Jesus' Priesthood Never Curses By Joseph Prince
http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-and-Prophetic-Words?blogid=2093&view=post&articleid=84157&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
By Joseph Prince
And
having been perfected, He became the author of eternal salvation to all who
obey Him, called by God as High Priest "according to the order of Melchizedek."
Hebrews 5:9-10
When Jesus died and rose again,
He became our High Priest. But notice that Jesus' priesthood is "according to
the order of Melchizedek". Why the Melchizedek priesthood?
The Melchizedek priesthood gives
to man (whereas the Aaronic priesthood takes from man). We see this when
Melchizedek gave bread and wine to refresh a tired Abraham after his battle
with the enemy kings. (Genesis 14:14-20) So if Jesus' priesthood is according
to the Melchizedek order, then it is one in which we can come boldly into His
presence to receive from Him! (Hebrews 4:16)
The Melchizedek Order
Moreover, the first word from
Melchizedek's mouth was "Blessed" - "Blessed be Abram…" (Genesis 14:19) The
Melchizedek order is just that - blessings. In other words, Jesus' priesthood
is one which blesses and never curses us!
So are we conscious of Jesus our
High Priest giving to us every day? Are we alert to all His blessings coming
from heaven toward us on earth?
Now, it is easy for us to believe
God for His blessings in creation. For example, we have no difficulty believing
that the sun will rise every morning. But while we have no problems believing
the work of creation, we have problems believing the work of redemption. We
sometimes find it hard to believe God for healing, prosperity, favor,
protection or restoration - blessings that Jesus died to give us. We don't
really believe that every day, the Lord will take care of us, keep our bodies
healthy and provide for all our needs.
Yet, creation is fallen. It can
be a blessing as well as a curse. Sometimes, a storm arises, and powerful winds
and rains destroy thousands of homes and lives. Sometimes, dark clouds hide the
sun and make the whole day gloomy.
My friend, we can't put our trust
in creation, but we can certainly put our trust in redemption. And unlike
creation, the blessings of redemption are all good! The work of Jesus is not
subject to the weather or anything else. The work of redemption is as sure as Jesus
Himself. He died and rose again to be our High Priest who daily showers us with
blessings!
Joseph Prince
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"O LORD God of our fathers, are You not God in heaven, and do You not rule over all the kingdoms of the nations, and in Your hand is there not power and might, so that no one is able to withstand You?" 2 Chronicles 20:6 When faced with what appeared to be certain destruction, King Jehoshaphat set himself to seek the Lord. Today's scripture is part of his prayer. Note that instead of rehashing his fears to the Lord and lamenting about how overpowered by their enemies their small tribe was, Jehoshaphat centered his prayer and thoughts on just how big and powerful his God truly is.
http://www.identitynetwork.net/Articles-and-Prophetic-Words?blogid=2093&url=10&view=post&articleid=Irreversibly-Blessed-by-Joseph-Prince-&link=1&fldKeywords=&fldAuthor=&fldTopic=0
"Behold, I have received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it." Numbers 23:20 Take time to reread today's scripture. They are precious words, and they reveal how God sees you and me today. They were spoken by a prophet named Balaam, who had been hired by Balak, the king of Moab, to invoke a curse to drive his enemy, the Israelites, from his territory. However, when Balaam opened his mouth to curse, blessings from God flowed out upon the Israelites instead (Num. 23:21–24)!
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Cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his strength....For he shall be like a shrub in the desert and shall not see when good comes. Jeremiah 17:5–6 One of the saddest things about a man who trusts in his strengths and self-efforts—"who ....makes flesh his strength"—is that he cannot see good when it comes his way. As a pastor, I have seen, down through the years, people who don't put their trust in the Lord when it comes to their marriages, finances, and other areas of weakness. They are determined to trust in their own efforts and tend to be rather arrogant and frustrated with the people around them.