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Community => Big Talk => Chit-Chat => Religion => Topic started by: JT on Jan 02, 2014 at 10:13 AM
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TODAY'S VERSE
"And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death." Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I will testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Knowing the Word
I believe the Lord showed me through an insight into Scripture how we can overcome Satan. Most Christians know that we are to overcome him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony. But many tend to make it a kind of repetitive phrase: “I plead the blood…I plead the blood.” I don’t want to discount the value of that practice, but I have observed that sometimes it does not impress the devil. I think we have to apply it more purposefully.
How do we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of our testimony? Three elements are involved: the blood, the Word of God, and our testimony. And this is how I interpret the application of Revelation 12:11: We overcome Satan when we testify personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for us.
It is very clear that if we are going to testify to what the Word says the blood does for us, we will have to know what the Word says the blood does. Over the next several weeks, we will be looking at what the Word of God says the blood of Jesus accomplishes for us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. Because of what the Word says, I proclaim that I have overcome Satan by testifying to what the blood of Jesus has done for me. I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional by Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY's DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Applying the Blood
In looking at this confession, we can see that we have to know what the blood of Jesus does for us. Then, we have to take it from the “blood bank” and get it into our lives. There is a parallel for this application in the Passover ceremony, which was God’s provision of deliverance and salvation for Israel. (See Exodus 12:21–27.) The father of each family had to kill a lamb (the sacrifice) and catch its blood in a basin. This act demonstrates the tremendous responsibility of fathers to be priests of their families.
The blood in the basin, however, did not protect any Israelite family; it had to be transferred from the basin to where the family lived. Only one means was provided, and that was hyssop. This plant is common in the Middle East; it grows everywhere there. So they had to pick a bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood, and strike it on the lintel and two doorposts of their dwelling, but never on the threshold. You are never to walk over the blood.
With that done, the destroying angel could not enter the dwelling. But only those Israelites who were in their homes, safe behind the blood, were protected. That was the only place of safety in Egypt that night.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I am protected from the adversary by applying the blood to myself and my family. I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional by Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY's DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Walking in Obedience
In the Passover ceremony, the blood of lambs was collected in basins. Once the blood was transferred from the basins to the Israelites’ dwelling places, they were safe, on one condition: they had to stay inside their houses.
This truth is very important: the blood protects only the obedient. You are safe while you obey. Let’s look at 1 Peter 1:2. Peter was greeting the “pilgrims of the Dispersion [in Greek, diaspora]” (verse 1). He was specifically addressing the Jews outside the land of Israel, who were “elect [or chosen] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
Notice that obedience comes before sprinkling. The blood is not sprinkled on the disobedient. The blood does not protect those who go out of the house. It protects only those who are behind the blood or covered by it. So, bear in mind, although there is perfect protection in the blood, it is for the obedient alone.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim this day that I will walk in obedience to You. I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional by Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY's DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Relying on the Lamb
In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul connected the Passover of the Old Testament with the crucifixion of Jesus:
For indeed Christ [the Messiah], our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
There is a very clear application of the Passover to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We can say that the Passover Lamb was killed almost twenty centuries ago, and His blood is in the basin. His blood has been shed, but the blood cannot protect us while it remains in the basin. We have to transfer the blood from the basin to the places where we live.
Under the old covenant, hyssop was used, but what do we use under the new covenant? The answer is our testimonies. Our personal testimonies take the blood out of the basin and apply it to our “houses” - to our lives, our situations, and our families. We overcome Satan when we testify personally to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that Jesus was sacrificed for me, and I rely on His blood to make me clean and free from sin. I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional by Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY's DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Measure of His Love
On the Day of Atonement, the blood of the sacrifices had to be sprinkled seven times before God the Father. (See Leviticus 16:14.) We see this regulation exactly fulfilled in the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in the New Testament.
First, His sweat became blood. Second, the Roman soldiers struck Him in the face with their fists and with rods. Third, they flogged Him with a Roman scourge. Fourth, His beard was pulled out. Fifth, thorns were pressed deep into His scalp. Sixth, His hands and feet were pierced with nails. Seventh, His side was pierced with a spear.
That is the measure of Christ’s love. It cost Him literally all He had. He did not simply give up His glory, His throne, and His majesty as God. He did not simply give up His few earthly possessions as a man on earth. He gave up Himself. It was His own life that He poured out in His blood as the redemptive price. Think about that staggering reality and know that it is the measure of God’s love. It is extravagant, to say the least.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that He gave all He had - poured out His life completely - so that I may be free from sin. I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen., for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that His complete work on the cross has taken away my sins. I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Sinless Lamb
We were redeemed, or bought back, from our old, evil, ungodly ways of living, from the grip of Satan, from the condemnation of sin, and from being open to the attacks of the devourer and the destroyer. But how were we bought back?
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot. (1 Peter 1:18–19)
We are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ - without blemish, without original sin; without spot, without personal sin - the sinless Lamb of God who took away the sins of the world. It is only through His blood that we are redeemed. There was no other amount that could pay the price to purchase our redemption.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, has taken away my sins. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - An Effective Transfer
Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy. (Psalm 107:2)
Some people may know that they were redeemed out of the hand of the devil; others do not. But I know full well where I was before Jesus came into my life; I have no doubt about it. I know what it is like to be in the devil’s hand, and I never want to be there again. I also know, by what Scripture says, that it was the blood of Jesus that got me out of the hand of the devil and into the hand of the Good Shepherd. Jesus said of His people, “I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28 KJV). That was the transfer from the devil’s hand to the hand of the Lord.
But notice that this transfer is effective and able to benefit us only when we do one thing: when we “say so.” “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so.” If you are redeemed, say it! If you do not say it, your redemption is not effective. It is the word of your testimony that makes the blood effective.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I declare that by His blood, I have been transferred from the enemy’s hand to the hand of the Lord. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Protection of the Almighty
Psalm 91 has been called the “atomic age psalm.” This is a psalm of perfect protection from every kind of evil, danger, and harm - however it may come, by whatever means, and at whatever time. Many Christians know this passage well. But let’s just look at the first two verses:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalm 91:1)
The word abide in Hebrew normally means “to pass the night.” It is a word that is frequently used to describe the act of spending the night. So, this tells us that during the hours of darkness, the true believer will be under the shadow, or protection, of the Almighty. Notice the second verse:
I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” (verse 2)
This is the antechamber, the entranceway, into the complete protection of the remaining verses of that psalm. It is your testimony: “I will say.” If you do not say it, you will not have it. And it takes some courage to say what follows in Psalm 91. But only those who say it have the scriptural right to live in it. It is the word of our testimony that makes it effective.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I declare that by His blood, I now live under the protection of Almighty God. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Bought at a Price
The term redemption means “to buy back.” We were slaves, exposed for sale in Satan’s slave market. The apostle Paul said, “I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans 7:14). In the Roman culture of his day, to sell somebody as a slave was to sell him under a spear. He would stand on a block with a spear extended out over his head. When you saw him standing there like that, you knew that he was being sold as a slave.
Paul was saying in this statement, “My sin is the spear over my head, which has caused me to be sold as a slave in the slave market.” And there, too, were we - all of us, sold with Paul as slaves because of our sins.
But one day, Jesus walked into the market and said, “I’ll buy them.” What’s the price? The blood of Jesus. We were bought out of Satan’s kingdom and brought into God’s kingdom.
A slave has no choice about the type of job that he or she will perform for his or her master. One slave may be a cook, another a prostitute - it is the slave owner’s decision. That is how we were. Some may have been respectable slaves, but they were no better than those who were not so respectable. Do not despise prostitutes or alcoholics, for it was the slave owner’s decision that made them what they are. Satan decided what they would be, but Jesus’ blood breaks his hold and sets them free from the devil’s designs.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I have been bought out of Satan’s kingdom and brought into God’s kingdom. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Made and Bought by Him
Here is a parable I told to a group of Polynesian Maoris, who are great wood carvers, to illustrate the price Jesus paid to redeem us from our sins.
There was once a boy who carved a beautiful little wooden sail-boat. One day he took it down to the ocean to sail, but the wind changed and carried his boat out to sea. Since he could not recover his boat, he went home without it.
The next high tide brought the boat back again, and it was found by a man walking along the seashore. He inspected the boat and saw that it was beautifully made, so he sold it to a shopkeeper who cleaned it up and put it in his window, priced to sell.
Some while later, the boy passed by the shop and saw his boat. He knew immediately that it was his, but he had no way to prove it. So, if he wanted it back, he knew he would have to buy it.
He set to work to earn the money by washing cars, mowing lawns, and other tasks. When he finally raised the necessary funds, he walked into the shop and bought back his boat. He took it in his hands, and, holding it to his breast, said, “Now you’re mine! I made you and I bought you.”
Picture yourself as that boat. You may feel inadequate or worthless; you may wonder if God really cares. But the Lord is saying to you, “Now you’re doubly Mine - I made you and I bought you; you’re fully Mine.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that the Lord made me and bought me, and I am fully His. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY's VERSE
"Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom He has redeemed from the hand of the enemy." -Psalm 107:2
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil.
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Out Of One Kingdom And Into Another
The Lord redeemed us so that we are no longer in the hand of the enemy but in the Lord’s hand.
Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:12–13)
It is a fact that God has delivered us from the power of darkness - that is, Satan’s kingdom - and conveyed us into the kingdom of Christ. Thus, we have redemption - our sins are forgiven. We are no longer in Satan’s territory, nor are we under his authority. The unbelieving, those who reject Christ, the rebellious, and the disobedient are under Satan’s legitimate authority, but we Christians are not.
The fact is that when we repented and surrendered to Jesus Christ and made Him Lord of our lives, we were conveyed (translated, or carried over) - spirit, soul, and body - out of the kingdom of Satan and into the kingdom of Christ. These are facts. We believe facts from the invisible realm of God’s Word because we no longer go by our feelings. The shield of faith covers every area of our lives. No fiery dart need ever get past it. (See Ephesians 6:16.)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that by His blood, I have been delivered from darkness and translated into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.ou, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that the Lord made me and bought me, and I am fully His. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY'S VERSE
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Full Rights of Redemption
In Ephesians 1:7, we see this provision of the blood of Jesus:
In Him [Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.
The forgiveness of our sins is purchased for us by the blood of Jesus. Compare this verse with what Jesus said at the Last Supper in Matthew 26:28 as He gave the disciples the cup, which was the emblem of His blood:
For this is My blood of the new covenant [testament], which is shed for many for the remission [forgiveness] of sins. (Matthew 26:28)
Hebrews 9:22 says that without shedding of blood, there is no remission of sin. So the blood of Jesus was shed that our sins might be forgiven.
You will notice that in Ephesians 1:7, Paul made these two things coextensive: redemption through the blood of Jesus and the forgiveness of sins. This is very important to understand because we have the full legal rights of redemption only insofar as our sins are forgiven.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank you, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that because all my sins are forgiven by His blood, I now have the full legal rights of redemption. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY's VERSE
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Settling All Claims
If all our sins are forgiven, we have total rights of redemption. But if there is any sin in our lives that is not confessed—and is therefore not forgiven—we do not have full legal rights of redemption in that area.
Satan still has a claim in that area. I have proved this many times in the ministry of deliverance. If Satan has any claim, he will not give it up. You can shout in his face or fast for a week, but you will not change the situation because Satan knows that he has a legal claim that still has not been settled.
Another common way in which believers give Satan a legal claim in their lives is by failing to forgive others. Jesus taught us that we are forgiven by God in the same measure in which we forgive others. We are to pray, “Forgive us our debts [trespasses], as we forgive our debtors [those who trespasses against us]” (Matthew 6:12).
We are not entitled to claim forgiveness from God above the measure in which we forgive others. (See verses 14–15.) Therefore, if there are any people we have not forgiven, in that measure, we are not forgiven by God. In other words, any area of unforgiveness in our lives is an area to which Satan still has legal claim. Do what you will; you cannot dislodge him until you have forgiven whomever you need to forgive.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I am fully forgiven, because I confess all my sins and now forgive those who have hurt me (list specific names). Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY's VERSE
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Two Directions of Forgiveness
Forgiveness is one of the most beautiful words in any language. What makes it such a special and beautiful word? Consider some of the results that flow from forgiveness: reconciliation, peace, harmony, understanding, fellowship. How our world today stands in such dire need of these things!
In contrast, consider some of the consequences that flow from our failure to give and receive forgiveness: bitterness, strife, disharmony, hatred, and war. At times, it seems as though the entire human race is in danger of being overwhelmed by these evil, negative forces. If we are ever to rise above these conditions, it will be only as we learn and apply the principles of forgiveness.
There are two directions of forgiveness presented in the Bible. These two directions are portrayed by that great symbol of our Christian faith: the cross. The cross has two beams—one vertical, one horizontal—that represent the two directions of forgiveness. The vertical beam represents the forgiveness that we all need to receive from God and can be received only through our identification with the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ. The horizontal beam represents our relationships with our fellow men, and it speaks of the forgiveness that, in this case, has two directions: the forgiveness we need to receive from others, and the forgiveness we need to extend to others.
Once again, the only place where we can receive the grace for that kind of forgiveness is the cross
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I am fully forgiven, because I confess all my sins and now forgive those who have hurt me (list specific names). Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY's VERSE
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Clean Slate
One of the most wondrous aspects of God’s nature is that when He forgives, He does so completely and in full. The book of Micah states this truth beautifully:
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18–19)
Isn’t that beautiful? Every wrong thing that we have ever done—everything that could ever make us feel guilty, every accusation that the enemy could ever bring against us—God treads underfoot, then hurls it into the depths of the sea.
Someone has remarked that when God casts your sins into the sea, He puts up a notice that reads, “NO FISHING!” Don’t ever try to go back and resurrect something that God has buried. If God has forgiven you, you are forgiven. There are no further questions. God’s forgiveness is total. In Isaiah, God speaks to His people,
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins. (Isaiah 43:25)
When God forgives us, He blots out the record of our sins; our slates are clean. God does not have a poor memory, but He does have the ability to choose to forget. And when He forgives, He forgets!
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that You have forgiven me fully, blotting out the record of my sins. You have forgotten them, and I will, as well. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY's VERSE
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Countless Blessings of Forgiveness
The type of forgiveness that we need, and can receive only from God Himself, is the vertical aspect of forgiveness. There is such blessedness in being forgiven by God. This truth was articulated perhaps most beautifully by David in Psalm 32:
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. (v1–2)
In the Hebrew language, this psalm begins with a plural noun: blessednesses. “Oh, the blessednesses of the one whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered.” The implication is that there are innumerable blessings attached to having our sins forgiven by God.
It is important to see that the Bible does not talk about a man who does not need forgiveness. The Bible clearly indicates that all of us need forgiveness from God; there are no exceptions. In other psalms, David said that there is no man who does not sin. We have all sinned. Therefore, we all need forgiveness. It is not a question of whether we need forgiveness but whether we receive it.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I need Your forgiveness, and that as You forgive me, You bring great blessing to me, as well. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY's VERSE
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Acknowledging Our Sin
In Psalm 32, King David wrote out of his own personal experience:
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord”—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (verses 3–5 NIV)
I believe that when David wrote this, he had in mind the matter of Bathsheba, the wife of Uriah the Hittite. It was a terrible situation in which David had committed adultery, then committed murder to cover up his adultery. David obviously had been like many of us. For a long while, he had refused to face the fact of his sin. He tried to ignore it.
In the next verses, David makes a personal application:
Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. (verses 6–7 NIV)
It is never too late to confess our sins to God and seek refuge in His salvation. He will deliver us from our sins if we’ll only acknowledge them and repent.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that because I readily confess any sin that I may have tried to hide, You have forgiven the guilt of my sin. You protect me from trouble and surround me with deliverance. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven
TODAY's VERSE
In Him[JESUS] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace. Ephesians 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Testifying Personally
Looking at the statement of TODAY's VERSE from the Word of God about the blood of Jesus, I will show you how to apply it with the hyssop of your personal testimony to your own life situation and need.
This verse tells us two things that we have through the blood of Jesus when we are in Christ. Remember, if we are outside of Christ, it does not avail. During the first Passover in Egypt, the blood did not protect those who were not inside their houses. It was only inside their houses that the Israelites were protected, and it is only inside Christ that we have redemption and forgiveness of sins.
I know the above verse by heart. If I stood upside down in a corner of a dark room on a dark night, I could quote this Scripture without the least problem. I live by this Scripture. I keep my hyssop in my hand. Believe me, not many days pass that I am not using the hyssop in my own life. I have discovered it does the job.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I apply it with the hyssop of my personal testimony, proclaiming that by His blood, I have redemption and forgiveness of sins. Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Cleansing Here and Now
My personal testimony based on the statement above would be, “While I am walking in the light, the blood of Jesus is cleansing me, now and continually, from all sin.” I say it is “cleansing me now” because that makes it a here-and-now statement, not just a vague generalization. It is for me in the here and now, but it is also continual—indefinitely into the future.
The Swahili language of East Africa has a special tense to describe things that are complete and permanent. In that well-known song, “The Blood of Jesus Cleanses Us from All Sin,” they sing, “The blood of Jesus completely cleanses us absolutely.” These lyrics have stuck with me because they say it so perfectly. So, consider this confession in the light of something that is continual and complete.
There is a beautiful commentary on this truth in Psalm 51, which is the great penitent psalm David penned after he was convicted of his sins of adultery and murder. It is one of the most beautiful psalms—a psalm every one of us would do well to read from time to time, making it our own prayer. I believe in making the psalms my prayers; I don’t just read them, but I read them as my prayers.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). You will notice that David introduces the hyssop. The implication is that hyssop is the substance that brings the blood to where I am. It is a beautiful, prophetic preview of being cleansed with the blood of Jesus.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that His blood is cleansing me, now and continually, from all sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Continuing Process
One provision of the precious blood of Jesus is cleansing.
But if we walk in the light as He [Jesus] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. (1 John 1:7)
In this verse, there are three verbs in the continuing present tense: walk, fellowship, and cleanse. We must take note of that. If we continue walking in the light, we continue having fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus continues to cleanse us.
It is very important to see that this is conditional. If we continue to walk in the light of God’s Word by obeying what it says, then the first result is that we have fellowship with one another. If we are not walking in the light, we will not have fellowship. And if we do not have fellowship, we are not walking in the light. But, if we walk in the light and have fellowship, then the blood of Jesus continually keeps us clean.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I continue to walk in the light, have fellowship with other believers, and receive cleansing from sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Fulfilling the Conditions
Let’s look more closely at the statement about the blood that is found in 1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light as He [Jesus] is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.”
We have already seen how these three elements are interrelated and bound together in the Word of God: walking in the light, fellowship with one another, and the cleansing of the blood. Scores of people claim the cleansing and protection of the blood but do not meet the conditions that entitle them to receive it. Cleansing by the blood of Jesus Christ is a consequence that follows from something that is preceded by an “if”—it is a conditional statement, contingent upon our fulfilling a premise—if we walk in the light as He is in the light. Then, two results follow—not one, but two. The cleansing of the blood is the second result; the first result is that we have fellowship with one another.
Logically, if we are not in fellowship with one another, it is proof that we are not walking in the light. If we are not walking in the light, it logically follows that we cannot claim the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. So, we come to this conclusion: if we are out of fellowship, we are out of the light. If we are out of the light, the blood no longer cleanses us. The blood of Jesus cleanses only in the light. This is one of the most important principles we can understand.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim my wholehearted intention to walk in the light, as Jesus is in the light, and to enter fully into fellowship and cleansing from sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Bringing Sin to the Light
Fellowship is the place of light. This is why fellowship is a place of testing. The closer the fellowship, the brighter the light, until you come to the place where there are no hidden corners. There are no shadows; nothing is swept under the rug, nothing is covered up. It can be a frightening place for the natural man. But it is the only place where the blood of Jesus fully fulfills its function of cleansing. If you desire cleansing, it comes in the light. If you are in any way wrong before God, or wrong with your neighbor, you are not fully in the light. And the blood will never be applied except in the light.
What do you have to do? Come to the light. What is “coming to the light”? Confessing your sins, acknowledging them openly before God. Now, that is the hardest thing for natural man to do. The light seems so bright. You may think, Oh, I couldn’t bring that terrible thing, that awful memory, that guilty secret; I couldn’t expose it to the light. The natural man shrinks from it. But the truth is that when it gets to the light, it disappears because, then, the blood cleanses it. But if you do not bring it to the light, you keep it. This is a tremendous principle. The blood operates only in the light.
Supposing that we have met the condition of walking in the light. If this is the case, then we are in fellowship with our fellow believers, and we have the right to make this our testimony.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim now that I bring to the light any awful memories or hidden sins, and I expose them to the light of Jesus and the cleansing of His blood. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Obedience and Truth
Fellowship is the first test of whether we are walking in the light. If we are not enjoying fellowship with our fellow believers and with the Lord, then we are not in the light, and if we are not in the light, the blood of Jesus does not cleanse us.
The next question, then, concerns how we walk in the light. The first condition is that we must walk in obedience to the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The second requirement is summed up by Paul in Ephesians 4:15, where he wrote, “Speaking the truth in love, may [we] grow up in all things into Him who is the head; Christ.”
In this passage, “walking in the light” is defined as relating to our fellow believers in truth and in love. We must be willing to act in truth in our relationships with one another, but we have to do so in love.
Thus, walking in the light consists of two things put together: walking in obedience to the Word of God and walking in truth and love with our fellow believers. When we meet those conditions, then we can say with full assurance that the blood of Jesus is cleansing us from all sin.
Today we are very conscious of the physical pollution of the atmosphere around us, but the spiritual atmosphere is also polluted by sin, corruption, and ungodliness. In order to be kept clean, we need the continual cleansing of the blood of Jesus.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I am cleansed by His blood, because I have set my face to walk in obedience to His Word and in right relationship with others. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Blood "Speaks"
There is another precious provision made for us by the blood of Jesus, one of which many Christians are not aware. Hebrews 12:22, 24 reads, “You [all true believers] have come to Mount Zion…to the blood of sprinkling that speaks better things than that of Abel.”
In the heavenly Mount Zion, the blood of Jesus was sprinkled on our behalf in the Holy of Holies before the very presence of God. Christ entered this place as our forerunner, having obtained our eternal redemption through His sacrifice, and He sprinkled the evidence of that redemption in the very presence of Almighty God the Father.
We should notice an important contrast here. Early in history, Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, murdered his brother, Abel. Cain then tried to deny responsibility, but the Lord challenged him and said, “There is no way you can conceal your guilt, because the blood of your brother that you shed on the earth is crying out to Me for vengeance.” (See Genesis 4:1–15.) In contrast, the blood of Jesus sprinkled in heaven cries out not for vengeance but for mercy. The blood is a continual plea in the very presence of God for His mercy.
Once we have testified personally to the power of the blood of Jesus, we do not have to repeat those words every few minutes, because the blood of Jesus is speaking all the time on our behalf in the very presence of God. Every time we are troubled, tempted, fearful, or anxious, we should remind ourselves, The blood of Jesus is speaking in God’s presence on my behalf at this very moment.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that His blood is speaking for mercy in God’s presence on my behalf right now. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, continually cleanses me from all sin
TODAY's VERSE
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 1 John 1:7
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Smooth Stones
The fact that a person has repented of his sins and claimed salvation in Christ does not mean that his whole character has been instantly transformed. Certainly, a vitally important process of change has been set in motion, but it may take many years for that change to be worked out in every area of his character.
When David needed smooth stones to fit in his sling so that he could slay Goliath, he went down to the valley - the lowly place of humility. There in the brook he found the kind of stones he needed. What had made them smooth? Two pressures: first, the water flowing over them; second, their continual jostling against one another.
This is a picture of how Christian character is formed. First, there is the continual washing of water by the Word (see Ephesians 5:26). Second, as we “jostle” one another in personal relationships, our rough edges are gradually worn down until they become smooth. We are “living stones” who need continual smoothing. (See 1 Peter 2:5.)
Let me add a side comment that when Jesus needs “living stones” for His sling, He, too, goes to the valley - the place of humility. There, He chooses stones that have been made smooth by the action of God’s Word and by the pressures of regular fellowship with other believers. It is a mark of spiritual maturity to sincerely love our fellow Christians, not simply for what they are in themselves, but for what they mean to Jesus, who shed His lifeblood for each of them.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I submit humbly to the washing of the Word and commit myself to love my fellow Christians with sincerity. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Hunger and Thirst for Righteousness
The word justification is a rather tiresome theological term whose true meaning is often obscured. We will first look at the word, then I will try to explain its meaning. The central theme of Romans is right-eousness. Many centuries before, Job had asked the question, “How then can man be righteous before God?” (Job 25:4). The book of Romans presents God’s answer. If we are interested in righteousness, we will be interested in Romans. Jesus said, “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). We can hunger and thirst for healing or prosperity without being blessed. But when we become hungry and thirsty for righteousness, then we will be blessed.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:9)
Notice that we have been justified by His blood. In both the He-brew and Greek languages, there is one word that is translated as either “just” or “righteous.” In Hebrew, the word is tsadaq, and in Greek, it is dikaioo. But no matter how it is translated, it is the same word. In English, we tend to refer to just in terms of legality and law, but righteousness in terms of character and conduct. There is no such division in the languages of the Bible. “Having been justified by His blood” means the same thing as “having been made righteous by His blood.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim my desire to hunger and thirst for righteousness and justification by His blood. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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bookmarking!
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - What Justification Means
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. (Romans 5:9)
The word translated “justified” has a whole slew of related meanings.
*First, it has a legal meaning.
Legally speaking, it means that we are acquitted, absolved of all wrongdoing. We were on trial, but we were acquitted. That is very good news. Think of what a person being tried for murder might feel to find that he has been acquitted. Just try to imagine it. We also should feel that happy.
*Second, we are not guilty.
*Third, we are reckoned righteous.
Many people stop there. But I assure you that the full meaning of the word is more than that. We are also made righteous. The blood of Jesus not only causes us to be reckoned righteous, it actually makes us righteous.
Then, we are justified. This means it is “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned. We have been made righteous with the righteousness of Christ, which has no evil past and no shadow of guilt, and against which Satan cannot accuse us. We are made righteous with the righteousness of Jesus. It is by Christ’s righteousness that we are justified. There is no guilt, no problem with the past. It has all been erased.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Righteous and Just
Whenever we find the word just in the Bible, we can substitute the word righteous. This is true in both Old Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek. The translators of the King James Version alternately translated the same word as either “righteous” or “just.” They tended to use the word just in the context of legal processes and the word righteous in the context of practical living. But it is one and the same word.
The problem comes with the use of the word justified, which is often reserved for a type of legal transaction in the courts of heaven. But this practice means using only half of the signification of the word. To be justified means to be made just, or righteous. The word righteous comes right down to where we live - our homes, work-places, or personal relationships. Just conveys a legal formality transacted in a remote courtroom. Scripture says (and this is a perfectly legitimate and correct translation) that we have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. We cannot consider ourselves justified if we have not been made righteous. Justification is more than a legal ceremony or a change of labels. It is a change of character and life, and it is produced by the blood of Jesus. We have been made righteous with a righteousness that is not our own - the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that by His blood, I have been made righteous with a righteousness not my own. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Justified Freely
Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness. (Romans 3:24–25)
I am glad the word “freely” is included in this passage. The problem with religious people is that they are always trying to earn redemption and they never arrive. They are never satisfied and never relaxed because they think they have to do just a little bit more to be made righteous. It never will work.
We are justified only through faith in the blood of Jesus. Let’s look at Romans 4:4: “Now to him who works [the religious person], the wages are not counted as grace but as debt.”
Many people think that if they have always lived rightly and done their duty, God owes them righteousness or justification—that it is a debt they’re due. But in actual fact, God doesn’t owe anything to anybody. Notice verse 5: “But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness.”
The first thing we have to do is stop trying to make ourselves righteous. Stop trying to be a little better. Call a halt to all that. What we need to do is just believe. It is that simple. Otherwise, we will never make it.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I have been justified freely by His grace. I believe on Him who justifies me, and my faith is counted as righteousness. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Boldness by Righteousness
God makes unrighteous people righteous. Scripture says it, and I believe it. Let’s look at one simple verse that affirms this truth: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In this verse, I like to insert names in place of the pronouns: “For God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for you and me, that we might become the righteousness of God in Jesus.” There is a complete exchange: Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness so that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. This righteousness is available through faith in His blood.
Righteousness produces certain immediate and definite observable results. Let’s look at one of those results as stated in Scripture. Actually, our ways of living, our attitudes, our relationships, and the effectiveness of our Christian lives and acts of service will depend on how far we realize that we have been made righteous. We read in Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Many Christians today lack boldness. They are timid and apologetic; they tend to back down when confronted with evil or with the devil. The real root cause is their failure to appreciate the fact that they are righteous in God’s sight—as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself. When we appreciate that truth, it makes us bold.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I have been made righteous with His righteousness, and I step by faith into the boldness that this realization brings. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Peace and Assurance
In the book of Isaiah, we read about another result of righteousness in the Christian life: “The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah 32:17).
Three products of righteousness are given in that verse: peace, quietness, and assurance. They all come from the realization that we have been made righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Another result is described in Romans 14:17: “For the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Yesterday’s reading showed us that righteousness brings boldness; today, we add to that peace, quietness, assurance, and joy. All these things are products of righteousness. If we do not receive Christ’s righteousness by faith, we will struggle and try to attain all these other characteristics without ever achieving them. It is pathetic to see Christians trying to be joyful or peaceful, or trying to be relaxed or assured. Someone has told them they ought to be. But it is my experience that when they really get the assurance of sin’s forgiveness and righteousness by faith, they will find it just happens. Joy flows naturally. Peace comes without effort. Assurance is present. Boldness expresses itself. The root problem is getting people to realize that they have been made righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I have been made righteous with His righteousness, and I step by faith into the peace, assurance, and joy that this realization brings. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned
TODAY's VERSE
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. Romans 5:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Good Confession
Religious people think they are pretty holy if they point out how sinful they are. The general attitude is that we would be conceited if we claimed to be righteous, that we would be religious if we kept speaking about our failures, our inconsistencies, and the wrongs we’ve committed.
Every Sunday morning in the church where I was brought up, we had to say, “Pardon us, miserable offenders.” I always felt that I didn’t want to be a miserable offender, but when I looked at the other offenders, I could surely agree that we were all miserable. Eventually, I said to myself, If all religion can do is make me miserable, I can be an offender without religion and not be half as miserable. And that is what I became until I met the Lord.
The language of religion continually states, “We are miserable offenders; we have erred and strayed from God’s ways like lost sheep; we have committed the things we ought not to have done and we have left undone the things we ought to have done.”
I could not say those words now; I would be a hypocrite. How could I pray for victory over sin on a Monday morning if I knew that the following Sunday I would be saying that I had erred and strayed, that I had done those things I should not have done and left undone those things I should have done? It would completely undermine the basis of my faith. Yet it sounds so good, so pious. Let’s make our confession in line with God’s Word and believe it: Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I bring my confession into line with God’s Word and proclaim: Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - What Sanctification Means
Sanctification is another one of these long, theological words. Let’s break it down. To sanctify is directly related in the original biblical languages to the word for “holy.” So, “to sanctify” means “to make holy.” The English word sanctify is related to the word saint. Sanctification is the process of making something saintly, or holy.
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. (Hebrews 13:12)
Jesus went outside the city as a sin offering. (See, for example, John 19:16–20.) We learn from the Old Testament that sin offerings could not be offered within the compound of God’s people. (See, for example, Exodus 29:14.) Sanctification always includes separation.
To make ourselves holy, we must offer the right testimony: “Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God, separated from all that is evil. Between all evil and me is the blood of Jesus.”
The one who is sanctified is in an area where God has access to him, but the devil does not. To be sanctified is to be removed from the area of Satan’s visitation and reach and to be placed in an area where we are available to God, but not at home when the devil calls. That is what it is to be sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Respect for the Blood
In looking at the sanctifying power of the blood of Jesus, we want to examine a passage from Hebrews that speaks about the apostate—the person who turns away from the Christian faith, having known it, into a deliberate denial and rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks about all the sacred things that he renounces and, in a sense, defiles:
Of how much worse punishment, do you suppose, will he be thought worthy who has trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified a common [or unholy] thing, and insulted the Spirit of grace? (Hebrews 10:29)
It is plain to see from this verse that we are sanctified by the blood of the covenant. But here is a person who has been sanctified by the blood of the New Covenant and then turns back. Let’s look closely at the meaning of trampling underfoot the blood of Jesus. This reference is in relation to the Passover ceremony, where the blood was applied to the lintel and the doorposts, but never to the threshold. We are never to show disrespect for the blood of Jesus.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim my profound respect for the blood of the covenant, through which I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Total Transfer
Just like righteousness, sanctification does not come by effort or by religion, but only by faith in the blood of Jesus. To be sanctified is to be set apart to God. We now belong to God; we are under God’s control and available to Him. Anything that is not of God has no right to approach us; it is kept away by the blood.
Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He has delivered us from the power [or authority] of darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love. (Colossians 1:12–13)
Through faith in the blood of Jesus, we have been removed from the area of Satan’s authority and conveyed into the kingdom of God. The word “conveyed [“translated” KJV]” means “carried over from one place to another.” In Scripture, the word is used for a total transfer. In the Old Testament, there were two men, Enoch and Elijah, who were translated from earth to heaven. And both of them went entirely. All that Elijah left behind was his mantle, but his body was gone.
As I understand Scripture, this is true for us, too. We have been totally translated. We aren’t going to be translated; rather, we have been—spirit, soul, and body. We are no longer in the devil’s territory, no longer under the devil’s laws. We are in the territory of the Son of God and under His laws.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I have been made holy by faith in the blood of Jesus, transferred totally from the devil’s territory into the territory of the Son of God. Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Bought Back Totally
In Romans, we read about two kingdoms with their opposing laws of operation. The devil’s law is the law of sin and death; the law of God’s kingdom is the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Romans 8:2).
We are no longer in the devil’s territory, no longer under the devil’s law. His kingdom does not apply to us because we are in another kingdom. We have been translated, carried over—spirit, soul, and body. And this transaction occurs through the blood of Jesus—we are sanctified, set apart to God, by the blood of Jesus. Now, let’s consider the implications in relation to the body of the believer. I can say by experience that this is where it really begins to operate, when we bring it down to the realm of our physical bodies. Consider this: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
The words “bought at a price” take us back to the theme of redemption. We are bought back out of the hand of the devil with the blood of Jesus. How much of us was bought back? Just our spirits? No, both our spirits and our bodies belong to God because Jesus paid the total redemption price of His blood.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I have been bought back totally from the devil’s kingdom and brought into the kingdom of God. My spirit and body belong to God, because Jesus paid the total redemption price of His precious blood. Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - His Plan to Make us Holy
We know that the word sanctify is related to the word saint, and is directly related in the original biblical languages to the word for “holy.” So, sanctification means being made holy. God has planned for us to be made holy.
Holiness is a unique attribute among the attributes of God. God has many wonderful attributes—love, power, wisdom, and so forth—but all those have a quality that we could say is remotely reflected in human beings. We have experienced love from human beings. We know of those who are powerful. We have met human beings who are wise. Of course, these qualities appear in humans to a degree immeasurably less than they do in God, but at least we have an idea of what these qualities are. But when we talk about holiness, there is nothing else to compare it to. God is uniquely holy.
Holiness is something that is not found outside of God. Really, in some ways you can measure how much you know God by how much you know holiness. I relate it this way: We thank God for His goodness, we praise God for His greatness, but we worship God for His holiness. Worship is the response to the holiness of God.
In the Old Testament, God said, “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44), and, in the New Testament, Peter restated the Lord’s words, saying, “Be holy, for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Yet two different ways of attaining holiness were being referred to. I will compare these two ways—one by the old covenant, and the other by the new covenant—over the next few days.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that God is holy, deserving of worship—and that through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Not a set of Rules
Let us look at the way holiness was to be attained under the old covenant. God said, “You shall be holy; for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:44). All of Leviticus 11 enumerates complicated regulations regarding what to eat, what to wear, and what makes one clean or unclean.
God’s requirement was to “consecrate yourselves” (Leviticus 11:44). But you find out from this chapter that maintaining holiness was very complicated. There was a series of the most involved regulations.
These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and the large lizard…; the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand rep-tile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon….Whoever touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until evening. (Leviticus 11:29–31)
According to this regulation, for instance, if a mouse died and someone picked it up by the tail, he would be unclean until that evening. But Scripture goes on to give further regulations about the container the mouse might fall in and the article of clothing it might touch, then gives instructions on how to deal with the uncleanness. Observing all of these regulations would be a full-time job.
God said that if you succeeded in following these rules, you would be holy. But if you were going to attain holiness by keeping a set of rules, you would have to keep all the rules all the time. You could not omit one at any time. But thank God that He provided a better way—because keeping all these rules is impossible for sinful humans.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that God’s plan is to make me holy—not by observance of a set of rules, but through the blood of Jesus, by which I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.
TODAY's VERSE
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hebrews 13:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Holiness by Faith
We can tell that revival is here when God’s people are more interested in being holy than being healed. Our standard of priority is wrong. If I were to organize a healing meeting, people would come streaming in, but if I were to teach about holiness, the attendance would drop. In actual fact, holiness is much more important than healing. Healing is temporary and will help you to get through this life only. Thank God for it. But holiness is eternal; it will be with you forever in heaven. Something has to happen by the power of the Holy Spirit to change our sense of values.
So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified. (Acts 20:32)
The inheritance is for those who have been sanctified. This passage says the Word of God can bring you into that inheritance. Yet how is sanctification attained under God’s better way, the new covenant? Jesus commissioned Saul of Tarsus when He first revealed Himself to Saul (who later became Paul). He said,
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes, in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are sanctified by faith in Me. (Acts 26:17–18)
We can be sanctified by keeping all the rules of the Old Testament—if we keep them all the time. Again, this is impossible for sinful humans. The other way is completely different—not by keeping a set of rules, but by faith in Jesus.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim my faith in Jesus Christ, affirming that through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Indwelling Holy Spirit
A very distinctive mark of personality is the ability to speak. At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended from heaven, He spoke in “other tongues” (Acts 2:4) through the disciples. By this He signified that He had come, as a Person, to take up His dwelling on earth. He is now the permanent, personal representative of the Godhead residing on earth.
From Pentecost on, each time the Holy Spirit comes to take up His residence as a Person in the body of a believer, it is appropriate that He should manifest His presence by speaking out of that believer in a new language that is supernaturally imparted. In effect, He is saying, “Now you know that I am here as a Person to indwell your body.”
For this reason, in 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul said, “Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?” He emphasized that speaking in tongues is not merely a brief, supernatural experience; beyond that, it is a divinely given sign that the Holy Spirit, as a Person, has taken up His dwelling in the believer’s body, thereby making it a sacred temple. This truth places a solemn obligation upon each believer to keep his body in a condition of holiness that is appropriate for God’s temple.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - My Body: The Lord's Temple
However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: “Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the LORD, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?” (Acts 7:48–50)
God dwells in a temple made not by hands but by divine workmanship, according to divine purpose. That temple is the body of the believer, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. As Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 6:13, “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” This verse talks about food for the stomach and the stomach for food. In Proverbs, it says, “The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul” (Proverbs 13:25). We who are righteous do not overeat. Why? Because our bodies are the Lord’s temple, and we are not to defile them by gluttony, drunkenness, immorality, or any other form of misuse. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. When I present my body to the Lord, then I have the rights of the Lord for my body.
Let’s use this analogy: If I purchase a piece of property, I become responsible for its maintenance; but if I live in a rented property, the landlord is responsible. If we just let Jesus have a temporary right over our bodies, He does not accept responsibility for their maintenance. But if He owns them, He is responsible to maintain them. That is the relationship He desires.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and the Lord has all rights to my body. Thus, I will not defile it with gluttony, drunkenness, immorality, or any other misuse. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Listening to God’s Voice
Our destinies, for good or ill, are settled by the voice we choose to heed. Listening to the voice of the Lord and obeying what He says will bring blessings. Ignoring the voice of the Lord will bring many curses. It is impossible to obey God without first hearing His voice, for His voice tells us what He requires.
Many professing Christians are insensitive to the voice of God. We may continue our religious activities and duties, but they are habitual and formal - just patterns we have cultivated that lack a constant awareness of God’s voice. Through all dispensations, God asks His people to listen to His voice.
In Jeremiah 7, God explained what He really required of Israel when He redeemed them from Egypt. The first thing He had in mind was not keeping the Law for the offering of sacrifices but listening to His voice. It was His voice that would lead them to keep the Law and offer the necessary sacrifices. Merely observing the externals of the Law was of no avail if they were not doing so as a result of hearing the voice of the Lord. The key requirement of God is that we listen to His voice.
For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt, concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this is what I commanded them, say-ing, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God, and you shall be My people.” (Jeremiah 7:22–23)
The simple requirement is, “Obey My voice, and I will be your God.” That sums it up as simply as possible.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I listen to the voice of the Lord and obey what He says. I proclaim His truth for me: “Obey My voice, and I will be your God.” My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - His Holy Spirit within Us
For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. (Romans 8:13)
Paul said to “spiritual Christians” that if we live according to the flesh, we will die, for we are nurturing that which is corrupt. All you get is corruption when you live according to the flesh.
There is total opposition between the flesh and the Spirit; there is no reconciliation between them. God’s plan of redemption is to put to death the old, fleshly nature and bring into being a totally new nature by His Holy Spirit within us. Although God has made total provision for this transformation, we have to work it out in our lives. We have to put to death the deeds of the body. God does not do it for us; He has given us the legal right, authority, and power, but we must exercise them.
Scripture says, “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to them He [God] gave the right [authority] to become children of God” (John 1:12). We receive authority when we are born again. But authority is useless unless exercised. The new birth is just a potential - the opportunity to develop into something wonderful if we will exercise our authority. If we never take steps to exercise authority in a scriptural way over the problems and sins that confront and beset us, we will make no progress at all.
We must move out of one way of thinking - the area of the flesh - into a totally different one. We need the help of the Holy Spirit. “For as many as are [being] led by the Spirit of God, these [and these only] are sons of God” (Romans 8:14).
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that by faith, I am putting to death the deeds of the body and opening myself up to the totally new nature Your Holy Spirit creates within me. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Washing and Regeneration
The process of salvation involves washing and regeneration. “He [God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 NASB).
Let’s look at these concepts briefly, starting with washing, or cleansing. Sin defiles. We are inwardly dirty, and we need to be cleansed. Only the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ can cleanse the sinner from all sin. How can we receive that cleansing? “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 NASB). God not only forgives the past, but He also cleanses us from all the defilement of sin. In the same chapter, John said that it’s the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, that cleanses us. (See verse 7.)
The second phase of this process is regeneration, or rebirth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3 NASB). This is a birth that comes from God’s realm above. A little further on, Jesus said, “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6 NASB).
When we were born of our mothers, it was a birth of our physical bodies and our fleshly nature. That is not the kind of birth that brings salvation. We have to receive a totally new life born into us by the Spirit of God from above. That is regeneration, or rebirth.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that the Lord Jesus Christ is cleansing me from all sin by His blood, and I receive regeneration and rebirth - a totally new life born into me by the Spirit of God. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Renewal by the Spirit
The process of salvation includes renewing. In Titus 3:5, we read, “He [God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (NASB).
The last aspect that Paul mentioned in this verse is renewing. We must become new creations. Paul said, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Co-rinthians 5:17 NIV).
The word “creation” is important, as there is only one who creates - God. Man can manufacture, repair, or produce, but man cannot create. Our hearts and our whole inner beings have been so defiled and distorted by the effects of sin that repairing or patching up is no good. A new creation alone will be good.
In the Old Testament, after David had fallen into adultery, committed murder, and finally been confronted with the awful condition of his own heart, he cried out to God in agony, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10). He knew that creation had to come from God; it could not come about by any human process.
In Titus 3:5, we have seen the three aspects of the process of being saved - a washing, or cleansing; a regeneration, or rebirth; and a renewing, or new creation. God does something that man absolutely cannot do. All of this is by God’s mercy, not His justice. It is not according to our deeds of righteousness - those won’t achieve anything. Salvation has to come from God’s sovereign mercy.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I am being renewed by the Holy Spirit. I am a new creation, not by my own deeds of righteousness, but by God’s sovereign mercy to me. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Forgiving Others
One common way in which believers give Satan a legal claim in their lives is failing to forgive others. Jesus taught us that we are forgiven by God in the same measure in which we forgive others. He said, “If you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses” (Matthew 6:14–15). We are not entitled to claim forgiveness from God in a measure greater than that with which we forgive others. If there is any person whom we do not forgive, in a corresponding measure, we are not forgiven by God. That means the area of unforgiveness in our own lives is an area over which Satan still has a legal claim. We cannot dislodge him until we have forgiven whomever it may be who needs to be forgiven.
Redemption is coextensive with the forgiveness of sins. If all our sins are forgiven, then we have the total rights of redemption. Satan has no legal claim outstanding against us. But if there is any area in our lives in which sin has not been totally dealt with, Satan still has a legal claim in that area. We can get all the preachers in America to preach and pray over us, but we will not dislodge the devil, because he knows he has a legal claim. We need to remember that the devil is a legal expert. He knows it, too. However, God’s Word offers us total forgiveness of sin. It is crucial that we hold on to the total forgiveness and leave no offense unforgiven.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I ask God to forgive every sin, and I forgive every person whom I need to forgive (give specific names). Having done that, I proclaim that Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Say It Again!
I can well remember when I first began to make this kind of testimony. I thought, I wonder where the devil will hit me next. I know of people who will not testify because they are afraid of what will happen when they do, but that is just playing the devil’s game. Remember, this is his way of keeping you from doing what will put you beyond his reach. It is only by the word of your testimony that you will get the benefits of the blood.
The first time you say it, all hell may break loose. Well, praise the Lord! Say it again. The Bible says, “Let us hold fast our confession” (Hebrews 4:14). And then, when everything really turns loose, Scripture says, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering” (Hebrews 10:23). Keep on saying it. It does not depend on our feelings. It does not depend on our situations, symptoms, or circumstances. It is as eternally true as the Word of God.
Forever, God’s Word is settled in heaven. (See Psalm 119:89.) Satan has no place in us, no power over us, and no unsettled claims against us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! And I intend to declare this over and over again. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Jesus the Deliverer
The same Christ who is the only Savior is also the only Deliverer. Only Jesus can break the power of demonic bondage in people’s lives and set them free. I want us to be introduced to the Deliverer in just the same way.
For those of us who desire deliverance, we need to make direct, personal contact with Christ. Here are four simple conditions we need to meet:
Be sure we have repented. That is, know that we have turned away from every form of sin.
Look only to Jesus, for He alone is the Deliverer.
Base our appeals solely on what Jesus did for us through His death on the cross rather than on any
“good works” of our own.
Be sure that, by an act of our wills, we have forgiven every person who ever harmed or wronged us.
When Derek Prince personally received deliverance from the demon of depression, He received this promise: “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved” (Joel 2:32). Also remembered these words of Jesus: “In My name they [the disciples] will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17). In the name of Jesus, we, too, have the authority to expel demons.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that He alone is my Deliverer, and that “whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Understanding the Battleground
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal [fleshly or physical] but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. (2 Corinthians 10:3–5)
Our warfare against Satan is waged in the spiritual realm; therefore, the weapons are spiritual and appropriate to the realm of the warfare. It is tremendously important that we understand where the battle is taking place. Paul used various words in 2 Corinthians to speak of the battleground and our objectives. In different translations, we find the following words: “imaginations,” “reasonings,” “speculations,” “arguments,” “knowledge,” and “thought.” Notice that every one of those words refers to the realm of the mind. We absolutely must understand that the battleground is in our minds. Satan is waging an all-out war to captivate the minds of the human race. He is building strongholds and fortresses in our minds, and it is our responsibility, as God’s representatives, to use our spiritual weapons to break down these strongholds, to liberate the minds of men and women, and then to bring them into captivity to the obedience of Christ. What a staggering assignment that is!
Satan deliberately and systematically builds strongholds in people’s minds. These fortresses resist the truth of the gospel and the Word of God and prevent us from being able to receive the message of the gospel.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that by His blood, I am breaking down the strongholds Satan has built in my mind. I declare that Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Power of Fasting
In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and exploit all your laborers. Indeed, you fast for strife and debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness…Is it a fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul? Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush? (Isaiah 58:3–5)
For the people here described, fasting was merely an accepted part of religious ritual, the kind of fasting practiced by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Instead of real repentance or self-humbling, they continued with normal secular affairs and retained evil attitudes of greed, selfishness, pride, and oppression.
The kind of fast that is well pleasing to God, on the other hand, springs from totally different motives and attitudes: “To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break every yoke” (verse 6). Scripture and experience alike confirm that there are many bonds that cannot be loosed, burdens that cannot be undone, yokes that cannot be broken, and many oppressed who will never go free until God’s people - and especially their leaders - obey God’s call to true fasting and prayer.
Isaiah continues to describe our proper attitudes toward the needy and oppressed: “To share your bread with the hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh” (verse 7). Fasting must be united with sincere and practical charity in our dealings with those around us - particularly, those who need our help in material and financial matters.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I will obey God’s call to fasting and praying as God’s chosen way to loose bonds, undo burdens, free the oppressed, and break yokes. I proclaim that Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Ruthless Cross
Some people struggle with fear, depression, loneliness, lust, or anger. A counselor can help us just so far; but in the last resort, the solution is in our hands: the cross. We must identify this nature in us when and where it rises up. In the ministry of deliverance, there are two demons that are the gatekeepers. They swing the door open for the next demon to come. These gatekeepers are self-pity and resentment.
Self-pity is a tremendously powerful tool of Satan, and nobody can afford to indulge resentment.
At some point, we must be ruthless. The cross is entirely ruthless - there is nothing comfortable, attractive, or sweet about it. But we thank God for it because it is the way out; it is God’s provision.
Most of us have a “besetting sin” - a sin we are so accustomed to that we think it is a part of ourselves. We find it hard to hate because it is almost like hating ourselves. Interestingly enough, my besetting sin was my father’s problem before me. Children inherit a lot from their parents, and certain patterns of behavior are set before us. I see behaviors in me that are direct reproductions of my father’s behavior.
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to identify the nature of our problems. Call them by their right names (they probably won’t be pretty) - maybe lust, lying, or pride. Then, we must say, “In Jesus, it has been crucified. I put it to the cross. I will not let it dominate me. I am free from it through the cross.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that in Jesus, the besetting sin in my life (name it here) has been crucified. I put it on the cross. I will not let it dominate me any longer. Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
TODAY's VERSE
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. Romans 8:33–34
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Keep Saying It!
The first time we make this declaration, Satan will laugh at us. We need to keep saying it. Satan is the tempter, but he is very methodical and wastes no time. He will tempt you as long as he gets any response from you. When there is no more response, he won’t bother to tempt you.
So, we can be tempted in the area of, let’s say, resentment. We must keep saying, “It was crucified. It has no power in me. It has no place in me.” The devil says, “That isn’t really true. That’s just something Brother Prince said.” But we keep saying it. And after a while, it becomes so real that the devil doesn’t waste his time trying to tempt us any longer.
One of the things we have to do is build the walls of our character. The Bible says that the person who has no control over his own spirit is like a city that is broken-down and without walls. (See Proverbs 25:28.) In our culture today, many people are growing up like broken-down walls because of bad homes, drugs, or evil influences. Anybody who has been deep in drugs is definitely a city without protective walls. We build the walls by strengthening our wills and asserting our rights bought by the cross. We may think of this process as a terrible experience. But we don’t realize how much good it is doing us; at the end of it, we have built strong character. Gifts are temporary, for this life only; character is permanent - it goes into eternity with us. God is infinitely more interested in your character than in your gifts.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I intend to strengthen my will and assert my rights bought by the cross, declaring over and over again: Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Glorifying God in My Body
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
There are many ways in which we use our bodies. One primary activity consists of nourishing ourselves - eating and drinking. Paul said that we need to do those activities in a way that glorifies God:
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
What does it mean to “eat…to the glory of God”? I leave it to you to answer this question. Some people cannot even imagine they can give God glory by the way they eat. But God has said He is a jealous God (see, for example, Exodus 34:14), and He wants to be glorified in every aspect of life - especially the simple, daily, down-to-earth activities.
But let me ask you one more question. Is it possible to overeat to the glory of God? I can’t see that it is possible, since overeating is a form of self-indulgence. Proverbs 13:25 says, “The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul.” We are entitled to satisfaction, but if we go beyond that - beyond meeting our legitimate needs - then we are being self-indulgent.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. My body belongs to God, and I intend to use it in a way that glorifies Him—including what I eat and drink. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - “Fearfully and Wonderfully Made”
In Psalm 139:13–14, David spoke to the Lord, saying,
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well.
He was telling God, in other words, “You were there when I was still in my mother’s womb; You were fashioning me together.”
I wonder if we realize that we are fearfully and wonderfully made. When I think of what was involved in God creating my body and providing me with a body, I feel a sense of awe. I am fearfully and wonderfully made, and I have to give account to God for what I have done with the body He gave me.
We are so occupied with computers today - and they are really wonderful implements. But I want to point out that, by far, the most wonderful computers we will ever encounter are our own bodies. Many Christians give much more careful attention to their computers than they do their own bodies. After all, if a computer fails or crashes or becomes obsolete, with a little extra money, we can buy another. But when the human body fails, when that computer breaks down, that is the end. There is nothing more that can be done.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim with awe that I am fearfully and wonderfully made. My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Importance of Diet
Diet, or daily regimen, is a vital facet of life. Everybody follows a diet, whether he knows it or not. Various methods of dietary management are advocated, and among them is vegetarianism. I have met many people who are disposed to be vegetarians. I am not critical of them; I respect them. However, I think there are certain cautions they must keep in mind. Consider what Paul wrote:
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has received him. (Romans 14:1–3)
Paul said that we should be careful about our attitudes toward other people. Regarding vegetarianism, he said of the one who eats only vegetables that his faith is weak, for he eschews meat as a means of trying to attain righteousness.
Then, there is another diet solution advocated and espoused by many people: abstaining completely from alcohol. But Scripture tells us that the Lord “causes the grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart” (Psalm 104:14–15).
God brings forth from the earth various things for us to consume, including wine, which “makes glad the heart of man.” Obviously, God does not demand that we be teetotalers.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I will glorify God even in what I eat and how often I do so. My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Cooperating with the Spirit
Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God [every kind of food] is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. (1 Timothy 4:1–5)
In this passage, Paul was saying, first of all, that abstaining from the marriage relationship (i.e., celibacy) is not an automatic condition of holiness; it does not necessarily lead to holiness. In fact, if we look at the history of the church, in cases where the clergy were required to be celibate, it is apparent that celibacy did not always produce holiness.
Regarding diets, what Paul was saying is, “Everything that God has created as food is good.” But we have to bear in mind that the good food that God created may be corrupted by what we mix with it or the way we prepare it. So, take the time and effort to distinguish between things that are helpful and things that are harmful. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I will cooperate with the Holy Spirit to distinguish what is helpful or harmful for my body, because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Radical Obedience
In making this confession, we need to be radical. Christianity is a radical religion. The word radical means “dealing with the root.” When John the Baptist introduced the gospel and Jesus, he said, “And even now the axe is laid to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire” (Matthew 3:10). God is not going to lop off a few branches or even cut off the trunk. He is going to go straight to the root. He requires that a tree bring forth good fruit. If a tree does not bring forth good fruit, God says to chop it down.
Among the younger generation, there is a tendency to be pretty radical. I think this inclination needs to be encouraged - in the right direction. To be honest, we older generations have often compromised rather than be radical. We need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who often calls for apparently radical things.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)
Paul was making a remarkable statement here. He said that it was the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, who raised the dead body of Jesus from the tomb. And if you have that same Holy Spirit in your body, then He can do much that you need in your body through His power. What a radical truth!
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I will pursue radical obedience in cooperating with the Holy Spirit, because my body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
TODAY's VERSE
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 1 Corinthians 6:19
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Finishing His Work
Here are a few suggestions regarding how to treat your body as a temple for the Holy Spirit. First of all, treat your body with reverence because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit, whom we revere. Among contemporary Christians, I find there is very little reverence for the body.
Second, seek the help of the Holy Spirit in cultivating self-discipline.
Third, take the time and make the effort to distinguish between that which is helpful and that which is harmful.
Fourth, be willing to be radical because your life is at stake.
Fifth, seek to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
There are many other steps I could add to this list, but these I have acquired through experience. I was challenged by the Lord to consider whether I was leading a life of self-indulgence. I was challenged by the Lord to consider these questions: Do I want to go on living? Do I want to finish my assigned task? Jesus said to His disci-ples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
That is the best diet: to do the will of Him who sent us - and to finish His work. Even after spending more than fifty years in the Lord’s service, I believed there were certain tasks assigned to me by God that I had not yet fulfilled. I never took it for granted that I would fulfill them. I always took care of my body, knowing the importance of keeping myself in good physical condition so my life would not be cut short before I had finished God’s work.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I will cooperate with the Holy Spirit, keeping myself in good physical condition to finish His work. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Presenting Ourselves to God
God’s solution for the old nature can be summed up in one word: execution. Execution is what took place on the cross, when Jesus died and our old man was crucified with Him. How do we apply God’s solution in our own lives?
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law, but under grace. (Romans 6:12–14 NASB)
Paul’s instructions can be followed only by those who have put their faith in Jesus and accepted His substitutionary sacrifice on their behalf. Someone once said, “If you ever want to get to heaven, you’ve got to learn to say no.” That is certainly the truth. Paul said that we must make up our minds and take a firm stand against sin. Both sin and Satan can tell the difference between when we are just saying words and when we really mean them. We must proclaim these words with conviction. Then, through faith in Jesus, our wills are liberated from the dominion of sin. It then becomes our responsibility to exercise our wills aright. God is not going to do that for us. This is the point at which we have to recognize our responsibility to monitor our wills.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I take a stand now and proclaim that sin and Satan have no claim and no power over me. I proclaim that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Release from Torment
For several years, while I was a pastor in London, I had a tremendous struggle against depression that would come over me, weigh upon me, and shut me in. It gave me a sense of hopelessness and failure. Maybe you can identify with this. I fought this situation in every way that I knew, but I made no progress. Then, I came across Isaiah 61:3: “To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them…the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
As I read those words, the Holy Spirit showed me, “That’s your problem!” It was like a flood of light coming in. I realized I was not fighting against myself but another being - an evil spirit that was tormenting and oppressing me. When I realized that, I was probably 80 percent of the way to victory. I actually needed only one other Scripture: “Whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved [“delivered” KJV]” (Joel 2:32).
Putting those two Scriptures together, I prayed, “God, You’ve shown me that I’m oppressed by a spirit of heaviness. I come to You now, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. Deliver me.” He liberated my mind from that oppressing spirit.
Now, it was up to me to reprogram my own mind. I had habitually negative thought patterns, which God showed me to be a denial of my faith in Jesus. It was up to me to retrain my mind. Over a period of several years, every time a negative, pessimistic thought came to me, I would reject it, replacing it with a positive confession from Scripture. Several years later, my whole inner working had changed completely. I was a totally different person.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I proclaim that I have been released from all torment, and that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Yielded to God
Paul said, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body that you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Romans 6:12–13 NASB). We have been set free. Sin must not control our hands, our feet, or our tongues. On the contrary, Paul said, we should yield ourselves to God and our members as instruments of righteousness to God. There’s a double yielding.
First, we yield our wills to God by saying, “Not my will, but Yours, be done.” In the Lord’s Prayer, the second petition is, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). When we pray “Your will be done,” it begins with the will of the one who is praying - one who wills for God’s will to be done.
Once we have yielded our wills, we then yield our physical members to God as instruments of righteousness. In Greek, the word “instruments” literally means “weapons,” implying spiritual conflict. These are not just any instruments, like a hoe or plow - they are fighting instruments, like a sword.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is key because in that experience we first yield our wills to God; we then yield the one unruly member that we are powerless to control: the tongue. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we actually fulfill the instruction to yield our members to God as instruments (weapons) of righteousness. Certainly, when the tongue has been yielded to God and taken over by the Holy Spirit, it becomes a weapon: in prayer, in testimony, and in preaching.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I yield myself and my will to God, proclaiming that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Moving Forward
We have a choice to make. Something is going to control us. Which will it be: sin or righteousness? If we say righteousness, we can believe we will be tested! The devil will not give up as long as he thinks he has a chance of succeeding.
When an individual is tested and tempted, the devil will go on until that person has come to the place where the temptation just doesn’t affect him. He does not even entertain the thought. The devil is clever enough not to waste his time on people like that. But if any double-mindedness exists in us, the devil will exploit it. We must make a firm decision.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of your flesh. For…you presented your members as slaves to impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness. (Romans 6:19 NASB)
If we choose lawlessness, it will increase. We will become more and more lawless. Many of us can trace that reality in our lives.
Instead of increasing in lawlessness, “now present your members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in sanctification [holiness]” (verse 19 NASB).
It is almost impossible to stand still in the spiritual life. We are either going to go forward or backward. We are either going to progress in holiness or go further into rebellion.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I present myself as a slave to righteousness and proclaim that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Choosing Grace
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God. (Romans 12:1)
It is a question of setting our wills, then yielding - in that order. If we don’t will, then, by habit, we will yield to the wrong thing. We must stop presenting our bodies, our members, to sin. When we were still unbelievers, we did just that for a long while. But we have to stop and say, “That’s the end of that!” Once we yield our wills to God, we don’t have to yield our members to Satan.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). The implications of this statement are farreaching. Paul said that we are not under law but under grace. It is either one or the other - it cannot be both at the same time. If we are under law, we are not under grace. If we are under grace, we are not under law.
Moreover, Paul said that sin shall not have dominion over us, for we are not under the law. The corollary is that if we are under the law, sin will have dominion over us. That is a shocking statement to many people, but that is what the Bible consistently says.
We are not governed by a set of rules. We have become sons of God, and we obey Him because we love Him. From now on, love, not fear, is our motivation for obedience. God does not make us slaves; the Law does that. God makes us His sons and daughters. We have to choose the Law or God’s grace.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I choose grace and yield my will to God, proclaiming that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Whom Will We Serve?
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness? (Romans 6:16)
Paul said that when we yield ourselves to someone, we become slaves of the one we obey. If we yield to, let’s say, immorality, we become slaves of immorality. We cannot yield to sin without becoming its slaves. Thus, we must decide to whom and to what we want to yield. Some of us don’t like choices, but in the spiritual life, we cannot avoid them.
At the end of his career, Joshua gave Israel a choice:
Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth….And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD. (Joshua 24:14–15)
Joshua challenged the Israelites to make a choice, and this choice has never changed. It is not whether we will serve; it is whom we will serve. Serve we will. Before we were redeemed, we had no choice. We could not keep from sinning; there was no other option but to be slaves to sin and servants of Satan. After we experience redemption through faith in Jesus Christ, though, we have another option: we can choose to serve God and be “slaves” to righteousness.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I choose to serve the Lord, and I proclaim that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God.
Romans 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - My Body Is for the Lord
Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. (Romans 6:13)
We give our physical members to God and say, “God, You use them.” Then, we also have to keep the temple holy. Paul wrote, “Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1 Corinthians 6:13). Today, we call sexual immorality “premarital sex.” But God has not changed His estimate of this sin. The body is not for premarital sex; the body is for the Lord. And then, “the Lord [is] for the body,” too. Isn’t that wonderful? If we give our bodies to the Lord, then the Lord is for our bodies.
Paul was a down-to-earth man who talked to people about things that really concerned them. He continued, “Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body” (verse 18).
Many people interpret this passage as a warning about sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, gonorrhea, or syphilis. These may certainly be consequences of sexual immorality, but Paul’s teaching means much more than that. We endanger the health of our bodies when we commit any kind of immorality. Many times when Christians seek healing and do not receive it, the root cause is immorality. In most cases, God demands that we go to the root cause, repent of it, and set it aright before we can receive healing from Him.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I give my body to the Lord, proclaiming that my members, the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Resurrection Life
Leviticus 17:11 says, “The life of the flesh is in the blood.” When Jesus poured out His blood, He poured out His life. As I understand it, the life of God was released into the universe. And no mind can really comprehend the fullness of what that means.
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly [of utmost importance], I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day.” (John 6:53–54)
Bear in mind that our redemption is not complete until the resurrection. In Philippians 3:12, Paul said, “Not that I have already attained, or am already perfected; but I press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus has also laid hold of me,” which is “the resurrection from the dead” (verse 11).
Some people have the impression that their bodies are not very important. But God says our bodies are very important - they are temples for the Holy Spirit. They are “fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). And God is not going to leave our bodies in a state of decay. He is going to resurrect them with glory like that of Jesus. Redemption is the full outworking of Jesus’ sacrifice, and it is consummated by the resurrection.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. Like Paul, “I press on…that I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” I proclaim that I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Glory to Be Revealed
For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us [at the resurrection]. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. (Romans 8:18–19)
Many Christians do not seem to grasp the significance of Christ’s resurrection for us. The sons of God are revealed at the resurrection; all of creation is waiting expectantly for it on tiptoe. The trees, seas, rivers, and mountains are all waiting. It is extraordinary that creation has so much excitement - and that much of the church has so little.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. (verses 20–21)
The entirety of creation suffered because of man’s sin. Before man sinned, there were no thorns and thistles; nothing ever died or rotted. And we see that we’re not the only ones who are going to come into a glorious resurrection; creation is, too. However, God has assigned this priority: creation does not come in until we come in. As Paul wrote, “For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now” (verse 22).
Paul often used the phrase “we know,” yet most contemporary Christians don’t know. Do we know that the whole creation is in labor pains, waiting for the revelation of the sons of God, the birth of a new age, and deliverance from corruption?
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I proclaim that I am coming into the glory destined for the sons of God. I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Blood of Jesus
Four times in John 6, Jesus said about the believer, “I will raise him up at the last day.” (See verses 39, 40, 44, and 54.) Resurrection is a part of salvation.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is food indeed [true food], and My blood is drink indeed [true drink]. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood abides in Me, and I in him. (John 6:54–56)
The words eats, drinks, and abides are in the continuing present tense: “He who continually feeds on My flesh, and continually drinks My blood, continually abides in Me and I in him.”
It is very clear that the Lord attaches tremendous importance to feeding on His flesh and drinking His blood. I am not the final authority, but I really believe He is talking about the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or Communion.
At one time, I lived in an Arab town with Arab Christians. When they took the Lord’s Supper, they said, “Let us drink the blood of Jesus.” I believe those Arab Christians got the right picture. Drinking the blood of Jesus is Communion.
Something in us says, “I don’t like the thought of drinking blood.” I remember that it took me years to come to grips with this statement. But to have eternal life, we have to drink Jesus’ blood and feed on His flesh.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I partake of His eternal life by drinking His blood and feeding on His flesh, and I proclaim that I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Laying Down Our Lives
In order to experience the full effects of the blood of Jesus, we need to know how to appropriate His blood. Today’s Scripture and our confession for this week refer to a great end-time conflict that involves both heaven and earth - the angels of God, Satan and his angels, and God’s believing people on earth. The statement is made by God’s angels: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).
“They” were people like you and me, believers in Jesus Christ. “Him” refers to Satan. There is a direct conflict between us and Satan; there is no one in between. This verse tells us how the believers overcame him, further describing them as committed - totally committed. A committed Christian is the only kind that frightens Satan. When it says “they did not love not their lives to the death,” it means that staying alive was not their first priority. Priority number one was to be faithful to the Lord and to do His will.
When talking about “soldiers in the Lord’s army,” many of us have a vague and sentimental idea about what that means. When I was a soldier in the British army, I did not receive a certificate from the commanding officer guaranteeing that I would not lose my life. Any soldier knows he may be killed; serving may cost his life. It is the same in the Lord’s army. There is no guarantee that we will not have to lay down our lives. The people Satan fears are those who are not afraid to lay down their lives. After all, life on earth is brief compared with life eternal in heaven.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I partake of His eternal life by drinking His blood and feeding on His flesh, and I proclaim that I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Confessing Faith
The Lord has showed me that many Christians, if they looked back on their pasts, would admit to having made a series of negative confessions. You may have talked about what you couldn’t do or discussed your failures and disappointments. But, you see, our confessions determine where we go.
There is a vivid example of this truth in the story of the twelve spies Moses sent into the Promised Land. Two came back with positive confessions, ten with negative ones. The majority of the Israelites believed the negative confession, “We cannot.” The positive confession was, “We are well able.” All the Israelites settled their destinies by their confession. Those who said, “We cannot” could not. And those who said, “We are well able” were well able.
You may have uttered some negative words, spoken statements that did not glorify Jesus, or dwelled on disappointments that only tied you to impotence or failure. If we confess failure, failure will be our portion. If we confess faith, God will be our portion. Just confess to God, “Lord, I’m sorry. I’ve tied Your hands; because of my unbelief and negative thinking, I have limited what You could do in my life.” Scripture says, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
When you’ve rejected negative confessions, thank God that you’ve come out of that dark, lonely valley. Say, “I can do all things through Christ who empowers me within,” which is the literal tranlation of Philippians 4:13.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I proclaim that “I can do all things through Christ who empowers me within,” and that I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Personal God
I was once a professor at Britain’s largest university, and I held vari-ous degrees and academic distinctions. In many ways, I was quite sophisticated - intellectually. But I do not feel in any way intellectually inferior to say I believe the Bible’s record of creation. Prior to believing the Bible, I studied many other sources that attempted to explain man’s origin, but I found them unsatisfying. In many cases, they contradicted one another. I then turned to study the Bible - not as a believer but as a professional philosopher. I thought to myself, At least it can’t be any sillier than some of the other things I’ve heard! To my astonishment, I discovered that the Bible had the answer.
In Genesis, we read a short, simple statement. It begins, “The LORD God” - that is, “Jehovah God” - God’s personal name. This term tells us that a personal God formed a personal man for personal fellowship.
The LORD God formed [molded] man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being [soul]. (Genesis 2:7)
Here we see the union of God’s divine, eternal breath from above with the body of clay from beneath, molded by the hands of the Creator. The union of spirit from above and clay from beneath produced a living human personality - one that can have fellowship with the living, personal God.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I proclaim that a personal God created me for personal fellowship - and that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Miraculous Creation
We know about the inner personality of man - his spirit and soul - but let us not be blind to the fact that man’s body is also a miraculous and marvelous creation of God. Many believers do not sufficiently value or care for their own bodies. Until the breath of God entered that clay form, it was just clay - nothing more. It became a living, functioning physical body with all its organisms, parts, and members through the miraculous operation of the Spirit of God.
Consider the human eye. On one particular telecast, the American Society of Ophthalmologists presented some fascinating information. If I remember correctly, they said one human eye contains more than three million working parts. What brought that into being? The breath of God. All our muscles, nerves, and glands - all the functions of our physical bodies - owe their origin to the inbreathed breath of God. That is what transformed the clay into a marvelous physical organism. When you grasp that truth, the miracles of divine healing become logical. Who can better repair, restore, and, if need be, recreate the body than the same Agent who initially formed it? The Spirit of God is the Creator and Healer.
I have been privileged to witness creative miracles of God whereby missing bones were restored. I once asked for prayer on behalf of a little girl in San Jose, California, whose elder sister was born with a bone missing from the upper part of both legs. As a result of prayer, God created the bones. I don’t claim that it’s simple, but it is fathomable when you understand the origin of the human body. It was just a clay form until the Spirit of God moved upon it and produced a complex organism that its Creator can heal.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I am a miraculous and marvelous creation of God, and I proclaim that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
TODAY's VERSE
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death. Revelation 12:11
TODAY'S MESSAGE - An Intricate Unity
Looking at the book of Job, we see some tremendous revelations about the body. In many ways, there’s a wonderful interrelationship between the books of Genesis and Job. Job 10:8–12 is a beautiful summation of God’s creative work in our bodies. Verse 8 reads, “Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity.”
As in Genesis 2:7, where the word “formed” indicates a skillful work that results from great care, so the book of Job emphasizes the immeasurable skill and care that God devoted to forming the human body:
Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity; yet You would destroy me. Remember, I pray, that You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese, clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with bones and sinews? (Job 10:8–11)
What a vivid expression! What a beautiful picture of the interrelationship of the various primary parts of the body. We read on in verse 12, “You have granted me life and favor, and Your care [“visitation” KJV] has preserved my spirit.”
Later on in Job, we have the other aspect - the spiritual part - of man’s nature: “But there is a spirit in man, and the breath [“inspiration” KJV] of the Almighty gives him understanding” (Job 32:8).
These words from Job are in perfect accord with those from Genesis. It is the union of the breath of God from above with the clay from beneath that brings into being a total human personality.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I am the union of the breath of God from above with the clay from beneath - and I proclaim that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body.
TODAY's VERSE
Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 1 Corinthians 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God's Blueprint
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (Psalm 139:13–15)
When I consider the physical body, I am filled with a sense of awe. The substance that eventually became my body was planned and formed by God in the earth long before it ever entered my body. God had appointed the substance that would one day constitute my body.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they [“my members” KJV] all were written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them. (verse 16)
God had a blueprint for our bodies before they ever came into being. Compare this verse to what Jesus said in Luke 12:7: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.” This statement shows the depth of God’s concern for our physical bodies - He has even numbered the hairs on our heads. When we realize this, we must acknowledge that God also has a purpose for this marvelous workmanship, which is revealed in 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I will glorify God in my body, and I proclaim that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body.
TODAY's VERSE
Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 1 Corinthians 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Living Sacrifice
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. (Romans 12:1 NASB)
In the early chapters of Romans, we are confronted with tremendous theology. The application starts with our bodies: we are to present our bodies to God as a living sacrifice.
We might think, The body isn’t so important; it’s really the soul that is important. But let’s use a practical analogy: If I asked for a glass of water, I would get both the vessel and its contents. I could not get the water without the glass. That is what God is saying. He wants the vessel, the body - and its contents, the soul. We cannot give the contents without the vessel.
What does it mean to make our bodies “a living…sacrifice”? The sacrifices of the Old Testament were animals that were killed, then placed on the altar. God says, “I want your body just as completely as the Old Testament sacrifices, but with one difference. I don’t want your body dead but living. When I have your body, I have you.”
In Matthew 23, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees, explaining what things really mattered in their service to God. They said the offering was more important than the altar. Jesus said, “You blind men, which is more important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the offering?” (Matthew 23:19 NASB). The altar sanctifies the offering that is placed upon it. The offering is made holy by being placed upon God’s altar. That is how it is with our bodies. When we place our bodies on God’s altar, they become holy. They are sanctified, set apart to God. It is an act each of us has to make.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I present myself to God as a living sacrifice, and I proclaim that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body.
TODAY's VERSE
Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 1 Corinthians 6:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Healing for the Body
Scripture says that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).
On the cross, Jesus took our sins in His own body, which became the sin offering. He took the curse that we deserved upon Himself in His body on the cross that we might be released from sin. The Scripture also says, “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses” (Matthew 8:17) in His own body, that by His wounds we might be healed. (See 1 Peter 2:24 NASB, NIV.) As far as God is concerned, our release from sin is already accomplished. As far as God is concerned, it is already done.
It is interesting to note that the New Testament does not put healing in the future, but in the past. We have been healed ever since the death of Jesus, “by whose stripes you were healed” (emphasis added). Healing has already been provided. Christians sometimes ask me, “How can I know if it’s God’s will for me to be healed?” I usually answer, “If you are a committed Christian, redeemed by the blood of Jesus, I think you’re asking the wrong question. The question is not, ‘How can I know if it’s God’s will for me to be healed?’ The question is, ‘How can I appropriate the healing that God has already provided for me?’” God’s purpose is to preserve the whole of us: spirit, soul, and body, as Paul said, “Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely [make you completely holy]; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I proclaim that by the death of Jesus on the cross, I was forgiven and healed, and God’s purpose is to preserve the whole of me - spirit, soul, and body. My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God Is Present
God promised Abraham and Jacob that their descendants would be like the sand on the seashore. That is such a vivid picture of Israel throughout the last two thousand years of history. The waves have continually beaten upon them. The rage of men and demons - and Satan himself - has unleashed countless onslaughts against the Jewish people in many different areas at many different times. The sea has been stirred up; it has roared, it has tossed to and fro, it has beaten on the sand. And do you know what happens? The sand always wins. Why? Because God said it would. It is God’s Word being worked out.
It is so important to understand that the Jews did not choose to be God’s people. It was the Lord who chose them. I believe that every choice God makes is a right choice. No matter how contrary things may appear, the Lord did the right thing. He will not forsake His people - not because they deserve His faithfulness, but for His great name’s sake. God’s name is committed to Israel; His honor is at stake.
In the New Testament, Jesus Himself gives us the same assur-ance: “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5). At times, we may not be in any way conscious of His presence, but by His Holy Spirit, He is with us. No matter where we go, God is present by His Spirit - invisible, often imperceptible, yet inescapable. For the unbeliever, this may be a terrifying thought; but for the believer, it is a comforting, strengthening assurance.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that just as the Lord is with Israel, He is with me, for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God Will Protect
I was living in Jerusalem when the State of Israel was born. I remember seeing the Israeli flag go up over the center of Jerusalem. I said to myself, Surely this must be significant!
Hear the word of the LORD, O nations, and declare it in the isles afar off, and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him as a shepherd does his flock.” (Jeremiah 31:10)
Twenty-five hundred years ago, God ordained that this particular message should be proclaimed in every nation of the earth. It is being fulfilled before your eyes and in your ears today. Now we can say, “He who scattered Israel is gathering him and will keep him as a shepherd does his flock.”
These are days when absolutely no one knows, in the natural, what will happen tomorrow in Israel. A war could break out there within twenty-four hours without any warning. But in the midst of it all, God will protect Israel as a shepherd protects his flock. There is a guarantee that no matter the political pressures and the violence that erupt, God will protect regathered Israel.
The Lord gives us the same promise in Psalm 121:7–8: “The LORD will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The LORD will guard your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forever” (NASB). It is so good to know that God is with you, not only when you begin the journey, but also when you come to the end; not just when you go to work in the morning, but also when you come home again in the evening. God is still with you, and He will protect you and keep you - from this time forth and forever. The Creator is our keeper.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that just as God is the Protector of Israel, He is my Protector and Keeper, for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Healer of the Brokenhearted
In Psalm 147:2–3, we read, “The LORD builds up Jerusalem; he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds” (NIV). Those are beautiful words, but the most exciting thing about them is that they are being fulfilled in this generation, in our lifetime.
I have seen the outworking of those words. Again, I had the privilege to be living in Jewish Jerusalem in May 1948, when the State of Israel was reborn after two thousand years. Today, the Lord is building up Jerusalem. He is gathering the exiles of Israel. He is healing the brokenhearted and binding up their wounds.
That is good news for all who will turn to God. It is good news for God’s people, Israel. It is also good news for the church of Jesus Christ because the same God who is gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself, bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, and binding up our broken hearts.
There is an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit that is very special - a ministry to the brokenhearted. It is a ministry to those whose hearts are wounded. If you carry a wound inside you, turn to God and say, “God, this is a time of restoration. It is a time of regathering. You are healing the brokenhearted. You are binding up their wounds. Lord, You know the wound I have carried so long in my heart. Will You heal me?”
And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach down where no surgeon can reach and touch that wounded place in your life to bring you healing and restoration.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that just as God is healing the brokenhearted and binding up wounds for Israel, He is bringing healing and restoration to my life, for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Showing Mercy to Israel
It is important for us all to acknowledge the truth of what Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well: “Salvation is of the Jews” (John 4:22). Without the Jews, we would have no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible - and no Savior! Without all these, how much salvation would we receive? None! The Bible makes it clear that God requires the Christians of all other nations to acknowledge their debt to the Jews and to do what they can to repay it. In Romans 11:30–31, Paul summed up what he had been saying about the debt and the responsibility of the Gentile Christians toward Israel.
For as you [Gentiles] were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their [Israel’s] disobedience, even so these [Israelites] also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you [Gentiles] they [Israel] also may obtain mercy.
In other words, because of God’s mercy that has come to us Gentile Christians through Israel, God requires us in our turn to show mercy to Israel. How shall we fulfill this obligation? The following are four practical ways that we may do so.
First, we can cultivate and express an attitude of sincere love for Jewish people.
Second, we can enjoy and demonstrate the abundance of God’s blessings in Christ in such a way that the Jews may be made jealous and desire what they see us enjoying.
Third, we can seek the good of Israel through our prayers and petitions, as the Bible exhorts us to do. (See Romans 10:1.)
Fourth, we can seek to repay our debt to Israel by performing practical acts of kindness and mercy.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I acknowledge my debt to the Jews, and I proclaim that I will repay it in practical ways, as well as by showing mercy - for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Favour for Zion
The Lord says that the regathering of Israel in our day is a banner raised by Him for the nations. Events in Israel and the Middle East today are at the center of world attention and media coverage. This period of Israel’s regathering at the end of the age was marked out clearly on God’s great prophetic calendar three thousand years ago. Here is one of the passages that make this clear:
You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the LORD, all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the LORD will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory….Let this be written for a future generation, that a people not yet created may praise the LORD. (Psalm 102:13–16, 18 NIV)
Now is God’s appointed time to have mercy on Zion and to show favor to her. This is not something that Zion or the Jewish people have earned, but something that comes out of God’s sovereign grace and mercy. One of the main purposes of what God is doing is to bring glory to His own name in the sight of all the nations by fulfilling His promises to Israel. The rebuilding of Zion is one of the great biblical signs that the time is at hand for the Lord to appear in His glory. We have the great privilege of living in the time that the psalmist here foresaw. I believe we are the ones being created as a people in response to what God is doing for one supreme purpose: to bring praise to the Lord.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that God is bringing glory to His own name by fulfilling His promises to Israel, for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God of Covenant
In Psalm 89:34, God said, “My covenant I will not violate, nor will I al-ter the utterance of My lips” (NASB). It is of tremendous importance that we grasp the fact that when God makes a covenant, He will never break it. We need to know that.
Our Bible consists of two covenants: the old and the new. Therefore, the essence of divine revelation is centered in covenant. If God were to break His covenant, we would have no hope. It is my personal conviction that if God were to break His covenant with Israel, we would have no reason to believe that He would not break His covenant with the church. You may say, “Well, Israel failed God.” Undoubtedly. But can you honestly say that the church has not also failed God?
I am not capable of presenting God’s point of view, but in my limited understanding, I see Israel receiving a covenant and failing dismally. I see the church receiving a covenant and failing even worse than Israel. What is God saying to us about the restoration of Israel? I suggest that God is saying at least four things, all of them extremely topical, relevant, and important for the church of Jesus Christ.
First, God is saying that the Bible is a true, relevant, up-to-date book.
Second, God is saying that He keeps His covenant.
Third, God is saying to us that He is sovereign.
The fourth thing the Lord is saying is that in restoring the Israelites to their land, God has set the stage for the last act of the drama of this age. Every prophecy that relates to the close of this age is predicated on one important factor - the presence of Israel as a sovereign nation within its own borders.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that God keeps His covenants, for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
The Lord will not forsake His people.
TODAY's VERSE
The LORD will not forsake His people, for His great name’s sake, because it has pleased the LORD to make you His people. 1 Samuel 12:22
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God Demands a Response
I believe that God requires a response from His believing people regarding what He is doing in Israel and the Middle East. We are not permitted to remain neutral, apathetic, or indifferent. God demands a response. In the book of Jeremiah, the prophet told us what the Lord commands us to do:
Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost [or chief] of the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, “O LORD, save your people, the remnant of Israel.” (Jeremiah 31:7–8 NIV)
The New American Standard Bible reads, “Proclaim, give praise, and say” (verse 7). Combining these two versions, I find there are five responses that God requires. In a sense, they are all vocal: sing, shout, praise, proclaim, and say (or pray).
What are we responding to? The regathering of the remnant of Jacob. To whom is this command addressed? The church, we who believe that the Bible is the Word of God and that we ought to obey it.
God is asking us to intercede for Israel. He is saying, “I am restoring My people. I am regathering them, and I am asking you to unite with Me and My purposes through prayer.” I think we must all face this as one of the mysterious facts about God: when He intends to do something, He will say to His people, “Pray that I will do it.” In other words, He says, “This is My intention, but it will not happen until you pray.”
As Christians, we have a tremendous responsibility to be totally committed to the outworking of God’s purposes in history.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that the Lord is restoring and regathering His people, and I join my prayers with other believers’ prayers. The Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Punished for Our Peace
I remember once talking to a Jewish man who told me why he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah: “He couldn’t have been a good man; God would never have let Him suffer like that.” And that is exactly what the prophet Isaiah said: “We esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). But verse 5 says, “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised [“crushed” NIV] for our iniquities; the chastisement [“punishment” NIV] for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes [“wounds” NIV] we are healed.”
Two major transactions are mentioned in those verses. The punishment due to our wrongdoing came upon Jesus so that we might be forgiven and have peace. Until the punishment for sin had been inflicted, there was no possibility of peace. Let’s look at another passage in Ephesians where Paul was speaking about what took place on the cross:
He Himself is our peace, who has made both [Jew and Gentile] one, and has broken down the middle wall of separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near. (Ephesians 2:14–17, emphasis added)
Notice the emphasis on the word “peace.” There can be no peace for the sinner until he knows that his sins have been forgiven. Jesus was punished so that we might have peace with God through forgiveness. (See also Colossians 1:19–20.)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I proclaim that Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven, so I might have peace with God through being forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Redeemed!
On the cross, Jesus was identified with everything evil that we have ever done. In return, we were totally forgiven and delivered from the power of evil.
“In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace” (Ephesians 1:7). When we have forgiveness of sins, we have redemption; we have been redeemed. Redeem means “to buy back,” or “to ransom.” Through the payment of His blood, given as a sacrifice on our behalf, Jesus bought us back from Satan for God.
In Romans 7, Paul said something that is not always clear to people who are not familiar with the cultural context of his day: “I am carnal, sold under sin” (verse 14). Remember that the phrase “sold under sin” relates to the Roman slave market. Someone being sold as a slave had to stand on a block, and from a post behind him, a spear was extended over his head. So, Paul said, “I am carnal, sold under the spear of my sin, which is extended over my head. I have no options. I’m for sale.”
When a person is a slave, he has no choices. Again, two women may be sold in the same market; the owner makes one a cook, the other a prostitute. The same is true with us as sinners. We may be good, respectable sinners and look down on prostitutes and addicts. But it is the slave owner who determines the slave’s service.
The good news is that Jesus walked into the slave market and said, “I’ll buy her; I’ll buy him. Satan, I’ve paid the price. These are now My son and daughter.” That is redemption, and it comes only through the forgiveness of sins.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I proclaim that Jesus bought me back from Satan to God. He was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Our Need for Forgiveness
What makes the word forgiveness so special and beautiful? Well, con-sider some of the results that flow from forgiveness: reconciliation, peace, harmony, understanding, fellowship. Or consider some of the consequences that flow from our failure to forgive and be forgiven: bitterness, strife, disharmony, hatred, war. At times, it seems as if the human race is in danger of being overwhelmed by these evil, negative forces. We can escape this terrible fate only as we learn and apply the principles of forgiveness.
Let us remember that two directions of forgiveness are represented in the Bible. They are well portrayed by the symbol of our Christian faith, the cross, which has two beams - one vertical and one horizontal. These beams represent the two directions of forgiveness: the vertical beam represents the forgiveness we need to receive from God; the horizontal beam represents the forgiveness we need to receive from others, as well as the forgiveness we must extend. The grace for this kind of forgiveness comes only through the cross.
The kind of forgiveness we need and can receive from God is set forth most beautifully in Psalm 32:1–2, where David said, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit” (NIV).
Again, the Bible does not talk about a man who does not need forgiveness. It clearly indicates that all of us need forgiveness from God. There are no exceptions. Other psalms tell us there is no man who does not sin. (See, for example, Psalm 14:1–3; 53:1–3.) We have all sinned. Therefore, we all need forgiveness.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I admit my own need for forgiveness, and I proclaim that Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Forgiven as We Forgive
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to pray, “Forgive us our debts [trespasses], as we forgive our debtors [those who trespass against us]” (Matthew 6:12). This petition says, in other words, “Forgive us as we forgive.” Remember that in the same proportion that you forgive others, God will forgive you. If you totally forgive others, God will totally forgive you. But if you only partly forgive others, God will only partly forgive you.
One major reason that many Christians do not receive answers to prayer is their failure to forgive others, usually one specific person. In my experiences with counseling people, I have found unforgiveness to be a common source of blockage in their spiritual lives. I once asked a woman whom I was counseling, “Is there anybody you haven’t forgiven?” She said, “Yes” and went on to specify a distinguished person in the United States Department of Justice. I said, “If you want release, you will have to forgive him. There is no alternative. If you don’t forgive him, God does not forgive you.”
Are we willing to forgive? We may think, I don’t know if I can. God may also say, “I don’t know if I can.” We had better make up our minds. Forgiveness is not an emotion; it is a decision. I call this “tearing up the IOU.” Somebody might owe us thirty thousand dollars, but we could owe God six million dollars. If we want Him to tear up His IOU, we must first tear up ours.
That is God’s unvarying law. It is built into the Lord’s Prayer. And the last petition in the Lord’s Prayer is a petition for deliverance from the evil one, Satan. We have no right to pray for deliverance until we have forgiven others as we would have God forgive us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I admit my own need for forgiveness, and I proclaim that Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Healing through Forgiveness
To receive forgiveness, we must be absolutely honest with God - not covering up or excusing our sins or holding anything back. Referring to when he was found guilty of committing adultery and murder in the matter of Bathsheba, David continued in his psalm,
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD” - and you forgave the guilt of my sin. (verses 3–5 NIV)
Like many people, David refused to admit his sin and tried to pretend it never happened, covering it up. But all the time he was like a man with a burning fever. His “strength was sapped” and his “bones wasted away.” Unforgiven sin can produce physical results.
A psychiatrist related this story to me. While visiting a hospital, he met a woman who was in a hopeless condition. Her kidneys had ceased to function, her skin was discolored, and she was in a coma, simply waiting to die. One day, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to say, “In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I remit your sins,” later wondering if he had done something foolish. About a week later, he was amazed to see the woman walking down the street - completely healed. Unforgiven sin had caused her physical condition. When her sins were forgiven through this man’s intercession, her spirit was clear with God and the way was open for her to be healed.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I ask for the physical healing that comes from being forgiven, and I proclaim that Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Remembering His Benefits
Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits. (Psalm 103:1–2)
Here we observe David’s spirit telling his soul what to do. David’s spirit knew what ought to be done, but it could not happen until David’s soul cooperated with his spirit and responded to the challenge.
Let’s briefly enumerate the benefits that we are cautioned not to forget. Many Christians do not enjoy these benefits because they fail to remember them. Six specific benefits of God are listed in the next three verses:
Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (verses 3–5)
God forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases, redeems our lives from destruction, crowns us with lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies our mouths with good things, and renews our youth like the eagle’s. I believe there is a close connection between having your mouth filled with good things and having your youth renewed like the eagle’s.
I am convinced that it is not the will of God for His people to grow old the way the world grows old. I do not mean that there will not be any change produced by advancing in age, but that aging does not need to be a time of failure, misery, and sickness.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I will remember all Your benefits, and I proclaim that Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
TODAY's VERSE
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4–5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Escaping from the Curse
In seeking the release from a curse, one main requirement is to confess any known sins committed by yourself or your ancestors, for it may be that it was the sin of your ancestors that exposed you, as one of their descendants, to the curse. Even though you do not bear the guilt of their sin, you do suffer the consequences of their sin. To escape from the curse, you need to deal with the sin that exposed you or your ancestors to the curse. You do this by confessing the sin and asking God to forgive and blot it out. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.” If you cover sin, you will not prosper or be blessed. However, if you confess your sin and forsake it, then you will have God’s mercy and redemption from the curse. Again, you must also forgive all other persons. Jesus said,
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your transgressions. (Mark 11:25 NASB)
This is very important. Jesus makes it clear that if we hold unforgiveness, bitterness, or resentment in our hearts when we pray, we erect barriers to the answer to our prayers. It will keep us under the curse. By a decision of our wills, when we pray, we must lay down any kind of resentment, bitterness, or unforgiveness against any person. In the measure in which we forgive others, God forgives us. If we want total forgiveness from God, we must offer total forgiveness to others. This is not being super-spiritual; forgiving other people means that you’re exercising what I call “enlightened self-interest.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I proclaim that by taking these steps, I am released from any curse, because Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
TODAY's VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Total Salvation
Being born again is an experience of unique importance. Unless you are born again, you cannot see or enter the kingdom of God. (See John 3:3–5.) But it is not a one-time experience; rather, salvation is an ongoing process. Part of salvation is being baptized. I don’t want to stir up controversy, but you can be born again without being baptized. If you want to be saved, however, baptism is a key part of the process, for “He who believes and is baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
Being saved means much more than just getting your soul ready for heaven. Someone once said, “The evangelical concept of salvation is to get souls prepackaged for heaven.” That may be so, to a degree, but salvation includes a lot more than being prepackaged for heaven.
I want to examine a passage from the New Testament in which the writer used the Greek word for “to save,” which is sozo. If we look at where this word appears in the Scriptures, it will give us an idea of what is included in salvation.
The book of Matthew speaks about Jesus’ ministry to the sick, saying, “They…brought to Him all who were sick….And as many as touched it [His garment] were made perfectly well [“whole” KJV]” (Matthew 14:35–36). The verb used for “well” or “whole” is sozo, but it is preceded by a Greek preposition that means “thoroughly.” To be “thoroughly saved” is to be perfectly healed. This passage is not talking solely about the condition of the soul; it is also talking about those who are sick. And as many as touched Jesus were totally saved. How total is our salvation?
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that for me to be thoroughly saved is to be perfectly healed and that Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
TODAY's VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Healing and Salvation
Let’s look at some places in Scripture where the Greek word sozo - meaning “salvation” - is used. In the gospel of Mark, Jesus met a blind man named Bartimaeus on the road to Jericho. (See Mark 10:46–52.) “Jesus answered and said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, that I may receive my sight’” (Mark 10:51).
The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, had a one-track mind. All he wanted was to get his sight, and get it he did. “Then, Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus on the road” (verse 52). The literal Greek translation of Jesus’ words reads, “Your faith has saved you.” That’s salvation.
In Luke 8:43–48, we read about the woman with the issue of blood who came behind Jesus and touched Him. She did not want to be recognized, however, because according to Jewish law, anyone with an issue of blood was unclean and was not free to touch anybody. This woman was embarrassed, but she was so desperate for healing that she defied the Law.
Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she came trembling; and falling down before Him, she declared to Him in the presence of all the people the reason she had touched Him and how she was healed immediately. And He [Jesus] said to her, “Daughter, be of good cheer; your faith has made you well [sozo]. Go in peace.” (verses 47–48)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross and that my healing is a part of salvation. I proclaim that Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
TODAY's VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Give Thanks
There is tremendous potential in giving thanks. Not only does it release the miracle-working power of God, but also after God’s miracle-working power has been set in operation, giving thanks sets the seal on the blessings received.
As he [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him - and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” (Luke 17:12–19 NIV)
All ten lepers were healed physically. But something extra happened to the one who returned to give thanks. Jesus said, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” The word for “well” in Greek is sozo, meaning “to save.” Again, it nearly always indicates something more than mere physical or temporary provision from God. It is the all-inclusive word for salvation.
There was one important difference between the lepers. Nine were healed in an exclusively physical sense. The tenth, who came back to give thanks to God, was healed not only physically, but also spiritually - his soul was saved. He was brought into a right, eternal relationship with God. The nine others received a partial, temporary blessing; the tenth received total, permanent blessing. The difference was the giving of thanks.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that giving thanks brings total, permanent blessing and that Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
TODAY's VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - He Bore Our Sickness
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53:4–5)
This translation is not literal, and it has consequently deprived millions of English-speaking believers of their physical rights in Christ. Still, there is no doubt as to the correct meaning of these words. “Griefs” should be “sicknesses”; “sorrows” should be “pains.” They are basic Hebrew root words, used with these meanings in the days of Moses and having the same meanings today. This is stated clearly in Scripture:
[Jesus] cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16–17)
[He] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed. (1 Peter 2:24)
We see that Matthew and Peter, Jews alike who knew Hebrew and were inspired by the Holy Spirit, gave the correct meanings to those words of Isaiah. If you combine these passages from Matthew and Peter, you get three statements taken from Isaiah 53:4–5 about the physical and spiritual realms. Physical realm: He took our infir-mities; He bore our sicknesses; we are healed. Spiritual realm: He was wounded for our transgressions; He was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that procured our peace was upon Him.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. Jesus took my infirmities - my sicknesses - and healed me. Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
TODAY's VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Removing Barriers to Healing
Often, issues within the hearts and lives of God’s people act as barriers to healing. Seven common such barriers are: (1) ignorance of God’s Word (see Isaiah 5:13; Hosea 4:6); (2) unbelief (see Hebrews 3:12–13); (3) unconfessed sin (see Proverbs 28:13); (4) resentment and unforgiveness toward others (see Mark 11:25–26); (5) occult involvement (see Exodus 23:24–26); (6) unscriptural covenants, i.e., Freemasonry (see Exodus 23:31–33); and (7) the effects of a curse (see Deuteronomy 28:15–68). Sometimes sicknesses are caused by, or associated with, the presence of evil spirits. Let’s look at just one example from the gospel of Luke.
When the sun was setting, all those who had any that were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. And demons [evil spirits] also came out of many, crying out. (Luke 4:40–41)
When the supernatural power of God comes into operation, evil spirits cannot stand it any longer; they have to come out.
There are different ways in which evil spirits are associated with sickness. There are spirits of infirmity, pain, crippling, and death, to name only four. Jesus encountered a woman who was bent double and could not stand up straight. Rather than treat her condition as a physical ailment, He said that she had been bound by a spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. Then, He loosed her from the spirit, and she immediately straightened up. (See Luke 13:11–13.)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that when God’s supernatural power comes into operation, all barriers to healing fall because Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
TODAY's VERSE
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:5
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Healing for All
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our in-firmities and bore our sicknesses.” (Matthew 8:16–17)
Matthew used two words for physical problems: “infirmities” and “sicknesses.” To distinguish between them, we could define infirmities as weaknesses - the things we are liable to, such as allergic reactions and bee stings; sicknesses we could define as actual diseases, such as cholera or influenza.
Matthew wrote that the healing ministry of Jesus was the fulfillment of Isaiah 53, emphasizing that Jesus “healed all.” Why? Because in the eternal counsel of God, He had already taken our sicknesses and borne our pains. That is good news! If the church really believed that, evangelism would be pretty simple.
Going to Pakistan was a revealing experience for me because the population is 98 percent Muslim. We had as many as 16,000 people in our meetings without much advertising. Why? Because we prayed for the sick - and they were healed. Not all of them, more like just a few of them. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked. Believe me, there is no problem getting a crowd when healings occur. It is the number one method in the New Testament to attract people.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that by Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s healing is available to all, myself included, because Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Clear Exchange
He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Corinthians 5:21)
God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus. The exchange there is very clear: Jesus was made sin so that we might become righteousness. Notice that it is not by our own righteousness that we are made righteous, but by the righteousness of God. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.”
The only righteousness acceptable in heaven is the righteousness of God received through faith in Jesus Christ. Isaiah 64:6 reads, “We are all like an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” This verse does not say that all our sins are like filthy rags, but that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. Even the best efforts we make to be religious - to please God and serve Him in our own strength - are but filthy rags. These filthy rags do not fit us for the courts of heaven. God requires that we put away those filthy rags of our own righteousness. We must cease from relying on our own good works and religious activities, acknowledging that we are sinful. We must believe that Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness on the cross so that we, in turn, might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I put away my own righteousness and seek God’s righteousness instead, because Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Lord’s Decision
Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise Him [Jesus]; He has put Him to grief. (Isaiah 53:10)
There is nothing wrong with the translation of this verse, but the word “pleased” does not accurately represent our modern usage of the term. It means it was the Lord’s decision, or purpose. For instance, a criminal in Britain is sentenced by the judge to be detained “for the queen’s pleasure.” It’s not that the queen takes pleasure in the detention of the criminal, but that she considers it necessary. Historically, this phrase goes back to the Elizabethan period in England. So, when Scripture says “it pleased the LORD,” it does not mean the Lord took pleasure in bruising His Son, but rather that it was the Lord’s decision, it was His purpose. He saw fit to do it; He saw that it was necessary.
The Hebrew language is so condensed that it is almost impossible to translate it completely and accurately into another language. There are only about four Hebrew words in the first two lines of that verse. Where it says “It pleased the LORD to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief,” the best translation I can find is “unto sickness” or “to make Him sickness by bruising Him.” The word translated “put Him to grief” (chalah) occurs also in Micah 6:13. God was speaking to rebellious, stubborn Israel, saying, “Therefore also I will make you sick [chalah] by striking you.” There, the New King James Version has translated it by the correct, literal word.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that the Lord made Jesus sickness by smiting Him and that Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Perfect Offering
It was the Lord’s “pleasure” to make Jesus sick, or “to make Him sickness by bruising Him.” Jesus was bruised unto sickness, physically. His body was crushed, marred, mutilated - whatever word you want to use. He became total sickness on the cross.
When You [God] make His [Jesus’] soul an offering for sin, He shall see His seed. (Isaiah 53:10)
Where the English says “an offering for sin,” the Hebrew uses only one word, asham, which means “guilt,” “sin,” or “sin offering.” In the language of the Old Testament, the same word was used for both guilt and guilt offering. Why? Because under the Levitical law, when the sacrificial animal was brought as a sin offering, the man whose sin was being atoned for laid his hands on the head of the animal and confessed his sin over that animal, thereby symbolically transferring his sin to the animal. In that way, the sin offering became sin with the man’s sin. Then, the animal was dealt with; instead of the man being killed, the animal was.
All this, of course, is representative of the death of Christ. The writer of Hebrews said it was not possible for the blood of bulls or goats to take away sins. (See Hebrews 10:4.) The sacrificial system was just a picture leading up to the transaction that was fulfilled on the cross. But here, speaking about the actual event, the Scripture says that God made the soul of Jesus to be sin. That is the real meaning of “make His soul an offering for sin.” The apostle Paul confirmed this point when he quoted Isaiah 53:10 in this passage: “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Complete Provision
God, through the cross, has dealt with the problem of guilt. He has made complete provision for the past; “He forgave us all our sins” (Co-lossians 2:13 NIV). Through the death of Jesus Christ on our behalf - through our Representative, who carried our guilt and paid our penalty - God is able to forgive every one of our sinful acts without compromising His own justice, because His justice has been satisfied by the death of Christ. We need to understand that all our past sinful acts, no matter how numerous or how serious, have been forgiven when we put our faith in Jesus.
God not only has made complete provision for the past, but also has made complete provision for the future, “having canceled the written code, with its regulations, that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took it away, nailing it to the cross” (verse 14 NIV).
The written code is the law of Moses. On the cross, Jesus did away with the law of Moses as a means of obtaining righteousness with God. As long as the law was the requirement for righteousness, every time we broke even one of the most minor requirements, we were guilty before God. But when the law was taken out of the way, provision was made for us to live free from guilt because our faith is now reckoned to us as righteousness. As Paul wrote, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4 NASB). Christ is the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who believes - Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, it makes no difference. He is the end of the law as a means to achieve righteousness with God. We are not required to keep the law in order to be righteous.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that God has made complete provision for past, present, and future sins, because Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - “Romans Recipe”
Let’s now look at the “Romans Recipe” of Romans 6. The word recipe evokes the image of a cookbook. If we Christians used the Bible in the same simple, practical way that chefs use cookbooks, we would find that God’s recipes always work. The Romans Recipe is God’s way of making the truths of the gospel work in our lives.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection. For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin - because anyone who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God. (Romans 6:1–10 NIV)
The outcome of this “recipe” is tremendous: “sin shall not be your master” - sin will no longer dominate or control you. Deliverance from sin and all its evil consequences comes through our identification with Jesus Christ in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that sin shall not be my master - because Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Entering into Life
Today, we will look more closely at the ingredients of the “Romans Recipe.” Romans 6 (NIV) presents successive points of identification. First, “we died to sin” (verse 1) when Jesus died, and we identify our-selves with His death. When Jesus was crucified, our “old self” (verse 6), the rebel nature we inherited from Adam, was also crucified. Second, “we were…buried with him” (verse 4). By baptism into His death, we died and were buried with Him. Third, we are “united with him in his resurrection” (verse 5). Following Him through death and burial, we move out into His resurrection life, sharing His life with Him. The practical, successive consequences of this identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and resurrection are as follows:
1. “The body of sin [is] done away with” (verse 6). The corrupt, evil nature that enslaved us and made us do wrong even when we desired to do right is rendered powerless. It has been put to death.
2. Consequently, we are “no longer…slaves to sin” (verse 6). Sin no longer compels us to do harmful, destructive things that will ul-timately bring disaster upon us, on earth and in eternity.
3. Then, we are “freed from sin” (verse 7). We are literally justified, or acquitted. Jesus paid the final penalty for our sin; there is no more to pay. Having been released from the power and guilt of sin, we now have good consciences and can stand before the throne of almighty God without fear.
4. Finally, “we will also live with him [Christ]” (verse 8). What a tre-mendous promise! We will share His eternal resurrection life. He died once to sin; He cannot die again. He lives forever to God, and we enter into that eternal life.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that by my identification with Jesus, I am no longer a slave to sin. Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be made righteous with His righteousness.
TODAY's VERSE
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21
TODAY'S MESSAGE - We Will Be Delivered
The next part of the Romans Recipe, the practical how-to, is found in Romans 6:11–13.
First, “count yourselves dead” (verse 11). The Bible says we are dead - believe it! Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul saw Christ’s crucifixion and death as his own. He thought that way and talked that way, reckoning it true. We must do the same.
Steps two and three are negative admonitions: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body” (verse 12) and “Do not offer the parts of your body to sin” (verse 13). Before, we could not help yielding to sin; now, we have a choice. There is a power in us greater than sin. We have been liberated, justified. However, we must exercise our wills. When temptation comes, we must firmly and finally say, “No! I will not yield my body or my members! I do not yield to you, Satan; I belong to Jesus.”
Step four is positive: “Offer yourselves to God” (verse 13). We cannot be independent agents and remain free from sin. We must choose to serve God rather than Satan, offering ourselves as sacrifices to God, giving all we are and all we have - holding nothing back. Next, Paul said, “Offer the parts of your body to him [God]” (verse 13). Yield every part of your body to God for Him to use as He wants for His glory.
The result is that “sin shall not be your master” (verse 14). We are set free from shame, degradation, agony - all the evils sin brings. If we follow the Romans Recipe - working through our identification with Jesus in death, burial, and resurrection - we will be delivered.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that through identification with Jesus, I will be delivered - because Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Atonement: The Hub
To illustrate the role of the atonement in the total message of the gospel, consider the structure of a wheel, which has three basic sec-tions: the outer circle, the spokes, and the hub. In this picture, the outer circle represents God’s complete provision for every area of our lives - spiritual, physical, and financial, for time and through eternity. The spokes that support the outermost circle of the wheel are ways in which God makes provision. For instance, He makes pro-vision through forgiveness (peace), healing (health), deliverance (liberty), sanctification (holiness), and so forth. Now, without the central hub, the spokes have nothing to support them. Also, through the hub comes the driving power to turn the wheel. In God’s provision, the atonement is the center hub, supplying the power for the Christian life.
From Hebrews 2:9, we learn that by the grace of God, Jesus tasted death for everyone. He took our place; that which was due to us came upon Him. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every one, to his own way; and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
“Iniquity” also means “rebellion.” The rebellion of the entire human race is summed up in that phrase. We have turned our backs on God and gone our own ways - set our own standards, pleased ourselves, lived for ourselves. We have been rebellious, but the Lord placed on Jesus the rebellion of us all; all of our rebellion was concentrated on Him. As He hung on the cross, all the evil consequences of our rebellion came upon Him: sickness, rejection, pain, agony, and, finally, death. But He did not die for Himself. He died our deaths. He tasted death in our place.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I turn from my rebellion, and that Jesus tasted death in my place - because Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - His Suffering for Us
Isaiah 53 gives us a detailed prophetic description of the suffering of Jesus, written more than seven hundred years before it took place.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was taken away; and as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due? His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence, nor was there any deceit in His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7–9 NASB)
These details were accurately fulfilled in the sufferings and death of Jesus. First, the Gospels emphasized several times that Jesus made no attempt to answer His accusers, justify Himself, or plead His own cause. (See, for example, Mark 15:3–5.) Unjust accusation and an unfair trial led to His death, and “He was cut off out of the land of the living.”
The details of His burial are also amazingly accurate: “His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a rich man in His death.” We move from the plural “with wicked men” to the singular “a rich man.” Historically, we find that Jesus was taken down for burial with two thieves who were hung on either side of Him, but then He was buried in the tomb of a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea.
Isaiah emphasizes that it was not for His own sin or guilt that Jesus died. He was totally innocent, yet He died the death of a criminal.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that You suffered and died for me - that Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Our Amazing Representative
Let’s look at some Scriptures that speak about how Christ identified Himself with the human race and expiated its guilt.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death. (Hebrews 2:14–15 NIV)
When Adam rebelled, instead of being a king, he became a slave - bound by Satan, death, and corruption. He was no longer free. But in order to deliver human beings from that slavery, Jesus took upon Himself the form of humanity, the Adamic nature. He took upon Himself the same flesh and blood that you and I have so that by His death, He might destroy the one who holds the power of death - that is, the devil - and free all those of us who all our lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. On the cross, Jesus took upon Himself the fallen nature of human beings and their sins. This is also stated in 1 Peter 2:24: “He himself [Jesus] bore our sins in his body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed” (NIV).
On the cross, Jesus became completely identified with our sin and our guilt. He became the last great guilt offering that took away the sin and guilt of the human race. He bore our sin and our punishment. Our wounds became His wounds, and He died our deaths. He expiated that guilt of rebellion as our representative, the last Adam, hanging on the cross, shedding His lifeblood, giving Himself totally to redeem us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that You gave Yourself totally to redeem me, and that Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Identifying with Jesus
Looking beyond Christ’s identification with us, we find that, in turn, through faith and repentance, we can be identified with Christ - not only in His death, but also in His subsequent exaltation.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions - it is by grace you have been saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. (Ephesians 2:4–6 NIV)
This is the opposite side of identification. First, Jesus identified Himself with us, the fallen race. He took our place, paid our penalty, and died our death. He expiated our guilt. Then, as we identify ourselves with Him and His death in faith, we are also identified with Him in all that follows His death. Three great steps of our identification with Jesus are stated in Ephesians 2:4–6. First, “God…made us alive with Christ.” Second, “God raised us up with Christ.” He resurrected us with Christ. But it doesn’t stop there. Third, “God…seated us with Him in the heavenly realms.” God seated us with Christ on His throne. He enthroned us in Christ.
Notice those three upward steps of identification with Jesus: we are made alive with Him, resurrected with Him, and enthroned with Him. The way up is down; from the lowest, we go to the highest. God exalts the lowest to the highest, and this principle runs all through Scripture. It is not just a matter of history but the outworking of a universal law: Whoever humbles himself will be exalted. Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. (See Matthew 23:12 NIV.)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I humble myself before God, identifying myself with Jesus to be made alive with Him, resurrected with Him and enthroned with Him - because Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Hidden with Christ
When we are first confronted with the cross, we tend to recoil. But the cross of Jesus is the door to a secret place that no animal can find, no bird can see, and all the rest of creation does not know. (See Job 28:7–8.) It is in the spiritual realm. Paul said,
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4 NIV)
The key phrase, “your life is now hidden with Christ in God,” is not talking about the next world, but the here and now. Being hidden with Christ in God means being in the secret place. The secret is that when Jesus died, He did not die for Himself; He died for us as our representative, taking our guilt and condemnation on Himself.
Based on our understanding by faith in Scripture, we know that when Jesus died and was raised, we died and were raised. We passed through death into a realm the senses cannot discern and creatures do not perceive. We are in Christ, and we are in God; nothing can reach us unless it comes through God and through Christ. We are here in the flesh, but our lives are not in this visible world. We may go through many difficulties and pressures in these clay vessels, but we have a life that is eternal, incorruptible, and indestructible. This is total security. No matter what comes, in Christ we are in the secret place of the Most High, protected from all harm and all danger. (See Psalm 91:1–2.) And the door to the secret place is the cross.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that by the cross, I have entered into the secret place of the Most High. I am protected from all harm and danger, because Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Abundant, Eternal Life
Jesus called Himself the “good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14). The shepherd’s provision, as illustrated in Psalm 23, can be summed up in one tremendous phrase: total security. But remember that all provision is measured by our commitment. When our commitment is total, our security is total. If there are limits to our commitment, then we do not enjoy the total security Jesus offers.
We can reinforce this Old Testament illustration by looking at the words of Jesus in the New Testament: “The thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John 10:10 NASB). Jesus was telling us the reason that He came to earth. He summed it up in a simple phrase: that we “might have life.” Not life in a small or limited way, but life “abundantly.” Life overflowing. Life for every area of our being. Life more than sufficient for every challenge and every pressure that comes against us.
Then, a little further on, Jesus used the phrase, “eternal life”:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My hand. (John 10:27–28 NASB)
Notice the central phrases: “I give eternal life to them, and they shall never perish.” By this passage, we see that Jesus came so that we might have eternal life, a life that stretches beyond this world. A life that goes beyond the grave. A life that lasts for eternity. I once heard somebody make this insightful comment: “I believe that I shall live as long as God lives because God has become my life.” That is the kind of life that Jesus came to offer us. His life - eternally.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. By Your death, I have abundant, eternal life, because Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
TODAY's VERSE
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Hebrews 2:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Total Exchange
This passage can be summarized in one word: rebellion. It is the common sin of all humanity. The prophet continued, “And the LORD has laid on Him [Jesus] the iniquity of us all” (verse 6). The word iniquity (Hebrew, avon) means “rebellion,” “the punishment for rebellion,” and “all the evil consequences of rebellion.” On the cross, Jesus - our substitute, the last Adam - became the rebel with our rebellion and endured all the evil consequences of rebellion. This is the door to God’s treasure house, if we can grasp it.
This is the exchange: All the evil our rebellion deserved came upon Jesus so that all the good He deserved - because of His perfect obedience - might be offered to us. In whatever way we look at that exchange, it was total. Jesus was punished so that we might be forgiven. He was wounded so that we might be healed. He bore our sin so that we might share His righteousness. He died our death so that we might share His life. He was made a curse so that we might receive the blessing. He endured our poverty so that we might share His abundance. He bore our shame so that we might have His glory. He endured our rejection so that we might have His acceptance.
Just picture the rebel on the cross and know that you are that rebel - indeed, you should be hanging there. But Jesus took your place. He not only bore your rebellion, but also bore all its evil consequences so that you might enter into all the blessings of His perfect obedience. That is grace at work. You cannot earn it, you did not deserve it, and you had no claim upon it. There is only one way to receive it, and that is by faith. Just believe.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that Jesus died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the blessing.
TODAY's VERSE
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Galatians 3:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Reality of Blessings and Curses
Christ was made a curse on the cross so that we might qualify for and receive the blessing. In order to receive this provision God has made for us, it is necessary that we understand the nature of blessings and curses. If we do not understand these two concepts, we will not be able to avail ourselves of God’s provision.
Both blessings and curses are major themes of Scripture. The word “bless” or “blessing” occurs more than 410 times in the Bible; the word curse occurs nearly 160 times. In other words, the Bible has a great deal to say about both. Both are absolutely real - so real that Jesus had to be made a curse so that we might be redeemed from the curse and receive the blessing.
Some people are inclined to think that blessings are real but curses are imaginary, or hypothetical. That is an illogical idea. If we consider any pair of opposites, it stands to reason that if one is real, the other must be real. Take day and night, for example. If day is real, then night is also real. Heat and cold - if heat is real, then cold is real. Good and evil - if good is real, then evil is real. We cannot accept one and ignore the other. So it is with blessings and curses. Blessings are real, and so are curses.
The Bible has much to teach us about the nature of blessings and curses, how they operate, how to recognize a curse at work in your life, and how to be delivered. If we remain ignorant, it will be to our own cost. We will miss much of the total provision that God has made for us through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross if we fail to understand His exchange of blessing for curse.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim my belief that blessings are real, and so are curses - so real that Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the blessing.
TODAY's VERSE
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Galatians 3:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Common Indications of a Curse
I have compiled a list of seven common manifestations of a curse. Most curses do not concern one individual exclusively; rather, they usually concern families or larger communities. The essential feature of curses and blessings alike in the Bible is that they are passed down from generation to generation unless something happens to cut them off. I have dealt with people whose problems went back hundreds of years in family history.
On the basis of my personal observation, here are seven indications that usually signify the presence of a curse over your life or your family. If you experience only one of these, I would not say for sure there is a curse. But if several of them show up in your family, in different areas and in multiple generations, you can be almost sure that a curse is in place. These indications are the following: (1) mental and emotional breakdown; (2) repeated or chronic sicknesses, especially if they are hereditary; (3) repeated miscarriages or related female problems; (4) breakdown of marriage and family alienation, especially a family history of them; (5) financial insufficiency, if it is ongoing; (6)being known as “accident-prone”; and (7) having a family a history of suicides or unnatural deaths.
We will not dwell on the problem, but we will affirm the solution. Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the blessing.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that for every indication of a curse in my life, Jesus’ death was the solution, for Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the blessing.
TODAY's VERSE
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Galatians 3:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Administrator of the Blessing
The Holy Spirit is the administrator of all the inheritance of “the blessing of Abraham” (Galatians 3:14). In Genesis 24, we find a beautiful story to illustrate this truth. The story tells how Abraham obtained a bride for his son Isaac. It is a very simple but beautiful parable with four main characters, three of whom are the following: Abraham, who represents God the Father; Isaac, Abraham’s son, who represents God’s only begotten Son, Jesus; and Rebekah, the bride, who represents the church (the bride of Christ). There is one other individual, and he is, in a sense, the main character. That character is the nameless servant, who represents the Holy Spirit. If we read the chapter with those personalities in mind, it will reveal almost limitless truths to us.
Notice that at the beginning of the chapter, it says that everything that Abraham owned was under the control of the servant. He was the administrator of the entire estate of Abraham the father and Isaac the son. That is true of the Holy Spirit, too; He is the administrator of the entire wealth of the Godhead. We are heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. But the administrator of our inheritance is the Holy Spirit. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we cannot receive or enjoy our inheritance.
When the Bible speaks about our inheritance as the children of Abraham, it refers specifically to receiving the promise of the Spirit, who alone can bring us into all the blessings that are our inheritance. The blessing of Abraham is “in all things” (Genesis 24:1), but the administrator of the blessing is the Holy Spirit. Hence Paul’s specific mention in Galatians of receiving the promise of the Spirit.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that the administrator of my inheritance is the Holy Spirit, and I receive the promise of the Spirit by faith - “the blessing of Abraham” in all things - because Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the blessing.
TODAY's VERSE
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Galatians 3:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - “The Promise of My Father”
The believer’s receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit does not depend in any way upon his own merits; it depends solely upon the allsufficiency of Christ’s atonement. It is through faith, not by works, “that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14).
This idea agrees with Jesus’ final charge to His disciples just before His ascension: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49). Jesus was speaking about the baptism in the Holy Spirit that the disciples would receive at Pentecost.
The phrase “the Promise of My Father” gives us wonderful insight into the mind and purpose of God the Father concerning the gift of the Holy Spirit. Someone conservatively estimated that the Bible contains seven thousand distinct promises given by God to His believing people. But among these, Jesus singled out just one from all the rest as being unique: the promise of the Spirit.
Paul called this “the blessing of Abraham” (Galatians 3:14), thus linking it with the supreme purpose of God in choosing Abraham for Himself. When God first called Abraham out of Ur, He said, “I will bless you…; and you shall be a blessing.…And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3). In subsequent dealings with Abraham, God reaffirmed His purpose many times. “I will bless you….In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:17–18). All these promises of God looked forward to Paul’s words: “the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:14). Jesus shed His blood on the cross to purchase this blessing, promised to the seed of Abraham.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that Jesus shed His blood on the cross to purchase the blessing of Abraham - what He called “the Promise of My Father” - and I receive the blessed promise of the Holy Spirit, because Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the blessing.
TODAY's VERSE
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”). Galatians 3:13
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Overtaken by Blessings
Once when I was in Ireland, there was a six-year-old boy whose parents gave him some potatoes to plant. He planted his potatoes, and a week later, he went outside to see if they were growing. There was no sign of growth. Two weeks later, he still saw nothing, so he dug them up to see if they were sprouting at all. In the end, he dug them up three or four times, and they never grew!
Some Christians are like that little boy. They plant their potatoes of faith, then dig them up to see if they are growing. The essence of faith is to let God grow us. We meet the conditions, but God fulfills the promise and blesses us. Deuteronomy 28:2 says to those who meet God’s conditions, “All these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God.” I love the word “overtake.” It is not for us to run after the blessings; they run after us. We can go to bed at night and ponder what blessings will have caught up with us by the time we wake up in the morning!
In the same way, Matthew 6:33 tells us, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.” We do not seek the “things”; we seek the kingdom. Then, God adds all the things we need.
These, then, are the conditions for receiving God’s abundance: first, our motives and attitudes must be right; second, we must exercise faith; third, we must honor God, our parents, and God’s ministers by giving; fourth, we must practice right thinking, speaking, and acting; and fifth, we must let God add in His way and His time. If we meet these conditions, we can be certain that God’s abundant blessings will overtake us. This is one way that we enter into God’s bless-ing.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I will seek first the kingdom of God, and, as I do, that His blessings will overtake me - because Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Exhausting the Curse
Jesus bore the poverty curse, which is presented in its most absolute form in Deuteronomy 28:48: “Therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything.”
Some years ago, while Derek Prince was preaching on the theme of God’s financial provision, I received a revelation from the Holy Spirit that went beyond anything in the sermon outline I had prepared. While I continued to stand before the people and speak to them, I was having an inner mental vision of Jesus on the cross. I saw Him there in all the stark reality Scripture describes. The Holy Spirit went over the four aspects of the poverty curse for me, one by one, showing me that Jesus totally exhausted the curse in all its aspects.
First, He was hungry - when He was taken to be crucified, He had not eaten for nearly twenty-four hours. Second, He was thirsty - “I thirst” was one of His last utterances. Third, He was naked - the Roman soldiers had stripped Him of all His clothing and divided it among themselves. Fourth, He was in want of all things - He had no robe to wear while He died, nor did He own a tomb to be buried in afterward.
Jesus had nothing. Why? Because in the divine purpose of God, He exhausted the poverty curse on our behalf. At first, I did not realize the full implication of what the Holy Spirit was showing me. Looking back, however, I would have to say that this revelation has given me the basis for my faith for prosperity. In the absolute finality of the exchange, Jesus took the poverty curse so that we might receive the blessing of Abraham, whom God blessed “in all things” (Genesis 24:1), which is administered by the Holy Spirit.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that You totally exhausted the poverty curse for me in all its aspects because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - His Abundance
Many passages of Scripture support the fact that Jesus bore the poverty curse. Let us look at two in particular, starting with 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For ye know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty might be rich” (KJV). I used to quote the end of that verse as “might become rich”! But the Holy Spirit showed me that it means “might be rich.” We can become rich and then become poor again, but to “be” rich has a sense of permanence. Jesus took the evil - poverty - so that we might have the good - riches. Jesus took our poverty so that we might have His wealth.
Some people suggest that Jesus was poor throughout His earthly ministry, but I cannot accept this idea as accurate. We need to keep in mind the distinction between riches and abundance. Jesus was not rich in the sense of having a large bank account or great material possessions, but He certainly had abundance. Any man who can provide food for a crowd of five thousand men (along with women and children) is no pauper! Actually, Jesus had much more left over after feeding about twelve thousand people than He had when He started. (See Matthew 14:15–21.) What a beautiful picture of abundance!
Furthermore, Jesus transmitted this abundance to His disciples. When He sent them out to spread the gospel message, He told them to take nothing extra with them. Yet their testimony afterwards was that they had lacked nothing. (See Luke 22:35.) That is not poverty!
Jesus was never worried or perplexed. He was calmly and completely in control of every situation. He never doubted that His Father’s goodness would provide everything He needed. And the Father never failed Him.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that You bore the poverty curse for me that I might have Your wealth because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - All Grace: Enough and More
Having poverty means having “hunger,…thirst,…nakedness,…and [being] in need of everything” (Deuteronomy 28:48). When exactly did Jesus become poor? He began to become poor the moment He was identified with our sins. From that moment onward, He went deeper and deeper into poverty until, on the cross, He represented the absolute poverty described above.
Understand that at the cross, His poverty was not merely spiritual. He was also physically and materially poor. Therefore, by all the laws of logic, our wealth will not be merely spiritual, either. Jesus became absolutely poor in the physical, material sense so that we might become rich, having every physical and material need met - and having something leftover to share with other people.
Second Corinthians 9:8 is the second particular verse we will study that supports the fact that Jesus bore the poverty curse: “God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every [all] good work.” God is not stingy. He does not give just enough; He gives enough and more. That is abundance. In the verse above, there are two instances of the word abound and four instances of the word all. I don’t know if this language could be any clearer. What does it describe? God’s grace.
Interestingly enough, in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, two chapters that deal with money, the key word is grace. It occurs seven times in chapter 8 and twice in chapter 9. It is a grace that operates in the realm of money. However, few professing Christians understand the nature of God’s grace. I have sometimes observed that those who speak the most about “grace” often understand it the least.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that Jesus became absolutely poor so that God’s grace could abound for me - even in the realm of money - because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God’s Grace in Finances
There are three basic principles that govern the operation of God’s grace. First, grace can never be earned; conversely, anything that can be earned is not grace:
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works [what we earn]; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. (Romans 11:6)
This principle excludes most “religious” people from the grace of God, because they think they can earn it.
Second, there is only one channel of grace. “For the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Any form of grace that comes to us comes solely through Jesus Christ.
Third, there is only one means by which we can appropriate God’s grace, and that is faith. This truth is summed up in three successive phrases in Ephesians 2:8–9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith,…not of works [what we earn].”
Few Christians realize that this principle applies just as much in the realm of financial and material provision as it does in any other area of our lives. Scripture warns us specifically against irresponsibility (Proverbs 10:4), laziness (Proverbs 24:30–34), and dishonesty (Ephesians 4:28). As long as we are guilty of any of these sinful behaviors, we have no right to expect God’s grace to work in the financial aspect of our lives. Therefore, as Christians, we are obligated to be honest, hard working, and responsible.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that on the cross, Jesus took my poverty and released God’s grace to me in the realm of financial and material provision because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Meeting God’s Conditions
We must make an important, logical distinction between earning God’s grace, which is impossible, and meeting God’s conditions, which is obligatory. We cannot earn God’s abundance, which comes only through grace; however, we are required to meet the conditions God has laid down for receiving His abundance through faith. If we do not meet these conditions, our faith has no scriptural foundation. In fact, it is merely presumption. To meet God’s conditions, our motives and attitudes must be right. We would all do well to examine our motives very carefully, especially concerning monetary gain. Impure motives concerning money include: (1) idolizing wealth (“Covetousness…is idolatry” [Colossians 3:5]; “The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” [1 Timothy 6:10]); (2) pursuing wealth by sinful methods (“Like a partridge that hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by unjust means” [Jeremiah 17:11 NIV]; [see also Proverbs 28:8]); (3) trusting ultimately in wealth for security and well-being (“He who trusts in his riches will fall” [Proverbs 11:28]; “Let not…the rich man glory in his riches” [Jeremiah 9:23]); (4) using wealth for selfish gain and self-serving interests (“There is one who withholds more than is right, but it leads to poverty” [Proverbs 11:24].)
In Luke 12:16–21, Jesus related the parable of the rich man who built bigger barns and filled them with his produce. But the Lord said to him, “Fool! This night your soul will be required of you” (verse 20). Jesus then added, “So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God” (verse 21). The first direction in which we need to be rich is toward God, giving Him our tithes and offerings for the building of His kingdom.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I receive God’s abundance for me through faith as I meet His conditions because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Caring for the Poor
Yesterday, we considered four wrong attitudes in relation to money. There is yet another attitude that we must be careful to avoid, and that is a wrong attitude toward the poor. The Bible consistently warns us against despising or exploiting the poor.
There are a multitude of Scripture verses on this subject, but we will look at several verses from Proverbs:
He who despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the poor, happy is he.
(Proverbs 14:21)
He who has pity on the poor lends to the LORD, and He will pay back what he has given.
(Proverbs 19:17)
Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry him-self and not be heard.
(Proverbs 21:13)
He who gives to the poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have many curses.
(Proverbs 28:27)
The righteous considers the cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand such knowledge. (Proverbs 29:7)
These verses - and others like them - place a tremendous re-sponsibility upon us to have concern for the needs of the poor. One mark of righteousness is considering the cause of the poor. Conversely, a mark of wickedness is simply averting one’s eyes from the plight of the poor. Furthermore, a reward is promised in relation to caring for the poor. When we give to the poor, Solomon told us, we are lending to the Lord. When the Lord repays our loans, He does not forget the interest!
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I will have concern for the needs of the poor, and that I will care for them, because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His abundance.
TODAY's VERSE
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. 2 Corinthians 8:9
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Enjoying the Blessing
Let’s look at the list of curses in Deuteronomy 28. Read this entire chapter for yourself, considering whether you are enjoying a blessing or enduring a curse. If we are redeemed children of God, the curses do not belong to us, but the blessings do. Let us focus particularly on those blessings and curses related to wealth and poverty:
If you do not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes which I command you today, that all these curses will come upon you and overtake you:….Cursed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl.…You shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways….Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you. (Deuteronomy 28:15, 17, 29, 47–48)
The will of God is expressed in verse 47 - that we should serve the Lord our God with joy and gladness of heart for the abundance of all things. Abundance is a beautiful word that occurs many times in the Bible. In essence, it means you have all you need, and then some - you have blessings leftover for others. The will of God is that we, as His people, should serve Him with joy and gladness for the abundance of all things He gives to us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I will serve You with joy and gladness for the abundance of all things, because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Freed from Shame
Shame is a cruel and ugly emotion, and it is found even among Christians. It is often the result of sexual abuse or emotional abuse, such as being ridiculed at school. I once read a story about a headmaster who singled out one boy and told him to stand up, then said to the whole class, “All of you have passed your exams except him.” How could this young man feel anything but shame? Many experiences of childhood can cause shame. Those that happened longest ago are sometimes the hardest to uproot. First in is often last out.
Perhaps the most common source of shame in our Western civilization is sexual abuse (even by professing Christians). I have dealt with countless victims in this regard. Only when they come to the cross will they be set free from that shame.
This prophetic utterance describes what Jesus did for us:
The Lord GOD has opened My ear; and I [Jesus] was not rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting. (Isaiah 50:5–6)
Jesus said, “I gave My back.” He could have saved Himself; He could have called for twelve legions of angels to rescue Him. (See Matthew 26:53.) But He did not. He gave His back. The depictions we see of the scourging of Jesus have very little to do with our own familiar reality. It was a horrible scene because the scourge had little pieces of metal or bone embedded in the thongs. When they fell on a man’s body, they tore away the skin and exposed the raw flesh. That is what Jesus endured for our sake. And He did not hide His face from shame and spitting. On the cross, Jesus bore our shame.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that on the cross, Jesus freed me from shame - because He bore my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
TODAY'S MESSAGE - “Despising the Shame”
Here is a brief account of what happened after Jesus’ arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. Pontius Pilate had handed Jesus over to the soldiers to take Him out to be executed.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. [Remember, every blow of that reed pressed the crown of thorns deeper into His skull.] And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified….Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. (Matthew 27:27–31, 35–36)
Jesus was actually exposed naked two times in that scene. And they sat and watched Him on the cross for three hours. Most depictions of Jesus on the cross show Him wearing a little loincloth. But there was no loincloth; He was exposed naked. His shame was exposed to everybody who passed by, mocking Him.
The epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes this truth: “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith,…for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2).
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that Jesus was exposed to shame on my behalf, enduring the cross and “despising the shame” - because He bore my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Helping God’s Chosen Ones
My wife and I were once involved in helping two Jewish women who had escaped from Soviet Russia. In a sense, these women had cast themselves on our mercy. We went to a lot of pain and trouble to help them, and, by the grace of God, we ultimately succeeded in doing so. One day, I was complaining to myself as I toiled up a steep hill in Haifa for them. It was a hot day, and, though these women were always very grateful, I was thinking that this was an awful lot to go through for them. And God gave me this verse; I did not know where to find it in the Bible, but the words just came to me:
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect [God’s chosen ones], that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. (2 Timothy 2:10)
From that experience, I saw that my position was far from that of Jesus on the cross. The inconvenience I was enduring was so min-iscule in comparison. But the purpose was to help God’s chosen ones enter into salvation with eternal glory.
We all need to devote more time to thinking about that word glory, because it is our destination. If there is a price to pay for glory, believe me, it is worth it. We may be called upon sometime to give up those two idols of convenience and comfort. If we could just get a vision of all that can come out of our personal inconvenience and sacrifice, we would one day see people in glory who are there because of what we did.
That was the motivation of Jesus. He did not do it for Himself but to bring many sons to glory.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I will give up those two idols of convenience and comfort, as Jesus did, to help bring salvation to God’s chosen ones. Jesus bore my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Boasting in the Cross
One day, the Holy Spirit spoke to me through tongues and interpretation: “Consider the work of Calvary, a perfect work; perfect in every respect, perfect in every aspect.” God showed me that if I could understand fully what Jesus did on the cross at Calvary, I would find it was perfect, complete. There was nothing that needed to be added, nothing that could ever be taken from it. Every need had been supplied. It made me want to know more about the cross. Gradually, over the years, the Holy Spirit has opened up the Scriptures to me more and more.
But God forbid that I should glory [boast], save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14 KJV)
Paul had only one thing to boast about - the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ. That is an amazing statement when you consider that in Paul’s day, the cross was the absolute embodiment of all that was shameful and revolting.
In his book A Doctor at Calvary, Pierre Barbet, a Catholic surgeon, tried to pinpoint and describe the physical experience of a person being crucified. The problem was that there was no standard of reference because no one in the past two centuries has ever seen a person crucified on a cross. It brought home to me how remote the cross can be to us as an instrument of shame and torture.
Paul did not boast about his Jewish ancestry or the churches he founded or the miracles he had seen. He boasted only about the cross. May that same spirit be in each one of us - a spirit willing to be emptied of carnal boastfulness, pride, and self-sufficiency - so that we can humbly acknowledge the cross of Jesus Christ.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I will boast in the cross of Jesus Christ, for Jesus bore my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
TODAY's VERSE
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:2
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Ordained for Glory
Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified, he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all - how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? (Romans 8:29–32 NIV)
When we are identified with Jesus in His death, we enter into His abundant inheritance. We become heirs of God and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. But there is a process. Five stages were outlined by Paul, all of which are in the past tense. The first two steps took place in eternity before time began: God foreknew us and predestined us. Then, God called us through the preaching of the gospel. When we responded to the call, He then justified us. But He didn’t stop there; He also glorified us. He brought us up to share glory with Jesus in heaven as kings and priests. Not in the future, but in the past.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. (Colossians 3:1–4 NIV)
We already share Christ’s glory, but it is in the unseen, invisible world. Where Jesus is, we are.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that God foreknew me, predestined me, called me, justified me, and glorified me. Jesus bore my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - We Are Accepted!
Rejection, simply defined, is the sense of being unwanted or the sense that, although you want people to love you, no one does. Or it can be the desire to belong to a group from which you feel excluded - it seems you’re always on the outside looking in. One reason that so many people today suffer from the problem of rejection is the form of our society and its pressures, particularly those causing the breakup of family life.
What is the opposite of rejection? It is acceptance. I love the last part of Ephesians 1:6, which says, “He [God] has made us accepted in the Beloved.” Jesus, God’s true and only begotten Son, was rejected so that we, who were unworthy rebels, might have His acceptance with the Father. The surest remedy for our problems is to believe that Jesus bore our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
God’s family is the best family. There is none equal to it. Even if your own family did not care for you - perhaps your father rejected you or your mother never had time for you - God still wants you. You are accepted. You are the object of His special care and affection. Everything He does in the universe revolves around you.
When God says that we are accepted, He does not mean that we are merely tolerated. We never take too much of His time. The only thing that upsets Him is when we stay away too long. He does not push us off into a corner and say, “Wait. I’m too busy. I don’t have time for you.” Rather, He says, “I’m interested in you. I want you. You’re welcome. Come in. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that “God has made me accepted in the Beloved,” and He welcomes me. Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Remedy for Rejection
I believe the primary result of rejection is the inability to receive or communicate love. None of us can communicate love unless we have first received love. This point was made by John in the New Testament, when he wrote, “We love Him [God] because He first loved us” (1 John 4:19). I do not believe anyone can love unless he has first been loved. Thus, a person who has never been loved cannot transmit love.
The secondary results of rejection are the three main ways in which people commonly react to rejection: first, there is the person who gives in; second, there is the person who holds out; and, third, there is the person who fights back. These three ways of reacting to rejection have one thing in common. Each is essentially defensive, offering a method of covering up the hurt. None of them is a positive solution. God, however, has a positive solution.
In Isaiah 61:1, we find a promise that was fulfilled through the coming of Jesus the Messiah: “The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives, and freedom to prisoners” (NASB).
In fulfillment of this promise, God has provided a remedy for rejection. It comes to us through Jesus and the cross. God’s eternal purpose, even before creation, was that we might become His children - His sons and His daughters. When Jesus bore our sin and suffered our rejection, He opened the way for our acceptance by the One whose acceptance truly matters.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I step out of the results of rejection, receiving instead the remedy God has provided for me in Jesus Christ the Messiah. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Experiencing His Acceptance
To receive God’s provision for rejection, you must grasp two basic facts. First, God did not make a lot of different provisions for each of the various needs of humanity. Instead, He made just one, all-inclusive provision that covers all the needs of all people. This cover-all provision was the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross.
Second, what took place on the cross was an exchange that God Himself had planned. All the evil consequences of our sins came upon Jesus so that, in return, all the benefits of Jesus’ sinless obedience might be made available to us. For our part, we have done nothing to deserve this, and we have no merits or rights by which to claim it. It proceeded solely out of the unfathomable love of God.
Therefore, it is futile to approach God on the basis of some merit or virtue that we imagine we possess. Nothing we have to offer of ourselves can be compared with the merit of the sacrifice that Jesus offered on our behalf.
Christ bore our rejection on the cross, along with all of the shame and betrayal, agony and heartache. In fact, a broken heart was the cause of His death. We are accepted because of His rejection. We are accepted in the Beloved. It was an exchange. Jesus bore the evil so that we might receive the good. He carried our sorrows so we might have His joy. The way is opened for man to come to God without shame, without guilt, without fear. Jesus bore our rejection so that we might experience His acceptance.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim the truth of the exchange Jesus made for me: I am accepted because of His rejection. I receive the good because He bore the evil. I have His joy because He carried my sorrows. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Steps to Acceptance
There are four steps you must take to experience acceptance with God. The first thing is to forgive every person who has rejected you or harmed you in any way. As Jesus instructed us, “When you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25 NIV).
This statement is all-inclusive: if you hold anything against anyone, forgive, and then God will forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, God does not forgive you. This truth applies especially in our attitudes toward our parents, who most commonly cause the problem of rejection. Lives have changed when people have realized they have a scriptural obligation to honor their parents. Ephesians 6:2 says, “‘Honor your father and mother,’ which is the first commandment with a promise.” That does not mean that you ignore their faults completely, but you must forgive them and determine to honor them to the greatest extent that you are able. I have never known anyone who had a wrong relation to his parents who was really blessed and prosperous. Second, you must lay down the negative results of rejection: bitterness, resentment, hatred, rebellion. These attitudes are poisonous; they will infect your entire life. They will cause deep emotional problems and, quite likely, physical problems, as well. You cannot afford to entertain these thoughts.
By a resolute decision of your will, push them from you. Say with conviction, “I lay down bitterness, resentment, hatred, and rebellion.” People who have recovered from alcoholism are often told, “Resentment is a luxury you can no longer afford.” That is true. None of us can afford resentment. Its effects are toxic.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I forgive every person who has rejected me, and I lay down bitterness, resentment, hatred, and rebellion. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Accepting Ourselves
By an act of faith, you must believe what God says in the Bible: that you are accepted in Christ. Scripture tells us that God’s purpose from eternity was to make us His children, and He accomplished this purpose, He made it possible, through Jesus’ death on the cross on our behalf. (See Ephesians 1:4–6.) When you come to God through Jesus, God accepts you. He will not turn you away.
To make this step toward acceptance, you must accept yourself. Many times, this is the hardest thing for us to do. We look back over a record of failures and false starts, maybe the ways in which we have failed others. You may label yourself “failure,” but God labels you “My son” or “My daughter.” We must accept ourselves because God has accepted us.
When you come to God through Jesus, you are a new creation: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17–18). That is the new creation. Do not think about yourself in terms of what you were before you came to Christ, for you have become a new creation.
Let us pray together: “God, I thank You that You love me, that You gave Jesus, Your Son, to die on my behalf. I thank You that He bore my sins, took my rejection, and paid my penalty. And because I come to You through Him, I am not rejected, I am not unwanted, I am not excluded. You really love me. I really am Your child. You really are my Father. I belong to Your family. Heaven is my home. Thank You, God. Amen.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I believe what God says - that I am accepted in Christ - and I accept myself, as well. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Finding Your Place
There is another important stage in achieving acceptance, and that is receiving acceptance from God’s people. This means finding your place in the body of Christ.
You see, as Christians, we are never isolated individuals. We are brought into a relationship with our fellow believers. That relationship is one of the ways in which our acceptance is worked out in our day-to-day living. It is not enough to be accepted by the Father in heaven. That is the first step, and indeed the most important one. However, after that, acceptance has to find expression in our relationships with our fellow believers.
Collectively, Christians constitute one body, with each Christian being a member of that body. None of us can say to our fellow believers, “I don’t need you.” We all need one another. God has created the body in such a way that the members are interdependent. None of them can function effectively on its own. That principle applies to each one of us. It applies to you. You have to find your place in the body of Christ. You need the other members, and they need you. Finding your place in the body makes your acceptance a real, day-to-day experience.
If you are crying out in your heart for this kind of involvement, I suggest that you pray this prayer: “Lord, I long to dwell in Your house, to be part of a spiritual family of committed believers. If there are any barriers in me, I ask You to remove them. Guide me to a group where this longing of mine can be fulfilled, and help me to make the needed commitment to them. In the name of Jesus, amen.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I am open to finding my place in the body of Christ, as I just prayed. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His acceptance with the Father.
TODAY's VERSE
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved. Ephesians 1:5–6
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Spiritual Life: Fellowship with God
After Peter drew his sword in Jesus’ defense, so that He would not be arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to him, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” (John 18:11). Jesus drank the cup to the very dregs. You see, Jesus’ work was not completed on the cross. In fact, the bitterest dregs came after physical death. In every sense, Jesus exhausted the cup. First, there was spiritual death; second, physical death; and third, spiritual banishment from God.
Jesus tasted death for every person so that we might have life. And we have life in the three aspects of life that Jesus forfeited. The parallel is exact.
First of all, we have spiritual life - we are brought into union and fellowship with God here in this life, right now, through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus was joined to the Lord; He lived by the life of the Father. He said, “I and My Father are one” (John 10:30). This was the case until He took our iniquity upon Himself and was separated from the Father. He was cut off that we might be united. Through faith in Jesus, you and I can be joined to the Lord in the Spirit and walk this life in union with God, just as Jesus walked His life in un-ion with the Father by the Spirit. This is the end purpose of the gospel.
First John 1:3 states, “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” Jesus forfeited the fellowship so that we might enter into the fellowship.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that Jesus tasted death that I might have life; that He was cut off that I might be united; that He forfeited the fellowship that we might enter into it. I proclaim that Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God eternally.
TODAY's VERSES
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Physical Life: Resurrection Life
Jesus tasted death in every aspect for every person so that we might have life in every aspect. Yesterday, we talked about the first aspect, which is spiritual life. Today, we will look at the second aspect, which is physical life. This life comes in two successive phases. First, we have life in our physical bodies now. But our bodies are mortal; thus, second, at the resurrection, our bodies will be changed into immortal bodies.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you [that means “dwells in you right now,” not after the resurrection], He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)
We each have a mortal body with resurrection life. Mortal flesh, a mortal body, but resurrection life made manifest in it. Not just operating in it, but made manifest in it. If this verse does not refer to divine healing and divine physical strength and vitality, then I do not understand these words! But that is not the conclusion. The conclu-ion is a changed body. Concerning this changed body, Paul wrote,
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. (1 Corinthians 15:51–54)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that because Jesus tasted death for me, I have life - resurrection life now and life eternal. I proclaim that Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God eternally.
TODAY's VERSES
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Eternity with God
The third aspect of the life we have in Christ is the consummation of the work of Jesus in eternity - an eternity spent in the presence of God rather than being eternally banished to hell.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord. (1 Thessalonians 4:16–17)
The consummation of redemption is eternity in the presence of God. The last two chapters of Revelation describe our eternity in the presence of God:
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea [no more separation, no more bitterness]. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. (Revelation 21:1–2)
I believe the New Jerusalem is the church coming down out of heaven. And it is God’s permanent dwelling place. One of the supreme purposes of God in the church is to have a dwelling place where He can live permanently. Verse 3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.’”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I will have eternity in the presence of God instead of banishment, because Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God eternally.
TODAY's VERSES
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Union with Christ
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. (1 Corinthians 6:17)
The word “joined” is not in the past tense but the ongoing present tense. In other words, “He who is cleaving continually to the Lord is one with Him.” There is a spiritual union with God that is parallel to the physical union between a man and a woman. That is what the Scripture says. It is so real, so intimate, that the believer can cleave to God so that he is one with Him.
Just as Jesus is one with the Father, so believers can be one with the Son. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.” I want to emphasize again that it is not a single event in the past tense. It is a continuing present: “He who is cleaving continually to the Lord.” Jesus lived by continual union with the Father. If the union had ever been broken, which it never was until the cross, He would have forfeited life. And you and I, as believers, live only insofar as we live in continual union with the Son, Jesus Christ. Living in union with Him, we are one spirit.
The primary activity of the human spirit is union with God. It is the only part of man that can be united directly with God. The great privilege we have with our spirits is union and communion with God.
The believer has to live by his union with Christ, just as Christ lived by His union with the Father. We are dependent for life, moment by moment, upon our union with Christ. Don’t ever trust in yesterday’s experience for today.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I am living in union with Christ—and that we are one spirit. Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God eternally.
TODAY's VERSES
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Communion with the Creator
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prayed, “Now may the God of peace Him-self sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless.” Paul here put together the three elements that make up a complete human personality, listing them in descending order from the highest to the lowest: first, spirit; second, soul; third, body.
The spirit is the part of the human personality that was directly breathed into man by God at creation. It is therefore capable of direct union and communion with the Creator. In 1 Corinthians 6:17, Paul said, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” It would not be correct to say “one soul with Him.” Only man’s spirit is capable of direct union with God. In the original pattern of creation, man’s spirit related upward to God, his Creator, and downward to his own soul. God communicated directly with man’s spirit and, through man’s spirit, with his soul. Together, man’s spirit and soul expressed themselves through his body.
Let me give you three definitions of the functions of spirit, soul, and body - definitions that are simple but no less helpful. The spirit is God-conscious. The soul is self-conscious. The body is world-conscious. Through the spirit, we are conscious of God. In our souls, we are conscious of ourselves. And through our bodies and their senses, we relate to the world around us.
When the spirit of man is brought back into union with God, it is rekindled to become a lamp. The Holy Spirit comes in and fills up that lamp, shedding light on man’s whole inner being. (See Proverbs 20:27.)
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I am in direct union and communion with my Creator, because Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God eternally.
TODAY's VERSES
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Marriage Relationship with the Lord
In Romans 7, Paul said that through the law, we were married. The law was like a marriage covenant, and it was for life. To whom - or to what - were we married? We were married to our fleshly nature. The whole essence of the law is that we are required to keep it in our own ability. Doing this is dependent on our fleshly nature, which explains why it never works.
Coming under the law is like participating in a marriage ceremony in which you are married to your fleshly nature. As long as your fleshly nature remains alive, you must remain married to it; you cannot divorce it and marry somebody else. The good news is that your first spouse died. When did that first spouse die? When Jesus died on the cross. Our old man was crucified with Him. When you grasp that fact, you say, “Praise God. I’m free. I don’t have to go on with this awful spouse of mine who gave me an awful life and gave me no blessings, peace, or righteousness. I’m not tied to that vile spouse any longer. I can be married to another.”
The alternative is to be married to the One who rose from the dead - the risen, glorified Christ. He can become your husband whether you are man or woman. What we are talking about is a relationship in the Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:15–16, Paul provided a picture of sexual union between a man and a prostitute. He used that picture of union to help people envision another kind of union that they can have - a union with the Lord. It is not sexual; it is spiritual - that is, a marriage relationship with the Lord. “He who is joined to the Lord is one” (1 Corinthians 6:17) - not in soul or in body, but in spirit.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that I am married in the Spirit to the One who rose from the dead - the risen, glorified Christ. I proclaim that Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God eternally.
TODAY's VERSES
For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgressions of My people He was stricken. Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 1 Corinthians 6:17
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Worship: The Consummation
In John 4:23–24, Jesus said that the Father is looking for those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth. Worship is a function of the spirit. What is the act by which we are joined to the Lord as one spirit? Worship. That is why worship is the highest activity of human beings.
When we are joined to the Lord in worship, we begin to bring forth or birth the things that God wants brought forth. Worship is not a sort of appendix to the Christian life. It is not an afterthought, a mere addition to our services. Worship is the culmination - it is the confirmation. If I may say this without offending anybody, worship is the consummation of our marriage to the Lord. It unites us with Him as one spirit. When we have that marriage union, it is always for the sake of procreation. That is when we procreate; that is when we bring forth spiritual fruit. By “spiritual fruit,” I mean the fruit of the Spirit, which is listed in Galatians 5:22–23: “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
The people who bring forth the kinds of fruit specified in this passage do not need to be governed by the law. They are not under the law. They have escaped from their marriage to the flesh under the law, and they are free to be married by the Holy Spirit to the resurrected Christ and bring forth the kind of fruit that is appropriate to that union. The key to the Christian life is not effort. It is union.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim that as I worship the Lord, I am united to Him in one spirit. I proclaim that Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God eternally. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - A Clean Record
One of the most wondrous aspects of God’s nature is that when He forgives, He does not partially forgive. He totally forgives. Micah stated this beautifully:
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the trans-gression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea. (Micah 7:18–19 NIV)
Isn’t that beautiful? Everything that we have ever done wrong - everything that could ever make us feel guilty, every accusation that the enemy could ever bring against us - God treads underfoot and hurls into the depths of the sea.
Someone remarked once that when God casts your sins into the sea, He puts up a notice that says, “NO FISHING!” Don’t ever try to go back and resurrect something that God has buried. If God has forgiven you, you are forgiven. There are no questions. God’s forgiveness is total. In Isaiah God speaks to His people, saying:
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more. (Isaiah 43:25)
When God forgives us, He blots out the record. It is clean. It is just as though that which was forgiven had never taken place. Not only does He blot out the record, but He blots it out from His own memory. He says that He will remember our sins no more.
God does not have a bad memory, but He does have the ability to forget. And when He forgives, He forgets!
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that God’s forgiveness for me is total: He has blotted out my record and it is clean. I have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Nothing Shall Hurt Us
For He [God] delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Colossians 1:13–14 NASB)
Through our faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death, God has delivered us from the domain of darkness. Notice that word domain. In the original Greek, it is authority. Satan has authority over the disobedient, the unbelieving, and the unsaved. But through Jesus, God has delivered us from that domain of darkness and transferred us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption.
Note the key word redemption. We have been bought back. We are no longer under the power of the curse, because of the redeeming death and shed blood of Jesus Christ.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil. (1 John 3:8)
Why did Jesus come? To destroy the works of the devil. That includes the curse! Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19)
Satan may have power, but Jesus has given us power over the power of Satan, so that “nothing shall by any means hurt [us].”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that Jesus has delivered me from the domain of darkness, and that He has given me power over all the power of Satan, so that “nothing shall by any means” hurt me. I have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Total, Permanent Victory
The sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross is the only basis of God’s provision for every need of the whole human race. Instead of God doing a lot of different actions at different times, Scripture says, “By one offering [sacrifice] He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified” (Hebrews 10:14).
The writer of Hebrews explained that after Jesus had offered that one sacrifice, He “sat down at the right hand of God” (verse 12). Why did He sit down? Because He was never going to have to do it again.
Through His work on the cross, Jesus administered to Satan and his kingdom a total, permanent, irreversible defeat. Jesus will never have to do that work again. Satan has already been defeated. You and I do not have to defeat Satan. But we must apply the victory that Jesus has already won and walk in that victory.
We read in Colossians 1:12, “Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light.” Our inheritance is in the light, and there is no darkness whatsoever in it. It is totally in the light. How has He done it?
He has delivered us from the power [I prefer to say “domain”] of darkness and conveyed [translated] us into the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. (verses 13–14)
By redemption through the blood of Jesus, we have been delivered from the domain of darkness and translated, or carried over, into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that through the cross, Jesus administered to Satan and his kingdom a total, permanent, irreversible defeat. I apply the victory Jesus has won, and I walk in that victory, for I have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Freedom from Legalism
In Romans 8:15, Paul was speaking to Christians baptized in the Holy Spirit, and he said, “For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear.”
Bondage means enslavement. Paul was warning Christians not to let the devil get them back into slavery. And the suggestion is very clear that the form of slavery to which they would be enticed to return would be that of religious slavery - subservience to the law from which they had been delivered when Jesus died on the cross.
The whole of the book of Galatians deals with this very issue of not being enslaved by religious legalism after having been set free by the gospel and the power of the Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, Paul treated that issue as something much more severe and dangerous than even sexual sins, such as fornication or adultery. It is quite remarkable, but the epistle to the Galatians is the only one of Paul’s epistles that he does not open by giving thanks to God for the people to whom he was writing. So upset was he by what the Galatians were doing that he launched straight into his subject. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ” (Galatians 1:6).
This is a clear example of religious demons bringing people back into the slavery of legalism. Let us heed Paul’s emphatic warning: “Be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage [slavery]” (Galatians 5:1 KJV).
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that I will not be enslaved by religious legalism after having been set free by the gospel and by the power of the Holy Spirit. I have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - “No Condemnation”
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus….For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. (Romans 8:1, 3)
There are two kinds of coffee: percolated and instant. Percolated coffee takes longer to make because it has to go through the brewing process. The book of Romans is like percolated coffee. We cannot get instant coffee out of Romans chapter 8. We must go through the preceding seven chapters. Those are the percolator. But the result is that much richer. Only when we have been through those chapters do we get to the “therefore.” The preceding chapters deal with the total sinfulness of all humanity, as well as with the failure of religion to change man’s sinful nature. Using the examples of Abraham and David (see chapter 4), with a comparison between Adam and Christ (see chapter 5), Paul moves on in chapter 6 to reveal God’s remedy for the old man: execution. God doesn’t patch up the old man. He doesn’t reform him. He executes him! The good news is that this execution took place when Jesus died on the cross.
Romans 7 deals with our relationship to the Law. I always used to think, Why come to the law after all that? But I have learned that the ultimate hurdle we have to get over, the last stage of this percolator, is how we relate to the Law. Without the percolator, we cannot live in Romans 8, because the essential condition is “no condemnation.” The moment in which we come under condemnation is the moment when we are out of the Spirit-controlled life of Romans 8. The devil’s main objective is to bring us under condemnation. The objective of God’s Word, especially in Romans, is to deliver us from condemnation.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I am free from the devil’s efforts to bring me under condemnation, and there is no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus. I have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Fully His
There was a boy who lived in a town on the seaside. He was a skilled and clever carver, and he carved himself a little wooden boat. When he put sails on it, it really sailed. One day, he took it down to the shore and was sailing it at the edge of the sea, but the tide changed and carried his boat out to sea, and he could not recover it. So, he went home without his boat.
With the next change of the wind and tide, the boat came back again. A man walking along the seashore found the boat, picked it up, and saw it was a beautiful piece of work. He took it to a local shop and sold it. The shop owner cleaned it up and put it on display in his shop window with a price of thirty-five dollars.
Some while later, the boy walked past the shop, looked in the window, and saw his boat with a price of thirty-five dollars. He knew, however, that he had no way to prove that it was his boat. If he wanted his boat, there was only one thing he could do: buy it back.
He set to work, taking any job he could to earn the money to buy his boat. Once he earned the money, he walked into the shop and said, “I want to buy that boat.” He paid the money, and, when he got the boat in his hands, he walked outside and stopped on the sidewalk. He held the boat to his chest and said, “Now you’re mine. I made you and I bought you.” That is redemption. First, the Lord made us, but we were in Satan’s slave market. Then, He bought us. We are doubly His. Can you see how valuable you are to the Lord? Think of yourself as that boat for a moment. You may feel so inadequate, so worthless. You wonder whether God ever really cares. Just try to believe that you are that boat in the Lord’s arms and He is saying to you, “Now you’re Mine. I made you and I bought you. I own you; you’re fully Mine.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that I am in the Lord’s arms, and He has declared that I am His. He made me and bought me; He loves me; I am fully His. I have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - True Identity
The reason that Jesus Christ came to earth was - and is - to bring us to God. If we stop short of this revelation of God, we have stopped short of the full and final outworking of redemption’s purpose. When we come into the fullness of this revelation and into that direct relationship with God as Father, it supplies certain factors that are conspicuously lacking in the emotional experience of many people in our culture. The three things that come out of this revelation and relationship are identity, self-worth, and security.
Identity is a real problem for people today. An interesting clue to this problem was the success of the book and TV miniseries Roots. The essence of that story was a man’s search for his roots, or origins, in order to gain a stronger sense of identity. All humanity is busy with the same search. Men and women want to know where they came from, who is behind them, how it started, and who they are. Scripture and psychology agree that a person really does not answer the question, “Who am I?” until he or she knows who his or her father is.
Today, human relationships between parents and children increasingly have become broken and fragmented, and the result has been a widespread identity crisis. Christianity’s answer to that identity crisis is to bring men and women into a direct, personal relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the Son. People who truly know God as Father no longer have an identity problem. They know who they are - they are children of God. Their Father created the universe, their Father loves them, and their Father cares for them.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that because of my relationship with God the Father, through Jesus, I know who I am. I proclaim that I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
TODAY's VERSES
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins. Colossians 1:14
TODAY'S MESSAGE - True Self-worth
I cannot begin to count the number of people I have ministered to whose greatest problem was a failure to appreciate themselves sufficiently. They had too low an esteem of themselves, which caused them many spiritual and emotional agonies.
1 John 3:1 says, “See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of God; and such we are” (NASB). Once we really comprehend that we are children of God, whom He loves intimately and personally; that God is interested in us, is never too busy for us, and desires a direct and personal relationship with each of us, we gain a tremendous increase in self-worth.
Once when I was on my way to a meeting, I literally ran into a woman. We were going in opposite directions at considerable speed. After our collision, she picked herself up and said, “Mr. Prince, I’ve been praying that if God wanted you to speak to me, we’d meet.”
“Well,” I said, “we’ve met. But I can only give you about two minutes. I’m very busy.” She began to tell me what her problem was, and after a while, I interrupted her, saying, “I’m sorry, I’ve only got one minute left…but I think I know your problem. Will you follow me in this prayer?” I led her in a prayer in which she just thanked God because He was her Father and she was His child, that He loved her, that He cared for her, that she was special, and that she belonged to the best family in the universe. Then, we parted ways.
About a month later, I received a letter from the same woman, in which she wrote, “I just want to tell you that being together with you and praying that prayer has completely changed my attitude toward life. For the first time, I really have a sense of my own worth.”
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that it is my direct and personal relationship with the Lord that gives me self-worth. I proclaim that I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Coming to the Father
When Jesus came to earth, His ultimate purpose was to bring to the Father those who would turn to Him. Scripture states this truth in many places, such as the following:
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, in order that He might bring us to God. (1 Peter 3:18 NASB)
Why did Jesus die? “That He might bring us to God.” Jesus was not the end; He was the way. He said that Himself, quite emphatically, in John 14:6:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.” (NASB)
Jesus is the way, but the Father is the destination. I think that, many times in our Christian faith, we really miss the purpose of God. We talk a great deal about the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, our Intercessor, our Mediator, and so on. All of these terms are wonderful and true, but they stop short of God’s purpose. God’s purpose is not merely that we should come to the Son, but also that, through the Son, we should come to the Father.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that through the Son, I come to the Father. I proclaim that I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Accepted!
I like the way the King James Version translates Ephesians 1:6, because of one word in particular: “accepted.” “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved” (KJV).
Again, when God says we are accepted, it does not mean we are just tolerated. It means we are much favored. We are the objects of His particular, loving care and attention. We are number one on His list of things to take care of in the universe. He does not push us off in a corner and say, “Wait, I’m busy,” or “I don’t have time for you now,” or “Don’t make a noise; Daddy is sleeping.” He says, “I’m interested in you. I want you. You’re welcome. Come in; I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
It is like the father in the story of the prodigal son. He was out there looking for the boy to come home. Others did not have to say, “You know, your son is coming home.” The first one to know it was the father. He knew it before all the rest of the family. God’s attitude to us in Christ is like that. We are not rejects. We are not second-class citizens. And we are not servants.
When the prodigal came back, he was willing to be a servant. He said, “Father, just make me one of your hired servants.” But if you read the story carefully, you will notice that when the son confessed his sins, his father interrupted him - he didn’t allow him to finish speaking. He never allowed him to say, “Make me as one of your hired servants.” On the contrary, he said, “Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke 15:22–24). Praise God!
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that by the grace of God, I am “accepted in the beloved.” I proclaim that I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - In the Father’s Arms
Picture a little child held securely by his father’s arm, with his face pressed against the father’s shoulder. There may be great confusion and distress all around. The world may seem to be falling apart. But the little child is totally at peace, not at all concerned by the events taking place around him. He is secure in his father’s arms.
We, too, are held securely by our Father. Jesus has assured us that our Father is greater than all who may surround us and that no one is able to snatch us out of His hand.
Jesus also gave this assurance to His disciples: “Do not fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). We may be just a little flock, surrounded by wild beasts of all kinds. But if our Father has committed Himself to giving us the kingdom, no power in the universe can withhold it from us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that I am secure in the Father’s arms. I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Pleasing the Father
In Philippians 2:3, Paul warned us servants of the Lord, “Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.”
Over the years, I have observed that one persistent, pervasive problem in the church is personal ambition and competition among leaders, specifically ministers. Lest I sound judgmental, let me add that I observed this tendency first and foremost in my own life.
We often make the mistake of equating security with success. We think, If I build the biggest church or hold the largest meeting or amass the most names on my mailing list, I will be secure. But this is a delusion. In actual fact, the more we aim at personal success, the less secure we become. We are continually threatened by the possibility that someone else might build a bigger church or hold a larger meeting or amass more names on his mailing list.
As for me, I have found my perfect pattern in Jesus, who said, “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do those things that please Him” (John 8:29). I am no longer motivated by personal ambition. I have discovered a sweeter, purer motive: simply to please my Father.
I am training myself to approach every situation and decision with a single, simple question: How can I please my Father? In times of frustration or apparent failure, I seek to turn my focus from trying to solve the problem to maintaining an attitude that is pleasing to my Father. As servants of Christ, there will be no competition among us if we are motivated by the simple desire to please our Father. Harmony and mutual concern take the place of striving and self-seeking.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that my motive in life is to please my Father - because I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Our True Home
Once when I was really concerned about my own spiritual condition, I asked God to make heaven more real to me. I believe heaven is the home of every child of God.
I have never met a child who did not have a rather clear idea about his own home. A child might not know the street outside, but he knows his own home. I think one of the marks of us, as God’s children, is that we feel at home in relationship to heaven. This earth is beautiful; this life is exciting. But this world is not our final resting place.
The great saints of God were looking ahead, out of time and into eternity, and they had some glimpses of what was to come. Physical death was not going to be a jump into the unknown. They had some clear revelation of what they could expect. I am looking forward to the temple. I am looking forward to the angels. And I am looking forward to the four living creatures. There is so much that I am looking forward to. I think that the sea of glass mingled with crystal is going to be very exciting. (See, for example, Revelation 3:5; 4:6–8; 7:15.) There will be no dull moments in heaven.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed us. I proclaim that heaven is the home of every child of God - and that includes me, because I am a child of God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - God’s Standard of Friendship
Alas, in the world today, the word friend has been watered down. It has become a cheap word, and friendship can be a cheap thing. But I want you to know that God’s standard of friendship has not changed. For God, friendship is based on covenant commitment. Through covenant commitment, Abraham became a friend of God. Under the new covenant, Jesus wants to bring us into the same relationship with Him - as His friends - that Abraham entered into under the old covenant.
In John 15:15, Jesus said to His disciples,
No longer do I call you slaves,…but I have called you friends. (NASB)
That is a promotion, from being a slave to being a friend. But we need to understand that, for us just as much as it was for Abraham, friendship is not cheap. It costs something to be a friend of Jesus. For us, the basis of friendship with Jesus is the same as it was for Abraham. It is covenant commitment. Jesus was about to lay down His life for us when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 NASB). But remember, if we are to be Jesus’ friends, we have to lay down our lives for Him. It is a two-way commitment.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that because Jesus laid down His life for me, I will lay down my life for Him, for I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a child of God.
TODAY's VERSES
But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name. John 1:12
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Perfect Fellowship
In his first epistle, John said,
What we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ. (1 John 1:3 NASB)
In other words, the gospel is an invitation from the Godhead for us to share the fellowship that the Father and Son share with one another. The Greek word for fellowship is koinonia. It is an important word in New Testament Greek that literally means, “sharing in common.” So, fellowship is sharing in common. We are invited to share the same relationship that God the Father and God the Son have together. One thing is clear about this relationship: God the Father and God the Son have everything in common. Neither withholds anything from the other.
In John 17:10, Jesus said to His Father,
And all [things that are] mine are thine, and thine are mine. (KJV)
That’s perfect koinonia, perfect fellowship - the perfect sharing of all things. It is the perfect pattern of relationship into which God wants to bring us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that I have been invited to share the same relationship that the Father and Son have together. I enter into that perfect fellowship, because I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a friend of Christ.
TODAY's VERSES
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Price of Friendship
Often, the measure of God’s commitment to you is determined by the measure of your commitment to Him. God never makes partial commitments, and He does not want any partial commitments. God has established the price of a relationship with Him. It is everything you have. “He…that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:33 KJV).
You may say, “That sounds hard.” But it is realistic. Let me tell you two facts about God’s kingdom. First of all, God never has a sale. He never reduces the price on any item. If you want the relationship that Peter, Paul, and John had with the Lord, you must pay what they paid. God has not offered a discount.
The second fact is good news: in God’s kingdom, there is no inflation. The price has never gone up, and it has never gone down. It is always the same.
The outcome of a commitment to God is peace, security, and joy. Do you want it? You have to make the decision. Jesus said,
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. (Revelation 3:20 KJV)
Notice the order Jesus established in this verse. First, you give Jesus your supper, and then He gives you His. As Jesus said to His Father, “All Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine” (John 17:10). Are you willing to make that kind of commitment to God?
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that I am willing to pay the price of total commitment to that relationship, for I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a friend of Christ.
TODAY's VERSES
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Enjoying God
Right at the beginning of human history, when man first related to God, their relationship was so simple. There were not a lot of religious rituals and paraphernalia. Enoch just “walked with God” (see Genesis 5:22, 24). As we go on further in the Bible, we meet the great father of the faith, Abraham, with his most honorable title, which was “friend of God” (James 2:23). He and God simply enjoyed one another’s company.
I sometimes long to get away from all the theology and all the religious formalities and just have a relationship of being God’s friend - walking with Him and enjoying His company. I really believe God loves to be enjoyed by His people.
Sometimes, we get so preoccupied with methodology and theology and doctrine that we lose sight of God in the midst of it all. We get into the middle of the forest, where all we can see are trees. We no longer can see the whole picture. Then, we have to back out of the forest, take a fresh look around, and consider adjusting our priorities.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim my desire to walk with God and enjoy His company, for I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a friend of Christ.
TODAY's VERSES
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Submitting to God’s Instruction
When God sets out to teach, He chooses His students on the basis of their character - not on their intellectual abilities, academic degrees, or social standing. He looks for an inner attitude of the heart toward Himself, an attitude of reverent submission and respect. Furthermore, God sets the curriculum. He teaches such individuals “in the way that he [God] shall choose” (Psalm 25:12 KJV). Often, the way God chooses is not the way that we would choose for ourselves. We might incline toward themes of prophecy or revelation that seem pro-found, whereas God’s curriculum might focus on what is humble and down-to-earth: service, sacrifice, and faithfulness.
For those who submit to God’s instruction, there is a wonderful reward: “The secret of the LORD is with them that fear him” (Psalm 25:14 KJV). In human relationships, we share our secrets only with those whom we trust. Likewise, when God shares His secrets with us, it is proof that we have earned His trust. It is our certificate of graduation from His school.
This truth is illustrated beautifully in the relationship of Jesus to His disciples. After He had put them through three years of rigorous discipline, He told them, “I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you” (John 15:15 NIV). First, Jesus Himself learned from the Father through perfect submission to Him. Then, Jesus, in turn, passed on all He had learned from the Father to those who submitted in like manner to Him.
God still chooses His students on this basis. Neither His requirements nor His curriculum have changed.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim my desire to submit completely to the Lord’s instruction and thereby to become His friend, for I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I am a friend of Christ.
TODAY's VERSES
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I heard from My Father I have made known to you. John 15:15
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Intelligent Partners with God
The first man, Adam, was not a slave, for God called him to intelligent partnership. When God wanted the animals to be named, He said, “Adam, come here and look at these animals. Tell Me what you think they should be named.” In Hebrew, a name is always indicative of one’s nature. So, in naming the animals, Adam had to understand their natures and their relationships to one another. Whatever Adam called an animal, that was its name. God did not name the animals; He told Adam to do that. But God gave Adam the insight and the wisdom that he needed to complete the assignment. Likewise, in our new relationship with God in Jesus Christ, we are not slaves; rather, we are intelligent partners with God.
John 15:15 is an astonishing statement:
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. (NIV)
Jesus held nothing back. If there is something we do not know, it is because we have not availed ourselves of what is revealed. But the real problem comes in doing what we already know. Jesus acted on everything the Father showed Him; if we would do the same, the same revelation would be made available to us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim that I want to avail myself of all that the Lord reveals, and to follow through on what I already know. I proclaim that I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Made Righteous
We are justified through faith in the blood of Jesus. Let’s read what Paul wrote about this in Romans:
Now to him [the religious person] that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. (Romans 4:4–5 KJV)
Notice verse 5. The first thing you have to do is to stop trying to make yourself righteous. Stop trying to be a little better. Call a halt to all that. “To him that worketh not.” What should we do? Let’s look again at the end of that passage: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (verse 5 KJV). Just believe. Is it that simple? If it is not that simple, we will never make it. God makes unrighteous people righteous - that is what the Scripture says, and I believe it.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. (2 Corinthians 5:21 KJV)
I like to change the order of the words in that verse, substituting specific names for the pronouns. “For God has made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus.” There is the complete exchange. Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness so that we might be made righteous with His righteousness. This righteousness is available through faith in His blood. We are made righteous through faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that righteousness is available through faith in Your blood. I have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - One Act of Obedience
For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. (Romans 5:19 NASB)
By Adam’s one act of disobedience, many - that is, all - of his descendants were made sinners. But by Jesus’ one act of obedience, all who believe in Him are made righteous.
The parallel is important because the people who became sinners as a result of Adam’s sin, including you and me, were not just sinners by label; they were sinners by nature and by act.
Correspondingly, when we are made righteous through faith in Jesus, it is not that God just puts a new label on us by taking away the label “sinner” and applying the label “righteous.” Rather, we are actually made righteous, by nature and by act.
Just as surely as Adam’s disobedience made us all sinners, in exactly the same way, Christ’s obedience can make us all righteous. Not just in theory, not just in theology, but in the way we live - in the very nature that is in us.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that by one single act of obedience on Your part, I have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Products of Righteousness
Righteousness produces certain immediate and definite observable results. The whole of our lives, including our attitudes, our relationships, and the effectiveness of our acts of Christian service, will depend on how far we realize that we have been made righteous. We read in Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion” (KJV). Few Christians today are bold. Most are timid, apologetic; they back down when confronted with evil. The root cause is a failure to realize that they are righteous in God’s sight - as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself. When we acknowledge and appreciate that fact, it makes us bold.
Let’s look at some other results of righteousness. Isaiah 32:17 says, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (KJV). This passage speaks of three products of righteousness: peace, quietness, and assurance, which come when we realize that we have been made righteous with Jesus Christ’s righteousness. Romans 14:17 tells us, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (KJV). Peace, quietness, joy, and assurance are products of righteousness. If we do not receive righteousness by faith, we may struggle to achieve these results, but in vain. It is pathetic to see Christians trying to be joyful, have peace, relax, and have assurance - just because somebody told them they ought to. My experience is that when Christians really receive the assurance of the forgiveness of sin and of righteousness by faith, the results of righteousness follow automatically. The key is getting people to realize that they have been made righteous with the righteousness of Jesus Christ.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that by one single act of obedience on Your part, I have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - The Gift of Righteousness
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness” (KJV). Any other righteousness we might endeavor to seek is on too low a level. The only righteousness that will admit us into heaven is the righteousness of God, which comes only by faith in Jesus Christ. It is received by faith as a gift. Here is the first specific manifestation of God’s grace in the lives of those who come to Him through Jesus Christ: righteousness. God cannot do anything for us until He has made us righteous; it is the first thing He does when we approach Him.
You would probably agree that the majority of Christians have never grasped this truth. In fact, I think you will find that much of the church’s liturgy - including our music and our hymns - are designed to leave us sin-conscious. In many cases, we almost feel that it’s presumptuous to consider ourselves anything but sinful. This is a remarkable fact.
There is one thing the devil fights against as powerfully as anything else, and that is any person who begins to realize what it is to be made righteous by faith. Satan will keep you, by any means that he can, under some measure of condemnation and guilt, and he’ll keep you feeling very religious about it, too.
Many people would feel embarrassed or presumptuous to call themselves “righteous,” for they think that they have to earn righteousness. Scripture, however, emphasizes that, rather than being something we can merit, righteousness is a gift no one deserves. It is a free, unmerited gift. You either receive it as a gift, or you live without it. The choice is yours.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that by one single act of obedience on Your part, I have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Life in the Son
By putting our faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on our behalf, by letting Him bear the guilt of our sin, and by receiving, by faith, His righteousness, which is imputed to us, we are justified. In that righteousness, I can face God, death, and eternity without a tremor, without fear.
The apostle John wrote in his first epistle,
And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life. These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that you have eternal life. (1 John 5:11–13 NASB)
God has given a testimony to the whole human race that He has offered to us eternal life. This life is in the person of His Son, Jesus Christ. If we receive Jesus Christ, in Him we have received eternal life.
Notice, this is stated in the present tense: “He who has the Son has the life.” It is not something that is going to happen after death. It is something that happens now, in this time-space world. If you wait until after death to accept His life, you will have waited too long; it will be too late. Settle that issue now! He who has the Son has life. Make sure that you, too, have life!
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that I have life now, because I have the Son. I proclaim that I have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - United with God
It is so important to understand the distinction between the human spirit and the soul. It is not the soul that is united with God, but the spirit - for the spirit was created for union with God; indeed, it cannot live out of union with God. As a result of regeneration, the spirit of the born-again believer is able to unite with God.
Let us review three simple descriptions of the orientations of spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is God-conscious. The soul is self-conscious. The body is world-conscious.
Through our spirits, we are conscious of God. In our souls, we are conscious of ourselves. And through our bodies and their senses, we relate to the world around us.
When man’s spirit is reunited with God, the rekindled spirit becomes a lamp. Filled with the Holy Spirit, it illuminates the inward nature of man which was dark and alienated from God up to that time. We need to remember that when the Bible was written, the fuel for every lamp was olive oil, and olive oil is always a type, or symbol, of the Holy Spirit.
The spirit of man is the lamp of the LORD, searching all the innermost parts of his being. (Proverbs 20:27 NASB)
When the spirit of man is brought back into union with God and the Holy Spirit comes in and fills up that lamp, then the lamp inside man - his spirit - is illuminated, shedding light on his entire inner being. He is no longer in darkness.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that in union with the Lord, by the illumination of the Holy Spirit, I am no longer in darkness. I proclaim that I have been united with God and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - July 3 - Joined to the Lord
If you have never been shocked by the Bible, you have probably never really read it, because the Bible says some extremely shocking things. Take 1 Corinthians 6:16, for example: “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot [prostitute] is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ He [God] says, ‘shall become one flesh.’” We all understand what this verse is talking about - sexual immorality, fornication, and being physically united with a prostitute. With that context in mind, look at what Paul said next: “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (verse 17). This verse cannot be taken out of context. As we have seen, in verse 17, Paul was talking about a union that is just as real as the sexual union - not a physical union, but a spiritual union. That is what it means to be married to the One who is risen from the dead. It is not our souls that are united to the Lord; rather, it is our spirits, for “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.”
Your soul is capable of theology, and it is probably overburdened with it, but your spirit knows God. The spirit is the God-inbreathed part of man. That is what brought man into being in the first place in the garden of Eden. The Lord breathed into Adam’s nostrils the spirit of life. (See Genesis 2:7.) And that part of man never finds rest until it is reunited with God. You can chase after all the pleasures and philosophies of the world, but your spirit is not interested in them. Your spirit just wants God, and it is your spirit that can be united with God just as truly as a body of a man can be united with the body of a prostitute. Never separate those two verses. They are totally different, but their analogy is exact and helps us to understand their relationship.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” - and that this truth applies to me. I have been united with God and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - July 3 - Spirit to Spirit
There are many facets of the truths about the Old Testament taber-nacle of God. One essential, basic fact is that it was a triune building. In other words, it was three in one. It was one single place, but there were three areas: the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.
In this trinity, we find many references to eternal truth. For in-stance, God is three in one - Father, Son, and Spirit - three persons in one God. Man is likewise triune; one man is made up of spirit, soul, and body. I believe that heaven is triune, as well. There are three heavens - the visible heaven, which we see; an intermediate heaven, which is the headquarters of Satan’s kingdom; and a third heaven, which is where God dwells; this is the current location of paradise.
I also believe that the three areas of the tabernacle correspond to the three areas of human personality. The Outer Court, with its natural light of sun, moon, and stars, corresponds to the physical body with the physical senses, which are the source of understanding or perception. The Holy Place corresponds to man’s soul, and it speaks about revealed truth. And the Holy of Holies corresponds to man’s spirit and speaks about directly apprehended truth. This is truth that is apprehended only by direct, personal contact with God, for it is the spirit of man alone that is united with God. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17) - not one soul or one body, but one spirit.
Direct contact with God is spirit to Spirit, and that is where direct revelation comes.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that my direct, personal contact with God is spirit to Spirit. I proclaim that I have been united with God and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Communion with God
Let’s look at some of the functions of the spirit as it relates to the soul and the body. We have seen that the spirit is God-conscious, the soul is self-conscious, and the body is world-conscious. It is very important to understand that the soul is self-conscious. Whenever people are focused on themselves - their own problems and needs - they are operating in the realm of the soul.
The primary activity of the spirit is union with God. It is the on-ly part of man that can be directly united with God. In 1 Corinthians 6:17, Paul said, “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” - not one soul, not one body, but one spirit. The great privilege we have with our spirits is union and communion with God. The highest activity of man’s spirit is worship.
Man’s soul contains these three elements: will, intellect, and emotions. The will is the part of me that says, “I want”; the intellect is the part that says, “I think”; and the emotions are the part of me that says, “I feel.” Together, these three components make up the soul.
The body is world-conscious; through the senses, the body contacts the surrounding time-space world. God’s original purpose was that man’s spirit should direct his soul, and that his soul should direct his body. The spirit can direct the body only through the soul. There is one exception to this, and that is speaking in tongues. That is why speaking in tongues is such a unique experience. When we speak in tongues, our spirits control the physical member, the tongue, without the soul’s involvement. That is why it is such a tremendously important experience.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that I have been united with God and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Worship in the Spirit
As we fulfill the Lord’s requirement for our bodies and our souls, our spirits are liberated to enter into a fellowship with God - a fellowship even more wonderful than that which was lost through the fall. Paul said in 1 Corinthians 6:17, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” The implication is clear. The redeemed spirit can now enjoy a union with God that is close and intimate. It is the spirit alone, however - not the soul or the body - that can experience this direct, intimate union with God.
It is primarily through the act of worship that our spirits enter into this union with God. In John 4:23–24, Jesus said, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth...God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus made it clear that true worship must be an activity of our spirits.
In the contemporary church, there is little understanding of the nature of worship, mainly because we do not discern the difference between the spirit and the soul. Worship is not entertainment - that belongs in the theater, not the church. Nor is worship the same as praise. We praise God with our souls, and it is right to do so. Through our praise we have access to God’s presence. But once we are in His presence, it is through worship that we enjoy true spiritual union with Him. To be able to worship God in this way is the goal of salvation - first on earth, then later in heaven. It is the highest and holiest activity of which a human being is capable. Worship, however, is possible only when the soul and the body come into submission to the spirit and in harmony with it. Such worship is often too profound for words. It becomes an intense and silent union with God.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that my highest activity is union with God, to worship in spirit and truth. I have been united with God and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been made righteous through faith.
TODAY's VERSES
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:1
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Spiritual Fruit
Worship is the act by which we are joined to the Lord as one spirit. That is why worship is the highest activity of human beings. Again, when we are joined to the Lord in worship, we begin to bring forth (or birth) the things that God wants brought forth.
Worship is not an appendix to the Christian life; it is not a little addition to services. It is the culmination. It is the confirmation. Once more, if I may put it in this way without offending anyone, it is the consummation of our marriage to the Lord. We are united with Him as one spirit, and when we have that marriage union, it is always for the sake of procreation. That is when spiritual fruit comes out of our lives.
You need to know the identity of the husband with whom you are united. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:19–21, “Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these” (NASB). The deeds of the flesh are all too evident. You can tell people that you are spiritual, but if you are truly fleshly, it will show. Let me ask you this: Do you want your children to act like what is described in the passage from Galatians? Because that is what the flesh brings forth. You cannot find one good thing in that entire list. The flesh cannot produce anything acceptable to God. It is corrupt. Jesus said that a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit. (See Matthew 7:18.) It is impossible.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that my goal of being united with God is to bring forth spiritual fruit. I proclaim that I have been united with God and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been bought at a price; I belong to God.
TODAY's VERSES
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Belonging to Jesus
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19 NASB)
Why are you not your own? Because somebody else has bought you. When you have been bought by somebody else, then you no longer belong to yourself.
Who bought you? Jesus. With what method of payment? His blood. So, if you have been bought by Jesus, remember, you do not belong to yourself. If you belong to yourself, then you are not bought with the blood of Jesus. Again, you cannot belong to yourself and to the Lord. The Lord wants you for Himself. He has paid the price of His precious blood. If you want to hold on to your own life, then, remember, you have not been bought with a price. You cannot have it both ways. If you belong to God, you do not belong to yourself. If you belong to yourself, you do not belong to God.
For you have been bought with a price [the precious blood of Jesus]: therefore [because of the price that has been paid for you] glorify [honor] God in your body. (verse 20)
When Jesus died on the cross, He paid a total price for a total redemption. He did not redeem just a part of you. He redeemed the whole of you - spirit, soul, and body. Jesus died to redeem you. If you have accepted redemption through His blood, then you are not your own; you now belong to Him. Both your spirit and your body are God’s, because Jesus paid the price of His blood to possess you.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You have purchased me. I proclaim that Jesus paid the total price for my redemption. I have been bought at a price; I belong to God. Amen.
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ADD FOR TODAY
A Daily Devotional from Derek Prince
TODAY'S DECLARATION
I have been bought at a price; I belong to God.
TODAY's VERSES
Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 1 Corinthians 6:19–20
TODAY'S MESSAGE - Instruments God Uses
The Bible teaches that the physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that when Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood, He redeemed our bodies in addition to our spirits and souls. We belong to Him entirely - spirit, soul, and body.
God has a sincere interest in, and a specific purpose for, our bodies. The body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit. (See 1 Corinthians 6:19.) It is to be the place in man where the Holy Spirit dwells. The Bible tells us that God does not dwell in temples made by hands. (See Acts 7:48.) We can build Him as many churches, synagogues, or tabernacles as we like, but God will not dwell there. God has chosen to dwell in the physical bodies of those who believe in Him. Thus, the believer’s body has an important function as a residence of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, Paul explained this about our physical members: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13 KJV). The various members of the physical body are intended to be instruments (or weapons) that God can use. They do not belong to us; they belong to God. We are to yield them to God.
It is logical and obvious that God wants His “weapons” in good condition, not feeble or broken-down. He wants our bodies to be healthy and our members to be strong, effective, and active, because they are the members of Christ. In a certain sense, Christ has no body on the earth except ours. Our bodies are the instruments God uses to enact His will on the earth. I have become convinced that God expects us to keep our bodies as strong and as healthy as we can.
TODAY'S PRAYER
Thank You, Lord, that You have purchased me. I proclaim that the members of my physical body are instruments God can use, and I yield them to Him. I have been bought at a price; I belong to God. Amen.