And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.”
L
UKE
22:19–20
And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony…
R
EVELATION
12:11
Today’s Scripture
But if the ministry of death, written and engraved on stones, was glorious, so that the children of Israel could not look steadily at the face of Moses because of the glory of his countenance, which glory was passing away, how will the ministry of the Spirit not be more glorious? For if the ministry of condemnation had glory, the ministry of righteousness exceeds much more in glory
.
2 C
ORINTHIANS
3:7–9
M
y friend, I didn’t write this book to tell you what is wrong about you and to point out where you have fallen short. On the contrary, I wrote this book to declare to you what is right about you (in spite of all your weaknesses) because of Jesus Christ. This book is about the good news of Jesus Christ. And here is the message of hope I want you to get deep on the inside of you: He did not come to condemn you. He came to take your condemnation upon Himself so that you will never be condemned by God.
Beloved, Jesus died on the cross for you. His blood was shed for your forgiveness. You are freed from the ministry of condemnation and death that today’s Scripture speaks of, because Jesus has already been condemned, judged, and punished for your sins. Because of His finished work, you are under the more glorious ministry of righteousness that brings life to all your circumstances. The cross of Jesus has forever freed you to live a life of liberty and perpetual acceptance before God, where you can boldly expect to see His goodness manifest in your life.
I want you to read the personal testimony of Tyson, a precious brother from Canada. This is his story:
Pastor Prince, I am reading
Destined To Reign
for the third time in my journey to get the truth of God’s grace deep into my spirit
.
The first time this book was introduced to me, I was $166,000 dollars in debt, my business was failing, and my middle child was in rebellion and doing drugs. Things were not going well. As I read the book for the first time, the Lord showed me the condemnation I’d been carrying over past mistakes and bad decisions I’d made. He showed me how the enemy was using that to accuse me every time I failed. Well, that was dealt with and I was wonderfully set free. What a liberating and refreshing feeling not to have that hang over me anymore
.
During my second reading of the book, God supernaturally moved through my circumstances and within seven months, I was completely debt-free. I cannot even begin to describe the feeling. It is truly amazing
.
Now, I am walking every day free from condemnation and guilt and enjoying my gift of righteousness. My prayer life has definitely changed to be more powerful and authoritative
.
Well, guess what has recently happened? My daughter experienced a 180-degree turnaround. She is now burning hot for the Lord, connected to a local church, reading the Bible, praying, and worshiping God again with her guitar. In fact, I had the pleasure of worshiping the Lord with her the other day and the Lord’s presence was very strong. All I can say is, “Wow!”
I have also been offered an amazing job that is supplying more than enough income so we are now in a position of being a blessing to others in need. I am fighting back the tears of gratitude as I am writing this praise report. What an amazing God we serve. The gospel is definitely good news!
Beloved, because you are a believer, Jesus Christ has already delivered you from the covenant of law that condemns and kills. You are no longer under Moses’ ministry of condemnation and death, but under Jesus’ ministry of righteousness that brings life and exceeds much more in glory. Because you have put your trust in Jesus Christ and His finished work, you are under this life-giving ministry that is of His Spirit. And you will, as Tyson did, see God’s abundant life flooding every dry and barren area of your life!
Today’s Thought
I am no longer under the ministry of condemnation and death, but under Jesus’ more glorious ministry of righteousness that brings me life through His Spirit!
Today’s Prayer
Father, I thank You that because of Jesus, I am no longer under the ministry of condemnation and death, but under the more glorious ministry of righteousness that brings me life. And because Jesus was condemned for my sins, You will never condemn me for my sins. Thank You for Your amazing grace in my life. Your grace gives me the power to overcome every sin, fear, addiction, and every feeling of guilt and condemnation. I believe that the more I sit under the new covenant ministry of righteousness, the more I will experience Your protection, provision, healing, and peace. Amen
.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus
.
R
OMANS
8:1
NASB
Today’s Scripture
“Awake, O sword, against My Shepherd, against the Man who is My Companion…Strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered…”
Z
ECHARIAH
13:7
I
n the book of Genesis, there are two trees in the Garden of Eden that you need to be familiar with. One is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and in tomorrow’s reading I will focus on why Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat from it. Today, I want you to consider the other tree, the tree of life, of which God wanted them to partake, because it is a picture of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Whoever partakes of this tree will have eternal life. This is why when Adam and Eve partook of the forbidden tree and sinned, they could no longer partake of the tree of life because the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). As a result, God had to drive them out of the garden and place cherubim and a “flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Gen. 3:24).
What is the significance of all of this, in particular, the flaming sword? There is a principle in Bible interpretation known as the “law of first mention” that tells us that every time a word is mentioned for the first time in the Bible, the meaning of the word in that instance has special significance for how we are to understand that word throughout the Bible. In this instance, it is the first time the word
sword
is mentioned in the Bible. In the context of this verse, we see the sword here as God’s judgment. It is a restless sword turning every way so that there is no way sinful man, having disobeyed God, can ever return to Him.
Now, read today’s Scripture, which has the last mention of the word “sword” in the Old Testament. The Shepherd mentioned in the verse refers to Jesus, our good Shepherd, and how all His disciples fled when He was struck on the cross. It shows us that the restless sword of judgment, which for so many generations had barred sinful men from a holy God, was finally sheathed in the bosom of our Lord Jesus. The full judgment and vengeance of God for all our sins came upon Him on the cross. Jesus was smitten on the cross for our sins.
By sacrificing Himself and absorbing the full brunt of the judgment that was meant for you and me, Jesus stopped the sword of judgment that prevents us from partaking of the tree of life. He sacrificed His own body to open the way to the tree of life. God will never condemn us because His only begotten Son has already been condemned on our behalf. The cross at Calvary has become the tree of life for us in the new covenant. We can freely partake of His righteousness and live each day without guilt, condemnation, and shame. Hallelujah!
What does this mean, my friend? This means that there is no more judgment for you when God looks at you. Jesus has redeemed you from the ministry of death. Enjoy what He has purchased for you today and partake of the finished work of Jesus, our tree of life. Today, you have a right to partake of every iota of the abundant life Jesus came to give you (John 10:10). Start receiving the abundance of His unmerited favor. Start receiving the free gift of His righteousness. Start receiving the cleansing power of His forgiveness. Allow His resurrection life to drive out every symptom of death and decay in your circumstances and enjoy divine wholeness at a whole new level!
Today’s Thought
The cross at Calvary has become the tree of life for me today. I can freely partake of Jesus’ righteousness and live each day without guilt, condemnation, and shame
.
Today’s Prayer
Father, thank You that Jesus stopped the sword of judgment and sacrificed His own body to open the way for me to partake of the tree of life. Thank You that I can freely partake of His righteousness and live each day without guilt, condemnation, and shame. I believe that You have nothing but life for me, and life more abundantly, and I receive Your unmerited favor, Your righteousness, and the cleansing power of Your forgiveness. Resurrection life is mine! All praise and glory to You! Amen
.
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
.
R
OMANS
8:34
And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 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
.
R
OMANS
8:10–11
The thief comes only in order to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have and enjoy life, and have it in abundance (to the full, till it overflows)
.
J
OHN
10:10
AMP
Today’s Scripture
“‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’”
M
ATTHEW
15:8–9
I
hope that from yesterday’s reading you gained an understanding of how Jesus’ finished work gives us free access to the tree of life—a picture of Jesus, His saving power, and His abundant and resurrection life today. In the Garden, however, there was also the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, from which Adam and Eve were forbidden to eat. Have you noticed that this tree was not just called the tree of the knowledge of
evil?
It was called the tree of the knowledge of
good and evil
. This is because the tree is a picture of God’s law or the Ten Commandments. The law is the knowledge of good and evil. God did not want man to partake of the law. He wanted man to partake of the tree of life, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who alone gives eternal life.
So what is wrong with knowing good and evil, or knowing the law? The danger is this: you can know the law inside out, and yet be miles and miles away from God. Under the law, what you will have is
rules and regulations
, not a
relationship
with God. But God is after a relationship with us, one that is completely dependent on His goodness and His goodness alone, on Jesus and Jesus alone. When man partakes of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he becomes dependent on his self-efforts to do good and keep away from evil. And when man is depending on his own efforts, he is bound to fail. However, when he partakes of the tree of life—he puts his faith in Jesus and His grace alone—he will enjoy intimacy with God and be empowered to reign in life.
I trust that this letter I received from Jerod in California will help you see the difference between living under legalism and having a relationship with God. Jerod shared:
Pastor Prince, I was a Christian for twenty years, served as an elder in church, participated in all kinds of ministry activities, and was taught a mixture of law and grace. I felt I could never seem to please God, and that led to much guilt, shame, frustration, anger, and even times when I wanted to take my own life
.
Then, within a year, I lost a fortune in stock options as well as my job, home, car, and everything I owned. I also lost my father to cancer and when my marriage failed, I was shunned in church
.
I could not find a loving God in the church, so I sought Him elsewhere. I was so desperate to find the “true” God, not the one my church had taught me—a God of anger, judgment, and capriciousness, who required me to lead a life that I was incapable of leading—that I didn’t care whether the source was the occult, other religions, or other spiritual exercises
.
The only thing I missed about church was worship, which prompted me to visit many churches. Then, in a church bookstore, I saw your book
, Destined To Reign.
After having suffered so much financial hardship for so long and having tried every book, scheme, and business opportunity out there, I hoped your book would show me how to get God to act on my behalf
.
Your book was a much-needed blessing because it revealed the real Jesus and His beautiful Father—My Father, who loved me even when I messed up and who forgives me for every mistake and sin. I finally understood what Jesus meant when He said, “Whom the Son sets free is free indeed.” No more guilt and shame. No more trying to please God by walking the tightrope of a sinless life. Jesus did it all so that I could walk in rest, not strive to win God’s love
.
I was amazed to find sin lose its power over me. It is just not that appealing anymore. The more I see Jesus, the less I want the other things. I’m counting on God’s grace each day that my children will now embrace this truth. I had taught them a mixture of law and grace for so long, and now I want to leave them with this incorruptible inheritance of grace alone
.