devil and what he is doing.

In the Valley of Elah, Goliath the Philistine giant taunted the armies of Israel for 40 days. When David came on the scene, he heard the same mocking of Goliath that the rest of the Israelites heard. But somehow, those same words that caused fear in the soldiers angered David. What did David know or see that the others failed to see? David knew that he had a covenant with God. Now, King Saul and all the soldiers with him that day also had the same covenant with God, but only David believed the covenant. And he acted on his belief. So God caused his giant to come tumbling down.

If David had such a great victory even though he was under the old covenant, how much more you and I who are under the new covenant! Today, God is asking, “Where are my Davids who will believe the new covenant?” What is the new covenant? It is the covenant of grace. And grace means unmerited, undeserved, unearned favor. God wants us to know that He has cut this covenant with us through Christ our representative. And according to the covenant, we have His undeserved favor. We are blessed because Jesus took our beating. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, we have victory over every giant.

Isn’t that good news? Today, God wants you to stand before your “giant” and declare that in spite of what you are going through, in spite of what is happening, you believe that God is for you because of what Jesus has done for you. And then, before your very eyes, you will see the giants of accusation, intimidation, condemnation, disease and debt fall flat before you!

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God’s kind of love is always directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. It is completely unselfish. This kind of love goes against our natural inclinations. We can only practice this kind of love if God helps us set aside our own desires and instincts, so that we can give love while expecting nothing in return. The more we become like Christ, the more love we will show others.

I am often asked how you can tell if a person is like Christ (Born again). They produce fruit. There are nine attributes that Paul sums up as the fruit of the Spirit. They are love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Galatians 5:22, 23). The fruit of the Spirit is the spontaneous work of the Holy Spirit in us. The Spirit produces these character traits that are found in the nature of Christ. They are the by-products of Christ’s control in our lives – we can’t obtain them by trying to get them without His help. If we want to have the fruit of the Spirit grow in us, we must join our lives with His (John 15:4, 5). We must know Him, love Him, remember Him, and imitate Him. As a result, we will fulfill the intended purpose of the law – to love God and our neighbors.

I often tell people I am witnessing to, that when two people give to each other, they will both receive. If both people are not giving to each other, then one is taking from the other. The only way that both can give is to have Christ centered in the relationship. Imagine what the world be like if everyone was giving to each other. All would receive!

Genesis 39:2

The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man…

You may have no qualification, position or money – nothing in the natural. But when the Lord is with you, you will end up with everything because He will cause you to be successful. Now success here does not mean millions of dollars, but success means that you will not want for anything.

Joseph had nothing when his Egyptian master Potiphar bought him from the slave market. Yet, even then, it was said of him, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man…” Joseph became the slave a successful man? He was a nobody with nothing, not even a shirt on his back, not a dime to his name, and no one to turn to. All he had was the presence of the Lord. But it was precisely because of this that he was successful wherever he was. He eventually became the most powerful man in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, who set him over all the land of Egypt. Joseph was given power, authority and riches (Genesis 41:40-44), all because the Lord was with him.

It does not matter if you are a nobody with nothing in the natural. When the Lord is with you, you will end up with everything because He will empower you to succeed and live the abundant life. Indeed, you will end up enjoying His favor, goodness and grace!

Hebrews 8:10

…I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts…

What laws was God referring to when He said, “I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts”? He was certainly not referring to the Ten Commandments, known as the laws of the old covenant, since He said that He found fault with that covenant and declared it obsolete. (Hebrews 8:7-9, 13) The laws that God puts in our minds and writes on our hearts refer to the royal law of love (Matthew 22:37-40), the perfect law of liberty (James 1:25) and the law of faith. (Romans 3:27) These are the laws of the new covenant.

You live according to the laws of the new covenant when you are conscious of how much God loves you. And the more you are conscious of His love for you, the more your heart is filled with love. When that happens, you will love God and the people around you supernaturally and effortlessly. That is God writing on your heart the royal law of love – that we love because He first loved us. (1 John 4:19)

Secondly, when you know that you are perfectly accepted by God because of Jesus’ sacrifice, you can have the courage and liberty as a child of God to come boldly into the presence of your heavenly Father. And in His presence, He is able to write on your heart new desires. You will find yourself wanting to do the right thing at the right time. You will live life victoriously from the inside out. This is the perfect law of liberty operating in your life.

Thirdly, when you sense what God is writing on your heart and putting in your mind, and as your faith is activated causing you to trust Him and His love for you, He calls it obeying the law of faith. When that happens, whatever you believe, you receive!

God has made it easy – and you will find that it is exciting – to live life under the new covenant!