Dear friends,
I believe you had a wonderful summer. We had break from the series in August, and I am excited to start restart the series in the fall. We will pick up where we left off, which is a discussion about the presence of God as the source of our success. We started looking into the life of Joseph and the secrets of his success. We would like to get deeper and I pray that all who read and understand these articles will receive the revelation that will bring transformation. If you are blessed by the articles, you may want to share them with others.
God bless you all.
Dedo Suwanda
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Unmerited Favor - Part 3: A Safe Success
As much as we are interested in the Jesus-kind of results in our lives, it is of equal importance that we desire the Jesus-kind of success. God does not want us to have success that will crush us. I am sure you have heard many stories of people who receive a sudden windfall when they come into a large inheritance or strike the first prize in a lottery. However, for some of these people, the sudden wealth did not give them a better life. Instead, in many instances, we know that the wealth corrupted and destroyed their lives.
Often, these people were not able to handle their so-called success, and ended up leaving their wives and allowing their families to break down before their eyes. Perhaps they bought all sorts of things and lived in huge houses. Yet, they still felt a chronic sense of loneliness, emptiness and dissatisfaction. The sad reality is that many of them who chanced upon such sudden wealth squandered it all away, and some even became bankrupt. Such results are clearly not the Jesus-kind of results, nor they are the Jesus-kind of success. I would like to make it clear: God has no problem with you having money, but He does not want money to have you!
You may ask, “How can you say that God has no problem with us having money? Doesn’t the Bible say that money is the root of all evil?” Hold on a minute, that’s not in the Bible. Let’s be scripturally accurate. This is what the Bible says, “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil …. (1 Timothy 6: 10).” Can you see the difference? Having money does not make you evil. It is the obsession with money and intense love of money that lead to all kinds of evil. Just because a person has no money in his pocket does not mean that he is holy. He may well be thinking, dreaming and lusting after money all day long. You don’t need to have a lot of money to have the love of money. If a person is always purchasing lottery tickets, going to casinos and gambling in the stock market, this person clearly has a love of money. He is obsessed with getting more money.
When God called Abraham, He said to him, “ …. I will bless you.. and you shall be a blessing. (Genesis 12: 2)” You and I, who are new covenant believers in Christ, are called the seed of Abraham (Galatians 3: 29), and like Abraham, we are called to be a blessing. Now, how can we be a blessing if we are not blessed in the first place? How can we be a blessing to others when we are always flat on our backs with sickness, living from hand to mouth, never having enough for our own family and always having to borrow from others? No way! God wants you healthy and strong, and He wants you to have more than enough financial resources so that you can be generous with your relatives, friends, community or anyone who needs help. How can you be in a position to help others if you need all the help you can get yourself? It’s definitely not God’s best for you if you barely have enough for yourself. He wants to bless you so that you can be a blessing!
The Gospel Of Jesus Christ Brings Supernatural Healing And Provision
Are we here talking about the health, wealth and prosperity gospel? There is no such thing as a “prosperity gospel”. There is only one gospel and that is the gospel of Jesus Christ. Sicknesses and diseases are not from God. On the cross, Jesus bore not just our sins, but also our sicknesses, diseases and infirmities, thus “by His stripes we are healed. (Isaiah 53: 5)” That’s not all. On the cross, Jesus bore the curse of poverty! This is what the Word of God declares: “For you know the grace (unmerited favor) of our Lord Jesus Christ, though He was rich, yet for our sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8: 9)” Read the whole chapter of 2 Corinthians 8 yourself. The entire chapter is about money and being a blessing financially to those who are in need. So don’t let anyone tell you that the verse is referring to “spiritual” riches. Read the verses carefully and within the right context. Let me ask you again: “How can you be a blessing to anyone when you are always sick and always borrowing from one person to repay another?”
Religion is blinding. Religion will tell you that God wants you sick to teach you character and patience. Religion will tell you that God wants you poor, so that you will learn humility. It sounds so noble, doesn’t it? But these are lies from the pit of hell. It is the devil who wants you sick and poor, but the God I know has paid a heavy price to redeem you from the curse of sickness and poverty.
Let’s forget about religion and let us focus on relationship. As a parent, how would you teach your child character and patience? With sicknesses and diseases? Of course not! There are institutions where you put such parents! Again, as a parent, how would you teach humility? By cursing your child with poverty for the rest of his life? No way! Now, isn’t is amazing how everything becomes crystal clear when we start thinking from the point of view of a parent, and put our own child in the picture?
When you start to think along the lines of relationship, everything will converge and you will begin to see things from God’s perspective. Our heavenly Father operates based on relationship, not religion, and through His unmerited favor in our lives, we learn character, patience and humility as we rest from our self-efforts and depend on Him. The more we “know” our Father, the more we become like Him. The word “know” is the same word that used in Genesis “Adam knew Eve”, which implies intimacy and experience. This is how God causes us to grow from glory to glory in every area of our lives. It is simply by beholding Him! (2 Corinthians 3: 18)
You know that as parents, we always seek the best things for our children. How much more would our Father in heaven want the best thing for us, His precious children? In the same way that you want your children to be healthy, God wants you to enjoy His divine health. And in the same way that you want your children to always have more than enough, God wants you to enjoy His supernatural provision.
Even the world has more common sense than some Christians. Look at what people like Bill and Melinda Gates, Warren Buffett and Bono are doing. They are using their fame, resources and time to fight against sickness and poverty. And here, we have believers who are completely blinded by religion, telling us that sickness and poverty are from God. My friend, get this right: God abhors sickness and He loathes poverty. He gave everything He had to annihilate sickness and poverty when He have us His only Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for us. He placed all humanity’s sin, as well as the curse of sickness and poverty on the body of Jesus. Right now, humanity only has to respond to Jesus’ finished work, and their sins will be forgiven, their physical body will be healed and their poverty will indeed be history!
God wants you to be blessed in spirit, soul and body. He is not against you having money and material things, but He is against money and things having you. I would like you to think this way: “Use money and love people. Don’t love money and use people.” God wants you and your family completely blessed and having more than enough to be a blessing. But at the same time, He wants to be sure that success will not destroy you and cause your family to disintegrate. To be safe for success, keep your heart ablaze with passion for Jesus and His presence, rather than on empty materialistic things.
Safe For Success – Keep Your Eyes On Jesus
The Word of God says, “But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. (Matthew 6: 33)” Now, what is the kingdom of God? The Apostle Paul tells us in Romans 14: 17 that the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but “righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.” When you keep your eyes fixed on Jesus and pursue the kingdom of God (which is Jesus’ righteousness, His peace and His joy), God’s Word promises that “all these things” will be added to you. “These things” refer to what you will eat, drink and wear. Jesus tells us that you do not have to be consumed by these concerns. When you keep your eyes on Jesus and His finished work on the cross, not only He will add the things you need in this life to you, He will also cause you to become “safe for success.”
Jeremiah 9: 23-24 says, “Let not a wise man boast of his wisdom, and let not the mighty man boast of his might, and let not a rich man boast of his riches; but let him who boast boast of this, the he understands and knows Me, that I am the Lord who exercises loving-kindness, justice, and righteousness on earth; for I delight in these things, “ declares the Lord. Let us be people who will not depend on our own wisdom, might and riches (thus, our own merits), but rather, let our boasting (dependence) be in understanding and knowing Jesus. Know that He is gracious and full of unmerited favor towards us. Know that He Himself is righteousness and He clothes us with robes of righteousness. The more you focus on beholding Jesus in all His loveliness and the less you struggle to earn things by your own merits, the more you become “safe” for greater success in your life.
Let us continue our study on the life of Joseph. I want you to see what it means when a man is safe for success. In the previous chapter, we saw how the Lord’s manifested presence in his life made all that Joseph did to prosper. The results that Joseph produced were so spectacular that even Potiphar, who was an unbeliever with no spiritual discernment, could visibly see that the Lord was with Joseph. Potiphar was an intelligent man. When he saw that whatever Joseph touched flourished in his hand, Joseph “found favor in his sight” and Potiphar quickly promoted Joseph to become the overseer of his household, putting “all that he had” under Joseph’s authority. Then, the Bible records that the Lord blessed Potiphar’s house “for Joseph’s sake”, and the blessing of the Lord was on all that Potiphar had in the house and in the field. (Genesis 39: 4-5)
My friend, the unmerited favor that you have with the Lord will overflow and lead to favor with the people around you. In your career, when Jesus causes everything that your hand touches to prosper, you will receive favor from your boss, and that will lead to accelerated increase and promotion. Believe that because you, a child of God, are in that organization, it will thrive and be blessed. The Lord will bless the organization for your sake.
The Difference Between God’s Unmerited Favor and (Human’s) Favoritism
We have seen that Joseph was a successful man because the lord was with him, and because he depended on unmerited favor from God. It is also important for you to recognize that there is a significant difference between God’s unmerited favor and (human’s) favoritism. God’s unmerited favor is based entirely on Jesus’ merit, and we received it by faith through His finished work at the cross. We did nothing to deserve His favor, because it is completely unmerited. Favoritism, however, is based on self-effort. Individuals who rely on favoritism for promotion have to resort to apple-polishing, office politics, manipulative tactics, back-stabbing, and all kinds of compromises just to get what they want. They use all their efforts to open doors for themselves, and in the process, they lose themselves.
God has a higher and better way for you. It hurts Him to see His own precious children groveling like sycophants just to get ahead in life. If a door closes, so be it! Believe with full confidence that God has a better way for you. You do not have to depend on favoritism to keep opportunities open for yourself when you have God’s unmerited favor on your side! That’s how Joseph operated. He depended on the Lord for his success, and not on favoritism, which would have required him to compromise his beliefs. I believe that Joseph faced a real temptation. As the wife of a high ranking officer with position, influence and wealth, she was probably one of the most beautiful women in Egypt. There is no doubt that she was a real temptation to Joseph, and that’s why Joseph had to run! Joseph knew the source of His success, favor and blessings. He did not see giving in to the temptation of Potiphar’s wife as a great wickedness and sin against Potiphar alone, but against God too. He knew every blessing that he had experienced was a result of the Lord’s favor on him. He knew that it was not potiphar who promoted him from a lowly slave to become the overseer of Potiphar’s entire estate. It was the Lord!
Amen!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Unmerited Favor - Part 2: Everything You Touched Is Blessed
Dear friends,
Let us go further with the story of Joseph and learn how God made him successful so that everything he touched was a success. I pray that you will believe that God will do the same to you.
Dedo
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Unmerited Favor - Part 2: Everything You Touched Is Blessed
By now, I hope you can see that God’s definition of success is contrary to the world’s. The world looks at what you have, while God sees who you have. The world’s system is based on what you have done, while God looks at what Jesus has done on the cross for you. It sounds simple, but don’t dismiss it just because it is simple. The gospel is simple, and it takes theologians to complicate it!
You can make a choice to live your life depending on yourself to merit, earn, accomplish, fight for and accumulate wealth and success according to the world’s definition, or you can make a decision today to live your life depending wholly and completely on Jesus, His merit and His accomplishment on the cross for your every success. It essentially comes down to the question of dependence. Who are you depending on today – yourself or Jesus? Do you want to fight for yourself, or do you want the Almighty God, the Creator of the heavens and earth, to fight for you?
When you depend on yourself, you carry all the stress, burdens and anxieties that your circumstances may present you. But if your dependence is on Jesus for every success in your life, the Bible records a beautiful promise for you: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 6-7)” When Jesus is your source of success, there is no stress and God’s peace will garrison your heart and mind. The word “peace” in Hebrew is shalom. Its meaning includes peace, prosperity, health, completeness, soundness and safety. What a wonderful fortress we have in Jesus!
In A Crisis? Jesus Can Rescue You.
My friend, the circumstances around you may appear bleak. Your bank account may have dried up. You may have lost your job due to corporate restructuring and you may have no idea how you are going to pay your bills next month. Perhaps your home may be up for foreclosure soon. You may be mired in credit card debt. Your friends that you once trusted may have disappointed you. Perhaps you have just received bad news from your doctor. The whole world seems to be crashing down around you, and you feel crushed, frustrated and disappointed.
Now, what can you do? Friends, now it is time for you to turn away from yourself and look to Jesus. In your frustration, you may be wondering, “What can Jesus do for me? Can He rescue me from the crisis that I am in?” The answer is sure – yes, He can! That’s what He did for Joseph and He can certainly do the same for you!
Joseph – The Apple Of His Father’s Eye
Let us continue to draw powerful truth from the life of Joseph in the Bible. His story started in Genesis 37. His father made no secret about the fact that he loved Joseph more than his other children, and made an exquisite tunic of many colors that was given to Joseph only. This tunic was a dress of distinction for people of better class. This tunic was distinct from the ordinary laborer’s garb worn by his older brothers. Why is this important? It is important because it did not only mean that Joseph had better looking clothes compared to his brothers, but it also meant that the tunic was a sign to all that Joseph enjoyed a higher status in his father’s eyes. This tunic also sets Joseph apart from his brothers in terms of their responsibilities. Unlike his brothers, Joseph did not have to work in the fields and tend the flock. All he had to do was to attend to his father and bring his father pleasure. Joseph’s tunic, therefore, speaks of a special position of favor and rest with his father.
Joseph Betrayed By His Brothers
One day, as Joseph’s brothers were out tending their father’s sheep in the fields of Dothan, they saw Joseph from a distance and waving innocently at them. They knew that he was sent by their father to check on them, and they burned with resentment because of the many bad reports Joseph gave to Jacob. Overcome with rage and compounded with jealousy towards Joseph, they conspired to kill him. Bright-eyed and unsuspecting, Joseph headed toward his brothers, read to embrace them. Without warning, his brothers seized him and violently stripped him of his beautiful tunic. He was then dragged and put in a pit. The next thing, he was trussed up in ropes and sold like a piece of meat in an Egyptian market.
It Is Not The End When The Lord Is With You
Do you know anyone who is in a worse situation than Joseph was at this point? His whole world appeared to have collapsed around him. Just a few days ago, he was in his father’s embrace, but now, his own brothers had betrayed him. All that he owned had been stripped from him. He was reduced to nothing more than a slave in a foreign land.
Was this the end of Joseph? In the natural scheme of things, it sure looked like it was. But even with the odds stacked up against Joseph, the Lord was far from finished. We learned in the previous chapter that even in this dire situation. The Lord was with Joseph, and at this dark and bleak juncture in Joseph’s life, the Lord called him a successful man! Remember, it is not what you have. It is who you have that makes all the difference.
How can the Lord call this young slave with not a single cent or possession to his name a successful man? Well, let’s continue with the story of Joseph. Genesis 39: 3 tells us, “And his master (Potiphar) saw that the Lord was with him (Joseph) and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” This is a powerful statement and it offers a promise that you can believe Jesus for, in every area of your life. Can you imagine every project, assignment and even errand that you undertake becoming prosperous? Your hands become the hands of blessing. You touch your family members and they are blessed. Your company may be struggling to manage a difficult project, but once it is placed in your hands, the projects become blessed. You become a blessing waiting to happen to someone, waiting to happen to something, everywhere you go!
God’s Presence In All That We Do
Now, how will this happen? The Lord Jesus will make it happen when you depend on Him the same way that Joseph depended on Him. Joseph had nothing. He could not trust in his skills or experience, nor could he trust in his natural connection (his father was out of the picture). All Joseph had was the Lord’s presence, and he depended on the Lord to manifest His presence, His power and His glory through him. That’s what you and I need – a manifestation of His presence in everything that we do! You see, it is one thing to have His presence (all believers have the presence of God in them), but when His presence is made manifest in your life, that’s when His glory shines forth through you!
Even Potiphar, A Heathen, Could See It
Don’t forget that Joseph’s master, Potiphar, was not a believer in God. He was an Egyptian who worshipped idols. Yet, when the manifested presence of the Lord shone gloriously through the work of Joseph’s hands, even this unbeliever could see the tangible results of the Lord’s special anointing, power and blessing upon Joseph’s life. Potiphar marveled and could not but acknowledge that the Lord was with Joseph, and that “the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” Now, isn’t it interesting that Potiphar did not merely conclude that Joseph was a good worker? Instead, he could see that it was not Joseph’s skills, but rather, his God who was prospering all that Joseph set his hands to. This could not have been “spiritual discernment” on Potiphar’s part – he was not a believer. So this tells me that Potiphar must have witnessed tangible esults that were really out of this world. He must have seen results that were so spectacular that he knew they were beyond that of an ordinary human being!
Perhaps Potiphar ordered Joseph to dig new wells for his households and every well that Joseph dug yielded water even in the middle of a drought. Perhaps the field that Joseph tended yielded crops that were shockingly bigger than the crops in the surrounding fields. Perhaps Potiphar saw how Joseph called upon His God when the children in the house were suffering from some epidemic, and they were all healed. Whatever the case was, Potiphar knew that the prosperous results he had witnessed were not a result of Joseph’s natural ability. They had to be due to the fact that the Lord was with Joseph, and God made all he did to prosper in his hand. Isn’t that beautiful?
Desire To Have Jesus-Kind Of Results
My personal prayer and desire for the church is to have the same kind of results that Joseph had. In everything that I do, I want people to see Jesus, and Jesus alone. When I pray for the sick, I certainly do not want the results that my own hands can produce. When I preach about Jesus and His finished work, I want people not to hear what I have to say, but what Jesus is speaking to their hearts through me. I am but a vessel, and my words alone have no power. But at His Word, sinners get born again and are saved for eternity. Sick bodies are healed. Demons flee, marriages are restored and families are brought together. Debts are supernaturally cancelled, fears disappear in His perfect love, hearts are encouraged, hope is restored and joy is renewed. Now, that is the Jesus-kind of results that I want.
Not Our Doing But God’s Unmerited favor
Sadly, the world and even some Christians do not understand what it means to depend on Jesus. Unfortunately, in many Christian circles, “grace” has become a cliché. You see, people are occupied with “doing”. They always want to know what you are doing right to get the results that you have. I am encouraging you not to focus on what you are doing, but to focus on beholding Jesus. Stop trying to merit God’s blessings and start depending on Jesus’ unmerited favor for every success in your life.
Beloved, stop looking at your outward circumstances or the position you are in. Whether your employer is a believer or not, Jesus can make ALL that you do to prosper when you depend on His unmerited favor or grace in your career. And believe me, when that begins to happen, your employer will sit up and notice that there is something special about you. You will stand out in the crowd! Remember that the same Lord who was with Joseph is with you today. His name is Jesus, and because Jesus is with you, you can expect good success in everything that you do!
For example, when you are placed over a sales project, believe that your sales team will hit record levels of sales never achieved before in your organization. When you are overseeing the finances of the company, believe that you will find legal and ethical ways to help your company save on operating expenses and increase its cashflow like never before. When you are placed ina business development role, believe that Jesus will cause doors that have always been closed to your company to be opened to you because of His unmerited favor upon your life. My friend, that’s the unmerited favor of God in action. In the natural way, you may be unqualified and inexperienced, but remember that your disqualifications exist in the realm of the natural. You, beloved, will operate in the supernatural realm! The Lord Jesus is with you 100 percent. You are a successful person in the Lord’s eyes and as you depend on Him, He will cause everything that your hands touch to prosper.
Without Him, We Cannot. Without Us, He Will Not.
I trust that by now, you have no doubts in your heart that Jesus is infinitely interested in your success. However, you may be wondering, “If that’s the case, why isn’t every Christian I know experiencing the Jesus-kind of success in their lives?” Over the years, I have learned this from the Lord: Without Him, we cannot. Without us, He will not. This simply means that if we do not depend on Jesus, there can be no real, long lasting and abiding success – without Him, we cannot. The Bible tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.
There are some believers (who may not say it) who believe in their hearts that without Jesus, they can still succeed. By believing and acting on this, they fall from the high place of God’s grace (unmerited favor) back into the law, back into trying to merit and deserve success by their own efforts. God’s Word tells us, “For if you are trying to make yourself right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut-off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace (Galatians 5: 4)” These are strong words of warning. Once you start depending on your own merits and efforts to deserve God’s favor, you are back under the system of law, and you have fallen from the place of grace or unmerited favor. Don’t misunderstand me, Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, but you effectively cut off His grace in your life if you depend on your self efforts.
What does it mean when I say, “Without us, He will not.” Well, Jesus is a gentleman. He will not force His unmerited favor and success down your throat. He needs you to allow Him to work in your life. He waits patiently for you to trust Him. He waits patiently for you to depend on His unmerited favor, the way Joseph trusted and depended wholly on the Lord’s presence until His manifested presence took over, and His glory radiated from everything that Joseph touched. God’s unmerited favor is ever-flowing toward us and Jesus is waiting for us to come to the end of ourselves. He is waiting for you to stop struggling in your own attempts to somehow “deserve” His favor. So start resting in Jesus’ unmerited favor and begin experiencing His manifested presence and glory upon everything you touch!
Amen!
From "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince
Let us go further with the story of Joseph and learn how God made him successful so that everything he touched was a success. I pray that you will believe that God will do the same to you.
Dedo
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Unmerited Favor - Part 2: Everything You Touched Is Blessed
By now, I hope you can see that God’s definition of success is contrary to the world’s. The world looks at what you have, while God sees who you have. The world’s system is based on what you have done, while God looks at what Jesus has done on the cross for you. It sounds simple, but don’t dismiss it just because it is simple. The gospel is simple, and it takes theologians to complicate it!
You can make a choice to live your life depending on yourself to merit, earn, accomplish, fight for and accumulate wealth and success according to the world’s definition, or you can make a decision today to live your life depending wholly and completely on Jesus, His merit and His accomplishment on the cross for your every success. It essentially comes down to the question of dependence. Who are you depending on today – yourself or Jesus? Do you want to fight for yourself, or do you want the Almighty God, the Creator of the heavens and earth, to fight for you?
When you depend on yourself, you carry all the stress, burdens and anxieties that your circumstances may present you. But if your dependence is on Jesus for every success in your life, the Bible records a beautiful promise for you: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4: 6-7)” When Jesus is your source of success, there is no stress and God’s peace will garrison your heart and mind. The word “peace” in Hebrew is shalom. Its meaning includes peace, prosperity, health, completeness, soundness and safety. What a wonderful fortress we have in Jesus!
In A Crisis? Jesus Can Rescue You.
My friend, the circumstances around you may appear bleak. Your bank account may have dried up. You may have lost your job due to corporate restructuring and you may have no idea how you are going to pay your bills next month. Perhaps your home may be up for foreclosure soon. You may be mired in credit card debt. Your friends that you once trusted may have disappointed you. Perhaps you have just received bad news from your doctor. The whole world seems to be crashing down around you, and you feel crushed, frustrated and disappointed.
Now, what can you do? Friends, now it is time for you to turn away from yourself and look to Jesus. In your frustration, you may be wondering, “What can Jesus do for me? Can He rescue me from the crisis that I am in?” The answer is sure – yes, He can! That’s what He did for Joseph and He can certainly do the same for you!
Joseph – The Apple Of His Father’s Eye
Let us continue to draw powerful truth from the life of Joseph in the Bible. His story started in Genesis 37. His father made no secret about the fact that he loved Joseph more than his other children, and made an exquisite tunic of many colors that was given to Joseph only. This tunic was a dress of distinction for people of better class. This tunic was distinct from the ordinary laborer’s garb worn by his older brothers. Why is this important? It is important because it did not only mean that Joseph had better looking clothes compared to his brothers, but it also meant that the tunic was a sign to all that Joseph enjoyed a higher status in his father’s eyes. This tunic also sets Joseph apart from his brothers in terms of their responsibilities. Unlike his brothers, Joseph did not have to work in the fields and tend the flock. All he had to do was to attend to his father and bring his father pleasure. Joseph’s tunic, therefore, speaks of a special position of favor and rest with his father.
Joseph Betrayed By His Brothers
One day, as Joseph’s brothers were out tending their father’s sheep in the fields of Dothan, they saw Joseph from a distance and waving innocently at them. They knew that he was sent by their father to check on them, and they burned with resentment because of the many bad reports Joseph gave to Jacob. Overcome with rage and compounded with jealousy towards Joseph, they conspired to kill him. Bright-eyed and unsuspecting, Joseph headed toward his brothers, read to embrace them. Without warning, his brothers seized him and violently stripped him of his beautiful tunic. He was then dragged and put in a pit. The next thing, he was trussed up in ropes and sold like a piece of meat in an Egyptian market.
It Is Not The End When The Lord Is With You
Do you know anyone who is in a worse situation than Joseph was at this point? His whole world appeared to have collapsed around him. Just a few days ago, he was in his father’s embrace, but now, his own brothers had betrayed him. All that he owned had been stripped from him. He was reduced to nothing more than a slave in a foreign land.
Was this the end of Joseph? In the natural scheme of things, it sure looked like it was. But even with the odds stacked up against Joseph, the Lord was far from finished. We learned in the previous chapter that even in this dire situation. The Lord was with Joseph, and at this dark and bleak juncture in Joseph’s life, the Lord called him a successful man! Remember, it is not what you have. It is who you have that makes all the difference.
How can the Lord call this young slave with not a single cent or possession to his name a successful man? Well, let’s continue with the story of Joseph. Genesis 39: 3 tells us, “And his master (Potiphar) saw that the Lord was with him (Joseph) and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” This is a powerful statement and it offers a promise that you can believe Jesus for, in every area of your life. Can you imagine every project, assignment and even errand that you undertake becoming prosperous? Your hands become the hands of blessing. You touch your family members and they are blessed. Your company may be struggling to manage a difficult project, but once it is placed in your hands, the projects become blessed. You become a blessing waiting to happen to someone, waiting to happen to something, everywhere you go!
God’s Presence In All That We Do
Now, how will this happen? The Lord Jesus will make it happen when you depend on Him the same way that Joseph depended on Him. Joseph had nothing. He could not trust in his skills or experience, nor could he trust in his natural connection (his father was out of the picture). All Joseph had was the Lord’s presence, and he depended on the Lord to manifest His presence, His power and His glory through him. That’s what you and I need – a manifestation of His presence in everything that we do! You see, it is one thing to have His presence (all believers have the presence of God in them), but when His presence is made manifest in your life, that’s when His glory shines forth through you!
Even Potiphar, A Heathen, Could See It
Don’t forget that Joseph’s master, Potiphar, was not a believer in God. He was an Egyptian who worshipped idols. Yet, when the manifested presence of the Lord shone gloriously through the work of Joseph’s hands, even this unbeliever could see the tangible results of the Lord’s special anointing, power and blessing upon Joseph’s life. Potiphar marveled and could not but acknowledge that the Lord was with Joseph, and that “the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand.” Now, isn’t it interesting that Potiphar did not merely conclude that Joseph was a good worker? Instead, he could see that it was not Joseph’s skills, but rather, his God who was prospering all that Joseph set his hands to. This could not have been “spiritual discernment” on Potiphar’s part – he was not a believer. So this tells me that Potiphar must have witnessed tangible esults that were really out of this world. He must have seen results that were so spectacular that he knew they were beyond that of an ordinary human being!
Perhaps Potiphar ordered Joseph to dig new wells for his households and every well that Joseph dug yielded water even in the middle of a drought. Perhaps the field that Joseph tended yielded crops that were shockingly bigger than the crops in the surrounding fields. Perhaps Potiphar saw how Joseph called upon His God when the children in the house were suffering from some epidemic, and they were all healed. Whatever the case was, Potiphar knew that the prosperous results he had witnessed were not a result of Joseph’s natural ability. They had to be due to the fact that the Lord was with Joseph, and God made all he did to prosper in his hand. Isn’t that beautiful?
Desire To Have Jesus-Kind Of Results
My personal prayer and desire for the church is to have the same kind of results that Joseph had. In everything that I do, I want people to see Jesus, and Jesus alone. When I pray for the sick, I certainly do not want the results that my own hands can produce. When I preach about Jesus and His finished work, I want people not to hear what I have to say, but what Jesus is speaking to their hearts through me. I am but a vessel, and my words alone have no power. But at His Word, sinners get born again and are saved for eternity. Sick bodies are healed. Demons flee, marriages are restored and families are brought together. Debts are supernaturally cancelled, fears disappear in His perfect love, hearts are encouraged, hope is restored and joy is renewed. Now, that is the Jesus-kind of results that I want.
Not Our Doing But God’s Unmerited favor
Sadly, the world and even some Christians do not understand what it means to depend on Jesus. Unfortunately, in many Christian circles, “grace” has become a cliché. You see, people are occupied with “doing”. They always want to know what you are doing right to get the results that you have. I am encouraging you not to focus on what you are doing, but to focus on beholding Jesus. Stop trying to merit God’s blessings and start depending on Jesus’ unmerited favor for every success in your life.
Beloved, stop looking at your outward circumstances or the position you are in. Whether your employer is a believer or not, Jesus can make ALL that you do to prosper when you depend on His unmerited favor or grace in your career. And believe me, when that begins to happen, your employer will sit up and notice that there is something special about you. You will stand out in the crowd! Remember that the same Lord who was with Joseph is with you today. His name is Jesus, and because Jesus is with you, you can expect good success in everything that you do!
For example, when you are placed over a sales project, believe that your sales team will hit record levels of sales never achieved before in your organization. When you are overseeing the finances of the company, believe that you will find legal and ethical ways to help your company save on operating expenses and increase its cashflow like never before. When you are placed ina business development role, believe that Jesus will cause doors that have always been closed to your company to be opened to you because of His unmerited favor upon your life. My friend, that’s the unmerited favor of God in action. In the natural way, you may be unqualified and inexperienced, but remember that your disqualifications exist in the realm of the natural. You, beloved, will operate in the supernatural realm! The Lord Jesus is with you 100 percent. You are a successful person in the Lord’s eyes and as you depend on Him, He will cause everything that your hands touch to prosper.
Without Him, We Cannot. Without Us, He Will Not.
I trust that by now, you have no doubts in your heart that Jesus is infinitely interested in your success. However, you may be wondering, “If that’s the case, why isn’t every Christian I know experiencing the Jesus-kind of success in their lives?” Over the years, I have learned this from the Lord: Without Him, we cannot. Without us, He will not. This simply means that if we do not depend on Jesus, there can be no real, long lasting and abiding success – without Him, we cannot. The Bible tells us that unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain.
There are some believers (who may not say it) who believe in their hearts that without Jesus, they can still succeed. By believing and acting on this, they fall from the high place of God’s grace (unmerited favor) back into the law, back into trying to merit and deserve success by their own efforts. God’s Word tells us, “For if you are trying to make yourself right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut-off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace (Galatians 5: 4)” These are strong words of warning. Once you start depending on your own merits and efforts to deserve God’s favor, you are back under the system of law, and you have fallen from the place of grace or unmerited favor. Don’t misunderstand me, Jesus will never leave you nor forsake you, but you effectively cut off His grace in your life if you depend on your self efforts.
What does it mean when I say, “Without us, He will not.” Well, Jesus is a gentleman. He will not force His unmerited favor and success down your throat. He needs you to allow Him to work in your life. He waits patiently for you to trust Him. He waits patiently for you to depend on His unmerited favor, the way Joseph trusted and depended wholly on the Lord’s presence until His manifested presence took over, and His glory radiated from everything that Joseph touched. God’s unmerited favor is ever-flowing toward us and Jesus is waiting for us to come to the end of ourselves. He is waiting for you to stop struggling in your own attempts to somehow “deserve” His favor. So start resting in Jesus’ unmerited favor and begin experiencing His manifested presence and glory upon everything you touch!
Amen!
From "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince
Unmerited Favor - Part 1: The Definition of Success
Dear friends,
I believe you will be blessed by the article below.
Dedo Suwanda
______________________________________________________________________________________
Unmerited Favor - Part 1: The Definition of Success
The sweltering Egyptian sun blazes down on the bustling market. The distinctive scent of aromatic spices wafts over the countless rows of merchants calling out their wares and treasures brought here from far and wide. Looking over the crowd, you will find a colorful assortment of people: dancers, musicians, thieves, busy housewives, pickpockets and wealthy landlords, all gathered here shopping, bargaining, eyeing over and sifting through the countless objects on display. Everything, from the intricate creations of precious metals to livestock, has a price. In fact, a slave can be yours for 20 pieces of silver. There are no rules here for fair exchange. A top bid will get you what you desire. An inferior one will leave you empty-handed.
Amid this hustle and bustle in the main square by the fountain stands a young man of about 17 years old, his neck and his hands bound firmly with coarse ropes. From the rope burn across his wrists and around his neck, you can tell that the merchants have not been kind as they hurried to reach the market in time to put their prize on display. They have heard a rumor that Potiphar, a high-ranking official from Pharaoh’s court, in planning to make a purchse today.
The young man is dazed from so many days of walking. His legs keep buckling beneath him, his arms are weary from the constant tugging and his mouth is parched from the dry desert winds. He is in a foreign land where the people speak in an incomprehensible tongue. With nothing to his name, not even a loincloth to cover his modesty, he is bound and displayed, completely naked. In a short while, he would be inspected like an animal against his will, and sold into a lifetime of slavery.
And yet, God Himself calls this young man, named Joseph, a successful man!
Genesis 39: 1-2 says, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, and 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.”
Success Is A Result Of Who You Have
Who would consider this young man, Joseph, who is 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.
God’s definition of success is contrary to the world’s definition. Corporate America measures success based on what you have done, what you have accomplished and what you have accumulated. It is based entirely on you focusing all your time, energy and resources in meriting titles and collecting accomplishments. Now, we have witnessed how this self-indulgent accumulation has led to the sub-prime crisis, the decimation of investment banks and a widespread international financial meltdown. Can you see that the world’s model of success is unstable and built upon a foundation that is shakable. It may have the outward appearance of the good life, but it is temporal, and we have all seen for ourselves how the world’s transient wealth can dissipate like smoke and easily slip away like the shifting sands in the desert.
From Genesis 39: 2, it is clear that success is not what you have, but rather who you have! Joseph literally had nothing materially, but at the same time, he had everything because the Lord was with him. The material things that you have accumulated or are feverishly trying to amass do not make you a success. It is the presence of the Lord in your life that makes you a success.
We need to learn to stop pursuing things and to start pursuing Him. God sees your relationship with Him as the only thing that you need for every success in your life. I cannot imagine starting in a worse place than Joseph. He was completely naked. He had nothing! No bank accounts, no educational qualifications, no natural connections with people of influence, nothing. Thank God the Bible records a picture of Joseph who began with nothing, so that you and I can have hope today. If you think that like Joseph, you have nothing, well, you can start believing in the power of the presence of the Lord in your life. Start looking to Jesus and claim that promise in that scripture for yourself! Because He is with you, you are already a success. When you have Jesus in your life, you are no longer trying to be a success; you are a success!
Saving You Is God’s Job Description
The name “Jesus” is Yeshua in Hebrew, which contains an abbreviation for Yahweh, the name of God in Hebrew. So the name “Jesus” literally means “Yahweh is our Savior” or “The Lord is our Savior”. What a beautiful name! Every time you call the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, you are calling God Himself to save you. Saving you is Jesus’ job description! Whatever the challenge or circumstance, whatever crisis you are in – physically, financially or emotionally – you can call on the name of Jesus, and Almighty God Himself will save you!
You can take the time to know the names of God, which is revealed under the old covenant, such as Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rophe and Jehovah-Nissi. You can do a complete study on the names of God. I am not against that at all. However, all these names will mean nothing to you if you don’t know that God Almighty Himself, Jesus, wants to save you first from all your sins, then from all your challenges. God can be all powerful, but if you are not confident that He is interested in your success, His power would mean nothing to you. So, you don’t have to memorize all the names of God from the old covenant. What you need is a full revelation that Jesus, in the new covenant, is your Savior!
That’s not all. The Bible goes on to say that “all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”, which is translated “God with us”. Now, it is very interesting for us to note that Jesus’ name is not just Jesus! His name is also Immanuel, meaning the Almighty God is with us.
Jesus Is Immanuel – The Almighty God Is With Us.
All our struggling, willpower, discipline and self-effort cannot do what the presence of the Lord can do in an instant. And who is to say that as we are talking about Jesus now, His presence will not take away something that is destructive in your life? You see, you are transformed not by struggling. You are transformed by beholding Jesus and believing that He loves you and wants to save you.
Now, what does it mean to say “God is with us”? We must understand it the same way the Hebrew people would have understood it. There is something beautiful here – this is the secret of Immanuel! The Jewish mind understands that when the Lord is with you, you become successful in every endeavor in your life. Don’t just take my word for it. Look through the chronicles of Jewish history. The Bible records that whenever the Lord was with them in the battle, the children of Israel were never defeated, and every military campaign ended in overwhelming success. In fact, in the battle of Jericho, the city was theirs with just a shout! Why? The Lord was with them. Even in the battles when they were outnumbered, they triumphed because the Lord was with them. It is no different in the modern context. When the Bible says that Jesus is with you, He is with you to help you, assist you, turn things around for you and make good things happen for you. He is not with you, as some wrongly believe, to condemn you, judge you and to find fault in you. When the Almighty God is with you, good things will happen in you, around you and through you. I have seen that time and time again!
Genesis 39: 2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.” You have to begin to claim that verse everyday and say out loud, “Jesus is with me, so everything I do will succeed.” You have to practice the presence of Jesus. It is one thing to give a mental assent that Jesus is with you, but it is another thing to start being conscious of the presence of Jesus. You can start practicing His presence by speaking it out.
Practice His Presence And See His Power
Do you know the best time to thank Jesus for His presence is when you don’t “feel” His presence? When it comes to the presence of Jesus, do not go by your feelings. Feelings can be deceptive. Go by His promise that He is Immanuel!
Have you heard the story of a groom who approached his pastor almost immediately after his wedding ceremony? He told his pastor, “Pastor, you know, I don’t feel married.” The pastor grabbed him by the collar and growled, “Listen, buy. You ARE married whether you feel it or not, understand? Just take it by faith that you are married!”
You cannot go by your feelings. You go by the truth and the truth is this: God promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13: 5) So the best time to practice His presence is precisely when you feel Jesus is 100,000 miles away. Remember that feelings aren’t based on truth. God’s word is truth!
Amen!
From "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince
I believe you will be blessed by the article below.
Dedo Suwanda
______________________________________________________________________________________
Unmerited Favor - Part 1: The Definition of Success
The sweltering Egyptian sun blazes down on the bustling market. The distinctive scent of aromatic spices wafts over the countless rows of merchants calling out their wares and treasures brought here from far and wide. Looking over the crowd, you will find a colorful assortment of people: dancers, musicians, thieves, busy housewives, pickpockets and wealthy landlords, all gathered here shopping, bargaining, eyeing over and sifting through the countless objects on display. Everything, from the intricate creations of precious metals to livestock, has a price. In fact, a slave can be yours for 20 pieces of silver. There are no rules here for fair exchange. A top bid will get you what you desire. An inferior one will leave you empty-handed.
Amid this hustle and bustle in the main square by the fountain stands a young man of about 17 years old, his neck and his hands bound firmly with coarse ropes. From the rope burn across his wrists and around his neck, you can tell that the merchants have not been kind as they hurried to reach the market in time to put their prize on display. They have heard a rumor that Potiphar, a high-ranking official from Pharaoh’s court, in planning to make a purchse today.
The young man is dazed from so many days of walking. His legs keep buckling beneath him, his arms are weary from the constant tugging and his mouth is parched from the dry desert winds. He is in a foreign land where the people speak in an incomprehensible tongue. With nothing to his name, not even a loincloth to cover his modesty, he is bound and displayed, completely naked. In a short while, he would be inspected like an animal against his will, and sold into a lifetime of slavery.
And yet, God Himself calls this young man, named Joseph, a successful man!
Genesis 39: 1-2 says, “Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, and 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.”
Success Is A Result Of Who You Have
Who would consider this young man, Joseph, who is 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.
God’s definition of success is contrary to the world’s definition. Corporate America measures success based on what you have done, what you have accomplished and what you have accumulated. It is based entirely on you focusing all your time, energy and resources in meriting titles and collecting accomplishments. Now, we have witnessed how this self-indulgent accumulation has led to the sub-prime crisis, the decimation of investment banks and a widespread international financial meltdown. Can you see that the world’s model of success is unstable and built upon a foundation that is shakable. It may have the outward appearance of the good life, but it is temporal, and we have all seen for ourselves how the world’s transient wealth can dissipate like smoke and easily slip away like the shifting sands in the desert.
From Genesis 39: 2, it is clear that success is not what you have, but rather who you have! Joseph literally had nothing materially, but at the same time, he had everything because the Lord was with him. The material things that you have accumulated or are feverishly trying to amass do not make you a success. It is the presence of the Lord in your life that makes you a success.
We need to learn to stop pursuing things and to start pursuing Him. God sees your relationship with Him as the only thing that you need for every success in your life. I cannot imagine starting in a worse place than Joseph. He was completely naked. He had nothing! No bank accounts, no educational qualifications, no natural connections with people of influence, nothing. Thank God the Bible records a picture of Joseph who began with nothing, so that you and I can have hope today. If you think that like Joseph, you have nothing, well, you can start believing in the power of the presence of the Lord in your life. Start looking to Jesus and claim that promise in that scripture for yourself! Because He is with you, you are already a success. When you have Jesus in your life, you are no longer trying to be a success; you are a success!
Saving You Is God’s Job Description
The name “Jesus” is Yeshua in Hebrew, which contains an abbreviation for Yahweh, the name of God in Hebrew. So the name “Jesus” literally means “Yahweh is our Savior” or “The Lord is our Savior”. What a beautiful name! Every time you call the name of Jesus, the name that is above every other name, you are calling God Himself to save you. Saving you is Jesus’ job description! Whatever the challenge or circumstance, whatever crisis you are in – physically, financially or emotionally – you can call on the name of Jesus, and Almighty God Himself will save you!
You can take the time to know the names of God, which is revealed under the old covenant, such as Elohim, El Shaddai, El Elyon, Jehovah-Jireh, Jehovah-Rophe and Jehovah-Nissi. You can do a complete study on the names of God. I am not against that at all. However, all these names will mean nothing to you if you don’t know that God Almighty Himself, Jesus, wants to save you first from all your sins, then from all your challenges. God can be all powerful, but if you are not confident that He is interested in your success, His power would mean nothing to you. So, you don’t have to memorize all the names of God from the old covenant. What you need is a full revelation that Jesus, in the new covenant, is your Savior!
That’s not all. The Bible goes on to say that “all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spokenby the Lord through the prophet Isaiah, saying, “Behold, the virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel”, which is translated “God with us”. Now, it is very interesting for us to note that Jesus’ name is not just Jesus! His name is also Immanuel, meaning the Almighty God is with us.
Jesus Is Immanuel – The Almighty God Is With Us.
All our struggling, willpower, discipline and self-effort cannot do what the presence of the Lord can do in an instant. And who is to say that as we are talking about Jesus now, His presence will not take away something that is destructive in your life? You see, you are transformed not by struggling. You are transformed by beholding Jesus and believing that He loves you and wants to save you.
Now, what does it mean to say “God is with us”? We must understand it the same way the Hebrew people would have understood it. There is something beautiful here – this is the secret of Immanuel! The Jewish mind understands that when the Lord is with you, you become successful in every endeavor in your life. Don’t just take my word for it. Look through the chronicles of Jewish history. The Bible records that whenever the Lord was with them in the battle, the children of Israel were never defeated, and every military campaign ended in overwhelming success. In fact, in the battle of Jericho, the city was theirs with just a shout! Why? The Lord was with them. Even in the battles when they were outnumbered, they triumphed because the Lord was with them. It is no different in the modern context. When the Bible says that Jesus is with you, He is with you to help you, assist you, turn things around for you and make good things happen for you. He is not with you, as some wrongly believe, to condemn you, judge you and to find fault in you. When the Almighty God is with you, good things will happen in you, around you and through you. I have seen that time and time again!
Genesis 39: 2 says, “The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man.” You have to begin to claim that verse everyday and say out loud, “Jesus is with me, so everything I do will succeed.” You have to practice the presence of Jesus. It is one thing to give a mental assent that Jesus is with you, but it is another thing to start being conscious of the presence of Jesus. You can start practicing His presence by speaking it out.
Practice His Presence And See His Power
Do you know the best time to thank Jesus for His presence is when you don’t “feel” His presence? When it comes to the presence of Jesus, do not go by your feelings. Feelings can be deceptive. Go by His promise that He is Immanuel!
Have you heard the story of a groom who approached his pastor almost immediately after his wedding ceremony? He told his pastor, “Pastor, you know, I don’t feel married.” The pastor grabbed him by the collar and growled, “Listen, buy. You ARE married whether you feel it or not, understand? Just take it by faith that you are married!”
You cannot go by your feelings. You go by the truth and the truth is this: God promised, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13: 5) So the best time to practice His presence is precisely when you feel Jesus is 100,000 miles away. Remember that feelings aren’t based on truth. God’s word is truth!
Amen!
From "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince
Unmerited Favor: Introduction
Dear friends,
After completing the series on "Destined To Reign" and a short break, I would like to go deeper on the gospel of grace. I believe you were blessed from reading and understanding the past articles, and I believe you will be blessed even more with this new series, "Unmerited Favor".
This series of articles/devotionals is all about Jesus. It is about His passionate love for you and His desire for you to experience success in your life. Before we go further, let me ask you this question: Do you believe that Jesus is interested in your success? Take a moment to reflect this.
I want you to know that Jesus delights in blessing you. It is His good pleasure to see you blessed in every area of your life (Luke 12: 32, Psalm 35: 27). Now, don’t put a limit on His blessings in your life. The blessings of the Lord are not just seen in material things. Jesus is infinitely interested in your total well-being. He is interested in your family, career, fulfillment in life, marriage, ministry, and the list goes on.
When it comes to your desires, hopes and dreams, there is no detail that is too miniscule, minute or insignificant for Him. If it matters to you, it matters to Him too. Jesus will never ridicule or deride your concerns as petty. He is never dismissive or condescending. He is not like some of your so-called “friends”, who may delight in poking fun at your shortcoming. If it bothers you, it bothers Him too.
Jesus is someone whom you can be real with. You can hang out with Him and be yourself, with no pretense and no play-acting. Jesus is ever-loving toward you and you can talk to Him about anything. He enjoys conversing with you about your dreams, aspirations and hopes. He wants to heal you of things in your past that you may be struggling with. He is interested in your present challenges. He wants to weep with you when you are down and rejoice with you in all your victories.
Do you know that you are important to Jesus? Know with full assurance in your heart that Jesus knows you perfectly, and yet accepts and loves you perfectly. When you begin to understand that, you will realize that it is truly that unmerited favor, that favor from Jesus that you know you do not deserve, did not merit and cannot earn for yourself, that will perfect every imperfection and weakness in your life. If you are facing challenges, such as lack in any area, addictions, fears, sicknesses or broken relationships, Jesus’ unmerited favor (grace) will protect, deliver, prosper, bring restoration to and provide for you. His unmerited favor (grace) will transform you into wholeness, and it is the goodness of God, not your striving and self-efforts, that will lead you to live victoriously for His glory.
There are essentially two ways you can go about your life. The first is to depend entirely on your self-effort, and the other is to depend completely on the unmerited favor and blessings of God. As for me and my house, the choice is absolutely clear. I am leaning strong on His unmerited favor in every area of my life – my marriage, family, church and anything else that I may be involved in.
The world’s way to success is based on meritocracy. All religions are also based on the same principle of merit. God’s way to success in the new covenant is in direct contradiction to that, and is based on His unmerited favor. You can’t earn it. You can’t deserve it. And you certainly can’t merit it. It comes by way of God’s grace and by the power of what was accomplished at Calvary. It goes against the grain of every world system you have ever learned or depended upon. God’s ways are higher and they always lead to good and abiding success.
My friend, there is no middle road. You cannot mix your own effort with God’s grace. Choose His unmerited favor and all the glory redounds to Jesus. Every success, opportunity, blessing or breakthrough, be it in your health, family or career – success in every aspect of your life – comes by His unmerited favor. It is never you.
You may ask, “Shouldn’t there be a part for man to perform and another part for God to fulfill? Shouldn’t man do his best and let God to the rest?” I am glad you asked this question! You see, when people say that man has a part to play, what they end up doing is to come up with a list of requirements that man needs to do to qualify for God’s blessings. They say things like, “In order for God to answer your prayers, you have to do this and do that, and not do this and not do that.” And all the while, this list of do’s and don’ts to qualify for God’s blessings keeps growing.
Now, let’s stop right here. Doesn’t this list of requirements that you have to fulfill so that God will bless you sound awfully familiar to you? I believe that many of those who insist on these requirements are well-meaning, sincere people. But what they are doing is pointing others to the old covenant of the law, whether knowingly or unknowingly! That’s how the law of Moses works. Under the old covenant, God’s blessings were contingent on man’s fulfillment of a list of requirements. But we are no longer under the old covenant of the law.
This is not Christianity. The new covenant that we are under today is based completely on the removal of our sins by the blood of Jesus! “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes on a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ , who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9: 13-14)” Depending on your own efforts to deserve favor from God is considered “dead work”. It is God’s desire for us to depend wholly on the unmerited favor of Jesus.
God Himself says, “For if that first covenant (the covenant of law) had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second (the covenant of grace) (Hebrews 8: 7).” The Christian life today is not a religion based on what you are doing or not doing. The reality is that the Christian life is not a religion at all. It is all about having a relationship based completely on receiving what God Himself has done on the cross! When you receive completely what Jesus has done for you, your “doing” will flow effortlessly.
Hear what the apostle of grace, Paul, had to say about this, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace (unmerited favor) of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15: 10)” So my friend, in answering your question, I would say don’t worry about what “man’s part” is. As Paul said, focus entirely on Jesus’ part – His grace and unmerited favor upon your life – and you will end up being energized by the Lord to pray more, read the Bible more and serve both God and your community more, simply because the grace of God is not in vain in your life. You will also realize that the outworking of all that you do is not of yourself, but it is by His grace overflowing in you.
Some people think that grace will compromise God’s holiness. Absolutely not! The standards that grace sets are much higher than the standards of the law of Moses. When you are under grace, you will effortlessly fulfill and even super-exceed the expectation of the law of Moses.
When we are speaking about grace or unmerited favor of God, we are speaking of Jesus and His finished works at the cross. It is important to see this in the Word of God yourself: “May grace (God’s unmerited favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in (the full, personal, precise, and correct) knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1: 2. AMP)
It is really that simple. The unmerited favor of God (grace) will flow like a mighty torrential river into every parched area of your life, be it your physical body, marriage, career or finances, when you see Jesus! The more you increase in the knowledge of our loving Savior Jesus Christ and His finished works on the cross, the more God’s unmerited favor (grace) will be multiplied in your life. And it is His unmerited favor (grace) that will cause you to enjoy success beyond your natural intelligence, qualifications and ability!
God’s unmerited favor (grace) is not a topic. It is not a teaching. God’s unmerited favor is the gospel! God’s unmerited favor (grace) is not a subject. It is a person, and His name is Jesus! When you have Jesus, you have God’s unmerited favor or grace. Unmerited favor or grace is embodied in His entire being and His finished works at Calvary. It is unfortunate that the word “grace” in the modern church has been made into a theological subject or classified as a doctrine. In the modern vernacular, the word “grace” has also been abused and devalued. For example, you are given “five minutes’ grace” before parking charges are levied when you drive into the parking lot in downtown. How that “cheapens the word “grace”.
It is in my prayer that as you dive into the pages that you will read in the next while, you will start seeing more of Jesus and start experiencing His grace (unmerited favor) in unprecedented way. Get ready to experience God’s supernatural success through His unmerited favor (grace) today! Amen!
Dedo Suwanda
From the book "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince
After completing the series on "Destined To Reign" and a short break, I would like to go deeper on the gospel of grace. I believe you were blessed from reading and understanding the past articles, and I believe you will be blessed even more with this new series, "Unmerited Favor".
This series of articles/devotionals is all about Jesus. It is about His passionate love for you and His desire for you to experience success in your life. Before we go further, let me ask you this question: Do you believe that Jesus is interested in your success? Take a moment to reflect this.
I want you to know that Jesus delights in blessing you. It is His good pleasure to see you blessed in every area of your life (Luke 12: 32, Psalm 35: 27). Now, don’t put a limit on His blessings in your life. The blessings of the Lord are not just seen in material things. Jesus is infinitely interested in your total well-being. He is interested in your family, career, fulfillment in life, marriage, ministry, and the list goes on.
When it comes to your desires, hopes and dreams, there is no detail that is too miniscule, minute or insignificant for Him. If it matters to you, it matters to Him too. Jesus will never ridicule or deride your concerns as petty. He is never dismissive or condescending. He is not like some of your so-called “friends”, who may delight in poking fun at your shortcoming. If it bothers you, it bothers Him too.
Jesus is someone whom you can be real with. You can hang out with Him and be yourself, with no pretense and no play-acting. Jesus is ever-loving toward you and you can talk to Him about anything. He enjoys conversing with you about your dreams, aspirations and hopes. He wants to heal you of things in your past that you may be struggling with. He is interested in your present challenges. He wants to weep with you when you are down and rejoice with you in all your victories.
Do you know that you are important to Jesus? Know with full assurance in your heart that Jesus knows you perfectly, and yet accepts and loves you perfectly. When you begin to understand that, you will realize that it is truly that unmerited favor, that favor from Jesus that you know you do not deserve, did not merit and cannot earn for yourself, that will perfect every imperfection and weakness in your life. If you are facing challenges, such as lack in any area, addictions, fears, sicknesses or broken relationships, Jesus’ unmerited favor (grace) will protect, deliver, prosper, bring restoration to and provide for you. His unmerited favor (grace) will transform you into wholeness, and it is the goodness of God, not your striving and self-efforts, that will lead you to live victoriously for His glory.
There are essentially two ways you can go about your life. The first is to depend entirely on your self-effort, and the other is to depend completely on the unmerited favor and blessings of God. As for me and my house, the choice is absolutely clear. I am leaning strong on His unmerited favor in every area of my life – my marriage, family, church and anything else that I may be involved in.
The world’s way to success is based on meritocracy. All religions are also based on the same principle of merit. God’s way to success in the new covenant is in direct contradiction to that, and is based on His unmerited favor. You can’t earn it. You can’t deserve it. And you certainly can’t merit it. It comes by way of God’s grace and by the power of what was accomplished at Calvary. It goes against the grain of every world system you have ever learned or depended upon. God’s ways are higher and they always lead to good and abiding success.
My friend, there is no middle road. You cannot mix your own effort with God’s grace. Choose His unmerited favor and all the glory redounds to Jesus. Every success, opportunity, blessing or breakthrough, be it in your health, family or career – success in every aspect of your life – comes by His unmerited favor. It is never you.
You may ask, “Shouldn’t there be a part for man to perform and another part for God to fulfill? Shouldn’t man do his best and let God to the rest?” I am glad you asked this question! You see, when people say that man has a part to play, what they end up doing is to come up with a list of requirements that man needs to do to qualify for God’s blessings. They say things like, “In order for God to answer your prayers, you have to do this and do that, and not do this and not do that.” And all the while, this list of do’s and don’ts to qualify for God’s blessings keeps growing.
Now, let’s stop right here. Doesn’t this list of requirements that you have to fulfill so that God will bless you sound awfully familiar to you? I believe that many of those who insist on these requirements are well-meaning, sincere people. But what they are doing is pointing others to the old covenant of the law, whether knowingly or unknowingly! That’s how the law of Moses works. Under the old covenant, God’s blessings were contingent on man’s fulfillment of a list of requirements. But we are no longer under the old covenant of the law.
This is not Christianity. The new covenant that we are under today is based completely on the removal of our sins by the blood of Jesus! “For if the blood of bulls and goats and the ashes on a heifer, sprinkling the unclean, sanctifies for the purifying of the flesh, how much more shall the blood of Christ , who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9: 13-14)” Depending on your own efforts to deserve favor from God is considered “dead work”. It is God’s desire for us to depend wholly on the unmerited favor of Jesus.
God Himself says, “For if that first covenant (the covenant of law) had been faultless, then no place would have been sought for a second (the covenant of grace) (Hebrews 8: 7).” The Christian life today is not a religion based on what you are doing or not doing. The reality is that the Christian life is not a religion at all. It is all about having a relationship based completely on receiving what God Himself has done on the cross! When you receive completely what Jesus has done for you, your “doing” will flow effortlessly.
Hear what the apostle of grace, Paul, had to say about this, “But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace (unmerited favor) of God which was with me. (1 Corinthians 15: 10)” So my friend, in answering your question, I would say don’t worry about what “man’s part” is. As Paul said, focus entirely on Jesus’ part – His grace and unmerited favor upon your life – and you will end up being energized by the Lord to pray more, read the Bible more and serve both God and your community more, simply because the grace of God is not in vain in your life. You will also realize that the outworking of all that you do is not of yourself, but it is by His grace overflowing in you.
Some people think that grace will compromise God’s holiness. Absolutely not! The standards that grace sets are much higher than the standards of the law of Moses. When you are under grace, you will effortlessly fulfill and even super-exceed the expectation of the law of Moses.
When we are speaking about grace or unmerited favor of God, we are speaking of Jesus and His finished works at the cross. It is important to see this in the Word of God yourself: “May grace (God’s unmerited favor) and peace (which is perfect well-being, all necessary good, all spiritual prosperity, and freedom from fears and agitating passions and moral conflicts) be multiplied to you in (the full, personal, precise, and correct) knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord” (2 Peter 1: 2. AMP)
It is really that simple. The unmerited favor of God (grace) will flow like a mighty torrential river into every parched area of your life, be it your physical body, marriage, career or finances, when you see Jesus! The more you increase in the knowledge of our loving Savior Jesus Christ and His finished works on the cross, the more God’s unmerited favor (grace) will be multiplied in your life. And it is His unmerited favor (grace) that will cause you to enjoy success beyond your natural intelligence, qualifications and ability!
God’s unmerited favor (grace) is not a topic. It is not a teaching. God’s unmerited favor is the gospel! God’s unmerited favor (grace) is not a subject. It is a person, and His name is Jesus! When you have Jesus, you have God’s unmerited favor or grace. Unmerited favor or grace is embodied in His entire being and His finished works at Calvary. It is unfortunate that the word “grace” in the modern church has been made into a theological subject or classified as a doctrine. In the modern vernacular, the word “grace” has also been abused and devalued. For example, you are given “five minutes’ grace” before parking charges are levied when you drive into the parking lot in downtown. How that “cheapens the word “grace”.
It is in my prayer that as you dive into the pages that you will read in the next while, you will start seeing more of Jesus and start experiencing His grace (unmerited favor) in unprecedented way. Get ready to experience God’s supernatural success through His unmerited favor (grace) today! Amen!
Dedo Suwanda
From the book "Unmerited Favor" by Joseph Prince
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Dear friends,
I hope the life of Bai Fang Li will touch your heart and motivate you to respond to God's calling in your life, whatever it is. Run a good race till the end. Don't let anything become a limitation in your pursuit to finish the race well. I want all of you to hear, one day, our Master say, "Well done, you, good and faithful servant."
Dedo
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His name is BAI FANG LI. He is a rickshaw operator most of his life, providing services to people who need to go from one place to another for a small fee.
His body is small, even too small compared to other rickshaw operators. However, he is very energetic and enthusiastic about what he is doing. He starts his routine at 6 AM with fellowship with the God. He then cruises the streets of the city on his rickshaw either to get a customer or to bring the customers to their destination. He ends his days after the hard work not sooner than 8PM.
All his customers like Bai Fang Li, because he is friendly, and his smile never leaves his face. He never determines the fee that his customers must pay, but he relies on the customers' generosity to pay for his services. Because of his good heart, more people prefer to use his services than others'. Perhaps because of compassion to him, many people are willing to pay more than the going rates that most rickshaw operators charge. Perhaps this is because they see how hard he, with his small body sweating, has to push till his breathing is heavy.
Bai Fang Li lives in an old and rusty hut in a slum area of the city where many rickshaw operators and garbage collectors live. He rents a portion of the hut and pays daily for a place to sleep. There is practically no furniture in the hut, but an old rug to sleep on after a very long and hard day at work. There is only one room under the roof to share with several other people. In this room, he often received visitors who come to get help from him. Inside the room, there is also an old cardboard box where he stores an old, badly torn and stiched blanket. There is also a tin plate, which he probably found in in the pile of garbage around the hut, for him to eat, and a tin can for him to drink. At the corner of the hut, there is an oil lamp to give light to the room at night.
Bai Fang Li has no family or relatives. People just know that he comes from another place. However, he never feels lonely because he is always surrounded by people who love his company. They love him for his positive attitude and his generosity. He helps everybody who needs help, and he does it with joy in his heart and without expecting anything in return.
From what he earns, he should be able to afford better food,clothing or place to live. However, he donated most of his earning to an relatively unknown orphanage that takes care of over 300 orphans in Tianjin. This orphanage also runs a school for the orphans and other poor children in the area.
Incident that change his way of life
Bai Fang Li started giving his donation at the age of 74. This is the story how his heart was touched and how he made the decision to do what he was doing. One day he was resting after dropping off a customer at the destination. He saw a tiny and skinny six year old boy on the street offering his service to an older lay to carry her groceries that she bought from a nearby market. He saw this little boy carry the heavy grocery bags with a lot of struggle, but he was determined to do the job well. There was a big smile on the boy's face when he had completed the duty and received some change from the lady for his service. This boy looked up to the sky and mumbled something as if he was thanking God for the blessing that he has just receive. Bai watched the boy doing it to several ladies who were shopping in the market, and every time he received payment for his services, he would looked up to the sky and mumbled something. Later he saw the boy went to the pile of garbage and dug into the garbage looking for something. When he found a dirty piece of bread, he was so happy. He cleaned the bread the best he could, and he put the bread in his mouth and enjoyed it as if it were a piece of bread from heaven. Bai's heart was so touched by what he saw. He approached the boy and offered him to share his lunch with him. Bai was wondering why the boy did not buy a decent lunch with the money he earned from providing services to the ladies. The boy said, "I will use the money to buy food for my sisters." Bai asked, "Where are your parents?" The boy replied, "My parents separated stuff from garbage everyday and sold anything that could be recycled to the local recycling company. However, one month ago, they disappeared and I have never seen them again. Thus, I have to work to feed myself and my two younger sisters."
Bai Fang Li asked to boy to take him to his sisters. Bai's heart was crying when he saw the two girls, 5 and 4 year old. The girls were dirty and skinny, and their clothes were very dirty. The neighbours did not care of the conditions of these three children, because they were struggling to cope with their lives too.
Bai Fang Li, the, took these three children to an orphanage in Tianjin. He told the manager of the orphanage that he would bring all the money he made and give it to the orphnage to help the children there to get food, care and education. Since then Bai Fang Li decided to work harder and with more determination in operating the rickshaw to earn money for the orphanage. He started early and finished late to get the extra money. From all his earning everyday, he put aside some to pay rent for his living space in the hut, to buy two raisin breads for his lunch and a small piece of meat and egg for his dinner. The rest of the income was donated to the orphanage to help them to feed and care for the children.
He is very happy doing all these things, depsite his limitation. He felt that it was a luxury that he had a place to live, food to eat and clothing to wear, even clothing that he got from a disposal place. He was always thankful for what he had.
Bai Fang Li worked as rickshaw operator 365 days a year, regardless of weather, and often when it was snowing or when the sun was very strong and hot. When asked why he would sacrifice so much for these children, he always said, "It is OK that I suffer, as long as the poor children have something to eat and can have the proper education. I am happy to do all these things."
Giving Without Expecting Anything in Return
Bai Fang Li started donating to the orphanage since 1986. He had never asked anything in return from the orphanage. He does not even know which children beneft from his donation. For the next 20 years, Bai Fang Li operated his rickshaw for one purpose: to be able to give donation to the orphanage in Tianjin. At the age of 90, he brought all his saving of about RMB 500 (about US$ 80) that he has stored neatly in a box to the school named Yao Hua that was run by the orphanage.
Bai Fang Li said in a sad voice, "I am too old and weak to operate rickshaw now. I cannot continue with the donation. This could be my last donation.." All the teachers in the school were touched and cried. When Bai Fang Li died at the age of 93, he died in poverty. Despite of that, he had donated RMB 350.000 (about US$ 53,000) to the orphanage and the school that was run by the orphanage.
The last photograph that his friends have about him has an inscription "Extraordiary love for extraordinary person."
If a poor person gives out of his lack, he is an heir of heaven that was sent to this world, who teaches us to be continually thankful and to give to others who are in need.
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