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When God ushered in the new covenant of grace, He sent His beloved Son Jesus and not a new set of commandments. So grace is a person, not a doctrine. And every blessing that we would ever need is inseparable from the person of Jesus!

Christianity is not a formula. God did not look down on us, see us in our sins and throw us an instruction manual. No. God so loved the world that He gave us a person His Son, Jesus Christ. The Lord being with you is all that you need because the Lord Himself is the one who blesses you with righteousness, holiness, success, victory, favour, provision, healing, wisdom and much more!

Jesus Is The I AM
1 Corinthians 1:30 30But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God and righteousness and sanctification and redemption Now, that is wonderful! Notice that God does not dispense wisdom apart from Jesus. He is our wisdom! We dont have a sanctification or holiness that is manufactured or flawed. Jesus is our holiness! His person is our redemption! God is not saying, I will give you healing, or I will provide you with health. He is saying, I AM your health! I AM your healing! Health, healing, provision and supply, are not just things or gifts that God gives you. God gives you Jesus. He is whatever you need. On Mount Moriah where God provided Abraham with a ram for sacrifice in place of Isaac, we see the first mention of the compound names of God Jehovah-Jireh. (Genesis 22:114) Jireh means to see and to provide, but what the Hebrew means literally is that the Lord, Jehovah, is Jireh! Just as you cannot separate forgiveness from the forgiver, you do not have prosperity apart from Jehovah. He is your provision, prosperity and supply! In Exodus 15:26, we find mention of the name Jehovah-Rapha at the place where God healed the bitter waters of Marah so that the children of Israel could drink. In English, that name is often translated to the Lord who heals you, but in the Hebrew, it literally means I am healing, I am health! God is not saying, I will give you healing, or I will provide you with health. He is saying, I AM your health! I AM your healing! First Samuel 15:29 says, And also the Strength of Israel will not lie nor relent The word strength here, natsach in Hebrew, means victory that abides perpetual victory. Notice that victory is a person God Himself. Even victory is the Lord! He is the Strength, success and victory of His people! Whatever your station in life, whatever career you are in, the Lord being with you is all that you need because the blessing is not in your company or situation. Your prosperity is not dependent on things that are subject to change. Its all dependent on the unchanging person of the Lord Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever!

So you see, theres something wrong when a believer only wants the gifts, but does not have a heart for the Giver.

Wisdom Has Two Hands, So Take Both!

Many people want wisdom. Many want to have riches and honour, and long life. But they dont see that wisdom is a person, and that it is being in the Lords presence that makes you wise. Neither do they realize that long life is inseparable from the One who is life. Jesus has been made unto us wisdom and He is seated at the right hand of the Father. (Hebrews 12:2) He is true wisdom. In the Bible, wisdom is said to have two hands. In the left hand are riches and honour, and in the right is length of days. (Proverbs 3:16) So in Christ Himself are both the right and left hands of wisdom riches and honour, and length of days! In Deuteronomy 30:19, God told the children of Israel, I set before you blessing and cursing, life and death and just in case some of us dont get it, He added, Deuteronomy 30:1920 19 therefore choose life, that both you and your descendents may live; 20 and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days The length of your days is a person! The Lord is your life and the length of your days. He is life, and in His presence is life.

Solomons Mistake
Solomon was probably about 20 years old when the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, Ask! What shall I give you? Solomon said, Lord, give me wisdom. And God replied, Lo, I have given you a wise and understanding heart like no other king before or after you. (1 Kings 3:12) Most people dont notice that God also said this: 1 Kings 3:1314 13And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honour14So if you walk in My ways as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days. Notice that long life length of days was conditional? God said, If you continue to walk in My ways, then I will lengthen your days. We know that Solomons wisdom did not stay intact and that he became very disillusioned in his later years. In contrast to the wise sayings recorded in Proverbs, in Ecclesiastes he wrote things like, For in much wisdom is much grief, and he who increases knowledge increases sorrow. (Ecclesiastes 1:18) And he died young probably around the age of 60. (1 Kings 11:4243) What happened? Conversely, that tells us that many of us experience death in many shapes and forms because we dont cultivate the Lords presence.

Solomon exchanged gods in his later years. He forgot that God was his true wisdom, success, and source. Without the Lord, the Giver, the gift became unfulfilling and corrupted. Solomon only had the left hand of wisdom. He never had the right hand, because the right hand of God is our Lord Jesus Christ and Solomon had given up the Lord. So you see, theres something wrong when a believer only wants the gifts, but does not have a heart for the Giver. Its not about thinking, Jesus is all I need, I dont need a career or money. Its about making Him your focus.

David Knew Who His Source Was

Now, David was a man after Gods own heart. (Acts 13:22) He valued the presence of the Lord. He was someone who talked to the Lord a lot. He cultivated the presence of God. He sang in the wilderness in front of the sheep, where nobody cared he existed! In 1 Samuel 16:111, when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of Jesses sons as king, Jesse forgot all about David. David was in the field, singing psalms of praise and worship. Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever. (Psalm 118:1) Your lovingkindness is better than life (Psalm 63:3) He played his harp with no one listening but God. That is not doctrine or religion. That is a relationship! When David met Goliath, even though he was still just a youth, he was not afraid because he was not conscious of the giant, but of God: 1 Samuel 17:4546 45Then David said to the Philistine, You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts 46This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. Years later, after David became king, when he committed adultery with Bathsheba, he sinned against her, her husband Uriah, and his people. But when God sent the prophet Nathan to confront him, David fell on his knees and said, Against You, You only, have I sinned (Psalm 51:4) He was conscious that the person who got hurt most was the Lord! Take not your presence from me, (Psalm 51:11) was the plea he made. God, please dont take Your presence from me. It is what has blessed me.

What The Lord Wants Is You

Today we dont have to be concerned in the same way as David, because we have no fear that the Lord will leave us. God loves us and He has promised that He will never leave nor forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5) But sometimes we take things for granted. We forget to cultivate His presence. Sometimes we forget to talk to Him until we come to church on Sunday, almost like, Hello, Lord!

When you love someone, you value his or her presence. You long for it. You will cultivate it and be conscious of it because to you, it is precious! Its one thing to know theoretically that the Lord never leaves nor forsakes you, but another thing to cultivate His presence and show Him that you believe it. The Lord is jealous for your presence. He loves you. He wants to have a personal relationship with you. Hes not a respecter of persons, but Hes a respecter of those who respect Him and value His presence. And God does not give in doses and portions He Himself is your healing, your provision, and your wisdom. So the more you honour His presence, the more you will see Him manifest in glory! When my daughter Jessica was just a baby, there were times when she had a fever and would be crying at night. I would lay hands a number of times, pray, rebuke all the formulas I know, but without result. But whenever I stopped seeking the healing and started seeking the Healer, things changed! Its when my focus was no longer on my child and when Jesus became bigger in my consciousness than her sickness, that the results came. Seek the Lords presence! He is Jehovah-Rapha, He Himself is healing, and His presence heals you!

The Lords Presence Is Your Success

Now lets look at the story of Joseph. In Genesis 39:2, the Bible says, The Lord was with Joseph, and he was a successful man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. Just in case you were wondering, Joseph was not in a high-level office somewhere, with a huge office and wearing a three-piece suit. Genesis 39:1 tells us, Now Joseph had been taken down to Egypt. And Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had taken him down there. We are looking at a slave boy! A young slave boy around 17 years old. Standing there in the slave market, naked for inspection, but the first thing the Bible says about him was that the Lord was with him, and he was a successful man. How was Joseph successful? Genesis 39:3 3And his master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord made all he did to prosper in his hand. Wow! Potiphar saw that the Lord was with Joseph. He saw that God made all Joseph did to prosper. The man was a heathen without an ounce of discernment in his bones, yet he saw this! Potiphar saw the manifest presence of the Lord in this slave boys life. God was not there just to be a spiritual hitchhiker! I believe that when Joseph planted tomatoes, his tomatoes were bigger than anyone elses. When he tamed horses (the Egyptians were famous for their horses), all the horses responded like he was the horse whisperer. This young slave had so much favour that he even caught the attention of his masters wife!

I believe that Joseph was conscious of the Lords presence because when Potiphars wife tried to seduce him, he rejected her saying, How can I do this and sin against God? (Genesis 39:79) No one was around to hear him say it except the woman. It was not for show. Joseph was saying, God is here! Josephs later experiences in Egypt also proved that he trusted the Lord for his provision, wisdom and success. He enjoyed such favour and success that he ended up as Pharaohs secondin-command! Do you want this kind of success? Then, dont forget the very first thing The Lord was with Joseph.

See Jesus Right Here, Right Now

The Bible says that the Lord is a very present help. (Psalm 46:1) When He arrived at Lazarus tomb, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Martha, Lazarus sister, said to Jesus, If You had been here when my brother was sick, he would not have died. And when Jesus told her, Your brother will rise again, she responded with, I know that he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day. (John 11:2024) She pushed Jesus to the past and to the future, not realising that His present presence was her answer! Jesus declared to her, I am the resurrection and the life! (John 11:25) God is always I AM. He is not I was or I will be. Notice that in the gospels, no one ever died or stayed dead in His presence? Conversely, that tells us that many of us experience death in many shapes and forms because we dont cultivate the Lords presence. We are not conscious that He is our very present help in time of need. So cultivate the Lords presence like you would cultivate a friends or your spouses presence. If you enjoy your friends or spouses presence, talk, converse, express your appreciation! Dont act like they are part of the furniture! Make eyes at your wife across the room, run back from the door before leaving to kiss her. Say hello to the lift or petrol kiosk attendant. Walking in a crowded place, say to Jesus, Wow, Lord, its a squeeze here today! Guys, you can say, Lord Jesus, now that is a pretty girl! After all, He created woman, and He is your holiness! And even if something upsets you, tell Him! Lord, I dont appreciate that about this person. Look out for the winds of heaven in little things, like when a child turns and smiles at you, or when you happen to get prime parking space. These things are not coincidence God is saying, Hey, Im with you. Whatever it is, just turn your eyes to Jesus. Worship Him. If you cant sing, just talk! The Bible says, Speak to yourself in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. (Colossians 3:16) Talk to the Lord. He, His presence, is your answer.

Find Rest In His Presence

Wherever the Lord is, and wherever His presence is, there is rest. A rest that is not subject to atmospheric forces or outward circumstances. Moses once said to God, If I have found grace in Your sight, show me now Your way that I may know You and find grace in Your sight. (Exodus 33:13) The Lord replied, Exodus 33:14 14 My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. The One who spoke to Moses came in the flesh, stood before the Jewish people of His day who were heavily burdened by laws and rules, and said, Matthew 11:28 28Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. The Amplified Bible says it this way I will cause you to rest. And in the Greek, it literally says, I will rest you. Come to Me, Jesus says. Not to a country, or a mountain, or a religion, but to Himself. Come to Me, and My presence will cause you to rest. In My presence is rest. I am rest. Wherever His presence manifests, there is rest. And the devil cannot operate where there is rest his territory is unrest, agitation and stress. We have blessings that are resilient, because they depend on Jesus who lives in us. Because our healing, longevity, prosperity and success are all based on someone who is unshakeable, allpowerful, all-knowing and best of all, all-loving, we have a security that is immovable! A peace unspeakable!

You dont have to wait for Christmas to walk in peace and joy. You can rejoice in spite of your circumstances because God wants you to take a throne attitude and rest while He takes care of everything else for you! Today, Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Fathers throne (Hebrews 8:1). And the Bible says that as Christ is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). This means that we are also seated at the Fathers right hand. Now, being seated is a picture of rest. In the Old Testament, the priests never sat down. There were no chairs in the tabernacle of Moses or in the temple of God because their work was never finished. But Jesus sat down because His work is finished (John 19:30, Hebrews 10:1113.) And

God said to me, Son, tell My people to have a throne attitude. So what does it mean to have a throne attitude?

Having A Throne Attitude

Psalm 110:12 1The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. 2The Lord shall send the rod of Your strength out of Zion. Rule in the midst of Your enemies! In Hebrew, the first Lord refers to Jehovah, or Yahweh, and the second Lord is Adonai. Therefore, the first verse actually reads, Yahweh said to my Adonai. After Jesus conquered sin and death, and rose from the dead, He returned to the Father. And the Father said, Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool. So Jesus throne attitude is to sit and expect His Father to bring all His defeated enemies under His feet. In biblical times, defeated enemies were brought back in chains and the victorious king would sit on his throne and put his feet upon the backs of his defeated enemies as a sign of victory. Likewise, Jesus conquered enemies are being dragged to Him one by one, and put under His feet. Ephesians 1:20, 2223 (NIV) 20 He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand 22And God placed all things under His feet and appointed Him to be head over everything for the church, 23which is His body We, the church, are the body of Christ, and who is the one who makes the enemies our footstool? It is not us, but God Himself! Gods Word is the truth and He keeps His Word. God is telling us to have the same throne attitude as Jesus to rest, while He makes our enemies our footstool. So with each passing day, we have all things, including the defeated enemies of disease, poverty, depression and all kinds of curses, being put under our feet.

Enter Gods Rest

Do you want to know Gods definition of His rest? Hebrews 3 describes how the children of Israel were not allowed to enter the promised land because they doubted Gods Word. However, instead of saying They shall not enter My promised land, God called the promised land My rest. Hebrews 3:11 11So I swore in My wrath, They shall not enter My rest. This means that what the physical land was to the children of Israel in the Old Testament is, for believers today, a land flowing with grace and rest Gods rest! That is your inheritance today. God wants to bring you out of lack and into the land of abundance! He wants to bring you out of sickness into robust health! And this promised land is the place of His rest.

Gods Word always tells us Fear not, fear not! But do you know that there is only one thing the Bible tells us to fear? Hebrews 4:1 1Therefore, since a promise remains of entering His rest, let us fear lest any of you seem to have come short of it. In Hebrews 4:1, God tells us to fear that we dont enter His rest. Now, many of us worry about many things and everything that God tells us not to be afraid of, we fear. But the one thing that God tells us to be afraid of, we arent!

Be Rest-Conscious, Not Giant-Conscious

There is another lesson that we can learn from this story. God told the children of Israel that He had come to bring them into a land flowing with milk and honey (Exodus 3:8). This means that the promised land was a place flowing with abundance and provision. It was also a sure promise; a statement of what God will definitely do. However, what was the posture of Gods people when they reached Kadesh Barnea, the border between the wilderness and the promised land? They sent twelve spies into the land for forty days and chose to believe the report of the ten spies who said that the Israelites could not take the land because it was inhabited by giants from the tribe of Anak (Numbers 13:33.) In Hebrew, the word Anak means chain or neck chain. A chain around the neck is a picture of a yoke which weighs you down. Although God had delivered the children of Israel from their taskmasters in Egypt and they were no longer slaves, they still had a slave mentality. Instead of focusing on Gods goodness and promise, the children of Israel focused on their giant problem the Anakim and they were weighed down with anxiety and fear. Today, some of us still have this slave mentality. We are so focused on our Anakim our problems and symptoms instead of Jesus finished work on the cross, that we cannot enter our promised land of rest. Now, I want to pose a question to you that God asked me, which I had to answer as well. Have you ever read the story of the twelve spies and asked yourself if you would side with Joshua and Caleb the two spies who said, Let us go immediately and take the land! or if you would agree with the ten spies? Well, the Holy Spirit says, Today, if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion, like your fathers in the wilderness (Hebrews 3:79). In other words, are your problems bigger than what God is saying about your situation? Before your body is healed, before the money is in your bank account, before every problem in your life is resolved, will you believe that God will deliver you according to His Word and still walk in rest? God wants you to have the revelation that whatever you need Him to do for you has already been done because Jesus has accomplished all for you. And God is asking, In spite of the giants,

would you go up and enter the promised land of My rest? Can you be rest-conscious, rather than giant-conscious?

When You Rest, He Works

What happens when you become rest-conscious? Lets look at this secret hidden in the story of how Jesus healed a man who had been suffering from an infirmity for 38 years. John 5:89 8Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed and walk. 9And immediately the man was made well, took up his bed, and walked. And that day was the Sabbath. I asked the Lord why He asked the man to take up his bed. Why not just ask him to rise and walk? And He showed me that the bed is a picture of rest. So what Jesus was actually saying to the man was, Rise, take up your rest and walk! Notice that the day was the Sabbath, the day of rest? Therefore, what God is saying is that when you rest, He works! Isnt this amazing? Yet, there was a group of people who were unhappy that the Lord had healed this man. John 5:1012, 16 10The Jews therefore said to him who was cured, It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. 11He answered them, He who made me well said to me, Take up your bed and walk. 12Then they asked him, Who is the Man who said to you, Take up your bed and walk?... 16For this reason the Jews persecuted Jesus, and sought to kill Him, because He had done these things on the Sabbath. The religious people were upset because it was the Sabbath. They saw healing as work. To them, healing the man on a day of rest meant that Jesus was working on the wrong day! Now, if you had known this man, wouldnt you ask him, Hey, what happened to you? How did you get cured? Instead, the people he met said, It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to carry your bed. Look, this man hadnt walked in 38 years! But the people around him were onl y concerned that he had carried his bed on the day of rest. This is how religious people are: they cannot see the blessings, only the problems. The last phrase had done these things on the Sabbath in the original Greek is in the imperfect tense. The imperfect tense generally represents continual or repeated action. This means that it was a habit for Jesus to heal on the Sabbath and He had repeatedly performed such miracles on the Sabbath on the day that man rests, God is able to work!

Your Healing Is In The Rest

Another example is the healing of a woman who was bowed down for eighteen years. When Jesus healed her in the synagogue, the ruler of the synagogue, the womans pastor, said, There

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are six days on which men ought to work; therefore come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day (Luke 13:14). What was Jesus response? Luke 13:1516 15The Lord then answered him and said, Hypocrite! Does not each one of you on the Sabbath loose his ox or donkey from the stall, and lead it away to water it? 16So ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound think of it for 18 years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath? Jesus said that her healing came just by being a daughter, a child of God. But some Christians still think that healing is mans work, not Gods work. They go around thinking, Im not doing enough, thats why Im not healed. They cannot believe that healing can be as simple as being at rest in Gods finished work, saying and believing, Lord Jesus, as You are free from every disease and sickness, so am I in this world. Did you know that even the words healed and relaxed are linked in Hebrew? One of the Hebrew names of God is Jehovah-Rapha which means I, the Lord, am your healing (Exodus 15:26). The Hebrew word rapha not only means to heal, but one of its root definitions also means the relaxed. So healing comes by being at rest, not by working. Jesus death has given us life and wholeness.

Seek Rest First That It May Be Well

God does not say, Wait until all your enemies have been destroyed, until every problem in your life has been resolved, then you can rest. He says, Rest first until I make all your enemies your footstool. What do you see when it comes to healing for a condition in your sick body or breakthrough for your financial challenges? Do you see lack and say, Let me get out of this situation first. Let me hear the doctors reports say that everything is clear, and then I can rest? We find it hard to rest because our human nature is inclined towards worry and restlessness. The devil loves to see human nature reign in the church and to have you believe that you can only rest when things go well or when you see your breakthrough. Stop saying, When my child finishes primary school, I will stop worrying and rest. You know what? After primary school, there is secondary school. Then, after your child completes secondary school, you will say, I think when my child finishes university, then I will rest. And you will never rest! I want to share about two women who faced a financial situation during a time of famine. Now, Naomi was a woman of God and this is what she said to her daughter-in-law Ruth. Ruth 3:1 (KJV) 1 My daughter, shall I not seek rest for thee, that it may be well with thee?

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In other words, Naomi told Ruth, Shall I not seek rest for you, so that things will go well for you? Isnt it strange that Naomi mentioned rest first? Isnt human nature more inclined to say, Shall I not seek for things to go well with you, so that you can rest? But God wants His nature to reign and He loves you so much that He says, You are already seated on the throne. You rest first. Sit down until I put the conquered enemies that financial situation, that symptom in your body under your feet. God wants you to find rest in the midst of the storm. And when you rest in Him, things will go well. This doesnt mean that there are no enemies. But you will rule in the midst of your enemies! (Psalm 110:2) Psalm 23:5 says that God prepares a table for you in the presence, not the absence, of your enemies. Some of you may say, Lord, how can you expect me to eat now? The symptoms are still in my body! My bank account still shows the lack! Lord, I will eat well and I will celebrate when all my problems are resolved. But the Bible says God doesnt follow human nature. God says, I will prepare a table. You eat first! You eat in the presence of your enemies, and I will take care of your enemies for you.

Dont Postpone Your Rest

Isaiah 53 describes Jesus suffering and what He accomplished for us on the cross. It says that He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities, and by His stripes, we are healed! The reason we can rest and rejoice in the midst of our enemies is because Jesus defeated them when He took our place and bore our sins on the cross. He has done it all and the work is finished (Hebrews 10:1214.) We only need to take up a throne attitude and rest in Him. So, as we are resting in His finished work, what should our response be? How do we partake of all that Jesus has done? Right after Isaiah 53, the scripture says: Isaiah 54:13 1Sing, O barren, you who have not borne! Break forth into singing, and cry aloud, you who have not laboured with child! For more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married woman 2Enlarge the place of your tent, and let them stretch out the curtains of your dwellings; do not spare; lengthen your cords 3For you shall expand to the right and to the left, and your descendants will inherit the nations Jesus has defeated the enemies and God is telling the barren woman to rejoice! The barren woman is a picture of someone who has not seen results, signs of health in her body or signs of abundance in her situation. Being barren is a picture of the curse. The Word says that God never meant for us to be barren. God blessed man and told him to be fruitful (Genesis 9:7). So in Isaiah 54, God is saying, Sing now, and prepare for your blessing!

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Enlarge your tent and prepare for growth! Do not spare; expand your territory and your descendants will inherit the nations. Imagine you are a barren woman singing, Hallelujah! Im a mother of many! The Lord loves me! The devil will come and say to you, A mother of many? Where is your child? Arent you a hypocrite? But dont stop rejoicing. God wants you to enjoy life before the problem is resolved. Start singing even before you see the manifestation. Stop postponing your joy and peace. Stop waiting for Christmas to celebrate. Make every day a celebration of life, and learn to rest in the midst of your problems. It should be a daily response to go to Jesus for our rest. Jesus Himself tells us to come to Him and He will give us rest. Matthew 11:28 28Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Whenever you are heavy laden with worries or cares, weighed down by the yoke of the Law or religion, or in the midst of any enemy that is weighing you down, go to Jesus and you will find your rest in Him. Rejoice, sit down, and prop your feet up, because God has promised that He will take care of your enemies and make them your footstool!
God faithfully supplies His grace to every area of our life. His grace is flowing fre ely until we choke the flow by allowing the devil to get us worried and troubled!

On the night that our Lord Jesus was betrayed, on the night that He entered into His passion and suffered for us, He said to His disciples: John 14:27 Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. Jesus last will, and the greatest gift, that He wanted to leave behind for His disciples before His crucifixion was the gift of peace. Our Lord is called the King of Salem (Hebrews 7:2). Salem means peace. He is also called the Prince of Peace. When He was on earth, He walked in such peace that He was always in control. They tried to stone Him once, but He just walked through the midst of them unharmed (John 8:59). No one could touch Him. He had perfect and absolute peace. The devil ruffled up a storm in the Sea of Galilee, but Jesus just continued sleeping in the boat. The devils attack did not wake Him, only the cry of His disciples did (Mark 4:3541). Even in His death, He was in control. No one took His life from Him. He laid down His life (John 10:17 18). He made the choice in the garden to lay down His life for us.

The Shalom (Peace) Of God

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Jesus was and is always in perfect control. And one of the reasons He was so powerful was that He walked in the shalom (peace) of God. The word peace in John 14:27 is the word shalom in Hebrew. It means wellness, wholeness, completeness, as well as peace of heart and mind. So having shalom means having every part of you spirit, soul and body well. So what did Jesus mean when He said, Shalom I leave with you. Not the worlds shalom, but My shalom? This is what He meant: The shalom you saw Me living in; the shalom you saw Me sleep in, in that boat; the shalom you saw Me walk in, in the midst of the people who wanted to stone Me; the shalom that renders the devil powerless to touch Me; this shalom, My shalom, I give to you. This is the peace that Jesus has bequeathed to us. It is not a worldly peace that comes through soothing music, meditation, or deep breathing. It is more robust than that! It is not dependent on circumstances and it works in the midst of the storms of life.

Guard Your Heart Above All Else

But Pastor Prince, if Jesus has given me this peace, why am I still so troubled and worried about many things? It is because you have allowed your heart to be troubled. Notice that immediately after Jesus said, Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, He said, Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. You have to let not your heart be troubled or afraid. The Lord cannot let not for you. Your wife cannot let not for you. I cannot let not for you. You have to let not yourself! Many people are guarding their finances, careers, children, health and so on. But the Lord does not want us to guard these things. Instead, He wants us to guard our hearts: Proverbs 4:23, NIV Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life. We are to guard our hearts above all else. If we will guard that which is inside (He cannot guard that for us), God will guard all the other things on the outside. If we will let not our hearts be troubled or afraid, righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit will start flowing in our hearts. That is actually seeking first the kingdom of God, and all those things on the outside that we need will be added to us! (Matthew 6:33) This should bring us relief. We dont have to worry about so many things. We just have to guard our hearts. People make foolish decisions when their hearts are troubled. They do things that they would otherwise not do. So guard your heart. The Lord said to me once that if we will guard our hearts from being troubled or afraid, then if it is a miracle we need, a miracle we will get! The way you guard your heart from being troubled and afraid is to quote John 14:27. Whenever trouble comes to your heart or you feel fearful, say, Let not my heart be troubled, neither let it

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be afraid. And you will release the power for the fulfilment of the verse. The peace of God will start flowing in your heart.

His Grace At Its Best

We all have our areas of weaknesses and strengths. What troubles me may not trouble you and vice versa. The devil knows which buttons to push for each one of us. For example, while I may at times worry about my daughter because I love her so much, I am just not worried about my finances. Even when I was a student and my family was not well off, I was not worried about money. God gave me a grace ever since I was born-again to not worry about money. The devil cannot get you in the areas of your life that you are not concerned about. In fact, the Lord said to me recently, Son, have you noticed that the devil cannot get you in the areas of your life that you are not concerned about? The areas that you are not troubled about are the areas where you see My grace at its best, My blessings at their richest. When He said that, I began to realize that there were other areas besides finances that I was not troubled about and where Gods grace flowed freely. Some people think that their problems are too small for God to handle. I am too embarrassed to tell God what troubles me. It is just a pimple that has been there for a few weeks. Listen, if it causes your heart to be troubled, it is not a small thing! God wants you to cast it on Him. He does not want your heart troubled by anything, either big or small. And if you will cast it on Him and let not your heart be troubled, His grace will flow freely in that area of your life.

The Spirit Teaches Us On The Wavelength Of Peace

Another thing I want you to notice is that just before Jesus talks about giving His disciples His peace, He talks about the Holy Spirits guidance: John 14:2627 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you. Peace I leave with you Jesus is telling us that the Holy Spirit teaches us all things on the wavelength of peace. In other words, if you guard your heart from being troubled by a problem, if you refuse to worry about it and just abide in His peace, the Holy Spirit will teach you all things. He will show you the way out of the situation!

My Experience With Stomach Pain

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A number of years ago, I experienced some pain in my stomach, and finally went to see a specialist. Convinced that I needed to have a scope, he told me, You never know, these symptoms that you have, you may think that they are nothing, but I looked at him and, you know, faith comes by hearing, but fear also comes by hearing! After the consultation, I told myself, Nah, forget about what he said. I am a man of faith! But his words kept coming back to me. And as long as the symptoms were there and I had not had the scope done, I continued to be concerned about my symptoms. So I finally went for the scope. Why not just settle it once and for all? I told myself. As it turned out, there was nothing wrong with my stomach. The pains were just lying symptoms! But do you know what happened during those months? I watched what I ate very carefully. I was fearful for my health for the first time, so much so that I began to eat organic food and drink carrot juice every day! I told my wife, Wendy, that I had to have brown rice no white rice for me. Even when we ate out, I would bring along my brown rice! I was that radical. I also began to read Christian books on dieting. And I ran for about 45 minutes almost every day until I was so skinny! Yet, with all that organic food, carrot juice and regular exercise, I went to see the doctor more often during those months than all the years when I did not exercise or eat so well! And they were for other reasons, not my stomach.

The Devils Modus Operandi

Now, when I look back, I can see how what the Lord said is so true. When I began to worry about a particular area of my life, problems started popping up in that very area. As I was meditating on all this, the Lord began to show me the modus operandi of the devil, the way he operates. First, he comes to you and he sees an area of your life that he wants to attack. But he knows that he has no power to harm you Jesus stripped him of all his power (Colossians 2:15). So the only thing he can do is to get you to worry. Do you remember what 1 Peter 5:8 says? Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. What is the preceding verse? casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. (1 Peter 5:7) The devil cannot manage a peaceful Christian! In other words, whenever you are full of cares and are not casting your cares on the Lord, you become devour-able to the devil. But the opposite is also true: The devil cannot manage a peaceful Christian! No, he has to get you ruffled, troubled, worried and fearful first before he can touch you.

Worrying Hinders The Flow Of Grace

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Here is an illustration that the Lord gave me to help you understand what I am saying. Imagine that there are many pipes coming down from heaven. These are flexible pipes and they are all ministering Gods manifold grace into every area of your life. There is a grace for healing flowing into your life, a grace for prosperity, a grace for your marriage and so on. Once you are a believer, you are righteous by faith and you have access by faith into this grace in which we stand. (Romans 5:2) When it comes to the benefits and blessings of God, all of us, whether we are pastors or ushers, enjoy the same inheritance. We are all on equal footing on the ground of grace. When Jesus died on the cross, there was an earthquake and Gods heart burst open, and streams of His love, grace, mercy and blessings just flowed out. And since God is eternal, these streams are eternal. They have been flowing ever since Jesus died. They are flowing all the time. But what happens is that when we worry, it is as if we are grabbing hold of those flexible pipes, and hindering the flow of Gods grace into those areas of our lives. The more we worry, the tighter we grip the pipe and the more it becomes choked. Is His grace still being supplied from heaven? Yes, but the pipe is clogged with our worries and cares. Conversely, in the areas that we are not worried about, His grace flows freely, producing thirtyfold, sixtyfold and finally hundredfold results. So when you are ruffled, troubled, worried and fearful about a particular area of your life, say your finances, you are giving the devil access into that area. The devil has no power to just stop the grace that is flowing into your finances. He cannot touch that pipe. God will not allow it. The only one who can touch it is you.

Lying Symptoms To Get You Troubled

Since the devil knows that he has no power over you, what he will do is give you lying symptoms to make you worry. Take your health, for example. The devil cannot just put a disease on you. He has no right to do that to a child of God because Jesus has borne your sins on the cross. He has taken your punishment and borne your diseases and pains. By His stripes you were healed (Isaiah 53:45). You also cannot be cursed with any curse because Christ has redeemed you from the curse of the Law (Galatians 3:13). All the devil can do is give you lying symptoms and hope that you will be troubled. Once you are troubled and worried about those symptoms, and start thinking about them all the time, you begin to hinder the flow of Gods grace into your health. Again, God is still supplying the grace. He is faithful. It is your worrying that is clogging up the pipe.

Bring It To The Lord In Prayer

So refuse to worry. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. When there is something you are concerned about, bring it to the Lord in prayer:

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Philippians 4:67 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Dont be anxious. There is no use praying worried prayers. Just tell the Lord about the problem and cast your cares on Him, knowing that He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7). Let it go. Then thank the Lord that He has heard you and is doing something about the problem. If you do this and refuse to be troubled, the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. Remember: The devil cannot handle a peaceful Christian.

The Father Wants Us Carefree

When my daughter, Jessica, started Primary 1, she would miss her mother and call home during recess. One day, she could not get through to her mother and became very anxious. It was a traumatic experience for her. When she came home that day, I spoke to her about what had happened. I was very concerned about her. It hurt me to see her so troubled. She kept saying, I dont want to go to school. It is like a nightmare. I want to be with Mama. I tried to reason with her, but it was like she was just not listening to me. I finally left her with her mother and went to my room. I was frustrated that my daughter was worrying at such a young age. I was even feeling a little angry towards her. So I sat down and told the Lord, Lord, I dont want her to be troubled. She is so young. And I just feel bad about being angry with her. I am confused, Lord. The Lord said to me, Son, why are you so concerned about her? I said, Well, I just dont want her to worry. Is that the real reason? Yes. There was silence for a while. Then, He asked, What is the reason you dont want her to worry? I thought about it for a while and then like a flash I saw the real reason: I love my Jessica so much that I want her to be carefree! I want her to enjoy life. I dont want her, at such a young age, to be thinking, What if tomorrow I call and Mama is not there? What if What if I dont want her to worry because I love her so much. It gives me a big thrill to hear her break out in a belly laugh when she is watching her favourite TV program, or when Wendy and I are kissing her belly on the bed. It makes us happy to hear

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her laugh. But it makes us sad to see her cry or even worry at that tender age. So it is not that I dont want her to worry because I just dont want her to worry, or because I am a pastor. I dont want her to worry because I love her very much and I want her to be happy. When I realized that, the Lord said, Son, now you know how I feel towards you. I am not telling you not to worry for the sake of not worrying. I am telling you not to worry because I love you so much and I want to see you happy. I want you to enjoy life and, most of all, enjoy My love in your life. Your Father wants you living life carefree, enjoying His love and knowing that He watches over you. Beloved, I hope that you will not forget what the Lord said to me. Your Father wants you living life carefree, enjoying His love and knowing that He watches over you. He really loves you. And perfect love knowing this perfect love will cast out every fear in your life (1 John 4:18). Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to your stature? (Matthew 6:27) So let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid, and the grace of God will flow freely in your life, causing you to see His blessings at their richest! This article is excerpted from the message, Grace Flows In Worry-Free Areas Of Your Life, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on 17 February 2006.