Consider The Lilies Of The Field

Matthew 6:28–29
28“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; 29and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

You may think that you must work very hard to provide for yourself and get ahead in life. But God wants you to consider the lilies of the field — they do nothing. They toil not, spin not and struggle not. Yet, they grow and are clothed by God while simply resting and basking in the sunshine of God’s love! And when God clothes them, they look even more glorious than King Solomon, the richest king who ever lived.

Like the lilies of the field, God wants you to let Him take care of providing for your material needs, instead of striving to do that yourself. When you let go and let Him, you will see Him bless you supernaturally, abundantly and generously!

Consider what happened to one of our church members who had been looking for a job. Initially, he received only two calls for interviews after sending out 12 resumés. Refusing to be discouraged, he believed that God wanted to bless him not just with a job, but with a position of influence too.

God was faithful. This church member soon became business manager of an engineering company even though he had no engineering background. He was offered a very attractive remuneration package and within his first week on the job, was asked to quote on two projects. He knew that this was God’s doing because it was difficult enough just to secure an appointment with contract managers to discuss projects, let alone be asked to quote on not one but two projects. Before long, he was offered the position to run the entire Singapore subsidiary with only one other business development manager. He was then only 25 years old!

My friend, God can do for you what He did for this person. Just believe that if God clothes the lilies and grass of the field which are here today and gone tomorrow, how much more will He clothe you, His eternal and precious child, with beauty and riches! All He asks is that you cease from your striving and allow Him to take over!

God Is Not On A Sin Hunt

1 Thessalonians 5:9
9For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

When you think of Sodom and Gomorrah, what comes to your mind? God’s wrath and fiery judgment? The truth is that God was not out to judge the people of Sodom and Gomorrah. He was not on a sin hunt. He was, in fact, on a righteousness hunt!

This is evident because if God was on a sin hunt, He would not have allowed anyone to stop Him. But we know that He let Abraham in on what He was about to do and even allowed Abraham to entreat Him.

Abraham asked God if He would destroy Sodom if He could find 50 righteous people there. God’s reply was, “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes.” (Genesis 18:26) Abraham then asked God if He would destroy the city if there were only 45… 40… 30… or 10 righteous. And each time, God’s reply was that He would spare the place for the sake of the righteous.

Abraham stopped at 10. If he had gone down to just one righteous one, I believe God’s reply would have been the same because God was on a righteousness hunt.

Now, if God was not out to destroy then, how much more today, when God has already judged our sins in the body of His Son? At the cross, Jesus exhausted all of God’s fiery judgments until there was no more fire of God’s wrath left for us!

Today, God is not judging us for our sins because He has found the righteousness of the one Man that would allow Him to spare us. So do not let anyone tell you that God judges you for your sins and punishes you with cancer, car accidents, business failures or brokenness. God would be unjust if He punished the same sins twice — in the body of Jesus as well as in your body.

So God is not out to judge you but bless you today, not because you deserve it, but because Jesus was judged and punished in your place!

Thanking God At All Times

Hebrews 13:15
15Therefore by Him let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.

“God, I can’t thank you enough for this miracle!”

“Thank You, Father, for answering my prayer!”

“Father, thank You for the windfall!”

Lifting up your hands and thanking God is spontaneous and easy when you have just received a wonderful blessing. Perhaps you came so close to being killed, but God protected you and plucked you out of danger just in time. Or your grandmother, an unbeliever for many years, finally received Jesus as her Saviour and got healed of a long-term disease.

But there are times when you don’t feel like lifting up your hands to thank and praise God — yet you do it!

Perhaps you feel very discouraged lately. Perhaps everything is going wrong for you and you feel like you are not in control of your life. You can’t even control your tears. Still, you make a conscious decision to lift your hands and thank God for being in the situation with you. You open your mouth and begin to praise Him even though you really don’t feel like doing it.

In the midst of the trial that you are going through, you praise Him that He is Your righteousness in spite of all the mistakes you have made. You thank Him that He is your Prince of Peace, and that He will bring His peace into you and His calm into your chaotic world.

My friend, God sees and appreciates such times when, despite feeling so discouraged and depressed, you offer a freewill thanksgiving offering to Him. In fact, your thanksgiving during such times is more highly prized by Him than your thanksgiving during those times you are feeling joyful because you have just been blessed.

And when you choose to thank Him for His unfailing love and His faithfulness to deliver, protect and provide for you even when you don’t see it yet, before long, you will find yourself experiencing and enjoying the blessings! So lift your hands and praise the Lord, for He is good, and His mercy endures forever! (Psalm 106:1)

The Head And Body Are One

Colossians 1:18
18And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.

I hope that it does not surprise you when I say that the head and body of an organism are one. For it makes no sense to say that the head is well but the body sick, that the head is rich but the body poor, or that the head is at rest but the body full of stress.

What does this have to do with us? God’s Word says that Christ is the head and we the church are His body. So Christ and the church are one. Christ and you are one! You cannot say that God sees Christ the head perfect but His body imperfect. Or that Christ is accepted but His body not accepted. The measure of Jesus’ acceptance with God is the measure of your acceptance with God! In other words, what Jesus is before God, you His body are. As He is, so are you in this world. (1 John 4:17)

Today, God wants you to lay claim on Christ being your head. Start believing that all His perfections, delights and joy that He brings to the Father’s heart, He has set to your account. And you will begin to realise that as Jesus is a sweet-smelling aroma to the Father, so are you!

The more you begin to see that you are one with Christ, the more you will realise that whatever you need right now, He is dispensing to you. If you are sick in your body, Christ your head imparts His health and healing to you. If you lack wisdom, Christ your head freely imparts His wisdom to you. If you have any lack, Christ your head gives you His exceeding riches.

My friend, have this rich revelation that Christ and you are one. You can never be separated from Christ your head from whom comes all the supply for your body and increase, power and wisdom, and enabling and anointing. So declare, “As He is, so am I in this world!”

Jesus Is Your Sweet Aroma To God

Leviticus 1:12–13
12And he shall cut it into its pieces, with its head and its fat; and the priest shall lay them in order on the wood that is on the fire upon the altar; 13but he shall wash the entrails and the legs with water. Then the priest shall bring it all and burn it on the altar; it is a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire, a sweet aroma to the Lord.

In Old Testament times, when a burnt offering is killed, its head is severed, the fat removed, and the entrails and legs washed. Then, everything is placed on an altar and burnt, and the sacrifice is a sweet aroma to God. All this speaks of the death of Jesus, who gave “Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma”. (Ephesians 5:2)

The head of the sacrificed animal speaks of the mind of Christ offered as a covering for our minds. This means that although our minds are often clouded with unbelief, worries, foolishness, filth and human reasoning, God treats us as if we have the mind of Christ, without wrong or displeasing thoughts, bringing pleasure to Him like a sweet aroma.

The fat of the animal speaks of the riches of Christ, His best, for God equates the fat of something with the best of that entity. (Genesis 45:18) So the fat of the burnt sacrifice speaks of Jesus giving us His riches, His best, as our covering. So God does not see us in our lack, but in the riches and excellence of Jesus going up to Him as a sweet aroma.

The entrails speak of what is inside Jesus’ heart — His motivations, feelings, affections and desires. We often feel fearful, doubtful, impatient, stressed and even angry. But God sees only Jesus’ feelings and desires, which are always pure, beautiful and acceptable to Him — a sweet aroma.

The legs refer to Jesus’ perfect walk — His power to serve and obey the Father — imputed to our weak and faltering walk. And the fact they are washed shows that even our crooked walk has been cleansed.

Beloved, God does not see your foolish mind, weak nature, inadequate feelings or faulty walk. Instead, He sees you in the perfections of His Son, who gave Himself up for you as a sweet-smelling sacrifice to God.

God Is Not Punishing You For Some Sin

Ephesians 1:7
7In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.

Some Christians believe that although you have forgiveness of sins, you are not free from the penalties of your sins. In other words, you can still expect punishment from God.

For example, some married Christian couples have been told by ministers that they are childless because God is punishing them for having had pre-marital sex. So although God has forgiven them of that sin, He still has to punish them for it.

I am not encouraging pre-marital sex, but I want you to know that God, who is the only one who can fully appreciate the full value of His Son’s blood and who is completely satisfied by His Son’s sacrifice, is at rest in His heart today concerning your sins! That is why He is not against you when you sin. Neither is He out to punish you when you sin. No, He still loves you, is for you and wants to help you overcome that sin.

In the Old Testament, the blood of bulls and goats could only “cover” sins and not take them away. (Hebrews 10:4) But the blood of Jesus is not like the blood of animals! For by one sacrifice, the eternal blood of the Son of God has forever removed your sins (Hebrews 8:12) and cleansed you of all unrighteousness! (1 John 1:9). In fact, God is so satisfied with His Son’s perfect work that He says to you today, “Your sins and lawless deeds I will by no means remember!” (Hebrews 10:17) And if God does not remember them, why should He punish you for them?

Beloved, you “have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace”. Because Jesus’ work is complete, all your sins have been completely forgiven. And complete forgiveness means that the penalties for your sins can no longer fall on you because they already fell on Jesus at the cross. (Isaiah 53:5)

So should something bad happen to you, don’t think for one moment that God is punishing you for some sin. Look to the cross, instead, and know that all your sins have already been fully punished in the body of Christ!

Believe First And You Will See

Matthew 8:13
13… as you have believed, so let it be done for you…

Some people say, “How can I believe it when I don’t see it? But if I can see or feel something, I may just believe that something is happening!”

The woman with the issue of blood who came to Jesus could have felt the same way. For 12 long years, she had gone from one doctor to another, trying every conceivable cure they could offer. She not only grew worse, but ended up losing all her money to those doctors and their “cures”.

Then, something happened to her when “she heard about Jesus”. (Mark 5:27) She started believing for she said, “If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.” (Mark 5:28) Acting on her belief, she made her way to Jesus and touched His garment. Immediately, her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was healed of that affliction. Jesus, her true physician, also pronounced her healed.

Beloved, God wants you to know that when you believe Him, you will see. And what you believe Him for, you will receive.

When a church member lost her wallet at a swimming pool, she prayed together with her husband, declaring their belief that God would restore the loss. One day later, not at the swimming pool but at her feet in the car, she found her wallet! She simply believed that God would restore her loss and she saw the restoration.

In another case, a lady who had skin cancer wore long sleeves all the time to conceal her condition from others. During one of our church camps, she went forward for prayer, believing for healing. After one of our pastors, Pastor Henry, prayed for her, she went back to her room, rolled up her sleeves and saw that all the cancerous scarring on her arms had disappeared! Her doctor later confirmed that she was cured of skin cancer. She believed God for healing and saw it.

The world says, “Unless I can see it or feel it, I will not believe it.” But God says, “If you will not believe it, you will not feel it. And unless you believe it, you will not see it.”

He Is Still Jehovah Rapha

Exodus 15:26
26“… I am the Lord who heals you.”

Do you know that the first compound name that the Lord revealed to the Israelites after they came out of Egypt was Jehovah Rapha, the Lord who heals you? It was as if He was telling them, as they began their new life with Him, that He had already healed them of all the diseases and pains they suffered when they were in bondage in Egypt. Indeed, when He brought them out of Egypt, “there was none feeble among His tribes”. (Psalms 105:37)

Today, just as the Israelites were delivered from their bondage in Egypt and slavery to Pharaoh, you have also been delivered from the bondage of sin and sickness, and from slavery to the devil, by the blood of the Lamb. And the Lord, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, will still tell you, “I am the Lord who heals you.”

A church member, who was experiencing pain in her womb for several months, looked to Jesus as her healer. She finally went to see a doctor, who performed an ultrasound scan on her womb. When told that she had two big tumours and blood cysts in her womb, she continued to look to Jesus as her healer. The doctor then had her blood tested to see if the tumours were cancerous.

Three days later, she saw the doctor again and was told that the tumours were not cancerous. Not only that, another ultrasound scan showed that all the cysts and one of the tumours had completely disappeared! The other tumour had shrunk. Although she had taken medication, the doctor told her that based on the size of the tumour, it should have taken months. He commented that this was the quickest healing he had ever seen!

Beloved, if the doctor has given you a bad report regarding your health, don’t despair. Look to Jesus and expect healing for your body. He is the same yesterday, today and forever. He is still Jehovah Rapha — the Lord who heals you!

Jesus Wore The Crown Of Thorns For You

John 19:2
2And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head…

If hard work is the formula for prosperity, then everyone who works hard should be prosperous. But this is certainly not the case. Many people who work very hard are still poor!

I am not advocating laziness. What I am saying is that working hard by the sweat of your brow is not how God’s prosperity comes. In fact, if you have to work overtime all the time and are stressed out, you are operating under a curse.

What curse is that? It is this curse: “In the sweat of your face, you shall eat bread…” (Genesis 3:19). And it refers to the stress, struggle and anxieties that come with working hard and yet producing little. Now, work itself is not a curse since God gave Adam work before the fall — Adam was to tend the garden of Eden. It was only after Adam sinned that the land was cursed and it brought forth thorns, and man had to toil to eat of it. (Genesis 3:17–18)

But praise God Jesus wore the thorns on His head to show you that He has borne this curse for you and redeemed you from it. He wore the crown of thorns so that you can work stress-free and yet have the results. You don’t have to toil night and day like the world just to get ahead in life. Your heavenly Father can get you there without the stress. (Matthew 6:32–33)

Beloved, every curse that was supposed to fall on your head fell on Jesus’ head, typified by the crown of thorns. He wore the crown of thorns for you so that you can have peace of mind. He wore the crown of thorns for you and took your curse so that you can wear the crown of glory and take His righteousness, and all the benefits of that righteousness!

Today, don’t labour and toil like the people of the world. Instead, expect to see the blessings of God come into your life without blood, sweat and tears because Jesus wore the crown of thorns for you!

Be Anxious For Nothing

Philippians 4:6–7
6Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

When faced with a challenge or crisis, our tendency is to get all anxious about it. But God does not want us to react this way. He does not want us to be anxious about anything. Instead, whatever the problem is, He wants us to go to Him in prayer and supplication, telling Him what we need and thanking Him for the answer. When we do that, His peace, which surpasses all understanding, will guard our hearts and minds from all worries, anxieties and fears.

“Pastor Prince, it is easy for you to say, ‘Be anxious for nothing.’ Try living with my husband for one day. Try disciplining that wayward teenager of mine. Look at my bank balance! How can I not be anxious?”

Hold it! I am not the one who said, “Be anxious for nothing.” The apostle Paul said it. Yet, it was not him — he was prompted by the Holy Spirit. And when Paul wrote that, he was in a pit, literally! He was in a dungeon in Rome, bound by chains to a Roman guard as if he were a criminal, and waiting for his death.

Yet, under those trying conditions, he wrote these words: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.”

My friend, if you are anxious or worried about something, remember those words. Let’s say that you are anxious about a huge debt. Go to the Lord and pray, “Lord Jesus, I no longer want to be anxious about this problem. I hand it over to You and ask for supernatural cancellation of this debt. It is in Your care now. You are in charge. I thank You that You will take care of it.”

God is true to His Word. As you pray this prayer and cast your care to Him, you will find His peace setting your heart and mind at rest. So be anxious for nothing — let the One to whom nothing is impossible take care of it for you!

Today's Bread Is Not For Tomorrow

Matthew 6:34
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things…

Doctors have discovered that worry, stress, fear and anxiety can cause stomach ulcers, high blood pressure and other health problems. The Bible says that a merry heart does good like medicine, but that a broken spirit dries the bones. (Proverbs 17:22) It also says that God wants us to prosper and be in health, even as our soul (mind and emotions) prospers. (3 John 1:2)

When our church was much smaller, I used to worry a lot about my sermons weeks before I even preached them! I was so stressed that I developed symptoms in my body. Two doctors checked me on separate days and found my blood pressure to be very high. Other tests found traces of blood in my urine. I even had panic attacks to a certain extent. I believe that the devil was trying to undermine my ministry and destroy me.

But praise God, He delivered and healed me, and taught me not to worry. Today, the church is a lot bigger and I have learnt by the grace of God not to worry. The verse that set me free was this: “Therefore do not worry about tomorrow…” You see, if you worry about tomorrow, you are trying to live tomorrow today!

And you can’t do that because Jesus taught us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” (Matthew 6:11) He did not say, “Give us this day our weekly bread.” God gives us daily bread, not weekly bread. God doesn’t give tomorrow’s bread today. And today’s bread is not meant for tomorrow!

This means that God wants you to live today and not worry about what will happen or what you have to do tomorrow. He gives you sufficient grace for today, not tomorrow.

“But Pastor Prince, I have a very important presentation to give tomorrow!”

Listen, when tomorrow comes, the bread — provision and grace — will be there. I am not saying be lazy and don’t do anything. By all means, do your homework, but don’t worry about it. Just trust the One who wants you to give Him all your cares (1 Peter 5:7), and enjoy His peace and life today!

He Has His Angels Watching Over You

Psalm 91:10–11
10No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

Don’t you just sense your Father’s love in these words? Like a mother hen that spreads her wings over her chicks to protect them, God will “cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge”. (Psalm 91:4) So don’t be fearful of accidents, terrorist attacks, diseases or tsunamis because your heavenly Father loves you and watches over you.

One of the ways He does this is with His angels. God has declared that no evil, plague or accident will befall you or even come near your dwelling “for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways”. When He says “no”, He means “no-thing”! And if He tells His angels to “keep you in all your ways”, it means round-the-clock divine protection for you!

Let me share with you a true story. A Christian was flying his plane when he realised that it was low on fuel. He contacted the air traffic controller and asked for assistance to land. But he was told that he could not land because there was a heavy fog. Then, his radio went silent and the plane entered the fog.

He was flying blindly when he suddenly heard on his earphone, “Pick up! Pick up!” He pulled up just in time to avoid hitting an expressway! Then, the voice said, “Follow my instructions and I will help you land safely.”

He obeyed and landed perfectly. Thinking that it was the air traffic controller who had helped him, he immediately looked for him to thank him. But when he found him, the man said, “Listen, we lost contact with you after I told you that there was a heavy fog. None of us managed to speak to you after that.” Hearing that, the pilot realised that God had sent an angel to lead him to safety.

Beloved, your heavenly Father is watching over you. That is why “No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling”. And He has a host of angels to keep you in all your ways!

Jesus Met Every Claim Of God On You

Leviticus 1:5
5He shall kill the bull before the Lord; and the priests, Aaron’s sons, shall bring the blood and sprinkle the blood all around on the altar that is by the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

When the children of Israel were in the wilderness, God instructed them to set up a tabernacle as a place of meeting between Him and them. Near the door of the tabernacle was an altar. It speaks of the claims God makes on the righteousness of man. For this reason, an offering had to be killed, its blood sprinkled all around on the altar and its body burnt on the altar before one was counted worthy to go into God’s presence.

The sprinkling of the blood of a bull or goat all around on that altar meant that the Israelites were under the covering of the blood of that animal. Even when they sinned, their sins were covered by the blood until the next sacrifice.

The blood speaks of Jesus' blood shed for us at the cross. Yet, His blood is worth so much more than the blood of bulls and goats because His blood is effective forever! In fact, His blood has met every single claim of God on man to the point that God is so completely satisfied that He now enjoys the savour of rest in what His Son has done.

You too can rest knowing that God is fully satisfied with you because of Christ’s perfect sacrifice. Even if you fall into sin, you can turn to the blood of Christ. Your sins are not merely covered by His blood, like how the blood of bulls and goats covered sins. No, your sins have been washed away by His blood! (Revelation 1:5) In fact, your sins and lawless deeds God remembers no more! (Hebrews 8:12)

Jesus was your perfect offering placed on the altar of sacrifice. By just one offering of Himself, “He hath perfected forever them that are being sanctified”. (Hebrews 10:14, KJV) Jesus has not only sanctified you or made you holy, He has perfected you forever! Today, you can enter boldly into God’s presence because God sees you the way He sees Jesus. He sees you perfected forever because you are in Christ!

His Love Demonstrated

Romans 5:8
8But God demonstrates His own love towards us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

When we go through a trial, we tend to ask ourselves, “Does God really love me? How come He is not showing it?” When that happens, it is time to bring in the cross, for God’s love for you is forever displayed at the cross.

God gave up His Son to suffer and die on the cross for you. Jesus was pierced in seven places for you — in His head by the crown of thorns, His two hands and feet by the nails, and His side and heart by the spear of a Roman soldier.

Jesus wore the crown of thorns on His head so that you can have a sound mind free from fears, guilt, depression, anxieties and stress.

When Jesus first showed His nail-pierced hands to His disciples, He said to them, “Peace be with you.” (John 20:19–20) He wanted them to know that peace is found in His finished work, typified by His pierced hands. The more you see His finished work which bought complete forgiveness of all your sins, the more your conscience will be at peace and rest.

Jesus’ feet brought Him to places where there was lack, diseases, rejection, condemnation and even death. And those feet were nail-pierced so that you do not need to be in such places yourself. He has rescued you from having to suffer these things in life.

Blood and water flowed out of Jesus’ side when it was pierced. (John 19:34) Medical science will tell you that that means His heart had ruptured. Jesus literally died of a broken heart so that your heart can be filled with joy.

And just as Eve came forth from Adam’s side when he was sleeping, the bride of Christ, the church, came forth from Jesus’ pierced side and death. If He died to have you as His spotless bride, He lives today to care for you.

The only man-made things in heaven today are those scars on His body. They will remain forever as tokens of His everlasting love and passion for you. So if God did not spare His Son, but delivered Him up for you, how will He not with Him also freely give you all things! (Romans 8:32)

Double For Your Trouble!

Zechariah 9:12
12Return to the stronghold, you prisoners of hope. Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.

I am sure that you have heard of the expression, “When life throws lemons at you, make lemonade!” Well, I want you to know that when the devil throws lemons at you, God Himself will make lemonade for you! After all, the Bible says that God works all things together for your good. (Romans 8:28)

And He does it with style — He restores double for your trouble! Even if you have lost a husband or wife through a divorce, or a precious child through death, God can restore double to you, so that you end up having more than before, if not in quantity, then in quality!

Consider Job in the Old Testament. When Job lost everything, his friends told him to curse God and die. He refused and, instead, responded to God in faith, and “the Lord gave to Job twice as much as he had before”. (Job 42:10)

When David lost the child he had with Bathsheba, he stopped pleading and started worshipping God because He trusted in the mercies of God. Later on, God blessed David and Bathsheba with another son named Solomon, who became the wisest and richest king the world has ever known.

Today, God promises to restore double for your trouble — “Even today I declare that I will restore double to you.” If He declared it, He will do it! So you cannot but have hope that things will be even better than before. That is why in the same verse, He calls you “prisoners of hope”. Hope in the biblical sense means a confident expectation of good things happening in your life. You are a prisoner of that! You can’t help but wake up feeling hopeful. You can’t help but expect good things to happen to you!

So when trouble comes from the devil, don’t give up and say, “It is hopeless!” Don’t worry or get angry. Worship God like David did and see that trouble as an opportunity for God to bless you with more than what you originally had. And because God has declared it, be confidently hopeful that you will get double for your trouble!

Only Jesus Is Altogether Lovely

Leviticus 2:1
1‘When anyone offers a grain offering to the Lord, his offering shall be of fine flour...

I love the symbolism of Jesus as fine flour. Fine, even flour comes from wheat flour that has been pounded and beaten again and again, and sieved several times. Doesn’t that remind you of Jesus’ sufferings and sacrifice for you?

And like fine flour, there is nothing coarse about the person of Jesus. Everything about Him is in even proportions. Every word that He spoke when He was in this world, every thought of His, every action of His, was so fine! When He was kind, He was not soft. When He was assertive, He was not overbearing. He is steel and velvet, meekness and majesty. Like a perfect diamond, every which way you turn Him, you see flawlessness, beauty and brilliance. There is no one altogether lovely like Jesus!

What about Bible greats like Moses and Abraham, or Peter, John and Paul?

Moses, whom the Bible says was more humble than any man on the face of the earth (Numbers 12:3), was once so furious with his people that he struck a rock twice, something he was not supposed to do. (Numbers 20:1–12) His temper got the better of him on that occasion.

Abraham, whom Christians regard as a man of faith (Hebrews 11:8–10), lied about his wife being his sister when a king coveted her. He callously endangered her life just to save his own skin. (Genesis 20:1–18)

Peter, who was deeply zealous for Jesus, denied Jesus three times. (Matthew 26:33–34) John, the beloved disciple who leaned on Jesus’ bosom, was all ready to call down fire from heaven to destroy the inhabitants of Samaria who had rejected Jesus. (Luke 9:52–54)

What about Paul, the apostle of grace, who blazed the missionary trail which future missionaries would follow? Even Paul went to places he was told not to go to by the Holy Spirit. (Acts 21:4,10–11) It was during such times that the old Paul took over and Paul became his own man.

Beloved, the best of us can miss the mark. The only one who is faultless, flawless and altogether lovely is Jesus. And because He never misses the mark, you can look to Him. He will never disappoint you!

God Remembers What You Say In Faith

Isaiah 55:11
11So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Some years back, I had a skin condition which refused to heal. I told God about it and began to take the Holy Communion believing that by Jesus’ stripes I was healed. Nothing happened, so it seemed. As time passed, I continued taking the Communion, though no longer for my skin condition but for my general well-being. But the Lord did not forget about my skin condition. One day, He prompted me to check my body to see if it was still there. I did so and realised that it had disappeared!

A mother and daughter, who had been listening to my sermon tapes, began to believe that as the righteousness of God in Christ, they attracted the blessings of God. At that time, the mother was participating in a number of competitions. Together, they believed for the grand prize which was a $470,000 private apartment. Soon after, the mother won two microwave ovens, a rice cooker and a $5,000 wristwatch. In the excitement of winning those prizes, they completely forgot about the grand prize. But God did not forget what they had believed Him for. Some time later, they received news that the mother was the grand prize winner of the private apartment!

Maybe you shared God’s Word with a troubled friend a few years ago. You bump into him one day and he tells you, “Remember that day? You said something which transformed my life!” Your mind draws a blank because you have forgotten what you said. But God did not forget. He registered what you said that day in faith.

You see, if the words you confess in faith for yourself or over your loved ones are God’s own words, He says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” Because what is promised to you is God’s Word, you will see the manifestation of His promise. He will certainly watch over His Word to perform it! (Numbers 23:19)

Go Forth Neither Poor Nor Feeble!

Psalm 105:37
37He also brought them out with silver and gold, and there was none feeble among His tribes.

When the children of Israel were slaves in Egypt, they lived in poverty and faced daily hardships from their cruel taskmasters. Scars and fresh lashes from their masters’ whips covered their bodies. The blistering heat of Egypt caused excruciating sores to fester. Many of them were bent double from the long hours spent carrying tonnes of bricks and mortar. Slaving away for long hours under harsh conditions added years to them. And with no proper nourishment, many of them were feeble and emaciated.

But something happened to them on the night of the Passover. (Exodus 12) With the blood of the lamb applied on their doorposts, they came under God’s protection. And inside their homes, as instructed by God, they ate the lamb roasted in fire.

I believe that those who were blind ate the eyes of the lamb, believing that the perfect eyes of the lamb would give them perfect vision. If they had heart conditions, they ate the heart of the lamb, believing that their hearts would beat strong again. And if they were lame, they ate the legs of the lamb, believing that they would be frisking like lambs.

And when morning came, something new and miraculous happened to them. They went forth with God no longer as slaves but free people. They were no longer poor and needy, but possessed silver and gold given to them by the Egyptians. And none of them — there were about 2.5 million of them — were feeble or sickly!

If this was what the children of Israel experienced after taking the Passover lamb, which is only a shadow or type of Christ, how much more will we who have come under the covering of the holy blood of Jesus, the true Lamb of God, experience such blessings?

When you put your trust in the Lamb of God who was burnt by God’s fiery judgment meant for you and me, you will go forth daily, neither poor nor feeble, but immensely rich, blessedly supplied and divinely strengthened in Christ!

God Gives You Power To Get Wealth

Deuteronomy 8:18
18“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.”

The idea that poverty is holy and wealth a curse never came from God. It came from the devil who wants you poor. He robs and steals from you (John 10:10), and even wants you to have a poverty mentality to keep you poor!

God, however, wants you to prosper. And He does it by giving you the power to get wealth.

Having this power means that if you are a businessman, you will find yourself full of innovative ideas that will bring in huge profits for your company. Even as a salaried worker, you will find yourself promoted quickly because your organisation values your contributions highly.

God wants to prosper you like how he prospered Abraham — in all things (Genesis 24:1), so that He can fulfil the covenant He made with Abraham. God gave Abraham the power to get wealth, and he became rich in “flocks and herds, silver and gold, male and female servants, and camels and donkeys”. (Genesis 24:35) His son, Isaac, inherited his possessions and was also empowered by God to get wealth, so he became “very prosperous”. (Genesis 26:13) God also gave Abraham’s grandson, Jacob, the power to get wealth, and he grew “exceedingly prosperous”. (Genesis 30:43)

God’s promise that Abraham and his seed would possess the earth or be heirs of the world was not based on obedience to the law but on the righteousness of faith. (Romans 4:13) And because you are in Christ and righteous by faith, you are Abraham’s seed and an heir of the world according to the promise. (Galatians 3:29) Are heirs of the world poor? Of course not!

My friend, God wants you to be prosperous, not just inwardly but outwardly too. (3 John 1:2) So today, even if you don’t have a cent in your pocket, remember the Lord your God — it is He who gives you the power to get wealth. That is how He establishes His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob!

God Uses The Weak To Confound The Mighty

1 Corinthians 1:27
27But God has chosen the foolish things of the world to put to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to put to shame the things which are mighty.

When you are looking desperately for powerful means to combat the big challenges that you are facing, you are not thinking the way God thinks.

The Bible tells us that it pleases God to use weak, foolish, base and despised things of the world to bring to nothing things which are mighty.

“What is that in your hand?” God asked.

“A rod,” Moses said. And with that rod, he performed miracles and confounded the might of Pharaoh.

“Five loaves and two fish,” a little boy said. And with that little boy’s lunch, Jesus fed 5,000 men besides the women and children, and his disciples gathered 12 basketfuls of leftovers.

“The jawbone of an ass,” Samson said. And with that, he slew a thousand Philistines, who were the enemies of God’s people.

“Five stones and a sling,” said David the shepherd boy. And with one of his stones and the sling, he brought down Goliath, the mighty Philistine champion dressed in full armour.

At a recent conference for Hokkien-speaking pastors, Pastor Mark, who pastors our Hokkien•Mandarin ministry, realised how his Hokkien pales in comparison to the refined and flawless Hokkien spoken by the other pastors there. Yet, it pleases God to use Pastor Mark’s kopi-tiam (coffeeshop) Hokkien to lead many dialect-speaking folks, especially the elderly, to Christ.

Many of these elderly folks are testifying that for the first time in their lives, they are set free completely from fears of debilitating diseases, loneliness, deep-rooted superstitions, generational curses, the dreaded old age and even death. And the Hokkien service, which has experienced rapid growth, now has more than 1,000 worshippers on a regular Sunday!

This pastor knows that the many blessings and miracles he is seeing in his ministry happen because it has pleased God to use a weak vessel like him to bring down strongholds and set precious lives free!

'Lord, I Cannot, But You Can!'

Philippians 2:13
13For it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure.

Have you ever tried to break a bad habit on your own? You probably found that when you tried to stop it by sheer will power, you saw improvements for a while, and then bounced back to square one. Worse, you found yourself binging on the very thing that you were trying not to do. And your condition is worse than before you started your “I’m going to quit” programme!

The changes were temporary because it was you doing it.

A church member who had been a chain-smoker used to believe that with will power, he could quit smoking. He would tell himself, “If there is a will, there is a way!” But he discovered that with will power, he could stop smoking for a week or two, and then he would succumb to the pull of nicotine again.

When he turned his life over to God and learnt about God’s grace, he told God, “I realise that I cannot stop smoking. I cannot, but You can, Lord.” And every time he lit up, he would say, “Lord, I am trying to stop smoking, but I cannot. I am trusting You.” He would even say, “I am still righteous because of Jesus’ blood.”

Well, in the same year, all his cravings to smoke vanished! When asked how he succeeded, he would say, “It is entirely God, none of me! It is all by His grace.” This man completely lost all desire to smoke. That is true transformation.

When you receive the grace of God to do for you what you cannot do, you will experience effortless and permanent change on the inside, which in turn changes your actions on the outside. The Bible tells us that God works in us to give us both the will and ability to perform what He desires. God removes the old want to’s and gives us new ones. And He even gives us the power to carry them out!

So look to His grace to do what you cannot do. Say, “Lord, I cannot, but You can!” Then, what you experience will not just merely be behaviour modification, but true and lasting inward transformation!

The Son's Heartbeat For You

3 John 1:2, KJV
2Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.

Imagine that you are in your nineties. Someone comes along and asks you, “Sir, you have been a Christian for a very long time. You have seen much and done much with God by your side. You have prayed all kinds of prayers too. So what do you place as top priority when you pray for people?”

I believe the apostle John was asked a similar question and his reply was, “Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth.” When the apostle John wrote 3 John, he was already a very old man and probably the only disciple of the original 12 who was still alive. It had been so long ago since he last walked alongside his beloved Lord, and witnessed His crucifixion, resurrection and ascension.

The apostle John had also leaned on the Lord’s bosom on the night of the Last Supper. And I believe that there on Jesus’ bosom, he must have felt the heartbeat of the Son of God — that loving and compassionate heartbeat which had caused Him to go about “doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil”. (Acts 10:38) In fact, two-thirds of Jesus’ ministry on earth had to do with healing the sick.

And now, nearing the end of his life, and after all he had heard, seen and experienced, the apostle John prioritised, above all things, health as well as prosperity. He said, “I wish above all things that you prosper and be in health, even as your soul prospers.” He knew the Lord’s heartbeat. He knew that the Lord wants and will always want this for His people.

Jesus had prioritised divine healing during His earthly ministry. And Jesus, who is “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8), will do the same for you today. His heart still beats for you. He will never miss an opportunity to do good to you, to heal you of your broken body, emotional scars and weary spirit, and to prosper you!

Don't Be Dust-Conscious

Luke 13:11
11And behold, there was a woman who had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bent over and could in no way raise herself up.

Imagine being bowed over for 18 years. All you would see is the dust on the ground. That was the predicament of the woman in Luke 13. Dust was all her eyes fell on, all the time, everywhere she went, until she became dust-conscious. Thank God she finally saw the beautiful feet of Jesus, who brought her good news and raised her up.

Now, dust is the devil’s food. The Bible tells us that God cursed the devil to eat dust all the days of his life. (Genesis 3:14) Dust represents death. (Genesis 3:19) The devil wants you to be like him — to fall flat on your belly, crawl and eat dust. To eat dust is to feed on your shortcomings and lack, until you constantly feel that there is so much in your life that you need to clean up. You may not be bowed over, but like the woman, you become dust-conscious and life every day is a struggle.

Having a dust consciousness also affects the way you see others. You look at people’s faults all the time. You point out their shortcomings and rake up their past failures. When you are dust-conscious, you find your relationships robbed of peace and joy.

And if you, like the woman, keep looking at the dust, before long, that inward position of dust-consciousness becomes so entrenched that you become the devil’s food because dust is what he eats. God’s Word describes him as being like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. (1 Peter 5:8)

If you don’t want to be devoured, lift your head above the dust! Instead of looking at your failures, look to Christ who has delivered you from every defeat. See yourself the way God sees you — righteous and holy in Christ. (Colossians 3:12, 2 Corinthians 5:21) You are not dust because you are not in and of the flesh — you are in and of the Spirit. (Romans 8:9)

The more you realise who you are in Christ, the more you will straighten up and walk the way God sees you — a new creation with His authority, power and overcoming Spirit!

Which Is Easier To Say?

Colossians 2:13
13And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses.

Let me ask you a question Jesus asked the Pharisees 2,000 years ago: “Which is easier, to say [to the paralytic], ‘Your sins are forgiven you,’ or to say, ‘Rise up and walk’?” (Luke 5:23)

In the context of ministering to the paralytic, saying “Your sins are forgiven” is probably easier. Why? Because you don’t need an outward manifestation to prove that his sins are forgiven. But when you tell him, “Rise up and walk”, he must rise up and walk, or you will look very foolish! So that makes saying “Your sins are forgiven” easier than saying “Rise up and walk”.

The truth is, what is seemingly more difficult for man in the natural is not so for God. With God, physical healing is clearly “easier” for Him than forgiveness of sins. The latter is the “harder” and greater miracle because it required God to deliver up His beloved Son to take on all our sins and shed His blood on the cross.

Yet, when faced with a loved one stricken with cancer, or when gripped by mounting debts after being jobless for a long time, we find it harder to believe and say that God has already given us the breakthroughs we need, than to believe and say that our sins are forgiven. Saying that our sins are forgiven seems easier than saying that God has already given us the miraculous physical healing, supernatural financial breakthrough and divine favour at the next job interview.

But since God has done the “harder” and greater miracle of “having forgiven you all trespasses”, there is nothing else He will not do for you! In fact, if you think that there is something that God is withholding from you, you are implying that that something is greater than the forgiveness of sins which Jesus died to give you! But nothing can be greater than the perfect sacrifice of Jesus.

So hear the Lord telling you today, “Your sins have been forgiven you. You have perfect acceptance before God. Rise up and be healed! Rise up and walk in health, wisdom, favour, protection and wholeness!”

Release The Power In You!

Ephesians 3:20
20Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.

How much power is working in you right now? God’s Word says that there is “power that works in us”. It is a tremendous power that shakes the heavens and the earth because it comes from the throne of God, “who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think”! The problem, however, is that many of us don’t release that power.

God wants us to release that power because there are things that will not happen on earth until we do so. Jesus said that “whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven”. (Matthew 16:19) What Jesus is saying is that what you permit to happen, heaven will permit. What you disallow to happen, heaven will disallow!

So how do we release God’s power in us? One way is to pray in tongues. When we allow His Spirit to make intercession for us (Romans 8:26), miracles can happen.

Some time ago, the aunt of a church member underwent surgery to remove a diseased kidney. In spite of the surgery, the prognosis was poor. At home, the church member and his wife were prompted by the Spirit to release the power that works in them by praying in tongues for the aunt.

Back at the hospital, the aunt underwent further observation. When an X-ray of her abdominal area was taken, the doctor was shocked to find two kidneys. Five other doctors were consulted who subsequently examined the aunt. At first, they thought that the surgeon who had performed the operation made a mistake and did not remove the kidney. But upon investigation, the diseased kidney had indeed been removed. They could not explain what happened.

But the church member and his wife needed no explanation because they knew that when they released the power that worked in them, God did exceedingly abundantly above all that they could ask or think.

Beloved, He will do the same for you. Just pray in the Spirit and release the power that works in you!

Fresh Grace Every Day

Matthew 6:34
34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

“I am concerned about the big business deal that I have to close tomorrow.”

“I am worried about tomorrow’s job interview.”

“My medical test results will be out tomorrow. I am afraid it won’t be good.”

God does not want you to worry about tomorrow. He gives you all the help you need for today. When tomorrow comes, so will fresh help from Him.

This is God’s principle even in the Old Testament. When the children of Israel were in the desert, God gave them fresh manna straight from heaven every morning. (Exodus 16:13–16, 31) They did not have to worry about tomorrow because when tomorrow came, there was fresh manna again. He was their provision every day.

Today, God’s manna is the grace He gives you every day. If you are worried about a situation tomorrow, know that there will be sufficient grace for that situation when it comes. God wants you to simply rest in His ability to heal, deliver, protect and provide for you every day.

In the Old Testament, when the armies of Moab and Ammon came against King Jehoshaphat, God told the anxious king, “Do not be afraid nor dismayed… for the battle is not yours, but God’s… You will not need to fight in this battle… stand still and see the salvation of the Lord”. (2 Chronicles 20:15–17)

When the next morning came, King Jehoshaphat saw how God caused such confusion to come upon his enemies’ camp that it brought about their own slaughter. Amid all that fighting in the enemy camp, God’s people merely stood still and saw God fight the battle for them just as He had promised.

My friend, when you see a problem looming in your tomorrow, do not fear or be dismayed because you will see the grace and salvation of God deliver you and fight that battle for you.

God wants you to live a stress-free life, not one filled with worries about tomorrow’s problems. When tomorrow comes, His grace will be there for you as your help, protection, favour and enabling!

The Blood Alone Saves

Exodus 12:13
13Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you…

On the night of the first Passover, the children of Israel were probably anxious and nervous.

“Did you hear that the angel of death is passing through tonight?”

“Yes! And I was told to put the blood on the doorposts of my house and everything would be alright. Is that true?”

Like the Israelites, you might be wondering, “Can the blood really protect me? How much blood do I have to put on my doorposts? Will the angel of death get me if I am fearful?”

My friend, do not add to God’s conditions. He said, “When I see the blood, I will pass over you and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you.” He did not say, “When I see the blood, plus your understanding, efforts, obedience, faithfulness and refusal to give in to fear, then I will pass over you.”

It is the blood alone that delivers you. If you think that it is your faith, then you will always be wondering, “Do I have enough faith?” No my friend, it is the blood alone that saves. And when God sees that you see that it is the blood alone that saves, He calls that faith in the blood, and every plague will pass over you!

God wants you to know that it is the blood alone that saves because every time you think that your deliverance depends partly on God, and partly on you, you will not have a settled peace in your heart. But when you know that it is the blood alone that saves, you will have an unshakeable peace.

It was the blood that saved the children of Israel from the destroyer on that Passover night and it is still the blood that saves today. And all you need to do for the blood to avail is to say, “Father, I thank you that the blood of Jesus alone covers me and my family. No evil, plague or disaster will befall me or my family because of the blood!”

Thanking Your Way To Your Miracle

John 11:41
41Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead man was lying. And Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.”

Jesus lived a life of thanksgiving. He always thanked His Father for what He had and for always hearing Him when He prayed. That was how He released miracles in His life.

In the story of the feeding of the five thousand (John 6:1–13), Jesus’ attitude was one of thankfulness. He took a little boy’s lunch of five loaves and two fish, gave thanks and had them distributed. He gave thanks for the little that was there and the little multiplied. Not only did the people eat as much as they wanted, there were 12 basketfuls left over!

So when you see your meagre balance in your bank account, thank the Lord for what you have. It could be your “five loaves and two fish”. When you give Him thanks, your little will become much, with leftovers!

Even when faced with the impossible, the solution was still, “Father, I thank you…” When Jesus stood outside Lazarus’ tomb, and the people took away the stone that was covering the tomb, Jesus did not see the situation as hopeless and impossible. He simply lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.” Then, He proceeded to call forth Lazarus, and the man came forth alive once more!

The raising of Lazarus, who was dead for more than four days, was one of Jesus’ greatest miracles. And He accomplished this by saying, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me.” He thanked His way to an awesome miracle.

The next time you find yourself praying, “God, please! Do this for me… God, please! Give me this!” stop! Instead, say, “Thank you God, for hearing me. And because you have heard me, I thank you that I have what I asked for.” And when you thank God, the little that you have will multiply. Your impossible situations will turn around for God’s provision. And resurrection life will hit you!

Look To God's Truths, Not The Natural Facts

Numbers 21:9
9So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

“Pastor Prince, I know that God is my healer. But why is this sickness and pain still in my body?”

If you have been looking at your sickness and pain all this while, stop looking at self and start looking at Jesus. Did He or did He not take your sickness and pain?

God’s Word declares, “Surely He has borne our sicknesses and carried our pains.” (Isaiah 53:4, YLT) If Jesus already took your sickness and pain at the cross, then He cannot “untake” them. Even if you find it hard to believe that Jesus has paid for your healing, especially when the pain is unbearable, the truth is that it is still paid for. It is a finished work!

God is not saying that your sickness does not exist, nor is He asking you to pretend that it is not there. He is asking you to look away from the sickness, painful as it may be, and look to the truth that it is already judged at the cross in the body of His Son.

Once, while still in the wilderness, the children of Israel were bitten by deadly desert serpents. The serpents were real. The bites were painful and deadly. So God told Moses to point the people to the bronze serpent put on a pole — a picture of the cross. (John 3:14) Bronze signifies judgment. In other words, the serpent — their problem — was already judged at the cross.

Those who kept their eyes on the bronze serpent lived. Those who focused on their wounds died. So stop looking at your sickness. Instead, look to the cross and see your sickness already judged in the body of Jesus. Surely He has borne your sickness and carried your pain! That is the truth of God’s Word. And His Word supersedes natural facts.

My friend, you establish either natural facts or God’s truths over your problem by what you choose to focus on. So decide today not to focus on the facts concerning your problem. Instead, establish the truth of God’s Word and Christ’s finished work at the cross over your problem — and live!

Grace And Peace Multiplied To You

2 Peter 1:2–3
2Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, 3as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.

Imagine if God were to visit you in a dream tonight and ask you what He could do for you. What would you say to Him?

Would you ask Him to give you a deeper knowledge of Jesus our Lord? For God’s Word tells us that when you receive revelation in the knowledge of Jesus, it will cause grace and peace to be multiplied in your life. It will cause you to receive all things that pertain to life and godliness.

Grace is the unmerited, unearned and undeserved favour of God shown to us. There is nothing we can do to earn God’s grace. But the more we learn of the beauty and the love of our Lord Jesus, the more we see His perfect work on the cross, and the more we position ourselves to receive a multiplication of God’s grace in our lives.

The verse says that peace, too, is multiplied to us through the knowledge of Jesus our Lord. The peace of God sets our hearts free from fear, stress, worries, anxieties and cares. Wouldn’t you want to have the peace of God presiding in your heart always?

God’s divine power has given us all things that pertain not just to godliness, but to life as well. Wouldn’t you say that health, money, a good job and a nice home for your family pertain to life? Well, all these things and everything else which God has already given will be released to you through the knowledge of Jesus our Lord.

So let’s ask God every day, “Father, give me wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Jesus.” For to know Jesus is to have grace and peace multiplied to us. To know Jesus is to receive all things pertaining to life and godliness!