Then the servants of the king of Syria said to him, "Their gods are gods of the hills. Therefore they were stronger than we; but if we fight against them in the plain, surely we will be stronger than they…Then a man of God came and spoke to the king of Israel, and said, "Thus says the Lord: 'Because the Syrians have said, "The Lord is God of the hills, but He is not God of the valleys," therefore I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.'" 1 Kings 20:23, 28
And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. 2 Timothy 4:18 Psalm 91 ends with the power-packed verse, "With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation." Many years ago, the Lord opened my eyes to see that apart from the four names of God that we covered in the first two verses of Psalm 91, there is another name of God, a fifth name, concealed in the very last word of Psalm 91.
For Christ also suffered once for sins, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive by the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 Can I show you a beautiful picture of God's love for you found in the story of Daniel? In Daniel's case, the law of the land was violated and, in spite of his love for Daniel, the king had to carry out the law and punish Daniel. If he hadn't, he would have been an unrighteous king. Now, imagine if someone came again a year later to accuse Daniel of this crime and asked for Daniel to be punished again, what would the king do?
Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Genesis 39:1–2 Would you consider the young man Joseph, who was about to be sold into slavery, "a successful man?" Of course not! Yet, God says in His own words that Joseph was a successful man.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9 It is the Lord's manifested presence, His glorious power working in your heart and through your hands that will cause everything you touch to prosper with the Jesus-kind of results. In fact, even your harshest critic will have to conclude that the Lord is with you and is prospering the work of your hands!
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Jeremiah 29:11 I can still remember what happened when I visited a lady from my congregation in the hospital. Heather had suffered a stroke that completely paralyzed the left side of her body. As I prayed for her, she lifted her right hand in a gesture of prayer. Amazingly, her left hand followed suit, albeit slowly. This was something that she had been unable to do following the stroke. By the grace of God, she was beginning to experience healing in her body, with sensations starting to seep back into her left arm.
So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit. John 19:30 Beloved, you reign in life through Jesus Christ just by receiving two things from Him: the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness (Rom. 5:17). God's way is not about achieving, but about receiving. But many Christians continue to live based on the world's system of achievement. The world's system of success is built on the twin pillars of self-effort and diligence. The world tells you that the more you do, the harder you work, and the more hours you put in, the more success you will achieve.
I write to you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for His name's sake. 1 John 2:12 People have asked me from time to time, "Pastor Prince, why is an understanding of the complete forgiveness of my sins so important for me to walk in God's unmerited favor?" This is a good question. Friend, when you don't have a clear sense of your complete forgiveness, you will constantly be on an emotional seesaw. Sometimes, you feel that things between you and God are all right, but at other times, you don't think that it is so. Sometimes, you feel confident that the Lord is with you to make you a success, but at other times, you feel like you blew it and the Lord will not help you until you confess your sin and make amends.
The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, nor bread to the wise, nor riches to men of understanding, nor favor to men of skill; but time and chance happen to them all. Ecclesiastes 9:11 Beloved, never forget that "the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.... but time and chance happen to them all." God wants you to have the right timing—His timing, and nothing is left to chance because you are God's child. Psalm 37:23 says, "The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord." You are that "good man" because you are the righteousness of God in Christ (see 2 Cor. 5:21).
"And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. But the father said to his servants, '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 15:20, 22-24 One of the most beautiful parables in the Bible is the parable of the father of the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). Many commentators call this the parable of the prodigal son, but the real hero of this story is the father and his love for his two sons.
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