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Today I am reading day 347 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 347
Jesus’ Authority Has Been Given To Us
Matthew 28:18–19 18And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. 19Go therefore…
When God created man, He gave man authority to have dominion over everything on earth. (Genesis 1:26) But when man sinned, he gave this authority to Satan. And when man’s authority was transferred to Satan, Satan brought in diseases, poverty, strife, bitterness, pain, loss and death. He messed up everything on earth for man.
“Pastor Prince, why didn’t God just grab the devil by the neck and throw him out of the garden?”
God did not do that because He is a judicial God. It was a man who gave away his authority to Satan. So it had to be a man who would legally take it back. And God has done this through a Man. His name is Jesus!
By His death on the cross, Jesus righteously restored all that man had lost. That is why, just before He went back to heaven, He said, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” Those words tell us that He has transferred His authority to us. The same authority that He had over the storm, evil spirits, sicknesses, diseases and even death is now ours to use.
So when there are reports of a flu epidemic and of young children falling sick in the media, know that you have dominion over the epidemic. Declare, “By the authority given to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, this flu virus will not come near my children. I plead the blood of Jesus over them.”
If you have been told that your family has a history of heart disease, take dominion and declare, “By the authority given to me in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I destroy every form, manifestation and hereditary cause of this disease. By His blood, my family has been redeemed from this and every other curse.”
My friend, the authority that has been restored to us is not just the authority on earth which man had before the fall, but Jesus’ unquestionable and complete authority in heaven and on earth!
Thought For The Day
The same authority that Jesus had over the storm, evil spirits, sicknesses, diseases and even death is now ours to use.
Today I am reading day 327 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 327
Use Your Double Portion Of Speaking Power
1 Peter 2:9 9But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people…
God calls us “a royal priesthood”. This means that we are kings as well as priests under the king-priesthood of Jesus Christ. This has never happened before in the history of God’s people. In the Old Testament, kings and priests were two distinct groups of people. You were either a king or priest, but not both at the same time.
Today, because we are in Christ, we are king-priests — a royal priesthood. This means that we have a double portion of speaking power because as kings, “Where the word of a king is, there is power” (Ecclesiastes 8:4), and as priests, “by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled”. (Deuteronomy 21:5)
So if you are a Christian businessman, you will have an edge over worldly businessmen. What you say about your business deals will come to pass. And if you are falsely accused, know that by your very word, every controversy and every assault will be settled!
And as a king-priest parent, when you bless your children, your words have the power to set in motion supernatural events that will bring them into God’s abundance and superabounding grace. And there will be such a courage and resilience about them that it will empower them to win the fights of life!
When the devil comes to you and says that you will die young because your father and grandfather died young, or that you will never be successful because you are not well-educated, you must remember that the devil is neither a king nor a priest. There is no power in his words. But there is power in yours because you are a king-priest in Christ!
So instead of agreeing with him, believe and declare, “I will not die young. With long life He will satisfy me and show me His salvation!” Say, “The Lord will make my way prosperous and give me good success!” Use your double portion of speaking power and see these blessings come to pass!
Thought For The Day
You have a double portion of speaking power because you are a king as well as a priest in Christ Jesus.
Today I am reading day 299 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 299
True To Your Assessment
Leviticus 27:12 12… the priest shall set a value for it, whether it is good or bad; as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be.
Your colleague says that this week is going to be a lousy one because the new boss is mean. You disagree and say that it is going to be a blessed week. Both of you will go through the same week, but with very different outcomes. While your friend’s week will indeed turn out to be a lousy one, yours will be filled with the favor of the Lord!
In the Old Testament, when someone brought what he had to the priest for a valuation, whatever the priest assessed the value of the item to be, it was so. If he assessed it to be of good value, then it was of good value. If he assessed it to be of poor value, then it was of poor value.
Today, you are also a priest because of Jesus’ blood. (Revelation 1:5–6) And “as you, the priest, value it, so it shall be”. If you assess your year to be one of financial breakthroughs, so it will be for you. If you assess your life to be filled with divine health, so it will be for you.
There was a stroke patient who was bedridden. While listening to my recorded sermons, he assessed that with God as his salvation, his life would be long and satisfying. (Psalm 91:16) He believed that God would help him walk again. Not too long after his assessment, he was able to walk and was no longer bound to the bed! The next assessment he made about his health was complete recovery with God as his helper.
Actually, you have more authority than the Levitical priests of the Old Testament. They were of the old priesthood of mortal men. But you are of the greater and “forever” priesthood of Jesus! (Hebrews 7:8, 17) Not only that, you are a king-priest. (Revelation 1:6) In other words, you are a king as well! And as a king, your assessment is also binding because where the word of a king is, there is power! (Ecclesiastes 8:4)
My friend, this means that you have a double portion of assessment power. Therefore, boldly assess good things for your life, and it will be so for you!
Thought For The Day
As you, the priest, assess your situation, so it shall be.
Today I am reading day 191 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 191
Your Words Carry Power!
Ecclesiastes 8:4 4Where the word of a king is, there is power…
In Bible times, a king’s 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 1:5–6) 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 can’t 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 For The Day
As kings in Christ, our words carry power. When we speak God’s promises, they will come to pass.
Today I am reading day 92 of Joseph Prince’s Devotional:
Day 92
Time To Use Your Authority
Exodus 14:15–16 15And the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward. 16But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it…
The problem with the body of Christ today is not that we are not praying. We are praying. But many of us are praying desperate prayers. We are praying, “God, help… God, please… God, do something about my problem!”
If you are smiling a little by now, most likely, you know about such prayers and might have prayed a couple yourself. My friend, God does not want you to pray pleading prayers all the time. He wants you to use the authority He has given you to pray powerful prayers, to boldly command and to “stretch out your hand” and see miracles happen.
When Moses stood before the Red Sea with Pharaoh’s army in hot pursuit, the Bible tells us that he cried out to God. But God told him, “Why do you cry to Me?”
There is a time for you to cry out to God and there is a time for you to use your authority. God told Moses, “Tell the children of Israel to go forward. But lift up your rod, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it.”
The “rod” you have today is the name of Jesus. As you command in Jesus’ name, your “sea” will open and you will go on dry ground through the midst of your problem.
Do you realize that Jesus did not say, “Go and pray for the sick”? He said,” Go and heal the sick.” (Matthew 10:8) So stop pleading and asking all the time, and start using the authority you have in Christ.
Jesus told the church, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore…” (Matthew 28:18–19) My friend, God wants you to go and use the authority that He has given you. And as you go, miracles will flow!
Thought For The Day
When you start using the authority you have in Christ, miracles will flow.
Today I am reading day 40 of Rick Warren’s Daily Devotional:
Who’s the Boss?
Colossians 3:23-24 Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.
1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
Your boss is not really your boss; your boss is Jesus.
There are two things I want you to see in our verses today.
First, it says, “Work hard and cheerfully at whatever you do as though you were working for the Lord rather than for people.” (Colossians 3:23 NLT) It’s easier to be enthusiastic about your job when you turn the focus of your work from “I’m doing this for my boss” or “I’m doing this for a paycheck” to “I’m doing this for the Lord,” With that in mind you can do anything – scrape paint, wash dishes, repair a car – and turn it into worship.
Second, when you turn your work into worship, you start storing up credits in heaven. Colossians 3:24 says, “Remember that the Lord will give you an inheritance as your reward, and the Master you are serving is Christ.” (Colossians 3:24 NLT) As you work for God, you are making eternal deposits in heaven.
“So whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV) It doesn’t matter if you’re rearranging papers or signing bills, any job can become an act of worship if you do it enthusiastically for God.
Today I am reading day 18 of NIV Once-A-Day At the Table Family Devotional:
The Ultimate Authority
Romans 15:4 Everything written in the Scriptures was written to teach us, in order that we might have hope through the patience and encouragement which the Scriptures give us.
• Think of someone who has earned your respect. What makes that person worthy of your respect? If that person gave you an instruction, how would you respond? Explain.
• How would you respond if someone you didn’t respect gave you an instruction? What would be the difference?
The Bible contains a lot of really good advice — but it’s not a self-help book. It’s much more important than that. A self-help book may be a useful tool, but it’s not absolutely necessary. The Bible is an integral part of our relationship with God.
The Bible is more like an instruction manual. It shows us how we are constructed and what we are designed for. It tells us very specifically what we must do in order to run at maximum capacity. The more closely we follow what the Bible says, the better chance we have of creating a life that resembles God’s blueprint. Not only does the Bible give us instruction, the Scriptures are one means of grace by which the Holy Spirit works to transform our lives.
The Bible is also a law book. It is the final authority for what is right and wrong. The Bible, then, is the perfect yardstick for measuring the things that influence us. If an idea, teaching or piece of advice follows God’s Word, we should consider it. If it doesn’t, we should beware of it. It’s that simple.
My Prayer to God
Dear God, thank you for giving us the Bible as the authority to guide our lives. Help us keep a proper respect for your Word. Amen.
Lord, lead me everyday 