(Derek Prince) Declaring God's Word (BookFi) PDF

DECLARING
GOD'S
WORD
A 365 DAY
DEVOTIONAL
DEREK PRINCE
TABLE OF CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
JANUARY
FEBRUARY
MARCH
APRIL
MAY
JUNE
JULY
AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
OCTOBER
NOVEMBER
DECEMEBER
ABOUT THE AUTHOR

INTRODUCTION TO
DECLARING GOD’S WORD:
A 365-Day Devotional
The believers overcame Satan by the blood of Jesus

Christ, and they testified to what the Word of God
says the blood of Jesus does for us.
—Derek Prince paraphrase of Revelation 12:11
As president of Derek Prince Ministries–USA, I am excited

to bring you this unique book by renowned Bible scholar
Derek Prince, Declaring God’s Word: A 365-Day
Devotional. I believe it has the potential to change not
only your life, but the world, as well.
I realize that is a sweeping statement—one that might

seem to “oversell” the book. However, I stand by the
statement, and here’s why. This book is far more than
your ordinary devotional.
Like you, I enjoy a variety of devotionals written by great

men and women of God. Similar to this book, those works
consist of daily entries with a brief insight into a passage
from God’s Word, followed by a prayer designed to inspire
the reader for that day. That’s where the similarity ends.
One additional component makes this book powerfully

unique. That component is “proclamation”—Declaring
God’s Word, as the title states. Proclamation turns this
book into a powerful tool in your hands—actually, a
weapon of spiritual warfare. Your proclamation will
represent a daily declaration of war on the kingdom of
Satan and a daily announcement of your intention to
stand with the King of kings. But that’s only a part of it.
The most exciting thought of all is that you will join with
thousands of Christians all over the world in reading this
book, declaring the same proclamations, and praying the
same prayers—on the very same day, maybe even
simultaneously. Take a moment to think about how
powerful that will be! The impact of this corporate action
will have positive spiritual implications far beyond what
we can imagine.
In a teaching on the release of authority when God’s Word

is spoken by believers, Derek quoted Jeremiah 1:9
—“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth”—then
made this bold claim: when we declare the Word that God
puts in our mouths, our proclamation carries as much
authority as if God Himself were declaring it. That is the
unique power and authority set in motion through
Declaring God’s Word.
Derek Prince was a man of prayer and proclamation—and

He was practical. He always gave his listeners the
opportunity to respond. This book is no different.
Each day, you will have the chance to response to the

daily teaching, which begins with a proclamation Derek
originated. (At the start of most of Derek’s teachings on
CD, you will hear Derek and his wife begin in unison with
a proclamation of a particular Scripture passage or
scriptural thought. In this devotional, each entry begins
the same way.)
Each day’s teaching is pure Derek, in his exact words.
Though Derek is no longer with us on earth, his powerful
teaching remains, and, as Hebrews 11:4 says that “…
through faith, though he is dead, he still speaks” (nasb).
How we thank the Lord for the legacy of teaching Derek
has left for us.
The section that follows the teaching summarizes what

Derek has taught with a prayer and proclamation related
to the day’s topic. You will notice that each prayer begins
with an expression of thanks to God. Along with Derek’s
amazing teaching gift, one of the traits I admired most
about him was his constant attitude of thanksgiving. I
remember that at many teaching sessions, Derek would
close his message by asking the audience to wait upon the
Lord in silence. During those moments, it was very
common to hear Derek uttering over and over again,
“Thank You, Lord. Thank You, Jesus. Oh, we thank You,
Lord.”
Rather than assuming you would naturally pray and

proclaim on your own, we have provided specific
responses as a help to you. Here is where you will
experience the unique individual and corporate power
that comes from declaring the same prayer and
proclamation with other people on the same day.
Each entry ends with a repetition of the same

proclamation that appears under the title of the entry at
the top of the page. That’s no mistake. Repetition is a
common yet powerful biblical principle, as well as a
means of affirming the truth of God’s Word. An excellent
scriptural example of the usefulness of repetition is found
in Psalm 124:1–2: “‘If it had not been the Lord who was on
our side,’ let Israel now say [in other words, “Let’s have
everyone repeat this together”], ‘If it had not been the
Lord who was on our side….’” For additional New
Testament “reminders by repetition,” see Philippians 3:1,
Hebrews 2:1, and 2 Peter 1:12–15.
May Declaring God’s Word be a daily source of spiritual

power and growth for you. May its teachings establish a
foundation of truth in your life, making you increasingly
unshakable in these increasingly shaky modern times.
May you grow in faith as you absorb Derek’s teachings,
proclaim the truth of God’s Word, and pray to your Father
in heaven, confident that you are joining with Christians
everywhere, powerfully declaring God’s Word and
advancing His gospel.
JANUARY
WEEK 1:
I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word

says the blood of Jesus does for me.
And they overcame him by the blood of the

Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and
they did not love their lives to the death.
—Revelation 12:11
JANUARY 1
KNOWING THE WORD
I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

the blood of Jesus does for me.
I believe the Lord showed me through an insight into

Scripture how we can overcome Satan. Most Christians
know that we are to overcome him by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of our testimony. But many tend to
make it a kind of repetitive phrase: “I plead the blood…I
plead the blood.” I don’t want to discount the value of that
practice, but I have observed that sometimes it does not
impress the devil. I think we have to apply it more
purposefully.
How do we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and

by the word of our testimony? Three elements are
involved: the blood, the Word of God, and our testimony.
And this is how I interpret the application of Revelation
12:11: We overcome Satan when we testify personally as
to what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for us.
It is very clear that if we are going to testify to what the

Word says the blood does for us, we will have to know
what the Word says the blood does. Over the next several
weeks, we will be looking at what the Word of God says
the blood of Jesus accomplishes for us.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. Because of what
the Word says, I proclaim that I have overcome Satan by
testifying to what the blood of Jesus has done for me. I
testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the
blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: The Sevenfold Power of

the Blood (audio)
The Roman Pilgrimage, Vol. 1: Romans 1:1–1:17 (audio,

video)
JANUARY 2
APPLYING THE BLOOD

In looking at this confession, we can see that we have to

know what the blood of Jesus does for us. Then, we have
to take it from the “blood bank” and get it into our lives.
There is a parallel for this application in the Passover
ceremony, which was God’s provision of deliverance and
salvation for Israel. (See Exodus 12:21–27.) The father of
each family had to kill a lamb (the sacrifice) and catch its
blood in a basin. This act demonstrates the tremendous
responsibility of fathers to be priests of their families.
The blood in the basin, however, did not protect any

Israelite family; it had to be transferred from the basin to
where the family lived. Only one means was provided,
and that was hyssop. This plant is common in the Middle
East; it grows everywhere there. So they had to pick a
bunch of hyssop, dip it in the blood, and strike it on the
lintel and two doorposts of their dwelling, but never on
the threshold. You are never to walk over the blood.
With that done, the destroying angel could not enter the
dwelling. But only those Israelites who were in their
homes, safe behind the blood, were protected. That was
the only place of safety in Egypt that night.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that I
am protected from the adversary by applying the blood to
myself and my family. I testify to Satan personally as to
what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: How to Appropriate the

Blood (audio)
JANUARY 3
WALKING IN OBEDIENCE

In the Passover ceremony, the blood of lambs was

collected in basins. Once the blood was transferred from
the basins to the Israelites’ dwelling places, they were
safe, on one condition: they had to stay inside their
houses.
This truth is very important: the blood protects only the

obedient. You are safe while you obey. Let’s look at 1 Peter
1:2. Peter was greeting the “pilgrims of the Dispersion [in
Greek, diaspora]” (verse 1). He was specifically addressing
the Jews outside the land of Israel, who were “elect [or
chosen] according to the foreknowledge of God the Father,
in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and
sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.”
Notice that obedience comes before sprinkling. The blood

is not sprinkled on the disobedient. The blood does not
protect those who go out of the house. It protects only
those who are behind the blood or covered by it. So, bear
in mind, although there is perfect protection in the blood,
it is for the obedient alone.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim this
day that I will walk in obedience to You. I testify to Satan
personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus
does for me. Amen.

the Blood (audio)
JANUARY 4
ELIMINATING SIN

Looking once again at the Passover ceremony for Israel,

we find one burning question for our application today:
How do we get the shed blood—after the sacrifice is
complete—to the places where we live? As long as the
blood remains in the basin, it is not doing any good. It is
available, but it does nothing. The Israelites had to take
this simple plant called hyssop, dip it in the blood, and
strike it on the outside of their houses on the doorposts
and above the doors. Only then were they protected. Yet
in the Passover ceremony, something else preceded the
application of the blood.
Let’s look at 1 Corinthians, where Paul applied the

teaching of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened
Bread to Christians. Every Jewish family had to eliminate
everything that was leavened from their house for seven
days. The Orthodox Jews still observe this practice today.
Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a

new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed
Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us. Therefore let
us keep the feast, not with old leaven, nor with the leaven
of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread
of sincerity and truth.(1 Corinthians 5:7–8)
We, too, must purge the old leaven—sin—from our lives in
order to live in obedience to God. This enables the blood
to protect every area of our lives.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that as

I apply it to my life, I am purging any sin that may be
present in me. I testify to Satan personally as to what the
Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.

the Blood (audio)
JANUARY 5
RELYING ON THE LAMB

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul connected the Passover of the

Old Testament with the crucifixion of Jesus: For indeed
Christ [the Messiah], our Passover, was sacrificed for us.
There is a very clear application of the Passover to the

sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. We can say that the
Passover Lamb was killed almost twenty centuries ago,
and His blood is in the basin. His blood has been shed, but
the blood cannot protect us while it remains in the basin.
We have to transfer the blood from the basin to the places
where we live.
Under the old covenant, hyssop was used, but what do we

use under the new covenant? The answer is our
testimonies. Our personal testimonies take the blood out
of the basin and apply it to our “houses”—to our lives, our
situations, and our families. We overcome Satan when we
testify personally to what the Word says the blood of Jesus
does for us.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that

Jesus was sacrificed for me, and I rely on His blood to
make me clean and free from sin. I testify to Satan
personally as to what the Word says the blood of Jesus
does for me. Amen.

the Blood (audio)
JANUARY 6
A COMPLETE SACRIFICE

The most important day in the religious year of the Jewish

people was the Day of Atonement, known today as Yom
Kippur. On that day alone, the high priest went into the
Holy of Holies with the blood of the sacrifices that covered
the sins of Israel for one more year.
He [the high priest] shall take some of the blood of the

bull and sprinkle it with his finger on the mercy seat on
the east side; and before the mercy seat he shall sprinkle
some of the blood with his finger seven times.(Leviticus
16:14)
The blood alone could offer propitiation for the sins of

God’s people, and it had to be brought into the presence of
Almighty God in the Holy of Holies. I want you to notice in
particular that the blood was sprinkled seven times. This
frequency was no coincidence, for in the Bible, seven is
the number that indicates the work of the Holy Spirit.
Seven is also the number of completeness, or perfection.
This regulation was exactly fulfilled in the way that Jesus
shed His blood. His blood was shed precisely seven times
before the sacrifice was complete.
His complete work on the cross has taken away my sins. I
testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says the
blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
Extravagant Love (audio)

JANUARY 7
THE MEASURE OF HIS LOVE

On the Day of Atonement, the blood of the sacrifices had

to be sprinkled seven times before God the Father. (See
Leviticus 16:14.) We see this regulation exactly fulfilled in
the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross in the New Testament.
First, His sweat became blood. Second, the Roman soldiers

struck Him in the face with their fists and with rods.
Third, they flogged Him with a Roman scourge. Fourth,
His beard was pulled out. Fifth, thorns were pressed deep
into His scalp. Sixth, His hands and feet were pierced with
nails. Seventh, His side was pierced with a spear.
That is the measure of Christ’s love. It cost Him literally all

He had. He did not simply give up His glory, His throne,
and His majesty as God. He did not simply give up His few
earthly possessions as a man on earth. He gave up
Himself. It was His own life that He poured out in His
blood as the redemptive price. Think about that
staggering reality and know that it is the measure of God’s
love. It is extravagant, to say the least.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that He

gave all He had—poured out His life completely—so that I
may be free from sin. I testify to Satan personally as to
what the Word says the blood of Jesus does for me. Amen.
Extravagant Love (audio)

WEEK 2:
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed

out of the hand of the devil.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He

has redeemed from the hand of the enemy.
—Psalm 107:2
JANUARY 8
TRUE BELIEVERS
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed

out of the hand of the devil.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has

redeemed from the hand of the enemy. (Psalm 107:2,
emphasis added)
This statement of Scripture is one that concerns what the

blood of Jesus does for us as believers. Let us also look at
this verse in Ephesians:
In Him [Christ] we have redemption through His

blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the
riches of His grace.
(Ephesians 1:7)
Notice, first of all, that to receive these benefits, we have

to be in Christ. We have to be true believers in Christ.
When we are in Christ, the first thing that we gain is
redemption through His blood.
To redeem means “to buy back,” or “to pay a ransom

price.” We were formerly in the hands of the devil and we
belonged to him. But Jesus paid the ransom price of His
blood on the cross to buy us back.
through His blood, I have been ransomed—bought back—
and am a true believer in Christ. Through the blood of
Jesus, I am redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict, Vol. 3: God’s People Triumphant:

Spiritual Weapons—The Blood, The Word, Our Testimony
(audio)
JANUARY 9
THE SINLESS LAMB
Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the

hand of the devil.
We were redeemed, or bought back, from our old, evil,

ungodly ways of living, from the grip of Satan, from the
condemnation of sin, and from being open to the attacks
of the devourer and the destroyer. But how were we
bought back?
Knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible

things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct
received by tradition from your fathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.(1 Peter 1:18–19)
We are redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ—

without blemish, without original sin; without spot,
without personal sin—the sinless Lamb of God who took
away the sins of the world. It is only through His blood
that we are redeemed. There was no other amount that
could pay the price to purchase our redemption.

Jesus, the sinless Lamb of God, has taken away my sins.
hand of the devil. Amen.
(audio)
JANUARY 10
AN EFFECTIVE TRANSFER

hand of the devil.
Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom He has

redeemed from the hand of the enemy.(Psalm 107:2)
Some people may know that they were redeemed out of

the hand of the devil; others do not. But I know full well
where I was before Jesus came into my life; I have no
doubt about it. I know what it is like to be in the devil’s
hand, and I never want to be there again. I also know, by
what Scripture says, that it was the blood of Jesus that got
me out of the hand of the devil and into the hand of the
Good Shepherd. Jesus said of His people, “I give unto them
eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any
man pluck them out of my hand” (John 10:28 kjv). That
was the transfer from the devil’s hand to the hand of the
Lord.
But notice that this transfer is effective and able to benefit

us only when we do one thing: when we “say so.” “Let the
redeemed of the Lord say so.” If you are redeemed, say it!
If you do not say it, your redemption is not effective. It is
the word of your testimony that makes the blood
effective.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I declare that by
His blood, I have been transferred from the enemy’s hand
to the hand of the Lord. Through the blood of Jesus, I am
redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 11
THE PROTECTION OF THE

ALMIGHTY

hand of the devil.
Psalm 91 has been called the “atomic age psalm.” This is a

psalm of perfect protection from every kind of evil,
danger, and harm—however it may come, by whatever
means, and at whatever time. Many Christians know this
passage well. But let’s just look at the first two verses:
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall

abide under the shadow of the Almighty.(Psalm 91:1)
The word abide in Hebrew normally means “to pass the

night.” It is a word that is frequently used to describe the
act of spending the night. So, this tells us that during the
hours of darkness, the true believer will be under the
shadow, or protection, of the Almighty. Notice the second
verse:
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;

my God, in Him I will trust.”(verse 2)
This is the antechamber, the entranceway, into the

complete protection of the remaining verses of that
psalm. It is your testimony: “I will say.” If you do not say
it, you will not have it. And it takes some courage to say
what follows in Psalm 91. But only those who say it have
the scriptural right to live in it. It is the word of our
testimony that makes it effective.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I declare that by

His blood, I now live under the protection of Almighty
God. Through the blood of Jesus, I am redeemed out of the

(audio)
JANUARY 12
BOUGHT AT A PRICE

hand of the devil.
The term redemption means “to buy back.” We were

slaves, exposed for sale in Satan’s slave market. The
apostle Paul said, “I am carnal, sold under sin” (Romans
7:14). In the Roman culture of his day, to sell somebody as
a slave was to sell him under a spear. He would stand on a
block with a spear extended out over his head. When you
saw him standing there like that, you knew that he was
being sold as a slave.
Paul was saying in this statement, “My sin is the spear

over my head, which has caused me to be sold as a slave
in the slave market.” And there, too, were we—all of us,
sold with Paul as slaves because of our sins.
But one day, Jesus walked into the market and said, “I’ll
buy them.” What’s the price? The blood of Jesus. We were
bought out of Satan’s kingdom and brought into God’s
kingdom.
A slave has no choice about the type of job that he or she

will perform for his or her master. One slave may be a
cook, another a prostitute—it is the slave owner’s
decision. That is how we were. Some may have been
respectable slaves, but they were no better than those
who were not so respectable. Do not despise prostitutes or
alcoholics, for it was the slave owner’s decision that made
them what they are. Satan decided what they would be,
but Jesus’ blood breaks his hold and sets them free from
the devil’s designs.

have been bought out of Satan’s kingdom and brought
into God’s kingdom. Through the blood of Jesus, I am
redeemed out of the hand of the devil. Amen.
The Good News of the Kingdom, Vol. 1: The Kingdom for

All Nations (audio)
JANUARY 13
MADE AND BOUGHT BY HIM

hand of the devil.
Here is a parable I told to a group of Polynesian Maoris,

who are great wood carvers, to illustrate the price Jesus
paid to redeem us from our sins.
There was once a boy who carved a beautiful little

wooden sailboat. One day he took it down to the ocean to
sail, but the wind changed and carried his boat out to sea.
Since he could not recover his boat, he went home
without it.
The next high tide brought the boat back again, and it was
found by a man walking along the seashore. He inspected
the boat and saw that it was beautifully made, so he sold it
to a shopkeeper who cleaned it up and put it in his
window, priced to sell.
Some while later, the boy passed by the shop and saw his
boat. He knew immediately that it was his, but he had no
way to prove it. So, if he wanted it back, he knew he
would have to buy it.
He set to work to earn the money by washing cars,

mowing lawns, and other tasks. When he finally raised
the necessary funds, he walked into the shop and bought
back his boat. He took it in his hands, and, holding it to his
breast, said, “Now you’re mine! I made you and I bought
you.”
Picture yourself as that boat. You may feel inadequate or

worthless; you may wonder if God really cares. But the
Lord is saying to you, “Now you’re doubly Mine—I made
you and I bought you; you’re fully Mine.”

the Lord made me and bought me, and I am fully His.

All Nations (audio)
JANUARY 14
OUT OF ONE KINGDOM—INTO

ANOTHER

hand of the devil.
The Lord redeemed us so that we are no longer in the

hand of the enemy but in the Lord’s hand.
Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be

partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He
has delivered us from the power of darkness and
conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of His love.
(Colossians 1:12–13)
It is a fact that God has delivered us from the power of

darkness—that is, Satan’s kingdom—and conveyed us into
the kingdom of Christ. Thus, we have redemption—our
sins are forgiven. We are no longer in Satan’s territory,
nor are we under his authority. The unbelieving, those
who reject Christ, the rebellious, and the disobedient are
under Satan’s legitimate authority, but we Christians are
not.
The fact is that when we repented and surrendered to

Jesus Christ and made Him Lord of our lives, we were
conveyed (translated, or carried over)—spirit, soul, and
body—out of the kingdom of Satan and into the kingdom
of Christ. These are facts. We believe facts from the
invisible realm of God’s Word because we no longer go by
our feelings. The shield of faith covers every area of our
lives. No fiery dart need ever get past it. (See Ephesians
6:16.)
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that by

His blood, I have been delivered from darkness and
translated into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love.

All Nations (audio)
WEEK 3:
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are

forgiven.
In Him we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches
of His grace.
—Ephesians 1:7
JANUARY 15
FULL RIGHTS OF REDEMPTION
Through the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven.
In Ephesians 1:7, we see this provision of the blood of

Jesus:
In Him [Christ] we have redemption through His blood,

the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His
grace.
The forgiveness of our sins is purchased for us by the

blood of Jesus. Compare this verse with what Jesus said at
the Last Supper in Matthew 26:28 as He gave the disciples
the cup, which was the emblem of His blood:
For this is My blood of the new covenant [testament],

which is shed for many for the remission [forgiveness] of
sins.(Matthew 26:28)
Hebrews 9:22 says that without shedding of blood, there is

no remission of sin. So the blood of Jesus was shed that
our sins might be forgiven.
You will notice that in Ephesians 1:7, Paul made these two
things coextensive: redemption through the blood of Jesus
and the forgiveness of sins. This is very important to
understand because we have the full legal rights of
redemption only insofar as our sins are forgiven.
because all my sins are forgiven by His blood, I now have
the full legal rights of redemption. Through the blood of
Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 16
SETTLING ALL CLAIMS
If all our sins are forgiven, we have total rights of

redemption. But if there is any sin in our lives that is not
confessed—and is therefore not forgiven—we do not have
full legal rights of redemption in that area. Satan still has
a claim in that area. I have proved this many times in the
ministry of deliverance. If Satan has any claim, he will not
give it up. You can shout in his face or fast for a week, but
you will not change the situation because Satan knows
that he has a legal claim that still has not been settled.
Another common way in which believers give Satan a

legal claim in their lives is by failing to forgive others.
Jesus taught us that we are forgiven by God in the same
measure in which we forgive others. We are to pray,
“Forgive us our debts [trespasses], as we forgive our
debtors [those who trespasses against us]” (Matthew
6:12). We are not entitled to claim forgiveness from God
above the measure in which we forgive others. (See verses
14–15.) Therefore, if there are any people we have not
forgiven, in that measure, we are not forgiven by God. In
other words, any area of unforgiveness in our lives is an
area to which Satan still has legal claim. Do what you will;
you cannot dislodge him until you have forgiven
whomever you need to forgive.
am fully forgiven, because I confess all my sins and now
forgive those who have hurt me (list specific names).
Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 17
TWO DIRECTIONS OF FORGIVENESS
Forgiveness is one of the most beautiful words in any

language. What makes it such a special and beautiful
word? Consider some of the results that flow from
forgiveness: reconciliation, peace, harmony,
understanding, fellowship. How our world today stands in
such dire need of these things!
In contrast, consider some of the consequences that flow

from our failure to give and receive forgiveness:
bitterness, strife, disharmony, hatred, and war. At times, it
seems as though the entire human race is in danger of
being overwhelmed by these evil, negative forces. If we
are ever to rise above these conditions, it will be only as
we learn and apply the principles of forgiveness.
There are two directions of forgiveness presented in the

Bible. These two directions are portrayed by that great
symbol of our Christian faith: the cross. The cross has two
beams—one vertical, one horizontal—that represent the
two directions of forgiveness. The vertical beam
represents the forgiveness that we all need to receive
from God and can be received only through our
identification with the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus
Christ. The horizontal beam represents our relationships
with our fellow men, and it speaks of the forgiveness that,
in this case, has two directions: the forgiveness we need to
receive from others, and the forgiveness we need to
extend to others. Once again, the only place where we can
receive the grace for that kind of forgiveness is the cross.

not only receive God’s forgiveness; I also open myself up
to receive the forgiveness of others, and I extend my
forgiveness to them, as well. Through the blood of Jesus,
all my sins are forgiven. Amen.
The Three Most Powerful Words (booklet)

JANUARY 18
A CLEAN SLATE
One of the most wondrous aspects of God’s nature is that

when He forgives, He does so completely and in full. The
book of Micah states this truth beautifully:
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the
transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do
not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will
again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins
underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the
sea.(Micah 7:18–19 niv)
Isn’t that beautiful? Every wrong thing that we have ever

done—everything that could ever make us feel guilty,
every accusation that the enemy could ever bring against
us—God treads underfoot, then hurls it into the depths of
the sea.
Someone has remarked that when God casts your sins

into the sea, He puts up a notice that reads, “No Fishing!”
Don’t ever try to go back and resurrect something that
God has buried. If God has forgiven you, you are forgiven.
There are no further questions. God’s forgiveness is total.
In Isaiah, God speaks to His people,
I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My

own sake; and I will not remember your sins.(Isaiah
43:25)
When God forgives us, He blots out the record of our sins;
our slates are clean. God does not have a poor memory,
but He does have the ability to choose to forget. And when
He forgives, He forgets!

You have forgiven me fully, blotting out the record of my
sins. You have forgotten them, and I will, as well. Through
the blood of Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.

JANUARY 19
THE COUNTLESS BLESSINGS

OF FORGIVENESS
The type of forgiveness that we need, and can receive only

from God Himself, is the vertical aspect of forgiveness.
There is such blessedness in being forgiven by God. This
truth was articulated perhaps most beautifully by David
in Psalm 32:
Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven,

whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord does not count against him
and in whose spirit is no deceit.(verses 1–2 niv)
In the Hebrew language, this psalm begins with a plural

noun: blessednesses. “Oh, the blessednesses of the one
whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are
covered.” The implication is that there are innumerable
blessings attached to having our sins forgiven by God.
It is important to see that the Bible does not talk about a

man who does not need forgiveness. The Bible clearly
indicates that all of us need forgiveness from God; there
are no exceptions. In other psalms, David said that there
is no man who does not sin. We have all sinned.
Therefore, we all need forgiveness. It is not a question of
whether we need forgiveness but whether we receive it.

need Your forgiveness, and that as You forgive me, You
bring great blessing to me, as well. Through the blood of
Jesus, all my sins are forgiven. Amen.

JANUARY 20
ACKNOWLEDGING OUR SIN
In Psalm 32, King David wrote out of his own personal

experience: When I kept silent, my bones wasted away
through my groaning all day long. For day and night your
hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in
the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you
and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my
transgressions to the Lord”—and you forgave the guilt of
my sin.(verses 3–5 niv) I believe that when David wrote
this, he had in mind the matter of Bathsheba, the wife of
Uriah the Hittite. It was a terrible situation in which David
had committed adultery, then committed murder to cover
up his adultery. David obviously had been like many of
us. For a long while, he had refused to face the fact of his
sin. He tried to ignore it.
In the next verses, David makes a personal application:

Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you
may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they
will not reach him. You are my hiding place; you will
protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of
deliverance.(verses 6–7 niv) It is never too late to confess
our sins to God and seek refuge in His salvation. He will
deliver us from our sins if we’ll only acknowledge them
and repent.
because I readily confess any sin that I may have tried to
hide, You have forgiven the guilt of my sin. You protect me
from trouble and surround me with deliverance. Through

JANUARY 21
TESTIFYING PERSONALLY
In Him [Christ] we have redemption through His blood,

grace.(Ephesians 1:7)
Looking at this statement from the Word of God about the

blood of Jesus, I will show you how to apply it with the
hyssop of your personal testimony to your own life
situation and need.
This verse tells us two things that we have through the

blood of Jesus when we are in Christ. Remember, if we are
outside of Christ, it does not avail. During the first
Passover in Egypt, the blood did not protect those who
were not inside their houses. It was only inside their
houses that the Israelites were protected, and it is only
inside Christ that we have redemption and forgiveness of
sins.
I know the above verse by heart. If I stood upside down in

a corner of a dark room on a dark night, I could quote this
Scripture without the least problem. I live by this
Scripture. I keep my hyssop in my hand. Believe me, not
many days pass that I am not using the hyssop in my own
life. I have discovered it does the job.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I apply it with the
hyssop of my personal testimony, proclaiming that by His
blood, I have redemption and forgiveness of sins. Through
Praying to Change History: God’s Atomic Weapon: The

Blood of Jesus (audio)
WEEK 4:
The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually

cleanses me from all sin.
But if we walk in the light as He is in the light,

we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from
all sin.
—1 John 1:7
JANUARY 22
A CONTINUING PROCESS
The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses

me from all sin.
One provision of the precious blood of Jesus is cleansing.
But if we walk in the light as He [Jesus] is in the light, we

have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus
Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.(1 John 1:7) In this
verse, there are three verbs in the continuing present
tense: walk, fellowship, and cleanse. We must take note of
that. If we continue walking in the light, we continue
having fellowship with one another, and the blood of
Jesus continues to cleanse us.
It is very important to see that this is conditional. If we

continue to walk in the light of God’s Word by obeying
what it says, then the first result is that we have
fellowship with one another. If we are not walking in the
light, we will not have fellowship. And if we do not have
fellowship, we are not walking in the light. But, if we walk
in the light and have fellowship, then the blood of Jesus
continually keeps us clean.

continue to walk in the light, have fellowship with other
believers, and receive cleansing from sin. The blood of
Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all
sin. Amen.

video)
JANUARY 23
CLEANSING HERE AND NOW

me from all sin.
My personal testimony based on the statement above

would be, “While I am walking in the light, the blood of
Jesus is cleansing me, now and continually, from all sin.” I
say it is “cleansing me now” because that makes it a here-
and-now statement, not just a vague generalization. It is
for me in the here and now, but it is also continual—
indefinitely into the future.
The Swahili language of East Africa has a special tense to

describe things that are complete and permanent. In that
well-known song, “The Blood of Jesus Cleanses Us from All
Sin,” they sing, “The blood of Jesus completely cleanses us
absolutely.” These lyrics have stuck with me because they
say it so perfectly. So, consider this confession in the light
of something that is continual and complete.
There is a beautiful commentary on this truth in Psalm

51, which is the great penitent psalm David penned after
he was convicted of his sins of adultery and murder. It is
one of the most beautiful psalms—a psalm every one of us
would do well to read from time to time, making it our
own prayer. I believe in making the psalms my prayers; I
don’t just read them, but I read them as my prayers.
“Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and

I shall be whiter than snow” (Psalm 51:7). You will notice
that David introduces the hyssop. The implication is that
hyssop is the substance that brings the blood to where I
am. It is a beautiful, prophetic preview of being cleansed
with the blood of Jesus.

His blood is cleansing me, now and continually, from all
sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually
cleanses me from all sin. Amen.

video)
JANUARY 24
FULFILLING THE CONDITIONS

me from all sin.
Let’s look more closely at the statement about the blood

that is found in 1 John 1:7: “But if we walk in the light as
He [Jesus] is in the light, we have fellowship with one
another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us
from all sin.”
We have already seen how these three elements are

interrelated and bound together in the Word of God:
walking in the light, fellowship with one another, and the
cleansing of the blood. Scores of people claim the
cleansing and protection of the blood but do not meet the
conditions that entitle them to receive it. Cleansing by the
blood of Jesus Christ is a consequence that follows from
something that is preceded by an “if”—it is a conditional
statement, contingent upon our fulfilling a premise—if we
walk in the light as He is in the light. Then, two results
follow—not one, but two. The cleansing of the blood is the
second result; the first result is that we have fellowship
with one another.
Logically, if we are not in fellowship with one another, it

is proof that we are not walking in the light. If we are not
walking in the light, it logically follows that we cannot
claim the cleansing of the blood of Jesus. So, we come to
this conclusion: if we are out of fellowship, we are out of
the light. If we are out of the light, the blood no longer
cleanses us. The blood of Jesus cleanses only in the light.
This is one of the most important principles we can
understand.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim my

wholehearted intention to walk in the light, as Jesus is in
the light, and to enter fully into fellowship and cleansing
from sin. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually
cleanses me from all sin. Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 25
BRINGING SIN TO THE LIGHT

me from all sin.
Fellowship is the place of light. This is why fellowship is a

place of testing. The closer the fellowship, the brighter the
light, until you come to the place where there are no
hidden corners. There are no shadows; nothing is swept
under the rug, nothing is covered up. It can be a
frightening place for the natural man. But it is the only
place where the blood of Jesus fully fulfills its function of
cleansing. If you desire cleansing, it comes in the light. If
you are in any way wrong before God, or wrong with your
neighbor, you are not fully in the light. And the blood will
never be applied except in the light.
What do you have to do? Come to the light. What is

“coming to the light”? Confessing your sins,
acknowledging them openly before God. Now, that is the
hardest thing for natural man to do. The light seems so
bright. You may think, Oh, I couldn’t bring that terrible
thing, that awful memory, that guilty secret; I couldn’t
expose it to the light. The natural man shrinks from it. But
the truth is that when it gets to the light, it disappears
because, then, the blood cleanses it. But if you do not
bring it to the light, you keep it. This is a tremendous
principle. The blood operates only in the light.
Supposing that we have met the condition of walking in

the light. If this is the case, then we are in fellowship with
our fellow believers, and we have the right to make this
our testimony.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim now

that I bring to the light any awful memories or hidden
sins (state them here), and I expose them to the light of
Jesus and the cleansing of His blood. The blood of Jesus
Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me from all sin.
Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 26
OBEDIENCE AND TRUTH

me from all sin.
Fellowship is the first test of whether we are walking in

the light. If we are not enjoying fellowship with our fellow
believers and with the Lord, then we are not in the light,
and if we are not in the light, the blood of Jesus does not
cleanse us.
The next question, then, concerns how we walk in the

light. The first condition is that we must walk in
obedience to the Word of God. Psalm 119:105 says, “Your
word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.” The
second requirement is summed up by Paul in Ephesians
4:15, where he wrote, “Speaking the truth in love, may
[we] grow up in all things into Him who is the head;
Christ.”
In this passage, “walking in the light” is defined as

relating to our fellow believers in truth and in love. We
must be willing to act in truth in our relationships with
one another, but we have to do so in love.
Thus, walking in the light consists of two things put

together: walking in obedience to the Word of God and
walking in truth and love with our fellow believers. When
we meet those conditions, then we can say with full
assurance that the blood of Jesus is cleansing us from all
sin.
Today we are very conscious of the physical pollution of
the atmosphere around us, but the spiritual atmosphere is
also polluted by sin, corruption, and ungodliness. In order
to be kept clean, we need the continual cleansing of the
blood of Jesus.

am cleansed by His blood, because I have set my face to
walk in obedience to His Word and in right relationship
with others. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 27
THE BLOOD “SPEAKS”

me from all sin.
There is another precious provision made for us by the

blood of Jesus, one of which many Christians are not
aware. Hebrews 12:22, 24 reads, “You [all true believers]
have come to Mount Zion…to the blood of sprinkling that
speaks better things than that of Abel.”
In the heavenly Mount Zion, the blood of Jesus was

sprinkled on our behalf in the Holy of Holies before the
very presence of God. Christ entered this place as our
forerunner, having obtained our eternal redemption
through His sacrifice, and He sprinkled the evidence of
that redemption in the very presence of Almighty God the
Father.
We should notice an important contrast here. Early in

history, Cain, the first son of Adam and Eve, murdered his
brother, Abel. Cain then tried to deny responsibility, but
the Lord challenged him and said, “There is no way you
can conceal your guilt, because the blood of your brother
that you shed on the earth is crying out to Me for
vengeance.” (See Genesis 4:1–15.) In contrast, the blood of
Jesus sprinkled in heaven cries out not for vengeance but
for mercy. The blood is a continual plea in the very
presence of God for His mercy.
Once we have testified personally to the power of the

blood of Jesus, we do not have to repeat those words every
few minutes, because the blood of Jesus is speaking all the
time on our behalf in the very presence of God. Every
time we are troubled, tempted, fearful, or anxious, we
should remind ourselves, The blood of Jesus is speaking in
God’s presence on my behalf at this very moment.

His blood is speaking for mercy in God’s presence on my
behalf right now. The blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son,
continually cleanses me from all sin. Amen.

(audio)
JANUARY 28
SMOOTH STONES

me from all sin.
The fact that a person has repented of his sins and

claimed salvation in Christ does not mean that his whole
character has been instantly transformed. Certainly, a
vitally important process of change has been set in
motion, but it may take many years for that change to be
worked out in every area of his character.
When David needed smooth stones to fit in his sling so

that he could slay Goliath, he went down to the valley—
the lowly place of humility. There in the brook he found
the kind of stones he needed. What had made them
smooth? Two pressures: first, the water flowing over
them; second, their continual jostling against one another.
This is a picture of how Christian character is formed.

First, there is the continual washing of water by the Word
(see Ephesians 5:26). Second, as we “jostle” one another in
personal relationships, our rough edges are gradually
worn down until they become smooth. We are “living
stones” who need continual smoothing. (See 1 Peter 2:5.)
Let me add a side comment that when Jesus needs “living

stones” for His sling, He, too, goes to the valley—the place
of humility. There, He chooses stones that have been
made smooth by the action of God’s Word and by the
pressures of regular fellowship with other believers. It is
a mark of spiritual maturity to sincerely love our fellow
Christians, not simply for what they are in themselves, but
for what they mean to Jesus, who shed His lifeblood for
each of them.

submit humbly to the washing of the Word and commit
myself to love my fellow Christians with sincerity. The
blood of Jesus Christ, God’s Son, continually cleanses me
from all sin. Amen.

(audio)
WEEK 5:
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made

righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
Much more then, having now been justified by

His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through
Him.
—Romans 5:9
JANUARY 29
A HUNGER AND THIRST FOR

RIGHTEOUSNESS
Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made righteous,

just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
The word justification is a rather tiresome theological

term whose true meaning is often obscured. We will first
look at the word, then I will try to explain its meaning.
The central theme of Romans is righteousness. Many
centuries before, Job had asked the question, “How then
can man be righteous before God?” (Job 25:4). The book of
Romans presents God’s answer. If we are interested in
righteousness, we will be interested in Romans. Jesus said,
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they shall be filled” (Matthew 5:6). We
can hunger and thirst for healing or prosperity without
being blessed. But when we become hungry and thirsty
for righteousness, then we will be blessed.
Much more then, having now been justified by His blood,

we shall be saved from wrath through Him.(Romans 5:9)
Notice that we have been justified by His blood. In both

the Hebrew and Greek languages, there is one word that
is translated as either “just” or “righteous.” In Hebrew, the
word is tsadaq, and in Greek, it is dikaioō. But no matter
how it is translated, it is the same word. In English, we
tend to refer to just in terms of legality and law, but
righteousness in terms of character and conduct. There is
no such division in the languages of the Bible. “Having
been justified by His blood” means the same thing as
“having been made righteous by His blood.”

desire to hunger and thirst for righteousness and
justification by His blood. Through the blood of Jesus, I
am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
Amen.

video)
JANUARY 30
WHAT JUSTIFICATION MEANS


The word translated “justified” has a whole slew of

related meanings.
First, it has a legal meaning. Legally speaking, it means

that we are acquitted, absolved of all wrongdoing. We
were on trial, but we were acquitted. That is very good
news. Think of what a person being tried for murder
might feel to find that he has been acquitted. Just try to
imagine it. We also should feel that happy.
Second, we are not guilty.
Third, we are reckoned righteous.
Many people stop there. But I assure you that the full
meaning of the word is more than that. We are also made
righteous. The blood of Jesus not only causes us to be
reckoned righteous, it actually makes us righteous.
Then, we are justified. This means it is “just-as-if-I’d”

never sinned. We have been made righteous with the
righteousness of Christ, which has no evil past and no
shadow of guilt, and against which Satan cannot accuse
us. We are made righteous with the righteousness of
Jesus. It is by Christ’s righteousness that we are justified.
There is no guilt, no problem with the past. It has all been
erased.

through His blood, I am justified, made righteous, just-as-
if-I’d never sinned. Amen.

video)
JANUARY 31
RIGHTEOUS AND JUST


Whenever we find the word just in the Bible, we can

substitute the word righteous. This is true in both Old
Testament Hebrew and New Testament Greek. The
translators of the King James Version alternately
translated the same word as either “righteous” or “just.”
They tended to use the word just in the context of legal
processes and the word righteous in the context of
practical living. But it is one and the same word.
The problem comes with the use of the word justified,

which is often reserved for a type of legal transaction in
the courts of heaven. But this practice means using only
half of the signification of the word. To be justified means
to be made just, or righteous. The word righteous comes
right down to where we live—our homes, workplaces, or
personal relationships. Just conveys a legal formality
transacted in a remote courtroom. Scripture says (and
this is a perfectly legitimate and correct translation) that
we have been made righteous by the blood of Jesus. We
cannot consider ourselves justified if we have not been
made righteous. Justification is more than a legal
ceremony or a change of labels. It is a change of character
and life, and it is produced by the blood of Jesus. We have
been made righteous with a righteousness that is not our
own—the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

His blood, I have been made righteous with a
righteousness not my own. Through the blood of Jesus, I
am justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY
FEBRUARY 1
JUSTIFIED FREELY

Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption

that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a
propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate
His righteousness.
(Romans 3:24–25)
I am glad the word “freely” is included in this passage.

The problem with religious people is that they are always
trying to earn redemption and they never arrive. They are
never satisfied and never relaxed because they think they
have to do just a little bit more to be made righteous. It
never will work.
We are justified only through faith in the blood of Jesus.

Let’s look at Romans 4:4: “Now to him who works [the
religious person], the wages are not counted as grace but
as debt.”
Many people think that if they have always lived rightly

and done their duty, God owes them righteousness or
justification—that it is a debt they’re due. But in actual
fact, God doesn’t owe anything to anybody. Notice verse 5:
“But to him who does not work but believes on Him who
justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for
righteousness.”
The first thing we have to do is stop trying to make
ourselves righteous. Stop trying to be a little better. Call a
halt to all that. What we need to do is just believe. It is
that simple. Otherwise, we will never make it.

have been justified freely by His grace. I believe on Him
who justifies me, and my faith is counted as
righteousness. Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified,
made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 2
BOLDNESS BY RIGHTEOUSNESS

God makes unrighteous people righteous. Scripture says

it, and I believe it. Let’s look at one simple verse that
affirms this truth: “For He made Him who knew no sin to
be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of
God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).
In this verse, I like to insert names in place of the

pronouns: “For God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be
sin for you and me, that we might become the
righteousness of God in Jesus.” There is a complete
exchange: Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness so that
we might be made righteous with His righteousness. This
righteousness is available through faith in His blood.
Righteousness produces certain immediate and definite

observable results. Let’s look at one of those results as
stated in Scripture. Actually, our ways of living, our
attitudes, our relationships, and the effectiveness of our
Christian lives and acts of service will depend on how far
we realize that we have been made righteous. We read in
Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no one pursues, but
the righteous are bold as a lion.”
Many Christians today lack boldness. They are timid and

apologetic; they tend to back down when confronted with
evil or with the devil. The real root cause is their failure to
appreciate the fact that they are righteous in God’s sight—
as righteous as Jesus Christ Himself. When we appreciate
that truth, it makes us bold.

have been made righteous with His righteousness, and I
step by faith into the boldness that this realization brings.
just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 3
PEACE AND ASSURANCE

In the book of Isaiah, we read about another result of

righteousness in the Christian life: “The work of
righteousness will be peace, and the effect of
righteousness, quietness and assurance forever” (Isaiah
32:17).
Three products of righteousness are given in that verse:

peace, quietness, and assurance. They all come from the
realization that we have been made righteous with the
righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Another result is described in Romans 14:17: “For the

kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but
righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.”
Yesterday’s reading showed us that righteousness brings

boldness; today, we add to that peace, quietness,
assurance, and joy. All these things are products of
righteousness. If we do not receive Christ’s righteousness
by faith, we will struggle and try to attain all these other
characteristics without ever achieving them. It is pathetic
to see Christians trying to be joyful or peaceful, or trying
to be relaxed or assured. Someone has told them they
ought to be. But it is my experience that when they really
get the assurance of sin’s forgiveness and righteousness
by faith, they will find it just happens. Joy flows naturally.
Peace comes without effort. Assurance is present.
Boldness expresses itself. The root problem is getting
people to realize that they have been made righteous with
the righteousness of Jesus Christ.

have been made righteous with His righteousness, and I
step by faith into the peace, assurance, and joy that this
realization brings. Through the blood of Jesus, I am
justified, made righteous, just-as-if-I’d never sinned.
Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 4
A GOOD CONFESSION

Religious people think they are pretty holy if they point

out how sinful they are. The general attitude is that we
would be conceited if we claimed to be righteous, that we
would be religious if we kept speaking about our failures,
our inconsistencies, and the wrongs we’ve committed.
Every Sunday morning in the church where I was brought

up, we had to say, “Pardon us, miserable offenders.” I
always felt that I didn’t want to be a miserable offender,
but when I looked at the other offenders, I could surely
agree that we were all miserable. Eventually, I said to
myself, If all religion can do is make me miserable, I can
be an offender without religion and not be half as
miserable. And that is what I became until I met the Lord.
The language of religion continually states, “We are

miserable offenders; we have erred and strayed from
God’s ways like lost sheep; we have committed the things
we ought not to have done and we have left undone the
things we ought to have done.”
I could not say those words now; I would be a hypocrite.

How could I pray for victory over sin on a Monday
morning if I knew that the following Sunday I would be
saying that I had erred and strayed, that I had done those
things I should not have done and left undone those
things I should have done? It would completely
undermine the basis of my faith. Yet it sounds so good, so
pious.
Let’s make our confession in line with God’s Word and

believe it: Through the blood of Jesus, I am justified, made
righteous, “just-as-if-I’d” never sinned.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I bring my

confession into line with God’s Word and proclaim:
just-as-if-I’d never sinned. Amen.

(audio)
WEEK 6:
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made

holy, set apart to God.
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the

people with His own blood, suffered outside the
gate.
—Hebrews 13:12
FEBRUARY 5
WHAT SANCTIFICATION MEANS
Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy,

set apart to God.
Sanctification is another one of these long, theological

words. Let’s break it down. To sanctify is directly related
in the original biblical languages to the word for “holy.”
So, “to sanctify” means “to make holy.” The English word
sanctify is related to the word saint. Sanctification is the
process of making something saintly, or holy.
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people

with His own blood, suffered outside the gate.(Hebrews
13:12)
Jesus went outside the city as a sin offering. (See, for

example, John 19:16–20.) We learn from the Old
Testament that sin offerings could not be offered within
the compound of God’s people. (See, for example, Exodus
29:14.) Sanctification always includes separation.
To make ourselves holy, we must offer the right

testimony: “Through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified,
made holy, set apart to God, separated from all that is evil.
Between all evil and me is the blood of Jesus.”
The one who is sanctified is in an area where God has

access to him, but the devil does not. To be sanctified is to
be removed from the area of Satan’s visitation and reach
and to be placed in an area where we are available to
God, but not at home when the devil calls. That is what it
is to be sanctified, made holy, set apart to God.

through the blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set
apart to God. Amen.

video)
FEBRUARY 6
RESPECT FOR THE BLOOD

set apart to God.
In looking at the sanctifying power of the blood of Jesus,

we want to examine a passage from Hebrews that speaks
about the apostate—the person who turns away from the
Christian faith, having known it, into a deliberate denial
and rejection of the Lord Jesus Christ. It speaks about all
the sacred things that he renounces and, in a sense,
defiles:
Of how much worse punishment, do you

suppose, will he be thought worthy who has
trampled the Son of God underfoot, counted the
blood of the covenant by which he was
sanctified a common [or unholy] thing, and
insulted the Spirit of grace?
(Hebrews 10:29)
It is plain to see from this verse that we are sanctified by

the blood of the covenant. But here is a person who has
been sanctified by the blood of the New Covenant and
then turns back. Let’s look closely at the meaning of
trampling underfoot the blood of Jesus. This reference is
in relation to the Passover ceremony, where the blood was
applied to the lintel and the doorposts, but never to the
threshold. We are never to show disrespect for the blood
of Jesus.
profound respect for the blood of the covenant, through
which I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 7
A TOTAL TRANSFER

set apart to God.
Just like righteousness, sanctification does not come by

effort or by religion, but only by faith in the blood of
Jesus. To be sanctified is to be set apart to God. We now
belong to God; we are under God’s control and available
to Him. Anything that is not of God has no right to
approach us; it is kept away by the blood.
Giving thanks to the Father who has qualified us to be

partakers of the inheritance of the saints in the light. He
has delivered us from the power [or authority] of
darkness and conveyed us into the kingdom of the Son of
His love.(Colossians 1:12–13)
Through faith in the blood of Jesus, we have been

removed from the area of Satan’s authority and conveyed
into the kingdom of God. The word “conveyed
[“translated” kjv]” means “carried over from one place to
another.” In Scripture, the word is used for a total
transfer. In the Old Testament, there were two men,
Enoch and Elijah, who were translated from earth to
heaven. And both of them went entirely. All that Elijah left
behind was his mantle, but his body was gone.
As I understand Scripture, this is true for us, too. We have

been totally translated. We aren’t going to be translated;
rather, we have been—spirit, soul, and body. We are no
longer in the devil’s territory, no longer under the devil’s
laws. We are in the territory of the Son of God and under
His laws.

have been made holy by faith in the blood of Jesus,
transferred totally from the devil’s territory into the
territory of the Son of God. Through the blood of Jesus, I
am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 8
BOUGHT BACK TOTALLY

set apart to God.
In Romans, we read about two kingdoms with their

opposing laws of operation. The devil’s law is the law of
sin and death; the law of God’s kingdom is the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus. “For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin
and death” (Romans 8:2).
We are no longer in the devil’s territory, no longer under

the devil’s law. His kingdom does not apply to us because
we are in another kingdom. We have been translated,
carried over—spirit, soul, and body. And this transaction
occurs through the blood of Jesus—we are sanctified, set
apart to God, by the blood of Jesus.
Now, let’s consider the implications in relation to the body

of the believer. I can say by experience that this is where
it really begins to operate, when we bring it down to the
realm of our physical bodies. Consider this: “Or do you
not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not
your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore
glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are
God’s” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).
The words “bought at a price” take us back to the theme

of redemption. We are bought back out of the hand of the
devil with the blood of Jesus. How much of us was bought
back? Just our spirits? No, both our spirits and our bodies
belong to God because Jesus paid the total redemption
price of His blood.

have been bought back totally from the devil’s kingdom
and brought into the kingdom of God. My spirit and body
belong to God, because Jesus paid the total redemption
price of His precious blood. Through the blood of Jesus, I
am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 9
HIS PLAN TO MAKE US HOLY

set apart to God.
We know that the word sanctify is related to the word

saint, and is directly related in the original biblical
languages to the word for “holy.” So, sanctification means
being made holy. God has planned for us to be made holy.
Holiness is a unique attribute among the attributes of

God. God has many wonderful attributes—love, power,
wisdom, and so forth—but all those have a quality that we
could say is remotely reflected in human beings. We have
experienced love from human beings. We know of those
who are powerful. We have met human beings who are
wise. Of course, these qualities appear in humans to a
degree immeasurably less than they do in God, but at
least we have an idea of what these qualities are. But
when we talk about holiness, there is nothing else to
compare it to. God is uniquely holy.
Holiness is something that is not found outside of God.

Really, in some ways you can measure how much you
know God by how much you know holiness. I relate it this
way: We thank God for His goodness, we praise God for
His greatness, but we worship God for His holiness.
Worship is the response to the holiness of God.
In the Old Testament, God said, “You shall be holy; for I

am holy” (Leviticus 11:44), and, in the New Testament,
Peter restated the Lord’s words, saying, “Be holy, for I am
holy” (1 Peter 1:16). Yet two different ways of attaining
holiness were being referred to. I will compare these two
ways—one by the old covenant, and the other by the new
covenant—over the next few days.

God is holy, deserving of worship—and that through the
blood of Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to
God. Amen.
Holiness the Jesus Way (audio)

FEBRUARY 10
NOT A SET OF RULES

set apart to God.
Let us look at the way holiness was to be attained under

the old covenant. God said, “You shall be holy; for I am
holy” (Leviticus 11:44). All of Leviticus 11 enumerates
complicated regulations regarding what to eat, what to
wear, and what makes one clean or unclean.
God’s requirement was to “consecrate yourselves”

(Leviticus 11:44). But you find out from this chapter that
maintaining holiness was very complicated. There was a
series of the most involved regulations.
These also shall be unclean to you among the creeping

things that creep on the earth: the mole, the mouse, and
the large lizard…; the gecko, the monitor lizard, the sand
reptile, the sand lizard, and the chameleon….Whoever
touches them when they are dead shall be unclean until
evening.(Leviticus 11:29–31)
According to this regulation, for instance, if a mouse died

and someone picked it up by the tail, he would be unclean
until that evening. But Scripture goes on to give further
regulations about the container the mouse might fall in
and the article of clothing it might touch, then gives
instructions on how to deal with the uncleanness.
Observing all of these regulations would be a full-time
job.
God said that if you succeeded in following these rules,
you would be holy. But if you were going to attain
holiness by keeping a set of rules, you would have to keep
all the rules all the time. You could not omit one at any
time. But thank God that He provided a better way—
because keeping all these rules is impossible for sinful
humans.

God’s plan is to make me holy—not by observance of a set
of rules, but through the blood of Jesus, by which I am
sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.

FEBRUARY 11
HOLINESS BY FAITH

set apart to God.
We can tell that revival is here when God’s people are

more interested in being holy than being healed. Our
standard of priority is wrong. If I were to organize a
healing meeting, people would come streaming in, but if I
were to teach about holiness, the attendance would drop.
In actual fact, holiness is much more important than
healing. Healing is temporary and will help you to get
through this life only. Thank God for it. But holiness is
eternal; it will be with you forever in heaven. Something
has to happen by the power of the Holy Spirit to change
our sense of values.
So now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word

of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an
inheritance among all those who are sanctified.(Acts
20:32)
The inheritance is for those who have been sanctified.

This passage says the Word of God can bring you into that
inheritance. Yet how is sanctification attained under
God’s better way, the new covenant? Jesus commissioned
Saul of Tarsus when He first revealed Himself to Saul
(who later became Paul). He said,
I will deliver you from the Jewish people, as well as from

the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes,
in order to turn them from darkness to light, and from the
power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness
of sins and an inheritance among those who are
sanctified by faith in Me.(Acts 26:17–18)
We can be sanctified by keeping all the rules of the Old

Testament—if we keep them all the time. Again, this is
impossible for sinful humans. The other way is
completely different—not by keeping a set of rules, but by
faith in Jesus.

faith in Jesus Christ, affirming that through the blood of
Jesus, I am sanctified, made holy, set apart to God. Amen.

WEEK 7:
My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed,

cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple

of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and you are not your own?
—1 Corinthians 6:19
FEBRUARY 12
THE INDWELLING HOLY SPIRIT

A very distinctive mark of personality is the ability to

speak. At Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended from
heaven, He spoke in “other tongues” (Acts 2:4) through the
disciples. By this He signified that He had come, as a
Person, to take up His dwelling on earth. He is now the
permanent, personal representative of the Godhead
residing on earth.
From Pentecost on, each time the Holy Spirit comes to

take up His residence as a Person in the body of a
believer, it is appropriate that He should manifest His
presence by speaking out of that believer in a new
language that is supernaturally imparted. In effect, He is
saying, “Now you know that I am here as a Person to
indwell your body.”
For this reason, in 1 Corinthians 6:19, Paul said, “Do you

not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”
He emphasized that speaking in tongues is not merely a
brief, supernatural experience; beyond that, it is a
divinely given sign that the Holy Spirit, as a Person, has
taken up His dwelling in the believer’s body, thereby
making it a sacred temple. This truth places a solemn
obligation upon each believer to keep his body in a
condition of holiness that is appropriate for God’s temple.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus and the work of
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
Who Is the Holy Spirit? (Teaching Legacy Letter)

FEBRUARY 13
MY BODY: THE LORD’S TEMPLE

However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made

with hands, as the prophet says: “Heaven is My throne,
and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for
Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My
hand not made all these things?”(Acts 7:48–50)
God dwells in a temple made not by hands but by divine

workmanship, according to divine purpose. That temple is
the body of the believer, redeemed by the blood of Jesus
Christ. As Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 6:13, “Foods for
the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will
destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual
immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”
This verse talks about food for the stomach and the
stomach for food. In Proverbs, it says, “The righteous eats
to the satisfying of his soul” (Proverbs 13:25). We who are
righteous do not overeat. Why? Because our bodies are
the Lord’s temple, and we are not to defile them by
gluttony, drunkenness, immorality, or any other form of
misuse. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the
body. When I present my body to the Lord, then I have the
rights of the Lord for my body.
Let’s use this analogy: If I purchase a piece of property, I

become responsible for its maintenance; but if I live in a
rented property, the landlord is responsible. If we just let
Jesus have a temporary right over our bodies, He does not
accept responsibility for their maintenance. But if He
owns them, He is responsible to maintain them. That is
the relationship He desires.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit and the Lord has all rights to my body.
Thus, I will not defile it with gluttony, drunkenness,
immorality, or any other misuse. My body is a temple of
the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus.
Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 14
GOD’S PROPERTY

The Bible says that we are to glorify God in both our

bodies and our spirits (see 1 Corinthians 6:20), for both
belong to God; both have been redeemed out of the hand
of the devil by the blood of Jesus. No part of me—spirit,
soul, or body—is under the dominion or control of Satan.
Let me say clearly that I do not have a resurrection body

but a mortal body. But that mortal body—all its fibers,
cells, and tissues—is God’s property, not the devil’s. If the
devil encroaches on that territory, he is a trespasser. By
application of our rights in Jesus, we can put up a sign
that says “No Trespassing.” Legally, our bodies do not
belong to the devil but to Jesus, who has a special purpose
for them. They are to be places of personal residence of
the third Person of the Godhead, the Holy Spirit. Our
bodies are sacred because they are the appointed
dwelling places of the Holy Spirit.
Scripture says clearly many times that God does not dwell
in temples made with hands. (See, for example, Acts 7:48.)
Neither does He dwell in church buildings, chapels,
synagogues, or other physical houses of worship. He
dwells in His people.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is God’s
property, not the devil’s. Legally, my body does not belong
to the devil, but to Jesus—and He has a special purpose for
my body. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus. Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 15
LISTENING TO GOD’S VOICE

Our destinies, for good or ill, are settled by the voice we

choose to heed. Listening to the voice of the Lord and
obeying what He says will bring blessings. Ignoring the
voice of the Lord will bring many curses. It is impossible
to obey God without first hearing His voice, for His voice
tells us what He requires.
Many professing Christians are insensitive to the voice of

God. We may continue our religious activities and duties,
but they are habitual and formal—just patterns we have
cultivated that lack a constant awareness of God’s voice.
Through all dispensations, God asks His people to listen to
His voice.
In Jeremiah 7, God explained what He really required of

Israel when He redeemed them from Egypt. The first
thing He had in mind was not keeping the Law for the
offering of sacrifices but listening to His voice. It was His
voice that would lead them to keep the Law and offer the
necessary sacrifices. Merely observing the externals of
the Law was of no avail if they were not doing so as a
result of hearing the voice of the Lord. The key
requirement of God is that we listen to His voice.
For I did not speak to your fathers, or command them in

the day that I brought them out of the land of Egypt,
concerning burnt offerings or sacrifices. But this is what I
commanded them, saying, “Obey My voice, and I will be
your God, and you shall be My people.”(Jeremiah 7:22–23)
The simple requirement is, “Obey My voice, and I will be

your God.” That sums it up as simply as possible.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I listen to the voice of the
Lord and obey what He says. I proclaim His truth for me:
“Obey My voice, and I will be your God.” My body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the
blood of Jesus. Amen.
Claiming Our Inheritance (audio)

FEBRUARY 16
HIS HOLY SPIRIT WITHIN US

For if you live according to the flesh you will

die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the
deeds of the body, you will live.
(Romans 8:13)
Paul said to “spiritual Christians” that if we live according

to the flesh, we will die, for we are nurturing that which is
corrupt. All you get is corruption when you live according
to the flesh.
There is total opposition between the flesh and the Spirit;

there is no reconciliation between them. God’s plan of
redemption is to put to death the old, fleshly nature and
bring into being a totally new nature by His Holy Spirit
within us. Although God has made total provision for this
transformation, we have to work it out in our lives. We
have to put to death the deeds of the body. God does not
do it for us; He has given us the legal right, authority, and
power, but we must exercise them.
Scripture says, “But as many as received Him [Jesus], to

them He [God] gave the right [authority] to become
children of God” (John 1:12). We receive authority when
we are born again. But authority is useless unless
exercised. The new birth is just a potential—the
opportunity to develop into something wonderful if we
will exercise our authority. If we never take steps to
exercise authority in a scriptural way over the problems
and sins that confront and beset us, we will make no
progress at all.
We must move out of one way of thinking—the area of the

flesh—into a totally different one. We need the help of the
Holy Spirit. “For as many as are [being] led by the Spirit of
God, these [and these only] are sons of God” (Romans
8:14).
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that by faith, I am putting to
death the deeds of the body and opening myself up to the
totally new nature Your Holy Spirit creates within me. My
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by
the blood of Jesus. Amen.

video)
FEBRUARY 17
WASHING AND REGENERATION

The process of salvation involves washing and

regeneration. “He [God] saved us, not on the basis of
deeds which we have done in righteousness, but
according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration
and renewing by the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5 nasb).
Let’s look at these concepts briefly, starting with washing,

or cleansing. Sin defiles. We are inwardly dirty, and we
need to be cleansed. Only the blood of the Lord Jesus
Christ can cleanse the sinner from all sin. How can we
receive that cleansing? “If we confess our sins, He is
faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse
us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9 nasb). God not
only forgives the past, but He also cleanses us from all the
defilement of sin. In the same chapter, John said that it’s
the blood of Jesus, God’s Son, that cleanses us. (See verse
7.)
The second phase of this process is regeneration, or

rebirth. Jesus said to Nicodemus, “Truly, truly, I say to you,
unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of
God” (John 3:3 nasb). This is a birth that comes from God’s
realm above. A little further on, Jesus said, “That which is
born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the
Spirit is spirit” (John 3:6 nasb).
When we were born of our mothers, it was a birth of our
physical bodies and our fleshly nature. That is not the
kind of birth that brings salvation. We have to receive a
totally new life born into us by the Spirit of God from
above. That is regeneration, or rebirth.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that the Lord Jesus Christ is
cleansing me from all sin by His blood, and I receive
regeneration and rebirth—a totally new life born into me
by the Spirit of God. My body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, by the blood of Jesus. Amen.

video)
FEBRUARY 18
RENEWAL BY THE SPIRIT

The process of salvation includes renewing. In Titus 3:5,

we read, “He [God] saved us, not on the basis of deeds
which we have done in righteousness, but according to
His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing
by the Holy Spirit” (nasb).
The last aspect that Paul mentioned in this verse is

renewing. We must become new creations. Paul said,
“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the
old has gone, the new has come!” (2 Corinthians 5:17 niv).
The word “creation” is important, as there is only one

who creates—God. Man can manufacture, repair, or
produce, but man cannot create. Our hearts and our
whole inner beings have been so defiled and distorted by
the effects of sin that repairing or patching up is no good.
A new creation alone will be good.
In the Old Testament, after David had fallen into adultery,

committed murder, and finally been confronted with the
awful condition of his own heart, he cried out to God in
agony, “Create in me a clean heart, O God” (Psalm 51:10).
He knew that creation had to come from God; it could not
come about by any human process.
In Titus 3:5, we have seen the three aspects of the process

of being saved—a washing, or cleansing; a regeneration,
or rebirth; and a renewing, or new creation. God does
something that man absolutely cannot do. All of this is by
God’s mercy, not His justice. It is not according to our
deeds of righteousness—those won’t achieve anything.
Salvation has to come from God’s sovereign mercy.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I am being renewed by
the Holy Spirit. I am a new creation, not by my own deeds
of righteousness, but by God’s sovereign mercy to me. My
body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed by
the blood of Jesus. Amen.

video)
WEEK 8:
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no

unsettled claims against me.
All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It

is God who justifies. Who is he who condemns?
It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also
risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who
also makes intercession for us.
—Romans 8:33–34
FEBRUARY 19
FORGIVING OTHERS
Satan has no place in me, no power over me, no unsettled

claims against me. All has been settled by the blood of
Jesus!
One common way in which believers give Satan a legal

claim in their lives is failing to forgive others. Jesus taught
us that we are forgiven by God in the same measure in
which we forgive others. He said, “If you forgive men
their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive
you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses,
neither will your Father forgive your trespasses”
(Matthew 6:14–15). We are not entitled to claim
forgiveness from God in a measure greater than that with
which we forgive others. If there is any person whom we
do not forgive, in a corresponding measure, we are not
forgiven by God. That means the area of unforgiveness in
our own lives is an area over which Satan still has a legal
claim. We cannot dislodge him until we have forgiven
whomever it may be who needs to be forgiven.
Redemption is coextensive with the forgiveness of sins. If

all our sins are forgiven, then we have the total rights of
redemption. Satan has no legal claim outstanding against
us. But if there is any area in our lives in which sin has
not been totally dealt with, Satan still has a legal claim in
that area. We can get all the preachers in America to
preach and pray over us, but we will not dislodge the
devil, because he knows he has a legal claim. We need to
remember that the devil is a legal expert. He knows it, too.
However, God’s Word offers us total forgiveness of sin. It
is crucial that we hold on to the total forgiveness and
leave no offense unforgiven.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I ask God to

forgive every sin, and I forgive every person whom I need
to forgive (give specific names). Having done that, I
proclaim that Satan has no place in me, no power over
me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled
by the blood of Jesus! Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 20
SAY IT AGAIN!

Jesus!
I can well remember when I first began to make this kind

of testimony. I thought, I wonder where the devil will hit
me next. I know of people who will not testify because
they are afraid of what will happen when they do, but
that is just playing the devil’s game. Remember, this is his
way of keeping you from doing what will put you beyond
his reach. It is only by the word of your testimony that
you will get the benefits of the blood.
The first time you say it, all hell may break loose. Well,
praise the Lord! Say it again. The Bible says, “Let us hold
fast our confession” (Hebrews 4:14). And then, when
everything really turns loose, Scripture says, “Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering”
(Hebrews 10:23). Keep on saying it. It does not depend on
our feelings. It does not depend on our situations,
symptoms, or circumstances. It is as eternally true as the
Word of God.
Forever, God’s Word is settled in heaven. (See Psalm

119:89.) Satan has no place in us, no power over us, and
no unsettled claims against us.
Jesus! And I intend to declare this over and over again.
Amen.

(audio)
FEBRUARY 21
JESUS THE DELIVERER

Jesus!
The same Christ who is the only Savior is also the only
Deliverer. Only Jesus can break the power of demonic
bondage in people’s lives and set them free. I want us to
be introduced to the Deliverer in just the same way.
For those of us who desire deliverance, we need to make

direct, personal contact with Christ. Here are four simple
conditions we need to meet: Be sure we have repented.
That is, know that we have turned away from every form
of sin.
Look only to Jesus, for He alone is the Deliverer.
Base our appeals solely on what Jesus did for us through

His death on the cross rather than on any “good works” of
our own.
Be sure that, by an act of our wills, we have forgiven

every person who ever harmed or wronged us.
When I personally received deliverance from the demon

of depression, I received this promise: “Whoever calls on
the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Joel 2:32). I also
remembered these words of Jesus: “In My name they [the
disciples] will cast out demons” (Mark 16:17). In the name
of Jesus, we, too, have the authority to expel demons.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that He

alone is my Deliverer, and that “whoever calls on the
name of the Lord shall be saved.” Satan has no place in
me, no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All
has been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
They Shall Expel Demons (book)

FEBRUARY 22
UNDERSTANDING THE
BATTLEGROUND

Jesus!
For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according

to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not
carnal [fleshly or physical] but mighty in God for pulling
down strongholds, casting down arguments and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God,
bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of
Christ.(2 Corinthians 10:3–5)
Our warfare against Satan is waged in the spiritual realm;

therefore, the weapons are spiritual and appropriate to
the realm of the warfare.
It is tremendously important that we understand where

the battle is taking place. Paul used various words in 2
Corinthians to speak of the battleground and our
objectives. In different translations, we find the following
words: “imaginations,” “reasonings,” “speculations,”
“arguments,” “knowledge,” and “thought.” Notice that
every one of those words refers to the realm of the mind.
We absolutely must understand that the battleground is in
our minds. Satan is waging an all-out war to captivate the
minds of the human race. He is building strongholds and
fortresses in our minds, and it is our responsibility, as
God’s representatives, to use our spiritual weapons to
break down these strongholds, to liberate the minds of
men and women, and then to bring them into captivity to
the obedience of Christ. What a staggering assignment
that is!
Satan deliberately and systematically builds strongholds

in people’s minds. These fortresses resist the truth of the
gospel and the Word of God and prevent us from being
able to receive the message of the gospel.

His blood, I am breaking down the strongholds Satan has
built in my mind. I declare that Satan has no place in me,
no power over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has
been settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
Derek Prince on Experiencing God’s Power (book)

FEBRUARY 23
THE POWER OF FASTING

Jesus!
In fact, in the day of your fast you find pleasure, and

exploit all your laborers. Indeed, you fast for strife and
debate, and to strike with the fist of wickedness.…Is it a
fast that I have chosen, a day for a man to afflict his soul?
Is it to bow down his head like a bulrush?(Isaiah 58:3–5)
For the people here described, fasting was merely an

accepted part of religious ritual, the kind of fasting
practiced by the Pharisees in Jesus’ day. Instead of real
repentance or self-humbling, they continued with normal
secular affairs and retained evil attitudes of greed,
selfishness, pride, and oppression.
The kind of fast that is well pleasing to God, on the other

hand, springs from totally different motives and attitudes:
“To loose the bonds of wickedness, to undo the heavy
burdens, to let the oppressed go free, and that you break
every yoke” (verse 6). Scripture and experience alike
confirm that there are many bonds that cannot be loosed,
burdens that cannot be undone, yokes that cannot be
broken, and many oppressed who will never go free until
God’s people—and especially their leaders—obey God’s
call to true fasting and prayer.
Isaiah continues to describe our proper attitudes toward

the needy and oppressed: “To share your bread with the
hungry, and that you bring to your house the poor who
are cast out; when you see the naked, that you cover him,
and not hide yourself from your own flesh” (verse 7).
Fasting must be united with sincere and practical charity
in our dealings with those around us—particularly, those
who need our help in material and financial matters.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I will obey God’s
call to fasting and praying as God’s chosen way to loose
bonds, undo burdens, free the oppressed, and break
yokes. I proclaim that Satan has no place in me, no power
over me, no unsettled claims against me. All has been
settled by the blood of Jesus! Amen.
Shaping History through Prayer and Fasting (book)

FEBRUARY 24
THE RUTHLESS CROSS

Jesus!
Some people struggle with fear, depression, loneliness,

lust, or anger. A counselor can help us just so far; but in
the last resort, the solution is in our hands: the cross. We
must identify this nature in us when and where it rises
up. In the ministry of deliverance, there are two demons
that are the gatekeepers. They swing the door open for
the next demon to come. These gatekeepers are self-pity
and resentment. Self-pity is a tremendously powerful tool
of Satan, and nobody can afford to indulge resentment.
At some point, we must be ruthless. The cross is entirely

ruthless—there is nothing comfortable, attractive, or
sweet about it. But we thank God for it because it is the
way out; it is God’s provision.
Most of us have a “besetting sin”—a sin we are so

accustomed to that we think it is a part of ourselves. We
find it hard to hate because it is almost like hating
ourselves. Interestingly enough, my besetting sin was my
father’s problem before me. Children inherit a lot from
their parents, and certain patterns of behavior are set
before us. I see behaviors in me that are direct
reproductions of my father’s behavior.
We need to ask the Holy Spirit to identify the nature of

our problems. Call them by their right names (they
probably won’t be pretty)—maybe lust, lying, or pride.
Then, we must say, “In Jesus, it has been crucified. I put it
to the cross. I will not let it dominate me. I am free from it
through the cross.”
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that in

Jesus, the besetting sin in my life (name it here) has been
crucified. I put it on the cross. I will not let it dominate me
any longer. Satan has no place in me, no power over me,
no unsettled claims against me. All has been settled by the
blood of Jesus! Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 3: Deliverance from the

Fleshly Nature (audio)
FEBRUARY 25
KEEP SAYING IT!

Jesus!
The first time we make this declaration, Satan will laugh

at us. We need to keep saying it. Satan is the tempter, but
he is very methodical and wastes no time. He will tempt
you as long as he gets any response from you. When there
is no more response, he won’t bother to tempt you.
So, we can be tempted in the area of, let’s say, resentment.

We must keep saying, “It was crucified. It has no power in
me. It has no place in me.” The devil says, “That isn’t
really true. That’s just something Brother Prince said.”
But we keep saying it. And after a while, it becomes so
real that the devil doesn’t waste his time trying to tempt
us any longer.
One of the things we have to do is build the walls of our

character. The Bible says that the person who has no
control over his own spirit is like a city that is broken-
down and without walls. (See Proverbs 25:28.) In our
culture today, many people are growing up like broken-
down walls because of bad homes, drugs, or evil
influences. Anybody who has been deep in drugs is
definitely a city without protective walls. We build the
walls by strengthening our wills and asserting our rights
bought by the cross. We may think of this process as a
terrible experience. But we don’t realize how much good
it is doing us; at the end of it, we have built strong
character. Gifts are temporary, for this life only; character
is permanent—it goes into eternity with us. God is
infinitely more interested in your character than in your
gifts.

intend to strengthen my will and assert my rights bought
by the cross, declaring over and over again: Satan has no
place in me, no power over me, no unsettled claims
against me. All has been settled by the blood of Jesus!
Amen.

Fleshly Nature (audio)
WEEK 9:
My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed,

cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
Or do you not know that your body is the temple

of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and you are not your own?
FEBRUARY 26
GLORIFYING GOD IN MY BODY

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the

Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and
you are not your own? For you were bought at a price;
therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit,
which are God’s.(1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
There are many ways in which we use our bodies. One

primary activity consists of nourishing ourselves—eating
and drinking. Paul said that we need to do those activities
in a way that glorifies God:
Therefore, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do,

do all to the glory of God.(1 Corinthians 10:31)
What does it mean to “eat…to the glory of God”? I leave it

to you to answer this question. Some people cannot even
imagine they can give God glory by the way they eat. But
God has said He is a jealous God (see, for example, Exodus
34:14), and He wants to be glorified in every aspect of life
—especially the simple, daily, down-to-earth activities.
But let me ask you one more question. Is it possible to

overeat to the glory of God? I can’t see that it is possible,
since overeating is a form of self-indulgence. Proverbs
13:25 says, “The righteous eats to the satisfying of his
soul.” We are entitled to satisfaction, but if we go beyond
that—beyond meeting our legitimate needs—then we are
being self-indulgent.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that my body is a temple for
the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the
blood of Jesus. My body belongs to God, and I intend to
use it in a way that glorifies Him—including what I eat
and drink. Amen.
Update 92 – July 2000 (audio)

FEBRUARY 27
“FEARFULLY AND
WONDERFULLY MADE”

In Psalm 139:13–14, David spoke to the Lord, saying,
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my

mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that
my soul knows very well.
He was telling God, in other words, “You were there when

I was still in my mother’s womb; You were fashioning me
together.”
I wonder if we realize that we are fearfully and

wonderfully made. When I think of what was involved in
God creating my body and providing me with a body, I
feel a sense of awe. I am fearfully and wonderfully made,
and I have to give account to God for what I have done
with the body He gave me.
We are so occupied with computers today—and they are

really wonderful implements. But I want to point out that,
by far, the most wonderful computers we will ever
encounter are our own bodies. Many Christians give
much more careful attention to their computers than they
do their own bodies. After all, if a computer fails or
crashes or becomes obsolete, with a little extra money, we
can buy another. But when the human body fails, when
that computer breaks down, that is the end. There is
nothing more that can be done.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim with awe that I am fearfully
and wonderfully made. My body is a temple for the Holy
Spirit, redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of
Jesus. Amen.

FEBRUARY 28
THE IMPORTANCE OF DIET

Diet, or daily regimen, is a vital facet of life. Everybody

follows a diet, whether he knows it or not. Various
methods of dietary management are advocated, and
among them is vegetarianism. I have met many people
who are disposed to be vegetarians. I am not critical of
them; I respect them. However, I think there are certain
cautions they must keep in mind. Consider what Paul
wrote:
Receive one who is weak in the faith, but not to disputes

over doubtful things. For one believes he may eat all
things, but he who is weak eats only vegetables. Let not
him who eats despise him who does not eat, and let not
him who does not eat judge him who eats; for God has
received him.(Romans 14:1–3)
Paul said that we should be careful about our attitudes

toward other people. Regarding vegetarianism, he said of
the one who eats only vegetables that his faith is weak, for
he eschews meat as a means of trying to attain
righteousness.
Then, there is another diet solution advocated and

espoused by many people: abstaining completely from
alcohol. But Scripture tells us that the Lord “causes the
grass to grow for the cattle, and vegetation for the service
of man, that he may bring forth food from the earth, and
wine that makes glad the heart of man, oil to make his
face shine, and bread which strengthens man’s heart”
(Psalm 104:14–15).
God brings forth from the earth various things for us to

consume, including wine, which “makes glad the heart of
man.” Obviously, God does not demand that we be
teetotalers.
Your Holy Spirit. I will glorify God even in what I eat and
how often I do so. My body is a temple for the Holy Spirit,
redeemed, cleansed, and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
Amen.

MARCH
MARCH 1
COOPERATING WITH THE SPIRIT

Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will
depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and
doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having
their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to
marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God
created to be received with thanksgiving by those who
believe and know the truth. For every creature of God
[every kind of food] is good, and nothing is to be refused if
it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the
word of God and prayer.(1 Timothy 4:1–5)
In this passage, Paul was saying, first of all, that

abstaining from the marriage relationship (i.e., celibacy)
is not an automatic condition of holiness; it does not
necessarily lead to holiness. In fact, if we look at the
history of the church, in cases where the clergy were
required to be celibate, it is apparent that celibacy did not
always produce holiness.
Regarding diets, what Paul was saying is, “Everything that

God has created as food is good.” But we have to bear in
mind that the good food that God created may be
corrupted by what we mix with it or the way we prepare
it. So, take the time and effort to distinguish between
things that are helpful and things that are harmful.
Cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I will cooperate with the
Holy Spirit to distinguish what is helpful or harmful for
my body, because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

MARCH 2
TAKING CARE OF THE TEMPLE

Scripture has led me to some practical conclusions

regarding my body. I do not seek to impose these on
anybody, but I have given a lot of care and prayer to this
subject, and I have been prepared to make radical
changes in my own lifestyle, if they are God’s will.
My first conclusion, the basis of all the other conclusions,

is that I must treat my body with reverence and attune to
it as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Again, Paul said, “Do you
not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit?”
(1 Corinthians 6:19). If we take this passage seriously, then
we are going to deal with our bodies as with a temple, for
that is what they are.
Suppose for a moment that God put us in charge of a

material temple—a building of stone, timber, and glass. If
we were conscientious, we would be concerned about
looking after it—keeping it clean and free from dust, with
no broken windows or clogged toilets. We would feel
tremendous responsibility to keep that building in the
best possible condition. As Christians, you and I have an
even greater responsibility to keep our bodies, which are
the temple of Holy Spirit, in the best possible condition,
and we need to find out what is involved in doing that.
In his second letter to Timothy, Paul wrote, “For God did

not give us a spirit of timidity [or fear], but a spirit of
power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Timothy 1:7 niv).
We see here that the Holy Spirit is a Spirit of self-
discipline. But there is a subtle balance: He won’t
discipline us if we are not willing to be disciplined. If we
seek the help of the Holy Spirit in cultivating self-
discipline, He will help us.
Your Holy Spirit. I will seek the help of the Holy Spirit in
cultivating self-discipline to keep my body in the best
possible condition, for it is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

MARCH 3
RADICAL OBEDIENCE

In making this confession, we need to be radical.

Christianity is a radical religion. The word radical means
“dealing with the root.” When John the Baptist introduced
the gospel and Jesus, he said, “And even now the ax is laid
to the root of the trees. Therefore every tree which does
not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire”
(Matthew 3:10). God is not going to lop off a few branches
or even cut off the trunk. He is going to go straight to the
root. He requires that a tree bring forth good fruit. If a
tree does not bring forth good fruit, God says to chop it
down.
Among the younger generation, there is a tendency to be

pretty radical. I think this inclination needs to be
encouraged—in the right direction. To be honest, we older
generations have often compromised rather than be
radical. We need to cooperate with the Holy Spirit, who
often calls for apparently radical things.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will
also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who
dwells in you.(Romans 8:11)
Paul was making a remarkable statement here. He said

that it was the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, who raised
the dead body of Jesus from the tomb. And if you have
that same Holy Spirit in your body, then He can do much
that you need in your body through His power. What a
radical truth!
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I will pursue radical
obedience in cooperating with the Holy Spirit, because my
body is a temple for the Holy Spirit, redeemed, cleansed,
and sanctified by the blood of Jesus. Amen.

MARCH 4
FINISHING HIS WORK

Here are a few suggestions regarding how to treat your

body as a temple for the Holy Spirit.
First of all, treat your body with reverence because it is a

temple of the Holy Spirit, whom we revere. Among
contemporary Christians, I find there is very little
reverence for the body.
Second, seek the help of the Holy Spirit in cultivating self-

discipline.
Third, take the time and make the effort to distinguish

between that which is helpful and that which is harmful.
Fourth, be willing to be radical because your life is at

stake.
Fifth, seek to cooperate with the Holy Spirit.
There are many other steps I could add to this list, but
these I have acquired through experience. I was
challenged by the Lord to consider whether I was leading
a life of self-indulgence. I was challenged by the Lord to
consider these questions: Do I want to go on living? Do I
want to finish my assigned task? Jesus said to His
disciples, “My food is to do the will of Him who sent Me,
and to finish His work” (John 4:34).
That is the best diet: to do the will of Him who sent us—
and to finish His work. Even after spending more than
fifty years in the Lord’s service, I believed there were
certain tasks assigned to me by God that I had not yet
fulfilled. I never took it for granted that I would fulfill
them. I always took care of my body, knowing the
importance of keeping myself in good physical condition
so my life would not be cut short before I had finished
God’s work.
Your Holy Spirit. I proclaim that I will cooperate with the
Holy Spirit, keeping myself in good physical condition to
finish His work. My body is a temple of the Holy Spirit,
Amen.

WEEK 10:
My members, the parts of my body, are

instruments of righteousness, yielded to God for
His service and for His glory.
Do not present your members as instruments of

unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves
to God as being alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness to
God.
—Romans 6:13
MARCH 5
PRESENTING OURSELVES TO GOD
My members, the parts of my body, are instruments of

righteousness, yielded to God for His service and for His
glory.
God’s solution for the old nature can be summed up in

one word: execution. Execution is what took place on the
cross, when Jesus died and our old man was crucified
with Him. How do we apply God’s solution in our own
lives?
Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body that

you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the
members of your body to sin as instruments of
unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those
alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of
righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over
you, for you are not under law, but under grace.(Romans
6:12–14 nasb)
Paul’s instructions can be followed only by those who

have put their faith in Jesus and accepted His
substitutionary sacrifice on their behalf. Someone once
said, “If you ever want to get to heaven, you’ve got to learn
to say no.” That is certainly the truth. Paul said that we
must make up our minds and take a firm stand against
sin. Both sin and Satan can tell the difference between
when we are just saying words and when we really mean
them. We must proclaim these words with conviction.
Then, through faith in Jesus, our wills are liberated from
the dominion of sin. It then becomes our responsibility to
exercise our wills aright. God is not going to do that for
us. This is the point at which we have to recognize our
responsibility to monitor our wills.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I take a

stand now and proclaim that sin and Satan have no claim
and no power over me. I proclaim that my members, the
parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness,
yielded to God for His service and for His glory. Amen.

video)
MARCH 6
RELEASE FROM TORMENT

glory.
For several years, while I was a pastor in London, I had a

tremendous struggle against depression that would come
over me, weigh upon me, and shut me in. It gave me a
sense of hopelessness and failure. Maybe you can identify
with this. I fought this situation in every way that I knew,
but I made no progress. Then, I came across Isaiah 61:3:
“To console those who mourn in Zion, to give them…the
garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness.”
As I read those words, the Holy Spirit showed me, “That’s

your problem!” It was like a flood of light coming in. I
realized I was not fighting against myself but another
being—an evil spirit that was tormenting and oppressing
me. When I realized that, I was probably 80 percent of the
way to victory. I actually needed only one other Scripture:
“Whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved
[“delivered” kjv]” (Joel 2:32).
Putting those two Scriptures together, I prayed, “God,

You’ve shown me that I’m oppressed by a spirit of
heaviness. I come to You now, calling on the name of the
Lord Jesus. Deliver me.” He liberated my mind from that
oppressing spirit.
Now, it was up to me to reprogram my own mind. I had

habitually negative thought patterns, which God showed
me to be a denial of my faith in Jesus. It was up to me to
retrain my mind. Over a period of several years, every
time a negative, pessimistic thought came to me, I would
reject it, replacing it with a positive confession from
Scripture. Several years later, my whole inner working
had changed completely. I was a totally different person.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I proclaim

that I have been released from all torment, and that my
members, the parts of my body, are instruments of
glory. Amen.

video)
MARCH 7
YIELDED TO GOD

glory.
Paul said, “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body that
you should obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting
your members to sin as instruments of unrighteousness;
but present yourselves to God as those alive from the
dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
to God” (Romans 6:12–13 nasb). We have been set free. Sin
must not control our hands, our feet, or our tongues. On
the contrary, Paul said, we should yield ourselves to God
and our members as instruments of righteousness to God.
There’s a double yielding.
First, we yield our wills to God by saying, “Not my will,

but Yours, be done.” In the Lord’s Prayer, the second
petition is, “Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
(Matthew 6:10). When we pray “Your will be done,” it
begins with the will of the one who is praying—one who
wills for God’s will to be done.
Once we have yielded our wills, we then yield our

physical members to God as instruments of righteousness.
In Greek, the word “instruments” literally means
“weapons,” implying spiritual conflict. These are not just
any instruments, like a hoe or plow—they are fighting
instruments, like a sword.
The baptism in the Holy Spirit is key because in that
experience we first yield our wills to God; we then yield
the one unruly member that we are powerless to control:
the tongue. When we are baptized in the Holy Spirit, we
actually fulfill the instruction to yield our members to
God as instruments (weapons) of righteousness. Certainly,
when the tongue has been yielded to God and taken over
by the Holy Spirit, it becomes a weapon: in prayer, in
testimony, and in preaching.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I yield

myself and my will to God, proclaiming that my members,
the parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness,

video)
MARCH 8
MOVING FORWARD

glory.
We have a choice to make. Something is going to control

us. Which will it be: sin or righteousness? If we say
righteousness, we can believe we will be tested! The devil
will not give up as long as he thinks he has a chance of
succeeding.
When an individual is tested and tempted, the devil will

go on until that person has come to the place where the
temptation just doesn’t affect him. He does not even
entertain the thought. The devil is clever enough not to
waste his time on people like that. But if any double-
mindedness exists in us, the devil will exploit it. We must
make a firm decision.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of

your flesh. For…you presented your members as slaves to
impurity and to lawlessness, resulting in further
lawlessness.(Romans 6:19 nasb)
If we choose lawlessness, it will increase. We will become

more and more lawless. Many of us can trace that reality
in our lives.
Instead of increasing in lawlessness, “now present your

members as slaves to righteousness, resulting in
sanctification [holiness]” (verse 19 nasb).
It is almost impossible to stand still in the spiritual life.

We are either going to go forward or backward. We are
either going to progress in holiness or go further into
rebellion.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I present

myself as a slave to righteousness and proclaim that my
glory. Amen.

video)
MARCH 9
CHOOSING GRACE

glory.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,

that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God.(Romans 12:1)
It is a question of setting our wills, then yielding—in that

order. If we don’t will, then, by habit, we will yield to the
wrong thing. We must stop presenting our bodies, our
members, to sin. When we were still unbelievers, we did
just that for a long while. But we have to stop and say,
“That’s the end of that!” Once we yield our wills to God,
we don’t have to yield our members to Satan.
“For sin shall not have dominion over you, for you are not
under law but under grace” (Romans 6:14). The
implications of this statement are far-reaching. Paul said
that we are not under law but under grace. It is either one
or the other—it cannot be both at the same time. If we are
under law, we are not under grace. If we are under grace,
we are not under law.
Moreover, Paul said that sin shall not have dominion over
us, for we are not under the law. The corollary is that if
we are under the law, sin will have dominion over us.
That is a shocking statement to many people, but that is
what the Bible consistently says.
We are not governed by a set of rules. We have become
sons of God, and we obey Him because we love Him. From
now on, love, not fear, is our motivation for obedience.
God does not make us slaves; the Law does that. God
makes us His sons and daughters. We have to choose the
Law or God’s grace.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I choose

grace and yield my will to God, proclaiming that my
glory. Amen.

video)
MARCH 10
WHOM WILL WE SERVE?

glory.
Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves

slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey,
whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to
righteousness?(Romans 6:16)
Paul said that when we yield ourselves to someone, we

become slaves of the one we obey. If we yield to, let’s say,
immorality, we become slaves of immorality. We cannot
yield to sin without becoming its slaves. Thus, we must
decide to whom and to what we want to yield. Some of us
don’t like choices, but in the spiritual life, we cannot avoid
them.
At the end of his career, Joshua gave Israel a choice:
Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and

in truth….And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord,
choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve,
whether the gods which your fathers served that were on
the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in
whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we
will serve the Lord.(Joshua 24:14–15)
Joshua challenged the Israelites to make a choice, and this

choice has never changed. It is not whether we will serve;
it is whom we will serve. Serve we will. Before we were
redeemed, we had no choice. We could not keep from
sinning; there was no other option but to be slaves to sin
and servants of Satan. After we experience redemption
through faith in Jesus Christ, though, we have another
option: we can choose to serve God and be “slaves” to
righteousness.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I choose to

serve the Lord, and I proclaim that my members, the
parts of my body, are instruments of righteousness,

video)
MARCH 11
MY BODY IS FOR THE LORD

glory.
Present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead,

and your members as instruments of righteousness to
God.(Romans 6:13)
We give our physical members to God and say, “God, You

use them.” Then, we also have to keep the temple holy.
Paul wrote, “Now the body is not for sexual immorality
but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (1
Corinthians 6:13). Today, we call sexual immorality
“premarital sex.” But God has not changed His estimate of
this sin. The body is not for premarital sex; the body is for
the Lord. And then, “the Lord [is] for the body,” too. Isn’t
that wonderful? If we give our bodies to the Lord, then
the Lord is for our bodies.
Paul was a down-to-earth man who talked to people about

things that really concerned them. He continued, “Flee
sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside
the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins
against his own body” (verse 18).
Many people interpret this passage as a warning about

sexually transmitted diseases, such as HIV, gonorrhea, or
syphilis. These may certainly be consequences of sexual
immorality, but Paul’s teaching means much more than
that. We endanger the health of our bodies when we
commit any kind of immorality. Many times when
Christians seek healing and do not receive it, the root
cause is immorality. In most cases, God demands that we
go to the root cause, repent of it, and set it aright before
we can receive healing from Him.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your victory on the cross. I give my

body to the Lord, proclaiming that my members, the parts
of my body, are instruments of righteousness, yielded to
God for His service and for His glory. Amen.
Who Am I?: Why You Have a Body (audio)

WEEK 11:
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and

the word of my testimony, and I do not love my
life to the death.
They overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the

Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and
they did not love their lives to the death.
—Revelation 12:11
MARCH 12
RESURRECTION LIFE
I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word

of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
Leviticus 17:11 says, “The life of the flesh is in the blood.”

When Jesus poured out His blood, He poured out His life.
As I understand it, the life of God was released into the
universe. And no mind can really comprehend the
fullness of what that means.
Then Jesus said to them, “Most assuredly [of utmost

importance], I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the
Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal
life, and I will raise him up at the last day.”(John 6:53–54)
Bear in mind that our redemption is not complete until

the resurrection. In Philippians 3:12, Paul said, “Not that I
have already attained, or am already perfected; but I
press on, that I may lay hold of that for which Christ Jesus
has also laid hold of me,” which is “the resurrection from
the dead” (verse 11).
Some people have the impression that their bodies are not
very important. But God says our bodies are very
important—they are temples for the Holy Spirit. They are
“fearfully and wonderfully made” (Psalm 139:14). And
God is not going to leave our bodies in a state of decay. He
is going to resurrect them with glory like that of Jesus.
Redemption is the full outworking of Jesus’ sacrifice, and
it is consummated by the resurrection.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. Like Paul, “I
press on…that I may attain to the resurrection from the
dead.” I proclaim that I overcome Satan by the blood of
the Lamb and the word of my testimony, and I do not love
my life to the death. Amen.

the Blood (audio)
MARCH 13
THE GLORY TO BE REVEALED

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are

not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be
revealed in us [at the resurrection]. For the earnest
expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing
of the sons of God.(Romans 8:18–19)
Many Christians do not seem to grasp the significance of

Christ’s resurrection for us. The sons of God are revealed
at the resurrection; all of creation is waiting expectantly
for it on tiptoe. The trees, seas, rivers, and mountains are
all waiting. It is extraordinary that creation has so much
excitement—and that much of the church has so little.
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but

because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the
creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of
corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.
(verses 20–21)
The entirety of creation suffered because of man’s sin.

Before man sinned, there were no thorns and thistles;
nothing ever died or rotted. And we see that we’re not the
only ones who are going to come into a glorious
resurrection; creation is, too. However, God has assigned
this priority: creation does not come in until we come in.
As Paul wrote, “For we know that the whole creation
groans and labors with birth pangs together until now”
(verse 22).
Paul often used the phrase “we know,” yet most

contemporary Christians don’t know. Do we know that
the whole creation is in labor pains, waiting for the
revelation of the sons of God, the birth of a new age, and
deliverance from corruption?
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I proclaim

that I am coming into the glory destined for the sons of
God. I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the
death. Amen.

the Blood (audio)
MARCH 14
THE BLOOD OF JESUS

Four times in John 6, Jesus said about the believer, “I will

raise him up at the last day.” (See verses 39, 40, 44, and
54.) Resurrection is a part of salvation.
Whoever eats My flesh and drinks My blood has eternal

life, and I will raise him up at the last day. For My flesh is
food indeed [true food], and My blood is drink indeed
[true drink]. He who eats My flesh and drinks My blood
abides in Me, and I in him.(John 6:54–56) The words eats,
drinks, and abides are in the continuing present tense:
“He who continually feeds on My flesh, and continually
drinks My blood, continually abides in Me and I in him.”
It is very clear that the Lord attaches tremendous

importance to feeding on His flesh and drinking His
blood. I am not the final authority, but I really believe He
is talking about the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper, or
Communion.
At one time, I lived in an Arab town with Arab Christians.

When they took the Lord’s Supper, they said, “Let us drink
the blood of Jesus.” I believe those Arab Christians got the
right picture. Drinking the blood of Jesus is Communion.
Something in us says, “I don’t like the thought of drinking

blood.” I remember that it took me years to come to grips
with this statement. But to have eternal life, we have to
drink Jesus’ blood and feed on His flesh.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I partake of

His eternal life by drinking His blood and feeding on His
flesh, and I proclaim that I overcome Satan by the blood
of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do
not love my life to the death. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross: The Sevenfold Power of the

Blood (audio)
MARCH 15
THE IMPORTANCE OF COMMUNION

We have noted that the life is in the blood. (See Leviticus

17:11.) If we want the life, we must appropriate the blood.
We do that by taking Communion, as well as by the word
of our testimony.
To me, this matter of taking Communion has become

extremely important. Paul quoted Jesus in 1 Corinthians
11:25, saying, “This do, as often as you drink it, in
remembrance of Me.” Many churches think that says, “As
seldom as you do it.” Some of the most beautiful services I
have ever attended were liturgical Communion services;
they were so beautiful because they held on to that fact.
At one point, my wife, Ruth, and I came to the conclusion

that we were not taking Communion as often as we
should. As the priest of our home, I decided we would
have Communion every morning during our time with
the Lord. I am not saying that every Christian should do
this, but I am thankful that we did. We would have felt
that something had dropped out of our lives if we had
omitted it.
Every day, when we took Communion, we would say, “We

receive this bread as Your flesh, Lord, and this wine as
Your blood.” I would do this in a simple, specific way,
saying, “Lord, we are doing this in remembrance of You;
we are proclaiming Your death until You come.” In
Communion, we have no past but the cross, no future but
the coming. We do it in remembrance of the cross until
Jesus comes. Let this compel us to consider whether we
are really availing ourselves of the life that is in the blood.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I avail myself
of the life that is in the blood through Communion, and I
proclaim that I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb
and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love my life
to the death. Amen.

the Blood (audio)
MARCH 16
LAYING DOWN OUR LIVES

In order to experience the full effects of the blood of Jesus,

we need to know how to appropriate His blood. Today’s
Scripture and our confession for this week refer to a great
end-time conflict that involves both heaven and earth—
the angels of God, Satan and his angels, and God’s
believing people on earth. The statement is made by God’s
angels: “They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and
by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their
lives to the death” (Revelation 12:11).
“They” were people like you and me, believers in Jesus

Christ. “Him” refers to Satan. There is a direct conflict
between us and Satan; there is no one in between. This
verse tells us how the believers overcame him, further
describing them as committed—totally committed. A
committed Christian is the only kind that frightens Satan.
When it says “they did not love not their lives to the
death,” it means that staying alive was not their first
priority. Priority number one was to be faithful to the
Lord and to do His will.
When talking about “soldiers in the Lord’s army,” many of

us have a vague and sentimental idea about what that
means. When I was a soldier in the British army, I did not
receive a certificate from the commanding officer
guaranteeing that I would not lose my life. Any soldier
knows he may be killed; serving may cost his life. It is the
same in the Lord’s army. There is no guarantee that we
will not have to lay down our lives. The people Satan fears
are those who are not afraid to lay down their lives. After
all, life on earth is brief compared with life eternal in
heaven.

that “staying alive” is not my first priority, and also that I
overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the word of
my testimony, and I do not love my life to the death.
Amen.
How to Apply the Blood (audio)

MARCH 17
THE WEAPONS OF OUR WARFARE

In Revelation 12:7–9, we see that heaven has been purged

of the dragon (Satan) and his angels. Rejoice, heaven; look
out, earth! Now the devil is right down here on earth, and
he knows he has only a few short years to do mischief and
cause harm. It is clear to me that this period is closely
related to all (or part) of the seventieth week of Daniel.
(See Daniel 9:21–24.) It is a specific time period—one that
the devil, who is a student of prophecy, knows well. And
Jesus has said those days will be cut short. (See, for
example, Matthew 24:21–22.) Though theoretically the
Bible says three and a half years, there will be at least a
few “days” taken off at the end. Then, the devil will be
bound and imprisoned in the bottomless pit.
The devil wants to keep us ignorant of this fact, because as

long we are ignorant, we cannot do what God has
appointed. But God has given us the spiritual weapons to
cast down Satan from his place in the heavenlies.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but are
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down
arguments [“imaginations” kjv] and every high thing that
exalts itself against the knowledge of God.(2 Corinthians
10:4–5)
The spiritual weapons given to us will enable us to cast

down every high thing that opposes God and His
kingdom. The last, ultimate, supreme high thing that
opposes God is Satan’s kingdom in the heavenlies. To us
are committed the weapons that will enable us to defeat
it: the blood of Jesus and the word of our testimony.
Thank You, Lord, for the blood of the Lamb. I take it up as

a spiritual weapon, along with my testimony, proclaiming
that I overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and the
word of my testimony, and I do not love my life to the
death. Amen.
Praying to Change History: God’s Atomic Weapon—The

MARCH 18
CONFESSING FAITH

The Lord has showed me that many Christians, if they

looked back on their pasts, would admit to having made a
series of negative confessions. You may have talked about
what you couldn’t do or discussed your failures and
disappointments. But, you see, our confessions determine
where we go.
There is a vivid example of this truth in the story of the

twelve spies Moses sent into the Promised Land. Two
came back with positive confessions, ten with negative
ones. The majority of the Israelites believed the negative
confession, “We cannot.” The positive confession was,
“We are well able.” All the Israelites settled their destinies
by their confession. Those who said, “We cannot” could
not. And those who said, “We are well able” were well
able.
You may have uttered some negative words, spoken

statements that did not glorify Jesus, or dwelled on
disappointments that only tied you to impotence or
failure. If we confess failure, failure will be our portion. If
we confess faith, God will be our portion. Just confess to
God, “Lord, I’m sorry. I’ve tied Your hands; because of my
unbelief and negative thinking, I have limited what You
could do in my life.” Scripture says, “If we confess our
sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to
cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9).
When you’ve rejected negative confessions, thank God

that you’ve come out of that dark, lonely valley. Say, “I can
do all things through Christ who empowers me within,”
which is the literal translation of Philippians 4:13.

that “I can do all things through Christ who empowers me
within,” and that I overcome Satan by the blood of the
Lamb and by the word of my testimony, and I do not love
my life to the death. Amen.
What Is Holiness?, Vol. 2: Treat Your Body as God’s

Temple (audio)
WEEK 12:
My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my

body.
Foods for the stomach and the stomach for

foods, but God will destroy both it and them.
Now the body is not for sexual immorality but
for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
MARCH 19
A PERSONAL GOD
My body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body.
I was once a professor at Britain’s largest university, and I

held various degrees and academic distinctions. In many
ways, I was quite sophisticated—intellectually. But I do
not feel in any way intellectually inferior to say I believe
the Bible’s record of creation. Prior to believing the Bible,
I studied many other sources that attempted to explain
man’s origin, but I found them unsatisfying. In many
cases, they contradicted one another. I then turned to
study the Bible—not as a believer but as a professional
philosopher. I thought to myself, At least it can’t be any
sillier than some of the other things I’ve heard! To my
astonishment, I discovered that the Bible had the answer.
In Genesis, we read a short, simple statement. It begins,

“The Lord God”—that is, “Jehovah God”—God’s personal
name. This term tells us that a personal God formed a
personal man for personal fellowship.
The Lord God formed [molded] man of the dust of the

ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life;
and man became a living being [soul].(Genesis 2:7)
Here we see the union of God’s divine, eternal breath

from above with the body of clay from beneath, molded
by the hands of the Creator. The union of spirit from
above and clay from beneath produced a living human
personality—one that can have fellowship with the living,
personal God.
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I

proclaim that a personal God created me for personal
fellowship—and that my body is for the Lord, and the
Lord is for my body. Amen.
Bible Psychology: What God’s Mirror Reveals: God’s

Provision for the Believer’s Body (audio)
MARCH 20
A MIRACULOUS CREATION
We know about the inner personality of man—his spirit

and soul—but let us not be blind to the fact that man’s
body is also a miraculous and marvelous creation of God.
Many believers do not sufficiently value or care for their
own bodies. Until the breath of God entered that clay
form, it was just clay—nothing more. It became a living,
functioning physical body with all its organisms, parts,
and members through the miraculous operation of the
Spirit of God.
Consider the human eye. On one particular telecast, the

American Society of Ophthalmologists presented some
fascinating information. If I remember correctly, they
said one human eye contains more than three million
working parts. What brought that into being? The breath
of God. All our muscles, nerves, and glands—all the
functions of our physical bodies—owe their origin to the
inbreathed breath of God. That is what transformed the
clay into a marvelous physical organism. When you grasp
that truth, the miracles of divine healing become logical.
Who can better repair, restore, and, if need be, recreate
the body than the same Agent who initially formed it? The
Spirit of God is the Creator and Healer.
I have been privileged to witness creative miracles of God

whereby missing bones were restored. I once asked for
prayer on behalf of a little girl in San Jose, California,
whose elder sister was born with a bone missing from the
upper part of both legs. As a result of prayer, God created
the bones. I don’t claim that it’s simple, but it is
fathomable when you understand the origin of the
human body. It was just a clay form until the Spirit of God
moved upon it and produced a complex organism that its
Creator can heal.
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I am a

miraculous and marvelous creation of God, and I
proclaim that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for
my body. Amen.

MARCH 21
AN INTRICATE UNITY
Looking at the book of Job, we see some tremendous

revelations about the body. In many ways, there’s a
wonderful interrelationship between the books of Genesis
and Job. Job 10:8–12 is a beautiful summation of God’s
creative work in our bodies. Verse 8 reads, “Your hands
have made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity.”
As in Genesis 2:7, where the word “formed” indicates a

skillful work that results from great care, so the book of
Job emphasizes the immeasurable skill and care that God
devoted to forming the human body: Your hands have
made me and fashioned me, an intricate unity; yet You
would destroy me. Remember, I pray, that You have made
me like clay. And will You turn me into dust again? Did
You not pour me out like milk, and curdle me like cheese,
clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me together with
bones and sinews?(Job 10:8–11) What a vivid expression!
What a beautiful picture of the interrelationship of the
various primary parts of the body. We read on in verse 12,
“You have granted me life and favor, and Your care
[“visitation” kjv] has preserved my spirit.”
Later on in Job, we have the other aspect—the spiritual

part—of man’s nature: “But there is a spirit in man, and
the breath [“inspiration” kjv] of the Almighty gives him
understanding” (Job 32:8).
These words from Job are in perfect accord with those
from Genesis. It is the union of the breath of God from
above with the clay from beneath that brings into being a
total human personality.
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I am the

union of the breath of God from above with the clay from
beneath—and I proclaim that my body is for the Lord, and
the Lord is for my body. Amen.

MARCH 22
GOD’S BLUEPRINT
For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my

mother’s womb. I will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made; marvelous are Your works, and that
my soul knows very well. My frame was not hidden from
You, when I was made in secret, and skillfully wrought in
the lowest parts of the earth. (Psalm 139:13–15)
When I consider the physical body, I am filled with a

sense of awe. The substance that eventually became my
body was planned and formed by God in the earth long
before it ever entered my body. God had appointed the
substance that would one day constitute my body.
Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in

Your book they [“my members” kjv] all were written, the
days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of
them.(verse 16)
God had a blueprint for our bodies before they ever came
into being. Compare this verse to what Jesus said in Luke
12:7: “But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.
Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many
sparrows.” This statement shows the depth of God’s
concern for our physical bodies—He has even numbered
the hairs on our heads. When we realize this, we must
acknowledge that God also has a purpose for this
marvelous workmanship, which is revealed in 1
Corinthians 6:19–20: “Or do you not know that your body
is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you
have from God, and you are not your own? For you were
bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and
in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Thank You, Lord, for Your provision for my body. I will

glorify God in my body, and I proclaim that my body is for
the Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.

MARCH 23
A LIVING SACRIFICE
I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to

present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable
to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.
(Romans 12:1 nasb)
In the early chapters of Romans, we are confronted with

tremendous theology. The application starts with our
bodies: we are to present our bodies to God as a living
sacrifice.
We might think, The body isn’t so important; it’s really the

soul that is important. But let’s use a practical analogy: If I
asked for a glass of water, I would get both the vessel and
its contents. I could not get the water without the glass.
That is what God is saying. He wants the vessel, the body
—and its contents, the soul. We cannot give the contents
without the vessel.
What does it mean to make our bodies “a living…

sacrifice”? The sacrifices of the Old Testament were
animals that were killed, then placed on the altar. God
says, “I want your body just as completely as the Old
Testament sacrifices, but with one difference. I don’t want
your body dead but living. When I have your body, I have
you.”
In Matthew 23, Jesus was talking to the Pharisees,

explaining what things really mattered in their service to
God. They said the offering was more important than the
altar. Jesus said, “You blind men, which is more
important, the offering or the altar that sanctifies the
offering?” (Matthew 23:19 nasb). The altar sanctifies the
offering that is placed upon it. The offering is made holy
by being placed upon God’s altar. That is how it is with
our bodies. When we place our bodies on God’s altar, they
become holy. They are sanctified, set apart to God. It is an
act each of us has to make.

present myself to God as a living sacrifice, and I proclaim
that my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my body.
Amen.
How to Find God’s Plan for Your Life (audio)

MARCH 24
A BODY OF HUMILIATION
When man rebelled against God, his whole personality

was affected. The word used in Scripture to describe this
condition is corrupt. Every area of human personality is
affected—spiritual, moral, and physical. Death is at the
end of physical corruption. Paul said, “Through one man
sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus
death spread to all men, because all sinned” (Romans
5:12). Through sin, the poison of corruption entered us.
First Corinthians 15:56 tells us, “The sting of death is sin.”
Just as a bee or a wasp introduces its poison into a body
with its sting, so Satan introduced the poison of
corruption and death through the sting of sin.
We have all become corrupt creatures. In Philippians

3:21, Paul called our present bodies “the body of humble
state” (nasb). We are in a “humble state,” humiliated,
because we rebelled against our Creator. No matter how
elegant, healthy, strong, wealthy, or famous we are, we
live in bodies of humiliation. We may eat the finest meals
and drink the tastiest beverages, but we will still have to
use the toilet. We may be strong and healthy, but when we
get really warmed up, we start to sweat. Whether wealthy
or poor, we all sweat. These built-in bodily functions
remind us that we are all rebels and transgressors whose
bodies are consequently subject to corruption.
I spent five years training African teachers, and I was

interested in their athletic abilities. I would tell these
strong young men, “Just bear in mind, one little anopheles
mosquito can come along and insert his proboscis into
you, and you will be a shivering, fever-wracked mess.”
That is our body of humiliation. The good news is that
Jesus died to redeem us—and not just our souls. He
redeemed the whole man—body, soul, and spirit.

proclaim that Jesus died to redeem me in totality.
Therefore, my body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for my
body. Amen.
God’s Plan for Your Body (audio)

MARCH 25
HEALING FOR THE BODY
Scripture says that Jesus “Himself bore our sins in His

own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might
live for righteousness; by whose stripes you were healed”
(1 Peter 2:24).
On the cross, Jesus took our sins in His own body, which
became the sin offering. He took the curse that we
deserved upon Himself in His body on the cross that we
might be released from sin. The Scripture also says, “He
Himself took our infirmities and bore our sicknesses”
(Matthew 8:17) in His own body, that by His wounds we
might be healed. (See 1 Peter 2:24 nasb, niv.) As far as God
is concerned, our release from sin is already
accomplished. As far as God is concerned, it is already
done.
It is interesting to note that the New Testament does not

put healing in the future, but in the past. We have been
healed ever since the death of Jesus, “by whose stripes
you were healed” (emphasis added). Healing has already
been provided. Christians sometimes ask me, “How can I
know if it’s God’s will for me to be healed?” I usually
answer, “If you are a committed Christian, redeemed by
the blood of Jesus, I think you’re asking the wrong
question. The question is not, ‘How can I know if it’s God’s
will for me to be healed?’ The question is, ‘How can I
appropriate the healing that God has already provided for
me?’” God’s purpose is to preserve the whole of us: spirit,
soul, and body, as Paul said, “Now may the God of peace
Himself sanctify you completely [make you completely
holy]; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be
preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus
Christ” (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

proclaim that by the death of Jesus on the cross, I was
forgiven and healed, and God’s purpose is to preserve the
whole of me—spirit, soul, and body. My body is for the
Lord, and the Lord is for my body. Amen.

WEEK 13:
The Lord Will Not Forsake His People.
The Lord will not forsake His people, for His

great name’s sake, because it has pleased the
Lord to make you His people.
—1 Samuel 12:22
MARCH 26
GOD IS PRESENT
The Lord will not forsake His people.
God promised Abraham and Jacob that their descendants

would be like the sand on the seashore. That is such a
vivid picture of Israel throughout the last two thousand
years of history. The waves have continually beaten upon
them. The rage of men and demons—and Satan himself—
has unleashed countless onslaughts against the Jewish
people in many different areas at many different times.
The sea has been stirred up; it has roared, it has tossed to
and fro, it has beaten on the sand. And do you know what
happens? The sand always wins. Why? Because God said
it would. It is God’s Word being worked out.
It is so important to understand that the Jews did not

choose to be God’s people. It was the Lord who chose
them. I believe that every choice God makes is a right
choice. No matter how contrary things may appear, the
Lord did the right thing. He will not forsake His people—
not because they deserve His faithfulness, but for His
great name’s sake. God’s name is committed to Israel; His
honor is at stake.
In the New Testament, Jesus Himself gives us the same

assurance: “I will never leave you nor forsake you”
(Hebrews 13:5). At times, we may not be in any way
conscious of His presence, but by His Holy Spirit, He is
with us. No matter where we go, God is present by His
Spirit—invisible, often imperceptible, yet inescapable. For
the unbeliever, this may be a terrifying thought; but for
the believer, it is a comforting, strengthening assurance.
Thank You, Lord, that You are committed to Israel. I

intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that just as the
Lord is with Israel, He is with me, for the Lord will not
forsake His people. Amen.
Update 78: January 1996 (audio)

MARCH 27
GOD WILL PROTECT
I was living in Jerusalem when the State of Israel was

born. I remember seeing the Israeli flag go up over the
center of Jerusalem. I said to myself, Surely this must be
significant!
Hear the word of the Lord, O nations, and declare it in the

isles afar off, and say, “He who scattered Israel will gather
him, and keep him as a shepherd does his
flock.”(Jeremiah 31:10)
Twenty-five hundred years ago, God ordained that this

particular message should be proclaimed in every nation
of the earth. It is being fulfilled before your eyes and in
your ears today. Now we can say, “He who scattered Israel
is gathering him and will keep him as a shepherd does his
flock.”
These are days when absolutely no one knows, in the

natural, what will happen tomorrow in Israel. A war
could break out there within twenty-four hours without
any warning. But in the midst of it all, God will protect
Israel as a shepherd protects his flock. There is a
guarantee that no matter the political pressures and the
violence that erupt, God will protect regathered Israel.
The Lord gives us the same promise in Psalm 121:7–8:

“The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your
soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming
in from this time forth and forever” (nasb). It is so good to
know that God is with you, not only when you begin the
journey, but also when you come to the end; not just when
you go to work in the morning, but also when you come
home again in the evening. God is still with you, and He
will protect you and keep you—from this time forth and
forever. The Creator is our keeper.

intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that just as God
is the Protector of Israel, He is my Protector and Keeper,
for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
Update 98: November 2002 (audio); WFTW15/7

(transcript)
MARCH 28
HEALER OF THE BROKENHEARTED
In Psalm 147:2–3, we read, “The Lord builds up Jerusalem;

he gathers the exiles of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted
and binds up their wounds” (niv). Those are beautiful
words, but the most exciting thing about them is that they
are being fulfilled in this generation, in our lifetime.
I have seen the outworking of those words. Again, I had

the privilege to be living in Jewish Jerusalem in May 1948,
when the State of Israel was reborn after two thousand
years. Today, the Lord is building up Jerusalem. He is
gathering the exiles of Israel. He is healing the
brokenhearted and binding up their wounds.
That is good news for all who will turn to God. It is good
news for God’s people, Israel. It is also good news for the
church of Jesus Christ because the same God who is
gathering Israel is gathering the church back to Himself,
bringing us into our inheritance, healing our wounds, and
binding up our broken hearts.
There is an ongoing ministry of the Holy Spirit that is very

special—a ministry to the brokenhearted. It is a ministry
to those whose hearts are wounded. If you carry a wound
inside you, turn to God and say, “God, this is a time of
restoration. It is a time of regathering. You are healing the
brokenhearted. You are binding up their wounds. Lord,
You know the wound I have carried so long in my heart.
Will You heal me?”
And the invisible finger of God, the Holy Spirit, will reach
down where no surgeon can reach and touch that
wounded place in your life to bring you healing and
restoration.

intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that just as God
is healing the brokenhearted and binding up wounds for
Israel, He is bringing healing and restoration to my life,
for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
WFW-21/2 (transcript)
MARCH 29
SHOWING MERCY TO ISRAEL
It is important for us all to acknowledge the truth of what

Jesus said to the Samaritan woman at the well: “Salvation
is of the Jews” (John 4:22). Without the Jews, we would
have no patriarchs, no prophets, no apostles, no Bible—
and no Savior! Without all these, how much salvation
would we receive? None! The Bible makes it clear that
God requires the Christians of all other nations to
acknowledge their debt to the Jews and to do what they
can to repay it. In Romans 11:30–31, Paul summed up
what he had been saying about the debt and the
responsibility of the Gentile Christians toward Israel.
For as you [Gentiles] were once disobedient to God, yet

have now obtained mercy through their [Israel’s]
disobedience, even so these [Israelites] also have now
been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you
[Gentiles] they [Israel] also may obtain mercy.
In other words, because of God’s mercy that has come to

us Gentile Christians through Israel, God requires us in
our turn to show mercy to Israel. How shall we fulfill this
obligation? The following are four practical ways that we
may do so.
First, we can cultivate and express an attitude of sincere

love for Jewish people.
Second, we can enjoy and demonstrate the abundance of
God’s blessings in Christ in such a way that the Jews may
be made jealous and desire what they see us enjoying.
Third, we can seek the good of Israel through our prayers

and petitions, as the Bible exhorts us to do. (See Romans
10:1.)
Fourth, we can seek to repay our debt to Israel by

performing practical acts of kindness and mercy.

intercede for that nation now. I acknowledge my debt to
the Jews, and I proclaim that I will repay it in practical
ways, as well as by showing mercy—for the Lord will not
Our Debt to Israel (booklet)

MARCH 30
FAVOR FOR ZION
The Lord says that the regathering of Israel in our day is a

banner raised by Him for the nations. Events in Israel and
the Middle East today are at the center of world attention
and media coverage. This period of Israel’s regathering at
the end of the age was marked out clearly on God’s great
prophetic calendar three thousand years ago. Here is one
of the passages that make this clear:
You will arise and have compassion on Zion, for it is time

to show favor to her; the appointed time has come. For
her stones are dear to your servants; her very dust moves
them to pity. The nations will fear the name of the Lord,
all the kings of the earth will revere your glory. For the
Lord will rebuild Zion and appear in his glory….Let this
be written for a future generation, that a people not yet
created may praise the Lord.(Psalm 102:13–16, 18 niv)
Now is God’s appointed time to have mercy on Zion and to

show favor to her. This is not something that Zion or the
Jewish people have earned, but something that comes out
of God’s sovereign grace and mercy. One of the main
purposes of what God is doing is to bring glory to His own
name in the sight of all the nations by fulfilling His
promises to Israel. The rebuilding of Zion is one of the
great biblical signs that the time is at hand for the Lord to
appear in His glory. We have the great privilege of living
in the time that the psalmist here foresaw. I believe we
are the ones being created as a people in response to what
God is doing for one supreme purpose: to bring praise to
the Lord.

intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that God is
bringing glory to His own name by fulfilling His promises
to Israel, for the Lord will not forsake His people. Amen.
The Drama of the Middle East, Part 1 (audio)

MARCH 31
GOD OF COVENANT
In Psalm 89:34, God said, “My covenant I will not violate,

nor will I alter the utterance of My lips” (nasb). It is of
tremendous importance that we grasp the fact that when
God makes a covenant, He will never break it. We need to
know that.
Our Bible consists of two covenants: the old and the new.
Therefore, the essence of divine revelation is centered in
covenant. If God were to break His covenant, we would
have no hope. It is my personal conviction that if God
were to break His covenant with Israel, we would have no
reason to believe that He would not break His covenant
with the church. You may say, “Well, Israel failed God.”
Undoubtedly. But can you honestly say that the church
has not also failed God?
I am not capable of presenting God’s point of view, but in

my limited understanding, I see Israel receiving a
covenant and failing dismally. I see the church receiving a
covenant and failing even worse than Israel. What is God
saying to us about the restoration of Israel? I suggest that
God is saying at least four things, all of them extremely
topical, relevant, and important for the church of Jesus
Christ.
First, God is saying that the Bible is a true, relevant, up-to-

date book.
Second, God is saying that He keeps His covenant.
Third, God is saying to us that He is sovereign.
The fourth thing the Lord is saying is that in restoring the

Israelites to their land, God has set the stage for the last
act of the drama of this age. Every prophecy that relates
to the close of this age is predicated on one important
factor—the presence of Israel as a sovereign nation
within its own borders.

intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that God keeps
His covenants, for the Lord will not forsake His people.
Amen.
“Perspective for a Decade: Israel, God’s Banner to the

Nations” (New Wine article)
APRIL
APRIL 1
GOD DEMANDS A RESPONSE
I believe that God requires a response from His believing

people regarding what He is doing in Israel and the
Middle East. We are not permitted to remain neutral,
apathetic, or indifferent. God demands a response. In the
book of Jeremiah, the prophet told us what the Lord
commands us to do:
Sing with joy for Jacob; shout for the foremost [or chief] of
the nations. Make your praises heard, and say, “O Lord,
save your people, the remnant of Israel.”(Jeremiah 31:7–8
niv)
The New American Standard Bible reads, “Proclaim, give

praise, and say” (verse 7). Combining these two versions, I
find there are five responses that God requires. In a sense,
they are all vocal: sing, shout, praise, proclaim, and say
(or pray).
What are we responding to? The regathering of the

remnant of Jacob. To whom is this command addressed?
The church, we who believe that the Bible is the Word of
God and that we ought to obey it.
God is asking us to intercede for Israel. He is saying, “I am

restoring My people. I am regathering them, and I am
asking you to unite with Me and My purposes through
prayer.” I think we must all face this as one of the
mysterious facts about God: when He intends to do
something, He will say to His people, “Pray that I will do
it.” In other words, He says, “This is My intention, but it
will not happen until you pray.”
As Christians, we have a tremendous responsibility to be

totally committed to the outworking of God’s purposes in
history.

intercede for that nation now. I proclaim that the Lord is
restoring and regathering His people, and I join my
prayers with other believers’ prayers. The Lord will not
“Perspective for a Decade: Israel, God’s Banner to the

Nations” (New Wine article)
WEEK 14:
Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven.
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our

sorrows; yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten
by God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for
our transgressions, He was bruised for our
iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was
upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
—Isaiah 53:4–5
APRIL 2
PUNISHED FOR OUR PEACE
I remember once talking to a Jewish man who told me

why he didn’t believe that Jesus was the Messiah: “He
couldn’t have been a good man; God would never have let
Him suffer like that.” And that is exactly what the prophet
Isaiah said: “We esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God,
and afflicted” (Isaiah 53:4). But verse 5 says, “He was
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised
[“crushed” niv] for our iniquities; the chastisement
[“punishment” niv] for our peace was upon Him, and by
His stripes [“wounds” niv] we are healed.”
Two major transactions are mentioned in those verses.

The punishment due to our wrongdoing came upon Jesus
so that we might be forgiven and have peace. Until the
punishment for sin had been inflicted, there was no
possibility of peace. Let’s look at another passage in
Ephesians where Paul was speaking about what took
place on the cross:
He Himself is our peace, who has made both [Jew and

Gentile] one, and has broken down the middle wall of
separation, having abolished in His flesh the enmity, that
is, the law of commandments contained in ordinances, so
as to create in Himself one new man from the two, thus
making peace, and that He might reconcile them both to
God in one body through the cross, thereby putting to
death the enmity. And He came and preached peace to
you who were afar off and to those who were near.
(Ephesians 2:14–17, emphasis added)
Notice the emphasis on the word “peace.” There can be no

peace for the sinner until he knows that his sins have
been forgiven. Jesus was punished so that we might have
peace with God through forgiveness. (See also Colossians
1:19–20.)
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I proclaim
that Jesus was punished that we might be forgiven, so I
might have peace with God through being forgiven.
Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 1: The Exchange Introduced

(audio)
APRIL 3
REDEEMED!
On the cross, Jesus was identified with everything evil that

we have ever done. In return, we were totally forgiven
and delivered from the power of evil.
“In Him [Jesus] we have redemption through His blood,

grace” (Ephesians 1:7). When we have forgiveness of sins,
we have redemption; we have been redeemed. Redeem
means “to buy back,” or “to ransom.” Through the
payment of His blood, given as a sacrifice on our behalf,
Jesus bought us back from Satan for God.
In Romans 7, Paul said something that is not always clear

to people who are not familiar with the cultural context of
his day: “I am carnal, sold under sin” (verse 14).
Remember that the phrase “sold under sin” relates to the
Roman slave market. Someone being sold as a slave had to
stand on a block, and from a post behind him, a spear was
extended over his head. So, Paul said, “I am carnal, sold
under the spear of my sin, which is extended over my
head. I have no options. I’m for sale.”
When a person is a slave, he has no choices. Again, two

women may be sold in the same market; the owner makes
one a cook, the other a prostitute. The same is true with
us as sinners. We may be good, respectable sinners and
look down on prostitutes and addicts. But it is the slave
owner who determines the slave’s service.
The good news is that Jesus walked into the slave market
and said, “I’ll buy her; I’ll buy him. Satan, I’ve paid the
price. These are now My son and daughter.” That is
redemption, and it comes only through the forgiveness of
sins.
that Jesus bought me back from Satan to God. He was
punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
Atonement, Vol. 1: A Divinely Ordained Exchange (audio)

APRIL 4
OUR NEED FOR FORGIVENESS
What makes the word forgiveness so special and

beautiful? Well, consider some of the results that flow
from forgiveness: reconciliation, peace, harmony,
understanding, fellowship. Or consider some of the
consequences that flow from our failure to forgive and be
forgiven: bitterness, strife, disharmony, hatred, war. At
times, it seems as if the human race is in danger of being
overwhelmed by these evil, negative forces. We can
escape this terrible fate only as we learn and apply the
principles of forgiveness.
Let us remember that two directions of forgiveness are

represented in the Bible. They are well portrayed by the
symbol of our Christian faith, the cross, which has two
beams—one vertical and one horizontal. These beams
represent the two directions of forgiveness: the vertical
beam represents the forgiveness we need to receive from
God; the horizontal beam represents the forgiveness we
need to receive from others, as well as the forgiveness we
must extend. The grace for this kind of forgiveness comes
only through the cross.
The kind of forgiveness we need and can receive from

God is set forth most beautifully in Psalm 32:1–2, where
David said, “Blessed is he whose transgressions are
forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man
whose sin the Lord does not count against him and in
whose spirit is no deceit” (niv).
Again, the Bible does not talk about a man who does not
need forgiveness. It clearly indicates that all of us need
forgiveness from God. There are no exceptions. Other
psalms tell us there is no man who does not sin. (See, for
example, Psalm 14:1–3; 53:1–3.) We have all sinned.
Therefore, we all need forgiveness.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I admit
my own need for forgiveness, and I proclaim that Jesus
was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
Forgiveness (audio)
APRIL 5
HEALING THROUGH FORGIVENESS
Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord does not count
against him and in whose spirit is no deceit.(Psalm 32:2
niv)
To receive forgiveness, we must be absolutely honest with

God—not covering up or excusing our sins or holding
anything back. Referring to when he was found guilty of
committing adultery and murder in the matter of
Bathsheba, David continued in his psalm,
When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my

groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was
heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of
summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not
cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my
transgressions to the Lord”—and you forgave the guilt of
my sin.(verses 3–5 niv)
Like many people, David refused to admit his sin and

tried to pretend it never happened, covering it up. But all
the time he was like a man with a burning fever. His
“strength was sapped” and his “bones wasted away.”
Unforgiven sin can produce physical results.
A psychiatrist related this story to me. While visiting a

hospital, he met a woman who was in a hopeless
condition. Her kidneys had ceased to function, her skin
was discolored, and she was in a coma, simply waiting to
die. One day, he was prompted by the Holy Spirit to say,
“In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I remit your sins,”
later wondering if he had done something foolish. About a
week later, he was amazed to see the woman walking
down the street—completely healed. Unforgiven sin had
caused her physical condition. When her sins were
forgiven through this man’s intercession, her spirit was
clear with God and the way was open for her to be healed.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I ask for
the physical healing that comes from being forgiven, and I
proclaim that Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven.
Amen.
Forgiveness (audio)
APRIL 6
FORGIVEN AS WE FORGIVE
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus taught us to pray,

“Forgive us our debts [trespasses], as we forgive our
debtors [those who trespass against us]” (Matthew 6:12).
This petition says, in other words, “Forgive us as we
forgive.” Remember that in the same proportion that you
forgive others, God will forgive you. If you totally forgive
others, God will totally forgive you. But if you only partly
forgive others, God will only partly forgive you.
One major reason that many Christians do not receive

answers to prayer is their failure to forgive others, usually
one specific person. In my experiences with counseling
people, I have found unforgiveness to be a common
source of blockage in their spiritual lives. I once asked a
woman whom I was counseling, “Is there anybody you
haven’t forgiven?” She said, “Yes” and went on to specify a
distinguished person in the United States Department of
Justice. I said, “If you want release, you will have to
forgive him. There is no alternative. If you don’t forgive
him, God does not forgive you.”
Are we willing to forgive? We may think, I don’t know if I

can. God may also say, “I don’t know if I can.” We had
better make up our minds. Forgiveness is not an emotion;
it is a decision. I call this “tearing up the IOU.” Somebody
might owe us thirty thousand dollars, but we could owe
God six million dollars. If we want Him to tear up His IOU,
we must first tear up ours.
That is God’s unvarying law. It is built into the Lord’s

Prayer. And the last petition in the Lord’s Prayer is a
petition for deliverance from the evil one, Satan. We have
no right to pray for deliverance until we have forgiven
others as we would have God forgive us.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I declare
my willingness to forgive others, and I proclaim that Jesus
was punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
Praying to Change History: Seven Basic Conditions for

Answered Prayer (audio)
APRIL 7
REMEMBERING HIS BENEFITS
Bless the Lord, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless
His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not
all His benefits.(Psalm 103:1–2)
Here we observe David’s spirit telling his soul what to do.

David’s spirit knew what ought to be done, but it could
not happen until David’s soul cooperated with his spirit
and responded to the challenge.
Let’s briefly enumerate the benefits that we are cautioned

not to forget. Many Christians do not enjoy these benefits
because they fail to remember them. Six specific benefits
of God are listed in the next three verses:
Who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your

diseases, who redeems your life from destruction, who
crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, who
satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth
is renewed like the eagle’s.(verses 3–5)
God forgives all our iniquities, heals all our diseases,

redeems our lives from destruction, crowns us with
lovingkindness and tender mercies, satisfies our mouths
with good things, and renews our youth like the eagle’s. I
believe there is a close connection between having your
mouth filled with good things and having your youth
renewed like the eagle’s.
I am convinced that it is not the will of God for His people
to grow old the way the world grows old. I do not mean
that there will not be any change produced by advancing
in age, but that aging does not need to be a time of failure,
misery, and sickness.
Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the cross for me. I will
remember all Your benefits, and I proclaim that Jesus was
punished that I might be forgiven. Amen.
Decision, Not Emotion (audio)

APRIL 8
ESCAPING FROM THE CURSE
In seeking the release from a curse, one main

requirement is to confess any known sins committed by
yourself or your ancestors, for it may be that it was the sin
of your ancestors that exposed you, as one of their
descendants, to the curse. Even though you do not bear
the guilt of their sin, you do suffer the consequences of
their sin. To escape from the curse, you need to deal with
the sin that exposed you or your ancestors to the curse.
You do this by confessing the sin and asking God to
forgive and blot it out. Proverbs 28:13 says, “He who
covers his sins will not prosper, but whoever confesses
and forsakes them will have mercy.” If you cover sin, you
will not prosper or be blessed. However, if you confess
your sin and forsake it, then you will have God’s mercy
and redemption from the curse. Again, you must also
forgive all other persons. Jesus said,
And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have

anything against anyone; so that your Father also who is
in heaven may forgive you your transgressions.(Mark
11:25 nasb)
This is very important. Jesus makes it clear that if we hold

unforgiveness, bitterness, or resentment in our hearts
when we pray, we erect barriers to the answer to our
prayers. It will keep us under the curse. By a decision of
our wills, when we pray, we must lay down any kind of
resentment, bitterness, or unforgiveness against any
person. In the measure in which we forgive others, God
forgives us. If we want total forgiveness from God, we
must offer total forgiveness to others. This is not being
super-spiritual; forgiving other people means that you’re
exercising what I call “enlightened self-interest.”
that by taking these steps, I am released from any curse,
because Jesus was punished that I might be forgiven.
Amen.
From Curse to Blessing (booklet)

WEEK 15:
Jesus was wounded that we might be healed.
He was wounded for our transgressions, He was

bruised for our iniquities;
the chastisement for our peace was upon Him,

and by His stripes we are healed.
—Isaiah 53:5
APRIL 9
TOTAL SALVATION
Being born again is an experience of unique importance.

Unless you are born again, you cannot see or enter the
kingdom of God. (See John 3:3–5.) But it is not a one-time
experience; rather, salvation is an ongoing process. Part of
salvation is being baptized. I don’t want to stir up
controversy, but you can be born again without being
baptized. If you want to be saved, however, baptism is a
key part of the process, for “He who believes and is
baptized will be saved” (Mark 16:16).
Being saved means much more than just getting your soul
ready for heaven. Someone once said, “The evangelical
concept of salvation is to get souls prepackaged for
heaven.” That may be so, to a degree, but salvation
includes a lot more than being prepackaged for heaven.
I want to examine a passage from the New Testament in

which the writer used the Greek word for “to save,” which
is sozo. If we look at where this word appears in the
Scriptures, it will give us an idea of what is included in
salvation.
The book of Matthew speaks about Jesus’ ministry to the

sick, saying, “They…brought to Him all who were
sick….And as many as touched it [His garment] were
made perfectly well [“whole” kjv]” (Matthew 14:35–36).
The verb used for “well” or “whole” is sozo, but it is
preceded by a Greek preposition that means “thoroughly.”
To be “thoroughly saved” is to be perfectly healed. This
passage is not talking solely about the condition of the
soul; it is also talking about those who are sick. And as
many as touched Jesus were totally saved. How total is our
salvation?
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I proclaim

that for me to be thoroughly saved is to be perfectly
healed and that Jesus was wounded that I might be
healed. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 1: Salvation Is All-inclusive

(audio)
APRIL 10
HEALING AND SALVATION
Let’s look at some places in Scripture where the Greek

word sozo—meaning “salvation”—is used. In the gospel of
Mark, Jesus met a blind man named Bartimaeus on the
road to Jericho. (See Mark 10:46–52.) “Jesus answered and
said to him, ‘What do you want Me to do for you?’ The
blind man said to Him, ‘Rabboni, that I may receive my
sight’” (Mark 10:51).
The blind beggar, Bartimaeus, had a one-track mind. All

he wanted was to get his sight, and get it he did. “Then,
Jesus said to him, ‘Go your way; your faith has made you
well.’ And immediately he received his sight and followed
Jesus on the road” (verse 52). The literal Greek translation
of Jesus’ words reads, “Your faith has saved you.” That’s
salvation.
In Luke 8:43–48, we read about the woman with the issue

of blood who came behind Jesus and touched Him. She
did not want to be recognized, however, because
according to Jewish law, anyone with an issue of blood
was unclean and was not free to touch anybody. This
woman was embarrassed, but she was so desperate for
healing that she defied the Law.
Now when the woman saw that she was not hidden, she
came trembling; and falling down before Him, she
declared to Him in the presence of all the people the
reason she had touched Him and how she was healed
immediately. And He [Jesus] said to her, “Daughter, be of
good cheer; your faith has made you well [sozo]. Go in
peace.”(verses 47–48)
How wonderful! Being healed from blindness and from

an issue of blood are both parts of salvation.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross and that my
healing is a part of salvation. I proclaim that Jesus was
wounded that I might be healed. Amen.

(audio)
APRIL 11
GIVING THANKS
There is tremendous potential in giving thanks. Not only

does it release the miracle-working power of God, but also
after God’s miracle-working power has been set in
operation, giving thanks sets the seal on the blessings
received.
As he [Jesus] was going into a village, ten men who had

leprosy met him. They stood at a distance and called out
in a loud voice, “Jesus, Master, have pity on us!” When he
saw them, he said, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.”
And as they went, they were cleansed. One of them, when
he saw he was healed, came back, praising God in a loud
voice. He threw himself at Jesus’ feet and thanked him—
and he was a Samaritan. Jesus asked, “Were not all ten
cleansed? Where are the other nine? Was no one found to
return and give praise to God except this foreigner?” Then
he said to him, “Rise and go; your faith has made you
well.”(Luke 17:12–19 niv)
All ten lepers were healed physically. But something extra

happened to the one who returned to give thanks. Jesus
said, “Rise and go; your faith has made you well.” The
word for “well” in Greek is sozo, meaning “to save.” Again,
it nearly always indicates something more than mere
physical or temporary provision from God. It is the all-
inclusive word for salvation.
There was one important difference between the lepers.
Nine were healed in an exclusively physical sense. The
tenth, who came back to give thanks to God, was healed
not only physically, but also spiritually—his soul was
saved. He was brought into a right, eternal relationship
with God. The nine others received a partial, temporary
blessing; the tenth received total, permanent blessing. The
difference was the giving of thanks.

that giving thanks brings total, permanent blessing and
that Jesus was wounded that I might be healed. Amen.
Thanksgiving (audio)
APRIL 12
HE BORE OUR SICKNESSES
Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows;

yet we esteemed Him stricken, smitten by God, and
afflicted. But He was wounded for our transgressions, He
was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our
peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
(Isaiah 53:4–5)
This translation is not literal, and it has consequently

deprived millions of English-speaking believers of their
physical rights in Christ. Still, there is no doubt as to the
correct meaning of these words. “Griefs” should be
“sicknesses”; “sorrows” should be “pains.” They are basic
Hebrew root words, used with these meanings in the days
of Moses and having the same meanings today. This is
stated clearly in Scripture:
[Jesus] cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who
were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by
Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our
infirmities and bore our sicknesses.”(Matthew 8:16–17)
[He] Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree,
that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness;
by whose stripes you were healed.(1 Peter 2:24)
We see that Matthew and Peter, Jews alike who knew

Hebrew and were inspired by the Holy Spirit, gave the
correct meanings to those words of Isaiah. If you combine
these passages from Matthew and Peter, you get three
statements taken from Isaiah 53:4–5 about the physical
and spiritual realms. Physical realm: He took our
infirmities; He bore our sicknesses; we are healed.
Spiritual realm: He was wounded for our transgressions;
He was bruised for our iniquities; the punishment that
procured our peace was upon Him.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. Jesus took
my infirmities—my sicknesses—and healed me. Jesus was
Full Salvation and How to Enter In, Part 1 (audio)

APRIL 13
REMOVING BARRIERS TO HEALING
Often, issues within the hearts and lives of God’s people

act as barriers to healing. Seven common such barriers
are: (1) ignorance of God’s Word (see Isaiah 5:13; Hosea
4:6); (2) unbelief (see Hebrews 3:12–13); (3) unconfessed
sin (see Proverbs 28:13); (4) resentment and unforgiveness
toward others (see Mark 11:25–26); (5) occult involvement
(see Exodus 23:24–26); (6) unscriptural covenants, i.e.,
Freemasonry (see Exodus 23:31–33); and (7) the effects of
a curse (see Deuteronomy 28:15–68). Sometimes
sicknesses are caused by, or associated with, the presence
of evil spirits. Let’s look at just one example from the
gospel of Luke.
When the sun was setting, all those who had any that
were sick with various diseases brought them to Him; and
He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them.
And demons [evil spirits] also came out of many, crying
out.(Luke 4:40–41)
When the supernatural power of God comes into

operation, evil spirits cannot stand it any longer; they
have to come out.
There are different ways in which evil spirits are

associated with sickness. There are spirits of infirmity,
pain, crippling, and death, to name only four. Jesus
encountered a woman who was bent double and could
not stand up straight. Rather than treat her condition as a
physical ailment, He said that she had been bound by a
spirit of infirmity for eighteen years. Then, He loosed her
from the spirit, and she immediately straightened up. (See
Luke 13:11–13.)

that when God’s supernatural power comes into
operation, all barriers to healing fall because Jesus was
Invisible Barriers to Healing (audio)

APRIL 14
HEALING FOR ALL
When evening had come, they brought to Him many who

were demon-possessed. And He cast out the spirits with a
word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying:
“He Himself took our infirmities and bore our
sicknesses.”(Matthew 8:16–17)
Matthew used two words for physical problems:

“infirmities” and “sicknesses.” To distinguish between
them, we could define infirmities as weaknesses—the
things we are liable to, such as allergic reactions and bee
stings; sicknesses we could define as actual diseases, such
as cholera or influenza.
Matthew wrote that the healing ministry of Jesus was the

fulfillment of Isaiah 53, emphasizing that Jesus “healed
all.” Why? Because in the eternal counsel of God, He had
already taken our sicknesses and borne our pains. That is
good news! If the church really believed that, evangelism
would be pretty simple.
Going to Pakistan was a revealing experience for me

because the population is 98 percent Muslim. We had as
many as 16,000 people in our meetings without much
advertising. Why? Because we prayed for the sick—and
they were healed. Not all of them, more like just a few of
them. The blind saw, the deaf heard, the lame walked.
Believe me, there is no problem getting a crowd when
healings occur. It is the number one method in the New
Testament to attract people.

that by Jesus’ sacrifice, God’s healing is available to all,
myself included, because Jesus was wounded that I might
be healed. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 1: The Exchange Introduced

(audio)
APRIL 15
APPROPRIATING HEALING
In 1943, I was sick and spent many months in the hospital.

A woman from the Salvation Army came to visit and pray
for me. At that time, I received this word from God:
“Consider the work of Calvary; a perfect work—perfect in
every respect, perfect in every aspect.” I have been
considering this statement ever since, and I have only
touched the fringe of what took place at the cross. It is a
perfect work. From whatever aspect we view the cross, it
is finished. Whatever type of help we need, it is settled
forever at the cross.
“That sounds easy,” you may say, “but how can we

appropriate it?” On the subject of healing, many people
wonder, How can I know whether it’s God’s will to heal?
If we are children of God, we are asking the wrong

question. Healing is the children’s bread. Jesus said, “It is
not good to take the children’s bread and throw it to the
little dogs [unbelievers]” (Matthew 15:26). The Syro-
Phoenician woman had the right answer: “Lord, I don’t
need a loaf. Just give me a crumb and it’ll get the demon
out of my daughter.” That woman really had faith—a lot
more than the children who had the whole loaf offered
them and were still sick! A father may not be able to give
his family ice cream or T-bone steaks, but every father has
an obligation to provide bread. God the Father has put the
children’s bread on the table—yours and mine.
I rephrase the question in this way: How may I
appropriate the healing that is already provided? For the
believer, healing and the atonement are never in the
future. It is now up to us to appropriate our inheritance.
All is provided for us in the testament—the will sealed by
the death of Jesus.

that I am now appropriating the perfect work of Jesus on
Calvary—for Jesus was wounded that I might be healed.
Amen.

WEEK 16:
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might

be made righteous with His righteousness.
He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us,

that we might become the righteousness of God
in Him.
APRIL 16
A CLEAR EXCHANGE
Jesus was made sin with our sinfulness that we might be

made righteous with His righteousness.
He [God] made Him [Jesus] who knew no sin to be sin for

us, that we might become the righteousness of God in
Him.(2 Corinthians 5:21)
God made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus. The
exchange there is very clear: Jesus was made sin so that
we might become righteousness. Notice that it is not by
our own righteousness that we are made righteous, but by
the righteousness of God. In Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, “But
seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and
all these things shall be added to you.”
The only righteousness acceptable in heaven is the

righteousness of God received through faith in Jesus
Christ. Isaiah 64:6 reads, “We are all like an unclean thing,
and all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags.” This
verse does not say that all our sins are like filthy rags, but
that all our righteousnesses are like filthy rags. Even the
best efforts we make to be religious—to please God and
serve Him in our own strength—are but filthy rags. These
filthy rags do not fit us for the courts of heaven. God
requires that we put away those filthy rags of our own
righteousness. We must cease from relying on our own
good works and religious activities, acknowledging that
we are sinful. We must believe that Jesus was made sin
with our sinfulness on the cross so that we, in turn, might
be made righteous with His righteousness.

that I put away my own righteousness and seek God’s
righteousness instead, because Jesus was made sin with
my sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His
righteousness. Amen.
Atonement (audio)
APRIL 17
THE LORD’S DECISION

Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise Him [Jesus]; He has put

Him to grief.(Isaiah 53:10)
There is nothing wrong with the translation of this verse,

but the word “pleased” does not accurately represent our
modern usage of the term. It means it was the Lord’s
decision, or purpose. For instance, a criminal in Britain is
sentenced by the judge to be detained “for the queen’s
pleasure.” It’s not that the queen takes pleasure in the
detention of the criminal, but that she considers it
necessary. Historically, this phrase goes back to the
Elizabethan period in England. So, when Scripture says “it
pleased the Lord,” it does not mean the Lord took
pleasure in bruising His Son, but rather that it was the
Lord’s decision, it was His purpose. He saw fit to do it; He
saw that it was necessary.
The Hebrew language is so condensed that it is almost

impossible to translate it completely and accurately into
another language. There are only about four Hebrew
words in the first two lines of that verse. Where it says “It
pleased the Lord to bruise Him; He has put Him to grief,”
the best translation I can find is “unto sickness” or “to
make Him sickness by bruising Him.” The word
translated “put Him to grief” (chalah) occurs also in
Micah 6:13. God was speaking to rebellious, stubborn
Israel, saying, “Therefore also I will make you sick
[chalah] by striking you.” There, the New King James
Version has translated it by the correct, literal word.

that the Lord made Jesus sickness by smiting Him and
that Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be
made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.

APRIL 18
THE PERFECT OFFERING

It was the Lord’s “pleasure” to make Jesus sick, or “to

make Him sickness by bruising Him.” Jesus was bruised
unto sickness, physically. His body was crushed, marred,
mutilated—whatever word you want to use. He became
total sickness on the cross.
When You [God] make His [Jesus’] soul an offering for sin,
He shall see His seed.(Isaiah 53:10)
Where the English says “an offering for sin,” the Hebrew
uses only one word, asham, which means “guilt,” “sin,” or
“sin offering.” In the language of the Old Testament, the
same word was used for both guilt and guilt offering.
Why? Because under the Levitical law, when the
sacrificial animal was brought as a sin offering, the man
whose sin was being atoned for laid his hands on the head
of the animal and confessed his sin over that animal,
thereby symbolically transferring his sin to the animal. In
that way, the sin offering became sin with the man’s sin.
Then, the animal was dealt with; instead of the man being
killed, the animal was.
All this, of course, is representative of the death of Christ.

The writer of Hebrews said it was not possible for the
blood of bulls or goats to take away sins. (See Hebrews
10:4.) The sacrificial system was just a picture leading up
to the transaction that was fulfilled on the cross. But here,
speaking about the actual event, the Scripture says that
God made the soul of Jesus to be sin. That is the real
meaning of “make His soul an offering for sin.” The
apostle Paul confirmed this point when he quoted Isaiah
53:10 in this passage: “For He made Him who knew no sin
to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness
of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

that Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I might be
made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.

APRIL 19
COMPLETE PROVISION

God, through the cross, has dealt with the problem of

guilt. He has made complete provision for the past; “He
forgave us all our sins” (Colossians 2:13 niv). Through the
death of Jesus Christ on our behalf—through our
Representative, who carried our guilt and paid our
penalty—God is able to forgive every one of our sinful
acts without compromising His own justice, because His
justice has been satisfied by the death of Christ. We need
to understand that all our past sinful acts, no matter how
numerous or how serious, have been forgiven when we
put our faith in Jesus.
God not only has made complete provision for the past,
but also has made complete provision for the future,
“having canceled the written code, with its regulations,
that was against us and that stood opposed to us; he took
it away, nailing it to the cross” (verse 14 niv).
The written code is the law of Moses. On the cross, Jesus

did away with the law of Moses as a means of obtaining
righteousness with God. As long as the law was the
requirement for righteousness, every time we broke even
one of the most minor requirements, we were guilty
before God. But when the law was taken out of the way,
provision was made for us to live free from guilt because
our faith is now reckoned to us as righteousness. As Paul
wrote, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness
to everyone who believes” (Romans 10:4 nasb). Christ is
the end of the law for righteousness for everyone who
believes—Jew or Gentile, Catholic or Protestant, it makes
no difference. He is the end of the law as a means to
achieve righteousness with God. We are not required to
keep the law in order to be righteous.

that God has made complete provision for past, present,
and future sins, because Jesus was made sin with my
sinfulness that I might be made righteous with His
righteousness. Amen.
Spiritual Warfare: The Nature of War (audio)

APRIL 20
THE “ROMANS RECIPE”

Let’s now look at the “Romans Recipe” of Romans 6. The

word recipe evokes the image of a cookbook. If we
Christians used the Bible in the same simple, practical
way that chefs use cookbooks, we would find that God’s
recipes always work. The Romans Recipe is God’s way of
making the truths of the gospel work in our lives.
What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that

grace may increase? By no means! We died to sin; how
can we live in it any longer? Or don’t you know that all of
us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into
his death? We were therefore buried with him through
baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised
from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may
live a new life. If we have been united with him like this
in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in
his resurrection. For we know that our old self was
crucified with him so that the body of sin might be done
away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin—
because anyone who has died has been freed from sin.
Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also
live with him. For we know that since Christ was raised
from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has
mastery over him. The death he died, he died to sin once
for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.(Romans 6:1–10
niv)
The outcome of this “recipe” is tremendous: “sin shall not
be your master”—sin will no longer dominate or control
you. Deliverance from sin and all its evil consequences
comes through our identification with Jesus Christ in His
death, burial, resurrection, and ascension.

that sin shall not be my master—because Jesus was made
sin with my sinfulness that I might be made righteous
with His righteousness. Amen.
Identification, Part 4 (audio)

APRIL 21
ENTERING INTO LIFE

Today, we will look more closely at the ingredients of the

“Romans Recipe.” Romans 6 (niv) presents successive
points of identification. First, “we died to sin” (verse 1)
when Jesus died, and we identify ourselves with His
death. When Jesus was crucified, our “old self” (verse 6),
the rebel nature we inherited from Adam, was also
crucified. Second, “we were…buried with him” (verse 4).
By baptism into His death, we died and were buried with
Him. Third, we are “united with him in his resurrection”
(verse 5). Following Him through death and burial, we
move out into His resurrection life, sharing His life with
Him. The practical, successive consequences of this
identification with Jesus in His death, burial, and
resurrection are as follows:
“The body of sin [is] done away with” (verse 6). The
corrupt, evil nature that enslaved us and made us do
wrong even when we desired to do right is rendered
powerless. It has been put to death.
Consequently, we are “no longer…slaves to sin” (verse 6).

Sin no longer compels us to do harmful, destructive things
that will ultimately bring disaster upon us, on earth and
in eternity.
Then, we are “freed from sin” (verse 7). We are literally
justified, or acquitted. Jesus paid the final penalty for our
sin; there is no more to pay. Having been released from
the power and guilt of sin, we now have good consciences
and can stand before the throne of almighty God without
fear.
Finally, “we will also live with him [Christ]” (verse 8).
What a tremendous promise! We will share His eternal
resurrection life. He died once to sin; He cannot die again.
He lives forever to God, and we enter into that eternal life.

that by my identification with Jesus, I am no longer a
slave to sin. Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I
might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.

APRIL 22
WE WILL BE DELIVERED

The next part of the Romans Recipe, the practical how-to,

is found in Romans 6:11–13.
First, “count yourselves dead” (verse 11). The Bible says

we are dead—believe it! Paul said, “I have been crucified
with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in
me” (Galatians 2:20). Paul saw Christ’s crucifixion and
death as his own. He thought that way and talked that
way, reckoning it true. We must do the same.
Steps two and three are negative admonitions: “Do not let
sin reign in your mortal body” (verse 12) and “Do not
offer the parts of your body to sin” (verse 13). Before, we
could not help yielding to sin; now, we have a choice.
There is a power in us greater than sin. We have been
liberated, justified. However, we must exercise our wills.
When temptation comes, we must firmly and finally say,
“No! I will not yield my body or my members! I do not
yield to you, Satan; I belong to Jesus.”
Step four is positive: “Offer yourselves to God” (verse 13).

We cannot be independent agents and remain free from
sin. We must choose to serve God rather than Satan,
offering ourselves as sacrifices to God, giving all we are
and all we have—holding nothing back. Next, Paul said,
“Offer the parts of your body to him [God]” (verse 13).
Yield every part of your body to God for Him to use as He
wants for His glory.
The result is that “sin shall not be your master” (verse 14).
We are set free from shame, degradation, agony—all the
evils sin brings. If we follow the Romans Recipe—working
through our identification with Jesus in death, burial, and
resurrection—we will be delivered.

that through identification with Jesus, I will be delivered
—because Jesus was made sin with my sinfulness that I
might be made righteous with His righteousness. Amen.

WEEK 17:
Jesus died our death that we might receive His life.
But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower

than the angels, for the suffering of death
crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the
grace of God, might taste death for everyone.
—Hebrews 2:9
APRIL 23
ATONEMENT: THE HUB
To illustrate the role of the atonement in the total message

of the gospel, consider the structure of a wheel, which has
three basic sections: the outer circle, the spokes, and the
hub. In this picture, the outer circle represents God’s
complete provision for every area of our lives—spiritual,
physical, and financial, for time and through eternity. The
spokes that support the outermost circle of the wheel are
ways in which God makes provision. For instance, He
makes provision through forgiveness (peace), healing
(health), deliverance (liberty), sanctification (holiness),
and so forth. Now, without the central hub, the spokes
have nothing to support them. Also, through the hub
comes the driving power to turn the wheel. In God’s
provision, the atonement is the center hub, supplying the
power for the Christian life.
From Hebrews 2:9, we learn that by the grace of God,

Jesus tasted death for everyone. He took our place; that
which was due to us came upon Him. Isaiah 53:6 says, “All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every
one, to his own way; and the Lord has laid on Him the
iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:6).
“Iniquity” also means “rebellion.” The rebellion of the

entire human race is summed up in that phrase. We have
turned our backs on God and gone our own ways—set our
own standards, pleased ourselves, lived for ourselves. We
have been rebellious, but the Lord placed on Jesus the
rebellion of us all; all of our rebellion was concentrated
on Him. As He hung on the cross, all the evil
consequences of our rebellion came upon Him: sickness,
rejection, pain, agony, and, finally, death. But He did not
die for Himself. He died our deaths. He tasted death in
our place.

that I turn from my rebellion, and that Jesus tasted death
in my place—because Jesus died my death that I might
receive His life. Amen.
Victory over Death, Part 1 (audio)

April 24
His Suffering for Us
Isaiah 53 gives us a detailed prophetic description of the

suffering of Jesus, written more than seven hundred years
before it took place.
He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He did not

open His mouth; like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and
like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, so He did not
open His mouth. By oppression and judgment He was
taken away; and as for His generation, who considered
that He was cut off out of the land of the living, for the
transgression of my people to whom the stroke was due?
His grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with
a rich man in His death, because He had done no violence,
nor was there any deceit in His mouth.(Isaiah 53:7–9
nasb)
These details were accurately fulfilled in the sufferings

and death of Jesus. First, the Gospels emphasized several
times that Jesus made no attempt to answer His accusers,
justify Himself, or plead His own cause. (See, for example,
Mark 15:3–5.) Unjust accusation and an unfair trial led to
His death, and “He was cut off out of the land of the
living.”
The details of His burial are also amazingly accurate: “His

grave was assigned with wicked men, yet He was with a
rich man in His death.” We move from the plural “with
wicked men” to the singular “a rich man.” Historically, we
find that Jesus was taken down for burial with two thieves
who were hung on either side of Him, but then He was
buried in the tomb of a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea.
Isaiah emphasizes that it was not for His own sin or guilt
that Jesus died. He was totally innocent, yet He died the
death of a criminal.

that You suffered and died for me—that Jesus died my
death that I might receive His life. Amen.

APRIL 25
OUR AMAZING REPRESENTATIVE
Let’s look at some Scriptures that speak about how Christ

identified Himself with the human race and expiated its
guilt.
Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in

their humanity so that by his death he might destroy him
who holds the power of death—that is, the devil—and free
those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear
of death.(Hebrews 2:14–15 niv)
When Adam rebelled, instead of being a king, he became

a slave—bound by Satan, death, and corruption. He was
no longer free. But in order to deliver human beings from
that slavery, Jesus took upon Himself the form of
humanity, the Adamic nature. He took upon Himself the
same flesh and blood that you and I have so that by His
death, He might destroy the one who holds the power of
death—that is, the devil—and free all those of us who all
our lives were held in slavery by the fear of death. On the
cross, Jesus took upon Himself the fallen nature of human
beings and their sins. This is also stated in 1 Peter 2:24:
“He himself [Jesus] bore our sins in his body on the tree,
so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness; by
his wounds you have been healed” (niv).
On the cross, Jesus became completely identified with our

sin and our guilt. He became the last great guilt offering
that took away the sin and guilt of the human race. He
bore our sin and our punishment. Our wounds became
His wounds, and He died our deaths. He expiated that
guilt of rebellion as our representative, the last Adam,
hanging on the cross, shedding His lifeblood, giving
Himself totally to redeem us.

that You gave Yourself totally to redeem me, and that Jesus
died my death that I might receive His life. Amen.
Pride vs. Humility, Part 1 (audio)

APRIL 26
IDENTIFYING WITH JESUS
Looking beyond Christ’s identification with us, we find

that, in turn, through faith and repentance, we can be
identified with Christ—not only in His death, but also in
His subsequent exaltation.
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been
saved. And God raised us up with Christ and seated us
with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.
(Ephesians 2:4–6 niv)
This is the opposite side of identification. First, Jesus

identified Himself with us, the fallen race. He took our
place, paid our penalty, and died our death. He expiated
our guilt. Then, as we identify ourselves with Him and His
death in faith, we are also identified with Him in all that
follows His death. Three great steps of our identification
with Jesus are stated in Ephesians 2:4–6. First, “God…
made us alive with Christ.” Second, “God raised us up
with Christ.” He resurrected us with Christ. But it doesn’t
stop there. Third, “God…seated us with Him in the
heavenly realms.” God seated us with Christ on His
throne. He enthroned us in Christ.
Notice those three upward steps of identification with

Jesus: we are made alive with Him, resurrected with Him,
and enthroned with Him. The way up is down; from the
lowest, we go to the highest. God exalts the lowest to the
highest, and this principle runs all through Scripture. It is
not just a matter of history but the outworking of a
universal law: Whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
Whoever exalts himself will be humbled. (See Matthew
23:12 niv.)

that I humble myself before God, identifying myself with
Jesus to be made alive with Him, resurrected with Him
and enthroned with Him—because Jesus died my death
that I might receive His life. Amen.
Pride vs. Humility, Part 1 (audio)

APRIL 27
HIDDEN WITH CHRIST
When we are first confronted with the cross, we tend to

recoil. But the cross of Jesus is the door to a secret place
that no animal can find, no bird can see, and all the rest of
creation does not know. (See Job 28:7–8.) It is in the
spiritual realm. Paul said,
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your
hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on
earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears,
then you also will appear with him in glory.(Colossians
3:1–4 niv)
The key phrase, “your life is now hidden with Christ in

God,” is not talking about the next world, but the here and
now. Being hidden with Christ in God means being in the
secret place. The secret is that when Jesus died, He did not
die for Himself; He died for us as our representative,
taking our guilt and condemnation on Himself.
Based on our understanding by faith in Scripture, we

know that when Jesus died and was raised, we died and
were raised. We passed through death into a realm the
senses cannot discern and creatures do not perceive. We
are in Christ, and we are in God; nothing can reach us
unless it comes through God and through Christ. We are
here in the flesh, but our lives are not in this visible
world. We may go through many difficulties and
pressures in these clay vessels, but we have a life that is
eternal, incorruptible, and indestructible. This is total
security. No matter what comes, in Christ we are in the
secret place of the Most High, protected from all harm and
all danger. (See Psalm 91:1–2.) And the door to the secret
place is the cross.

that by the cross, I have entered into the secret place of
the Most High. I am protected from all harm and danger,
because Jesus died my death that I might receive His life.
Amen.
Where to Find Security, Part 2 (audio)

APRIL 28
ABUNDANT, ETERNAL LIFE
Jesus called Himself the “good shepherd” (John 10:11, 14).

The shepherd’s provision, as illustrated in Psalm 23, can
be summed up in one tremendous phrase: total security.
But remember that all provision is measured by our
commitment. When our commitment is total, our security
is total. If there are limits to our commitment, then we do
not enjoy the total security Jesus offers.
We can reinforce this Old Testament illustration by

looking at the words of Jesus in the New Testament: “The
thief comes only to steal, and kill, and destroy; I came that
they might have life, and might have it abundantly” (John
10:10 nasb). Jesus was telling us the reason that He came
to earth. He summed it up in a simple phrase: that we
“might have life.” Not life in a small or limited way, but
life “abundantly.” Life overflowing. Life for every area of
our being. Life more than sufficient for every challenge
and every pressure that comes against us.
Then, a little further on, Jesus used the phrase, “eternal

life”:
My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they

follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they shall
never perish; and no one shall snatch them out of My
hand.(John 10:27–28 nasb)
Notice the central phrases: “I give eternal life to them, and
they shall never perish.” By this passage, we see that Jesus
came so that we might have eternal life, a life that
stretches beyond this world. A life that goes beyond the
grave. A life that lasts for eternity. I once heard somebody
make this insightful comment: “I believe that I shall live
as long as God lives because God has become my life.”
That is the kind of life that Jesus came to offer us. His life
—eternally.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. By Your

death, I have abundant, eternal life, because Jesus died my
death that I might receive His life. Amen.
The Sheepfold (audio)

APRIL 29
THE TOTAL EXCHANGE
We all like sheep have gone astray; we have turned, every

one, to his own way.(Isaiah 53:6)
This passage can be summarized in one word: rebellion. It

is the common sin of all humanity. The prophet
continued, “And the Lord has laid on Him [Jesus] the
iniquity of us all” (verse 6). The word iniquity (Hebrew,
avon) means “rebellion,” “the punishment for rebellion,”
and “all the evil consequences of rebellion.” On the cross,
Jesus—our substitute, the last Adam—became the rebel
with our rebellion and endured all the evil consequences
of rebellion.
This is the door to God’s treasure house, if we can grasp it.

This is the exchange: All the evil our rebellion deserved
came upon Jesus so that all the good He deserved—
because of His perfect obedience—might be offered to us.
In whatever way we look at that exchange, it was total.
Jesus was punished so that we might be forgiven. He was
wounded so that we might be healed. He bore our sin so
that we might share His righteousness. He died our death
so that we might share His life. He was made a curse so
that we might receive the blessing. He endured our
poverty so that we might share His abundance. He bore
our shame so that we might have His glory. He endured
our rejection so that we might have His acceptance.
Just picture the rebel on the cross and know that you are
that rebel—indeed, you should be hanging there. But
Jesus took your place. He not only bore your rebellion, but
also bore all its evil consequences so that you might enter
into all the blessings of His perfect obedience. That is
grace at work. You cannot earn it, you did not deserve it,
and you had no claim upon it. There is only one way to
receive it, and that is by faith. Just believe.

that Jesus died my death that I might receive His life.
Amen.

video)
WEEK 18:
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into

the blessing.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the

law, having become a curse for us (for it is
written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a
tree”).
—Galatians 3:13
APRIL 30
THE REALITY OF BLESSINGS

AND CURSES
Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into the

blessing.
Christ was made a curse on the cross so that we might

qualify for and receive the blessing. In order to receive
this provision God has made for us, it is necessary that we
understand the nature of blessings and curses. If we do
not understand these two concepts, we will not be able to
avail ourselves of God’s provision.
Both blessings and curses are major themes of Scripture.

The word “bless” or “blessing” occurs more than 410
times in the Bible; the word curse occurs nearly 160 times.
In other words, the Bible has a great deal to say about
both. Both are absolutely real—so real that Jesus had to be
made a curse so that we might be redeemed from the
curse and receive the blessing.
Some people are inclined to think that blessings are real

but curses are imaginary, or hypothetical. That is an
illogical idea. If we consider any pair of opposites, it
stands to reason that if one is real, the other must be real.
Take day and night, for example. If day is real, then night
is also real. Heat and cold—if heat is real, then cold is
real. Good and evil—if good is real, then evil is real. We
cannot accept one and ignore the other. So it is with
blessings and curses. Blessings are real, and so are curses.
The Bible has much to teach us about the nature of
blessings and curses, how they operate, how to recognize
a curse at work in your life, and how to be delivered. If we
remain ignorant, it will be to our own cost. We will miss
much of the total provision that God has made for us
through the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross if we fail
to understand His exchange of blessing for curse.

my belief that blessings are real, and so are curses—so
real that Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into
the blessing. Amen.
From Curse to Blessing, Part 1 (audio)

MAY
MAY 1
REDEEMED FROM THE CURSE

blessing.
Let’s consider the nature and scope of our redemption

through Christ. Our Scripture for today is Galatians 3:13–
14:
Christ redeemed us from the curse of the Law, having

become a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is
everyone who hangs on a tree”—in order that in Christ
Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles,
so that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith.(nasb)
Paul was referring here to the law of Moses, detailed in

the book of Deuteronomy, where God said that everyone
who is put to death by hanging on a tree is under a curse.
(The word tree also signifies a piece of wood that makes a
cross.) The evidence that such a person is under the curse
is that he is hanging visibly on a piece of wood.
In order to redeem us from the curse of the law, Christ

became a curse for us. This was demonstrated visibly
when He hung on the cross. It was necessary for Him to
become a curse because the curse of God follows all sin
and disobedience against God.
The secret of what took place on the cross is that there

was a divinely ordained exchange—something that could
not be seen by the natural eye, but could be perceived
only through the revelation of God through the Holy Spirit
and the Scriptures. Christ became a curse—He took the
curse due to our sin and disobedience—so that we, in
return, through faith in Him, might have access to the
blessing that was due to His sinless obedience.

that to redeem me from the curse of the law, Christ
became a curse for me. Jesus was made a curse that I
might enter into the blessing. Amen.
Claiming Our Inheritance, Part 1 (audio)

MAY 2
COMMON INDICATIONS OF A CURSE

blessing.
I have compiled a list of seven common manifestations of

a curse. Most curses do not concern one individual
exclusively; rather, they usually concern families or larger
communities. The essential feature of curses and
blessings alike in the Bible is that they are passed down
from generation to generation unless something happens
to cut them off. I have dealt with people whose problems
went back hundreds of years in family history.
On the basis of my personal observation, here are seven

indications that usually signify the presence of a curse
over your life or your family. If you experience only one
of these, I would not say for sure there is a curse. But if
several of them show up in your family, in different areas
and in multiple generations, you can be almost sure that a
curse is in place. These indications are the following: (1)
mental and emotional breakdown; (2) repeated or chronic
sicknesses, especially if they are hereditary; (3) repeated
miscarriages or related female problems; (4) breakdown
of marriage and family alienation, especially a family
history of them; (5) financial insufficiency, if it is ongoing;
(6)being known as “accident-prone”; and (7) having a
family a history of suicides or unnatural deaths.
We will not dwell on the problem, but we will affirm the

solution. Jesus was made a curse that we might enter into
the blessing.

that for every indication of a curse in my life, Jesus’ death
was the solution, for Jesus was made a curse that I might
enter into the blessing. Amen.
The Exchange at the Cross (audio, video)

MAY 3
BLESSING IN ALL AREAS

blessing.
I want to revisit Galatians 3:13–14 because I want you to

absorb it.
Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law…that

the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in
Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the
Spirit through faith.
But what was the “blessing of Abraham”? We do not need

to speculate about that, because it is specifically revealed
in Scripture.
Now Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the

Lord had blessed Abraham in all things.(Genesis 24:1)
This verse might give you the impression that Abraham

was hobbling around with a cane, but it just says that he
was “well advanced in age.” It is pretty obvious that he
was not hobbling around with a cane because, quite a
number of years later, he made a long journey to Mount
Moriah and came back again.
What is “the blessing of Abraham”? Abraham was blessed

“in all things,” so the blessing covers all things. In this
connection, Paul said that we must receive the promise of
the Spirit through faith. I believe this means that we can
receive the blessing only through receiving the Holy
Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the administrator of all our
blessed inheritance.

that I receive by faith the promise of the Holy Spirit—“the
blessing of Abraham,” covering all areas of my life—
because Jesus was made a curse that I might enter into the
blessing. Amen.
Keys to God’s Abundance: The Conditions (audio)

MAY 4
THE ADMINISTRATOR
OF THE BLESSING

blessing.
The Holy Spirit is the administrator of all the inheritance

of “the blessing of Abraham” (Galatians 3:14). In Genesis
24, we find a beautiful story to illustrate this truth. The
story tells how Abraham obtained a bride for his son
Isaac. It is a very simple but beautiful parable with four
main characters, three of whom are the following:
Abraham, who represents God the Father; Isaac,
Abraham’s son, who represents God’s only begotten Son,
Jesus; and Rebekah, the bride, who represents the church
(the bride of Christ). There is one other individual, and he
is, in a sense, the main character. That character is the
nameless servant, who represents the Holy Spirit. If we
read the chapter with those personalities in mind, it will
reveal almost limitless truths to us.
Notice that at the beginning of the chapter, it says that

everything that Abraham owned was under the control of
the servant. He was the administrator of the entire estate
of Abraham the father and Isaac the son. That is true of
the Holy Spirit, too; He is the administrator of the entire
wealth of the Godhead. We are heirs of God and joint
heirs with Jesus Christ. But the administrator of our
inheritance is the Holy Spirit. Apart from the Holy Spirit,
we cannot receive or enjoy our inheritance.
When the Bible speaks about our inheritance as the
children of Abraham, it refers specifically to receiving the
promise of the Spirit, who alone can bring us into all the
blessings that are our inheritance. The blessing of
Abraham is “in all things” (Genesis 24:1), but the
administrator of the blessing is the Holy Spirit. Hence
Paul’s specific mention in Galatians of receiving the
promise of the Spirit.

that the administrator of my inheritance is the Holy Spirit,
and I receive the promise of the Spirit by faith—“the
blessing of Abraham” in all things—because Jesus was
made a curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
Keys to God’s Abundance: The Conditions (audio)

MAY 5
“THE PROMISE OF MY FATHER”

blessing.
The believer’s receiving of the gift of the Holy Spirit does

not depend in any way upon his own merits; it depends
solely upon the all-sufficiency of Christ’s atonement. It is
through faith, not by works, “that we might receive the
promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14).
This idea agrees with Jesus’ final charge to His disciples

just before His ascension: “Behold, I send the Promise of
My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem
until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke
24:49). Jesus was speaking about the baptism in the Holy
Spirit that the disciples would receive at Pentecost.
The phrase “the Promise of My Father” gives us wonderful

insight into the mind and purpose of God the Father
concerning the gift of the Holy Spirit. Someone
conservatively estimated that the Bible contains seven
thousand distinct promises given by God to His believing
people. But among these, Jesus singled out just one from
all the rest as being unique: the promise of the Spirit.
Paul called this “the blessing of Abraham” (Galatians

3:14), thus linking it with the supreme purpose of God in
choosing Abraham for Himself. When God first called
Abraham out of Ur, He said, “I will bless you…; and you
shall be a blessing.…And in you all the families of the
earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 12:2–3). In subsequent
dealings with Abraham, God reaffirmed His purpose
many times. “I will bless you….In your seed all the nations
of the earth shall be blessed” (Genesis 22:17–18). All these
promises of God looked forward to Paul’s words: “the
promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:14). Jesus shed His
blood on the cross to purchase this blessing, promised to
the seed of Abraham.

that Jesus shed His blood on the cross to purchase the
blessing of Abraham—what He called “the Promise of My
Father”—and I receive the blessed promise of the Holy
Spirit, because Jesus was made a curse that I might enter
into the blessing. Amen.
Foundational Truths for Christian Living (book)

MAY 6
OVERTAKEN BY BLESSINGS

blessing.
Once when I was in Ireland, there was a six-year-old boy

whose parents gave him some potatoes to plant. He
planted his potatoes, and a week later, he went outside to
see if they were growing. There was no sign of growth.
Two weeks later, he still saw nothing, so he dug them up
to see if they were sprouting at all. In the end, he dug
them up three or four times, and they never grew!
Some Christians are like that little boy. They plant their
potatoes of faith, then dig them up to see if they are
growing. The essence of faith is to let God grow us. We
meet the conditions, but God fulfills the promise and
blesses us. Deuteronomy 28:2 says to those who meet
God’s conditions, “All these blessings shall come upon you
and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the Lord
your God.” I love the word “overtake.” It is not for us to
run after the blessings; they run after us. We can go to bed
at night and ponder what blessings will have caught up
with us by the time we wake up in the morning!
In the same way, Matthew 6:33 tells us, “But seek first the
kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these
things shall be added to you.” We do not seek the “things”;
we seek the kingdom. Then, God adds all the things we
need.
These, then, are the conditions for receiving God’s
abundance: first, our motives and attitudes must be right;
second, we must exercise faith; third, we must honor God,
our parents, and God’s ministers by giving; fourth, we
must practice right thinking, speaking, and acting; and
fifth, we must let God add in His way and His time. If we
meet these conditions, we can be certain that God’s
abundant blessings will overtake us. This is one way that
we enter into God’s blessing.

that I will seek first the kingdom of God, and, as I do, that
His blessings will overtake me—because Jesus was made a
curse that I might enter into the blessing. Amen.
“Victory in Praise” (New Wine article)

WEEK 19:
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share

His abundance.
For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ,

that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He
became poor, that you through His poverty
might become rich.
MAY 7
EXHAUSTING THE CURSE
Jesus endured our poverty that we might share His

abundance.
Jesus bore the poverty curse, which is presented in its

most absolute form in Deuteronomy 28:48: “Therefore
you shall serve your enemies, whom the Lord will send
against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in
need of everything.”
Some years ago, while I was preaching on the theme of

God’s financial provision, I received a revelation from the
Holy Spirit that went beyond anything in the sermon
outline I had prepared. While I continued to stand before
the people and speak to them, I was having an inner
mental vision of Jesus on the cross. I saw Him there in all
the stark reality Scripture describes. The Holy Spirit went
over the four aspects of the poverty curse for me, one by
one, showing me that Jesus totally exhausted the curse in
all its aspects.
First, He was hungry—when He was taken to be crucified,

He had not eaten for nearly twenty-four hours. Second,
He was thirsty—“I thirst” was one of His last utterances.
Third, He was naked—the Roman soldiers had stripped
Him of all His clothing and divided it among themselves.
Fourth, He was in want of all things—He had no robe to
wear while He died, nor did He own a tomb to be buried
in afterward.
Jesus had nothing. Why? Because in the divine purpose of
God, He exhausted the poverty curse on our behalf. At
first, I did not realize the full implication of what the Holy
Spirit was showing me. Looking back, however, I would
have to say that this revelation has given me the basis for
my faith for prosperity. In the absolute finality of the
exchange, Jesus took the poverty curse so that we might
receive the blessing of Abraham, whom God blessed “in
all things” (Genesis 24:1), which is administered by the
Holy Spirit.

that You totally exhausted the poverty curse for me in all
its aspects because Jesus endured my poverty that I might
share His abundance. Amen.
“God’s Abundance, Part 3” (New Wine article)

MAY 8
HIS ABUNDANCE

abundance.
Many passages of Scripture support the fact that Jesus

bore the poverty curse. Let us look at two in particular,
starting with 2 Corinthians 8:9: “For ye know the grace of
our Lord Jesus Christ, that, though he was rich, yet for
your sakes he became poor, that ye through his poverty
might be rich” (kjv). I used to quote the end of that verse
as “might become rich”! But the Holy Spirit showed me
that it means “might be rich.” We can become rich and
then become poor again, but to “be” rich has a sense of
permanence. Jesus took the evil—poverty—so that we
might have the good—riches. Jesus took our poverty so
that we might have His wealth.
Some people suggest that Jesus was poor throughout His

earthly ministry, but I cannot accept this idea as accurate.
We need to keep in mind the distinction between riches
and abundance. Jesus was not rich in the sense of having
a large bank account or great material possessions, but He
certainly had abundance. Any man who can provide food
for a crowd of five thousand men (along with women and
children) is no pauper! Actually, Jesus had much more left
over after feeding about twelve thousand people than He
had when He started. (See Matthew 14:15–21.) What a
beautiful picture of abundance!
Furthermore, Jesus transmitted this abundance to His

disciples. When He sent them out to spread the gospel
message, He told them to take nothing extra with them.
Yet their testimony afterwards was that they had lacked
nothing. (See Luke 22:35.) That is not poverty!
Jesus was never worried or perplexed. He was calmly and

completely in control of every situation. He never
doubted that His Father’s goodness would provide
everything He needed. And the Father never failed Him.

that You bore the poverty curse for me that I might have
Your wealth because Jesus endured my poverty that I
might share His abundance. Amen.

MAY 9
ALL GRACE: ENOUGH AND MORE

abundance.
Having poverty means having “hunger,…thirst,…

nakedness,…and [being] in need of everything”
(Deuteronomy 28:48). When exactly did Jesus become
poor? He began to become poor the moment He was
identified with our sins. From that moment onward, He
went deeper and deeper into poverty until, on the cross,
He represented the absolute poverty described above.
Understand that at the cross, His poverty was not merely

spiritual. He was also physically and materially poor.
Therefore, by all the laws of logic, our wealth will not be
merely spiritual, either. Jesus became absolutely poor in
the physical, material sense so that we might become rich,
having every physical and material need met—and
having something leftover to share with other people.
Second Corinthians 9:8 is the second particular verse we

will study that supports the fact that Jesus bore the
poverty curse: “God is able to make all grace abound
toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all
things, may have an abundance for every [all] good
work.” God is not stingy. He does not give just enough; He
gives enough and more. That is abundance. In the verse
above, there are two instances of the word abound and
four instances of the word all. I don’t know if this
language could be any clearer. What does it describe?
God’s grace.
Interestingly enough, in 2 Corinthians 8 and 9, two

chapters that deal with money, the key word is grace. It
occurs seven times in chapter 8 and twice in chapter 9. It
is a grace that operates in the realm of money. However,
few professing Christians understand the nature of God’s
grace. I have sometimes observed that those who speak
the most about “grace” often understand it the least.

that Jesus became absolutely poor so that God’s grace
could abound for me—even in the realm of money—
because Jesus endured my poverty that I might share His
abundance. Amen.

MAY 10
GOD’S GRACE IN FINANCES

abundance.
There are three basic principles that govern the operation

of God’s grace. First, grace can never be earned;
conversely, anything that can be earned is not grace:
And if by grace, then it is no longer of works [what we

earn]; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of
works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer
work.(Romans 11:6)
This principle excludes most “religious” people from the

grace of God, because they think they can earn it.
Second, there is only one channel of grace. “For the law

was given through Moses, but grace and truth came
through Jesus Christ” (John 1:17). Any form of grace that
comes to us comes solely through Jesus Christ.
Third, there is only one means by which we can

appropriate God’s grace, and that is faith. This truth is
summed up in three successive phrases in Ephesians 2:8–
9: “For by grace you have been saved through faith,…not
of works [what we earn].”
Few Christians realize that this principle applies just as

much in the realm of financial and material provision as
it does in any other area of our lives. Scripture warns us
specifically against irresponsibility (Proverbs 10:4),
laziness (Proverbs 24:30–34), and dishonesty (Ephesians
4:28). As long as we are guilty of any of these sinful
behaviors, we have no right to expect God’s grace to work
in the financial aspect of our lives. Therefore, as
Christians, we are obligated to be honest, hard working,
and responsible.

that on the cross, Jesus took my poverty and released
God’s grace to me in the realm of financial and material
provision because Jesus endured my poverty that I might
share His abundance. Amen.

MAY 11
MEETING GOD’S CONDITIONS

abundance.
We must make an important, logical distinction between

earning God’s grace, which is impossible, and meeting
God’s conditions, which is obligatory. We cannot earn
God’s abundance, which comes only through grace;
however, we are required to meet the conditions God has
laid down for receiving His abundance through faith. If
we do not meet these conditions, our faith has no
scriptural foundation. In fact, it is merely presumption. To
meet God’s conditions, our motives and attitudes must be
right. We would all do well to examine our motives very
carefully, especially concerning monetary gain. Impure
motives concerning money include: (1) idolizing wealth
(“Covetousness…is idolatry” [Colossians 3:5]; “The love of
money is a root of all kinds of evil” [1 Timothy 6:10]); (2)
pursuing wealth by sinful methods (“Like a partridge that
hatches eggs it did not lay is the man who gains riches by
unjust means” [Jeremiah 17:11 niv]; [see also Proverbs
28:8]); (3) trusting ultimately in wealth for security and
well-being (“He who trusts in his riches will fall”
[Proverbs 11:28]; “Let not…the rich man glory in his
riches” [Jeremiah 9:23]); (4) using wealth for selfish gain
and self-serving interests (“There is one who withholds
more than is right, but it leads to poverty” [Proverbs
11:24].) In Luke 12:16–21, Jesus related the parable of the
rich man who built bigger barns and filled them with his
produce. But the Lord said to him, “Fool! This night your
soul will be required of you” (verse 20). Jesus then added,
“So is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God” (verse 21). The first direction in which we
need to be rich is toward God, giving Him our tithes and
offerings for the building of His kingdom.

that I receive God’s abundance for me through faith as I
meet His conditions because Jesus endured my poverty
that I might share His abundance. Amen.

MAY 12
CARING FOR THE POOR

abundance.
Yesterday, we considered four wrong attitudes in relation

to money. There is yet another attitude that we must be
careful to avoid, and that is a wrong attitude toward the
poor. The Bible consistently warns us against despising or
exploiting the poor.
There are a multitude of Scripture verses on this subject,

but we will look at several verses from Proverbs: He who
despises his neighbor sins; but he who has mercy on the
poor, happy is he.(Proverbs 14:21)
He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will
pay back what he has given.(Proverbs 19:17) Whoever
shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself
and not be heard.(Proverbs 21:13) He who gives to the
poor will not lack, but he who hides his eyes will have
many curses.(Proverbs 28:27) The righteous considers the
cause of the poor, but the wicked does not understand
such knowledge.(Proverbs 29:7) These verses—and others
like them—place a tremendous responsibility upon us to
have concern for the needs of the poor. One mark of
righteousness is considering the cause of the poor.
Conversely, a mark of wickedness is simply averting one’s
eyes from the plight of the poor. Furthermore, a reward is
promised in relation to caring for the poor. When we give
to the poor, Solomon told us, we are lending to the Lord.
When the Lord repays our loans, He does not forget the
interest!

that I will have concern for the needs of the poor, and that
I will care for them, because Jesus endured my poverty
that I might share His abundance. Amen.

MAY 13
ENJOYING THE BLESSING

abundance.
Let’s look at the list of curses in Deuteronomy 28. Read

this entire chapter for yourself, considering whether you
are enjoying a blessing or enduring a curse. If we are
redeemed children of God, the curses do not belong to us,
but the blessings do. Let us focus particularly on those
blessings and curses related to wealth and poverty:
If you do not obey the voice of the Lord your God, to

observe carefully all His commandments and His statutes
which I command you today, that all these curses will
come upon you and overtake you:….Cursed shall be your
basket and your kneading bowl.…You shall grope at
noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not
prosper in your ways….Because you did not serve the
Lord your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the
abundance of everything, therefore you shall serve your
enemies, whom the Lord will send against you, in hunger,
in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He
will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has
destroyed you.(Deuteronomy 28:15, 17, 29, 47–48)
The will of God is expressed in verse 47—that we should

serve the Lord our God with joy and gladness of heart for
the abundance of all things. Abundance is a beautiful
word that occurs many times in the Bible. In essence, it
means you have all you need, and then some—you have
blessings leftover for others. The will of God is that we, as
His people, should serve Him with joy and gladness for
the abundance of all things He gives to us.

that I will serve You with joy and gladness for the
abundance of all things, because Jesus endured my
poverty that I might share His abundance. Amen.

WEEK 20:
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His

glory.
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of

our faith, who for the joy that was set before
Him endured the cross, despising the shame,
and has sat down at the right hand of the throne
of God.
—Hebrews 12:2
MAY 14
FREED FROM SHAME
Jesus bore our shame that we might share His glory.
Shame is a cruel and ugly emotion, and it is found even

among Christians. It is often the result of sexual abuse or
emotional abuse, such as being ridiculed at school. I once
read a story about a headmaster who singled out one boy
and told him to stand up, then said to the whole class, “All
of you have passed your exams except him.” How could
this young man feel anything but shame? Many
experiences of childhood can cause shame. Those that
happened longest ago are sometimes the hardest to
uproot. First in is often last out.
Perhaps the most common source of shame in our

Western civilization is sexual abuse (even by professing
Christians). I have dealt with countless victims in this
regard. Only when they come to the cross will they be set
free from that shame.
This prophetic utterance describes what Jesus did for us:
The Lord God has opened My ear; and I [Jesus] was not
rebellious, nor did I turn away. I gave My back to those
who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out
the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting.
(Isaiah 50:5–6)
Jesus said, “I gave My back.” He could have saved Himself;

He could have called for twelve legions of angels to rescue
Him. (See Matthew 26:53.) But He did not. He gave His
back. The depictions we see of the scourging of Jesus have
very little to do with our own familiar reality. It was a
horrible scene because the scourge had little pieces of
metal or bone embedded in the thongs. When they fell on
a man’s body, they tore away the skin and exposed the
raw flesh. That is what Jesus endured for our sake. And
He did not hide His face from shame and spitting. On the
cross, Jesus bore our shame.

that on the cross, Jesus freed me from shame—because He
bore my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
Overcoming Guilt, Shame and Rejection (audio, video)

MAY 15
“DESPISING THE SHAME”
Here is a brief account of what happened after Jesus’

arrest in the garden of Gethsemane. Pontius Pilate had
handed Jesus over to the soldiers to take Him out to be
executed.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the

Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.
And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on
His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed
the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King
of the Jews!” Then they spat on Him, and took the reed
and struck Him on the head. [Remember, every blow of
that reed pressed the crown of thorns deeper into His
skull.] And when they had mocked Him, they took the
robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him
away to be crucified….Then they crucified Him, and
divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: “They divided
My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast
lots.” Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
(Matthew 27:27–31, 35–36)
Jesus was actually exposed naked two times in that scene.

And they sat and watched Him on the cross for three
hours. Most depictions of Jesus on the cross show Him
wearing a little loincloth. But there was no loincloth; He
was exposed naked. His shame was exposed to everybody
who passed by, mocking Him.
The epistle to the Hebrews emphasizes this truth: “Jesus,

the author and finisher of our faith,…for the joy that was
set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame”
(Hebrews 12:2).

that Jesus was exposed to shame on my behalf, enduring
the cross and “despising the shame”—because He bore my
shame that I might share His glory. Amen.

MAY 16
SHARING HIS GLORY
What is the opposite of shame? I think that what is closest

to being antithetical to shame is glory.
For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things and by
whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to
make the captain of their salvation perfect through
sufferings.(Hebrews 2:10)
Notice, Jesus was bringing many sons to glory. He bore

our shame so that we might share His glory. Some of us
have backgrounds of which we are ashamed—filled with
things we have never fully gotten over, events that haunt
and disturb us. These negative thoughts and painful
memories hinder those moments when we want to
worship and praise God. Just remember that Jesus, naked
for three hours on the cross, bore our shame completely
so that we might share His glory.
I once spoke in Holland about Jesus bearing our shame,

and a Dutch woman sent me her testimony as a response.
As a young girl, she had been sexually abused—gang
raped by a group of young boys—and also suffered
further sexual molestation. Later, she married, but her
marriage was not happy because of the deep bitterness in
her heart against men. She could not escape the shame of
what she had endured. Then, the Lord did something
wonderful.
Sitting alone in her bedroom, she had a vision of Jesus on
the cross, absolutely naked. She realized two things: first,
that He had borne her shame; and second, that He was a
man. Though she was so bitter against men, she realized
it was a Man who paid the penalty of her shame. Isn’t that
beautiful? Bear in mind that Jesus, naked on the cross,
was exposed to the jeers and taunts of passersby. It was
the primary object of crucifixion, and Jesus endured it all.

that Jesus paid the penalty of our shame, for He bore my
shame that I might share His glory. Amen.

MAY 17
THE JOY SET BEFORE HIM
Hebrews 12:2 calls Jesus the “finisher of our faith.” The

same verse in both the New International and New
American Standard Bible versions refers to Jesus as the
“perfecter” of our faith.
Let me encourage you with those words. Whatever Jesus

begins, He is going to complete. If He has started
something in you, He will complete it. That is His
faithfulness—not our cleverness.
Hebrews 12:2 continues, saying that Jesus, “for the joy that
was set before Him endured the cross, despising the
shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne
of God.” On the cross, Jesus endured shame, but He did
not let it deter Him. For the joy that was set before Him,
He did not consider shame a worthy reason to turn away
from His purpose. What was “the joy that was set before
Him”? The joy of bringing many sons to glory. In order to
bring you and me—and millions and millions of others
like us—to glory, Jesus Christ endured the shame of the
cross.
There is no form of death more shameful than

crucifixion. It is shameful because it is the lowest form of
punishment reserved for the most debased of criminals. It
is shameful because of the very way in which the death
occurs. The Scriptures state clearly that the Roman
soldiers took all of Jesus’ clothing away from Him. Jesus
hung naked on the cross before the eyes of the people for
three hours or more. People walked past and made fun of
Him. How would you feel in that situation? In a single
word: shameful. Jesus endured the shame because He saw
that through it, He could bring us to glory.

that Jesus endured the shame to bring many sons to glory.
For the joy set before Him, Jesus bore my shame that I
might share His glory. Amen.
Atonement, Vol. 2: Shame vs. Glory (audio)

MAY 18
HELPING GOD’S CHOSEN ONES
My wife and I were once involved in helping two Jewish

women who had escaped from Soviet Russia. In a sense,
these women had cast themselves on our mercy. We went
to a lot of pain and trouble to help them, and, by the grace
of God, we ultimately succeeded in doing so. One day, I
was complaining to myself as I toiled up a steep hill in
Haifa for them. It was a hot day, and, though these women
were always very grateful, I was thinking that this was an
awful lot to go through for them. And God gave me this
verse; I did not know where to find it in the Bible, but the
words just came to me:
Therefore I endure all things for the sake of the elect

[God’s chosen ones], that they also may obtain the
salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.(2
Timothy 2:10)
From that experience, I saw that my position was far from

that of Jesus on the cross. The inconvenience I was
enduring was so miniscule in comparison. But the
purpose was to help God’s chosen ones enter into
salvation with eternal glory.
We all need to devote more time to thinking about that

word glory, because it is our destination. If there is a price
to pay for glory, believe me, it is worth it. We may be
called upon sometime to give up those two idols of
convenience and comfort. If we could just get a vision of
all that can come out of our personal inconvenience and
sacrifice, we would one day see people in glory who are
there because of what we did.
That was the motivation of Jesus. He did not do it for

Himself but to bring many sons to glory.

that I will give up those two idols of convenience and
comfort, as Jesus did, to help bring salvation to God’s
chosen ones. Jesus bore my shame that I might share His
glory. Amen.
Atonement, Vol. 2: Shame vs. Glory (audio)

MAY 19
BOASTING IN THE CROSS
One day, the Holy Spirit spoke to me through tongues and

interpretation: “Consider the work of Calvary, a perfect
work; perfect in every respect, perfect in every aspect.”
God showed me that if I could understand fully what Jesus
did on the cross at Calvary, I would find it was perfect,
complete. There was nothing that needed to be added,
nothing that could ever be taken from it. Every need had
been supplied. It made me want to know more about the
cross. Gradually, over the years, the Holy Spirit has
opened up the Scriptures to me more and more.
But God forbid that I should glory [boast], save in the

cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is
crucified unto me, and I unto the world.(Galatians 6:14
kjv)
Paul had only one thing to boast about—the cross of our

Lord Jesus Christ. That is an amazing statement when you
consider that in Paul’s day, the cross was the absolute
embodiment of all that was shameful and revolting.
In his book A Doctor at Calvary, Pierre Barbet, a Catholic

surgeon, tried to pinpoint and describe the physical
experience of a person being crucified. The problem was
that there was no standard of reference because no one in
the past two centuries has ever seen a person crucified on
a cross. It brought home to me how remote the cross can
be to us as an instrument of shame and torture.
Paul did not boast about his Jewish ancestry or the

churches he founded or the miracles he had seen. He
boasted only about the cross. May that same spirit be in
each one of us—a spirit willing to be emptied of carnal
boastfulness, pride, and self-sufficiency—so that we can
humbly acknowledge the cross of Jesus Christ.

that I will boast in the cross of Jesus Christ, for Jesus bore
my shame that I might share His glory. Amen.
The Work of the Cross (audio)

MAY 20
ORDAINED FOR GLORY
Those God foreknew he also predestined to be conformed

to the likeness of his Son, that he might be the firstborn
among many brothers. And those he predestined, he also
called; those he called, he also justified; those he justified,
he also glorified. What, then, shall we say in response to
this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did
not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how
will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all
things?(Romans 8:29–32 niv)
When we are identified with Jesus in His death, we enter

into His abundant inheritance. We become heirs of God
and joint heirs with Jesus Christ. But there is a process.
Five stages were outlined by Paul, all of which are in the
past tense. The first two steps took place in eternity before
time began: God foreknew us and predestined us. Then,
God called us through the preaching of the gospel. When
we responded to the call, He then justified us. But He
didn’t stop there; He also glorified us. He brought us up to
share glory with Jesus in heaven as kings and priests. Not
in the future, but in the past.
Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your
hearts on things above, where Christ is seated at the right
hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on
earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden
with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears,
then you also will appear with him in glory.(Colossians
3:1–4 niv)
We already share Christ’s glory, but it is in the unseen,

invisible world. Where Jesus is, we are.

that God foreknew me, predestined me, called me,
justified me, and glorified me. Jesus bore my shame that I
might share His glory. Amen.

WEEK 21:
Jesus endured our rejection that we might have His

acceptance with the Father.
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by

Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of
His grace, by which He made us accepted in the
Beloved.
—Ephesians 1:5–6
MAY 21
WE ARE ACCEPTED!

Rejection, simply defined, is the sense of being unwanted

or the sense that, although you want people to love you,
no one does. Or it can be the desire to belong to a group
from which you feel excluded—it seems you’re always on
the outside looking in. One reason that so many people
today suffer from the problem of rejection is the form of
our society and its pressures, particularly those causing
the breakup of family life.
What is the opposite of rejection? It is acceptance. I love

the last part of Ephesians 1:6, which says, “He [God] has
made us accepted in the Beloved.” Jesus, God’s true and
only begotten Son, was rejected so that we, who were
unworthy rebels, might have His acceptance with the
Father. The surest remedy for our problems is to believe
that Jesus bore our rejection that we might have His
God’s family is the best family. There is none equal to it.

Even if your own family did not care for you—perhaps
your father rejected you or your mother never had time
for you—God still wants you. You are accepted. You are
the object of His special care and affection. Everything He
does in the universe revolves around you.
When God says that we are accepted, He does not mean

that we are merely tolerated. We never take too much of
His time. The only thing that upsets Him is when we stay
away too long. He does not push us off into a corner and
say, “Wait. I’m too busy. I don’t have time for you.” Rather,
He says, “I’m interested in you. I want you. You’re
welcome. Come in. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”

that “God has made me accepted in the Beloved,” and He
welcomes me. Jesus endured my rejection that I might
have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
“From Rejection to Acceptance” (New Wine article)

MAY 22
REMEDY FOR REJECTION

I believe the primary result of rejection is the inability to

receive or communicate love. None of us can
communicate love unless we have first received love. This
point was made by John in the New Testament, when he
wrote, “We love Him [God] because He first loved us” (1
John 4:19). I do not believe anyone can love unless he has
first been loved. Thus, a person who has never been loved
cannot transmit love.
The secondary results of rejection are the three main

ways in which people commonly react to rejection: first,
there is the person who gives in; second, there is the
person who holds out; and, third, there is the person who
fights back. These three ways of reacting to rejection have
one thing in common. Each is essentially defensive,
offering a method of covering up the hurt. None of them
is a positive solution. God, however, has a positive
solution.
In Isaiah 61:1, we find a promise that was fulfilled

through the coming of Jesus the Messiah: “The Spirit of
the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed
me to bring good news to the afflicted; He has sent me to
bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to
captives, and freedom to prisoners” (nasb).
In fulfillment of this promise, God has provided a remedy
for rejection. It comes to us through Jesus and the cross.
God’s eternal purpose, even before creation, was that we
might become His children—His sons and His daughters.
When Jesus bore our sin and suffered our rejection, He
opened the way for our acceptance by the One whose
acceptance truly matters.

that I step out of the results of rejection, receiving instead
the remedy God has provided for me in Jesus Christ the
Messiah. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection that I
might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.
Rejection: Cause and Cure (audio)

MAY 23
THE HOLY SPIRIT’S PROBE

The first step in overcoming rejection is to recognize the

problem. Once you recognize it, you can deal with it. You
are not alone in this; God will help you recognize it. Let
me give you a practical illustration.
During World War II, when I was serving as a medical

orderly in the desert in North Africa, I was working with a
man who was a brilliant doctor. One of our soldiers was
struck with a piece of shrapnel. He came into the medical
station with this tiny, black puncture mark in his
shoulder. I set to work attending to him, and I asked the
doctor, “Shall I get out a dressing to dress the wound?”
The doctor said, “No, give me the probe.” So, I handed him
the little silver stick, and he put it in the wound and
moved it around. Nothing happened for a few moments.
Suddenly, the probe touched the little piece of shrapnel
inside, and the patient let out a yelp. The doctor knew he
had found the problem.
When I again asked if I should bring the dressing, the

doctor replied, “No, bring me the forceps.” He put the
forceps in and removed the piece of shrapnel. Only then
did he want to apply the dressing.
You may be putting a little dressing of religion over a

wound that cannot heal because there is something inside
that is causing it to fester. However, if you will open your
heart to the Holy Spirit, He will reveal the source of the
problem. If the Holy Spirit’s probe touches a piece of
shrapnel, yelp if you must, but don’t resist! Ask Him to use
His forceps to remove the problem. Then, God can apply
something that will truly heal the wound rather than
patch it up temporarily.

that I am opening my heart to the Holy Spirit’s probe to
reveal the source of my problem. Jesus endured my
rejection that I might have His acceptance with the Father.
Amen.
God’s Remedy for Rejection (book)

MAY 24
EXPERIENCING HIS ACCEPTANCE

To receive God’s provision for rejection, you must grasp

two basic facts. First, God did not make a lot of different
provisions for each of the various needs of humanity.
Instead, He made just one, all-inclusive provision that
covers all the needs of all people. This cover-all provision
was the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross.
Second, what took place on the cross was an exchange

that God Himself had planned. All the evil consequences
of our sins came upon Jesus so that, in return, all the
benefits of Jesus’ sinless obedience might be made
available to us. For our part, we have done nothing to
deserve this, and we have no merits or rights by which to
claim it. It proceeded solely out of the unfathomable love
of God.
Therefore, it is futile to approach God on the basis of some

merit or virtue that we imagine we possess. Nothing we
have to offer of ourselves can be compared with the merit
of the sacrifice that Jesus offered on our behalf.
Christ bore our rejection on the cross, along with all of the
shame and betrayal, agony and heartache. In fact, a
broken heart was the cause of His death. We are accepted
because of His rejection. We are accepted in the Beloved.
It was an exchange. Jesus bore the evil so that we might
receive the good. He carried our sorrows so we might
have His joy. The way is opened for man to come to God
without shame, without guilt, without fear. Jesus bore our
rejection so that we might experience His acceptance.

the truth of the exchange Jesus made for me: I am
accepted because of His rejection. I receive the good
because He bore the evil. I have His joy because He
carried my sorrows. I proclaim that Jesus endured my
Amen.

MAY 25
STEPS TO ACCEPTANCE

There are four steps you must take to experience

acceptance with God. The first thing is to forgive every
person who has rejected you or harmed you in any way.
As Jesus instructed us, “When you stand praying, if you
hold anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your
Father in heaven may forgive you your sins” (Mark 11:25
niv).
This statement is all-inclusive: if you hold anything

against anyone, forgive, and then God will forgive you.
But if you do not forgive others, God does not forgive you.
This truth applies especially in our attitudes toward our
parents, who most commonly cause the problem of
rejection. Lives have changed when people have realized
they have a scriptural obligation to honor their parents.
Ephesians 6:2 says, “‘Honor your father and mother,’
which is the first commandment with a promise.” That
does not mean that you ignore their faults completely, but
you must forgive them and determine to honor them to
the greatest extent that you are able. I have never known
anyone who had a wrong relation to his parents who was
really blessed and prosperous. Second, you must lay down
the negative results of rejection: bitterness, resentment,
hatred, rebellion. These attitudes are poisonous; they will
infect your entire life. They will cause deep emotional
problems and, quite likely, physical problems, as well. You
cannot afford to entertain these thoughts.
By a resolute decision of your will, push them from you.

Say with conviction, “I lay down bitterness, resentment,
hatred, and rebellion.” People who have recovered from
alcoholism are often told, “Resentment is a luxury you can
no longer afford.” That is true. None of us can afford
resentment. Its effects are toxic.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I forgive

every person who has rejected me, and I lay down
bitterness, resentment, hatred, and rebellion. I proclaim
that Jesus endured my rejection that I might have His
acceptance with the Father. Amen.

MAY 26
ACCEPTING OURSELVES

By an act of faith, you must believe what God says in the

Bible: that you are accepted in Christ. Scripture tells us
that God’s purpose from eternity was to make us His
children, and He accomplished this purpose, He made it
possible, through Jesus’ death on the cross on our behalf.
(See Ephesians 1:4–6.) When you come to God through
Jesus, God accepts you. He will not turn you away.
To make this step toward acceptance, you must accept

yourself. Many times, this is the hardest thing for us to do.
We look back over a record of failures and false starts,
maybe the ways in which we have failed others. You may
label yourself “failure,” but God labels you “My son” or
“My daughter.” We must accept ourselves because God
has accepted us.
When you come to God through Jesus, you are a new

creation: “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old
things have passed away; behold, all things have become
new. Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to
Himself through Jesus Christ” (2 Corinthians 5:17–18).
That is the new creation. Do not think about yourself in
terms of what you were before you came to Christ, for you
have become a new creation.
Let us pray together: “God, I thank You that You love me,
that You gave Jesus, Your Son, to die on my behalf. I thank
You that He bore my sins, took my rejection, and paid my
penalty. And because I come to You through Him, I am not
rejected, I am not unwanted, I am not excluded. You really
love me. I really am Your child. You really are my Father. I
belong to Your family. Heaven is my home. Thank You,
God. Amen.”
Thank You, Jesus, for Your work on the cross. I believe

what God says—that I am accepted in Christ—and I accept
myself, as well. I proclaim that Jesus endured my rejection
that I might have His acceptance with the Father. Amen.

MAY 27
FINDING YOUR PLACE

There is another important stage in achieving acceptance,

and that is receiving acceptance from God’s people. This
means finding your place in the body of Christ.
You see, as Christians, we are never isolated individuals.

We are brought into a relationship with our fellow
believers. That relationship is one of the ways in which
our acceptance is worked out in our day-to-day living. It is
not enough to be accepted by the Father in heaven. That is
the first step, and indeed the most important one.
However, after that, acceptance has to find expression in
our relationships with our fellow believers.
Collectively, Christians constitute one body, with each

Christian being a member of that body. None of us can say
to our fellow believers, “I don’t need you.” We all need
one another. God has created the body in such a way that
the members are interdependent. None of them can
function effectively on its own. That principle applies to
each one of us. It applies to you. You have to find your
place in the body of Christ. You need the other members,
and they need you. Finding your place in the body makes
your acceptance a real, day-to-day experience.
If you are crying out in your heart for this kind of

involvement, I suggest that you pray this prayer: “Lord, I
long to dwell in Your house, to be part of a spiritual family
of committed believers. If there are any barriers in me, I
ask You to remove them. Guide me to a group where this
longing of mine can be fulfilled, and help me to make the
needed commitment to them. In the name of Jesus,
amen.”

that I am open to finding my place in the body of Christ,
as I just prayed. I proclaim that Jesus endured my
Amen.

WEEK 22:
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be

joined to God eternally.
For He was cut off from the land of the living;

for the transgressions of My people He was
stricken.
—Isaiah 53:8
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit

with Him.
MAY 28
SPIRITUAL LIFE:
FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD
Jesus was cut off by death that we might be joined to God

eternally.
After Peter drew his sword in Jesus’ defense, so that He

would not be arrested in the garden of Gethsemane, Jesus
said to him, “Put your sword into the sheath. Shall I not
drink the cup which My Father has given Me?” (John
18:11). Jesus drank the cup to the very dregs. You see,
Jesus’ work was not completed on the cross. In fact, the
bitterest dregs came after physical death. In every sense,
Jesus exhausted the cup. First, there was spiritual death;
second, physical death; and third, spiritual banishment
from God.
Jesus tasted death for every person so that we might have

life. And we have life in the three aspects of life that Jesus
forfeited. The parallel is exact.
First of all, we have spiritual life—we are brought into

union and fellowship with God here in this life, right now,
through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus was joined to the Lord;
He lived by the life of the Father. He said, “I and My
Father are one” (John 10:30). This was the case until He
took our iniquity upon Himself and was separated from
the Father. He was cut off that we might be united.
Through faith in Jesus, you and I can be joined to the Lord
in the Spirit and walk this life in union with God, just as
Jesus walked His life in union with the Father by the
Spirit. This is the end purpose of the gospel.
First John 1:3 states, “That which we have seen and heard
we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with
us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with
His Son Jesus Christ.” Jesus forfeited the fellowship so that
we might enter into the fellowship.

that Jesus tasted death that I might have life; that He was
cut off that I might be united; that He forfeited the
fellowship that we might enter into it. I proclaim that
Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God
eternally. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict, Vol. 2: God’s Secret Plan Unfolds: Jesus

Tasted Death in All Its Phases (audio)
MAY 29
PHYSICAL LIFE: RESURRECTION LIFE

eternally.
Jesus tasted death in every aspect for every person so that

we might have life in every aspect. Yesterday, we talked
about the first aspect, which is spiritual life. Today, we
will look at the second aspect, which is physical life. This
life comes in two successive phases. First, we have life in
our physical bodies now. But our bodies are mortal; thus,
second, at the resurrection, our bodies will be changed
into immortal bodies.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead
dwells in you [that means “dwells in you right now,” not
after the resurrection], He who raised Christ from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His
Spirit who dwells in you.(Romans 8:11)
We each have a mortal body with resurrection life. Mortal

flesh, a mortal body, but resurrection life made manifest
in it. Not just operating in it, but made manifest in it. If
this verse does not refer to divine healing and divine
physical strength and vitality, then I do not understand
these words! But that is not the conclusion. The
conclusion is a changed body. Concerning this changed
body, Paul wrote,
Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we

shall all be changed; in a moment, in the twinkling of an
eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and
the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be
changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption,
and this mortal must put on immortality.(1 Corinthians
15:51–54)

that because Jesus tasted death for me, I have life—
resurrection life now and life eternal. I proclaim that
Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to God
eternally. Amen.

MAY 30
ETERNITY WITH GOD

eternally.
The third aspect of the life we have in Christ is the

consummation of the work of Jesus in eternity—an
eternity spent in the presence of God rather than being
eternally banished to hell.
For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a

shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the
trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.
Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the
air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.(1
Thessalonians 4:16–17)
The consummation of redemption is eternity in the

presence of God. The last two chapters of Revelation
describe our eternity in the presence of God:
Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first
heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there
was no more sea [no more separation, no more
bitterness]. Then I, John, saw the holy city, New
Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.(Revelation
21:1–2)
I believe the New Jerusalem is the church coming down

out of heaven. And it is God’s permanent dwelling place.
One of the supreme purposes of God in the church is to
have a dwelling place where He can live permanently.
Verse 3 says, “And I heard a loud voice from heaven
saying, ‘Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He
will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God
Himself will be with them and be their God.’”

that I will have eternity in the presence of God instead of
banishment, because Jesus was cut off by death that I
might be joined to God eternally. Amen.

MAY 31
UNION WITH CHRIST

eternally.
But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.(1

Corinthians 6:17)
The word “joined” is not in the past tense but the ongoing
present tense. In other words, “He who is cleaving
continually to the Lord is one with Him.” There is a
spiritual union with God that is parallel to the physical
union between a man and a woman. That is what the
Scripture says. It is so real, so intimate, that the believer
can cleave to God so that he is one with Him.
Just as Jesus is one with the Father, so believers can be

one with the Son. “He who is joined to the Lord is one
spirit.” I want to emphasize again that it is not a single
event in the past tense. It is a continuing present: “He who
is cleaving continually to the Lord.” Jesus lived by
continual union with the Father. If the union had ever
been broken, which it never was until the cross, He would
have forfeited life. And you and I, as believers, live only
insofar as we live in continual union with the Son, Jesus
Christ. Living in union with Him, we are one spirit.
The primary activity of the human spirit is union with

God. It is the only part of man that can be united directly
with God. The great privilege we have with our spirits is
union and communion with God.
The believer has to live by his union with Christ, just as
Christ lived by His union with the Father. We are
dependent for life, moment by moment, upon our union
with Christ. Don’t ever trust in yesterday’s experience for
today.

that I am living in union with Christ—and that we are one
spirit. Jesus was cut off by death that I might be joined to
God eternally. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict, Vol. 2: God’s Secret Plan Unfolds: God’s

Purpose for the New Race (audio)
JUNE
JUNE 1
COMMUNION WITH THE CREATOR

eternally.
In 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Paul prayed, “Now may the God

of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your
whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless.” Paul
here put together the three elements that make up a
complete human personality, listing them in descending
order from the highest to the lowest: first, spirit; second,
soul; third, body.
The spirit is the part of the human personality that was

directly breathed into man by God at creation. It is
therefore capable of direct union and communion with
the Creator. In 1 Corinthians 6:17, Paul said, “He who is
joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” It would not be
correct to say “one soul with Him.” Only man’s spirit is
capable of direct union with God. In the original pattern
of creation, man’s spirit related upward to God, his
Creator, and downward to his own soul. God
communicated directly with man’s spirit and, through
man’s spirit, with his soul. Together, man’s spirit and soul
expressed themselves through his body.
Let me give you three definitions of the functions of spirit,

soul, and body—definitions that are simple but no less
helpful. The spirit is God-conscious. The soul is self-
conscious. The body is world-conscious. Through the
spirit, we are conscious of God. In our souls, we are
conscious of ourselves. And through our bodies and their
senses, we relate to the world around us.
When the spirit of man is brought back into union with

God, it is rekindled to become a lamp. The Holy Spirit
comes in and fills up that lamp, shedding light on man’s
whole inner being. (See Proverbs 20:27.)

that I am in direct union and communion with my
Creator, because Jesus was cut off by death that I might be
joined to God eternally. Amen.
Blessing or Curse: You Can Choose (book)
What Is Man?, Part 2 (audio)

JUNE 2
MARRIAGE RELATIONSHIP
WITH THE LORD

eternally.
In Romans 7, Paul said that through the law, we were

married. The law was like a marriage covenant, and it
was for life. To whom—or to what—were we married? We
were married to our fleshly nature. The whole essence of
the law is that we are required to keep it in our own
ability. Doing this is dependent on our fleshly nature,
which explains why it never works.
Coming under the law is like participating in a marriage

ceremony in which you are married to your fleshly
nature. As long as your fleshly nature remains alive, you
must remain married to it; you cannot divorce it and
marry somebody else. The good news is that your first
spouse died. When did that first spouse die? When Jesus
died on the cross. Our old man was crucified with Him.
When you grasp that fact, you say, “Praise God. I’m free. I
don’t have to go on with this awful spouse of mine who
gave me an awful life and gave me no blessings, peace, or
righteousness. I’m not tied to that vile spouse any longer. I
can be married to another.”
The alternative is to be married to the One who rose from

the dead—the risen, glorified Christ. He can become your
husband whether you are man or woman. What we are
talking about is a relationship in the Spirit. In 1
Corinthians 6:15–16, Paul provided a picture of sexual
union between a man and a prostitute. He used that
picture of union to help people envision another kind of
union that they can have—a union with the Lord. It is not
sexual; it is spiritual—that is, a marriage relationship with
the Lord. “He who is joined to the Lord is one” (1
Corinthians 6:17)—not in soul or in body, but in spirit.

that I am married in the Spirit to the One who rose from
the dead—the risen, glorified Christ. I proclaim that Jesus
was cut off by death that I might be joined to God
eternally. Amen.

video)
JUNE 3
WORSHIP: THE CONSUMMATION

eternally.
In John 4:23–24, Jesus said that the Father is looking for

those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.
Worship is a function of the spirit. What is the act by
which we are joined to the Lord as one spirit? Worship.
That is why worship is the highest activity of human
beings.
When we are joined to the Lord in worship, we begin to

bring forth or birth the things that God wants brought
forth. Worship is not a sort of appendix to the Christian
life. It is not an afterthought, a mere addition to our
services. Worship is the culmination—it is the
confirmation. If I may say this without offending anybody,
worship is the consummation of our marriage to the Lord.
It unites us with Him as one spirit. When we have that
marriage union, it is always for the sake of procreation.
That is when we procreate; that is when we bring forth
spiritual fruit. By “spiritual fruit,” I mean the fruit of the
Spirit, which is listed in Galatians 5:22–23: “love, joy,
peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
gentleness, self-control.”
The people who bring forth the kinds of fruit specified in

this passage do not need to be governed by the law. They
are not under the law. They have escaped from their
marriage to the flesh under the law, and they are free to
be married by the Holy Spirit to the resurrected Christ
and bring forth the kind of fruit that is appropriate to that
union. The key to the Christian life is not effort. It is
union.

that as I worship the Lord, I am united to Him in one
spirit. I proclaim that Jesus was cut off by death that I
might be joined to God eternally. Amen.

video)
WEEK 23:
I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
In [Jesus Christ] we have redemption through

His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
—Colossians 1:14
JUNE 4
A CLEAN RECORD
One of the most wondrous aspects of God’s nature is that

when He forgives, He does not partially forgive. He totally
forgives. Micah stated this beautifully:
Who is a God like you, who pardons sin and forgives the
transgression of the remnant of his inheritance? You do
not stay angry forever but delight to show mercy. You will
again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins
underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the
sea.(Micah 7:18–19 niv)
Isn’t that beautiful? Everything that we have ever done

wrong—everything that could ever make us feel guilty,
every accusation that the enemy could ever bring against
us—God treads underfoot and hurls into the depths of the
sea.
Someone remarked once that when God casts your sins

into the sea, He puts up a notice that says, “No Fishing!”
Don’t ever try to go back and resurrect something that
God has buried. If God has forgiven you, you are forgiven.
There are no questions. God’s forgiveness is total. In
Isaiah God speaks to His people, saying:
I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my

own sake, and remembers your sins no more.(Isaiah
43:25)
When God forgives us, He blots out the record. It is clean.
It is just as though that which was forgiven had never
taken place. Not only does He blot out the record, but He
blots it out from His own memory. He says that He will
remember our sins no more.
God does not have a bad memory, but He does have the
ability to forget. And when He forgives, He forgets!
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that

God’s forgiveness for me is total: He has blotted out my
record and it is clean. I have been forgiven and set free
from my sins. Amen.
The Three Most Important Words (booklet)

JUNE 5
NOTHING SHALL HURT US
For He [God] delivered us from the domain of darkness,

and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in
whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.
(Colossians 1:13–14 nasb)
Through our faith in Jesus and His sacrificial death, God

has delivered us from the domain of darkness. Notice that
word domain. In the original Greek, it is authority. Satan
has authority over the disobedient, the unbelieving, and
the unsaved. But through Jesus, God has delivered us from
that domain of darkness and transferred us into the
kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have
redemption.
Note the key word redemption. We have been bought

back. We are no longer under the power of the curse,
because of the redeeming death and shed blood of Jesus
Christ.
For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He

might destroy the works of the devil.(1 John 3:8)
Why did Jesus come? To destroy the works of the devil.

That includes the curse!
Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents

and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and
nothing shall by any means hurt you.(Luke 10:19)
Satan may have power, but Jesus has given us power over
the power of Satan, so that “nothing shall by any means
hurt [us].”

Jesus has delivered me from the domain of darkness, and
that He has given me power over all the power of Satan,
so that “nothing shall by any means” hurt me. I have been
forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
Transformed for Life (book)

JUNE 6
REPLACING THE OLD SINFUL MAN
Providing complete deliverance from the tyranny of sin

required a threefold provision of God. First of all, He had
to deal with our sins—the sinful acts we have all
committed. Because Jesus paid the full penalty for our
sins on the cross, God can forgive us without
compromising His own justice. His first provision,
therefore, is forgiveness.
Then, God also had to deal with the corrupt nature within
us that caused us to go on committing those sinful acts.
His provision was execution—to put that sinful nature to
death. The good news is that the execution took place
more than nineteen centuries ago, when Jesus died on the
cross.
That not the end, however. God’s purpose is to replace the

old, sinful man with a new man of His own creating. Paul
explained this provision in the book of Ephesians, saying,
Put off, concerning your former conduct, the old man…

and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and…put on
the new man which was created according to God, in true
righteousness and holiness.(Ephesians 4:22–24)
We should not assume, however, that the old man will

passively accept his sentence of execution. On the
contrary, he will struggle—fiercely, at times—to regain his
control over us. This explains Paul’s words of warning in
Colossians 3:3, where he said, “For you died.” Then, in
verse 5, he said, “Therefore put to death your members
which are on the earth.” We must stand in faith that the
death of our old man is an accomplished fact, and we
must actively resist his attempts to regain control over us.
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that on

the cross, Jesus put my sinful nature to death, replacing it
with a new nature. I actively resist my old man’s attempts
to regain control over me, proclaiming that I have been
forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
Rules of Engagement (book)

JUNE 7
TOTAL, PERMANENT VICTORY
The sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross is the only basis

of God’s provision for every need of the whole human
race. Instead of God doing a lot of different actions at
different times, Scripture says, “By one offering [sacrifice]
He has perfected forever those who are being sanctified”
(Hebrews 10:14).
The writer of Hebrews explained that after Jesus had

offered that one sacrifice, He “sat down at the right hand
of God” (verse 12). Why did He sit down? Because He was
never going to have to do it again.
Through His work on the cross, Jesus administered to

Satan and his kingdom a total, permanent, irreversible
defeat. Jesus will never have to do that work again. Satan
has already been defeated. You and I do not have to defeat
Satan. But we must apply the victory that Jesus has
already won and walk in that victory.
We read in Colossians 1:12, “Giving thanks to the Father

who has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in the light.” Our inheritance is in the light, and
there is no darkness whatsoever in it. It is totally in the
light. How has He done it?
He has delivered us from the power [I prefer to say

“domain”] of darkness and conveyed [translated] us into
the kingdom of the Son of His love, in whom we have
redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins.
(verses 13–14)
By redemption through the blood of Jesus, we have been

delivered from the domain of darkness and translated, or
carried over, into the kingdom of the Son of God’s love.

through the cross, Jesus administered to Satan and his
kingdom a total, permanent, irreversible defeat. I apply
the victory Jesus has won, and I walk in that victory, for I
have been forgiven and set free from my sins. Amen.
Lucifer Exposed (book)

JUNE 8
FREEDOM FROM LEGALISM
In Romans 8:15, Paul was speaking to Christians baptized

in the Holy Spirit, and he said, “For you did not receive
the spirit of bondage again to fear.”
Bondage means enslavement. Paul was warning

Christians not to let the devil get them back into slavery.
And the suggestion is very clear that the form of slavery to
which they would be enticed to return would be that of
religious slavery—subservience to the law from which
they had been delivered when Jesus died on the cross.
The whole of the book of Galatians deals with this very

issue of not being enslaved by religious legalism after
having been set free by the gospel and the power of the
Holy Spirit. As a matter of fact, Paul treated that issue as
something much more severe and dangerous than even
sexual sins, such as fornication or adultery. It is quite
remarkable, but the epistle to the Galatians is the only one
of Paul’s epistles that he does not open by giving thanks to
God for the people to whom he was writing. So upset was
he by what the Galatians were doing that he launched
straight into his subject. “I marvel that you are turning
away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of
Christ” (Galatians 1:6).
This is a clear example of religious demons bringing

people back into the slavery of legalism. Let us heed
Paul’s emphatic warning: “Be not entangled again with
the yoke of bondage [slavery]” (Galatians 5:1 kjv).
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that I

will not be enslaved by religious legalism after having
been set free by the gospel and by the power of the Holy
Spirit. I have been forgiven and set free from my sins.
Amen.
Demons and Demonology: Nature and Activity of Demons

(audio)
JUNE 9
“NO CONDEMNATION”
There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are

in Christ Jesus….For what the law could not do in that it
was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own
Son in the likeness of sinful flesh.(Romans 8:1, 3)
There are two kinds of coffee: percolated and instant.

Percolated coffee takes longer to make because it has to go
through the brewing process. The book of Romans is like
percolated coffee. We cannot get instant coffee out of
Romans chapter 8. We must go through the preceding
seven chapters. Those are the percolator. But the result is
that much richer. Only when we have been through those
chapters do we get to the “therefore.” The preceding
chapters deal with the total sinfulness of all humanity, as
well as with the failure of religion to change man’s sinful
nature. Using the examples of Abraham and David (see
chapter 4), with a comparison between Adam and Christ
(see chapter 5), Paul moves on in chapter 6 to reveal God’s
remedy for the old man: execution. God doesn’t patch up
the old man. He doesn’t reform him. He executes him!
The good news is that this execution took place when
Jesus died on the cross.
Romans 7 deals with our relationship to the Law. I always

used to think, Why come to the law after all that? But I
have learned that the ultimate hurdle we have to get over,
the last stage of this percolator, is how we relate to the
Law. Without the percolator, we cannot live in Romans 8,
because the essential condition is “no condemnation.” The
moment in which we come under condemnation is the
moment when we are out of the Spirit-controlled life of
Romans 8. The devil’s main objective is to bring us under
condemnation. The objective of God’s Word, especially in
Romans, is to deliver us from condemnation.
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I am free from the

devil’s efforts to bring me under condemnation, and there
is no condemnation for me because I am in Christ Jesus. I
Lucifer Exposed (book)

JUNE 10
FULLY HIS
There was a boy who lived in a town on the seaside. He

was a skilled and clever carver, and he carved himself a
little wooden boat. When he put sails on it, it really sailed.
One day, he took it down to the shore and was sailing it at
the edge of the sea, but the tide changed and carried his
boat out to sea, and he could not recover it. So, he went
home without his boat.
With the next change of the wind and tide, the boat came
back again. A man walking along the seashore found the
boat, picked it up, and saw it was a beautiful piece of
work. He took it to a local shop and sold it. The shop
owner cleaned it up and put it on display in his shop
window with a price of thirty-five dollars.
Some while later, the boy walked past the shop, looked in
the window, and saw his boat with a price of thirty-five
dollars. He knew, however, that he had no way to prove
that it was his boat. If he wanted his boat, there was only
one thing he could do: buy it back.
He set to work, taking any job he could to earn the money

to buy his boat. Once he earned the money, he walked into
the shop and said, “I want to buy that boat.” He paid the
money, and, when he got the boat in his hands, he walked
outside and stopped on the sidewalk. He held the boat to
his chest and said, “Now you’re mine. I made you and I
bought you.” That is redemption. First, the Lord made us,
but we were in Satan’s slave market. Then, He bought us.
We are doubly His. Can you see how valuable you are to
the Lord? Think of yourself as that boat for a moment.
You may feel so inadequate, so worthless. You wonder
whether God ever really cares. Just try to believe that you
are that boat in the Lord’s arms and He is saying to you,
“Now you’re Mine. I made you and I bought you. I own
you; you’re fully Mine.”
Thank You, Lord, for Your forgiveness. I proclaim that I

am in the Lord’s arms, and He has declared that I am His.
He made me and bought me; He loves me; I am fully His. I

All Nations (audio)
WEEK 24:
I am a child of God.
But as many as received Him, to them He gave

the right to become children of God, to those
who believe in His name.
—John 1:12
JUNE 11
TRUE IDENTITY
The reason that Jesus Christ came to earth was—and is—

to bring us to God. If we stop short of this revelation of
God, we have stopped short of the full and final
outworking of redemption’s purpose. When we come into
the fullness of this revelation and into that direct
relationship with God as Father, it supplies certain factors
that are conspicuously lacking in the emotional
experience of many people in our culture. The three
things that come out of this revelation and relationship
are identity, self-worth, and security.
Identity is a real problem for people today. An interesting

clue to this problem was the success of the book and TV
miniseries Roots. The essence of that story was a man’s
search for his roots, or origins, in order to gain a stronger
sense of identity. All humanity is busy with the same
search. Men and women want to know where they came
from, who is behind them, how it started, and who they
are. Scripture and psychology agree that a person really
does not answer the question, “Who am I?” until he or she
knows who his or her father is.
Today, human relationships between parents and

children increasingly have become broken and
fragmented, and the result has been a widespread
identity crisis. Christianity’s answer to that identity crisis
is to bring men and women into a direct, personal
relationship with God the Father through Jesus Christ the
Son. People who truly know God as Father no longer have
an identity problem. They know who they are—they are
children of God. Their Father created the universe, their
Father loves them, and their Father cares for them.
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed me. I proclaim

that because of my relationship with God the Father,
through Jesus, I know who I am. I proclaim that I am a
child of God. Amen.
Fatherhood (audio)
JUNE 12
TRUE SELF-WORTH
I cannot begin to count the number of people I have

ministered to whose greatest problem was a failure to
appreciate themselves sufficiently. They had too low an
esteem of themselves, which caused them many spiritual
and emotional agonies.
1 John 3:1 says, “See how great a love the Father has
bestowed upon us, that we should be called children of
God; and such we are” (nasb). Once we really
comprehend that we are children of God, whom He loves
intimately and personally; that God is interested in us, is
never too busy for us, and desires a direct and personal
relationship with each of us, we gain a tremendous
increase in self-worth.
Once when I was on my way to a meeting, I literally ran

into a woman. We were going in opposite directions at
considerable speed. After our collision, she picked herself
up and said, “Mr. Prince, I’ve been praying that if God
wanted you to speak to me, we’d meet.”
“Well,” I said, “we’ve met. But I can only give you about
two minutes. I’m very busy.” She began to tell me what
her problem was, and after a while, I interrupted her,
saying, “I’m sorry, I’ve only got one minute left…but I
think I know your problem. Will you follow me in this
prayer?” I led her in a prayer in which she just thanked
God because He was her Father and she was His child,
that He loved her, that He cared for her, that she was
special, and that she belonged to the best family in the
universe. Then, we parted ways.
About a month later, I received a letter from the same

woman, in which she wrote, “I just want to tell you that
being together with you and praying that prayer has
completely changed my attitude toward life. For the first
time, I really have a sense of my own worth.”

that it is my direct and personal relationship with the
Lord that gives me
self-worth. I proclaim that I am a child of God. Amen.
Fatherhood (audio)
JUNE 13
COMING TO THE FATHER
When Jesus came to earth, His ultimate purpose was to

bring to the Father those who would turn to Him.
Scripture states this truth in many places, such as the
following:
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the
unjust, in order that He might bring us to God.(1 Peter
3:18 nasb)
Why did Jesus die? “That He might bring us to God.” Jesus

was not the end; He was the way. He said that Himself,
quite emphatically, in John 14:6:
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the
life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me.”(nasb)
Jesus is the way, but the Father is the destination. I think

that, many times in our Christian faith, we really miss the
purpose of God. We talk a great deal about the Lord Jesus
Christ as our Savior, our Intercessor, our Mediator, and so
on. All of these terms are wonderful and true, but they
stop short of God’s purpose. God’s purpose is not merely
that we should come to the Son, but also that, through the
Son, we should come to the Father.
that through the Son, I come to the Father. I proclaim that
I am a child of God. Amen.
Fatherhood (audio)
JUNE 14
ACCEPTED!
I like the way the King James Version translates Ephesians

1:6, because of one word in particular: “accepted.” “To the
praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us
accepted in the beloved” (kjv).
Again, when God says we are accepted, it does not mean

we are just tolerated. It means we are much favored. We
are the objects of His particular, loving care and attention.
We are number one on His list of things to take care of in
the universe. He does not push us off in a corner and say,
“Wait, I’m busy,” or “I don’t have time for you now,” or
“Don’t make a noise; Daddy is sleeping.” He says, “I’m
interested in you. I want you. You’re welcome. Come in;
I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
It is like the father in the story of the prodigal son. He was

out there looking for the boy to come home. Others did
not have to say, “You know, your son is coming home.”
The first one to know it was the father. He knew it before
all the rest of the family. God’s attitude to us in Christ is
like that. We are not rejects. We are not second-class
citizens. And we are not servants.
When the prodigal came back, he was willing to be a

servant. He said, “Father, just make me one of your hired
servants.” But if you read the story carefully, you will
notice that when the son confessed his sins, his father
interrupted him—he didn’t allow him to finish speaking.
He never allowed him to say, “Make me as one of your
hired servants.” On the contrary, he said, “Bring out the
best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand
and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted calf here and
kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this my son was
dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found” (Luke
15:22–24). Praise God!

that by the grace of God, I am “accepted in the beloved.” I
proclaim that I am a child of God. Amen.
From Rejection to Acceptance (audio)

JUNE 15
IN THE FATHER’S ARMS
Picture a little child held securely by his father’s arm,

with his face pressed against the father’s shoulder. There
may be great confusion and distress all around. The world
may seem to be falling apart. But the little child is totally
at peace, not at all concerned by the events taking place
around him. He is secure in his father’s arms.
We, too, are held securely by our Father. Jesus has assured
us that our Father is greater than all who may surround
us and that no one is able to snatch us out of His hand.
Jesus also gave this assurance to His disciples: “Do not

fear, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to
give you the kingdom” (Luke 12:32). We may be just a
little flock, surrounded by wild beasts of all kinds. But if
our Father has committed Himself to giving us the
kingdom, no power in the universe can withhold it from
us.

that I am secure in the Father’s arms. I am a child of God.
Amen.
To Please My Father (Teaching Legacy Letter)

JUNE 16
PLEASING THE FATHER
In Philippians 2:3, Paul warned us servants of the Lord,

“Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit.”
Over the years, I have observed that one persistent,

pervasive problem in the church is personal ambition and
competition among leaders, specifically ministers. Lest I
sound judgmental, let me add that I observed this
tendency first and foremost in my own life.
We often make the mistake of equating security with

success. We think, If I build the biggest church or hold the
largest meeting or amass the most names on my mailing
list, I will be secure. But this is a delusion. In actual fact,
the more we aim at personal success, the less secure we
become. We are continually threatened by the possibility
that someone else might build a bigger church or hold a
larger meeting or amass more names on his mailing list.
As for me, I have found my perfect pattern in Jesus, who

said, “The Father has not left Me alone, for I always do
those things that please Him” (John 8:29). I am no longer
motivated by personal ambition. I have discovered a
sweeter, purer motive: simply to please my Father.
I am training myself to approach every situation and

decision with a single, simple question: How can I please
my Father? In times of frustration or apparent failure, I
seek to turn my focus from trying to solve the problem to
maintaining an attitude that is pleasing to my Father. As
servants of Christ, there will be no competition among us
if we are motivated by the simple desire to please our
Father. Harmony and mutual concern take the place of
striving and self-seeking.

that my motive in life is to please my Father—because I
am a child of God. Amen.
To Please My Father (Teaching Legacy Letter)

JUNE 17
OUR TRUE HOME
Once when I was really concerned about my own spiritual

condition, I asked God to make heaven more real to me. I
believe heaven is the home of every child of God.
I have never met a child who did not have a rather clear
idea about his own home. A child might not know the
street outside, but he knows his own home. I think one of
the marks of us, as God’s children, is that we feel at home
in relationship to heaven. This earth is beautiful; this life
is exciting. But this world is not our final resting place.
The great saints of God were looking ahead, out of time

and into eternity, and they had some glimpses of what
was to come. Physical death was not going to be a jump
into the unknown. They had some clear revelation of
what they could expect. I am looking forward to the
temple. I am looking forward to the angels. And I am
looking forward to the four living creatures. There is so
much that I am looking forward to. I think that the sea of
glass mingled with crystal is going to be very exciting.
(See, for example, Revelation 3:5; 4:6–8; 7:15.) There will
be no dull moments in heaven.
Thank You, Jesus, that You have redeemed us. I proclaim

that heaven is the home of every child of God—and that
includes me, because I am a child of God. Amen.
God’s Last Word, Vol. 2: Review/Hebrews 8:1–8:7 (audio)

WEEK 25:
I am a friend of Christ.
No longer do I call you servants, for a servant

does not know what his master is doing; but I
have called you friends, for all things that I
heard from My Father I have made known to
you.
—John 15:15
JUNE 18
GOD’S STANDARD OF FRIENDSHIP
Alas, in the world today, the word friend has been

watered down. It has become a cheap word, and
friendship can be a cheap thing. But I want you to know
that God’s standard of friendship has not changed. For
God, friendship is based on covenant commitment.
Through covenant commitment, Abraham became a
friend of God. Under the new covenant, Jesus wants to
bring us into the same relationship with Him—as His
friends—that Abraham entered into under the old
covenant.
In John 15:15, Jesus said to His disciples, No longer do I

call you slaves,…but I have called you friends.(nasb) That
is a promotion, from being a slave to being a friend. But
we need to understand that, for us just as much as it was
for Abraham, friendship is not cheap. It costs something
to be a friend of Jesus. For us, the basis of friendship with
Jesus is the same as it was for Abraham. It is covenant
commitment. Jesus was about to lay down His life for us
when He said, “Greater love has no one than this, that one
lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13 nasb). But
remember, if we are to be Jesus’ friends, we have to lay
down our lives for Him. It is a two-way commitment.
that because Jesus laid down His life for me, I will lay
down my life for Him, for I am a friend of Christ. Amen.
Relationship with God (audio)

JUNE 19
PERFECT FELLOWSHIP
In his first epistle, John said, What we have seen and

heard we proclaim to you also, that you also may have
fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the
Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.(1 John 1:3 nasb) In
other words, the gospel is an invitation from the Godhead
for us to share the fellowship that the Father and Son
share with one another. The Greek word for fellowship is
koinonia. It is an important word in New Testament
Greek that literally means, “sharing in common.” So,
fellowship is sharing in common. We are invited to share
the same relationship that God the Father and God the
Son have together. One thing is clear about this
relationship: God the Father and God the Son have
everything in common. Neither withholds anything from
the other.
In John 17:10, Jesus said to His Father, And all [things that
are] mine are thine, and thine are mine.(kjv) That’s
perfect koinonia, perfect fellowship—the perfect sharing
of all things. It is the perfect pattern of relationship into
which God wants to bring us.

that I have been invited to share the same relationship
that the Father and Son have together. I enter into that
perfect fellowship, because I am a friend of Christ. Amen.

JUNE 20
THE PRICE OF FRIENDSHIP
Often, the measure of God’s commitment to you is

determined by the measure of your commitment to Him.
God never makes partial commitments, and He does not
want any partial commitments. God has established the
price of a relationship with Him. It is everything you
have. “He…that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot
be my disciple” (Luke 14:33 kjv).
You may say, “That sounds hard.” But it is realistic. Let me

tell you two facts about God’s kingdom. First of all, God
never has a sale. He never reduces the price on any item.
If you want the relationship that Peter, Paul, and John had
with the Lord, you must pay what they paid. God has not
offered a discount.
The second fact is good news: in God’s kingdom, there is

no inflation. The price has never gone up, and it has never
gone down. It is always the same.
The outcome of a commitment to God is peace, security,

and joy. Do you want it? You have to make the decision.
Jesus said,
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear

my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and
will sup with him, and he with me.(Revelation 3:20 kjv)
Notice the order Jesus established in this verse. First, you
give Jesus your supper, and then He gives you His. As
Jesus said to His Father, “All Mine are Yours, and Yours are
Mine” (John 17:10). Are you willing to make that kind of
commitment to God?

that I am willing to pay the price of total commitment to
that relationship, for I am a friend of Christ. Amen.

JUNE 21
ENJOYING GOD
Right at the beginning of human history, when man first

related to God, their relationship was so simple. There
were not a lot of religious rituals and paraphernalia.
Enoch just “walked with God” (see Genesis 5:22, 24). As we
go on further in the Bible, we meet the great father of the
faith, Abraham, with his most honorable title, which was
“friend of God” (James 2:23). He and God simply enjoyed
one another’s company.
I sometimes long to get away from all the theology and all
the religious formalities and just have a relationship of
being God’s friend—walking with Him and enjoying His
company. I really believe God loves to be enjoyed by His
people.
Sometimes, we get so preoccupied with methodology and

theology and doctrine that we lose sight of God in the
midst of it all. We get into the middle of the forest, where
all we can see are trees. We no longer can see the whole
picture. Then, we have to back out of the forest, take a
fresh look around, and consider adjusting our priorities.

my desire to walk with God and enjoy His company, for I
am a friend of Christ. Amen.

JUNE 22
THE MEASURE OF COMMITMENT
God entered into covenant with Abraham, as recorded in

Genesis 15. Each person involved—God and Abraham—
made a total commitment. There came a time when God
called on Abraham to fulfill his commitment and offer his
son, Isaac, as a sacrifice. But God’s commitment was just
as total as Abraham’s. So, two thousand years later, the
other side of the covenant came to the fore: God gave up
His only Son, the Lord Jesus Christ.
Remember that the commitment you make to God usually

determines the measure of God’s commitment to you.
Total commitment to God calls for total commitment from
God. That is the very essence of a covenant relationship.
However, Abraham’s covenant with God had a further
practical effect on his personal relationship with God. In
his epistle, James spoke about what Abraham did when he
offered up Isaac, and the result of his willingness to do so.
Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he

offered up Isaac his son on the altar? You see that faith
was working with his works, and as a result of the works,
faith was perfected; and the Scripture was fulfilled which
says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to
him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of
God.(James 2:21–23 nasb)
Through that covenant commitment and through its

outworking in the offering up of Isaac, Abraham was
reckoned as God’s friend. That is a very significant and
honorable title. The lesson is this: covenant is the door to
true friendship. When two individuals make a covenant
with one another and live out the terms of their covenant,
that is true friendship at work.

my total commitment to God, and His to me—our
covenant is the door to true friendship. I proclaim that I
am a friend of Christ. Amen.

JUNE 23
SUBMITTING TO GOD’S
INSTRUCTION
When God sets out to teach, He chooses His students on

the basis of their character—not on their intellectual
abilities, academic degrees, or social standing. He looks
for an inner attitude of the heart toward Himself, an
attitude of reverent submission and respect. Furthermore,
God sets the curriculum. He teaches such individuals “in
the way that he [God] shall choose” (Psalm 25:12 kjv).
Often, the way God chooses is not the way that we would
choose for ourselves. We might incline toward themes of
prophecy or revelation that seem profound, whereas
God’s curriculum might focus on what is humble and
down-to-earth: service, sacrifice, and faithfulness.
For those who submit to God’s instruction, there is a

wonderful reward: “The secret of the Lord is with them
that fear him” (Psalm 25:14 kjv). In human relationships,
we share our secrets only with those whom we trust.
Likewise, when God shares His secrets with us, it is proof
that we have earned His trust. It is our certificate of
graduation from His school.
This truth is illustrated beautifully in the relationship of

Jesus to His disciples. After He had put them through
three years of rigorous discipline, He told them, “I no
longer call you servants, because a servant does not know
his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends,
for everything that I learned from my Father I have made
known to you” (John 15:15 niv). First, Jesus Himself
learned from the Father through perfect submission to
Him. Then, Jesus, in turn, passed on all He had learned
from the Father to those who submitted in like manner to
Him.
God still chooses His students on this basis. Neither His

requirements nor His curriculum have changed.

my desire to submit completely to the Lord’s instruction
and thereby to become His friend, for I am a friend of
Christ. Amen.
Through the Psalms with Derek Prince (book)

JUNE 24
INTELLIGENT PARTNERS WITH GOD
The first man, Adam, was not a slave, for God called him
to intelligent partnership. When God wanted the animals
to be named, He said, “Adam, come here and look at these
animals. Tell Me what you think they should be named.”
In Hebrew, a name is always indicative of one’s nature.
So, in naming the animals, Adam had to understand their
natures and their relationships to one another. Whatever
Adam called an animal, that was its name. God did not
name the animals; He told Adam to do that. But God gave
Adam the insight and the wisdom that he needed to
complete the assignment. Likewise, in our new
relationship with God in Jesus Christ, we are not slaves;
rather, we are intelligent partners with God.
John 15:15 is an astonishing statement:
I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not

know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you
friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I
have made known to you.(niv)
Jesus held nothing back. If there is something we do not

know, it is because we have not availed ourselves of what
is revealed. But the real problem comes in doing what we
already know. Jesus acted on everything the Father
showed Him; if we would do the same, the same
revelation would be made available to us.
that I want to avail myself of all that the Lord reveals, and
to follow through on what I already know. I proclaim that
I am a friend of Christ. Amen.

WEEK 26:
I have been made righteous through faith.
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we

have peace with God through our Lord Jesus
Christ.
—Romans 5:1
JUNE 25
MADE RIGHTEOUS
We are justified through faith in the blood of Jesus. Let’s

read what Paul wrote about this in Romans:
Now to him [the religious person] that worketh is the

reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. But to him that
worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.(Romans
4:4–5 kjv)
Notice verse 5. The first thing you have to do is to stop

trying to make yourself righteous. Stop trying to be a little
better. Call a halt to all that. “To him that worketh not.”
What should we do? Let’s look again at the end of that
passage: “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on
him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for
righteousness” (verse 5 kjv). Just believe. Is it that simple?
If it is not that simple, we will never make it. God makes
unrighteous people righteous—that is what the Scripture
says, and I believe it.
For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin;
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.(2
Corinthians 5:21 kjv)
I like to change the order of the words in that verse,

substituting specific names for the pronouns. “For God
has made Jesus, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we
might be made the righteousness of God in Jesus.” There
is the complete exchange. Jesus was made sin with our
sinfulness so that we might be made righteous with His
righteousness. This righteousness is available through
faith in His blood. We are made righteous through faith in
the blood of Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that

righteousness is available through faith in Your blood. I
have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict Series, Vol. 3: God’s People Triumphant:

(audio)
JUNE 26
ONE ACT OF OBEDIENCE
For as through the one man’s disobedience the many

were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the
One the many will be made righteous.(Romans 5:19 nasb)
By Adam’s one act of disobedience, many—that is, all—of

his descendants were made sinners. But by Jesus’ one act
of obedience, all who believe in Him are made righteous.
The parallel is important because the people who became

sinners as a result of Adam’s sin, including you and me,
were not just sinners by label; they were sinners by
nature and by act.
Correspondingly, when we are made righteous through

faith in Jesus, it is not that God just puts a new label on us
by taking away the label “sinner” and applying the label
“righteous.” Rather, we are actually made righteous, by
nature and by act.
Just as surely as Adam’s disobedience made us all sinners,

in exactly the same way, Christ’s obedience can make us
all righteous. Not just in theory, not just in theology, but in
the way we live—in the very nature that is in us.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that by one
single act of obedience on Your part, I have been made
righteous through faith. Amen.

video)
JUNE 27
PRODUCTS OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Righteousness produces certain immediate and definite

observable results. The whole of our lives, including our
attitudes, our relationships, and the effectiveness of our
acts of Christian service, will depend on how far we
realize that we have been made righteous. We read in
Proverbs 28:1, “The wicked flee when no man pursueth:
but the righteous are bold as a lion” (kjv). Few Christians
today are bold. Most are timid, apologetic; they back down
when confronted with evil. The root cause is a failure to
realize that they are righteous in God’s sight—as
righteous as Jesus Christ Himself. When we acknowledge
and appreciate that fact, it makes us bold.
Let’s look at some other results of righteousness. Isaiah

32:17 says, “And the work of righteousness shall be peace;
and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance
for ever” (kjv). This passage speaks of three products of
righteousness: peace, quietness, and assurance, which
come when we realize that we have been made righteous
with Jesus Christ’s righteousness. Romans 14:17 tells us,
“For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (kjv).
Peace, quietness, joy, and assurance are products of
righteousness. If we do not receive righteousness by faith,
we may struggle to achieve these results, but in vain. It is
pathetic to see Christians trying to be joyful, have peace,
relax, and have assurance—just because somebody told
them they ought to. My experience is that when Christians
really receive the assurance of the forgiveness of sin and
of righteousness by faith, the results of righteousness
follow automatically. The key is getting people to realize
that they have been made righteous with the
righteousness of Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that the

righteousness of Jesus brings boldness, peace, quietness,
and assurance, which I receive because I have been made
righteous through faith. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict Series, Vol. 3: God’s People Triumphant:

(audio)
JUNE 28
THE GIFT OF RIGHTEOUSNESS
Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, “Seek ye first the kingdom of

God, and his righteousness” (kjv). Any other righteousness
we might endeavor to seek is on too low a level. The only
righteousness that will admit us into heaven is the
righteousness of God, which comes only by faith in Jesus
Christ. It is received by faith as a gift. Here is the first
specific manifestation of God’s grace in the lives of those
who come to Him through Jesus Christ: righteousness.
God cannot do anything for us until He has made us
righteous; it is the first thing He does when we approach
Him.
You would probably agree that the majority of Christians

have never grasped this truth. In fact, I think you will find
that much of the church’s liturgy—including our music
and our hymns—are designed to leave us sin-conscious.
In many cases, we almost feel that it’s presumptuous to
consider ourselves anything but sinful. This is a
remarkable fact.
There is one thing the devil fights against as powerfully as

anything else, and that is any person who begins to
realize what it is to be made righteous by faith. Satan will
keep you, by any means that he can, under some measure
of condemnation and guilt, and he’ll keep you feeling very
religious about it, too.
Many people would feel embarrassed or presumptuous to
call themselves “righteous,” for they think that they have
to earn righteousness. Scripture, however, emphasizes
that, rather than being something we can merit,
righteousness is a gift no one deserves. It is a free,
unmerited gift. You either receive it as a gift, or you live
without it. The choice is yours.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that I

receive the righteousness of God by faith in Jesus Christ as
a free and unmerited gift. I proclaim that I have been
made righteous through faith. Amen.
The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit, Vol. 1: Gifts of Revelation

and Power: Explanation of the Greek Word “Charisma”
(audio)
JUNE 29
LIFE IN THE SON
By putting our faith in Jesus Christ’s sacrificial death on

our behalf, by letting Him bear the guilt of our sin, and by
receiving, by faith, His righteousness, which is imputed to
us, we are justified. In that righteousness, I can face God,
death, and eternity without a tremor, without fear.
The apostle John wrote in his first epistle,
And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life,
and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life;
he who does not have the Son of God does not have the
life. These things I have written to you who believe in the
name of the Son of God, in order that you may know that
you have eternal life.(1 John 5:11–13 nasb)
God has given a testimony to the whole human race that

He has offered to us eternal life. This life is in the person
of His Son, Jesus Christ. If we receive Jesus Christ, in Him
we have received eternal life.
Notice, this is stated in the present tense: “He who has the
Son has the life.” It is not something that is going to
happen after death. It is something that happens now, in
this time-space world. If you wait until after death to
accept His life, you will have waited too long; it will be too
late. Settle that issue now! He who has the Son has life.
Make sure that you, too, have life!
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that I have
life now, because I have the Son. I proclaim that I have
been made righteous through faith. Amen.

JUNE 30
THE LIFE OF THE VINE
To explain to people the importance of having Him in

their lives, Jesus used an analogy about the vine and the
branches. (See John 15:1–8.) Jesus said, “I am the vine, you
are the branches” (verse 5). He was very specific. He has
given us a point of orientation in interpreting the whole
picture. Jesus Himself is the vine.
For a vine to live and bear fruit, there must be sap—a

source of nutrients that flows up from the roots, through
the trunk, and into the branches. If the sap does not reach
the branches, however, they will wither and fail to bear
fruit. The key to the life of the vine is the sap, which
represents the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:10, Paul said,
If Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the

Spirit is life because of righteousness.(kjv)
We experienced Christ’s death because of our sins. But,

having experienced His death, we enter into His life
because of His righteousness imputed to us through faith.
(See Romans 6:6–8.) And, having His righteousness, we
partake of His life. We partake of the life that flows from
the roots, through the trunk of the vine, and into the
branches. Paul told us in Romans 8:10 that the life is the
Holy Spirit. The Spirit is life.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that the
life of the vine, which is the Holy Spirit, flows in me. I
have been made righteous through faith. Amen.
The Vine and the Branches (audio)

JULY
JULY 1
IMPUTED AND OUTWORKED

RIGHTEOUSNESS
Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him: for the
marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made
herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be
arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is
the righteousness of saints.(Revelation 19:7–8 kjv)
There are two Greek words that mean “righteousness.”

One is dikaiosune, the other is dikaioma. Dikaiosune is
righteousness as an abstract concept. Dikaioma is
righteousness manifested in act, or an act of
righteousness. When you and I believe in Jesus Christ, His
righteousness—dikaiosune—is imputed to us. We are
made righteous with His righteousness. When we live out
our faith, we express that imputed righteousness in
dikaioma, which is outworked righteousness, or an act of
righteousness.
It is interesting to note that the word used here in

Revelation is the plural form of dikaioma, dikaiomata.
The fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints. It is a
very searching statement. “His wife hath made herself
ready.” She has done this by her acts of righteousness.
Every culture that I have encountered has embraced one

common rule regarding marriage ceremonies. The
bridegroom never prepares the bride; rather, the bride
always prepares herself. The responsibility is placed on
her alone. The Scripture says that the wife of Christ, the
church, has made herself ready by her outworked
righteous acts. The imputed righteousness of Christ will
not avail for the bridal feast. It must be the outworked
righteousness—acts that we believers perform because of
Christ’s gift of righteousness, given freely to us.
Thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice. I proclaim that I am

living out my faith, expressing imputed righteousness,
and acting out my faith, expressing outworked
righteousness. I proclaim that I have been made righteous
through faith. Amen.
The Vine and the Branches (audio)

WEEK 27:
I have been united with God and have become one

in spirit with Him.
He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with

Him.
JULY 2
UNITED WITH GOD
I have been united with God and have become one in

spirit with Him.
It is so important to understand the distinction between

the human spirit and the soul. It is not the soul that is
united with God, but the spirit—for the spirit was created
for union with God; indeed, it cannot live out of union
with God. As a result of regeneration, the spirit of the
born-again believer is able to unite with God.
Let us review three simple descriptions of the orientations

of spirit, soul, and body. The spirit is God-conscious. The
soul is self-conscious. The body is world-conscious.
Through our spirits, we are conscious of God. In our souls,

we are conscious of ourselves. And through our bodies
and their senses, we relate to the world around us.
When man’s spirit is reunited with God, the rekindled

spirit becomes a lamp. Filled with the Holy Spirit, it
illuminates the inward nature of man which was dark
and alienated from God up to that time. We need to
remember that when the Bible was written, the fuel for
every lamp was olive oil, and olive oil is always a type, or
symbol, of the Holy Spirit.
The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the
innermost parts of his being.(Proverbs 20:27 nasb)
When the spirit of man is brought back into union with
God and the Holy Spirit comes in and fills up that lamp,
then the lamp inside man—his spirit—is illuminated,
shedding light on his entire inner being. He is no longer in
darkness.
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that in

union with the Lord, by the illumination of the Holy
Spirit, I am no longer in darkness. I proclaim that I have
been united with God and have become one in spirit with
Him. Amen.

JULY 3
JOINED TO THE LORD

spirit with Him.
If you have never been shocked by the Bible, you have

probably never really read it, because the Bible says some
extremely shocking things. Take 1 Corinthians 6:16, for
example: “Or do you not know that he who is joined to a
harlot [prostitute] is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ He
[God] says, ‘shall become one flesh.’” We all understand
what this verse is talking about—sexual immorality,
fornication, and being physically united with a prostitute.
With that context in mind, look at what Paul said next:
“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him”
(verse 17). This verse cannot be taken out of context. As
we have seen, in verse 17, Paul was talking about a union
that is just as real as the sexual union—not a physical
union, but a spiritual union. That is what it means to be
married to the One who is risen from the dead. It is not
our souls that are united to the Lord; rather, it is our
spirits, for “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.”
Your soul is capable of theology, and it is probably

overburdened with it, but your spirit knows God. The
spirit is the God-inbreathed part of man. That is what
brought man into being in the first place in the garden of
Eden. The Lord breathed into Adam’s nostrils the spirit of
life. (See Genesis 2:7.) And that part of man never finds
rest until it is reunited with God. You can chase after all
the pleasures and philosophies of the world, but your
spirit is not interested in them. Your spirit just wants God,
and it is your spirit that can be united with God just as
truly as a body of a man can be united with the body of a
prostitute. Never separate those two verses. They are
totally different, but their analogy is exact and helps us to
understand their relationship.
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that

“he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him”—and
that this truth applies to me. I have been united with God
and have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
Who Has Bewitched You?: The Only Basis for

Righteousness (audio)
JULY 4
SPIRIT TO SPIRIT

spirit with Him.
There are many facets of the truths about the Old

Testament tabernacle of God. One essential, basic fact is
that it was a triune building. In other words, it was three
in one. It was one single place, but there were three areas:
the Outer Court, the Holy Place, and the Holy of Holies.
In this trinity, we find many references to eternal truth.

For instance, God is three in one—Father, Son, and Spirit
—three persons in one God. Man is likewise triune; one
man is made up of spirit, soul, and body. I believe that
heaven is triune, as well. There are three heavens—the
visible heaven, which we see; an intermediate heaven,
which is the headquarters of Satan’s kingdom; and a third
heaven, which is where God dwells; this is the current
location of paradise.
I also believe that the three areas of the tabernacle

correspond to the three areas of human personality. The
Outer Court, with its natural light of sun, moon, and stars,
corresponds to the physical body with the physical senses,
which are the source of understanding or perception. The
Holy Place corresponds to man’s soul, and it speaks about
revealed truth. And the Holy of Holies corresponds to
man’s spirit and speaks about directly apprehended truth.
This is truth that is apprehended only by direct, personal
contact with God, for it is the spirit of man alone that is
united with God. “He who is joined to the Lord is one
spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:17)—not one soul or one body, but
one spirit.
Direct contact with God is spirit to Spirit, and that is

where direct revelation comes.
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that my

direct, personal contact with God is spirit to Spirit. I
proclaim that I have been united with God and have
become one in spirit with Him. Amen.
Reigning Now with Christ: We Are a Kingdom of Priests

(audio)
JULY 5
COMMUNION WITH GOD

spirit with Him.
Let’s look at some of the functions of the spirit as it relates

to the soul and the body. We have seen that the spirit is
God-conscious, the soul is self-conscious, and the body is
world-conscious. It is very important to understand that
the soul is self-conscious. Whenever people are focused
on themselves—their own problems and needs—they are
operating in the realm of the soul.
The primary activity of the spirit is union with God. It is

the only part of man that can be directly united with God.
In 1 Corinthians 6:17, Paul said, “He who is joined to the
Lord is one spirit with Him”—not one soul, not one body,
but one spirit. The great privilege we have with our spirits
is union and communion with God. The highest activity of
man’s spirit is worship.
Man’s soul contains these three elements: will, intellect,

and emotions. The will is the part of me that says, “I
want”; the intellect is the part that says, “I think”; and the
emotions are the part of me that says, “I feel.” Together,
these three components make up the soul.
The body is world-conscious; through the senses, the body

contacts the surrounding time-space world. God’s original
purpose was that man’s spirit should direct his soul, and
that his soul should direct his body. The spirit can direct
the body only through the soul. There is one exception to
this, and that is speaking in tongues. That is why speaking
in tongues is such a unique experience. When we speak in
tongues, our spirits control the physical member, the
tongue, without the soul’s involvement. That is why it is
such a tremendously important experience.
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that I

have been united with God and have become one in spirit
with Him. Amen.
Who Am I?: Why You Have a Body (audio)

JULY 6
WORSHIP IN THE SPIRIT

spirit with Him.
As we fulfill the Lord’s requirement for our bodies and

our souls, our spirits are liberated to enter into a
fellowship with God—a fellowship even more wonderful
than that which was lost through the fall. Paul said in 1
Corinthians 6:17, “But he who is joined to the Lord is one
spirit with Him.” The implication is clear. The redeemed
spirit can now enjoy a union with God that is close and
intimate. It is the spirit alone, however—not the soul or
the body—that can experience this direct, intimate union
with God.
It is primarily through the act of worship that our spirits

enter into this union with God. In John 4:23–24, Jesus said,
“The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and
truth.…God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must
worship in spirit and truth.” Jesus made it clear that true
worship must be an activity of our spirits.
In the contemporary church, there is little understanding

of the nature of worship, mainly because we do not
discern the difference between the spirit and the soul.
Worship is not entertainment—that belongs in the
theater, not the church. Nor is worship the same as praise.
We praise God with our souls, and it is right to do so.
Through our praise we have access to God’s presence. But
once we are in His presence, it is through worship that we
enjoy true spiritual union with Him. To be able to worship
God in this way is the goal of salvation—first on earth,
then later in heaven. It is the highest and holiest activity
of which a human being is capable. Worship, however, is
possible only when the soul and the body come into
submission to the spirit and in harmony with it. Such
worship is often too profound for words. It becomes an
intense and silent union with God.

highest activity is union with God, to worship in spirit and
truth. I have been united with God and have become one
in spirit with Him. Amen.
Spirit, Soul and Body (Teaching Legacy Letter)

JULY 7
SPIRITUAL FRUIT

spirit with Him.
Worship is the act by which we are joined to the Lord as

one spirit. That is why worship is the highest activity of
human beings. Again, when we are joined to the Lord in
worship, we begin to bring forth (or birth) the things that
God wants brought forth.
Worship is not an appendix to the Christian life; it is not a

little addition to services. It is the culmination. It is the
confirmation. Once more, if I may put it in this way
without offending anyone, it is the consummation of our
marriage to the Lord. We are united with Him as one
spirit, and when we have that marriage union, it is always
for the sake of procreation. That is when spiritual fruit
comes out of our lives.
You need to know the identity of the husband with whom

you are united. Paul wrote in Galatians 5:19–21, “Now the
deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality,
impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife,
jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions,
factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like
these” (nasb). The deeds of the flesh are all too evident.
You can tell people that you are spiritual, but if you are
truly fleshly, it will show. Let me ask you this: Do you
want your children to act like what is described in the
passage from Galatians? Because that is what the flesh
brings forth. You cannot find one good thing in that entire
list. The flesh cannot produce anything acceptable to God.
It is corrupt. Jesus said that a corrupt tree cannot bring
forth good fruit. (See Matthew 7:18.) It is impossible.

goal of being united with God is to bring forth spiritual
fruit. I proclaim that I have been united with God and
have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.

video)
JULY 8
CHANNELS OF SPIRITUAL LIFE

spirit with Him.
The spirit of man is the lamp of the Lord, searching all the
innermost parts of his being.(Proverbs 20:27 nasb)
Let us recall that when the spirit of man is brought back

into union with God, and the Holy Spirit comes in and fills
up that lamp, then that lamp inside man is illuminated
and sheds light on his whole inner being. He is no longer
in darkness. Furthermore, the reborn spirit becomes a
channel through which the Holy Spirit can flow out into
this world. Jesus said,
“He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his

innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” But
this He spoke of the Spirit [the Holy Spirit], whom those
who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was
not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.(John
7:38–39 nasb)
After the Holy Spirit was given on the day of Pentecost,

the regenerated spirit of man became a channel or
riverbed through which rivers of spiritual life could flow
out into this world. That is a marvelous transformation,
because just before saying the above, Jesus said, “If any
man is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink” (verse 37).
So, this transformation of regeneration and the infilling of
the Holy Spirit produces a marvelous change—a man who
was thirsty, who did not even have enough for himself,
now becomes a channel through which waters of spiritual
life can flow out to the needy world around him.
Thank You, Lord, for joining me to You. I proclaim that I

will be a channel through which the Holy Spirit and
waters of spiritual life can flow out to reach a needy
world. I proclaim that I have been united with God and
have become one in spirit with Him. Amen.

WEEK 28:
I have been bought at a price; I belong to God.
Do you not know that your body is the temple of

the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have
from God, and you are not your own? For you
were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in
your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
—1 Corinthians 6:19–20
JULY 9
BELONGING TO JESUS
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy

Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that
you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19 nasb)
Why are you not your own? Because somebody else has
bought you. When you have been bought by somebody
else, then you no longer belong to yourself.
Who bought you? Jesus. With what method of payment?

His blood. So, if you have been bought by Jesus,
remember, you do not belong to yourself. If you belong to
yourself, then you are not bought with the blood of Jesus.
Again, you cannot belong to yourself and to the Lord. The
Lord wants you for Himself. He has paid the price of His
precious blood. If you want to hold on to your own life,
then, remember, you have not been bought with a price.
You cannot have it both ways. If you belong to God, you do
not belong to yourself. If you belong to yourself, you do
not belong to God.
For you have been bought with a price [the precious blood
of Jesus]: therefore [because of the price that has been
paid for you] glorify [honor] God in your body.(verse 20)
When Jesus died on the cross, He paid a total price for a

total redemption. He did not redeem just a part of you. He
redeemed the whole of you—spirit, soul, and body. Jesus
died to redeem you. If you have accepted redemption
through His blood, then you are not your own; you now
belong to Him. Both your spirit and your body are God’s,
because Jesus paid the price of His blood to possess you.
Thank You, Lord, that You have purchased me. I proclaim

that Jesus paid the total price for my redemption. I have
been bought at a price; I belong to God. Amen.
Praying to Change History: God’s Atomic Weapon: The

JULY 10
INSTRUMENTS GOD USES
The Bible teaches that the physical body is the temple of

the Holy Spirit, and that when Jesus died on the cross and
shed His blood, He redeemed our bodies in addition to
our spirits and souls. We belong to Him entirely—spirit,
soul, and body.
God has a sincere interest in, and a specific purpose for,

our bodies. The body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit.
(See 1 Corinthians 6:19.) It is to be the place in man where
the Holy Spirit dwells. The Bible tells us that God does not
dwell in temples made by hands. (See Acts 7:48.) We can
build Him as many churches, synagogues, or tabernacles
as we like, but God will not dwell there. God has chosen to
dwell in the physical bodies of those who believe in Him.
Thus, the believer’s body has an important function as a
residence of the Holy Spirit.
Furthermore, Paul explained this about our physical

members: “Neither yield ye your members as instruments
of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto
God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your
members as instruments of righteousness unto God”
(Romans 6:13 kjv). The various members of the physical
body are intended to be instruments (or weapons) that
God can use. They do not belong to us; they belong to God.
We are to yield them to God.
It is logical and obvious that God wants His “weapons” in
good condition, not feeble or broken-down. He wants our
bodies to be healthy and our members to be strong,
effective, and active, because they are the members of
Christ. In a certain sense, Christ has no body on the earth
except ours. Our bodies are the instruments God uses to
enact His will on the earth. I have become convinced that
God expects us to keep our bodies as strong and as
healthy as we can.

that the members of my physical body are instruments
God can use, and I yield them to Him. I have been bought
at a price; I belong to God. Amen.
How to Fast Successfully (book)

JULY 11
THE PEARL OF GREAT PRICE
In Matthew 13:45–46, Jesus told a parable that, in my

opinion, most beautifully describes the wonder of our
redemption:
Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant seeking

beautiful pearls, who, when he had found one pearl of
great price, went and sold all that he had and bought it.
For me, this parable depicts the redemption of a human

soul. Jesus is the merchant—not a tourist or a sightseer,
but a man who has dealt in pearls all His life—and He
knows the exact value of every pearl. The pearl that He
has purchased is just one human soul—yours or mine. It
cost Him all He had, everything He owned.
Updated to our contemporary culture, I can picture the

scene when that merchant broke the news to his wife.
“Honey, I’ve sold our car.”
“You sold our car! Well, at least we still have a roof over
our heads.”
“No, I sold our house, too!”
“Whatever made you do all that?”

“I found the most beautiful pearl I’ve ever seen. I’ve been
looking all my life for such a pearl. It cost me everything I
had. Wait till you see it!”
What does this mean to you and me? Each of us may

picture ourselves as that one priceless pearl worth
everything Jesus had—even His own blood.

that I am that priceless pearl purchased by God. I have
been bought at a price; I belong to God. Amen.
Do You Realize How Valuable You Are? (Teaching Legacy

Letter)
JULY 12
HIS FOREVER!
Remember, it cost Jesus everything He had to buy you

back to Himself. Though He was Lord of the entire
universe, He laid aside all His authority and power to die
in absolute poverty. He owned nothing. The burial clothes
and the tomb in which He was buried were both
borrowed.
Though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor,

that you through His poverty might become rich.(2
Corinthians 8:9)
Perhaps you have never seen yourself as important.

Maybe you have a poor self-image or low sense of self-
esteem. You may look back on a life of pain and
disappointment—a deprived and unhappy childhood, a
marriage that ended in divorce, a career that never
materialized, or years wasted on drugs and alcohol. Your
past and your future both convey the same message:
failure!
Not so to Jesus! He loved you so much that He gave up

everything to redeem you for Himself. Repeat the
beautiful words of the apostle Paul, making them your
own: “The Son of God…loved me and gave Himself for
me” (Galatians 2:20). Say it again: “God loved me and gave
Himself for me.” And again, “The Son of God loved me
and gave Himself for me.”
See yourself as that pearl held in the nail-scarred hand of
Jesus. Hear Him saying to you, “You’re so beautiful! You
cost Me everything I had, but I don’t regret it. Now you’re
Mine forever!”
You cannot do anything to earn this. You can never

change yourself or make yourself good. All that you can
do is to accept what Jesus has done for you and thank Him
for it! You belong to Him forever!

that Jesus loved me and gave Himself for me, and I belong
to Him forever! I have been bought at a price; I belong to
God. Amen.
Do You Realize How Valuable You Are? (Teaching Legacy

Letter)
JULY 13
THE PURCHASE PRICE
Consider the price that Jesus paid. The price is stated very
clearly in various parts of the New Testament. In Acts
20:28, Paul addressed the elders of the church at Ephesus,
saying, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the
flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you
overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He
purchased with His own blood.”
Notice that Paul gave to Jesus the specific title of “God.” He

said, “God…purchased [the church] with His own blood.”
The purchase price was the blood of Jesus. Then, in 1
Peter 1:17, we read, “And if you call on the Father, who
without partiality judges according to each one’s work,
conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here
in fear.” He was not talking about a slavish fear, but
rather about a deep sense of responsibility that comes due
to the price that Jesus paid to redeem us. We must never
treat ourselves as cheap. When we realize we have been
redeemed by the blood of Jesus, we cannot afford to make
ourselves cheap.
You were not redeemed with corruptible [perishable]

things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct
received by tradition from your fathers, but with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and
without spot.(verses 18–19)
The price Jesus paid to redeem us was His precious blood.
He is called the Lamb of God, without blemish and
without spot. A blemish is something a creature is born
with. A spot is something that would mar or stain it
afterward. Jesus is without blemish, meaning He is
without original sin, and He is without spot, meaning He
is without personal sin. It is His perfect blood that has
redeemed us.

that I have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus.
I have been bought at a price; I belong to God. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: The Cost of Redemption

(audio)
JULY 14
PRESENTING OUR BODIES
It is important to truly understand that Jesus redeemed

the whole person: spirit, soul, and body. One reason for
the redemption of the body was so that it might become
the temple of the Lord. The Lord is not going to dwell in a
temple that has not been redeemed, one that still belongs
to Satan. He will not dwell there. Our bodies have been
redeemed so that God may dwell in them by His Holy
Spirit. They were redeemed by the blood of Jesus.
What is the response that God requires from us? This is

where it becomes extremely practical and is very
important for all of us to understand. Paul said,
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God,

that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy,
acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
(Romans 12:1)
Given all that God has done for us through Jesus’ death on
the cross, how are we expected to respond? We are to
present our bodies as living sacrifices. Why “living
sacrifices”? Paul was contrasting living sacrifices with the
sacrifices of the Old Testament, which involved the bodies
of animals being killed and then placed on God’s altar as
an offering to wipe away sin and guilt. Paul was saying,
“Place your body on God’s altar, but don’t kill it. Place it
on the altar as a living sacrifice.” Once you have placed
your body on God’s altar, it no longer belongs to you. It
belongs to God. Everything that was offered as a sacrifice
on God’s altar became His.
That is exactly what God asks us to do, to present our

bodies to Him as living sacrifices, to give up the
ownership of our bodies and to put them in God’s hands.

that I am presenting my body to You as a living sacrifice. I
have been bought at a price; I belong to God. Amen.

JULY 15
SANCTIFIED, SET APART,

TRANSLATED
Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people

with his own blood, suffered without the gate.(Hebrews
13:12 kjv)
The blood of Jesus sanctifies each believer. Again, sanctify

is a religious word, and many people are confused about
its meaning. The word sanctify is related to the word saint
and is directly related in the original biblical languages to
the word for “holy.” So, to sanctify means “to make
saintly,” or “to make holy.” Holiness includes the aspect of
being set apart to God. The one who is sanctified finds
himself in an area where God has access to him but the
devil does not. To be sanctified is to be removed from the
area of Satan’s reach and placed in an area where we are
available to God. That is what it is to be sanctified: set
apart to God, made holy. Just like righteousness,
sanctification does not come by works, by effort, or by
religion. It comes only by faith in the blood of Jesus. You
belong to God, you are under God’s control, and you are
available to God. Anything that is not of God has no right
of approach to you; it is kept away by the blood.
In Colossians 1:12–13, Paul wrote, “Giving thanks to the

Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance
of the saints in the kingdom of light. For he has rescued us
from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the
kingdom of the Son he loves” (niv). Through faith in the
blood of Jesus, we have been removed from the area of
Satan’s authority and translated into the kingdom of God.
We have been totally translated. We are not going to be
translated; we have already been translated—spirit, soul,
and body. We are not in the devil’s territory. We are not
under the devil’s laws. We are in the territory of the Son
of God, and we are under His laws.

that I have been sanctified, set apart to God, and
translated into the kingdom of God. I have been bought at
a price; I belong to God. Amen.

(audio)
WEEK 29:
I am a member of the body of Christ.
Now you are the body of Christ, and members

individually.
JULY 16
FINDING OUR PLACE
Proverbs 27:8 says, “Like a bird that wanders from its nest
is a man who wanders from his place.” Have you ever
seen a bird that got out of its nest and could not get back
in again? Nothing is more weak and pitiful than that. This
image aptly illustrates what it is to be out of your place. I
have counseled many people whom I simply had to tell,
“One of your problems is that you are not in your right
geographical place. This is not the place where you ought
to be. You will never really flourish until you find your
place.”
However, “your place” is not primarily a geographical

location; rather, it is a place in God, a place in the body of
Christ. Scripture says that every one of us should be a
member of the body. As a member, each one of us has to
fit into the right place for that member. A hand looks
ridiculous at the end of a leg. A foot looks ridiculous at the
end of an arm. You have to find out what kind of a
member you are so that you will fit into the place that is
appropriate for you.
God…has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not

according to our works, but according to His own purpose
and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before
time began.(2 Timothy 1:8–9)
That is a tremendous passage, almost unsearchable in its

depth. It says that God “has saved us,” but it does not stop
there. There is no punctuation; he continued immediately,
“and called us.” To be saved is to be called. There is no
one who is saved but not called.
There are multitudes of Christians who are saved and do

not know their callings. But it is not because they are not
called. When you are saved, you are saved to a calling.
You will be frustrated and unfulfilled until you find and
fulfill your calling.
Thank You, Jesus, for making me a part of Your body. I

proclaim that I find my place and my calling in You. I am
a member of the body of Christ. Amen.
Finding Your Place: Your Calling Is Holy (audio)

JULY 17
WE NEED ONE ANOTHER
In Ephesians 1:22–23, Paul provided a picture of God’s

people here on earth. He said, “The church…is His
[Christ’s] body.” Paul developed this theme in 1
Corinthians, saying, “Now you are the body of Christ, and
members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:27). He used
various examples from the physical body to emphasize
the fact that, as Christians, we are all interdependent; we
all need one another.
The most complete and authoritative picture of the

church as the body of Christ is given in Ephesians. It is
most significant, therefore, that throughout this epistle,
Paul spoke consistently of Christians in the plural. He had
virtually nothing to say to or about individual Christians.
(See Ephesians 1:3–12.) A careful reading of the rest of
Ephesians will confirm that this is the book’s message
from beginning to end. There are no promises and no
prayers for any individual. Only in the last six verses is
there one brief exception: Paul closed by asking for
special prayer for himself.
This focus on the collective body of Christ comes to its

climax in Ephesians 6:10–18, where Paul spoke about our
spiritual warfare. In verse 12, all the key words are in the
plural—both those that refer to God’s people and those
that refer to the opposing forces: we wrestle against
principalities, powers, rulers, and hosts.
Depicted thusly, spiritual warfare is not a conflict
between individuals, but a vast war between opposing
armies. There is no room here for “lone rangers”
pursuing their individual goals. Victory will require
controlled and concerted action by God’s people, working
together as members of one body. This will demand
discipline and a readiness to submit to scriptural
authority.

proclaim that I am not alone, but I take my stand with the
rest of the body of Christ, for I am a member of the body
of Christ. Amen.
Because of the Angels, Part 3: Principles of Spiritual

Protection (Teaching Legacy Letter)
JULY 18
MY SPECIFIC PLACE
Jesus said that if we have “faith as a mustard seed,” we

can move a mountain. (See Matthew 17:20.) It is not the
quantity of your faith, but rather the quality, that matters.
Faith is given to those who are realistic and humble.
Why does God give you a specific measure of faith? (See

Romans 12:3.) Because He has a specific place for you in
the body of Christ. He has ordained you to serve a specific
function as a specific member of the body of Christ. The
faith He has given you is designed for your position in the
body. If God wants you to be a hand, He will give you
“hand” faith. If He wants you to be an ear, He will give
you “ear” faith. If He wants you to be a toe, He will give
you “toe” faith. But if you are a toe and you are trying to
be a nose, there will be a complete imbalance between
what you are trying to do and the faith that you have. The
reason is not that you do not have enough faith, but that
you are trying to use your faith for something for which it
was not meant to be used. It was given for the specific job
and place you have in the body of believers.
My hand does a wonderful job as a hand. It opens my

Bible, turning the pages. It does most everything I ask of
it. But if should I try to do those jobs with my foot, I would
be in trouble.
If you are always struggling for faith, you are probably

trying to do the wrong job. You are a hand trying to be a
foot, or a foot trying to be a hand. This is God’s way of
guiding you into your place.

proclaim that God is guiding me into my specific place, for
I am a member of the body of Christ. Amen.
Finding Your Place: Your Calling Is Holy (audio)

JULY 19
KNIT TOGETHER
Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 12 that each member

depends on the other. No member is independent of the
others. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you.”
The head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you.” Even
the weakest members can be the ones that are actually
the most important.
No member of the human body is more vulnerable or

sensitive than the eye. Yet few, if any, are more valuable.
Notice how carefully nature has protected the eye all
around. The primary function of several other areas of
the face is to protect the eye. But the eye gets all that
protection and honor not because it is strong, but because
it is weak. This is the way the body has been knit together.
The strong must protect the weak. We cannot ignore or
despise any member of the body of Christ, big or small,
strong or weak.
This principle is true of the members of Christ’s body. We

need one another; we depend on one another. We must
honor one another. When one member suffers, the others
suffer with it. When one member is honored, the others
are honored with it. (See 1 Corinthians 12:26.) That is the
nature of the universal body of Jesus Christ, the church.
proclaim that I am knit together with other members—
and I honor them—for I am a member of the body of
Christ. Amen.
The Church, Vol. 1: Universal and Local: The Universal

Church (audio)
JULY 20
WORKING TOGETHER
For through the grace given to me I say to every man

among you not to think more highly of himself than he
ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment,
as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as
we have many members in one body and all the members
do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are
one body in Christ, and individually members one of
another.(Romans 12:3–5 nasb)
The renewed mind directs us to our proper place in the

body. We come to realize that each of us is just one
member, incomplete on our own, incapable of functioning
on our own as God intends us to function. In order to be
complete and to function in accordance with God’s
purpose and plan, each of us has to become a member in
the body. We have to be joined to other members by a
kind of commitment that enables us to work together, and
not just as isolated individuals.
When traveling on airplanes, I have often marveled as the

plane’s navigation system zeroed in on the particular
airport and the two locked on to one another. The plane
came down in exactly the right place at exactly the right
speed to make a safe and smooth landing. I suggest
thinking of your renewed mind like the navigation system
of an airplane. When you synchronize yourself with the
Spirit of God, then your renewed mind brings you down
into exactly the right place in the body—you become a
member of God’s body, the body of Christ, the church.

proclaim that the Lord is bringing me into exactly the
right place in His body, because I am a member of the
body of Christ. Amen.

JULY 21
TREATING ONE ANOTHER RIGHT
The world is full of all kinds of people. Just looking at

someone’s exterior, you might say, “I don’t see much to get
excited about.” You could look in the mirror and perhaps
say the same thing about yourself. But we need to look
below the surface and see our brothers and sisters as
members of the body of Christ—people for whom Jesus
shed His blood and died.
If we fail to appreciate and honor other people, we are

grieving the heart of the Lord, because the Lord loves
everyone enough to die for them. It grieves the Lord
bitterly if we have a wrong attitude toward a member of
His body, if we look down on others and discount their
value.
I believe that was the problem of the people of Corinth,

whom Paul addressed in two epistles. There were many
wrong relationships between them. They did not discern
the Lord’s body in one another (see 1 Corinthians 11:29),
and Paul said, “For this reason many are weak and sick
among you, and many sleep [have died]” (verse 30). I
suppose this reason could well be the major cause of
sickness among Christians today. I have to say, with deep
regret, that many Christians do not treat one another at
all like fellow members of Christ’s body.
proclaim that I will, by Your grace, honor other members,
seeing them as individuals for whom Jesus died, for I am a
member of the body of Christ. Amen.
Communion in Its Fullness (audio)

JULY 22
GOD HAS PLACED US
For even as the body is one and yet has many members,
and all the members of the body, though they are many,
are one body, so also is Christ….For the body is not one
member, but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am
not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this
reason any the less a part of the body. And if the ear
should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of
the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the
body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the
hearing be? If the whole were hearing, where would the
sense of smell be? But now God has placed the members,
each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.(1
Corinthians 12:12, 14–18 nasb)
There are three things we need to see in this statement of

Paul. First, the choice of where and what we are to be in
the body is not ours, but God’s. God has arranged the
members of His body and assigned their functions. It is
not for us to decide; rather, God decides and reveals His
decisions to us.
Second, as this comes to pass in our lives, we merge our

lives in a larger entity, the body—yet we still retain our
individuality. It is like a little finger that finds its place on
a hand, side-by-side with four other fingers, and is thus
connected to the total life and purpose of a complete body.
As Christians, we never lose our individual identities, but
we do become a part of a larger, corporate group, all the
while being the particular members that God ordained us
to be.
Third, as a corporate body, we are able to represent Christ

in His fullness to the world. None of us can adequately
represent Christ on our own; but when we are united to a
body, that body can totally, corporately, and fully
represent Jesus Christ to our world.

proclaim that God has placed me, with an individual
identity, as part of the whole, representing Christ in His
fullness to the world. I am a member of the body of Christ.
Amen.

WEEK 30:
I am holy.
He chose us in Him before the foundation of the

world, that we should be holy and without
blame before Him in love.
—Ephesians 1:4
JULY 23
WHAT IS HOLINESS?
I am holy.
There is tremendous misunderstanding about holiness.

Many Christians try to achieve holiness by abstaining
from things. They think, If I do not do this or that, then I
am holy. But that has nothing to do with being holy. There
are things you cannot do if you are holy, but to suggest
that holiness means cutting down on the number of
things you are involved in is not correct. Holiness is not
negative. Paul wrote in Colossians 2:20, “Therefore, if you
died with Christ from the basic principles of the world,
why, as though living in the world, do you subject
yourselves to regulations…?” This is most people’s view of
holiness—subjecting oneself to regulations. Paul went on
to provide a list of regulations some people follow in an
attempt to achieve holiness:
“Do not touch, do not taste, do not handle,” which all

concern things which perish with the using; according to
the commandments and doctrines of men….These things
indeed have an appearance of wisdom in self-imposed
religion, false humility, and neglect of the body, but are of
no value against the indulgence of the flesh.(verses 21–23)
In other words, abstaining from certain things does not

make you holy; it is not God’s holiness. In Matthew 5:16,
Jesus explained the relationship between holiness and our
actions: “Let your light so shine before men, that they may
see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”
Letting “your light…shine” means doing good works so
that other people are able to see God. It does not mean
observing a set of negative rules. It is a positive, powerful
force. In fact, I believe that holiness is the most powerful
force at work in our universe. To retreat into a negative
lifestyle and call it “holiness” is self-deception. It is not
what God means by holiness at all.
Thank You, Lord, that You have called me. I proclaim that
I will “let my light shine” as a positive, powerful force, for
I am holy. Amen.
Update 94, March 2001 (audio)

JULY 24
CALLED HOLY ONES
I am holy.
Paul described the Roman believers as “beloved of God,

called to be saints” (Romans 1:7). The word “saints”
simply means “holy.” The words “to be” were actually
added by the translators. In Greek, this literally says,
“called holy ones.”
Remember that holiness is not some kind of extra

qualification that a few believers may acquire; rather, it is
something that is expected of all believers. Paul did not
conceive of some special “super class” of believers who go
on to a higher plane inaccessible to the rest of us. Paul
assumed that all believers were going to be holy.
When you accept the gospel invitation of faith in Jesus

Christ, God calls you a holy one. You are one who is set
apart, ready to yield to the Holy Spirit and to
righteousness. You may look at yourself and say, “Well, I
really don’t seem to be very holy,” but recall what Paul
said: that God “calls those things which do not exist as
though they did” (Romans 4:17). God called Abraham “a
father of many nations” before he had even one son. (See
Genesis 17:4–5.)
When God calls you something, it is because He is going to

make you something. When God calls you holy, you are
holy, because He has called you holy. It may take some
time to work out holiness in your life, but that is His
decree for you.
You are working out Your calling in my life, for I am holy.
Amen.
You Shall Receive Power (book)

JULY 25
HIS WILL FOR US
I am holy.
Furthermore, we have had human fathers who corrected

us, and we paid them respect. Shall we not much more
readily be in subjection to the Father of spirits and live?
For they indeed for a few days chastened us as seemed
best to them, but He [God] for our profit, that we may be
partakers of His holiness.(Hebrews 12:9–10)
It is God’s desire that we might partake of His holiness.

The author of Hebrews continued, “Pursue peace with all
people, and holiness, without which no one will see the
Lord” (verse 14). First, we are to pursue holiness. Second,
in order to achieve holiness, I believe we must pursue
peace with all people. We are to attempt to live peaceably,
avoiding quarrels or disagreements, if we are able. The
writer of Hebrews also issued a solemn warning. He said
that we will not see the Lord unless we become partakers
of His holiness.
Another Scripture passage that expresses God’s desire for

holiness in His people says, “For this is the will of God,
your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). What exactly is
“sanctification”? To an extent, the English language
obscures the words’ true meaning. An English word
ending in the suffix “-ify” means to make something
correspond to the quality indicated by whatever precedes
the “-ify.” For example, purify means “to make pure”;
clarify means “to make clear”; rectify means “to make
right.” By extension, sanctify means “to make sanct.” But
what is sanct? By derivation, it is the same as saint; and
saint, in turn, is the same as holy. All three words—
sanctify, saint, and holy—are derived from one basic
Greek word, hagios, the root word for “holy.” Very simply,
then, sanctification is the process of making something—
or someone—holy.
Thus, we can accurately translate 1 Thessalonians 4:3 in

this way: “For this is the will of God, that you be made
holy.”
Thank You, Lord, that You have called me. I will pursue
holiness, as well as pursue peace with all people to
partake of Your holiness, for I am holy. Amen.
“Partakers of His Holiness” (New Wine article)

JULY 26
GOD’S INITIATIVE
I am holy.
In the process of sanctification, as in every redemptive

process, the initiative is with God, not with man. It begins
with God’s choice of us, made in eternity. Thereafter, the
sequence of events in time is as follows: (1) the Holy Spirit
begins to influence us; (2) He draws us aside from the
broad way to destruction (see Matthew 7:13) that we
would have followed (see Matthew 7:13); (3) He brings us
face-to-face with the truth, which is Jesus Himself (see
John 14:6); (4) He imparts to us faith to believe the truth;
and (5) through believing the truth, we enter into
salvation.
In Ephesians 2:8, Paul wrote that we are saved by faith.

He then reminded us that this faith does not come from
ourselves; rather, it is a gift from the Holy Spirit. In this
sense, we could define sanctify as “to set apart to God.” In
many cases, the process of sanctification begins long
before we come to know God personally. Both the apostle
Paul and the prophet Jeremiah were sanctified in their
mothers’ wombs. (See Galatians 1:15; Jeremiah 1:5.) God
begins to set us apart to Himself long before we have any
knowledge of it.
[We are] elect [chosen] according to the foreknowledge of

God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for
obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ.(1
Peter 1:2)
God’s choice, made in eternity, is based on His
foreknowledge—it is never arbitrary, never random. The
Holy Spirit draws us aside to a place of confrontation with
the claims of Christ, then gives us grace to obey the
gospel. When we obey, the blood of Jesus is sprinkled
upon us. In this passage from 1 Peter, we see that the
initiative in the process of sanctification is with God, not
man, and that the first agent acting in the process is the
Holy Spirit.
it is God’s initiative, His choice, made in eternity—and
that it was not arbitrary. I am holy. Amen.

JULY 27
WASHED BY HIS WORD
I am holy.
In the Old Testament, after the blood of an animal

sacrifice had been shed, the sacrifice had to be washed in
pure water. First John 5:6 says that Jesus came “by water
and blood” (1 John 5:6). The blood is the redeeming blood
of Christ, shed on the cross, and the water is the pure
water of the Word. Christ redeems us by His blood, then
sanctifies and cleanses us by the washing of water by the
Word. (See Ephesians 5:25–26.)
Praying to the Father for His disciples, Jesus said,

“Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John
17:17). One primary way in which the Word of God
sanctifies us is by changing how we think. Sanctification
proceeds from the inside out, not from the outside in.
Again, the “religious” way to sanctification is to lengthen
the dress, cut the hair, wipe off the lipstick, and so forth.
Yet in Romans 12:2, Paul said, “Be transformed by the
renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that
good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” In
Ephesians 4:23, he said, “Be renewed in the spirit of your
mind.” The Holy Spirit renews our minds through the
truth—God’s Word.
In English, we have the term brainwash, which usually

has a negative connotation. The word would be
appropriate, however, to describe in a positive light the
way in which the Holy Spirit renews our minds, washing
them clean with the pure water of God’s Word. This must
happen by our faith, an indispensable element in our
sanctification. God’s Spirit and God’s Word never vary;
our faith enables us to receive what God offers through
these agents. Furthermore, there is a direct connection
between the Word of God and our faith, for “faith comes
by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans
10:17). The more we give heed to God’s Word, the more
our faith expands, enabling us to appropriate the total
provision God has made for our holiness.
I am being washed and renewed by the pure water of
God’s Word. I appropriate the total provision God has
made, for I am holy. Amen.

JULY 28
SET APART BY THE BLOOD
I am holy.
Jesus shed His blood to redeem us, to sanctify us, or set us

apart to God, and to make us holy. It is possible to live in a
place where sin and Satan cannot touch us, a place where
we are protected and sanctified by the blood of Jesus.
In 1 John 1:7, we read, “But if we walk in the light as He is

in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the
blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin.” The
present tense in this passage indicates a continual action.
If we walk continually in the light, we have continual
fellowship, and the blood of Jesus keeps us continually
clean. We are kept pure and undefiled; we do not live in
the vile contamination of this evil world. We are
separated unto God, sanctified, and set apart by the blood
of Jesus.
The practical key is the place of sanctification—the altar.

In the Old Testament, until the sacrifice was placed on the
altar, it was just the dead body of a beast. But when the
sacrifice was placed on the altar and bound to it, the
sacrifice became holy, set apart to God. This is just as true
for the New Testament believer. Paul said, “I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you
present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to
God, which is your reasonable service” (Romans 12:1).
The only difference between sacrifices in the Old and New
Testaments is that our bodies remain alive—living
sacrifices—when we place them on the altar. The
principle of sanctification remains the same. It is the altar
that sanctifies the gift placed upon it. The inward change
in our thoughts and motives cannot be achieved until we
have renounced all rights over our own bodies and placed
them, without reservation, upon God’s altar, to be used as
God desires.
I am protected and set apart, sanctified, by the blood of
Jesus. I present my body as a living sacrifice, for I am holy.
Amen.

JULY 29
OBEYING GOD UNDER GRACE
I am holy.
What is the difference between obeying God under the

law and obeying God under grace? The ultimate purpose
of both is obedience to God, but this obedience is
accomplished in different ways. To illustrate this point,
let’s look at a simple commandment given in both the Old
Testament, under the law of Moses, and the New
Testament, in one of the epistles. The exact words are
used, and they apply whether we are under the law or
under grace.
In the Old Testament, God was speaking through Moses to

Israel, and He said, “For I am the Lord who brings you up
out of the land of Egypt, to be your God. You shall
therefore be holy, for I am holy” (Leviticus 11:45). In
context, “being holy” means that you have to keep a set of
extremely complicated rules, which are delineated in
great detail throughout the remainder of the book of
Leviticus. In this case, holiness is attained by the methods
of legalism: “Do this. Don’t do that.”
The New Testament passage is addressed to Christians

who have accepted Jesus’ redemption on their behalf: “As
obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the
former lusts, as in your ignorance; but as He who called
you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because
it is written, ‘Be holy, for I am holy’” (1 Peter 1:14–16). The
quotation is taken from Leviticus, so does that mean Peter
was telling us that we must observe all the Old Testament
rules about animal sacrifices and mildews and bodily
fluids? Obviously not. So, he must expect something
different. The holiness of the law says, “I have to keep all
these rules.” The alternative response of faith is, “I don’t
follow a set of rules. I let Jesus be holy, in me and through
me.”
holiness doesn’t come by obeying all the rules but by
Jesus’ redemption on my behalf. Jesus in me is my
holiness, and I am holy. Amen.

video)
WEEK 31:
I have been adopted as a child of God.
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ

to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will.
—Ephesians 1:5
JULY 30
HIS SONS AND HIS DAUGHTERS
Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every
spiritual blessing in Christ. For he chose us in him before
the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his
sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons
through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and
will—to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has
freely given us in the One he loves.(Ephesians 1:3–6 niv)
Paul here explained what was God’s eternal purpose even

before creation: that we might become His children—His
sons and His daughters. The only way that this could be
achieved was through the substitutionary death of Jesus
on the cross. When Jesus bore our sin and suffered our
rejection, He opened the way for our acceptance. For that
period alone, He lost His status as God’s Son so that we
might gain that same status—as God’s sons and daughters.
I love the sixth verse, “To the praise of his glorious grace,
which he has freely given us in the One he loves.” The
word that is translated “freely given us” is a very
powerful word. It is the same word used by the angel in
saluting the Virgin Mary, “You who are highly favored”
(Luke 1:28 niv). It means that we have become the objects
of God’s special favor. The New King James Version says
that God “has made us accepted in the Beloved”
(Ephesians 1:6).
You must realize that Jesus bore your sin and rejection so
that you might have His acceptance as one of His children.
Thank You, Lord, that You chose me in love. I proclaim

that Jesus bore my rejection that I might have His
acceptance. I have been adopted as a child of God. Amen.

JULY 31
GOD’S IRRESISTIBLE LOVE
For he [God] chose us in him [Christ] before the creation

of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love
he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus
Christ.(Ephesians 1:4–5 niv)
There are two possible ways of punctuating the above

verse: “to be holy and blameless in his sight in love…” or
“to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love….”
Whichever period placement you use, the fact remains
that God’s love precedes time. Before the creation of the
world, God loved us, chose us, and predestined us. He
arranged the course of His life so that we would
encounter Him and experience His love.
There is a very simple statement in the Song of Solomon

that says, “Love is as strong as death” (8:6). Death is
inevitable. When death comes, nobody can turn it away.
Nobody can say, “I’m not ready. I won’t accept you.” No
man has the power to resist death.
But the New Testament takes us one step further. When

Jesus died and rose again from the dead, He proved that
love is stronger than death. The most irresistible, negative
force in the universe was conquered by the most
irresistible, positive force in the universe—the love of
God. Love always achieves its objectives; it is invincible. It
accepts no barriers. It will get past every obstacle in order
to get to where it wants to go.
God’s love is individual and everlasting. It precedes time;

it is irresistible. Then, picture yourself as the pearl in the
hand of Jesus. Say to yourself, “His love for me is
individual and everlasting. It precedes time. It is
irresistible.” Then, remember what it cost Him—all He
had. Stop to tell Him, “Thank You.”

that before the creation of the world, God loved me, chose
me, and predestined me by His irresistible love. I have
been adopted as a child of God. Amen.
Extravagant Love (booklet)

AUGUST
AUGUST 1
THE WEAPON OF THE WORD
The temptations Satan brings against us follow a similar

pattern. First, he tempts us to doubt what God has said—
that our sins have been forgiven, that God really loves us,
that we have been accepted into God’s family as His
children, that we have been released from the curse, and
that we have entered into the blessing. But the final thrust
of Satan’s tactics is to tempt us to direct disobedience.
Jesus used only one weapon to defeat Satan: the rhema, or

the spoken Word of God. He countered each temptation
with the same phrase: “It is written.” (See, for example,
Matthew 4:4, 7, 10.) Each was a direct quotation from the
Old Testament. Satan has no defense against the Word of
God thus quoted directly at him. He has no choice but to
withdraw in defeat.
In all of this, Jesus is our perfect example. He did not rely

on any wisdom or arguments of His own; rather, He used
precisely the same weapon God has given to us: the Word
of God. Our security depends on following the example of
Jesus. Satan is a thousand times wiser and stronger than
we are. He can point to a thousand flaws in our own
righteousness. But there is one weapon against which he
has no defense: the Word of God, spoken in faith.
Such, then, is the path that leads us out of the territory

overshadowed by curses and into the territory that enjoys
the sunlight of God’s blessings. Its first requirement is
unswerving faith, based on the exchange that took place
on the cross. Faith of this kind reckons God’s promises as
effective from the moment they are apprehended. By
prompt, unquestioning obedience and patient endurance,
we move from our legal rights in Christ into the full,
experiential enjoyment of them. We meet all satanic
opposition with “the sword of the Spirit”: the spoken
Word of God. (See Ephesians 6:17.)

that I will meet all satanic temptations and opposition
with the Word of God. I proclaim that I have been adopted
as a child of God. Amen.

AUGUST 2
CHILDREN AND COHEIRS
In Romans 8:15–17, Paul was writing to Christians about

what was available to them through their faith in Christ.
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a slave
again to fear, but you received the Spirit of sonship. And
by him [the Holy Spirit] we cry, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit
himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God
and coheirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his
sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
(niv)
The word Abba is the Aramaic or Hebrew equivalent of

the English word “Daddy.” Thus, we see here a
relationship of intimacy with God the Father, whom we
address as Daddy. The Spirit of God Himself gives us the
assurance and confidence to do so.
The Bible tells us that we are God’s children, but the Spirit
of God reinforces that truth personally to each of us, in
our hearts. We are God’s children. And when we become
children, we become heirs. We are made heirs of God and
coheirs with Christ. Of course, one condition is stated: if
we are willing to share His sufferings. If we share in the
inheritance, we also share in the sufferings. Remember,
the pearl is a product of pressure and stress.
It is important to understand what it means to be coheirs.
It does not mean that we each get a little fraction of the
total inheritance. Rather, it means that Jesus, as the first
Son of God, has the whole inheritance, and we share the
whole inheritance with Him. Each one of us has a right to
the entire inheritance, which is the inheritance of Jesus.
The law of God’s kingdom is sharing. We do not each grab
our own portions, but we all share together everything
that God the Father has and everything that Christ the Son
has.

that I am a child of God and a coheir with Christ. I have
been adopted as a child of God. Amen.

AUGUST 3
A FATHER’S LOVE
God’s family is the best family. Again, even if your own

family did not care for you, bear in mind that God wants
you. You are accepted; you are highly favored; you are the
object of His special care and affection. Everything He
does revolves around you.
Paul said to the Corinthians, who were not exactly top-

notch Christians, “All this is for your benefit” (2
Corinthians 4:15 niv). Everything God does, He does for
us. You do not get conceited when you realize this fact.
Instead, you become humble. There is no room left for
arrogance when you see the grace of God. It is significant
that, before His crucifixion, Jesus’ last prayer with His
disciples was for those who were His followers, as well as
for those who would follow afterward. (See John 17:20.)
That prayer concerned our relationship with God as our
Father, and it concluded, “Righteous Father, though the
world does not know you, I know you, and they know that
you have sent me. I have made you known to them” (John
17:25–26 niv).
Jesus make God known to us as Father. The Jews had

known God as Yahweh for fourteen centuries, but the only
Person who could introduce Him as Father was His Son.
Six times in this prayer for His disciples, Jesus addressed
God as Father (see verses 1, 5, 11, 21, 24, 25).
When Jesus prayed, “And [I] will continue to make you
known” (verse 26), He was saying that He would continue
to reveal God as Father. Then, we come to the purpose of
this revelation: “In order that the love you have for me
may be in them and that I myself may be in them” (John
17:26 niv). God has exactly the same love for us as He has
for Jesus. We are as dear to God as Jesus Himself is.
However, there is another aspect to this. Because Jesus is
in us, we can love God in the same way that Jesus loves
Him.

that God, my Father, has exactly the same love for me as
He has for Jesus, and I love God the same way Jesus loves
Him. I have been adopted as a child of God. Amen.

AUGUST 4
THE PLACE OF MATURITY
It is not God’s purpose for us to remain permanently as

children. God has a plan for us to grow up into mature
sons. But this is where we are again dependent on the
Holy Spirit. Apart from the Holy Spirit, we cannot grow
up, we cannot mature. As Paul said in Romans 8:14, “For
all who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons
of God” (nasb).
The word for “sons,” in this verse, is not the same as the
word for “children” in the other passages. This means a
mature son—one who is responsible, who is in control of
his life, who knows how to act, and who has authority.
How do we come to that place of maturity? Paul said, “All

who are being led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of
God.” That is the second great ministry of the Spirit in our
lives as members of God’s family: to mature us. But this
comes by one process alone: being led by the Spirit of
God. There is no other way to reach maturity. And “being
led” is a continual action. We have to be led continually—
every day, every hour, in every situation—by the Spirit of
God. That is the only way that we can live as mature sons
of God.
The tragedy in the church today is that countless numbers

of people who have been born again of the Spirit of God
have never learned to be led by the Spirit of God.
Consequently, they never achieve maturity. They always
remain, in some sense, spiritually childish. This result is
not because the provision for the maturation process is
not there, but it is because they have not understood how
to avail themselves of that provision. The provision is to
be led by the Holy Spirit.

that I will move into maturity through the process of
being led by the Spirit of God. I have been adopted as a
child of God. Amen.
How to Be Led by the Holy Spirit, Part 1 (audio)

AUGUST 5
RELATIONSHIP WITH
OUR FATHER
In the last two verses of John 17, we find the final

utterance of Jesus to His disciples before He suffered and
died on the cross. I believe that these two verses are the
climax of the entire purpose of the gospel. Here is part of
the prayer that Jesus prayed.
O righteous Father! The world has not known You, but I

have known You; and these [disciples] have known that
You sent Me. And I have declared to them Your name.
(John 17:25–26)
The name Jesus came to reveal was Father. You find very
few uses of the word Father as a title of God in the Old
Testament. The only person who could fully reveal the
Father was the Son. Then, Jesus said,
I have declared to them Your name, and will declare it,

that the love with which You loved Me may be in them,
and I in them.(verse 26)
The ultimate purpose of the gospel is this love

relationship with God by which God loves us in exactly
the same way that He loved—and still loves—Jesus, and
that we love God in exactly the same way that Jesus loves
Him. That is the purpose—to bring us into the family of
God, to bring us into a relationship with God as Father
that is the same relationship that Jesus has. It enables us
to love God with the same love with which Jesus loves
Him. You cannot ask for more. It is unimaginable. It is
past our human minds to conceive what it entails. But it is
the goal, the ultimate purpose. Everything else is
secondary.

that my ultimate goal and purpose is to come into a love
relationship with God as my Father, for I have been
adopted as a child of God. Amen.
Guilt, Shame, Rejection (audio)

WEEK 32:
I have access to God through the Holy Spirit.
For through Him we both have access by one

Spirit to the Father.
—Ephesians 2:18
AUGUST 6
OUR DEPENDENCE UPON

THE HOLY SPIRIT
In our fleshly nature, all of us have certain weaknesses.

These weaknesses are not of the body but of the mind—of
our understanding. They manifest themselves in two
related ways. First, we often do not know what we should
pray for. Second, even when we do know what to pray for,
we do not know how to pray for it. We are therefore
silenced by total dependence on the Holy Spirit. He alone
can show us both the what and the how of prayer. (See
Romans 8:26–27.)
In the book of Ephesians, Paul emphasized our

dependence upon the Holy Spirit to give us prayers that
are acceptable to God. He stressed that it is only Jesus and
the Holy Spirit who can give us access to God:
For through Him [Jesus Christ] we both [Jews and

Gentiles] have access by one Spirit [the Holy Spirit] to the
Father.(Ephesians 2:18)
Two conditions for acceptable prayers are here combined:

through Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. Each is essential.
There is no natural force that can carry our puny human
voices from earth to the very ears of God on His throne in
heaven. Only the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit
can do that. Without Him, we have no access to God.
Thank You, Lord, that I can come to You. I proclaim my
total dependence upon the Holy Spirit, who can give me
access through Jesus to the Father. I have access to God
through the Holy Spirit. Amen.

AUGUST 7
THE WAY TO THE FATHER
There is no other way to God the Father but through Jesus

Christ—and Him crucified. We have access to God
through Jesus alone and by only one Spirit. There is only
one Spirit who gives humans access to God the Father—
the Holy Spirit. He operates only through the Lord Jesus
Christ. If you come by any door other than Jesus, or if you
come through any other spirit, you do not have access to
God; you have access to the realm of Satan. Instead of
going into the realm of light, you will go into the realm of
darkness.
Remember, Satan transforms himself into an angel of

light, and his ministers transform themselves as ministers
of righteousness. (See 2 Corinthians 11:14–15.) They often
use beautiful, sweet, loving words and long, eloquent
phrases—even quoting Scripture—in order to get you into
the realm of darkness. They do this under the guise of
being angels of light. If you do not come by Jesus Christ
crucified on the cross, and if you do not come by the Holy
Spirit of God, you can get into the occult, supernatural
realm. I have been there, and I know what it is like.
Before I found Jesus, I was a practicing Yogi. There was a
time when I got out of the natural, but what I got into
scared me, even then. I didn’t like it. I decided that once
was enough.
Some years later, when I was confronted with the gospel

and the power of the Holy Spirit, the great barrier
between me and Christ was Yoga. I could not break
through that mental barrier. God had to perform a
miracle of deliverance. I didn’t know about demons, but I
wanted to come to Jesus. I could not reach Him until that
Yoga demon had lost its power over my mind. You can
theorize, but I know what it is like. It is one of a thousand
different ways of being deceived into the territory of
Satan and becoming enslaved.
Thank You, Lord, that I can come to You. I proclaim that I

will come to the Father through Jesus Christ crucified on
the cross and by the Holy Spirit of God. I have access to
God through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Demons and Demonology: Cult and Occult—Satan’s

Snares Disclosed (audio)
AUGUST 8
THE DOOR AND THE SHEPHERD
Jesus said, “I am the door” (John 10:9). Two verses later,

He said, “I am the good shepherd” (verse 11). Have you
ever stopped to consider how Jesus can be both the door
and the shepherd? It’s so simple, and yet so profound.
Jesus crucified is the door. Jesus resurrected is the
shepherd. But if you want the resurrected Christ as your
shepherd, you have to come by the crucified Christ, who is
the door. Only those who come by the crucified Christ
have the resurrected Christ as their shepherd.

Gentiles] have access by one Spirit to the Father.
(Ephesians 2:18)
There are one way—Jesus—and one Spirit—the Holy

Spirit—that lead us to the Father. If you do not come by
Jesus, you do not have the Holy Spirit to lead you to the
Father. The Holy Spirit will not honor any other approach
to God than through Jesus Christ, and Him crucified.
When you come through Jesus, the door, you have the
supernatural testimony of the Holy Spirit. All true, God-
centered religion always receives the supernatural
testimony of divine approval. If it is lacking, we had better
ask why, because God has promised to honor the truth
with supernatural attestation, and He always has, all
through the history of Scripture.
Thank You, Lord, that I can come to You. I proclaim that
there is one way—Jesus—and there is one Spirit—the Holy
Spirit—that lead us to the Father. I have access to God
through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Bible Psychology, Vol. 2: Achieving Inner Harmony:

Relationship Between Believer’s Spirit and Soul (audio)
AUGUST 9
WE ARE FAMILY
In the New Testament, God’s people are very seldom

referred to by the title Christians, or even believers. The
most common title used is brothers, emphasizing
membership in one spiritual family. As Paul wrote in
Ephesians 2:18, “For through Him [Jesus Christ] we both
[Jews and Gentiles] have access by one Spirit to the
Father.” Notice that all three persons of the Godhead are
represented here. Through Jesus the Son, we have access
to the Father by one Spirit.
The next verse reveals the wondrous result: “Now,

therefore [because we have access to the Father], you are
no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints and members of the household of God”
(verse 19). The word “household” would be best
represented in contemporary English by the word family.
Because Christ has gained us access to the Father, we have
become members of God’s family.
The composition of God’s family is determined by its

members’ relationships with the Father. In New
Testament Greek, there is a very close similarity between
the words father and family. The word for “father” is
pater; the word for “family” is patria, which is derived
from pater. This relationship is brought out clearly in
Paul’s prayer:
For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and
earth is named.(Ephesians 3:14–15)
There is a direct play here on the words “Father” and

“family.” From God the Father (pater), the whole family
(patria) in heaven and earth is named. Family comes from
fatherhood. Having God as our Father makes us members
of His family.

have become a member of God’s family. I have access to
Rediscovering God’s Church (book)

AUGUST 10
BRINGING US TO THE FATHER
Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John
14:6). We often quote that Scripture; it is a favorite
evangelistic text. However, we rarely stop to consider its
full implication. A way is meaningless unless it takes us
somewhere. A way is not an end in itself. So, when Jesus
said, “I am the way,” He was implying that He had come to
take us somewhere.
Where is He taking us? He explained, “No one comes to

the Father except through Me” (verse 6). In other words,
He was saying, “I am the way to the Father. I am the
revelation of the Father. If you have seen Me, you have
seen the Father.” (See verses 7–9.)
And He [Jesus] came and preached peace to you who were

afar off [the Gentiles] and to those who were near [the
Jews]. For through Him we both [Jew and Gentile] have
access by one Spirit to the Father.(Ephesians 2:17–18)
Again, all three persons of the Godhead are included in

that one verse: through the Son, by the Spirit, to the
Father. But the Father is the destination. The verse is
meaningless if you leave out the Father. The ultimate
objective is to reveal the Father and to bring us to Him. If
we stop short of the fulfillment of that objective, we have
missed the purpose for which Jesus came.
For Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the
unjust, in order that He might bring us to God.(1 Peter
3:18 nasb)
Why did Jesus die? That our sins might be forgiven, yes.
But that was only one stage in the process. The ultimate
purpose was that He might bring us to God.

Jesus died for the ultimate purpose of bringing us to God. I
have access to God through the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Knowing God as Father: The Fatherhood of God (audio)

AUGUST 11
ONE WAY FOR LIBERTY
It is a vital fact that the Holy Spirit is a person. Not only is

He a person, but He is Lord, just as much as God the
Father is Lord and God the Son is Lord. He is coequal with
the other two members of the Godhead. This means that
we must have the same attitude of reverence toward the
Holy Spirit that we have toward the Father and the Son.
In 2 Corinthians 3:17, Paul made this simple statement:

“Now the Lord is the Spirit; and where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty.”
In this passage, we see the contrast between bondage to

the law, or a legal system, and liberty. There is only one
way to have liberty. Where the Holy Spirit is, there is
liberty.
Many Christians have the strangest ideas about liberty.

They say, “If we aren’t dancing on the platform by 6:45
p.m. on Sunday evening, we are not having liberty.” Or, “If
we don’t all clap our hands, we don’t have liberty.” Some
preachers think that if they don’t stomp on the platform
and shout, they don’t have liberty.
Liberty is not following a certain program in church. It is

not going through certain motions, such as lifting up your
hands. That can be liberty, but it can just as easily be
bondage. It depends on whether the Holy Spirit is
prompting it, or if you are doing it out of a religious
tradition. Religious tradition produces bondage; the Holy
Spirit produces liberty.

where the Holy Spirit is, there is liberty. I have access to
Make Your Calling Sure: Continually Led by the Spirit

(audio)
AUGUST 12
ACCESS BY THE SPIRIT
We have no more access to God than we have by the Holy

Spirit because there is a principle in the Godhead. The
One who is sent as the representative must be honored if
one is to have access to the Godhead. So, when the Father
sent the Son, He said, “From now on, no one comes to Me
except through the Son. You cannot bypass My
representative and come to Me because, in every situation
and circumstance, I uphold the One whom I have sent.”
When Jesus had finished His task on earth and had

returned to the Father, the Father and the Son sent the
Holy Spirit. The same principle applies again. We have no
access to the Father and the Son except by the Spirit. We
cannot bypass the Spirit and come to the Father or to the
Son.

Gentiles] have access by one Spirit to the Father.
(Ephesians 2:18)
We cannot leave out the Holy Spirit and still have access.
Many Christians focus on the fact that we have access to
God through His Son, Jesus. That is perfectly true, but it is
not the whole truth. It is through the Son, by the Spirit, to
the Father. Likewise, the Father indwells us when we are
in the Son, through His Spirit. In each direction, whether
we are going to God or whether God is coming to us, the
Spirit is an essential part of the equation. We have access
in the Son through the Spirit to the Father. The Father
indwells us when we are in the Son through the Spirit.
If we leave the Holy Spirit out of that equation, we have

no access to God, and God has no access to us. We are
totally dependent on the Holy Spirit.

am totally dependent on the Holy Spirit for access to the
Son and to the Father. I have access to God through the
Holy Spirit. Amen.
Make Your Calling Sure: Continually Led by the Spirit

(audio)
WEEK 33:
I have been made perfect in Christ.
You are complete in Him, who is the head of all

principality and power.
—Colossians 2:10
AUGUST 13
THE MEANING OF PERFECT
The word perfect frightens some people. They have the

impression that being perfect means that you never do
anything wrong, you never say anything wrong, you
never make any mistakes. These people say, “If that is the
objective, I give up now, because it is unattainable.” But
the word perfect is found in Scripture, and we cannot get
away from it. Sooner or later, we have to face it.
Perfect has three main meanings in Scripture. The first is

“mature,” or “fully grown up.” We all see that as a
reasonable objective—one that gives us nothing to fear.
Another related meaning is “complete,” having nothing
deficient or defective. Keep in mind that these two
meanings do not necessarily go together. A person may be
fully grown up and still have defects in some areas of his
body. He may even be missing part of his body, such as a
limb, a digit, or an organ. In this case, he is mature yet
incomplete. Another person might have all of his
members intact and functioning, but he might not be fully
grown up or mature. We have to combine the ideas of
maturity and completeness in this picture of perfection.
In Ephesians 4, in the phrase “the perfecting of the saints”

(verse 12 kjv), the Greek verb for perfect means “to
articulate,” or “to fit together.” A related word is used in
Hebrews 11:3, where it says that by the Word of God, “the
worlds were framed,” or “fitted together.” So, the word
perfect also has to do with putting something together in
such a way that every part works harmoniously with the
others and fulfills its proper function. We have three
distinct ideas—maturity, completeness, and proper
integration—fit together in such a way that the whole
functions harmoniously. That is the objective that
Scripture sets before us as believers.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that

God is “perfecting” me—He is maturing me, completing
me, and fitting me into the place He has for me. I have
been made perfect in Christ. Amen.
Perfecting the Saints (audio)

AUGUST 14
DOING THE WILL OF GOD
Why are we here on earth? It is not to do our own will,

but rather to do the will of Christ, who commissioned us.
Paul wrote in Colossians 1:9, “For this reason we also,
since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,
and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of
His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.” We
are to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will. In other
words, the knowledge of Christ’s will is to take over the
whole of our minds. It is to completely control our
thinking. Every motive and every intention is to be
controlled by the knowledge of the will of Christ.
Paul continued in Colossians 4:12, “Epaphras, who is one

of you, a bondservant of Christ, greets you, always
laboring fervently for you in prayers, that you may stand
perfect and complete in all the will of God.”
The believer becomes perfect and complete only insofar

as he fulfills the whole will of God. Hebrews 13 states this
truth beautifully: Now the God of peace, that brought
again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd
of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting
covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his
will.(Hebrews 13:20–21 kjv) We are made perfect and
complete, we come to fulfillment, only insofar as we do
the will of God, just as Jesus found fulfillment during His
earthly life only in doing the will of God.
If there is disharmony, frustration, or emotional tumult in
your life, consider checking your relationship to the will
of God, for you can be made perfect only insofar as you
know and do the will of God. Anything else will bring only
incompleteness and frustration.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim my

hope to stand perfect and complete in all the will of God,
finding fulfillment only in doing His will. I have been
made perfect in Christ. Amen.

AUGUST 15
ACCESSING GOD’S
TOTAL PROVISION
In order to stand perfect and complete in the fullness of

God’s will, a Christian must avail himself of all that God
has provided for him through Christ. He cannot omit any
part of God’s total provision and expect that some other
part will serve as a substitute for that which has been
omitted.
Yet, it is at this point precisely that so many Christians go

astray in their thinking. Consciously or unconsciously,
they reason that because they know they have availed
themselves of some part, or parts, of God’s provision for
them, they do not need to concern themselves about other
parts that they have omitted.
For instance, some Christians put a significant emphasis

upon witnessing by word of mouth but are negligent
about the practical aspects of daily Christian living.
Conversely, other Christians are careful about their
conduct but fail to witness openly to their friends and
neighbors. Each of these types of Christians tends to
criticize or despise the other, yet both are equally at fault.
Good Christian living is no substitute for witnessing by
word of mouth. On the other hand, witnessing by word of
mouth is no substitute for good Christian living. God
requires both. The believer who omits one or the other
does not stand perfect and complete in the will of God.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim my

desire to avail myself of all that God has provided for me
through Christ, so that I may stand perfect and complete
in the will of God, for I have been made perfect in Christ.
Amen.

AUGUST 16
COMPLETE IN CHRIST
I was once a professional philosopher. As such, I looked

here, there, and everywhere for the answer to life’s
problems. I looked in Christianity, as it was then
presented to me, and concluded that Christianity did not
have the answer. I was perfectly right—it didn’t. I turned
to Greek philosophy, I turned to Yoga, I turned to all sorts
of ridiculous things. Then, in l941, in an army barrack
room one evening around midnight, when no one else
was awake, I had a personal encounter with the Lord
Jesus Christ. And in that encounter, I discovered that I had
met the answer.
Sometime later, I read something Paul wrote concerning

Jesus Christ: “In [Him] are hid all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge” (Colossians 2:3 kjv). I said to myself, Why
should I grub around any longer in the rubbish bins of
human wisdom when all the treasures are hidden in Jesus
Christ? And I made a decision that the Bible is the book
with the answers, and I resolved to find in it what God has
hidden in Jesus Christ.
Sometimes I have strayed; sometimes I have become

deflected and diverted. But Jesus is “the Alpha and the
Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last”
(Revelation 22:13) and “the author and finisher of our
faith” (Hebrews 12:2). We are complete in Him. If you
ever start to look outside Christ, you will find all sorts of
interesting theories and stimulating presentations, but
you will be feeding on the husks when you could be living
on the Father’s bread.

Jesus is the answer—the Alpha and Omega, the beginning
and the end, the first and the last, the author and finisher
of faith. I am complete in Him, for I have been made
perfect in Christ. Amen.
Strength through Knowing God: The Source of Strength

(audio)
AUGUST 17
THE FULLNESS OF CHRIST:

GOD HIMSELF
See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and

deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition
and the basic principles of this world rather than on
Christ. For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in
bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ.
(Colossians 2:8–10 niv)
That is my aim—to enter into the fullness that has been

given to us in Jesus Christ, who is to be our ultimate goal
and satisfaction. We can illustrate this with a parallel to
the tabernacle of Moses, as described in the Old
Testament. Its structure was in three sections: first, the
Outer Court; then, inside the first curtain, the Holy Place;
and inside the second curtain, the Holy of Holies. Again,
one simple way to distinguish between these is by the
light available in each section.
In the Outer Court, the light is natural, provided by the

sun, moon, and stars. In the Holy Place, there is no
natural light. The light is provided by the seven-branched
candlestick, where oil is ignited in the bowls to provide
light. Once inside the Holy Place, you are no longer living
by your senses, but by faith. Remarkably, beyond the
second curtain, there was no light at all. There was only
one reason to enter: to meet with God. When a man with
a true heart went in beyond that second veil, it became
gloriously illuminated with the supernatural presence of
God, called the shekinah. That is the ultimate goal. There
is nothing to entice us beyond that second veil except God.
He provides no alternative attractions—it is God or
nothing. If God does not come, you are left in total
darkness. Living with God as our goal means pursuing no
alternative attractions. It is God Himself, God alone. The
light that I seek is neither natural nor artificial; it is
supernatural—the presence of God Himself.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that it is

God Himself and God alone whom I seek—the fullness of
Christ—for I have been made perfect in Christ. Amen.
Learning by Living, Part 2 (audio)

AUGUST 18
BY ONE SACRIFICE
For by one offering [sacrifice] He has perfected forever

those who are being sanctified.(Hebrews 10:14)
In this verse, we have two tenses, and both are significant.

The first one is called the perfect tense: “for by one
offering [sacrifice] He has perfected forever….” You can
say the sacrifice is perfectly perfect. It is completely
complete. Just before this phrase, the writer of Hebrews
said that the Old Testament priests always stood, offering
again and again the same sacrifices that could never take
away sin. Then, the writer said about Jesus, “But this Man,
after He had offered one sacrifice for sins forever, sat
down at the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). Notice
the contrast between the Old Testament priests, who
stood, and Jesus, who offered His sacrifice and sat down.
Why did Jesus sit down? Because He had nothing left to
do. He had done it all. Whereas the job of the Old
Testament priests was never finished because their
sacrifices were not adequate to deal with the real
problem, Jesus’ death on the cross was a complete and
final act.
As far as what Jesus has done, it is complete and perfect.

Nothing must be added to it, and nothing can ever be
taken away from it. Jesus’ sacrifice is valid forever. That is
the perfect tense.
Then, speaking about those of us who are appropriating
Jesus’ sacrifice, the author of Hebrews wrote, “He has
perfected forever those who are being sanctified”
(Hebrews 10:14). “Are being sanctified” is in the present
progressive tense. What Jesus has done is perfect, and our
appropriation of it is continual, ongoing. As we are
sanctified, as we are set apart to God more and more, and
as we draw closer to God and appropriate more of God’s
provision and promises, we are entering more and more
into the provision of the sacrifice.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that by

one sacrifice, Jesus has perfected those who are being
sanctified—and that includes me. I have been made
perfect in Christ. Amen.
Complete Salvation and How to Receive It, Part 1 (audio)

AUGUST 19
PERFECT CIRCLES
As I have said before, the term perfect often frightens

people. To make this word less frightening, I would like to
use a simple example from mathematics.
Let’s take the use of the word round. There is only one
standard for round. Something is either round or not
round. If something is round, it is a circle. There is just
one kind of circle; there are not three or four different
kinds of circles. However, there are many different sizes
of circles. When two things have identical shapes but
different sizes, they are called “similar.”
God the Father is the great circle, the measureless round

ring that encompasses the whole universe. Jesus does not
expect us to have the same magnitude as God, but He does
expect us to have the same character as God. We are to be
similar to, not the same as, God. You and I may be very
tiny circles—operating in some small areas where God
has placed us with apparently trivial, humdrum duties.
But, for each of us in our own little area, God wants us to
be a perfect circle. Perfectly round. Just as round as that
“great circle,” God the Father, who encompasses the
whole universe.
So, when you read Jesus’ command to “be perfect”

(Matthew 5:48), think of it in terms of being “round.”
Don’t be lopsided, having little bulges. Don’t have
deficiencies. You may not be very big, but you can be a
perfect circle.

God wants me to be a “perfect circle”—and, by His grace, I
will be, for I have been made perfect in Christ. Amen.
Progress to Perfection, Part 1 (audio)

WEEK 34:
Our old man was put to death in Christ that the

new man might come to life in us.
Do not lie to one another, since you have put off

the old man with his deeds, and have put on the
new man who is renewed in knowledge
according to the image of Him who created him.
—Colossians 3:9–10
AUGUST 20
NEW MAN LIVING
Our old man was put to death in Christ that the new man
might come to life in us.
The exchange that we are dealing with here is between

the old man and the new man. The old man died in Christ
on the cross, so that, by exchange, the new man might live
in us now. This is a theme that runs through the New
Testament, but it is dealt with very infrequently in many
sections of the church today. The contrast between the old
man, who died on the cross, and the new man, who has
been resurrected with Christ, is brought forth through the
resurrection of Jesus.
Christ’s crucifixion is a historical event that actually took

place at a specific moment in time. I think it
tremendously strengthens our faith when we view it in
this way. It is something that actually did happen. It is
true, whether we believe it or not; it is true, whether we
know it or not. But when we know it and believe it, it has
a tremendous effect on our lives. In Romans 6:6, Paul
stated that “our old man was crucified with Him, that the
body of sin might be done away with, that we should no
longer be slaves of sin.” The King James Version says “that
the body of sin might be destroyed,” but I prefer to say
“rendered ineffective; put out of action.”
The slavery of having sin as our master is terminated in

our lives when we realize that the old man died and that a
new man now lives in us. But if we do not realize this,
believe it, and act upon it, there is no full escape from the
slavery of sin. This is the only way out of the bondage or
slavery of sin.
Thank You, Jesus, for the exchange at the cross. I proclaim

that my slavery to sin is terminated, because my old man
was put to death in Christ that the new man might come
to life in me. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict, Vol. 2: God’s Secret Plan Unfolds: The

Cross Canceled Satan’s Claims (audio)
AUGUST 21
THE PRODUCT OF TRUTH
Let’s look a little more fully at the exchange that takes

place between the old man and the new man. The old
man was the product of the devil’s lie. He was the product
of deception. His whole nature is deception and
corruption. He is the product of the serpent. The old man
is just as crooked as the snake that brought him into
being. There is no truth in him—he is crooked to the core.
The more he tries to be straight, the more crooked he
becomes.
What is the solution? The old man was crucified so that

the new man might be brought forth. Ephesians 4:22
instructs us to “put off…the old man”; then, in verse 24,
we are exhorted to “put on…the new man.” This is the
exchange. The old set of clothing goes; the new set of
clothing is put on.
Ephesians 4:24 goes on to describe the new man as having

“true righteousness and holiness.” I would like to restate
the verse in this way: “Who, after God, is created in
righteousness and true holiness.” More literally, “Who, in
accordance with God’s plan [God’s standards, God’s
thinking, or God’s purpose, however you would like to
understand it], was created in righteousness and holiness
of truth.” The new man is the product of the truth of God’s
Word concerning Jesus Christ. The truth, received into our
hearts by faith, brings forth a new man, which brings
forth righteousness and holiness. The new man was
created in accordance with God’s standards, or purpose,
in righteousness and holiness, which are products of the
truth.

that my “old man” was crucified with Christ that my “new
man” might be brought forth. I receive this truth by faith
in my heart: that my old man was put to death in Christ
that the new man might come to life in me. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict, Vol. 2: God’s Secret Plan Unfolds: The

Cross Canceled Satan’s Claims (audio)
AUGUST 22
INCORRUPTIBLE SEED
Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His
[God’s] seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because
he has been born of God.(1 John 3:9)
Does this verse tell us that a born-again believer never

sins? If so, a lot of us would be left out, myself included! Is
there any one of us who is truly born of God of whom it
could be said, “He cannot commit sin”? I do not believe so.
What, then, is the meaning of this verse?
My understanding is that it is talking about the new

nature that has been born in us. This is a nature that
cannot sin—the Jesus nature. It is the new man. This is
very important to realize because only as we cultivate and
yield to that nature do we come into a life of victory over
sin.
In 1 John 5:4, we read, “For whatever is born of God

overcomes the world.” Notice that John specified
“whatever is born of God,” not whoever. He was referring
to a person, but also to a nature. That is my
understanding. It is the nature of the new man. This new
nature cannot sin; it is incorruptible. Do you know why it
is incorruptible? God’s seed remains in the new man.
What is the seed? We find out in 1 Peter 1:23, “Having
been born again, not of corruptible seed but
incorruptible, through the word of God which lives and
abides forever.”
What is the nature of the seed of God’s Word? It is

incorruptible. Its exact opposite is the nature of the old
man, which is corruptible (and is indeed already corrupt).

that a new creation has been born in me—a nature that
cannot sin, the Jesus nature. I proclaim that my old man
was put to death in Christ that the new man might come
to life in me. Amen.

(audio)
AUGUST 23
BEING RENEWED
Jesus was God veiled in flesh. When the flesh of Jesus was
pierced and torn on the cross, the veil was parted.
In this present age, Christ is revealed in the believer; He

lives in the believer but He is still veiled by the flesh. The
book of Colossians gives us another aspect of this truth. In
speaking about the new man—that is, who we are in
Christ, members of the new race—Paul said to the
believers,
You have put off the old man with his deeds, and have put
on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according
to the image of Him who created him.(Colossians 3:9–10)
I prefer to make it more literal: “who is being renewed.”

Renewal is a continuous process that takes place in the
present. We are going through a process in order to be
renewed.
Then, it says, literally, “into the acknowledgment of the

Creator.” It is not just knowing Jesus intellectually, but
also acknowledging Him in every area of our lives, that
brings His image into us.
The end purpose of the process of renewal is for us to

reproduce His image. I believe this is a perfectly
justifiable paraphrase. Let’s repeat it: “Being renewed
into the acknowledgment of the Creator so as to
reproduce His image.” In other words, the end purpose is
to restore the image that was marred by the fall. Of
course, the consummation of this purpose will come at
the resurrection, when even the physical body of the
believer will be transformed into the likeness of Christ’s
resurrection body.

that I am being renewed into the image of Him who
created me. I proclaim that my old man was put to death
in Christ that the new man might come to life in me.
Amen.

AUGUST 24
SPIRITUAL NOURISHMENT
We have said that the new birth, through God’s Word,

produces within the spirit a completely new nature—a
new kind of life. This leads us to consider the next major
effect that God’s Word produces.
In every realm of life, there is one unchanging law: as

soon as a new life is born, the first and greatest need of
that new life is nourishment to sustain it. For example,
when a human baby is born, that baby may be sound and
healthy in every respect, but unless he quickly receives
nourishment, he will languish and die.
The same law is true in the spiritual realm. When a

person is born again, the new spiritual nature produced
within that person immediately requires spiritual
nourishment, both to maintain life and to promote
growth. The spiritual nourishment God has provided for
all His born-again children is found in His own Word.
God’s Word is so rich and varied that it contains
nourishment adapted to every stage of spiritual
development. God’s provision for the first stages of
spiritual growth is described in the first epistle of Peter.
Immediately after Peter wrote in chapter 1 about being
born again of the incorruptible seed of God’s Word, he
went on to say, “Therefore, laying aside all malice, all
deceit, hypocrisy, envy, and all evil speaking, as newborn
babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that you may
grow thereby” (1 Peter 2:1–2). For newborn spiritual
babes in Christ, God’s appointed nourishment is the pure
milk of His own Word. This milk is a necessary fuel for
continued life and growth.

my commitment to God’s Word as my source of spiritual
nourishment for continued life and growth, and I
proclaim that my old man was put to death in Christ that
the new man might come to life in me. Amen.

AUGUST 25
PUTTING ON THE NEW
Religion always tries to change man from the outside in:

make the skirts longer, make the dresses looser, add
something to the border, put something on your head,
take off the makeup, lengthen the sleeves, cut the hair, or
whatever it is. God always operates in the opposite way.
He changes man from the inside out. God begins with
what we think. He says, “If there is going to be any
effective change, you have to think in another way.
Another Spirit has to have access to your mind. You have
been under the deception of Satan; now, you must open
up to the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit.” As a result of
doing that, we are able to put on the new man—the
opposite of the old man.
Ephesians 4:24 says, “Put on the new man which was

created according to God, in true righteousness and
holiness.” This new man was created according to God, in
righteousness and true holiness. He was created
according to God’s plan; he is the product of God’s
purpose, God’s standard, God’s pattern. The old man is the
product of Satan’s deception; the new man is the product
of God’s truth.
It is significant that Satan came to the human race in the

form of a serpent. By its very nature, a snake is a crooked
animal, and I think that is a vivid picture of the devil—he
is a very crooked being. He never comes out with full
truth. The distinctive word that describes the old man is
corrupt.
We have to put off the old man and put on the new. The
distinctive words that describe the new man are righteous
and holy.

that I am putting off the “old man” and putting on the
“new man,” for my old man was put to death in Christ
that the new man might come to life in me. Amen.
Release from the Tyranny of Self (audio)

AUGUST 26
CORRESPONDING FRUIT
James spoke about the inconsistencies of religious people:
With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with
it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness.
Out of the same mouth come praise [or blessing] and
cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh
water and salt water flow from the same spring? My
brothers, can a fig tree bear olives, or a grapevine bear
figs? Neither can a salt spring produce fresh water.(James
3:9–12 niv)
James combined two pictures there. One is of a tree. He

said that a fig tree will never bear another kind of fruit,
such as olives. The kind of tree indicates the kind of fruit
that it will bear. The tree, in that picture, is the heart; the
fruit is the words that come out of the mouth. The second
picture James used is that of a spring of water. He said
that if brackish, salty water comes out of a spring, you
know the water in the spring is salty.
The two trees represent two natures. A tree that produces

fruit different from what it should produce is corrupt;
that tree represents the old man. A good tree is the new
man in Jesus Christ. The old man cannot bring forth good
fruit. Jesus said that clearly many times. (See, for instance,
John 15:1–8.) Out of that old, carnal nature will always
come fruit that corresponds to that nature.
The fountain, or spring, represents something spiritual. A

pure spring is the Holy Spirit. A corrupt, salty, impure
spring is another spirit.

that out of my new nature will come good fruit, for my old
man was put to death in Christ that the new man might
come to life in me. Amen.
Derek Prince on Experiencing God’s Power (book)

WEEK 35:
In love, my Father has predestined me to be

adopted as His son or daughter.
Having predestined us to adoption as sons by

Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will.
—Ephesians 1:5
AUGUST 27
FAVORED AND ACCEPTED
In love, my Father has predestined me to be adopted as

His son or daughter.
He [God] chose us…, having predestined us to adoption as

sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good
pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace,
by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.(Ephesians
1:4–6)
Who is “the Beloved”? Jesus. Notice the order there. We

are chosen, predestined, adopted, and accepted. Say these
steps aloud: “I am chosen, predestined, adopted,
accepted.” I am aware that some of the modern
translations do not use the word accepted. The Greek
phrase translated as “He made us accepted” means, “God
has bestowed His favor upon us totally.” Again, when the
angel Gabriel saluted the Virgin Mary, he said, “Rejoice,
highly favored one” (Luke 1:28). Favored is the same
Greek word as in Ephesians, and “accepted” is a good way
to translate it. We are not merely tolerated by God. We are
not just standing on the sidelines. Rather, we are the
objects of His highest favor. Can you believe that? It is
incredible.
In my opinion, feelings of insecurity are linked directly to

the problem of rejection. The solution is to become part of
God’s family. God has not changed. God is love. God loves
every one of His children. There are no second-class
children of God. If you are a child of God, you do not have
to tiptoe down the corridor and knock at His door, hoping
that He will deign to let you in. He is waiting for you with
open arms.
Thank You, Father, that I am Your child. I proclaim that I

am chosen, predestined, adopted, accepted. God has
bestowed His favor upon me completely. In love, my
Father has predestined me to be adopted as His son or
daughter. Amen.
Total Security (audio)

AUGUST 28
THE ANTIDOTE TO LONELINESS

When I ask myself how many lonely Christians are in the

world today, the probable answer overwhelms me. I
believe there should be no such thing as a lonely
Christian. One of the greatest single changes we need to
make is rethinking our picture of what it means to be a
Christian. It means to be a member of God’s family. Not
just in some nice theological phrase, but in the
membership of a real family.
To be lonely is a very unhappy condition. Yet, in today’s

world, there are millions and millions of lonely people.
Even though the population of the earth is increasing
rapidly, and even though many people live in large cities,
these large cities and this highly populated earth of ours
are filled with lonely people.
It is possible to be lonely even in the midst of a crowd. It is

possible to be lonely in a big city. In fact, that is the worst
form of loneliness—to be surrounded by people, and, at
the same time, to feel cut off from them by an invisible
barrier that you have no idea how to break through.
Loneliness is not God’s plan for the life of any individual.

From eternity, God is a Father. The source of all
fatherhood—of every family, in heaven and on earth—is
God. As Paul wrote in Ephesians 3:15, “From [God] the
whole family in heaven and earth is named.” Right at the
beginning of human history, God provided a mate for the
first man because He decided, “It is not good that man
should be alone” (Genesis 2:18). That is God’s attitude. He
wants to take us out of our loneliness and to set us in the
family of God. He wants to give us brothers and sisters
with whom to share His love.
Thank You, Father, that I am Your child. I proclaim that

loneliness is not God’s plan for my life. He has set me in
the family of God. In love, my Father has predestined me
to be adopted as His son or daughter. Amen.
Update 94, March 2001 (audio)

AUGUST 29
FAMILY:
A SHARED LIFE SOURCE

We are all members of God’s family because we all have

one Father. Jesus is our elder brother, and we are all
members of the same family.
Let me relate a little incident that comes to mind when I

think about the family of God. It happened in the days
when some of the Scottish Christians up in the Highlands
were being severely persecuted by the English army. On
her way to a secret meeting of believers, a Scottish lass
was arrested by an English policeman, who asked her
where she was going. She did not want to lie, but she also
did not want to betray her fellow believers, so she lifted
her heart to the Lord in prayer and asked Him for an
answer. This is how she responded to the policeman: “My
elder brother died, and I am on my way to my father’s
house to hear the will read.”
That was a good answer. Jesus is the elder brother, God is

our Father, and it is our Father’s house.
What is the essential feature of the family? I believe it is a

shared life source. God the Father is the life source of us
all, and we are together in His family. It is not an
institution, not an organization, but a life source that we
all share.
What is required of us, as members of God’s family? I

suggest that it is mutual acceptance. Jesus calls us His
brothers because God calls us His sons. If God calls our
fellow believers His sons, we have to call them our
brothers. That is not always easy. You may choose your
friends, but you do not choose your family. Even so, we
must accept one another.

am a member of God’s family, with God as my Father and
Jesus as my elder brother. In love, my Father has
predestined me to be adopted as His son or daughter.
Amen.
Seven Pictures of God’s People, Part 2 (audio)

AUGUST 30
THE BEST FAMILY

IN THE UNIVERSE

Sometimes there are problems with earthly parents that

can never be resolved. But, friends, it does not matter if
nobody wanted you, nobody loved you, or your parents
were not even married. When you come to God through
Jesus Christ, you become a member of the best family in
the universe, and God has no second-class children.
God’s family is the best family. There is no family quite

equal to it. Again, even if your own family did not care for
you—perhaps your father rejected you, your mother
never had time for you, or your husband never showed
you affection—God wants you. You are accepted. You are
the object of His special care and affection. Remember,
everything He does in the universe revolves around you.
As I wrote earlier, when God says that we are accepted, He

does not mean tolerated. We never bother Him. We do not
upset Him or disturb Him. We never take too much of His
time. The only thing that upsets Him is when we stay
away too long.
He does not push us off into a corner and say, “Wait. I’m
too busy. I don’t have time for you.” Rather, He welcomes
us eagerly and lovingly.
Thank You, Father, that I am Your child. I proclaim that by
coming to Jesus Christ, I have become a member of the
best family in the universe. God welcomes me, because in
love, my Father predestined me to be adopted as His son
or daughter. Amen.
How to Overcome Rejection and Betrayal (audio)

AUGUST 31
WELCOMING THE PRODIGAL

Let us review a central truth illustrated in the parable of

the prodigal son, which Jesus related to His disciples in
Luke 15:11–32. The father was out there looking for his
boy to bring him back home. Other people did not have to
come and say, “Your son’s come home!” because the first
one to know it was the father. He knew it before the rest
of the family found out.
God’s attitude toward us in Christ is like that. We are not

rejects. We are not second-class citizens. We are not just
servants. When the prodigal came back, he was willing to
be a servant. But his father would not hear of it. On the
contrary, he said,
Bring out the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring
on his hand and sandals on his feet. And bring the fatted
calf here and kill it, and let us eat and be merry; for this
my son was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is
found. (verses 2224)
The whole household was turned upside down to

welcome the prodigal.
Likewise, Jesus said, “There will be more rejoicing in

heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-
nine righteous persons who do not need to repent” (verse
7 niv). That’s how God welcomes us in Christ.

God welcomes me in Christ, rejoicing that I am alive. In
love, my Father predestined me to be adopted as His son
or daughter. Amen.
“From Rejection to Acceptance” (New Wine article)

SEPTEMBER
SEPTEMBER 1
GOD CHOSE IN ADVANCE

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world.(Ephesians 1:3–4)
God foreknew us, and, on the basis of His foreknowledge,

He chose us. You are not where you are because you
made the choice; you are where you are and who you are
because God made the choice. That truth makes a world
of difference to your attitude toward yourself and your
situation, both of which were initiated by God. You did
not set your life in motion; God did.
God not only foreknew us, but He also predestined us.

Some people are afraid of the word predestined and what
it implies. I want to suggest to you that it merely means
that God arranged, in advance, the courses that our lives
would follow. As Paul stated in Romans 8:29, “For whom
He foreknew, He also predestined.” He worked it all out in
advance.
Then, in Ephesians 1:11, Paul wrote, “We have obtained

an inheritance [in Christ], being predestined according to
the purpose of Him who works all things according to the
counsel of His will.”
This assurance should give you security. You have been
predestined; the course of your life has been arranged in
advance by the One who works out everything in the way
He plans it. He works all things according to the counsel
of His own will.

the course of my life has been arranged in advance by the
One who works everything the way He wants it. In love,
my Father predestined me to be adopted as His son or
daughter. Amen.
The Roman Pilgrimage, Vol. 2: Romans 8:26–8:39 (audio)

SEPTEMBER 2
WHAT GOD HAS DONE!

When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the temple

separating a holy God from sinful man was torn in two, a
declaration that we can have His acceptance. (See, for
example, Matthew 27:51.) It was torn from top to bottom
so that nobody could ever say that a man was responsible.
This act was done by God. The torn veil is the Father’s
invitation to every person who believes in Jesus, “Come in;
you are welcome. My Son has endured your rejection so
that I may offer you My acceptance.”
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the
heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him
before the foundation of the world.(Ephesians 1:3–4)
Notice that this ultimate choice is not ours, but God’s. Do

not imagine that you are saved because you chose to be
saved! You are saved because God chose you, and you
responded to His choice. You might change your mind,
but God does not change His.
There is a great deal of misplaced emphasis in many

contemporary presentations of the gospel that seems to
indicate that everything depends on what we do. It is true
that we have to choose, but we would never be able to
choose if God had not chosen us in the first place. You will
find you are much more secure as a Christian when you
are basing your relationship with God not on what you do
but on what God has done. God is more dependable than
you and I!

am a child of God, based not on what I do, but on what
God has done. In love, my Father has predestined me to
be adopted as His son or daughter. Amen.
Atonement, Vol. 2: Rejection vs. Acceptance (audio)

WEEK 36:
My Father knows what I need, even before I ask

Him.
For your Father knows the things you have need

of before you ask Him.
—Matthew 6:8
SEPTEMBER 3
GOD KNOWS ME COMPLETELY
My Father knows what I need, even before I ask Him.
God knows each of us totally, even beyond knowing how

many hairs are on our heads. (See Matthew 10:30.) In this
beautiful passage from Psalms, David began with what
seems like a gasp of astonishment:
O Lord, Thou hast searched me and known me. Thou dost

know when I sit down and when I rise up; Thou dost
understand my thought from afar. Thou dost scrutinize
my path and my lying down, and art intimately
acquainted with all my ways. Even before there is a word
on my tongue, behold, O Lord, Thou dost know it all. Thou
hast enclosed me behind and before, and laid Thy hand
upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is
too high, I cannot attain to it. Where can I go from Thy
Spirit? Or where can I flee from Thy presence?(Psalm
139:1–7 nasb)
Think about what David said: God knows our thoughts

from a distance. A man who once had a revelation of God
related that the angel who brought the revelation told
him, “Men’s thoughts sound as loud in heaven as their
voices do on earth.” That was a shock to me. But that is
essentially what David said here.
Surely, when we consider all of that, we must echo these

words of David: “Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;
it is too high, I cannot attain to it.” David asked, “Where
can I go from Thy Spirit?” That is the key that explains
how God knows everything in the whole universe—
through His Spirit. The Spirit of God permeates the entire
universe; there is no place where the Spirit of God is not
present. Through His Spirit, God knows everything that
we know, and more—He knows things we can never
know, such as the number of hairs on our heads.
Thank You, Father, that You know me completely. I

proclaim that through His Spirit, God knows everything
that I know about myself and more. My Father knows
what I need, even before I ask Him. Amen.
Secure in God’s Choice, Part 1 (audio)

SEPTEMBER 4
GOD KNOWS ALL
Closely related to the eternal nature of God is His

omniscience. In 1 John 3:20, we are confronted with a
profound yet simple revelation: “God…knows all things.”
There is nothing that God does not know. From the tiniest
insect in the earth to the most distant star in the galaxy,
there is nothing that God does not know completely.
God knows things about us that we do not know about

ourselves. As I wrote yesterday, He knows the number of
hairs on each of our heads. (See Matthew 10:30.)
God knew the number of inhabitants in the city of

Nineveh. (See Jonah 4:11.)
He knew—and controlled—the growth of the plant that

shaded Jonah. He also knew—and controlled—the action
of the worm that caused the plant to wither. (See Jonah
4:6–7.)
The apostle Paul wrote about the things that “eye has not
seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of
man” (1 Corinthians 2:9). He continued, “But God has
revealed them to us through His Spirit. For the Spirit
searches all things, yes, the deep things of God” (verse 10).
The Holy Spirit both plumbs the deepest depths and scales
the highest heights of all that was, is, and is to come. His
knowledge is infinite. It is in the light of this infinite
knowledge that we must each be prepared to give an
account of ourselves to God. “And there is no creature
hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open
to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account”
(Hebrews 4:13).

proclaim that God’s knowledge is infinite—there is
nothing He does not know. My Father knows what I need,
even before I ask Him. Amen.
The Holy Spirit: Eternal, Omniscient, Omnipresent

(Teaching Legacy Letter)
SEPTEMBER 5
JESUS’ SUPERNATURAL
KNOWLEDGE AND WISDOM
The supernatural knowledge and wisdom of God was

manifested throughout the earthly ministry of Jesus, but
perhaps never more clearly than through His dealings
with Judas Iscariot. When the disciples told Jesus, “We
have come to believe and know that You are the Christ
[Messiah], the Son of the living God” (John 6:69), Jesus
gave them an answer in which He revealed that being the
Messiah would entail being betrayed by one of His own
followers: “‘Did I not choose you, the twelve, and one of
you is a devil?’ He spoke of Judas Iscariot, the son of
Simon, for it was he who would betray Him, being one of
the twelve” (John 6:70–71). Jesus knew, by the Holy Spirit,
that Judas would betray Him, even before Judas knew it
himself.
Even so, Judas could not carry out his plan until Jesus
spoke a word that released him to do so. At the Last
Supper, Jesus warned His disciples, “One of you will
betray Me” (John 13:21). When questioned about who it
would be, Jesus replied,
“It is he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have

dipped it.” And having dipped the bread, He gave it to
Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. Now after the piece of
bread, Satan entered him. Then Jesus said to him, “What
you do, do quickly.”…Having received the piece of bread,
he then went out immediately.(John 13:26–27, 30)
I am awed by the realization that Judas could not carry

out his plan to betray Jesus until Jesus Himself spoke the
word that released him to do it. Throughout this whole
scene, it was the Betrayed, not the betrayer, who was in
control.

proclaim that Jesus manifested the supernatural
knowledge and wisdom of God, who knows all. My Father
knows what I need, even before I ask Him. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 6
GOD IS IN CONTROL
When we comprehend the completeness of God’s

knowledge—His foreknowledge, in particular—it gives us
the assurance that no matter what happens, God is never
taken by surprise. There is no such thing as an emergency
in the kingdom of heaven. Not only does God know the
end from the beginning, but He Himself is both “the
Beginning and the End” (Revelation 21:6). And He is
always in total control.
God specifically knows those whom He has chosen to be

with Him in eternity. “For whom He foreknew, He also
predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that
He might be the firstborn among many brethren”
(Romans 8:29).
If, by the mercy and grace of God, we make it through to

that glorious, eternal destination, Jesus will never greet
any one of us with the words, “I never expected to see you
here!” Rather, He will say, “My child, I’ve been waiting for
you. We couldn’t sit down to the marriage feast until you
came.” At that glorious banquet, I believe that every place
setting will carry the name of the person for whom it is
prepared.
Until the number of the redeemed is complete, God waits

with amazing patience, “not willing that any should
perish but that all should come to repentance” (2 Peter
3:9).

proclaim that God is always in total control; He is never
taken by surprise. My Father knows what I need, even
before I ask Him. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 7
PRAYING IN THE WILL OF GOD
The prayer of petition is a prayer that we use to make

requests of God. It has a legitimate, albeit small, place in
prayer, for God knows what we need before we even ask
Him. Many people think that praying means going to God
with your shopping list. But that is not what He needs or
requires.
We all have needs, from time to time, but if we can learn

to pray, that is the greatest answer. As my friend Bob
Mumford used to say, “What should I do? Give people just
one nugget out of the mine or show them the way to the
mine itself?” I might pray for you, and you might be
healed—that is a gold nugget. But I could also show you
the way to the mine. Then, you could get as many gold
nuggets as you wanted.
Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we

ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we
know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that
we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.(1 John
5:14–15)
So, if we have a petition, and we are praying in the will of

God, we should end that petition knowing that we have
what we asked for. If we pray according to the will of God,
then we know He hears us. If we know He hears us, we
know we have that for which we have asked.
proclaim that when I pray according to the will of God, I
know that He hears me. And if I know that He hears me, I
know I have that for which I ask. My Father knows what I
need, even before I ask Him. Amen.
The Prayer Orchestra (audio)

SEPTEMBER 8
RECEIVING WHEN WE ASK
One of the great secrets of getting things from God is

receiving. There are many people who ask but never
receive. There is a Scripture verse that is very emphatic
about this principle of receiving. Jesus was speaking
about petitioning God, and He said,
Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you

pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have
them.(Mark 11:24)
The New International Version says, “Believe that you

have received it,” which is a more literal translation. We
receive the things we ask for when we pray. If you pray in
that way—believing that when you pray, you receive—you
will have what you ask for.
Notice that receiving is not the same as having. Receiving

is settling it; having is the experience that follows. Let’s
say you have a financial need. You pray. You are in touch
with God. You say, “God, we need fifteen hundred dollars
by Thursday.” Then, you say, “Thank You, God.” You have
received it. Nothing has changed in your circumstances,
but you have received it nevertheless. You will have it.
proclaim that I receive what I request when I pray,
because receiving is settling it. My Father knows what I
need, even before I ask Him. Amen.
The Prayer Orchestra (audio)

SEPTEMBER 9
MY EXCEEDINGLY
GREAT REWARD
For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and

some by longing for it have wandered away from the
faith, and pierced themselves with many a pang.(1
Timothy 6:10 nasb)
The love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Once we

allow the love of money into our lives, out of it will come
all sorts of evils and temptations and pain. The remedy is
to “seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and all these things shall be added to you” (Matthew 6:33).
Get your priorities right. God knows we need certain
things; it is just a question of priorities.
Let’s look now at some of the assurances found in the

Bible of the presence and provision of the Lord.
The word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying,

“Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your
exceedingly great reward.”(Genesis 14:1)
No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of

your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will
not leave you nor forsake you.(Joshua 1:5)
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want [lack].(Psalm

23:1)
The Lord is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to
me?(Psalm 118:6 nasb)
The Lord is for us. There is no reason to fear. What can

man do to us if God is for us? In Romans 8:31, Paul said,
“If God is for us, who can be against us?”

proclaim that the Lord is my exceedingly great reward;
the Lord is with me and for me. He is my Shepherd; I shall
not lack. My Father knows what I need, even before I ask
Him. Amen.
God’s Last Word, Vol. 4: Hebrews 12:25–13:6 (audio)

WEEK 37:
As a father has compassion on his children, so God has

compassion on me.
As a father has compassion on his children, so

the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.
—Psalm 103:13 (niv)

SEPTEMBER 10
FREEDOM TO LOVE

compassion on me.
But he who looks into the perfect law of liberty and

continues in it, and is not a forgetful hearer but a doer of
the work, this one will be blessed in what he does.(James
1:25)
If you really fulfill the royal law according to the

Scripture, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself,” you
do well.(James 2:8)
The law “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” is

called two things: the “perfect law of liberty” and the
“royal law.” It is the perfect law in that it encompasses
every other law. When you really love your neighbor,
fervently and with a pure heart, you cannot but keep all
the other commandments. By keeping that one law, you
are obeying all the laws. It is also the royal, or kingly, law.
It is the perfect law of liberty, or freedom, because nobody

can stop you from loving. Once you have made up your
mind to love, people can say all sorts of mean things about
you and treat you miserably, but they cannot stop you
from loving. The only person who is totally free is the
person who loves.
Jesus was the perfect example of freedom in love. The

authorities did everything to Him: they beat Him, they
pierced His hands and His feet, they put a crown of thorns
on His head, they gave Him vinegar to drink, they abused
Him, they reviled Him. But the one thing they could not
do was to stop Him from loving. He loved them to the end.
(See Luke 23:34.)
If you love with that kind of love, nobody can stop you
from doing exactly what you want to do—love. That is
why love is called the “perfect law of liberty.”
Thank You, Lord, that You care so much. I proclaim that I

have made up my mind to love in obedience to God’s
perfect law of liberty. As a father has compassion on his
children, so God has compassion on me. Amen.
Commanded to Love (audio, video)

SEPTEMBER 11
MOVED WITH COMPASSION

compassion on me.
How is compassion portrayed in Scripture? Let’s look at

an incident from the first chapter of Mark.
Now a leper came to Him [Jesus], imploring Him, kneeling

down to Him and saying to Him, “If You are willing, You
can make me clean.” Then Jesus, moved with compassion,
stretched out His hand and touched him, and said to him,
“I am willing; be cleansed.” As soon as He had spoken,
immediately the leprosy left him, and he was cleansed.
(Mark 1:40–42)
It says that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” This

response refers to the bowels—compassion is a gut
feeling. The King James Version refers to the “bowels of
compassion” (1 John 3:17). The “bowels of compassion”
are where our deepest feelings lie—not in the physical
heart, but in the gut. This is where it all begins. This is the
source of everything.
When my first wife, Lydia, was writing her

autobiography, she used the phrase, “My bowels were
moved.” The editors of the book had to explain that this
was not the right way to express that feeling in English.
But in every other language I know—Latin, Greek,
Hebrew—the deepest, innermost part of you is not
referred to as the heart but the bowels. Whether it is love,
fear, hatred, or another emotion, its place of origin is the
bowels, which are at your very depth.
Thank You, Lord, that You care so much. I proclaim that

just as Jesus was moved with compassion, I want to
respond in the same way in the deepest, innermost part of
me. As a father has compassion on his children, so God
has compassion on me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 12
WHAT MOVES US?

compassion on me.
One of the greatest problems in the church today is

personal ambition on the part of ministers. The apostle
Paul addressed this issue with the church at Philippi,
saying,
Therefore if there is any consolation in Christ, if any

comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any
affection and mercy, fulfill my joy by being like-minded,
having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.
Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit,
but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better
than himself.(Philippians 2:1–3)
Those are very powerful words. Paul was not talking

about superficial feelings. They go deep.
I have met many wonderful ministers, but the primary

driving force of today’s church, as I see it, is ambition:
ambition to build a bigger church, to hold a larger
meeting, to put more names on the mailing list, or to
make oneself known. Maybe I am being cynical, but,
nevertheless, ambition seems to be a primary force in
contemporary Christianity. However, Paul said, “Let
nothing be done through selfish ambition.”
I have a question for those of you in the Lord’s service. It

is, by extension, a question for everyone, for all believers
are to be in the Lord’s service. By what are you moved?
What prompts you to do the things you do? To speak the
words you speak? To relate to people the way you do? Are
you motivated by the love of God and by compassion?
First John 4:7–8 exhorts us, “Beloved, let us love one
another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is
born of God and knows God.”
Thank You, Lord, that You care so much. I proclaim my

desire to be motivated by the love of God and by
compassion. As a father has compassion on his children,
so God has compassion on me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 13
THE FOUNTAIN OF COMPASSION

compassion on me.
In Psalm 84:6, we read, “As they pass through the Valley of

Baca, they make it a spring [or a fountain].” After nearly
sixty years as a Christian—walking in the way of the Lord,
speaking in tongues—I experienced a transformation.
Something entirely new happened within me—a spring
was opened inside me that was a fountain of compassion.
I had known the love of God for a long time, and I had
always loved my family, but this spring was unlike
anything I had ever experienced.
This spring had another source apart from Derek Prince. I

began to understand what the Bible means when it says
that Jesus was “moved with compassion.” (See, for
example, Matthew 9:36; Mark 1:41.) I realized God was
sharing His compassion with me, and I prayed, “Lord, let
this fountain never become defiled or contaminated, and
let it never become stopped up.” God alone determined
when it would spring up. And when the fountain of
compassion is flowing within me, it attracts people to me.
They do not know why they are drawn to me, but they
sense something for which they have been longing. I
believe that God is waiting for us to love one another with
His divine love.
God has done something else in me, too. He has given me

a supernatural concern for orphans, widows, the poor,
and the oppressed. We can talk about faith and
righteousness, but if we do nothing for the people who
really need us, these words are empty and meaningless.
There is no shortage of people who need us. They are all
around us—people who need to be loved are everywhere.
They are lonely; no one cares for them; they lack answers
and are desperate. You don’t have to go far from home to
find people like that. Compassion is the purpose of God. It
is what He’s waiting to see manifest in us.
Thank You, Lord, that You care so much. I proclaim my

desire for the fountain of God’s compassion to flow in me
and through me, out to those around me who are needy
and desperate. As a father has compassion on his

SEPTEMBER 14
CARING FOR THE UNCARED FOR

compassion on me.
I have written a little booklet entitled Orphans, Widows,

the Poor and Oppressed. This booklet astonishes me. As I
wrote yesterday, even after I had been preaching for well
over fifty years, and when I had the impression that I
would be preaching for the rest of my life, God gave me a
new kind of compassion I never expected to receive. My
rendering of Psalm 84:6 is, “When you pass through the
Valley of Baca [weeping], God will open a fountain.”
I have passed through the valley of weeping, and God has

opened that fountain for me. It is something sovereign
that only God could do. It is compassion. I have become
deeply concerned—almost passionately—about the
people our society neglects and treads underfoot: the
orphans, the widows, the poor, and the oppressed. I am
amazed by how much the Bible has to say about our
responsibility to care for them. From cover to cover of the
Bible, it is a major theme of God’s righteousness—
whether it is in the Patriarchs, under the Law of Moses, in
the Prophets, or in the New Testament.
Generally speaking, we, as Christians, have completely

missed a vital area of our faith and our profession, which
is to care for those whom no one else cares for.
Thank You, Lord, that You care so much. I proclaim the
truth of Psalm 84:6: “When you pass through the Valley of
Baca [weeping], God will open a fountain.” I proclaim that
I will walk in this vital area of faith and profession, caring
for those for whom no one else cares. As a father has
compassion on his children, so God has compassion on
me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 15
A MEASURE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS

compassion on me.
The words of Job are remarkable. He is here listing sins

he did not commit, of which he was not guilty. Many
professing Christians, however, could be guilty of these
sins. “If I have kept the poor from their desire, or caused
the eyes of the widow to fail, or eaten my morsel by
myself, so that the fatherless could not eat of it…” (Job
31:16–17).
Notice the three groups that Job listed: the poor, the
widows, and the fatherless (or orphans). Job said, in
essence, “If I have not done what I ought to have done for
them, I am a sinner, and I have failed my basic
obligations.” He went on,
(But from my youth I reared him as a father, and from my

mother’s womb I guided the widow); if I have seen
anyone perish for lack of clothing, or any poor man
without covering; if his heart has not blessed me, and if
he was not warmed with the fleece of my sheep; if I have
raised my hand against the fatherless, when I saw I had
help in the gate; then let my arm fall from my shoulder,
let my arm be torn from the socket.(verses 18–22)
Job did not fail to care for the people who had no food,
clothing, or families to care for them. Then, he said that if
his arm were not engaged continually in these acts of
mercy and generosity, it had no place in his body at all.
His viewpoint is totally different from the viewpoint most
people have today. This was the standard of righteousness
of the patriarchs, too, even before the law of Moses and
even before the gospel. God requires us to restore this
kind of righteousness in the church by going out of our
way to care for widows, orphans, and those with no food,
clothing, or shelter.

God requires me to restore this kind of righteousness—
caring for the needy—in the church. As a father has
compassion on his children,
so God has compassion on me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 16
CLOTHED WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS

compassion on me.
Below, we will read Job’s testimony of the way he lived.

God Himself bore testimony to Job that he was a righteous
man. These words have gripped me so much that I can
hardly get beyond them.
When the ear heard, then it blessed me, and when the eye
saw, then it approved me; because I delivered the poor
who cried out, the fatherless and the one who had no
helper. The blessing of a perishing man came upon me,
and I caused the widow’s heart to sing for joy. I put on
righteousness, and it clothed me; my justice was like a
robe and a turban. I was eyes to the blind, and I was feet
to the lame. I was a father to the poor, and I searched out
the case that I did not know.(Job 29:11–16)
Isn’t it remarkable that Job’s righteousness was not his

own? There is no self-righteousness anywhere in the
Bible. Job said, “I put on righteousness, and it clothed me.”
He was clothed with a righteousness that he had received
from God by faith. This was the outworking of his
righteousness.
The poor, the widows, and the fatherless are the objects of
God’s compassion. These are the people whom God has in
mind when He speaks about righteousness—the widows,
the fatherless, the poor, the blind, and the lame. We can
measure how much of God’s righteousness we have by
looking at the way we relate to these types of people.

the poor, the widow, and the fatherless are the objects of
God’s compassion—and they must be recipients of my
compassion, as well. As a father has compassion on his
Orphans, Widows, the Poor and Oppressed (audio,

booklet)
WEEK 38:
I have received the Spirit of sonship, and by Him, I cry,

“Abba, Father.”
For you did not receive a spirit that makes you a

slave again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
—Romans 8:15 (niv)

SEPTEMBER 17
THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION

“Abba, Father.”
For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons
of God. For you did not receive the spirit of bondage
[slavery] again to fear, but you received the Spirit of
adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”(Romans
8:14–15)
Abba is the Aramaic or Hebrew word commonly used for

“daddy.” In Israel, a little child will call his father, “Abba.”
And because we have received the Spirit of adoption, we
have the right to address God as Abba. Father. Daddy.
Paul told us that we have two options. We can be led by

the Spirit of God, or we can be under the spirit of slavery.
The spirit of slavery makes us fearful of punishment; the
Spirit of adoption leads us as God’s children.
The Greek word that is translated as sons indicates a

“mature son.” When you are first born again of God’s
Spirit, you become a child. But as you are led, you become
a mature son or daughter of God. The pathway to
maturity is being led by the Holy Spirit, no longer bound
under a spirit of slavery. As Paul wrote in Galatians 518,
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the
law.”
In order to become a mature son or daughter of God, you

must be led by the Spirit. But remember, if you are led by
the Holy Spirit, you are not under the law. That is our
freedom—not a freedom to do evil, but a freedom to love.
Our motivation to do service for Jesus is love, the most
powerful motivator in the world. It works even when fear
does not. That’s what God is bringing us to. That’s what
makes us mature sons and daughters of God. That’s the
result of being delivered from the law.

am no longer bound under a spirit of slavery. I have
received the Spirit of adoption. I have received the Spirit
of sonship, and by Him, I cry, “Abba, Father.” Amen.

Law (audio)
SEPTEMBER 18
BIRTH AND ADOPTION

“Abba, Father.”
When you receive Jesus Christ, you become a child of God,

and you also receive the “Jesus nature,” a nature that
knows to call God the Father “Daddy.” This is a very
natural relationship.
In Romans 8, Paul addressed two major subjects—birth

and adoption. Do not confuse them; they are distinctly
different. Birth produces a nature; adoption gives a legal
standing.
God is so good to us that we get it both ways—birth and

adoption—but they don’t give us the same thing. We
receive something distinct by each process.
This is perfectly understandable in the light of the

customs of the Roman Empire. In Paul’s day, it was not
uncommon for the Roman emperor to have many sons,
but when he chose one particular son to succeed him as
emperor, he would also adopt that son. Then, all the legal
rights of the empire would go to that adopted son. The
purpose of adoption was legal—it assured the son’s
inheritance.
We are born again at regeneration, and we receive the

“Jesus nature.” But, at the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we
receive adoption. Heaven’s best Lawyer comes in and
assures us that we are the children of God. This is what
assures us of the inheritance we receive. Do you see the
implication?
It is just like the Roman emperor. If he has a son by

natural birth, his son gets his nature. But in order to
receive the inheritance, that son needs to be adopted; this
gives him a legal standing and rightful inheritance.

birth and adoption, I have received both a natural and
legal standing. I have received the Spirit of sonship, and
by Him, I cry, “Abba, Father.” Amen.
Way into the Spirit-filled Life: Romans 8: The New Life in

the Spirit (audio)
SEPTEMBER 19
LED BY THE SPIRIT

“Abba, Father.”
There is a popular teaching that convinces people that

they must be super-spiritual to be considered sons of God.
But Paul contradicted this idea in the eighth chapter of
Romans, where he wrote that all who are led regularly by
the Holy Spirit are indeed sons of God. “For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God”
(Romans 8:14). In one sense, if you are already perfect,
you do not need the Holy Spirit. You need the Holy Spirit,
though, if you are to become perfect.
The way to live as a real son or daughter of God is to be

led regularly by the Holy Spirit. As Jesus said, “My sheep
hear My voice,…and they follow Me” (John 10:27). By
“hear,” Jesus meant regularly hear, regularly follow. This
is not an up-and-down, once a week process; rather, it is a
regular, continuing relationship.
Paul continued in Romans 8:15, “For you did not receive

the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the
Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, ‘Abba, Father.’”
The “spirit of bondage,” very simply, is the law. Instead of
being bound by the law, you have received the Spirit of
God, who assures you of your identity as a child of God.
As a child of God, you have all the rights of the
inheritance. Paul assured us, “The Spirit Himself bears
witness with our [regenerated] spirit that we are children
of God, and if children, then heirs [inheritance is the
subject]; heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ” (verses
16–17).
Many people receive assurance of being children of God

only when they are baptized in the Holy Spirit. The Holy
Spirit comes in to assure you that you are a child of God
and that you have a legal right to your inheritance. You
are not merely born, but you are also adopted, and this
passage clearly connects adoption and inheritance.

am a child of God, with all the rights of inheritance. I have
received the Spirit of sonship, and by Him, I cry, “Abba,
Father.” Amen.

the Spirit (audio)
SEPTEMBER 20
GOING ON TO PENTECOST

“Abba, Father.”
The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we

are children of God.(Romans 8:16) Let me point out one
simple, historic fact—a conclusion at which most sound
Bible scholars have arrived. There is a direct
correspondence in time periods between the deliverance
of Israel out of Egypt and the experience of the early
Christians.
The Passover lamb’s execution corresponds to the day on

which Jesus died.
The crossing of the Red Sea corresponds to Jesus’

resurrection from the grave.
The receiving of the Law at Mount Sinai, fifty days after

the Passover, corresponds to the outpouring of the Spirit
at Pentecost.
I point this out because when you have been delivered

through the blood and through the resurrection of Jesus,
you have two choices: you can go to Sinai, or you can go to
Pentecost. Quite a lot of people go to Sinai—they go back
under the law. They “receive the spirit of bondage again
to fear” (verse 15). But Paul said, in essence, “You have not
received a spirit of bondage to fear; you have received the
Spirit of adoption, who tells you that you are a child of
God.”

have not received a spirit of bondage again to fear, but a
spirit of adoption, which tells me that I am a child of God.
“Abba, Father.” Amen.

the Spirit (audio)
SEPTEMBER 21
SUFFERING AND REIGNING

“Abba, Father.”
Paul wrote in Romans 8:18, “For I consider that the

sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.” If
we wish to reign with Christ, we must be prepared to
suffer. We read in 2 Timothy,
This is a faithful saying: For if we died with Him, we shall

also live with Him. If we endure [suffer], we shall also
reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If
we are faithless, He remains faithful; He cannot deny
Himself.(2 Timothy 2:11–13)
So, we see that if we suffer, we will reign; but if we deny

Jesus Christ, He will deny us. There come times in our
lives when we are challenged to either suffer with Him or
deny Him, and the issues are put clearly before us. (See,
for example, Acts 14:22; Philippians 1:29–30; 2
Thessalonians 1:4–10.)
I have a beautiful picture that I would like to describe to

you. It comes from the tabernacle, and it concerns three
of the main colors, especially in the high priest’s
garments: blue, purple, and scarlet. Blue is a type of
heavenly color; scarlet is a type of human nature, as well
as the blood; and purple is the perfect blending of blue
and scarlet, which speaks of Christ as God incarnate. The
blue of heaven and the scarlet of earth blend to make
purple. This is a beautiful picture of the nature of Jesus
Christ—both God and man, perfectly blended in a new
color.
The significance of purple in Scripture is twofold: it

signifies royalty and suffering. You cannot wear the
purple in the kingdom if you do not first wear it on earth
by suffering. If we suffer, we will reign.
Thank You, Father, that I am Your child. I proclaim that if I

endure suffering, I shall also reign with You. I have
received the Spirit of sonship, and by Him, I cry, “Abba,
Father.” Amen.

the Spirit (audio)
SEPTEMBER 22
THE SCOPE OF OUR INHERITANCE

“Abba, Father.”
Let’s look at a verse that speaks about the extent of our

inheritance in Christ. Romans 8:23 reads, “He [God] who
did not spare His own Son [Jesus], but delivered Him up
for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all
things?” (nasb). When we receive Christ, God freely gives
us all things. Apart from Him, we receive nothing. There
is a strong emphasis in this verse on the scope of the
inheritance and its absolute freedom. We cannot earn it.
We receive it as a free gift that includes all things. We are
heirs of the total inheritance—all that God the Father has,
all that God the Son has—when we receive Christ.
In his first epistle to the Corinthians, Paul tried to show

the believers how rich they were. He actually rebuked
them a little because they were acting as though they
were poor. They were being mean, petty, and envious
toward one another. Paul said, in effect, “You people don’t
realize what you’ve got.”
“So then let no one boast in men. For all things belong to
you, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or
life or death or things present or things to come; all things
belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ
belongs to God” (1 Corinthians 3:21–23 nasb). What a
breathtaking statement. Paul said, in effect, “All things
belong to you. Stop acting petty and frivolous. Don’t get
hung up on preachers, either. Stop being so small-minded.
Everything is yours.” Remember, the gift of the
inheritance is freely given to us; we cannot earn it. But it
is important that we ask the Holy Spirit to enlarge our
faith and understanding. The Holy Spirit is the
administrator, and unless He speaks to us and guides us
into the truth, these will just be words, not reality. The
Holy Spirit makes the promises a reality.

receiving Christ, I am an heir of the total inheritance. I
have received the Spirit of sonship, and by Him, I cry,

SEPTEMBER 23
THE ETERNAL
FATHERHOOD OF GOD

“Abba, Father.”
Let’s take a closer look at the relationship of the Father to

His children: “For this reason I bow my knees to the
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole
family in heaven and earth is named” (Ephesians 3:14–
15).
The J. B. Phillips translation of verse 15 reads, “From

whom all fatherhood, earthly or heavenly, derives its
name.” This verse contains a tremendous revelation—that
the fatherhood of God is eternal, named after the
fatherhood of God in heaven and deriving its sanctity and
authority from being a projection on earth of the divine,
eternal fatherhood of God in heaven.
Before creation ever took place, God was already a Father

—the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. This relationship of
fatherhood and sonship within the Godhead is eternal.
Before creation was brought into being, God was eternally
a Father and Christ was eternally His Son. Every
fatherhood in creation is named after the eternal
fatherhood of God.
In a familiar verse from the gospel of John, Jesus said, “In

My Father’s house are many mansions” (John 14:2). This
verse reveals the fact that God is a Father, and He has a
house. In Scripture, however, the word house is never
used primarily to indicate a physical, material building.
Rather, it is always used of a family and the building they
occupy. When Jesus said, “In My Father’s house,” He was
talking about God’s heavenly family. God is eternally a
Father, and family life has its origin in eternity in the
father/son relationship within the Godhead.

the fatherhood of God is eternal, and I am part of God’s
heavenly family. I have received the Spirit of sonship, and
by Him, I cry,
Fatherhood (audio)
WEEK 39:
My Father has made me.
Do you thus deal with the Lord, O foolish and

unwise people? Is He not your Father, who
bought you? Has He not made you and
established you?
—Deuteronomy 32:6
SEPTEMBER 24
DOUBLY HIS
Here is a parable I told to a group of Maoris, who are

great wood carvers, to illustrate the price Jesus paid to
redeem us from our sins.
There was once a boy who carved a beautiful little

wooden sailboat. One day he took it down to the ocean to
sail, but the wind changed and carried his boat out to sea.
Since he could not recover his boat, he went home
without it.
The next high tide brought the boat back again, and it was
found by a man walking along the seashore. He inspected
the boat and saw that it was beautifully made, so he sold it
to a shopkeeper who cleaned it up and put it in his
window, priced to sell.
Some while later, the boy passed by the shop and saw his
boat. He knew immediately that it was his, but he had no
way to prove it. So, if he wanted it back, he knew he
would have to buy it.
He set to work to earn the money by washing cars,

mowing lawns, and other tasks. When he finally raised
the necessary funds, he walked into the shop and bought
back his boat. He took it in his hands, and, holding it to his
breast, said, “Now you’re mine! I made you and I bought
you.”
Picture yourself as that boat. You may feel inadequate or

worthless; you may wonder if God really cares. But the
Lord is saying to you, “Now you’re doubly Mine—I made
you and I bought you; you’re fully Mine.”
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that I

am doubly the Lord’s because He made me and He bought
me. My Father has made me. Amen.

All Nations (audio)
SEPTEMBER 25
THE BEAUTY OF LIFE
In Genesis 2:7, we read the account of the creation of

man. A personal God created a personal man for personal
fellowship with Himself. Here, it is Person to person. It is
not an abstraction. It is not some mysterious force at work
in the universe, but it is a Person creating another person
in order to have fellowship with that person. To me, this
so vividly brings out the fact that one main reason that
God created man was to enjoy fellowship with him.
Picture the scene! The Lord kneeled down, took dust in

His hands, mixed it with water, and molded it into the
body of a man. But it was lifeless! Then, something
marvelous happened. The Creator leaned forward, put
His divine lips against the lips of clay, pressed His divine
nostrils against the nostrils of clay, and breathed life into
them. His breath penetrated the form of clay and
transformed it into a living human being with every
organ of its body functioning perfectly, and with all the
marvelous spiritual, intellectual, and emotional responses
of which a human being is capable. No other being has
ever been created in such a way.
The words used to describe this miracle are particularly

vivid. The Hebrew language is one in which the sounds of
certain words relate directly to the action they name. The
sound of the Hebrew word translated “breathed” can be
rendered yip-pach. It consists of a tiny, internal
“explosion,” followed by a forceful, ongoing release of air
from the throat. Thus, it vividly represents the action it
names.
As the Lord stooped down over those lips and nostrils of

clay, He did not let out a languid sigh. He exhaled a
forceful breath into that body of clay, which thus received
a miraculous impartation of the very life of God.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that the
Lord wants to enjoy fellowship with me, and He breathed
His life into me. My Father has made me. Amen.
Bible Psychology, Vol. 1: What God’s Mirror Reveals:

Triune Man at Creation (audio)
SEPTEMBER 26
OUR PRICELESS BODIES
Let’s look for a moment at something the Bible says about

the material out of which the human body is made. Some
of you probably do not know that the Bible has quite a lot
to say about that.
It always grieves me when Christians downgrade their

own bodies and talk about them as if they were inferior
or of little importance. Brothers and sisters, our bodies
are miracles. If your car was totaled in a wreck and you
had to replace it, all you would need is a certain amount
of dollars and you could purchase a new car. But if you
injure even one eye, there is no way you can pay for a
new eye. It is priceless. So it is with every other major
organ of the body. It grieves me when I see Christians
taking more care of their cars than they do of their
bodies. That is a very foolish scale of values.
Psalm 139 is a psalm that David wrote as a meditation on

the marvels of his own body. David said to the Lord,
I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;

marvelous are Your works, and that my soul knows very
well.(Psalm 139:14)
David was talking about his physical body. I wonder if you

would agree to say those same words about your own
body. It would change the attitude of some of you. Some
Christians are almost burdened down with their bodies.
They seem to wish that they did not have the problem of a
body. That is a false viewpoint. Say these words aloud
right now: “I will praise You, for I am fearfully and
wonderfully made.”
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that my

body is priceless, and I say, “I will praise You, for I am
fearfully and wonderfully made.” My Father has made
me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 27
THIS MARVELOUS WORKMANSHIP
In the book of Job, we find a beautiful summation of God’s

creative work in forming our bodies:
Your hands have made me and fashioned me, an intricate

unity; yet You would destroy me. Remember, I pray, that
You have made me like clay. And will You turn me into
dust again? Did You not pour me out like milk, and curdle
me like cheese,…?(Job 10:8–11)
As in Genesis 2:7, where the word “formed” indicates a

very careful, skillful work, so, too, Job emphasizes the
immense skill and care that God devoted to forming the
human body. What vivid expressions! Verses 10–11 say,
“Did You not…clothe me with skin and flesh, and knit me
together with bones and sinews?” What a beautiful
picture of the interrelationship of the various main parts
of the body. In Psalm 139, David wrote, “Thine eyes did
see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all
my members were written, which in continuance were
fashioned, when as yet there was none of them” (verse 16
kjv).
God brought your body into being on a blueprint, and

there is a number for every member. Every member is
written up in God’s book. Compare that statement with
what Jesus said in Luke 12:7: “But the very hairs of your
head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of
more value than many sparrows.” Such is the intensity of
God’s concern for our physical bodies—He takes an
interest in even the smallest details. When we realize this
truth, we must also realize that God has a purpose for the
marvelous workmanships that are our own bodies.

God formed me with immense skill and care—and that He
has a purpose for this marvelous workmanship that is my
body. My Father has made me. Amen.
Bible Psychology, Vol. 2: Achieving Inner Harmony: God’s

Plan for the Believer’s Body (audio)
SEPTEMBER 28
HIS DWELLING PLACE
What is the purpose for which our bodies were made? It

is an important purpose, and the answer is exciting and
simple. In his first epistle to the church at Corinth, Paul
wrote,
Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the

Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and
you are not your own? (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Why did God design and create a body for man? The
answer is amazing. He wanted the body of each redeemed
believer to be a temple for Him to dwell in, through His
Holy Spirit. Again, if you view your own body from that
perspective, it will give you a totally different attitude
toward it. Your body was designed to be a temple for God
to inhabit.
The Bible tells us that God does not dwell in temples made
with hands. (See Acts 7:48; 17:24.) You could build any
building—a synagogue, a cathedral, a church, whatever
you desire—but God will not live there. When God’s
people meet in such buildings, God will be there with
them, but He doesn’t live there. God has designed His own
temple. What is it? Our bodies.
It is staggering to think that almighty God, the Creator of

heaven and earth, wants to occupy our physical bodies
and make them His temple.
When Jesus was speaking about the Holy Spirit in John 7,

He said, “‘He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.’ (But
this spake he of the Spirit…)” (verse 38 kjv). There is an
area in your physical body that God wants to occupy with
His Holy Spirit.
Thank You, Lord, for Your work in me. I proclaim that my

body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within me.
My Father has made me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 29
PRESENTING OUR MEMBERS
Let’s continue to consider God’s purpose for the human

body. Our physical members are to become slaves, or
instruments, of righteousness. First, the Holy Spirit takes
up His dwelling place; then, our bodies become His
instruments.
I am speaking in human terms because of the weakness of

your flesh. For just as you presented your members
[physical members] as slaves to impurity and to
lawlessness, resulting in further lawlessness, so now
present your members as slaves to righteousness,
resulting in sanctification [holiness].(Romans 6:19 nasb)
God’s program for our physical members is for us to

present them to Him as slaves, ready to do His will no
matter what. Romans 6:13 tells us to present our physical
members “as instruments of righteousness.” When
presented to God without reservation, our bodies become
sanctified and worthy temples of the Holy Spirit.
When our members are yielded to Him without

reservation, as slaves or instruments to do His will, then
God says, “All right, since the body is Mine, I’ll accept full
responsibility for its maintenance and its well-being, both
in this life and in the next.”
now present my body to God, without reservation, to be a
sanctified and worthy temple of the Holy Spirit. My Father
has made me. Amen.

SEPTEMBER 30
PLACED ON THE ALTAR
In Romans 12:1, Paul instructed us to sacrifice our bodies

while we are still living: “Therefore, I urge you, brothers,
in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living
sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual
act of worship” (niv).
If you offer your body as a living sacrifice to God, you no

longer claim ownership of your body. You no longer
decide where your body will go. You no longer decide
what your body will do. You no longer decide what your
body will eat or what it will wear. You have given up the
right to make those decisions. From now on, your body no
longer belongs to you—it belongs to God. You have
sacrificed it, living, to Him on His altar.
Whatever is placed on the altar of God belongs to God

from that point on. It no longer belongs to the person who
gave it. That is what God requires: that we sacrifice our
bodies, just as Jesus sacrificed His body. The difference is
that Jesus sacrificed His body through death, while we are
asked to sacrifice our bodies when still alive—to hand
them over to God, to give up our rights and our claims to
them.
Now, that concept may sound very frightening. But I want

to tell you that it is very exciting. God has all sorts of ideas
about what He will do with you and your body. But He is
not going to tell you until your body belongs to Him. You
must first commit your body to Him, and then you will
understand what to do with it.

now place my body as a living sacrifice on God’s altar. It
no longer belongs to me, but to God. My Father has made
me. Amen.
Objective for Living: To Do God’s Will (audio)

WEEK 40:
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem:

“May they prosper who love you.”
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they

prosper who love you.”
—Psalm 122:6
OCTOBER
OCTOBER 1
PRAYING FOR THE PEACE

OF JERUSALEM
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who

love you.”
In Genesis 12:2–3, we read God’s original promise to

Abraham when He told him to leave Ur of the Chaldeans
and go to another land:
I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I
will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I
will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I
will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed
through you.(niv)
The Jewish people are the touchstone by which all other

nations are going to be judged. Scripture gives us a
warning in this regard: “May all who hate Zion, be put to
shame and turned backward” (Psalm 129:5 nasb). Any
nation that opposes God’s purpose for the restoration of
Zion will be put to shame and turned backward. Nations
determine their destinies by how they respond to the
restoration of God’s people.
A beautiful and familiar promise of blessing for those

who align themselves with God’s purposes for Jerusalem,
for Israel, and for God’s people is found in Psalm 122:6:
“Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that
love thee” (kjv). We cannot merely take a neutral attitude
and say, “Let’s see what happens.” We have to actively
align ourselves with what God is saying in His Word and
what He is doing in history.
The primary way in which we can do this is through our

prayers. We can pray for the peace of Jerusalem and for
its restoration—for Jerusalem to become all that God has
declared in the Scriptures that it shall be. To those who
pray and are concerned, this is the promise: “They shall
prosper that love thee.”
Thank You, Lord, for the blessing You promise to those

who love Israel. I proclaim that those who pray and are
concerned about Jerusalem will prosper. I pray for the
peace of Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.”
Amen.
Prophetic Guide to the End Time (book)

OCTOBER 2
SEEKING ISRAEL’S GOOD BY PRAYER

love you.”
The Bible exhorts us to seek the good of Israel through our

prayers. To pray effectively in this way, we need to search
out from the Scriptures God’s purposes for Israel and
Jerusalem. Then, we need to set ourselves to pray
intelligently and consistently for the outworking and
fulfillment of those purposes. As we make this scriptural
study, we will discover that, ultimately, righteousness and
peace are ordained to flow forth from Jerusalem to all the
nations of the earth. Thus, the well-being of every nation
is included in this prayer for Jerusalem and depends on
its fulfillment.
A challenging scriptural example of this kind of praying

was provided by Daniel, who prayed three times daily
with his window open toward Jerusalem. Daniel’s prayers
disturbed Satan and threatened his kingdom such that he
used the jealousy of evil men to bring about a change in
the laws of the entire Persian Empire so that Daniel’s
prayers would be rendered illegal. Still, praying for
Jerusalem meant so much to Daniel that he preferred to
be cast into the lions’ den rather than give up his praying.
Ultimately, Daniel’s faith and courage overcame the
satanic opposition. He emerged triumphant from the
lions’ den—and kept praying for Jerusalem.
From my own experience of many years, I have

discovered that making a commitment of this kind to pray
for Jerusalem and Israel definitely stirs up a special
measure of opposition from satanic forces. On the other
hand, I have also discovered that God’s promise given to
those who pray in this way holds true.
This is a scriptural pathway to prosperity—not merely

financial or material prosperity, but also a prosperity that
encompasses an abiding assurance of God’s favor.

who love Israel. I proclaim that as I pray for Jerusalem, I
receive an abiding assurance of God’s favor. I pray for the
Amen.
Our Debt to Israel (booklet)

OCTOBER 3
GOD’S RESTORATION
FOR HIS PEOPLE

love you.”
The call to pray for Jerusalem is directed at everyone who

accepts the Bible as God’s authoritative Word. God
requires all of His people, from every nation and every
background, to be concerned about the peace of one
particular city: Jerusalem. There is a practical reason for
this. God’s purpose for this age will climax in the
establishment of His kingdom. Each time we pray the
familiar words, “Thy kingdom come,” we are aligning
ourselves with this purpose. (See, for example, Matthew
6:10 kjv.)
We must remember, however, that the prayer continues,

“Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (verse 6:10
kjv). It is on earth that God’s kingdom is to be established.
His kingdom is invisible as yet to human eyes, but it is not
vague or amorphous. It will ultimately have a tangible,
earthly realization. The capital and center of God’s
kingdom on earth will be the city of Jerusalem. The
administration of righteous government will go forth
from Jerusalem to all nations on earth. In response, the
gifts and worship of these nations will flow back to
Jerusalem. Thus, the peace and prosperity of all nations
depend on that of Jerusalem. Until Jerusalem enters into
her peace, no nation on earth can know true, lasting
peace.
To all who heed God’s call to love Jerusalem and pray for
her peace, God gives a special, precious promise: “They
shall prosper” (Psalm 122:6 kjv). The word translated
“prosper” goes beyond the material realm. It denotes a
deep, inner well-being, a freedom from care and anxiety.
As we align ourselves with God’s plan by praying for
Jerusalem, we experience a foretaste of His peace. A sense
of inner rest and peace comes to those who, in the midst
of all the turmoil of this world, associate themselves
actively with God’s plans to restore His people.

who love Israel. An inner peace comes to me as I pray for
God’s purposes of restoration for His people. I pray for the
Amen.
Through the Psalms with Derek Prince (book)

OCTOBER 4
REMINDING THE LORD

love you.”
In Isaiah 62, God calls us to intense, persistent prayer,

especially on behalf of Jerusalem:
I have posted watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they

will never be silent day or night. You who call on the Lord,
give yourselves no rest, and give him no rest till he
establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the
earth.(Isaiah 62:6–7 niv)
In the New Testament, Jesus related the parable of the

unjust judge, whom a widow kept beseeching incessantly.
Jesus concluded with this question: “And will not God
bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to
him day and night?” (Luke 18:7 niv). Both these passages
indicate that some themes are so important and urgent
that they demand our prayers not only in the daytime, but
through the night hours, as well. The restoration of
Jerusalem is one of these themes.
The prophet Isaiah also described these “watchmen” as

those “who call on the Lord.” The literal Hebrew meaning
of the word translated “call” is interesting. It means
“those who remind the Lord.” In modern Hebrew, it is the
word for a secretary. One important task of a secretary is
reminding the employer of the appointments recorded on
his calendar. This provides practical insight into the way
God wants us to pray for Jerusalem. As His “intercessor-
secretaries,” we have two main responsibilities: first, to be
familiar with His prophetic calendar; second, to remind
Him of the appointments recorded in it. One such
appointment is God’s end-time commitment to restore
Israel and to rebuild Jerusalem.

who love Israel. I proclaim that I will remind the Lord “till
He establishes Jerusalem and makes her the praise of the
earth.” I pray for the peace of Jerusalem: “May they
prosper who love you.” Amen.
Promised Land (book)

OCTOBER 5
SPEAKING COMFORT

love you.”
How do we align ourselves with God’s purpose for Israel?

I want to suggest one simple way. In Isaiah 40:1–2, God
said, “‘Comfort, yes, comfort My people!’ says your God.
‘Speak comfort to Jerusalem, and cry out to her, that her
warfare is ended, that her iniquity is pardoned; for she
has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her
sins.’”
I have analyzed that verse, and where it says “comfort My

people,” because of the immediate reference to Jerusalem,
I understand it to mean the Jewish people. The Jewish
people cannot be comforted apart from Jerusalem. Their
hearts are totally bound up with the city of Jerusalem. So,
if I am right, and “My people” is the Jewish people, to
whom are these words spoken? They are spoken in the
plural (in Hebrew) to somebody who would say, “Comfort
My people.” They must be spoken to people who accept
the God of the Bible and the authority of His Word. Who
can that be? You and me. People like us, believing
Christians. What does God say? “Comfort My people,
Israel.” God requires us to comfort Israel.
I have been friends with a number of Jewish believers in

Jesus, and one thing that they will point out to me is the
fact that the church worldwide spends much more time
criticizing Israel than comforting Israel. We were not
called to criticize; rather, we have been commanded to
comfort. Will you accept that responsibility?
I believe this comforting is one way of preparing the way

of the Lord. Centuries of prejudice, alienation, and
misunderstanding must be broken down. They must be
melted away by the warmth of real Christian love. I
believe that is our assignment at this time.

who love Israel. I proclaim that I will comfort God’s
people and speak comfort to Jerusalem. I pray for the
Amen.
Where Are We in Bible Prophecy?: Israel in the End Times

(audio, video)
The Last Word on the Middle East: Our Response to God’s

Purpose (audio)
OCTOBER 6
THE LORD, OUR HEALER

love you.”
Right after God first redeemed Israel out of Egypt and the
Israelites became His redeemed and covenant people, the
first specific revelation of Himself that He gave them was
that of healer. This attribute is stated in Exodus 15:26,
where the Lord said to Israel, “For I, the Lord, am your
healer” (nasb).
The phrase “your healer,” in modern Hebrew, means

“your doctor.” The word used in Exodus 15:26 is precisely
the same word as the modern Hebrew word for doctor. It
has not changed its meaning in more than three thousand
years of the history of the Hebrew language. The Lord
said emphatically to Israel, “I am your doctor.”
Two things that do not change are the Lord’s name and
the Lord’s covenant. The Lord’s position and function as
the healer of His people is united with His name and His
covenant. In other words, it never changes.
Many centuries later, when Jesus came to Israel as its

Savior and Redeemer, thereby fulfilling the promises of
the Messiah, He again manifested God as the healer of His
people. The healing ministry of Jesus did not proceed
from Himself—it did not initiate with Him—but it was the
expression of God’s healing nature and God’s healing
covenant with His people. The foundation of God’s
provision of healing and health for His people is His
Word, the Scriptures.
How important it is to see that God’s answer to our need is

primarily in His Word! If we ignore His Word, then we
really do not have any right to expect that He will meet
our needs. But if we turn to His Word and seek Him
through it, we will find that in His Word, He does meet all
our needs—spiritual and physical.

who love Israel. I proclaim that the Lord’s position and
function as the Healer of His people is united with His
name and His covenant. I pray for the peace of Jerusalem:
“May they prosper who love you.” Amen.
Walking through the Land of God’s Promises, Part 3

(audio)
OCTOBER 7
PEACE AND PROSPERITY

love you.”
I pray daily for the peace of Jerusalem and Israel. I believe

that when the Bible says, “Pray for the peace of
Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6), it also means that we are to
pray for the peace of Christ’s body. We should be
concerned not just about our own little area, but for the
total needs of the body of Christ. We are not to judge other
Christians; we are to pray for them.
Psalm 122:7 says, “Peace be within your walls, prosperity

within your palaces.” I believe that this verse illustrates
the divine order: when we have peace, we will have
prosperity. When we are at war with one another—
criticizing one another, turning against one another, and
undermining one another—we will not know prosperity.
First, peace; then, prosperity.
Verse 8 reads, “For the sake of my brethren and

companions, I will now say, ‘Peace be within you.’”
I want to add one more basic principle. We need to escape

from the tendency to be self-centered. Self-centeredness is
the devil’s prison. The more the devil gets you centered in
yourself, the more he has you at his mercy. I have dealt
with hundreds of people in deliverance from evil spirits,
and I have found one almost universal feature of people
who need deliverance—they are self-centered. By
deliberate effort and choice of our own wills, we must
break loose from being self-centered.
What I love in verse 8 is the phrase, “For the sake of my

brethren and companions.” It is not enough that things
are going well for me. I need to be concerned about the
needs of my brothers and companions—Christians from
other backgrounds, other denominations, other prayer
groups, and so forth.

who love Israel. I proclaim, “Peace be within your walls,
prosperity within your palaces.” I pray for the peace of
Jerusalem: “May they prosper who love you.” Amen.
“Fitly Joined Together” (New Wine article)

WEEK 41:
Let us fear lest we fail to rest in Christ.
Therefore, since a promise remains of entering

His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have
come short of it.
—Hebrews 4:1
OCTOBER 8
GOD’S COMMAND TO REST
In Deuteronomy 28, we find a list of all the blessings and

curses. The blessings begin with these words: “If you
diligently obey [hearken to] the voice of the Lord your
God,…all these blessings shall come upon you” (verses 1–
2). The curses begin with these words: “If you do not obey
the voice of the Lord your God,…all these curses will come
upon you” (verse 15). They hinge on heeding or ignoring
the voice of the Lord.
Obedience in worship is the appointed way to come into

that attitude and relationship in which we really hear
God’s voice. Or, to state it another way, we do not hear
God’s voice unless we possess an attitude of worship.
Then, in hearing God’s voice, we enter into His rest. Thus,
worship is the way to rest. Only those who really know
how to worship can really enjoy rest.
There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God;

for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from his own
work, just as God did from his. Let us, therefore, make
every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will fall by
following their example of disobedience.(Hebrews 4:9–11
niv)
Scripture brings out the fact that because of disobedience,

the people of God failed to enter into rest. I am not
insisting we observe the Sabbath or make Sunday the
Sabbath. I am just pointing out that we can miss the fact
that God has commanded us to rest.
I have come to believe that if I am busy seven days a

week, every week, I am not pleasing God. Moreover, I am
sure to endanger my health with this degree of busyness.
God is doing something in my heart about Sabbath rest. I
believe He can do something in your heart, too, that will
cause you naturally to keep His divine, eternal,
unchanging laws.
Thank You, Lord, for the promise of entering Your rest. I

proclaim that I “make every effort to enter that rest.” I
shall fear lest I fail to rest in Christ. Amen.

OCTOBER 9
AN ATTITUDE OF WORSHIP
We can consider these questions as we meditate on this

call to enter God’s rest: Are we making the best use of our
time? Do we really know what it means to rest? Are we
capable of disciplining ourselves to stop doing things—
even mentally? Can we ever lie down and stop thinking
about what we ought to be doing?
God is more concerned with character than with

achievements. Achievements are important only in the
realm of time, but character is eternal. It determines what
we will be throughout eternity.
Isaiah had a vision of heaven with glorious creatures and

the throne of the Lord. (See Isaiah 6.) Worship was
conducted in heaven by creatures called seraphim
(Hebrew, seraph), a word that relates directly to the word
for fire. These are fiery creatures close to the throne of
God, and they cried out day and night, “Holy, holy, holy is
the Lord” (Isaiah 6:3). Each one had six wings, which they
used impressively. With two wings, they covered their
faces; with two other wings, they covered their feet; and,
with the two remaining wings, they flew. (See verse 2.) I
interpret covering the face and feet as the humility of
worship; I interpret flying as acts of service.
I believe in the importance of thanking God and praising

Him out loud—even dancing, clapping, and singing. But
there comes a time when I will put my “wings” over my
face and over my feet in humble worship and listen to
hear what God says.
“Today, if you will hear His voice: do not harden your

hearts” (Psalm 95:7–8). Develop an attitude of worship
and learn to rest. Remember, the Spirit of the Lord is
looking for a certain type of person—one whose heart is
perfect toward God. Be that person of character, and God
will show Himself strong on your behalf.

proclaim that I am developing an attitude of worship and
am learning to rest. I shall fear lest I fail to rest in Christ.
Amen.

OCTOBER 10
CHOOSING TO WORSHIP
AND REST
In Psalm 95:7, we are given two reasons that we should

worship the Lord: “For he is our God and we are the
people of his pasture, the flock under his care” (niv). The
first reason to worship God is because He is God—our
God, the only being in the universe worthy of worship. We
can praise other men and women, but we must not
worship them. Worship is the most distinctive way for us
to relate to God as God.
I am convinced that whatever we worship gains control of

us. The more we worship it, the more like it we become—
and the more it gains power over us. If we do not worship
God, how much is He really our God?
The second reason that we should worship Him is that

“we are the people of His pasture.” Worship is the way in
which we recognize Him as our God, and it is the
appropriate response to His care for us. This psalm ends
with a solemn warning:
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as

you did at Meribah….For forty years I was angry with that
generation; I said, “They are a people whose hearts go
astray, and they have not known my ways.” So I declared
on oath in my anger, “They shall never enter my
rest.”(verses 7–8, 10–11 niv)
This passage sets before us two options: entering into true

worship or refusing to do so. In worship, we hear God’s
voice. Upon hearing and obeying His voice, we enter into
rest. The inescapable conclusion is the importance of
hearing God’s voice. As we read in Jeremiah 7:23, “This is
what I commanded them, saying, ‘Obey My voice, and I
will be your God’” (nasb). This is one of the simplest
statements of what God requires: “Obey My voice, and I
will be your God.”

proclaim that I choose to enter into true worship, hear
and obey Your voice, and enter into rest. I shall fear lest I
fail to rest in Christ. Amen.
The True Heart of Worship (Teaching Legacy Letter)

OCTOBER 11
WALKING IN PROPER FEAR
The first “let us” statement in the book of Hebrews says,

“Therefore…let us fear” (Hebrews 4:1). Does that
statement surprise or offend you? Most Christians have
no room for fear.
The people responsible for bringing me to the Lord were a

fine Christian couple who lived in Yorkshire, England.
When I visited them after World War II, they were not
doing well—spiritually. The man believed that there was
no room for fear in the Christian life. I pointed out that it
depends on the kind of fear you are talking about. Psalm
19 says, “The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever”
(verse 9). There is never an end to that kind of fear. This
man had decided never to use medicine, a position that
conveys a sense of arrogance. I linked it with his attitude
that rejected fear of any kind. Tragically, he developed
diabetes, and his leg had to be amputated. He could
hardly get over the shock that his faith had not brought
him healing. I think the real problem was a failure to
understand that a certain kind of fear is very much a part
of the Christian life. The words in Hebrews, “let us fear,”
are addressed to Christian believers, not unbelievers.
Bear in mind that there is always a possibility of not
getting what God has appointed for us. The entire verse
says, “Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His
rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of
it.”
Every promise is two-sided. It offers you good, but if you

fail to claim the promise, you are deprived of something.
So much in the Christian life is the same way. The good is
available, but there is always the possibility of missing it. I
believe that we have to come with this attitude of fear if
we are going to be able to enter into God’s rest.

proclaim that I come to God with the proper attitude of
fear to enter into His rest. I shall fear lest I fail to rest in
Christ. Amen.

OCTOBER 12
BELIEVING AND ENTERING
For we who have believed do enter that rest [or are

entering into the rest], as He has said [quoting from Psalm
95]: “So I swore in my wrath, ‘They shall not enter My
rest;’” although [God’s] works were finished from the
foundation of the world. For He has spoken in a certain
place of the seventh day in this way: “And God rested on
the seventh day from all His works”; and again in this
place: “They shall not enter My rest.”(Hebrews 4:3–5) In
that passage, “believed” is in the past tense; “enter” is in
the present tense. Before we can enter into God’s rest, we
must have already believed. We do not keep believing
again; it is something that is done once. We have made the
decision, and, on that basis, we can proceed to enter into
rest. Those who must continually decide to believe anew
do not qualify to enter into the rest. Only we who have
believed enter into rest.
Following up on this theme of rest, let’s turn to the Old

Testament for a moment. Genesis 2:2 reads, “And on the
seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and
He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He
had done.” God’s rest is a ceasing from all the work He
did. I believe that God did not rest because He was tired.
Instead, He took pleasure in relaxation. He sat back,
looked at everything He had made, and took time to enjoy
it.
How many of us ever take the time to enjoy the things that
we have done or made? Today, by the time they have done
something, most people are busy starting the next thing.
The pattern that God established, though, is taking time to
enjoy whatever you do after you have finished it.
Whatever it may be that you have done, it is godly to relax
and enjoy it. In fact, the ability to relax is a divine ability.

proclaim that one of the pleasures God wants to share is
His rest—He wants me to enter into the rest that He
entered. So, I shall fear lest I fail to rest in Christ. Amen.

OCTOBER 13
ENJOYING CREATION
We talk about tithing—what God demands of our

resources—but what about God’s demands on our time?
From the Israelites, God demanded one day out of seven—
a higher proportion than that which He demanded of
their material possessions. How many people in the
church today really give God one day out of seven? That is
one reason that there are so many nervous breakdowns—
there are frustrated, frantic, busy people who never get
the job done.
God was the first One who rested. He worked, then rested.
A Palestinian Arab friend of mine who owns many
restaurants says, “God did not work because He had a
family to support. And God did not rest because He was
tired. It was on a much higher level than that. God
worked because He is a Creator.” God rested, I believe,
because He wanted to enjoy what He had created. If we
never take time to enjoy what we have created, we are in
a miserable condition.
Which takes more faith: to work or to rest? Israel failed to

enter into rest because of unbelief. Why can a Christian
not rest? Also because of unbelief. That is the diagnosis of
the problem.
Relaxation comes in knowing that God initiated it. My

wife and I used to go away on “vacation.” But vacation
means you have nothing to do—it is taken from the word
vacant. Sometimes, though, it is good to have nothing to
do. But my wife and I felt that vacation was the wrong
word to use. Instead, we called these periods holidays,
which means “holy day.” God showed us that it is a sin to
never take a holiday. In Israel’s calendar, as God ordained
it, many holidays were required. There were no options.
They are God-ordained holidays—not because someone
wants to be lazy, but because God has said to take a
holiday.

proclaim that God rested to enjoy what He created, and I
will do the same. I shall fear lest I fail to rest in Christ.
Amen.
The Headship of Jesus, Part 1 (audio, video)

OCTOBER 14
WALKING…AND RESTING…IN FAITH
The one basic reason that the Israelites did not enter their
God-given inheritance was unbelief. The same thing will
keep us from our inheritance, too. The writer of Hebrews
applied their situation to us, saying, “The word which
they heard did not profit them, not being mixed with faith
in those who heard it” (Hebrews 4:2). God’s Word can
come to us, but it does us no good, nor does it accomplish
God’s purposes of blessing, if it is not combined with faith.
It takes faith to make the Word of God work in our lives.
The next verse says, “For we who have believed do enter

that rest” (verse 3). True faith brings us into rest. Do you
have that rest of faith? Have you met those conditions, or
are you in danger of being like the Israelites, who
hardened their hearts? Because of their unbelief, they
missed all that God had for them. What a tragedy if that
should happen to us today! Yet the writer of Hebrews
makes it very clear that it can happen—indeed, that it will
happen—if we are not diligent about entering that rest.
A little further on in Hebrews, we have the practical

application of this lesson: “Let us therefore be diligent to
enter that rest, lest anyone fall according to the same
example of disobedience” (Hebrews 4:11).
You may have heard me say, “When you find a therefore

in the Bible, you need to find out what it is ‘there for.’”
The above verse begins with a “therefore.” The point is,
let us not go astray in the same way that the Israelites did
in the Old Testament. Let’s guard ourselves against
unbelief. Let’s be diligent and apply ourselves to walking
in faith, conserving and cultivating our faith,
strengthening and encouraging one another’s faith. Let’s
not make the same terrible and tragic error that Israel
made through unbelief. Bear in mind that there is a
direct, causal connection between unbelief and
disobedience.

proclaim that true faith brings me into rest. I shall fear
lest I fail to rest in Christ. Amen.
Faith, Part 1 (audio)

WEEK 42:
Let us be diligent.
Let us therefore be diligent to enter that rest,

lest anyone fall according to the same example
of disobedience.
—Hebrews 4:11
OCTOBER 15
THE IMPORTANCE OF DILIGENCE
Let us be diligent.
Diligence is the second “let us” resolution that occurs in

the fourth chapter of Hebrews: “Let us therefore be
diligent to enter that rest, lest anyone fall through
following the same example of disobedience” (Hebrews
4:11 nasb).
I pointed out previously that this warning is based on the

experience of the Israelites on their journey from Egypt
through the wilderness. Most of them did not make it
through to the Promised Land—the destination and rest
that God had promised them—because of their
misconduct and wrong attitudes. And they fell in the
wilderness. Scripture says that their carcasses fell in the
wilderness because of unbelief and disobedience. (See
Numbers 14:29, 32.) And through unbelief and
disobedience, they failed to hear the voice of the Lord.
They had the externals, but they did not have the great
essential, inner reality of all true religion—hearing the
voice of the Lord.
So, that was the mistake of Israel—a tragic mistake. After

saying, “Let us fear” (Hebrews 4:1), the writer of Hebrews
went on—still on the basis of the example of Israel—to
say, “Let us be diligent.” I believe that is very natural. If
we really take to heart the dangers of that spiritual
condition and do fear, in that sense, the next thing we will
naturally do is become diligent.
Let’s consider for a moment what diligence is. One way to
find out the meaning of a word is to consider what its
opposite is. An obvious opposite of diligence is laziness.
The Bible does not have one good word to say about
laziness. It is a theme that does not receive enough
attention in contemporary Christendom.

proclaim that the essential, inner reality of all true
religion is hearing the voice of the Lord. I shall be
diligent. Amen.
Twelve Steps to a Good Year, Part 1 (audio)

OCTOBER 16
GROWING AND PROGRESSING
Let us be diligent.
Continuing with the theme of diligence, let’s consider

what the writer of Hebrews said a little further on: “We
want each of you to show this same diligence to the very
end, in order to make your hope sure. We do not want you
to become lazy, but to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised” (Hebrews 6:11–
12 niv). We not only need to be diligent, but we also need
to be diligent to the very end. The opposite of diligence is
stated there in plain words: “to become lazy.” Not
physically lazy, but spiritually lazy.
For this very reason, make every effort [“giv[e] all

diligence” nkjv] to add to your faith goodness; and to
goodness, knowledge; and to knowledge, self-control; and
to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance,
godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to
brotherly kindness, love.(2 Peter 1:5–7 niv)
The Christian life is not static. It is a life of adding, growth,

and progress. To be static in the Christian life is to
backslide. To do that adding, as described in the passage
above, requires diligence. It requires making every effort.
Peter then went on with an if:
For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure,

they will keep you from being ineffective and
unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and
blind, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from
his past sins.(verses 8–9 niv)
Would you believe that it is possible for somebody to be

cleansed from his past sins and then forget that it even
happened? It sounds unrealistic, but Scripture indicates
that it is possible.

proclaim my need to imitate those who through faith and
patience inherit what has been promised. I shall be
diligent. Amen.

OCTOBER 17
OVERCOMING LAZINESS
Let us be diligent.
In 2 Peter 1:8–9, Peter set before us an alternative; we

have two options. One is to be effective and productive in
our knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. The other is to be
ineffective and unproductive through a condition that he
described as being “nearsighted and blind” (verse 9 niv).
Those are strong words. In light of this condition, Peter
continued with a therefore. This therefore relates to the
warning that Peter had given:
Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make

your calling and election sure. For if you do these things,
you will never fall, and you will receive a rich welcome
into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus
Christ.(2 Peter 1:10–11 niv)
That is good news. There are things we can do that will

guarantee we never fall, and also that we will have a rich
welcome into the kingdom of our Lord.
Basically, the condition about which we are warned is

laziness. I am deeply troubled by the lack of concern in
Christian circles about laziness. The majority of Christians
view drunkenness with horror. They would reject any
person who professed to being a Christian if he were
drunk. While I agree that drunkenness is a sin, and while
I certainly don’t condone it, I believe that laziness is much
more severely condemned in the Scripture than
drunkenness. The problem is that many Christians who
would never be found drunk are habitually lazy. So, let’s
heed that warning to be diligent.

proclaim that I will combat laziness, being “all the more
eager to make my calling and election sure.” I shall be
diligent. Amen.

OCTOBER 18
ADDING PERSONAL DILIGENCE
Let us be diligent.
Two beautiful verses in Proverbs have long been a

guiding light to me. Together, they sum up the conditions
for true riches, or enduring wealth. One condition, the
Lord meets; the other, we meet. Both conditions must be
fulfilled in order for us to attain the result. The condition
the Lord meets is stated in Proverbs 10:22: “It is the
blessing of the Lord that makes rich, and He adds no
sorrow to it” (nasb).
The great, primary condition for true riches—spiritual

and otherwise—is the blessing of the Lord. We cannot
count on anything being really good apart from the
blessing of the Lord. On the other hand, the blessing of
the Lord, by itself, is not sufficient. In Proverbs 10:4, we
read, “Poor is he who works with a negligent hand, but
the hand of the diligent makes rich” (nasb). It takes the
Lord’s blessing plus our own diligence to attain to true
wealth. It is not enough to simply expect the blessing of
the Lord, or even to receive the blessing of the Lord. It
will not accomplish its purpose in your life unless you add
to it your own personal diligence. Remember, diligence is
the opposite of laziness.
That is a verse I have proved true in my own experience

through decades of Christian living. I have been in many
different situations, in many different forms of ministry,
and in many different lands and continents, and I think I
can say that, by the grace of God, I have always displayed
diligence in things great and small. In every situation with
which I have been involved, I have left it in better
condition—spiritually, financially, and in every obvious
way—than the condition it was in when I found it. The
blessing of the Lord makes rich, but also the hand of the
diligent makes rich. Add those two together and you have
true spiritual riches.

proclaim that “the blessing of the Lord makes rich,” and
“the hand of the diligent makes rich.” I shall be diligent.
Amen.

OCTOBER 19
FULFILLMENT OF GOD’S PROMISES
Let us be diligent.
Most of God’s promises are conditional. In other words,

when God makes a promise, He says, “If you will do this,
then I will do that.” We have no right to claim the promise
unless we first meet the condition He puts forth.
We need to see that the fulfillment of God’s promises does

not depend upon our circumstances, but upon our
fulfilling God’s conditions. We must keep our eyes on the
conditions, making sure that we fulfill them instead of
being influenced by the circumstances that might prevent
us from doing so.
Let’s look at the example of Abraham. God had promised

Abraham a son who was to be his heir, but he reached the
age of ninety-nine, and still no heir had come. (On his
own, he produced Ishmael, but he was not to be the heir.)
Why did God allow Abraham to reach such an old age
before He fulfilled His promise? Why does God often
allow us to come to a position of seeming impossibility
before He fulfills the promises we are claiming?
First, we are emptied of excessive self-confidence. We

realize that if something is going to be done, God will be
the only one who can do it. Abraham’s own body was
worthless in terms of procreation, as was the womb of his
wife. There was no natural way that the promise could be
fulfilled. Abraham had to focus his eyes exclusively on
God, the only one capable of fulfilling the promise.
Second, when the promise is finally fulfilled, all the glory

goes to God. Remember, the purpose of the promises is
that God may be glorified. When there is a possibility of
us doing something on our own, we might be tempted to
take the credit. But when we come to the place where we
know we cannot do it by our own effort, we are exhausted
of self-confidence, and all the glory truly goes to God.

proclaim that the purpose of the promises is that God may
be glorified. I shall be diligent. Amen.
Claiming Our Inheritance, Part 2 (audio)

OCTOBER 20
CULTIVATING DILIGENCE
Let us be diligent.
Diligence is a fruit that has to be cultivated. Here are some

brief directions about how it should be cultivated.
In 2 Timothy 2:6, Paul said, “The hard-working farmer

must be first to partake of the crops [produce, fruit].”
Here, Paul was bringing out a simple, basic fact:
cultivating crops takes hard work. It is not done without
effort. That fact is equally true of the fruit of the Spirit—to
cultivate it requires hard work. I want to suggest two ways
in which we can cultivate spiritual fruit in our lives.
First, we need to study God’s Word, for it is the basis of all

God’s provision for us. If we are not familiar with His
Word, we almost inevitably forgo many of His provisions.
Again, Paul wrote to Timothy, “Be diligent to present
yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to
be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2
Timothy 2:15). In order to divide, or handle, the word of
truth—Scripture, the Word of God—accurately, we must
be workers. In a certain sense, we have to roll up our
sleeves and get to work.
The second direction we must follow is to spend time in

prayer. By prayer, I don’t mean merely talking to God, but
listening—something that is just as important, if not more
so, than talking to Him. Here, again, Jesus provided us
with the perfect pattern. The whole basis of Jesus’ earthly
ministry was His relationship with His Father. In order to
cultivate and maintain that relationship, Jesus took plenty
of time in prayer. Very often, it was early in the morning.
It was there that He heard the Father’s voice and received
direction for His ministry.

proclaim that I will cultivate diligence in my life by
studying God’s Word and spending time in prayer. I shall
be diligent. Amen.
Fruit of the Spirit, Part 1 (audio)

OCTOBER 21
THE FRUIT OF DILIGENCE
Let us be diligent.
The fruit of diligence may be produced by cultivating

fellowship. We must not try to lead the Christian life on
our own. Scripture says that we are all members of one
body, and we all need one another. (See, for example,
Romans 12:4–5.) I often think of David going out to meet
Goliath, taking just five smooth stones from the brook as
weapons. Why did those stones have to be smooth? They
would not have been accurate missiles if they had not
been smooth, and inaccuracy might have cost David his
life. The stones were smooth because they had been lying
in the brook, where water had been passing over them
regularly. They had been jostled against one another, and
this action rubbed away their sharp edges.
I believe that when the Lord Jesus Christ wants to find

Christians He can use, He goes to the brook, where the
pure water of God’s Word has been flowing over them,
washing them, rounding them off. There, they have been
in fellowship with one another, rubbing away the rough
edges. Cultivating fellowship will make us into smooth
stones.
My last recommendation is to submit to discipline. Fruit

does not come in a person’s life without discipline. I have
two main forms of discipline in mind. First, self-discipline
—the way in which we organize our lives. This discipline
includes even the simplest of things, such as when we get
up in the morning, what we eat, what we wear, and
personal cleanliness. Managing all these details is
essential to cultivating fruit. Beyond that, I believe every
Christian in normal situations should be subject to church
discipline. He should be a member of a church, under the
authority of the church leaders and subject to their
discipline.

proclaim that the fruit of diligence comes by fellowship
and discipline, and I welcome both. I shall be diligent.
Amen.
Fruit of the Spirit, Part 1 (audio)

WEEK 43:
Let us hold fast our confession.
Seeing then that we have a great High Priest

who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the
Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.
—Hebrews 4:14
OCTOBER 22
THE HIGH PRIEST OF

OUR CONFESSION
Jesus’ position as High Priest relates to our confession.

Let’s look at three passages from the book of Hebrews.
First, Hebrews 3:1 reads, “Therefore, holy brethren,
partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.” Jesus was
the Apostle sent out by God to provide redemption.
Having provided redemption, He returned to God to be
our High Priest in the presence of God. He is the High
Priest of our confession. That idea is radical: No
confession, no High Priest. If we close our lips on earth,
we silence our Advocate in heaven. The more we confess,
the more we release His high priestly ministry on our
behalf.
Next, we’ll read Hebrews 4:14: “Seeing then that we have

a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens,
Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession.” To
hold fast means to say something, then keep on saying it.
Don’t back off. Don’t get discouraged.
Finally, “Having a High Priest over the house of God,…let

us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,
for He who promised is faithful” (Hebrews 10:21, 23).
Notice the change there. It is not “the confession of our
faith” but “the confession of our hope.” If we confess faith
long enough, it becomes hope. “Faith is the substance of
things hoped for” (Hebrews 11:1). When we have built a
substance of faith, then hope comes. My definition of
biblical hope is “a confident expectation of good.” But we
must hold fast the profession or confession without
wavering. Why does it say “without wavering”? Let me
illustrate with the following image. When you are
traveling in an airplane and the Fasten Seat Belt sign goes
on, it tells you to expect turbulence. In the same way,
“without wavering” tells you to expect opposition. The
battle is fought and won when we maintain our
confession.
Thank You, Jesus, that You are the High Priest of our
confession. I proclaim that Jesus is my Advocate in
heaven, in the presence of God, and I hold fast that
confession without wavering. I shall hold fast my
confession. Amen.
Complete Salvation and How to Receive It, Part 2 (audio,

video)
OCTOBER 23
MAKING THE RIGHT

CONFESSION
I can illustrate “confession” from a book entitled Fear No

Evil, written by Natan Sharansky, a Jewish refusenik.
Sharansky was not a Christian, but even so, the KGB
(Soviet secret police) arrested him and put him through
nine years of misery. As I read his story, I saw in the KGB
the most vivid demonstration of Satan and his tactics. In
Natan Sharansky, I recognized the way to win. He was a
highly qualified chess player, and he decided to deal with
the KGB as he would with a chess opponent: by staying
one move ahead.
Though he did not have a faith in a personal God, he did

have a concept of God through his Jewish roots. Many
Jewish prayers begin with “O Lord, our God, king of the
universe.” In teaching himself Hebrew, he decided to
write out a prayer that he could repeat whenever needed.
It was a petition for God to be with him, protect his family,
and bring him to Israel. Whenever he was under pressure
—for instance, awaiting interrogation—he would repeat
the prayer several times. He said that prayer about ten
times a day for nine years—that amounts to more than
thirty thousand times! How many Christians would go on
praying the same prayer thirty thousand times?
One aim of the KGB was to get Sharansky to make the

wrong confession. If he would just say that he was a
traitor, they would release him. But he refused. The battle
raged for nine years. By making the right confession and
reiterating the right prayer, he won. Being victorious, he
later immigrated to Jerusalem.
How that impressed me about Satan’s tactics! Satan uses

every kind of pressure, every inducement, every lie—all
with one aim: to get us to make the wrong confession. We
defeat him, however, by maintaining the right confession.
confession. I proclaim that we defeat our enemy by
maintaining the right confession. I shall hold fast my
confession. Amen.
Complete Salvation and How to Receive It, Part 2 (audio,

video)
OCTOBER 24
THE WORDS WE SPEAK
Another word for confession is testimony. We read in the

book of Revelation, “They overcame him [Satan] by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony”
(Revelation 12:11).
We have acknowledged that we overcome Satan when we

testify personally to what the Word of God says the blood
of Jesus does for us. Testimony is a very simple thing—just
saying words that agree with Scripture. Testimony saves
us; it is our protection. I cannot overemphasize its
importance.
The writer of Hebrews called Jesus the “High Priest of our

confession” (Hebrews 3:1). Confession literally means
“saying the same as.” For us, as believers in the Bible and
in Jesus Christ, confession means saying with our mouths
the same thing that God says in His Word. We make the
words of our mouths agree with the Word of God. Jesus
can advocate on our behalf only when we make the right
confession. Whether we call it “testimony” or
“confession,” it is indispensable in order for us to receive
the salvation of God.
Jesus said, “For by your words you will be justified, and by

your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37). We
settle our destinies by the words that we speak. James
said the tongue is like the rudder on a ship; even though it
is a small part of the ship, it determines exactly where the
ship will go. (See James 3:4.) We determine the course of
our lives by the way in which we use our tongues. We can
say the right thing and make the words of our mouths
agree with the Word of God, or we can say the wrong
thing and cause our lives to go off course. We will either
come safely to harbor or end in shipwreck according to
how we use our tongues.
confession. I proclaim that I overcome the enemy by the
blood of the Lamb and by the word of my testimony. I
shall hold fast my confession. Amen.
How to Apply the Blood (audio)

OCTOBER 25
OUR ADVOCATE
Jesus is the “High Priest of our confession” (Hebrews 3:1).

Our confession enlists Jesus as our High Priest, but the
opposite, unfortunately, is also true. If we make no
confession, we have no High Priest. It’s not that Jesus has
ceased to be our High Priest, but that we give Him no
opportunity to minister as our High Priest.
He is the High Priest of our confession. If we say the right

things with our mouths in faith, according to Scripture,
then Jesus has eternally obligated Himself to see that we
will never be put to shame—that we will always
experience what we confess. But if we do not say the right
things, then, alas, we silence the lips of our High Priest. He
has nothing to say in heaven on our behalf.
Jesus is also called our “Advocate” (1 John 2:1). The word

advocate is similar to the modern word attorney. Jesus is
the legal expert who is there to plead our case in heaven.
He has never lost a case. But if we do not make a
confession, He has no case to plead, so the case goes
against us by default.
We can see how important confession is; therefore, it is

very important that we give heed to this third “Let us”
passage in Hebrews: “Let us hold fast our confession”
(Hebrews 4:14). This principle of right confession has a
central place in the gospel, as well as in our experience of
salvation. In fact, there is no salvation without right
confession.
confession. I proclaim that as I speak in faith with my
mouth according to Scripture, Jesus has eternally
obligated Himself that I will experience what I confess. I

OCTOBER 26
THE HEART AND THE MOUTH
In the tenth chapter of Romans, Paul explained as clearly

as anywhere in the New Testament what is required for
salvation. He began,
“The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart”

(that is, the word of faith which we preach): that if you
confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in
your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved.(Romans 10:8–9)
The basis for salvation is the Word, and it has to be

appropriated by faith. Then, there are two things we must
do—one with the heart, one with the mouth. We have to
believe with the heart, but we have to confess, or say it
out, with the mouth. Paul went on,
For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and

with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.
(Romans 10:10)
You see? No confession, no salvation. It is good to believe

in the heart, but belief alone is not sufficient. We must not
only believe in our hearts, but we must also say it out
boldly with our mouths, making the words of our mouths
agree with the Word of God. Our initial confession relates
us to Jesus as High Priest, but His ongoing ministry on our
behalf as High Priest depends on our ongoing confession.
confession. I proclaim that I both believe in my heart and
confess with my mouth the promises of God for me. I shall
hold fast my confession. Amen.

OCTOBER 27
THE FRUIT OF OUR WORDS
The entire Bible shows that our words determine our

destinies. As we read in Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life
are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will
eat its fruit” (nasb). The tongue is either going to produce
death in our lives, if we make a wrong confession, or life,
if we make a right confession. Whatever we say with our
tongues, we are going to eat the resultant fruit. That truth
was echoed by the words of Jesus when He said, “And I
say to you, that every careless word that men shall speak,
they shall render account for it in the day of judgment.
For by your words you shall be justified, and by your
words you shall be condemned” (Matthew 12:36–37 nasb).
Christians often say silly things that are not honoring to

God, and then excuse themselves by saying, “I didn’t
really mean it.” But Jesus said, “Every careless word.” It is
not an excuse to say that you didn’t really mean
something. We must hold fast our confession.
Ultimately, there are only two alternatives in our

relationship to Christ and the Scripture: to confess or to
deny. Again, Jesus said,
Everyone therefore who shall confess Me before men, I

will also confess him before My Father who is in heaven.
But whoever shall deny Me before men, I will also deny
him before My Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 10:32–
33 nasb)
Those are the two alternatives given to us. There is no

third alternative. In spiritual things, in the long run, there
is no neutrality. Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is
against Me” (Matthew 12:30). We either we make the right
confession to salvation, or we make the wrong confession,
which will not produce salvation.
confession. I proclaim that I confess before men that Jesus
is my Lord, and He confesses me before our Father, who is
in heaven. I shall hold fast my confession. Amen.

OCTOBER 28
NO MATTER WHAT
PRESSURES COME
When the Bible says to hold fast your confession (see

Hebrews 4:14), it is really issuing a warning that we will
be subjected to pressures that might cause us to back off
what we have said. But we should not back off. We should
hold fast our confession, what we profess.
First, we make the right confession, making the words of

our mouths agree with the words of Scripture. We
articulate what Jesus has done for us, exactly as the Word
of God says. For instance, “By His stripes we are healed”
(Isaiah 53:5). “He became poor, that [we]…might become
rich” (2 Corinthians 8:9). “He tasted death that we might
have life.” (See Hebrews 2:9.) “He took the curse that we
might receive the blessing.” (See Galatians 3:13–14.) Those
are the right confessions. We make them, and then, no
matter what pressures come against us, no matter how
much things may seem to go the wrong way, we hold fast
our confession. That is what makes our faith effective,
and that is what releases the high priestly ministry of
Jesus in heaven on our behalf.
Faith relates us to that which our senses cannot perceive.

As long as we are slaves of our senses, we really cannot
move in faith. Paul said this clearly in 2 Corinthians 5:7:
“For we walk by faith, not by sight.” In other words, what
we do, and the way in which we live as Christians, is
based on faith—on what we believe, not on what we see
or know from our senses. Our senses may tell us one
thing, and our faith another—that is when conflict comes.
That is why the writer of Hebrews says to make your
confession and then to hold it fast. Even if our senses tell
us it is not so, if God’s Word says it is so, it is so.
confession. I proclaim that I will make right confessions
without backing off, no matter what pressures come. I

WEEK 44:
Let us draw near to the throne of grace.
Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of

grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.
—Hebrews 4:16
OCTOBER 29
AN INVITATION FROM GOD
This is the fourth “Let us” statement in Hebrews. I believe

the fourth step is directly related to the first three steps,
and that the sequence is significant. In order to be able to
draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, we
need to make sure that we have taken the first three steps.
The first step is to fear: “Let us fear” (Hebrews 4:1).

Fearing means that we come with an attitude of reverence
and an awareness of our need of God’s grace. Second, “Let
us…be diligent” (Hebrews 4:11). This is our response to
God’s grace: we are not slack, lazy, indifferent, or
presumptuous. God’s grace does not justify our
indifference or presumption; rather, it provokes us to be
diligent. The third step is: “Let us hold fast our
confession” (Hebrews 4:14). We must have the right
confession; we have to say with our mouths the truth
about Jesus and what He has done for us.
In regard to our approaching the throne of grace, we are

told to come for two things: mercy and grace. My
conviction is that if God invites us to come, and if we meet
the conditions I have outlined, then mercy and grace
await us. We never need to be afraid; we will never be
disappointed. God would never give an invitation that He
would not stand behind and fulfill. If we come as God’s
children, we do not come as beggars. God has no second-
class children. He never holds us at a distance if we have
met the conditions for approach. It is very important that
we come with confidence. That is faith in action. It is faith
that will not be denied. It is faith that takes God at His
Word and believes that God is as good as His Word. It is
faith in God’s faithfulness. That is how we are to approach
the throne—with confidence.
Thank You, Lord, that I can come boldly to You. I proclaim

that because God invites me to come to His throne, and
because I meet the required conditions, I come with the
confidence that mercy and grace are waiting for me. I
shall draw near to the throne of grace. Amen.

OCTOBER 30
THROWING OFF CONDEMNATION
It is important that we approach God without

condemnation; in other words, boldly, because, “if I
regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear”
(Psalm 66:18).
If I “regard iniquity in my heart,” it means that I come to

God with a consciousness in my heart of something that
condemns me. Every time I try to approach God with
faith, Satan reminds me of something that is not right and
that has not been dealt with—maybe a sin that has not
been confessed, or, if it has been confessed, is still
lingering because I have not claimed and received God’s
forgiveness. I am therefore conscious of this thing in my
heart all the time. And if I come with condemnation, I do
not receive that for which I pray.
I must remove the consciousness of sin from within my

heart. Basically, this is done by faith. “If we confess our
sins,” the Scripture says, “He [God] is faithful and just to
forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9). We cannot do anything
about the sin problem except confess, repent, and trust
God for the forgiveness and cleansing that He has
promised us. After that, we must not go on worrying
about our sins, because if we remain conscious of sin as
we pray, God will not hear our prayers. As the Scripture
says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not
hear.”
Yet the psalmist went on to say, “But certainly God has

heard me” (Psalm 66:19). In other words, the psalmist
rises above Satan’s attempt to condemn him and says,
“God has heard me.” Why does God hear us? Because we
come in the name of Jesus. Because we come with praise
and thanksgiving. Therefore, we are not condemned.

that I throw off Satan’s attempt to condemn me, declaring
that “God has heard me,” because I come in the name of
Jesus. I shall draw near to the throne of grace. Amen.

OCTOBER 31
ELIMINATING EVERY HINDRANCE
The Bible says, “If our heart condemns us, God is greater
than our heart, and knows all things” (1 John 3:20). We
need not keep anything from God. We have to be open
and honest with Him—sincerely confessing every
transgression, sinful thought, and shortcoming. But then,
when all has been confessed, we need to accept complete
forgiveness and complete cleansing, for we know that God
will never remember our sins or hold them against us
anymore. Then, we can come to Him without
condemnation.
Speaking about prayer, Paul said in 1 Timothy 2:8, “I

desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up
holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” We must get rid
of the dark inner emotions and attitudes that hinder our
access to God. We must get rid of wrath and doubting. The
Bible says that if we doubt, we are condemned. (See
Romans 14:23.) You see, we cannot come with
condemnation into the presence of God. The Bible says,
He who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed

by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will
receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded
man, unstable in all his ways.(James 1:6–8)
We must dismiss the whole question of guilt, along with

every negative or wrong attitude concerning ourselves
and other people. We must come boldly. As Hebrews 4:16
says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace,
that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time
of need.” Remember, it is a throne of grace that we
approach, and grace is enthroned with God. It is not
justice we come to God for; rather, it is grace.

that I rid myself of condemnation and of every other
hindrance to come boldly to the throne of grace. I shall
draw near to the throne of grace. Amen.

NOVEMBER
NOVEMBER 1
COME BOLDLY
We come boldly to the throne of God because it is a throne

of grace. We do not come on the basis of our merit, but we
come in the name of Jesus, with praise and thanksgiving,
without condemnation. We come boldly because God has
bid us to come. The author of Hebrews wrote, “We have
confidence [“boldness” nkjv] to enter the Most Holy Place
by the blood of Jesus”(Hebrews 10:19 niv).
When we pray to God, we should never approach Him

with condemnation. Condemnation is one of the greatest
enemies to answered prayer. And the basic source of
condemnation is a search for self-righteousness. If we feel
that we must justify ourselves, we will never do it to our
own satisfaction. There must come a time when we lay
aside every attempt to justify ourselves and simply say, “I
receive by faith the righteousness of Jesus Christ, imputed
to me by my faith in Him, according to the Word of God. I
will neither parade my good works nor blush for my bad
deeds. I will come boldly because it is a throne of grace. I
will not examine or analyze my own heart all the time to
determine if I am good enough. I will trust God that the
blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all sin. And I will
come boldly to the throne, right into the Holiest of All.”
That is a glorious way of access.
“Let us draw near with a true heart,” the Scripture says,

“in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled
from an evil conscience” (Hebrews 10:22). An evil
conscience will keep us from successful prayer. We must
allow the blood of Jesus to be applied to our hearts and
receive with complete assurance the fact that we are
forgiven—cleansed because of what Jesus has done—and
then come boldly into the presence of almighty God.

that the blood of Jesus has cleansed me from all sin, and I
come boldly to the throne, right into the holiest of all. I
shall draw near to the throne of grace. Amen.

NOVEMBER 2
WATCHING OUR MOTIVES
We come near to the throne of grace to petition God for

specific needs. Let us look at an important condition—our
motives. God searches every motive; He is very conscious
of the reasons for which we pray. James 4:2 says, “You do
not have because you do not ask.” The main reason that
Christians do not have is a simple failure to ask. But then,
James said in verse 3, “You ask and do not receive,
because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your
pleasures.” In other words, self-centered prayers indicate
that our motives are wrong. We are simply aiming to get
some creature comfort, personal satisfaction, or
indulgence.
What is the correct motive? Jesus has already stated it:

“That the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask
anything in My name, I will do it” (John 14:13–14).
That is the motive behind the prayers that God answers.

The prayer must be prayed sincerely so that God, in
answering that prayer, may be glorified through Jesus
Christ. As Paul explained in 2 Corinthians 1:20, “For all the
promises of God in Him [Jesus Christ] are Yes, and in Him
Amen, to the glory of God through us.”
The whole purpose of coming to God and claiming His

promises is so that God may be glorified through us in
answering them. As we claim more and more of God’s
promises, we glorify Him more and more. The more we
fail to claim God’s promises, however, the less we glorify
Him. The person who glorifies God most is the person
who claims God’s promises in Christ the most.
The motive that is acceptable to God is one that seeks

answers to prayer so that He might be glorified. These
prayers must be offered in the name of His Son Jesus
Christ.

that my motive in praying is that God may be glorified
through Jesus Christ in answering my prayers. I shall
draw near to the throne of grace. Amen.

NOVEMBER 3
ACCORDING TO HIS
LOVINGKINDNESS
Psalm 51 is a prayer that David prayed during a time of

deep distress, when his soul was hanging in the balance.
It was a prayer of repentance after his sins—committing
adultery with Bathsheba and arranging the murder of her
husband, Uriah—had been uncovered. David wrote,
“Have mercy upon me, O God, according to Your
lovingkindness; according to the multitude of Your tender
mercies, blot out my transgressions” (Psalm 51:1).
“According to Your lovingkindness” is another way of

saying “Your covenant-keeping faithfulness.” David was
saying, in effect, “You have committed Yourself to forgive
me if I meet the necessary conditions, and I appeal to You
on that basis.” How important it is to approach God on
that basis.
Psalm 106:1 says, “Praise the Lord! Oh, give thanks to the
Lord, for He is good! For His mercy [lovingkindness,
faithfulness to His covenant] endures forever.” Mercy is
an aspect of God’s eternal nature. Hebrews 4:16 says, “Let
us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we
may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
First, we need mercy, but we also need grace. What does

the Bible say about grace? Grace cannot be earned. If you
can earn it, it is not grace. Religious people often think
that they have to earn everything. Consequently, they tend
to turn down the grace of God. As Paul wrote, “If by grace,
then it is no longer of works….But if it is of works, it is no
longer grace” (Romans 11:6). Two things are mentioned in
Hebrews 4:16 that we cannot earn. We cannot earn
mercy, and we cannot earn grace. We need mercy for the
past and grace for the future. It is by God’s grace alone
that we can become the kind of people, and live the kind
of lives, that He requires of us.

that I come according to God’s lovingkindness to receive
mercy for my past and grace for my future. I shall draw
near to the throne of grace. Amen.
What Is Holiness?, Vol. 1 – Holiness: The Essence of God

(audio)
NOVEMBER 4
BY HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS
It is important to remember that it is neither our

righteousness nor our faithfulness that forms the basis for
our confidence in approaching God’s throne. Rather, it is
God’s righteousness and God’s faithfulness. The first
epistle of John expresses this thought: “Beloved, if our
heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward
God. And whatever we ask we receive from Him” (1 John
3:21–22).
Any attitude that thinks we have some kind of

righteousness or claim in ourselves to approach God
results in our approaching Him without full confidence
because there is ultimately nothing in ourselves. We have
no righteousness of our own. Our confidence cannot be
based in ourselves.
We must also come to the place where we do not allow

our hearts to condemn us—where we are trusting not in
our own righteousness or our own wisdom but in God’s
faithfulness. And that produces confidence. Paul said,
“There is therefore now no condemnation to those who
are in Christ Jesus” (Romans 8:1). In the remainder of that
chapter, Paul painted the most glorious picture of a life
that is filled and controlled by the Holy Spirit,
enumerating all the blessings, privileges, and benefits of
that life. But the entry into that chapter—and into that
kind of life—is presented in that first verse above. We
must lay aside all condemnation.
One requirement for a right approach to God is coming in

the name of Jesus. When we come in Jesus’ name, we have
assurance that our prayers are heard because of Him. It
takes our attention off our own lives and works. When we
come in the name of Jesus, we believe that our sins have
been forgiven and that we are accepted by God as His
children. This pleases God. It is how He wants us to come.
Thank You, Lord, that I can come boldly to You. I come to

the throne of God in the name of Jesus, believing that my
sins have been forgiven and that I am accepted by God as
His child. I shall draw near to the throne of grace. Amen.
How to Pray and Get What You Pray For, Part 2 (audio)
WEEK 45:
Let us press on to maturity.
Therefore, leaving the discussion of the

elementary principles of Christ, let us go on to
perfection, not laying again the foundation of
repentance from dead works and of faith
toward God.
—Hebrews 6:1
NOVEMBER 5
AN ONGOING PATH
We have looked so far at four “Let us” statements in the

book of Hebrews. Now, we turn to the fifth such statement
—one that could be a new resolution for us. Hebrews 6:1
reads, “Therefore leaving the elementary teaching about
the Christ, let us press on to maturity” (nasb). Many
Christians have the impression that in the Christian life,
you can somehow “arrive,” reaching a point where you
can settle down and say, “Now, I’m there.” But that is not
true. To remain static in the mature spiritual life is almost
impossible. As Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the
righteous is like the light of dawn, that shines brighter
and brighter until the full day” (nasb). The phrase “the
path of the righteous” is not speaking about a specific
believer or group of believers but about each and every
righteous person.
Notice that righteousness is a path. It is not designed for

standing still, much less for sitting down. As a path,
righteousness implies motion, progress, and development.
This path is like the light of dawn when we first come to
know the Lord in His glorious fullness as Savior and Lord.
It is like the sun rising after the darkness, or like a dawn
that comes to our hearts. But dawn is not the end of God’s
purposes; it is just the beginning.
When we are walking in the path of righteousness, the

light should always be getting brighter. With every step,
with each new day, the light should be brighter than it
was before. “Until the full day”: that is our destination, the
height of noonday.
God is not content for us to stop at anything less than the

full brightness of the noonday sun. Dawn is our beginning
point, the path is the way of progress, and the light gets
brighter and brighter. But there is no stopping permitted
until we reach the full day.
Thank You, Lord, that You are leading me onward. I

proclaim that righteousness is a path, and God expects
motion, progress, and development on my part. I shall
press on to maturity. Amen.

NOVEMBER 6
ADVANCING TO MATURITY
This particular “Let us” is very appropriate to the New

Testament Hebrew people because they had failed to live
in accordance with it. They had trusted their special
privileges and rested in them. They had become, quite
frankly, lazy; they simply took things for granted.
We have much to say about this, but it is hard to explain

because you are slow to learn. In fact, though by this time
you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you
the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You
need milk, not solid food! Anyone who lives on milk,
being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching
about righteousness. But solid food is for the mature, who
by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish
good from evil.(Hebrews 5:11–14 niv)
What the writer was saying there—bluntly—is that the

Hebrews were mere spiritual infants. They had no right to
be infants at that stage in their Christian progress. They
had had so many opportunities over many years that by
then, they should have advanced to maturity. The writer
of Hebrews also explained the only way to advance to
maturity. We must train ourselves to distinguish good
from evil. Advancing to maturity on the path of
righteousness comes in practice by training ourselves
constantly. It does not happen automatically; it requires
discipline. That is why one of the earlier steps was “Let us
be diligent.” We must train ourselves to distinguish good
from evil.
Many times, even large Christian congregations are

unable to distinguish what is spiritual and scriptural from
that which is just a fleshly presentation with soulish
appeal. The only remedy is to train ourselves by constant
use and careful practice.

proclaim that I do not trust in special privileges or rest in
them, but I am training myself to advance to maturity. I
shall press on to maturity. Amen.

NOVEMBER 7
BEING BUILT UP
God has made a special provision for attaining spiritual

maturity, which Paul recorded in Ephesians 4:11: “It was
he [the risen Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some
to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be
pastors and teachers” (niv). Five main ministries are
mentioned in this verse: apostles, prophets, evangelists,
pastors, and teachers. The following verses tell us their
purposes:
To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the

body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in
the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the
fullness of Christ.(verses 12–13 niv)
This passage spells out two purposes for these various

ministries. The first is to prepare us for works of service.
We cannot automatically do the work that we are
expected to do; we must be prepared, or trained. These
five ministries are there to train us.
The second purpose is to build up the body of Christ.

These ministries are placed within the body of Christ in
order to bring us into a unity of faith and maturity. Jesus
Christ, as Head of the church, has provided these
ministries, and I believe that God’s people will never
attain maturity without them. Paul continued, “From him
[Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as
each part does its work” (verse 16 niv).
The ultimate goal is not a lot of separated, isolated

individuals, each one doing his own thing. Rather, the
goal is a single body, held together by ligaments—strong
bands that hold the various parts together, building up the
body so that it can grow. It is essential that each part of
the body does its work.

proclaim that God’s goal is to prepare His people for
works of service as each part of the body does its work. I

NOVEMBER 8
GOD’S PROGRAM FOR MATURITY
In God’s program, there are two main requirements for

coming to maturity. First, we must come under the
discipline of the God-given ministries Paul listed in
Ephesians 4:11: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors,
and teachers. Without their discipline, oversight, and
instruction, I do not see how God’s people can ever attain
to maturity. Jesus Christ never made a provision that was
not important, and this one is no exception. I believe it is
essential. The second condition is that we must not
remain isolated individuals; rather, we must be part of a
growing body of believers.
Then, in that same passage, Paul stated a sobering

alternative. If we do not follow God’s program for
maturity, this will be the consequence: “Then we will…be
infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown
here and there by every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful
scheming” (Ephesians 4:14 niv).
If we do not come under this fivefold ministry—if we do

not become part of a body and accept this scriptural
discipline—then, according to Paul, we will remain
infants. We will be “tossed back and forth…, and blown
here and there by every wind of teaching and by the
cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful
scheming.” I know many, many believers who match this
description. Every year, they have a new fad, a new
doctrine, and often a new teacher to provide and
perpetuate the fad. We must come under the discipline of
godly, Scripture-based ministries. We also must be part of
a body of believers. That is the only way to maturity.
How about you? Are you under discipline? Are you part of
a body? Are you advancing to maturity?

proclaim that I am coming under discipline to be part of a
growing body, because I want to advance to maturity. I

NOVEMBER 9
DOING THE FATHER’S WILL
In Ephesians 1:5, Paul said of all believers that God has

“predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to
Himself.” He further described God’s purpose for His
children in Romans 8:29: “For whom He [God] foreknew,
He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His
Son, that He [Jesus] might be the firstborn among many
brethren.” Thus, Jesus is the pattern Son, the One to
whom we must all conform in coming to maturity. He
Himself is the new and living way by which we go on to
perfection, enter the holiest, and draw near to God. (See
Hebrews 6:1; 10:19–22.) The way that led Jesus to
perfection is the same way that each of us must follow.
The path to maturity was no easier for Jesus than it is for

us. He “was in all points tempted as we are, yet without
sin” (Hebrews 4:15). In His human nature, Jesus
experienced every form of temptation we experience, and
yet He never sinned. It is no sin to be tempted! Sin comes
only when we yield to temptation.
What was it that enabled Jesus, in spite of His true

humanity, to overcome all temptation? His success lay in
His single-hearted, unchanging motivation to do the
Father’s will. This fact was prophetically foreshown by
David in Psalm 40:7–8: “Then I said, ‘Behold, I come; in the
scroll of the book it is written of me. I delight to do Your
will, O my God.’”
During His earthly ministry, Jesus repeatedly disclosed
this underlying motive for all He did. He could never
know final satisfaction until He had finished every task
His Father had assigned. Near Jacob’s well, He told His
disciples, “My food [that which upholds and strengthens
Me] is to do the will of Him who sent Me, and to finish His
work” (John 4:34). (See also John 5:30; 6:38.)

proclaim that I conform to Jesus in coming to maturity,
doing the will of God and finishing His work. I shall press
on to maturity. Amen.
“Behold the Man” (New Wine article)

NOVEMBER 10
DENIAL OF SELF-WILL
The distinctive function of an Old Testament priest was to

offer sacrifice. Thus, being a priest, Jesus had to offer
sacrifice. Since He was not a Levite, He could not offer the
sacrifices of the law, so He offered His own specific
priestly sacrifice, which was prayer.
He had offered up prayers and supplications, with

vehement cries and tears to Him [God the Father] who
was able to save Him from death, and was heard because
of His godly fear, though He was a Son, yet He learned
obedience by the things which He suffered.(Hebrews 5:7–
8)
Jesus’ reverent obedience caused the Father to hear His

prayers. He learned obedience through suffering. Jesus
had to learn obedience, and we have to learn obedience in
the same way. We find out what obedience is by obeying.
We do not find it out by listening to sermons on
obedience. Those may help us, but obedience has to be
worked out, step-by-step, by obeying. Obedience brings
suffering because it demands denial of one’s self-will. The
key phrase in the obedience of Jesus was, “Not My will,
but Yours, be done” (Luke 22:42). Every step of obedience
in the Christian life is one of self-denial. Jesus said, “If
anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself”
(Matthew 16:24). That is painful, for the old ego does not
like to be denied. Ego says, “I want,” “I’m important,”
“This suits me,” “I feel good,” “I don’t want,” and the like.
Following the Lord requires a continual denial of that ego.
In the above passage from Hebrews, God was talking to us

about coming into maturity as sons through obedience.
Jesus is the pattern. God brought Him to maturity through
obedience. This is the pathway for you and me, too. This is
the new and living way.

proclaim that following the Lord requires a continual
denial of my ego, and I choose to follow Jesus’ pattern in
meeting this requirement. I shall press on to maturity.
Amen.
Seven Pictures of God’s People: The Temple and the

Family of God (audio)
NOVEMBER 11
OUR SPIRITUAL OBJECTIVE
Let us go on to perfection, not laying again the foundation

of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God,
of the doctrine of baptisms, of laying on of hands, of
resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment.
(Hebrews 6:1–2)
We seek to go on to perfection. Unfortunately, as I

previously noted, the word perfection has an unattractive
sound for most Christians because of some doctrine of
sinless perfection that they’ve been exposed to. In most
cases, those who claim to have achieved perfection
demonstrate just the opposite by their words, behavior,
and lifestyles. This hypocritical attitude has turned people
away from the pursuit of perfection.
I would like to remind you of three alternative

translations of the word perfection that make better
sense: “maturity,” “fulfillment,” and “completion.” The
Greek word translated “perfection” comes from a noun
that means “end.” Therefore, it suggests a goal or
objective toward which we are moving. I think we would
all agree that having a spiritual objective is desirable.
Having entered into the way of righteousness by faith, we
can go on, or we can go back. God will have no pleasure in
anyone who turns back, so we belong to those who are
moving on into the full salvation of their souls. (See
Hebrews 10:38–39.)
There are two things: the actual and the ideal. To be
mature is to see the ideal and live with the actual. To fail
is to accept the actual and reject the ideal; and to accept
only that which is ideal and refuse the actual is to be
immature. Do not criticize the actual because you have
seen the ideal; Do not reject the ideal because you see the
actual. Maturity is to live with the actual but hold on to
the ideal.

proclaim that I belong to those who are moving on into
the full salvation of my soul—the goal of maturity,
fulfillment, completion. I shall press on to maturity.
Amen.
The Way into the Holiest, Vol. 1: A Call to Perfection: Let

Us Go On to Perfection (audio)
“The Actual and the Ideal” (New Wine article)

WEEK 46:
Let us draw near to the Most Holy Place.
Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence

to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of
Jesus…let us draw near to God with a sincere
heart in full assurance of faith, having our
hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty
conscience and having our bodies washed with
pure water.
—Hebrews 10:19, 22 (niv)

NOVEMBER 12
TAKING OUR PLACE WITH CHRIST
We can contrast this confession with another “Let us”

phrase found in the book of Hebrews: “Let us…come
boldly to the throne of grace” (Hebrews 4:16). This one
says, in essence, “Let us draw near to God.” We need to
understand it in its context. It is directly related to the
statement in Hebrews 10:
Since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place…,

let us draw near to God.(Hebrews 10:19, 22 niv)
To me, this passage clearly says that “drawing near to

God” is equivalent to “entering the Most Holy Place.”
Let’s compare these two statements. “Let us come boldly

to the throne” means that we are to come for the help we
need—for mercy and grace. But, “Let us draw near to
God,” I think, takes us much further. The suggestion is not
merely that we come to the throne for help, but also that
we are invited to take our place with Christ on the throne.
That is what it means to enter the Most Holy Place.
There is not enough space to give a detailed exposition of

the tabernacle, but there were three main areas. First,
there was the Outer Court. Then, beyond the first curtain
of the tent was the Holy Place. And finally, beyond the
second curtain was the Most Holy Place. The language in
Hebrews is based on the pattern of the tabernacle.
Our destination is the Most Holy Place, beyond the second
curtain or veil.
Thank You, Lord, that I can draw near to You by the blood
of Jesus. I proclaim that I take my place with Christ on the
throne. I shall draw near to the Most Holy Place. Amen.

NOVEMBER 13
BY A NEW AND LIVING WAY
The only furniture in the Most Holy Place, as it was

designed by God, was the ark of the covenant, which was
a box made of acacia wood and covered with gold. Its lid
was called the mercy seat, or the place of propitiation.
Inside were the two tablets of the Ten Commandments,
but these were covered up by the mercy seat, indicating
that through Christ’s propitiation on our behalf, the
broken law (the Ten Commandments that were broken)
has been covered by His propitiation. On either end of the
mercy seat was a cherub. The two cherubs faced one
another, looking toward the center of the mercy seat with
their wings stretched out over them and their wing tips
touching over the center of the mercy seat.
The mercy seat was God’s throne—He sits on a throne of

mercy that covers the broken law. The two cherubs with
their faces turned inward toward one another, their wing
tips touching, represent the place of fellowship. So, this is
a place of mercy and a place of fellowship—but it is also a
throne, the seat of God as King.
In that piece of furniture there was no representation of

God Himself, which was forbidden for the Israelites. But
God did come in and take His place on that seat in the
form of the shekinah glory—the visible, sensory presence
of almighty God. The Most Holy Place was in total
darkness; it had no natural or artificial illumination. But
when the shekinah presence of God came in, then God
was taking His place on the throne.
In Hebrews 10 we are invited into the Most Holy Place to

“draw near to God” (verse 22 niv). We are invited to take
our place with Christ on the throne. We are to come by “a
new and living way” (verse 20 niv). This new and living
way is Jesus.
of Jesus. I proclaim that I come to the Most Holy Place by
Jesus, “the new and living way.” I shall draw near to the
Most Holy Place. Amen.

NOVEMBER 14
FOUR REQUIREMENTS
According to Hebrews 10:22, one must fulfill four

requirements in order to approach the mercy seat and the
throne in the Most Holy Place. First, one must have a
“sincere heart”; second, one must have a “full assurance
of faith”; third, one’s heart must be “sprinkled to cleanse
[him] from a guilty conscience”; and, fourth, one’s body
must be “washed with pure water” (niv). Let’s look very
briefly at each of these.
A sincere heart: We approach God with our hearts, not

with our heads. God is not the answer to an intellectual
riddle, but He will meet a sincere, longing heart. We must
come without pretense, exposing ourselves to God just as
we are without hiding anything.
Full assurance of faith: Hebrews 11:6 says, “But without

faith it is impossible to please Him [God], for he who
comes to God must believe.” We must come with absolute
faith in God’s faithfulness—not faith in our own abilities
or righteousness.
Our hearts sprinkled from a guilty conscience: A guilty

conscience results from committing wrong, sinful deeds.
But through the sprinkling of the blood of Jesus, we have
assurance that our evil deeds have been forgiven and that
our hearts are pure from sin.
Our bodies washed with pure water: First John 5:6 says
that Jesus came by water and by blood. In Hebrews 10:22,
we see both these elements: the blood that sprinkles from
an evil conscience and the water that washes our bodies. I
believe that the water represents Christian baptism. In the
New Testament, Christian baptism means sharing in the
death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. So, the
“new and living way” mentioned in Hebrews 10:20 is
Jesus. We are to identify with all that He endured when
He died for our sins and rose again.
of Jesus. I proclaim that I come with a sincere heart, full
assurance of faith, a heart sprinkled from a guilty
conscience, and my body washed with pure water. I shall
draw near to the Most Holy Place. Amen.

NOVEMBER 15
IDENTIFYING WITH JESUS
Paul wrote to the church at Ephesus (and to us, as well),
But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in
mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were
dead in transgressions….And God raised us up with Christ
and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ
Jesus.(Ephesians 2:4–6 niv)
Notice these three stages of identification with Jesus. First,

we are made alive; second, we are raised up, or
resurrected; and, third, we are seated with Him. Jesus is
seated on the throne. So, what does it mean for us to be
seated with Him? It means to be enthroned, to share the
throne with Him.
Once we understand our identification with Jesus, we are

invited to follow Him all the way. He is the “new and
living way” (Hebrews 10:20). We can be made alive with
Him, we can be resurrected with Him. But we need not
stop there. We can be enthroned with Him.
Using the pattern of the tabernacle, I believe that the first

curtain represents our sharing in the resurrection of
Jesus. The second curtain that leads to the Most Holy Place
represents what we enter through sharing in the
ascension of Jesus. Jesus was not merely resurrected, but,
subsequently, He also was raised up to heaven, to the
throne. And that is where God wants us. God does not
want us to stop short in this new and living way until we
have reached the Most Holy Place, where we are sharing
the throne with Jesus—seated with Him in heavenly
places. That is our destination.
Let’s make it our resolution not to stop short of the place

where God wants us to come.
of Jesus. I proclaim that I will not stop short of the place
where God wants me to come. I shall draw near to the
Most Holy Place. Amen.

NOVEMBER 16
SEVEN TIMES
The Old Testament previews how Jesus was to pay the

price and make the final sacrifice. This preview is found
in the ordinance of the Day of Atonement, described in
detail in Leviticus 16. The high priest was to go just once
each year into the Most Holy Place, the Holy of Holies. He
had to take two things: a censer filled with incense, which
made an aromatic cloud that covered him and the mercy
seat, and the blood of the sacrifice, offered on his own
behalf.
Going thusly into the Most Holy Place, he had to sprinkle

the blood seven times between the second veil, where he
entered, and the front (or east) side of the mercy seat
itself. So, there was an initial sprinkling of the blood
seven times. I believe that this was an exact prophetic
preview of how Jesus was to sprinkle His own blood on
the way to the cross, as well as on the cross itself. The
number seven indicates the work of the Holy Spirit—it is
the number of completeness, or perfection, indicating a
perfect work. The prophetic sprinkling was exactly
fulfilled in the way that Jesus shed His blood: He shed His
blood precisely seven times before the sacrifice was
complete.
In that sevenfold shedding, Jesus’ body was emptied of

blood. He literally poured out His soul to death in these
steps: (1) His sweat became blood (see, for example, Luke
22:44), (2) they struck Him in the face with fists and rods
(see, for example, Luke 22:63–64), (3) they flogged Him
with a Roman scourge (see, for example, Luke 18:33), (4)
His beard was pulled out (see Isaiah 50:6), (5) thorns were
pressed into His scalp (see, for example, Matthew 27:29),
(6) His hands and feet were pierced with nails (see, for
example, John 20:25), and (7) His side was pierced with a
spear (see John 19:34).
of Jesus. I proclaim that by sprinkling His blood seven
times, Jesus made the sacrifice complete. I shall draw
near to the Most Holy Place. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: How to Appropriate the

Blood (audio)
Extravagant Love (audio, booklet)

NOVEMBER 17
LIFE IN THE BLOOD
In the Old Testament, the book of Leviticus contains the

ordinances for Israel’s Aaronic priesthood. The Lord said,
“For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it
to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls;
for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul”
(Leviticus 17:11).
That is a tremendous prophetic statement that was

fulfilled fourteen centuries later in Jesus. The word that is
translated life is the Hebrew word for soul (nephesh). It is
not just the life of a human being that is in the blood, but
it is also the soul. We all know that when the blood ceases
to circulate, the life has gone. In a certain sense, life
depends on the blood.
In the previous chapter of Leviticus, in the ordinances for

the Day of Atonement, Moses told his brother, Aaron, the
high priest, that he could go only once every year into the
Most Holy Place, into the immediate presence of God. He
had to enter holding in one hand a censer full of burning
coals with incense on them to send up a cloud of fragrant
smoke; in the other hand he had to hold the blood of the
sin offering that had been slain in front of the tabernacle.
If he did not have both the censer of fragrant incense and
the blood of the sacrificial animal, death would be the
consequence. There was no access to the presence of God
without those two things.
The censer, with its fragrant incense, is a beautiful type
that symbolizes worship. We never come into the
immediate presence of God without worship. But we
never come without blood, either, which speaks of
atonement for our sins. These pictures in the Old
Testament were prophetic types—previews of what would
actually be fulfilled in the New Testament.
of Jesus. I proclaim that I come into the immediate
presence of God with worship and the blood of
atonement. I shall draw near to the Most Holy Place.
Amen.
The Life-giver (audio)

NOVEMBER 18
THE LIFEBLOOD OF JESUS
When the priest entered the Most Holy Place with the
incense and the blood, he had to sprinkle the blood seven
times on the mercy seat, which was a picture of the
atonement, and seven times in front of the mercy seat.
God’s ordinance was absolutely specific—not six times,
not eight times, but seven times. Then, in Isaiah, we find a
prophetic picture of the suffering of Jesus—the clearest
picture in the Old Testament of Jesus’ suffering for our
sins.
Therefore I [the Lord] will divide Him [Jesus] a portion

with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the
strong, because He poured out His soul unto death.(Isaiah
53:12)
It is important for us to understand that the word in

Isaiah 53:12 that is translated as “soul” is the same word
that appears in Leviticus 17:11 and is translated as “life”:
“The life [soul] of the flesh [every human being] is in the
blood.” When Jesus made atonement for our sins, He
poured out His soul in His blood. His blood is the most
precious blood in the universe because in that blood is the
soul life of God, the Creator.
There is more power in one drop of the blood of Jesus

than in all parts of the kingdom of Satan put together. The
lifeblood of Jesus is the life of God the Creator—a life that
is greater than the entire universe and all the creatures
He ever created. That life is released only through the
blood of Jesus. He became the Life-giver when He shed
His blood. We should never turn away from the blood of
Jesus. There is no other atonement for sin, and no other
source of life. One of our big problems, brothers and
sisters, is not meditating enough on the blood.
of Jesus. I proclaim that life is released only through the
blood of Jesus—the only source of life. I shall draw near to
the Most Holy Place. Amen.
The Life-giver (audio)

WEEK 47:
Let us hold fast our confession without wavering.
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope

without wavering, for He who promised is
faithful.
—Hebrews 10:23
NOVEMBER 19
THE IMPORTANCE OF HOPE
Most Christians have heard much preaching about faith

and love, but, in many cases, they have heard
comparatively little about hope. Such was my own
condition many years ago when I was in desperate need
of help from God. I had heard many messages on faith
and some preaching on love; but what I needed in that
particular situation was hope, and the Holy Spirit had to
take me directly to the Scripture because I had never
heard a sermon about hope. It was there that the Holy
Spirit met my need. For this reason, I am particularly
concerned that people understand the importance of
hope. I want you to grasp what hope is, how important it
is, and how you may have it.
Hope is necessary if we are to maintain both faith and

love. Unless we have hope, our faith will “leak out” and
our love will fail. Hope is not optional; it is essential to the
fullness of the Christian life.
People often say, “Where there’s life, there’s hope.” I think

there is a good deal of truth in that statement. But the
opposite is also true: Where there’s hope, there’s life—and
where there is no hope, there is no life. In my opinion,
hopelessness is one of the saddest conditions in human
experience. I can hardly think of anything sadder than
being hopeless. Yet, countless people in our world today
are completely hopeless. When I am sitting in an airport,
taking a walk, or dining in a restaurant, and I look at the
faces of other people, I find that many of them have a
blank stare of hopelessness. But, thank God, we do not
need to be hopeless.
Thank You, Lord, that You are faithful—You give me hope.

I proclaim that where there is hope, there is life. I shall
hold fast my confession without wavering. Amen.
Hope, Part 1 (audio)

NOVEMBER 20
WITHOUT WAVERING
In Hebrews 3:1, we are admonished to make the right

confession. Then, in Hebrews 4:14, we are told to “hold
fast our confession.” When the Bible calls Jesus our High
Priest, we immediately know that it is our confession that
enlists His ministry on our behalf.
In holding fast our confession, we must not change what

we have said. We must make the words of our mouths
agree with what the Word of God says. In Hebrews 10:23,
the step that we are now considering, it says, “Let us hold
fast the confession of our hope without wavering.” Notice
what has been added: “without wavering.”
If we look through these passages of Hebrews in the order

in which they appear, we find that, in respect to our
confession, there are three successive stages. First, we
make the confession; second, having made it, we hold it
fast without changing it; and, third, we hold it fast without
wavering.
Why was “without wavering” put in? To me, on the basis

of logic and personal experience, it implies that when we
make the right confession, we are going to encounter
negative forces and pressures that will come against us.
Even though we have made the right confession and we
are holding it fast, there may come a time when it seems
like all the forces of Satan and the powers of darkness are
turned loose against us. The temptation is to let go of our
confession. But the writer said, “Don’t let go! Hold fast—
without wavering.” The darker the situation and the
greater the problem, the more important it is to hold fast
without wavering.
God is faithful. He is committed to His Word. Jesus is our

High Priest. If we will only hold fast our confession
without wavering, He will do His job as our High Priest.

I proclaim that I make my confession, do not change it,
and hold it fast without wavering. I shall hold fast my
confession without wavering. Amen.

NOVEMBER 21
A REALM THAT DOES NOT CHANGE
There is a disconnect between faith and sight. The natural

man walks by sight, trusting his senses and believing only
what they tell him. But in the Christian life, the spiritual
life, we should not trust our senses. Second Corinthians
5:7 tells us, “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” We walk
not by our senses, but by faith. Faith relates us to an
unseen, eternal realm that never changes. The world of
the senses is always changing—it is temporary, unstable,
impermanent, and unreliable. Through faith, we relate to
a different world—a world of eternal realities and eternal
truths. As we relate to that world by faith, we hold fast
our confession without wavering.
How we respond to the pressures God permits in our lives

determines whether we trust our senses or our faith. If
we change our confession because of the darkness, then
we are going by our senses, for in faith there is no
darkness. Faith does not rely on the senses; it sees with an
inner spiritual eye into a realm that does not change and
it trusts a High Priest who is unchangeable. Here is what
James said about this issue:
But when he [the believer] asks, he must believe and not

doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think
he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-
minded man, unstable in all he does.(James 1:6–8 niv)
This passage describes the man who wavers. He started
out ready to ask—believing, not doubting—but he did not
hold fast without wavering. As a result, he is tossed to and
fro, thrown about by the winds and waves. The remedy is
to hold fast our confession without wavering.

I proclaim that I walk not by my senses, but by faith. I
shall hold fast my confession without wavering. Amen.

NOVEMBER 22
BEING FULLY PERSUADED
In connection with this principle of making the right

confession and holding it fast without wavering, I want to
look at the example of Abraham, as Paul portrayed him.
Abraham is one of the best examples of someone who
held fast without wavering. As Paul wrote,
Without weakening in his faith, he faced the fact that his

body was as good as dead—since he was about a hundred
years old—and that Sarah’s womb was also dead.(Romans
4:19 niv)
Real faith faces facts. Any attitude that is not willing to

look at the facts is not real faith. Abraham did not try to
deceive himself; he did not imagine something differently
from how it was. With his senses, he saw that his body
was as good as dead, as was the womb of his wife, Sarah.
But he did not trust solely in his senses. Paul continued,
Yet he did not waver through unbelief regarding the

promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and
gave glory to God, being fully persuaded that God had
power to do what he had promised. This is why “it was
credited to him as righteousness.”(Romans 4:20–22 niv)
Abraham is called “the father of all those who believe”

(Romans 4:11), and we are exhorted to follow in the steps
of Abraham’s faith. (See verse 12.) We are required to
walk that same path of faith. We are required to lay hold
of the promise of God, to make our confession, to hold fast
our confession without wavering, to refuse to be deterred
by what our senses reveal, and to look beyond the seen
things, peering into the unseen realm to see, by faith, our
faithful High Priest, there at God’s right hand.

I proclaim that I face the facts without wavering in
unbelief. I shall hold fast my confession without
wavering. Amen.

NOVEMBER 23
THE BATTLE FOR THE PROMISE
Whenever I have conducted a healing service, I have

usually required the people to make the above confession,
because it would qualify them for healing. Let me explain.
If you have a problem in your kidneys, then you would
confess, “Jesus Himself [remember, the emphasis is on
Him] took my infirmities and bore my sicknesses; with
His wounds, I am healed.” Afterward, if you still have the
problem in your kidneys, what do you do? Hold fast your
confession. Do you still have the problem in your kidneys?
Hold fast your confession without wavering. This is a
battle. Believe me, I know from experience that pressing
your way into healing can be a tremendous battle.
The writer of Hebrews said to the Hebrew Christians,

“You have not yet resisted to bloodshed, striving against
sin” (Hebrews 12:4). We are used to the idea that we have
to strive against sin, but we sometimes forget that we have
to strive against sickness, too. We must fight. We are
soldiers. We do not lie down and let the devil walk over
us, for easy surrender does not give glory to God.
In regard to holding fast our confession without wavering,

let us not focus exclusively on physical healing, even
though the need for it is something that touches almost all
people. What about financial needs? For me—and this is
not just a ritual—holding fast my confession is my way to
release the treasures that God has in His storehouse for
my ministry. God spoke to me and told me that He had
made full provision for everything He would ask us to do.
But to obtain the full provision, we had to believe and
confess. And I make it personal. This confession is taken
from 2 Corinthians 9:8: “God is able to make all grace
abound toward [us], that [we], always having all
sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for
every good work.” Glory to God!

I proclaim that I fight for healing and provision—
believing and confessing. I shall hold fast my confession
without wavering. Amen.
The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 1: How to Enter In (audio)

NOVEMBER 24
UNFAILING FAITH
We must emphasize the vital importance of faith. I say to

you what Jesus said to Peter: “I have prayed for you, that
your faith should not fail” (Luke 22:32). Faith is the basic
requirement for belonging to God and being a child of
Abraham, who is “the father of circumcision to those who
not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the
steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while
still uncircumcised” (Romans 4:12). Abraham is more
than just a figure—he is a pattern. He went ahead, laid
out the pathway, and took certain steps. To be truly his
descendants, we must walk in that pathway and follow in
his steps. Let’s look at the five steps of the faith of
Abraham: (1) he accepted God’s promise by faith alone,
without evidence; (2) he recognized that he was incapable
of producing the results on his own; (3) he focused on the
promise without wavering, and this faith was reckoned to
him as righteousness; (4) as a result, Sarah and he both
received supernatural life in their bodies; and (5) thus, the
promise was fulfilled, and God was glorified.
Those are the steps of the faith of our father Abraham—

the pathway of faith that is set before every one of us. It is
not some external ordinance but a lifetime walk of faith,
following in the footsteps of Abraham. We must do as
Abraham did. We have to accept God’s promise just the
way it is. We have to reckon that we are incapable of
producing what God has promised in our lives. We have
to focus on the promise and not on our own ability—or
inability. And then, we will receive the supernatural grace
and power of God released in our lives through our faith.
In this way, the promise of God will be fulfilled in our
lives.

I proclaim that I walk in faith, fulfilling the basic
requirement of belonging to God and being a child of
Abraham. I shall hold fast my confession without
wavering. Amen.

video)
NOVEMBER 25
FAITH/PRESENT–HOPE/FUTURE
In Hebrews 11, we find the definition of faith—the only

word explicitly defined in the Bible. “Now faith is the
substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not
seen” (Hebrews 11:1). Here, we see a relationship
between faith and hope. Faith is here and now; hope is for
the future. Faith is a material thing—something so real
that it is called a substance. It is in our hearts. On the
basis of faith, we can have a legitimate hope for the
future. But hope that is not based on legitimate faith is
just wishful thinking.
If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe
in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you
will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto…
salvation.(Romans 10:9–10)
In the New Testament, believe is a word of motion. It is

not a static thing or an intellectual position. It is
something in your heart that leads you to something new.
Faith is a verb of motion: by faith we believe unto
righteousness and salvation. You can have intellectual
faith and never be changed. You can embrace all the
doctrines of the Bible with your intellect but remain
completely the same. But when you have faith in your
heart, it leads to salvation.
Faith is in the present; hope is in the future. Biblical faith

is in the heart; hope is in the mind. Paul spoke about both
with an interesting picture: “But let us who are of the day
be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and
as a helmet the hope of salvation” (1 Thessalonians 5:8).
Two items of armor are mentioned in this verse. Faith is a
breastplate, which protects the heart, and hope is the
helmet, which protects the head. Faith is in the heart;
hope is in the mind.

I proclaim that I am putting on faith, the breastplate that
protects my heart, and hope, the helmet that protects my
mind. I shall hold fast my confession without wavering.
Amen.
Laying the Foundation, Vol. 1: Through Repentance to

Faith (audio, video)
WEEK 48:
Let us consider one another.
And let us consider one another in order to stir

up love and good works.
—Hebrews 10:24
NOVEMBER 26
BRINGING OUT THE BEST
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love

and good works, not forsaking the assembling of
ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but
exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see
the Day approaching.(Hebrews 10:24–25)
We will now look at the eighth “Let us” step in Hebrews,

found in the above passage. Some English translations
say, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another.” But
the order is reversed from the original Greek, which
reads, “Let us consider one another, how to stimulate to
love and good deeds.” This rendering brings out the
essence of this week’s resolution to consider others. We
should consider one another, always seeking to bring out
the best in each other.
Many people today are shut up in prisons of self-

centeredness. They are never truly happy; they never
enjoy true peace. In fact, the more you worry and seek to
please yourself, the more problems you have. One
scriptural way to be released from that prison is to stop
worrying about yourself all the time. Stop being
concerned about yourself and start considering your
fellow believers.
We are to follow Jesus’ example and live out Paul’s

exhortation:
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with
humility of mind let each of you regard one another as
more important than himself; do not merely look out for
your own personal interests, but also for the interests of
others.(Philippians 2:3–7 nasb)
The opposite of considering one another is looking out for

“your own personal interests.” Release comes through
being more concerned about others than you are about
yourself.
Thank You, Lord, that You help me to love others. I

proclaim that I am more concerned about others than I
am about myself. I shall consider others. Amen.

NOVEMBER 27
EMPTYING OURSELVES
In Philippians 2, Paul said that we need to follow Jesus’

example. I always say that our attitudes determine our
approaches, and our approaches determine the outcome.
Here is the attitude we need to cultivate: “Have this
attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, who,
although He existed in the form of God, did not regard
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied
Himself, taking the form of a bondservant” (Philippians
2:5–7 nasb). The Greek word translated “bondservant”
literally means “slave.” So, we see that Jesus, who was
Lord of all, emptied Himself and was willing to become a
bondservant, a slave. We must imitate His attitude.
Paul penned a beautiful, parallel passage in Galatians: For

you were called to freedom, brethren; only do not turn
your freedom into an opportunity for the flesh [do not
gratify your own fleshly, selfish desires], but through love
serve one another. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one
word, in the statement, “You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.”(Galatians 5:13–14 nasb) Looking outward at
others is the way in which we free ourselves from
indulging in our fleshly natures or yielding to selfishness.
We are to serve one another in love. I believe that the
Holy Spirit is emphasizing this loving, selfless attitude to
God’s people today. Many people talk about serving the
Lord but never serve their fellow believers. I do not know
how much you can really serve the Lord if you are not
willing to serve your fellow believers, because the Lord
comes to us in the members of His body. Our attitude
toward those members is really our attitude toward the
Lord Himself.

proclaim that I serve my fellow believers as a way of
serving the Lord. I shall consider others. Amen.

NOVEMBER 28
DETHRONING OURSELVES
In connection with our being willing to serve others, I

want to look at another passage from the apostle Paul—
something that he wrote to the Corinthian Christians. By
his background, Paul was a strict, observant, orthodox
Jew. He was a Pharisee, and he had the qualifications to
be a rabbi. His was the kind of righteousness that caused
him to separate himself from other people, whom he
regarded on a lower level or even despised.
But when he came to know Jesus, the most wonderful

change took place in his nature. Bear in mind that the
people of Corinth were basically the scum of the earth. In
this epistle, Paul said that some of them had been
homosexuals, some prostitutes, some drunkards, and
some revilers. They were just not the best kind of people.
Corinth was one of the major seaports of the ancient
world, and, like many seaports, the city was filled with
these sorts of people.
But let’s look at this astonishing statement of Paul: “For

we do not preach ourselves but Christ Jesus as Lord, and
ourselves as your bond-servants for Jesus’ sake” (2
Corinthians 4:5 nasb).
Here is this proud Pharisee saying, “We are your slaves

for the sake of Jesus”—even to the likes of the people of
Corinth!
Notice the three steps. First, dethrone self: “not…
ourselves.” Second, enthrone Christ: “Christ Jesus as
Lord.” Third, serve others: “[we are] your bond-servants
for Jesus’ sake.” Those three steps are so important. By
love, serve others. That’s the message: escape from self-
centeredness.

proclaim that I dethrone myself, enthrone Christ, and
serve others. I shall consider others. Amen.

NOVEMBER 29
AN ACQUIRED SKILL
Serving is a skill that we have to acquire. It is not

something that just happens, and it is certainly not ours
by nature. For example, a server in a restaurant is a
person who, in a sense, is called to serve. But a server
needs to be trained. I have a friend who used to be a
server, and he once explained to me all that is involved in
being a good server. Once I understood the training
process, I realized that it does not just happen; serving is a
skill we have to acquire. We have to study others to find
out what produces a positive response, not a negative one.
We are to study others to provoke them to love and good
deeds, not to the opposite. Serving requires practice,
training, and discipline.
Serving also requires the right environment. After saying,

“Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and
good deeds” (Hebrews 10:24 nasb), the writer of Hebrews
went on to say, “Not forsaking our own assembling
together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one
another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing
near” (verse 25 nasb). We must learn to serve in the right
environment, which is expressed in the words “our own
assembling together.” It means close, committed, regular
fellowship.
In the next verse, the writer presented the disastrous

alternative. Immediately after he warned us not to
forsake our own assembling together, he said, “For if we
go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of
the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but
a certain terrifying expectation of judgment” (verses 26–
27 nasb). The implication is that if we do not stay in the
right environment—if we are not in close, committed,
regular fellowship—we will go back to sinning. The only
safe way is to stay in fellowship, consider other people,
and learn to serve them joyfully.

proclaim that I am staying in fellowship, learning to serve,
and focusing on considering other people. I shall consider
others. Amen.

NOVEMBER 30
CONSIDERING JESUS FIRST
This eighth “Let us” passage says, in the original Greek,

“Let us consider one another.” (See Hebrews 10:24.) But I
would like to look back to Hebrews 3:1, where the same
word, “consider,” is used. It reads, “Consider the Apostle
and High Priest of our confession, Christ Jesus.” If we
consider Jesus, we will end up considering one another.
But it is important that we do it in that order. We consider
Jesus first; then, we consider one another. It makes a great
deal of difference whether I relate to you as just a person
or as a person in Christ.
My mind goes back to an incident that happened while I

was the principal of a college that trained teachers in East
Africa. For every vacancy that allowed us to accept one
student, there were at least ten suitable applicants. One
girl actually walked twenty-four miles barefoot just to get
an interview. You can hardly conceive the desperate
hunger people in Africa had for getting an education.
Education was the key to success in life, as they saw it.
One day, an elderly mother came to me on behalf of her

son, a prospective student. He was not exactly suitable for
the school, however, and we had not accepted him. His
mother was pestering me to the point that I was growing
annoyed with her. In Africa, they do not believe in
democracy; they believe in the chief, the strong man. He
is the one who matters. This woman kept telling me, “You
are the great one; what you say goes.” I got so irritated
that I was about to give her a piece of my mind—and it
was not my sanctified mind, either! That is when the Lord
spoke to me, very gently, saying, Remember, she’s one of
My children. Be careful how you treat her. I repented. She
really was a dear, precious woman, and a child of God. If
we consider Jesus first, it will make all the difference in
how we consider one another.

proclaim that I consider Jesus first, allowing this
perspective to affect how I consider others. I shall
consider others. Amen.

DECEMBER
DECEMBER 1
PROVOCATION—THE RIGHT KIND
The King James Version of Hebrews 10:24 reads, “And let

us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good
works.” This version uses the word provoke, a strong
word that typically has a negative connotation. I think it
was used deliberately in order to make us think. What do
we usually provoke from other people? Anger or jealousy.
But we are to provoke to “love and to good works.”
The Greek word translated “provoke” is the same word

from which the English word paroxysm is derived. Do you
know what a paroxysm is? It is an absolutely
uncontrollable outburst of emotion, such as anger, or
even laughter.
Although the word provoke often suggests something bad,

in this context, it is turned to the good, for we are to
provoke one another to love and good works. And let me
just point out that there are certain people whom you’ll
have to provoke if you want them to do the right thing.
Moreover, you will have to consider how to provoke them.
This is one of my weaknesses. I don’t like having to

consider people’s personalities. With a military
background and a rather logical mind, it is sufficient for
me just to tell the person to do something. But the Bible
tells us to consider how to tell them, because if you want
the right result from one person, you have to tell him in
quite a different way from the way in which you might tell
another person. Anybody who has children knows this is
true—you cannot treat them all the same. You can scold
one child and get the right result. But if you scold another
child, you might just discourage or defeat him.

proclaim that I consider how to provoke others to love
and good works. I shall consider others. Amen.

DECEMBER 2
RIGHT FELLOWSHIP
There is one seemingly negative consequence of having

fellowship with God and our fellow believers: we can no
longer have the same sort of fellowship with unbelievers.
Do not be bound together with unbelievers; for what

partnership have righteousness and lawlessness, or what
fellowship has light with darkness? Or what harmony has
Christ with Belial, or what has a believer in common with
an unbeliever? Or what agreement has the temple of God
with idols? For we are the temple of the living God.(2
Corinthians 6:14–16 nasb)
The separation from unbelievers that Paul was speaking

about is not primarily physical. We may find ourselves
side-by-side with unbelievers every day—in our homes, in
our workplaces, or in other activities of daily life. In such
situations, our Christian testimony requires us to be
friendly, courteous, and helpful. But we are not free to
share with unbelievers that which is morally or
spiritually impure or dishonoring to Christ. In this realm,
we must follow Paul’s exhortation in 2 Corinthians 6:17:
“Do not touch what is unclean.” If we are sensitive to the
Holy Spirit, He will always warn us of these defiling
contacts and show us how to protect ourselves from them.
However, the surest protection against wrong fellowship

is right fellowship. As God’s children, we are heirs to
innumerable joys and blessings of which the world knows
nothing. In fact, Paul told us that our Father God “has
blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly
places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3). As we regularly share
these blessings with the rest of God’s family, we are no
longer attracted by the tawdry, impure pleasures of a
world that is walking in darkness.

proclaim that I have moved out of fellowship with
darkness and into fellowship with God’s family, my
brothers and sisters in Christ. I shall consider others.
Amen.
“Your Walk with God” (New Wine article)

WEEK 49:
Let us run the race with endurance.
Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by

so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside
every weight, and the sin which so easily
ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the
race that is set before us.
—Hebrews 12:1
DECEMBER 3
SUCCESS IN THE RACE
The ninth “Let us” step from the book of Hebrews is found
in the first verse of chapter 12:
Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses

surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance,
and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us.(Hebrews
12:1 nasb)
In English translations, there are two “let us” phrases in

that one verse, which is a perfectly legitimate translation.
But it just so happens that, in the original Greek, the first
phrase, “let us…lay aside every encumbrance,” is not
found in that form. Instead, it is a participle that reads
like this: “Laying aside every encumbrance, let us run
with endurance the race.” The real “let us” phrase in the
above verse, on which we will need to focus, is “Let us run
with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Here and elsewhere in the New Testament, the Christian

life is compared to a race. This analogy implies a specific
course marked out before us in advance. Success in the
Christian life consists in completing the course in
accordance with the rules of the competition.
In light of the fact that we are confronted with this race

that is set before us, we need to see that there are four
requirements for successfully completing the race. Each
one of these requirements is found in the New Testament:
(1) the right mental attitude, (2) self-control, (3)
endurance, and (4) having our eyes fixed on Jesus. If we
will keep these requirements in mind, we can finish the
race and keep the faith.
Thank You, Lord, for helping me to “press on.” I proclaim

that I am maintaining the right mental attitude, practicing
self-control, exhibiting endurance, and keeping my eyes
on Jesus. By doing these things, I will finish the race and
keep the faith. I shall run the race with endurance. Amen.

DECEMBER 4
THE RIGHT MENTAL ATTITUDE
One essential requirement for running a successful race is

having a right mental attitude. This truth was exemplified
by the words of Paul as he spoke about his relationship to
Jesus Christ: “That I may know Him, and the power of His
resurrection and the fellowship of His sufferings, being
conformed to His death; in order that I may attain to the
resurrection from the dead” (Philippians 3:10–11 nasb).
Paul had a specific objective. He did not run aimlessly.

(See 1 Corinthians 9:26.) He had an aim before him. He
knew what the goal was, which determined his mental
attitude. He continued, “Not that I have already obtained
it, or have already become perfect [complete], but I press
on in order that I may lay hold of that for which also I was
laid hold of by Christ Jesus” (verse 12 nasb). Paul’s vision
was that Christ had laid hold of him for a purpose;
fulfilling that purpose meant that he would have to relate
to this purpose. He had to be determined that the purpose
of Christ would become his purpose.
Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it

yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and
reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward
the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ
Jesus.(verses 13–14 nasb)
The phrase “I press on” occurs twice, once in verse 12 and

once in verse 14. That is the mental attitude we need to
share with Paul: “I press on. I have a goal. I have not yet
arrived, but I know where I’m headed.” The last time Paul
used that phrase, he said, “I press on toward the goal for
the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.” There
is a reward for those who successfully complete the race.
Always keep the goal in mind, for we do not want to lose
our God-appointed reward.

that I am maintaining the proper mental attitude—
keeping the goal in mind. I shall run the race with
endurance. Amen.

DECEMBER 5
THE CONDITION OF SELF-CONTROL
Another condition for a successful race is self-control, and

this condition is illustrated by the words Paul used in 1
Corinthians 9:24–25 to compare living the Christian life to
competing in an athletic contest. This is an excellent
parallel, and one that is still vivid for us today, because we
are so often spectators of athletic contests in person and
on television. The same principle still applies.
Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but
only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you
may win.(1 Corinthians 9:24 nasb)
That is the objective. Then, Paul went on to state the

condition:
And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-

control in all things. They then do it to receive a
perishable wreath [the prize], but we an imperishable.
(verse 25 nasb)
If we are going to win the race, if we are going to win the

prize, we must meet the condition of self-control. This
truth is so obvious when we think in terms of athletics.
Every athlete who succeeds as an athlete today has to
exercise the most rigorous self-control. He has to go into
training—controlling what he eats, how much sleep he
gets, and the amount of exercise he has. He also has to
control his psychology, building up the right kind of
attitude. He cannot afford to give way to negative
thoughts. He has to go into the competition with a positive
attitude, believing he is going to achieve victory.
All this is equally true for us as Christians in our race. We

cannot win the race without self-control.

that I am exercising self-control in all things in order to
win the prize. I shall run the race with endurance. Amen.

DECEMBER 6
CULTIVATING ENDURANCE
This confession tells us that another condition for victory

in this race is stated in Hebrews 12:1: “endurance.” It is
one quality that is essential to our character, as Christians,
if we are going to achieve real spiritual success and
fulfillment. We must cultivate endurance.
What is the opposite of endurance? I think it is giving up,

or quitting. Christians cannot afford to be quitters. When
God commits us to something, we have to set our faces to
fulfill it and go through with it. There is a close
relationship between self-control and endurance. Without
self-control, we will not achieve endurance. We must
master our weaknesses; otherwise, every time we are
tested in the area of endurance, some weakness—whether
it is emotional, psychological, or physical—will get us
down, and we will give up at the very point where we
should have been holding on and enduring.
Yet another condition for a successful race is to have our

eyes fixed on Jesus. As is stated in Hebrews, “Fixing our
eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for
the joy set before Him endured the cross” (Hebrews 12:2
nasb).
We have to look continually to Jesus. In other words, we

cannot run the race in self-reliance. Looking to Jesus
means that He is our example, and we put our confidence
in Him. He is the author—the beginning of our faith. He is
the perfecter—the One who will bring us through to
victory.

that I do not give up, but fix my gaze on Jesus, the One
who brings me through to victory. I shall run the race
with endurance. Amen.

DECEMBER 7
A LONG, DELIBERATE RACE
Where it says in Hebrews 12:1 to “lay aside every weight,”

we must think in terms of this race. The runner empties
his pockets and wears the lightest, most flexible clothing
he can; he does not carry a single unnecessary ounce of
weight. Some things that aren’t exactly sins still act as
weights that can burden us and hold us back. They
exhaust our strength or lure us into spending too much
time and attention on them.
Remember, this is not a short sprint—it is a long,

deliberate race. The primary characteristic that is
required is endurance. Many people start off the Christian
life as if it were a dash. A little while later, they are
panting beside the track; they are finished, and they have
hardly begun the race. Ecclesiastes 9:11 wisely points out,
“The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong.”
The following is the testimony of a victor—the apostle

Paul: I have fought the good fight, I have finished the
course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up
for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not
only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.(2
Timothy 4:7–8 nasb) Paul knew that he had won the race.
He had finished the course, and he knew that the prize
was waiting for him. That is a glorious testimony. It can
be the testimony of you and me, too, if we will only meet
the conditions.
It isn’t speed or strength but endurance that counts.

that I “lay aside every weight” in preparation to finish a
long, deliberate race. I shall run the race with endurance.
Amen.

DECEMBER 8
THE PERSEVERING PROCESS
Let’s consider some simple principles that will help us to

cultivate endurance, reading first what Paul wrote in
Romans 5:1–2: “Therefore, having been justified by faith,
we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
through whom also we have access by faith into this grace
in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of
God.” We rejoice because of what the future holds for us.
Paul went on to say that we rejoice not only in the light of
the future, but also in what the present offers: “And not
only in that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing
that tribulation produces perseverance; and
perseverance, character; and character, hope” (verses 3–
4). Where verse 3 uses the word “glory,” the original
Greek word means “to rejoice, boast, or exult.” We should
exult in tribulation because of what tribulation does. The
New American Standard Bible says, “Tribulation brings
about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character;
and proven character, hope.” Perseverance produces
proven character in us. This is the heart of endurance—
character that has stood the test. As Paul wrote, “Now
hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has
been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was
given to us” (Romans 5:5).
Love is a matter of character. In essence, we are dealing

with the formation of our characters. We rejoice in
tribulation, for tribulation is the only thing that produces
perseverance. And perseverance produces proven
character. I know men with whom I have walked and
shared hardship, opposition, misrepresentation, and
misunderstanding. But today, for me, their character is
proven; I know I can trust them. In the midst of treachery
and lawlessness, I want to know whom I can trust.

that I rejoice in the tribulations that produce the
character and hope I need to finish the race. I shall run
the race with endurance. Amen.
Character That Stands the Test (Teaching Legacy Letter)

DECEMBER 9
UNTIL THE END
One of the consistent themes of Hebrews is the danger of

going back on your profession of faith in Christ. There are
five distinct passages in Hebrews that warn us of the
danger of going back. These are some of the most solemn
words in Scripture. Therefore, one of the key words that
Hebrews emphasizes is this word that we are looking at:
endurance.
And we desire that each one of you show the same

diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end, that
you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who
through faith and patience [endurance] inherit the
promises.(Hebrews 6:11–12)
Faith and endurance. Some people will tell you that faith
is all you need to claim God’s promise. But that is not true.
You need faith and endurance. It takes both. As the author
of Hebrews continued, “Therefore do not cast away your
confidence, which has great reward. For you have need of
endurance, so that after you have done the will of God,
you may receive the promise” (Hebrews 10:35–36).
The word confidence means that you have freedom of

speech. You can talk boldly about Jesus—about what He
has done for you and what He is will do for you. You have
done the will of God, but you have not yet received the
promises. What do you need? Endurance. You need to
hold out from the point where you did God’s will and
claimed the promise to the point where you actually
receive the promise. Some people do the will of God and
claim the promise, but they don’t hold out. Then, they say
that it didn’t work. But it will not work without
endurance. You need faith and endurance.

that I endure to the end by faith, holding out to do God’s
will and claiming the promises. I shall run the race with
endurance. Amen.
Character That Stands the Test (Teaching Legacy Letter)

WEEK 50:
Let us show gratitude.
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which

cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by
which we may offer to God an acceptable
service with reverence and awe.
—Hebrews 12:28 (nasb)

DECEMBER 10
GRACE AND THANKS
The tenth “Let us” step in the book of Hebrews is found

near the end of chapter 12:
Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be

shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to
God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for
our God is a consuming fire.(Hebrews 12:28–29 nasb)
Where the version above says “Let us show gratitude,” the

King James and New King James Versions say, “Let us
have grace”—and it is important that we understand the
connection between grace and thanks. The King James
translation is a literal translation of the words—the
phrase “to have grace” is commonly used in Greek to
express the giving of thanks. This brings out the
association between grace and thanks. This connection is
also found in various modern Romance languages. In
French, for instance, they say, “Grâce à Dieu,” which
means “Thanks to God”; in Italian, it is “grazie,” and in
Spanish, it is “gracias.” All are taken from the same word
for grace.
It is easy to see this connection between grace and thanks.

In light of this fact, I want to tell you that you cannot have
the grace of God in your life unless you practice giving
thanks. Grace and thanks go together. There is nothing
more ungracious than an unthankful person, whereas a
thankful person will always experience the grace of God.
God requires two things of us as His people. First of all, He

requires that we appreciate what He does for us. Second,
He requires that we express our appreciation. It is
important to understand our need to express appreciation
to God.
Thank You, Lord, for all You have done for me. I proclaim
that I appreciate what the Lord does for me, and I express
that appreciation freely. I shall show gratitude. Amen.

DECEMBER 11
STOPPING TO SAY “THANKS”
Some people are genuinely grateful to God but never take

the time to tell God that they are. How would we feel if
our children never thanked us for all that we’ve done for
them? How would we feel if they never said “thank you”
or showed their gratitude, if they just accepted everything
we did for them as if it were by right, merely taking it for
granted?
Unfortunately, that is how many of God’s children treat

Him—and it is not pleasing in His sight. We are required
to appreciate what God does for us and to take the time to
express our appreciation. One of my favorite verses is in
Proverbs: “In all your ways acknowledge Him [God], and
He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:6).
I have learned by experience that if I pause at every stage

in life to acknowledge God, I can be confident that He will
continue to direct my path. You might ask, “How can I
acknowledge God?” The simplest and best way is to thank
Him—say “Thank You” for all He has done and for His
faithfulness. You will get immediate assurance that He is
going to continue to be faithful. Just as He has helped and
guided you in the past, He will guide you in the future.
But the key to this assurance is acknowledging Him by
our thanksgiving.
When I was in East Africa, I discovered that in the

language of my adopted African daughter’s tribe, they had
no word or phrase that meant “thank you.” Can you
imagine not being able to say “thank you”? I then realized
that it is only where the Bible has come that people have
learned to say “thank you.” It is part of the grace of God.
that I will pause at every stage in life to acknowledge God
by thanking Him. I shall show gratitude. Amen.

DECEMBER 12
THE APPROPRIATE RESPONSE
We need to look at the background of this exhortation to

be thankful as we read it in the epistle to the Hebrews,
where we find the following rather solemn warning. The
writer made a parallel application from the Old
Testament, when God spoke to the people of Israel
through Moses:
See to it that you do not refuse Him who is speaking. For if

those did not escape when they refused him who warned
them on earth, much less shall we [believers in the New
Testament] escape who turn away from Him who warns
from heaven. And His voice shook the earth then, but now
He has promised, saying, “Yet once more I will shake not
only the earth, but also the heaven.” And this expression,
“Yet once more,” denotes the removing of those things
which can be shaken, as of created things, in order that
those things which cannot be shaken may remain.
(Hebrews 12:25–27 nasb)
Thankfulness is the appropriate response to the particular

privileges and benefits that we have in God. We are not
dependent on a shakable kingdom. We have an eternal
kingdom, an unshakable kingdom, the kingdom of God
Himself, the kingdom that is “righteousness and peace
and joy in the Holy Spirit” (Romans 14:17 nasb). In the
midst of all that is being shaken around us—all the
distress, uncertainty, perplexity, confusion, hatred,
division, war, and fear—we have an unshakable kingdom.
We have peace, security, and purpose. What is the
appropriate response? There is only one: it is
thankfulness. “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom
which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude” (Hebrews
12:28); let us express our thanks to God.
that since I “receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken,”
I will be thankful and show gratitude. I shall show
gratitude. Amen.

DECEMBER 13
THE RELEASE THANKSGIVING

BRINGS
Thankfulness, or gratitude, is the appropriate response to

what God has done—and is still doing—for us. It is
something that we owe to God, something we need to pay.
But the expression of our appreciation also does
something in our own spirits that nothing else can do.
I express it in this way: Thankfulness releases our spirits

for acceptable worship and service. That is why the writer
of Hebrews said, “Let us show gratitude, by which we may
offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and
awe” (Hebrews 12:28 nasb). Without gratitude, our
services to God will not be acceptable. It is that “attitude
of gratitude” that makes our services acceptable and
releases our spirits. An unthankful person is bound up in
himself. He is self-centered. He really cannot know true
liberation. But thankfulness releases our spirits.
In everything give thanks; for this [giving thanks] is God’s

will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit.(1
Thessalonians 5:18–19 nasb)
That is a clear commandment: if we do not give thanks,

we are being disobedient. We are also out of the will of
God. In addition, failing to give thanks quenches the
Spirit. The only release for the Spirit—to serve God
acceptably—is through thanksgiving.
Then, notice the warning that concludes Hebrews 12: “For

our God is a consuming fire” (verse 29). The writer was
telling us, “We have to approach this holy, awe-inspiring
God with the right attitude—with humble, thankful
hearts.”
that as I approach a holy, awe-inspiring God with a
humble, thankful heart, that attitude releases my spirit
for acceptable worship and service. I shall show
gratitude. Amen.

DECEMBER 14
THE NECESSITY OF GRATITUDE
Let’s take a look at the situation of the world in these last

days. We know that a shaking is coming. (See Hebrews
12:26–27.) Now, look at the disintegration of character,
morality, and standards. Paul said,
But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.
People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,
boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents,
ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous,
without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good,
treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather
than lovers of God—having a form of godliness but
denying its power. Have nothing to do with them.(2
Timothy 3:1–5 niv)
This is a terrible list of the moral defects and character

degeneration that are going to mark the close of this age. I
would predict that, if you go over that list again, you will
find that most of these character defects are already
conspicuous in our contemporary culture. And, right
there in the middle of the list, it says that people are
“disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, without
love.” Notice the association. The ungrateful are right next
door to the unholy. You cannot be holy and remain
ungrateful. Since our God is a consuming fire (see, for
example, Hebrews 12:29), He requires that we serve Him
with holiness, which is appropriate. We also have to serve
Him with gratitude. We must come to Him with
thankfulness.
Let us show gratitude so that we may serve Him

acceptably, with reverence and godly fear. (See verse 28.)
that since our God is a consuming fire, I serve Him with
holiness and gratitude. I shall show gratitude. Amen.

DECEMBER 15
GIVING THANKS TO GOD
To be thankful is a direct command of Scripture; if we are

not thankful, we are being disobedient. (See 1
Thessalonians 5:18.) Thankfulness, like most important
attitudes of the Christian life, originates in the will, not in
the emotions. We do not have to feel thankful in order to
be thankful. Those who have children train them to say
“thank you.” In Britain, children are expected to say
“thank you” even before they receive anything. It is
simply a matter of proper conduct.
God often deals with us in that way, requiring us to say

“thank you” before we actually receive something.
Oftentimes, if we wait to receive it first, we will not get it.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
you were called in one body; and be thankful. Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching
and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord. And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the
name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father
through Him.(Colossians 3:15–17)
This passage makes two demands of us: to do all things in

the name of the Lord Jesus, and to give thanks while doing
them. These instructions apply to every task, whether it’s
scrubbing the kitchen floor, cleaning the bathroom,
driving the car, or writing a letter.
That gives us a pretty good gauge of right and wrong. If

there is anything that we cannot honestly do in the name
of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks all the while, then we’d
better not do it. This method cuts away a whole list of do’s
and don’ts. It is a basic principle to guide our words and
actions.
that I will do all things in the name of the Lord Jesus,
giving thanks to God the Father while I am doing them. I
shall show gratitude. Amen.
Thankfulness (audio)
DECEMBER 16
FULFILLING GOD’S WILL
Thankfulness is a way of expressing the peace of Christ

that rules in our hearts, an expression of the Word of
Christ dwelling richly within us. Giving thanks is a
principle that should guide all that we do. (See Colossians
3:15–17.) Let’s look at three short but no less important
verses, starting with 1 Thessalonians 5:16–18: “Rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks;
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” There
are three simple instructions in those verses: rejoice
always, pray without ceasing, and in everything give
thanks. Concerning the giving thanks in everything, Paul
said, “This is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” When we
are not giving thanks, we are not fulfilling the will of God.
In other words, we are out of God’s will. How important it
is to understand that!
The second thing I want to say about thankfulness, or

thanksgiving, is that it is an essential expression of the
fullness of the Spirit. Paul wrote, “Do not quench the
Spirit” (verse 19). Here is what he said to the Ephesians:
“So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will
of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is
dissipation, but be filled with the [Holy] Spirit” (Ephesians
5:17–18 nasb).
Paul provided us with a negative, followed by a positive,

regarding the will of the Lord. If we do not understand
these truths about God’s will, then we are foolish. Each
exhortation is equally valid. It is wrong for a Christian to
get drunk with wine, but it is equally wrong for a
Christian not to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Sometimes,
as religious people, we focus so much on the negative—
not filling ourselves with wine so that we become drunk—
that we forget about the positive—being filled with the
Holy Spirit. We need to be filled with the Spirit.
that by giving thanks, I am fulfilling the will of God and
expressing the fullness of the Spirit. I shall show
gratitude. Amen.
WEEK 51:
Let us go forth to Him outside the camp.
Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the

camp, bearing His reproach.
—Hebrews 13:13
DECEMBER 17
BEARING HIS REPROACH
The eleventh “Let us” resolution of Hebrews is in chapter

13:
Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people

through His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Hence,
let us go out to Him outside the camp, bearing His
reproach. For here we do not have a lasting city, but we
are seeking the city which is to come.(Hebrews 13:12–14
nasb)
This passage deals with our attitude and relationship to

this present world. It is telling us that our home is not in
this world. We have no enduring place in this world. The
world rejected Jesus. It drove Him out of the city and
crucified Him outside the gate.
The Scripture always emphasizes the fact that Jesus’

crucifixion took place outside the city wall. Jesus was
rejected. He was put out of society; the world did not want
Him. And the way in which the world treated Jesus,
sooner or later, and in one way or another, is going to be
the way in which the world will treat you and me, as
believers. We must be willing to go out to Him—to the
place of crucifixion, rejection, and shame—bearing His
reproach. Elsewhere in Hebrews, it says that the reproach
of Christ amounts to greater riches than all the treasures
of Egypt. (See Hebrews 11:26.) So, His reproach becomes
our glory.
Then, the writer gave a beautiful reason: “For here we do

not have a lasting city.” Other people may think that this
world is permanent, but we know that it is not. “But we
are seeking the city which is to come.” I like this
translation because it says the city. There is one specific
city that is the destination and the home of all true
believers. It is where we really belong.
Thank You, Lord, that You are calling me to leave this

world behind. I proclaim that I am willing to go out to
Jesus “outside the city wall,” bearing His reproach. I shall
go forth to Him outside the camp. Amen.

DECEMBER 18
A CITY HE HAS PREPARED
In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, the writer listed a

kind of honor roll of many faithful saints of the Old
Testament. Then, he said,
All these died in faith, without receiving the promises, but

having seen them and having welcomed them from a
distance, and having confessed that they were strangers
and exiles on the earth. For those who say such things
make it clear that they are seeking a country of their own.
And indeed if they had been thinking of that country from
which they went out, they would have had opportunity to
return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a
heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called
their God; for He has prepared a city for them.(Hebrews
11:13–16 nasb)
These forerunners in the faith—men and women who are

our examples in so many ways—confessed that they were
strangers and exiles on this earth. They did not really
belong; they were seeking a country of their own.
There are multitudes of refugees in our world today who

are going through the agony of having no permanent
place of their own. The people in Hebrews, too, were
seeking a place of their own—but not in this world. If they
had wanted to, they could have gone back to the place
from which they came. Abraham, for instance, could have
returned to Ur of the Chaldeans. But he had his mind set
forward; he was not looking backward. They desired a
better country—that is, a heavenly one. Then, we read
that beautiful sentence, “Therefore God is not ashamed to
be called their God.” When we identify ourselves with
God—with His preparation of a city for us—then He is
proud to be our God. He has prepared a city—for them,
for us.

world behind. I proclaim that I am a stranger and an exile
on this earth, seeking the city that God has prepared for
me. I shall go forth to Him outside the camp. Amen.

DECEMBER 19
IDENTIFICATION WITH THE CROSS
Commitment to Jesus requires identification with His

cross and going out to the place where He was crucified.
This commitment rules out two things: pleasing self and
pleasing the world.
Brethren, join in following my example, and observe

those who walk according to the pattern you have in us.
For many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell
you even weeping, that they are enemies of the cross of
Christ, whose end is destruction, whose god is their
appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their
minds on earthly things.(Philippians 3:17–19 nasb)
Paul was speaking of people who merely profess to be

Christians, enemies of the cross who claim to be followers
of Christ. They indulge themselves and set their minds on
the things of this world. The principle of the cross—death
to self and to the things of the flesh—has not been applied
in their lives. Even in the church, many people profess
allegiance to Christ but reject His cross. Their end is
destruction.
By our identification with the cross of Jesus, we also rule

out pleasing this world. James wrote these stern words to
professing believers: “You adulterous people, don’t you
know that friendship with the world is hatred toward
God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world
becomes an enemy of God” (James 4:4 niv). James called
these people “adulterous.” Becoming part of the bride of
Christ, the church, requires a spiritual commitment—the
bride must be single-hearted, totally committed and
devoted to Jesus. If that devotion to Jesus is infiltrated by
the love of this world, then we are spiritual adulterers.
We are not being faithful to the Bridegroom, Jesus Christ.
To be a friend of the world is to commit spiritual adultery.

world behind. I proclaim that I apply this principle of the
cross—death to self and to the things of the flesh. I shall
go forth to Him outside the camp. Amen.

DECEMBER 20
THE MARK OF SEPARATION
In the gospel of John, Jesus issued this statement:
If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.

If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen
you out of the world. That is why the world hates you.
(John 15:18–19 niv)
When the world “loves us as its own,” that is a pretty sure

sign that we do not belong to Jesus. We need to give heed
to that warning. What, then, should our attitude be in
light of this? Paul expressed it well in Galatians 6:14: “But
may it never be that I should boast, except in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world has been
crucified to me, and I to the world” (nasb).
May we never boast or put confidence in anything but the

cross of the Lord. Not in education, religion, or
denomination—none of these things. We can safely boast
only in the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ, where Jesus won
a total, permanent, irreversible victory over all the forces
of evil. Through the cross, “the world has been crucified
to me, and I to the world.” The cross is the mark of
separation between the people of God and the world.
When we accept the principle of the cross in our lives, we
no longer belong to this world. Jesus gave us this beautiful
promise of victory: “I have told you these things, so that in
me you may have peace. In this world you will have
trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world” (John
16:33 niv).
We are going to have trouble—but Jesus has overcome the

world! Through Him, we, too, can overcome the world, if
we are willing to go forth to Him—outside the camp,
bearing His reproach.

world behind. I proclaim that I accept the cross as a mark
of separation between the people of God and the world—a
world to which I no longer belong. I shall go forth to Him
outside the camp. Amen.

DECEMBER 21
HIS BANISHMENT:
OUR ACCEPTANCE
In the sixteenth chapter of Leviticus, we read about the

Day of Atonement, specifically about the scapegoat. This
day involved two goats. One goat was a sin offering, and it
was killed. The other goat, which was called azazel, or
“scapegoat” (Leviticus 16:8), was led away into the
wilderness. It was led off into an uninhabited land to
wander there hopelessly and die of thirst. It never
returned.
Jesus was the scapegoat in the figure of the Day of

Atonement. He was banished from the presence of
Almighty God. Jesus is actually typified by both goats. As
the sin offering, He died on the cross. But as the
scapegoat, He was banished from the presence of God,
enduring our rejection for us. The opposite of banishment
is acceptance. That is stated in Ephesians 1:6: “He made us
accepted in the Beloved.”
We must all understand that we are accepted. Again, one

of the most common problems that people have in
modern America is the feeling of rejection. In any given
congregation, I can guarantee that there are several
people who are struggling with feelings of rejection. In
most cases, these feelings are due to their parents—
growing up, they may have never believed that their
parents really wanted them, and so they never learned to
feel accepted. They go through life feeling rejected,
unhappy, unable to integrate with other people, and
unable to show love, because they have never
experienced love.
I have learned by experience that one of the great keys to

helping such people is to impart to them the assurance
that they are accepted by God. It is also comforting to
know that He Himself knows the pain of rejection, for no
one else was as utterly rejected as He when He died on the
cross for our sins.

world behind. I proclaim that because Jesus was banished
from the presence of Almighty God, I am “accepted in the
beloved.” I shall go forth to Him outside the camp. Amen.

DECEMBER 22
ACCEPTING “THE ARM

OF THE LORD”
Isaiah 53 begins with a warning about the danger that this

prophetic message, given to Isaiah by God, will be met by
many with unbelief: “Who has believed our report? And
to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?” (Isaiah
53:1).
The Lord’s Servant, described in earlier verses (see Isaiah

52:13–15) and foretold in this prophecy, is described in the
above verse as “the arm of the Lord.” This phrase denotes
God’s power intervening on behalf of His people. It
indicated ahead of time that through Jesus Christ Himself,
God would intervene to bring salvation to His people. All
this was fulfilled in Jesus. He came to reveal God and to
bring His salvation and healing to everyone. Peter, an
eyewitness of the earthly ministry of Jesus, summed it up:
“God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and
with power, who went about doing good and healing all
who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him”
(Acts 10:38).
The gospel of John applies Isaiah’s prophecy directly to

Jesus:
But although He had done so many signs [miracles]

before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of
Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke:
“Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the
arm of the Lord been revealed?”(John 12:37–38)
We must hold fast to our belief in Him who fulfilled the

Old Testament prophecies. Even many of those who
witnessed firsthand the miracles of Jesus were
incredulous. Let us not demand signs and wonders, which
do not guarantee belief, but let us maintain faith in the
One who earned our salvation, the greatest miracle of all.

world behind. I proclaim that although many of Jesus’
own people rejected Him, I receive Him as “the arm of the
Lord” who brings salvation. I shall go forth to Him outside
the camp. Amen.
Three Messages for Israel (booklet)

DECEMBER 23
“NO FORM NOR COMELINESS”
Isaiah 53:2 gives a prophetic description of Jesus’ early

years on earth: “For He shall grow up before Him as a
tender plant, and as a root out of dry ground. He has no
form or comeliness; and when we see Him, there is no
beauty that we should desire Him.” From youth to
adulthood, Jesus grew up like a sturdy plant, upright and
God-fearing in all His ways. This fact is also described in
Luke 2:40: “And the Child grew and became strong in
spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon
Him.” At the same time, Jesus was “a root out of dry
ground.” He came forth as God’s messenger to Israel at a
period of prolonged spiritual poverty. Israel had not
received any prophetic revelation for nearly three
hundred years. This prophetic silence was broken only by
John the Baptist, then Jesus Himself, who both proclaimed
the coming of God’s kingdom.
Jesus had no special outward splendor that would reveal

His true identity to people. They saw in Him nothing more
than the son of Joseph the carpenter. (See Matthew 13:54–
55.) When Peter acknowledged Him as the Messiah and
Son of God, Jesus said that this revelation came not
through Peter’s natural senses; rather, it was given to him
by God the Father. (See Matthew 16:17.) The prophecy
continues, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of
sorrows [pains] and acquainted with grief [disease]. And
we hid, as it were, our faces from Him; He was despised,
and we did not esteem Him” (Isaiah 53:3). Jesus did not
seek the favor of the wealthy. Instead, He devoted Himself
tirelessly to helping the poor and the suffering. He faced
pain and disease, eventually taking upon Himself the pain
and disease of the whole human race. Hanging on the
cross in shame and agony, He became “like one from
whom men hide their face” (Isaiah 53:3 nasb).

world behind. I proclaim that although Jesus was despised
and rejected by men, I receive Him and esteem Him as
Messiah, the Son of God. I shall go forth to Him outside
the camp. Amen.
Three Messages for Israel (booklet)

WEEK 52:
Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise.
Therefore by Him let us continually offer the

sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our
lips, giving thanks to His name.
—Hebrews 13:15
DECEMBER 24
LIPS THAT GIVE THANKS
This is the twelfth and final “Let us” resolution from the
book of Hebrews: “Through Him [Jesus] then, let us
continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is,
the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name” (Hebrews
13:15 nasb). To me, this resolution is very appropriate and
beautiful because it is something we are instructed to
keep on doing. If we continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise to God, all year long, it will make all the difference
as to what the year holds for each of us.
This final step of offering up a sacrifice of praise to God

relates directly, and in a practical way, to the two previous
steps, which were, “Let us show gratitude” and “Let us go
forth to Him outside the gate.”
Gratitude naturally leads to praise. There are many

passages in the Bible in which thanksgiving is related to
praise. One of the most beautiful is Psalm 100:4: “Enter
into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with
praise.” The first step in gaining access to God is
thanksgiving; the second step is praise. Thanksgiving
leads to praise. It finds expression in praise, and it flows
out in praise.
The step just before this one, “Let us go forth to Him

outside the camp,” brings us release from the two
slaveries of pleasing self and pleasing the world. Again,
this step is directly related to offering the sacrifice of
praise. You might not see it at first, but there are two
hindrances to spontaneous, free-flowing praise in our
lives: love of self and love of the world. As long as our
affections are centered in ourselves or in the world, we
are not really free to praise God. The cross removes these
two hindrances and sets us free to praise God.
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that I

remove all hindrances and that I offer up praise to God
—“the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” I shall
continually offer up a sacrifice of praise. Amen.

DECEMBER 25
LIBERATED BY THE CROSS
The cross of Jesus removes the hindrances of pleasing

ourselves and pleasing the world. Then, when we are no
longer affected by what happens to ourselves, we cease to
be significantly affected by our moods, problems, or
apparent adversity. What goes on in the world around us
no longer affects us.
We may sit and listen to the news, and, afterwards, get up

thinking that the situation in the world is pretty bad—
there are crises, disasters, crime, immorality. But we need
to see that the world does not dominate us, that it does not
dominate our thinking. We are in the world but not of the
world. When we are released from slavery to the world—
when the world no longer controls our thinking and we
have been liberated by the cross in our inner attitude
toward the world—then there is nothing left to hinder our
praise.
We do not praise God just when things are going right in

the world or with ourselves. We praise God because He is
worthy to be praised. Our liberated spirits are not
entangled with self-love and the love of the world.
You can find out a lot about a person when you study how
much praising he does. Is he a slave to the old man, or has
he entered into the resurrected life of the new man? The
old man is a grumbler. When we hear a person
grumbling, we know that is the old man speaking. But the
new man is a praiser. Which are you? The old man says,
“I can’t take this any longer,” “Things are getting too bad,”
“Nobody treats me right,” “What’s wrong with the world?”
The new man says, “Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! I’m free.
I’m a child of God. Heaven is my home. God loves me.”
Which of these attitudes is yours?
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that I have

been liberated by the cross to give praise to God, for He is
worthy to be praised. I shall continually offer up a
sacrifice of praise. Amen.

DECEMBER 26
A COSTLY SACRIFICE
Let’s look at a verse from the book of Proverbs that points

to the importance of what we say with our mouths:
Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those
who love it will eat its fruit.(Proverbs 18:21)
Two things come from the use of the tongue: death and
life. If we grumble, or if we are negative or self-centered,
our tongues will bring forth death. But if we are liberated
from all of that negativity and are walking in the praise
and worship of God, our tongues will bring forth life.
Additionally, whatever fruit our tongues bring forth,
whether sweet or bitter, we are going to eat of it.
Let’s go back to our pattern verse for this week. I’d like to
bring out one more important point from it. The writer
said,
Through Him [Jesus] then, let us continually offer up a

sacrifice of praise to God.(Hebrews 13:15 nasb)
One very significant word in this verse is “sacrifice.”

Praise is a sacrifice. According to the principles of
Scripture, a sacrifice requires a death. In the Old
Testament sacrifices, nothing was ever offered to God that
had not passed through death. So, we see that the sacrifice
of praise requires a death—the death of the old man. The
old man cannot praise God as He deserves to be praised.
There has to be a death.
Again, we know that a sacrifice costs us something; thus,

praise is costly. Let me put it this way: we need to praise
God most when we least feel like it. Praise cannot depend
on our feelings. It is a sacrifice of our spirits.
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that praise

is a sacrifice, praise is costly, and, whether I feel like it or
not, I give God praise. I shall continually offer up a

DECEMBER 27
CONTAGIOUS PRAISE
Let’s look at the example of King David in Psalm 34. The

introduction to this psalm says, “A psalm of David when
he feigned madness before Abimelech [or Achish], who
drove him away and he departed” (nasb). At this time in
his life, David was a fugitive from his own country. King
Saul was trying to kill him, so David had to leave his
familiar surroundings.
He went to the court of a Gentile king for refuge, but the

king suspected him of being an enemy. In order to save
his own life, he had to feign madness. The historic book of
1 Samuel tells us that he scratched at the door and
slobbered on his beard. (See 1 Samuel 21:10–15.) That was
the situation. But what was David’s reaction?
I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall

continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make its boast
in the Lord; the humble shall hear it and rejoice. O
magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name
together.(Psalm 34:1–3 nasb)
Right there, in the midst of such a terrible situation, with

his life hanging in the balance and the shame of having to
feign madness, David praised the Lord. That is the
sacrifice of praise. When he was at his lowest, David
decided to go on boasting in the Lord. When there was
nothing else to boast about, he decided to boast in the
Lord.
Then, David went on, “O magnify the Lord with me, and
let us exalt His name together.” Praise is contagious. If we
learn to praise God in this way, others will join in. But
grumbling is contagious, too. If we grumble, we will
attract fellow grumblers. We must learn to offer the
sacrifice of praise to God continually.
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that

regardless of my circumstances, I give God the sacrifice of
praise, boasting in the Lord. I shall continually offer up a

DECEMBER 28
PRAISE IN THE DESERT
When I was serving in the British army during World War

II, I was stationed in the deserts of North Africa. One
negative aspect of desert living conditions is that they
tend to provoke murmuring and complaining. This
happened with Israel many times, and it often brought
God’s judgment and disfavor upon them. I got so weary of
the desert, the food, and the blaspheming British soldiers
that I began to complain. When I did this, I lost the sense
of God’s presence and blessing.
I decided to set aside a special day to fast and to ask God

why His presence seemed to have withdrawn from me. I
said, “God, why are You not near to me? Why do I have to
continue this monotonous, wearisome life in the desert?”
By evening, God had given me the answer. He spoke to me
very clearly, saying, “Why have you not thanked Me? Why
have you not praised Me?” As I meditated on what God
said, I realized that I had lost the sense of His presence
because I had become unthankful.
In due course, the Holy Spirit directed me to various

passages along this line, including 1 Thessalonians 5:16–
19: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything
give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
Do not quench the Spirit” (nasb). Again, the implication is
that if we do not rejoice always, pray without ceasing, and
give thanks in everything, we are quenching the Holy
Spirit! By murmuring and complaining instead of praising
and giving thanks, I had quenched the Holy Spirit in my
life.
God expects us to continually offer up a sacrifice of praise

from our lips—not just inwardly from our hearts. We
have to make our praise vocal by giving thanks to the
name of the Lord!
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that I do

not quench the Spirit but rejoice always, pray without
ceasing, and give thanks in everything. I shall continually
offer up a sacrifice of praise. Amen.
Pages from My Life’s Book: Discipled in the Desert (audio)

DECEMBER 29
THE MARK OF THANKFULNESS
As we have seen, thankfulness is a direct command of

Scripture and an indispensable mark of being filled with
the Holy Spirit. These facts lead to two practical
conclusions that apply to each of us personally: first, an
unthankful Christian is disobedient; second, an
unthankful Christian is not full of the Holy Spirit.
Thanksgiving is also a requirement for entering God’s

presence, as we read in Psalm 100:4–5: “Enter His gates
with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give
thanks to Him; bless His name. For the Lord is good; His
lovingkindness is everlasting, and His faithfulness to all
generations” (nasb). Two essential stages in our approach
to God are entering the gates with thanksgiving and
entering the courts with praise.
Again, the psalmist also gave three specific reasons that

we should thank God. First, “the Lord is good”; second,
“His lovingkindness is everlasting”; and, third, “His
faithfulness [is] to all generations.” Each of these is
permanent and unchanging. God is always good; His
lovingkindness is everlasting; His faithfulness is to all
generations. The primary reasons for giving thanks to
God never depend on our feelings or circumstances. We
may feel up one day, down the next; sometimes we are
encouraged, other times discouraged. But there is no
reason to change our attitude of thankfulness to God.
In order to approach God on the basis of these three
eternal facts, we need to change our focus. We need to
look away from things that irritate, discourage, or
provoke us, looking instead at the eternal things, which
we see through eyes of faith. When we come to God with
the right focus, we are in a position to hear from God and
to receive from Him.
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that I enter

Your gates with thanksgiving, and Your courts with praise,
because You are good, and Your lovingkindness is
everlasting. You are faithful. I shall continually offer up a
DECEMBER 30
PRAISE SILENCES THE DEVIL
Praise is a spiritual weapon that we can use to silence the

devil. There is perhaps no more important fact in the
Bible than this. From the point of view of practical
Christian living, God has given you a way to silence the
devil’s mouth. Psalm 8:2 says, “Out of the mouth of babes
and nursing infants You have ordained strength, because
of Your enemies, that You may silence the enemy and the
avenger.” The psalmist, addressing God, was speaking
about “enemies” in the plural and “the enemy and the
avenger” in the singular. “The enemy and the avenger” is
none other than the devil himself; “enemies” are the evil
spirits that are Satan’s instruments against us. Because of
Satan and his evil spirits, God has ordained strength that
we might silence the devil.
This verse was quoted by Jesus in the gospel of Matthew.

The quotation is a revelation of the full meaning of this
passage. In this scene, Jesus is in the temple, healing the
sick, and the children are running to and fro, crying,
“Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:15). This
upsets the religious leaders, so they say to Jesus, “Do You
hear what they are saying?” Jesus then gives us this
revelation: “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouth
of babes and nursing infants You have perfected praise’?”
(verse 16). Where the psalmist said, “You have ordained
strength,” Jesus said, “You have perfected praise.” So, we
get a simple, direct inference. The “ordained strength” of
God’s people in battle is “perfected praise.” God has made
it possible for us to silence the devil and all his evil spirits
by perfect praise.
As “babes and infants,” if we will but praise God perfectly,

out of our mouths will come forth a weapon that silences
the devil. And God will be glorified.
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that by my

“perfected praise,” I silence the devil and glorify God. I
shall continually offer up a sacrifice of praise. Amen.
Spiritual Conflict, Vol. 4: Strategy for Conquest:

Triumphant Praise (audio)
DECEMBER 31
INVOKING GOD’S BLESSING
The climax of the priestly blessing that Aaron and his

descendants were instructed to pronounce on the people
of Israel came with these words: “So they shall put My
name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them”
(Numbers 6:27).
Often, the most effective prayers we can offer on behalf of

others are prayers of praise and thanksgiving, invoking
the name of the Lord Jesus on them. When we put the
name of Jesus on those for whom we are praying, we
invoke God’s blessing on them. Few of us realize how
much we uplift people in their spirits when we simply
praise God for them. It is a major part of our ministry as
intercessors.
“Praying Hyde” was an outstanding missionary in the

Punjab in India in the last century, when India was still
under British rule. Hyde’s ministry was prayer;
everything else was secondary. Early on, he came across
an Indian evangelist whom he considered ineffective and
cold. As he began to pray about this man, he said, “Lord,
You know—” he was going to say, “—how cold Brother So-
and-so is.” But the Holy Spirit stopped him with Proverbs
30:10: “Do not slander a servant to his master” (niv).
So, Brother Hyde changed his approach. He began to

think of everything good in that man’s life and to thank
God for him. Within a few months, that man became
outstandingly successful as an evangelist. What changed
him? Not being accused in prayer, but being the object of
thanksgiving.
God has taught me that if I cannot thank Him for

somebody, I probably have no right to pray for that
person. I had better not pray at all because my prayer
may do more harm than good. As Numbers 6:27 says, “So
they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I
will bless them.”
Thank You, Lord. I give You praise. I proclaim that I do

not “slander a servant” but instead invoke God’s blessing
on him or her. I shall continually offer up a sacrifice of
praise. Amen.
Husbands and Fathers (book)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Derek Prince (1915–2003) was born in Bangalore, India,

into a British military family. He was educated as a
scholar of classical languages (Greek, Latin, Hebrew, and
Aramaic) at Eton College and Cambridge University in
England and later at Hebrew University, Israel. As a
student, he was a philosopher and self-proclaimed atheist.
He held a fellowship in ancient and modern philosophy at
King’s College, Cambridge.
While in the British Medical Corps during World War II,

Prince began to study the Bible as a philosophical work.
Converted through a powerful encounter with Jesus
Christ, he was baptized in the Holy Spirit a few days later.
This life-changing experience altered the whole course of
his life, which he thereafter devoted to studying and
teaching the Bible as the Word of God.
Discharged from the army in Jerusalem in 1945, he

married Lydia Christensen, founder of a children’s home
there. Upon their marriage, Derek immediately became
father to Lydia’s eight adopted daughters—six Jewish, one
Palestinian Arab, and one English. Together, the family
saw the rebirth of the state of Israel in 1948. In the late
1950s, the Princes adopted another daughter while Derek
was serving as principal of a college in Kenya.
In 1963, the Princes immigrated to the United States and

pastored a church in Seattle, Washington. Stirred by the
tragedy of John F. Kennedy’s assassination, Derek began
to teach Americans how to intercede for their nation. In
1973, he became one of the founders of Intercessors for
America. His book Shaping History through Prayer and
Fasting has awakened Christians around the world to
their responsibility to pray for their governments. Many
consider underground translations of this book as having
been instrumental in the fall of communist regimes in the
former USSR, East Germany, and Czechoslovakia.
Lydia Prince died in 1975, and Derek married Ruth Baker

(a single mother to three adopted children) in 1978. He
met his second wife, like the first, while he was serving
the Lord in Jerusalem. Ruth died in December 1998 in
Jerusalem, where the Princes had lived since 1981.
Until a few years before his own death in 2003 at the age
of eighty-eight, Derek Prince persisted in the ministry God
had called him to as he traveled the world, imparting
God’s revealed truth, praying for the sick and afflicted,
and sharing his prophetic insights into world events in the
light of Scripture. He wrote more than fifty books, which
have been translated into more than sixty languages and
distributed worldwide. He pioneered teaching on such
groundbreaking themes as generational curses, the
biblical significance of Israel, and demonology.
Derek Prince Ministries, with its international

headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina, continues to
distribute his teachings and trains missionaries, church
leaders, and congregations through its worldwide branch
offices. Derek’s radio program, Keys to Successful Living
(now known as Derek Prince Legacy Radio), began in 1979
and has been translated into more than a dozen
languages. Estimates are that Derek Prince’s clear,
nondenominational, nonsectarian teaching of the Bible
has reached more than half the globe.
Internationally recognized as a Bible scholar and spiritual

patriarch, Derek Prince established a teaching ministry
that spanned six continents and more than sixty years. In
2002, he said, “It is my desire—and I believe the Lord’s
desire—that this ministry continue the work, which God
began through me over sixty years ago, until Jesus
returns.”

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What is the book about?

What is the book about?

What makes this book unique compared to other devotionals?

What makes this book unique compared to other devotionals?

DECLARING

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

The believers overcame Satan by the blood of Jesus

—Derek Prince paraphrase of Revelation 12:11

As president of Derek Prince Ministries–USA, I am excited

I realize that is a sweeping statement—one that might

Like you, I enjoy a variety of devotionals written by great

One additional component makes this book powerfully

In a teaching on the release of authority when God’s Word

Derek Prince was a man of prayer and proclamation—and

Each day, you will have the chance to response to the

The section that follows the teaching summarizes what

Rather than assuming you would naturally pray and

Each entry ends with a repetition of the same

May Declaring God’s Word be a daily source of spiritual

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word

And they overcame him by the blood of the

KNOWING THE WORD

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

I believe the Lord showed me through an insight into

How do we overcome Satan by the blood of the Lamb and

It is very clear that if we are going to testify to what the

The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: The Sevenfold Power of

The Roman Pilgrimage, Vol. 1: Romans 1:1–1:17 (audio,

APPLYING THE BLOOD

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

In looking at this confession, we can see that we have to

The blood in the basin, however, did not protect any

The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: How to Appropriate the

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

In the Passover ceremony, the blood of lambs was

This truth is very important: the blood protects only the

Notice that obedience comes before sprinkling. The blood

The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: The Sevenfold Power of

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

Looking once again at the Passover ceremony for Israel,

Let’s look at 1 Corinthians, where Paul applied the

Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a

Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that as

The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: The Sevenfold Power of

RELYING ON THE LAMB

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

In 1 Corinthians 5:7, Paul connected the Passover of the

There is a very clear application of the Passover to the

Under the old covenant, hyssop was used, but what do we

Thank You, Lord, for the blood of Jesus. I proclaim that

The Fullness of the Cross, Vol. 4: The Sevenfold Power of

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

The most important day in the religious year of the Jewish

He [the high priest] shall take some of the blood of the

The blood alone could offer propitiation for the sins of

Extravagant Love (audio)

THE MEASURE OF HIS LOVE

I testify to Satan personally as to what the Word says

On the Day of Atonement, the blood of the sacrifices had