God's grace 'super-abounds' in you!

Romans 5:20b (NKJV) says, ‘where sin abounds, grace much more abounds’. The word ‘abounds’ in the first part here (i.e. ‘where sin abounds’) is ‘pleonazo’ in Greek. It means ‘increase, become more’, whereas the words ‘much more abounds’ in the second part of Romans 5:20b is ‘huper perisseuo’ in Greek. It means ‘super-abound, abound much more, or exceeding’. The word ‘huper’ actually means ‘super’ or ‘over and above’ in Greek. In NIV, Romans 5:20b says ‘where sin increased, grace increased all the more’. So, in conclusion, we can say that God’s grace ‘super-abounds’, or ‘exceedingly much more’ over the increase in sin!

People of God, don’t be discouraged when you see ‘increase’ in sin, problems, or diseases in the world today. The Word of God says God’s grace ‘super-abounds’ over such ‘increase’! It means if the devil tries to attack your health or your family (or in any other area of life), know that God’s grace for you always ‘super-abounds’! In fact, God’s will for your life is you should prosper (in every way) and be in perfect health, just as your soul prospers (3 John 2). This is God’s ‘original’ for you! The devil is the one who does the ‘opposite’ (‘anti’ & ‘counter-act’). He is the ‘counterfeit’. He opposes God’s plan for your life, and tries to ‘pull you down’ whenever you are ‘taking-off’. Not just that, ‘he wants your plane to crash as well’! But the good news is God always overcomes, and you (as a believer) shall also overcome because you are born of His ‘seed’!

So, whenever the devil ‘attacks’ your health, say and declare, “I receive ‘super-abounding’ healing grace for my health!” Or if you are in lack, say and declare, “I receive ‘super-abounding’ grace for prosperity!” If you are still struggling with a sin (or bondage) and you really want to be set free, look away from your sin and begin looking to Jesus (and His blood that was shed for you on the cross), and receive His ‘super-abounding’ grace to be set free!

The Bible says ‘And we know all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose’ (Romans 8:28 NKJV). Notice this verse begins with ‘And we know’. People of God, you must ‘know’ all things work together for good to you. In spite of whatever 'obstacle' you may be facing right now, I declare that God's plan for your life shall never get 'off-track' or crash! I also declare that God's plan for your life shall 'take-off' and you'll reach your 'destiny'! I know God has a purpose for my life too, and today I have no doubt about my call as a preacher, pastor, and teacher of the Word. As a preacher, one important ‘asset’ is to have a ‘mouth’ to speak! But early in my life, the devil 'attacked' that very area God has planned for my life. I remember growing up with severe ‘speech impairment’, and I couldn’t even pronounce ‘good morning’ properly even by the age of twelve! I was often laughed at, mocked, and teased by my schoolmates, and as a consequence, I grew up very timid, and with much inferiority complex. Today, I can testify that I have been completely healed! And as I look back, I praise God for his healing grace that has ‘super-abounded’ over whatever the devil threw at me! In fact, the very area that I was weak at, God has since turned it around for His glory! 

Now let’s look at David in the Bible. One day, Goliath came the ‘opposite’ way, and David was to 'overcome' him. It was a 'make or break', 'do-or-die' situation, where 'the winner takes all' (see 1 Samuel 17). In fact, the whole of Israel's future at that time was hanging on this 'battle'! Goliath had earlier threatened to 'strip' the whole of Israel and make them servants to the Philistines. Interestingly, ‘Goliath’ in Hebrew means ‘exile, or stripped of everything’. To be ‘exiled’ means ‘to be taken away from your original, good, and native land by force’. ‘Goliath’ here is a ’picture’ of whatever 'adversary' you may be facing now. The 'adversary' would always try to 'strip' you from God’s original plan for your life. However, the good news is God’s grace for your life always ‘super-abounds’, just as it was for David! And as you know, David overcame Goliath! In fact, without a ‘Goliath’, David wouldn’t be as ‘famous’ as he was after that! So, I can say Goliath actually made David ‘famous’!

Where there's the 'original', there'll be the ‘counterfeit’. The 'adversary' is always the 'counterfeit', and he will always threaten to 'strip' you of the Original’s (God's) plan for your life. But, just as David was, God sees you as His precious and beloved. He is always with you, and will never leave you nor forsake you, and on top of that, His grace is always 'super-abounding' in you! The name ‘David’ is ‘dowd’ in Hebrew, which also means ‘beloved, loved, lover’, and just as David was, in Him, you His beloved will also eventually come out the winner!

Beloved, know that God’s grace for your life is greater than all your sins, shame, mistakes, troubles, or diseases summed up together! The Bible says Jesus is God’s grace ‘personified’. God’s grace and truth came through Jesus (see John 1:17). In fact, Jesus is greater than all the sins, diseases, sorrow, pain, etc in the world summed up together! And that's exactly why He died on the cross for you some 2,000 years ago, and not just that, He rose up from the dead on the third day! He has indeed overcome your 'adversary' once and for all on the cross, and today, He is more than enough for you! (see 2 Corinthians 12:9) So, whatever you may be struggling at the moment, look away from that 'adversary', and start looking to Jesus now. He is your Sufficiency, and His grace is ‘super-abounding’ in you (and in any area of your life) today. Believe and receive. In Him, you have already ‘overcome’, and in Him, you are set free!

You are shining more and more unto the perfect day!

Proverbs 4:18 (KJV): "But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day".

As a believer, you are ‘just’ not because you can justify yourself, for all have ‘fallen short of the glory of God’ because of sin. You are ‘just’ because someone justified you, and His name is Jesus. ‘To be justified’ means ‘to be made righteous’, i.e. you are made ‘in right standing’ with God, reconciled to God again.

The word ‘path’ in this verse here means your ‘walk with God’. ‘Shining more and more’ means ‘more and more of the glory of God’ as you walk with God, until the perfect day, i.e. the day God says to you, “Playtime on earth is over! You’ve completed what you needed to do here. You’ve reached your destiny!” and God says, “Now is the time I’m bringing you to a better ‘playground’, a perfect one, one with the fullness of joy!”.

As a cross reference, Isaiah 60:1-2 says ‘Arise, shine; for your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and deep darkness the people; but the Lord will arise over you, and His glory will be seen upon you’.

Notice the word ‘but’ both in Proverbs 4:18 and Isaiah 60:2. In spite of the ‘darkness’ and ‘wickedness’ that surround us in this end-time, God says ‘your light will shine’, and Proverbs 4:18 says ‘even brighter and brighter’! People of God, you are living in such a time now! Step into it! In spite of what you see in the world, or despite what people may say, God says ‘you are not diminishing, but you are increasing’! And you know what it means? You’ll be healthier and healthier, wealthier and wealthier, stronger and stronger day by day, not the opposite! Your marriage life, your business, your career, or your ministry will not diminish, but increase, all the way till that 'perfect day'! That’s what God says you are, ‘shining’ brighter and brighter each day! Will you believe for it?

In Psalm 105:37, the Bible says “there is none feeble (weak) in God’s family”, and in Psalm 103:5, it says “your youth is renewed like the eagle’s”. Eagles are strong creatures. They shed old and worn-out feathers and get renewed with new feathers, and that’s how they keep their speed and efficiency! God's Word says you too are being renewed like the eagle! Imagine people coming to you and say, “Hey, you look younger than ever!”, or “Your age betrays your look!” This is happening, because the glory (‘shining light’) of the Lord has risen upon you! Will you believe and receive this too?

God is definitely a ‘youthful’ God. He is as 'energetic' as ever, and He still does new things today. And just because people get old, wrinkled, bended, and die with a ‘walking stick’, it doesn’t mean heaven is full of such! And man, you’ll have a new body, an immortal one! And it’s going to be a youthful one; one that shines like the sun at full strength! Hallelujah!

And the good news is you can have a taste of 'heaven' even right now, yes, here on earth!

Be conscious of the blood of Jesus!

Exodus 12:13: God said, ‘Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt’.

The word ‘plague’ here is ‘negeph’ in Hebrew, which means ‘a trip (of the foot), infliction of disease, put to worse, stumble, strike, or hurt’. In Oxford’s English dictionary, plague can mean ‘a deadly infectious disease, large number of pest invading an area, annoyance, damage, suffering, discomfort, trouble, or difficulty upon somebody/something’. As you can see, a plague doesn’t just mean an ‘infliction of bodily disease’, but it can also happen to a home, a household, a family, a business, one's finance, or one’s belongings.

Are you in a situation where you’ve tried everything you knew how (to remedy it), but the ‘trouble’ seems to have no end? Or do you feel you are always having ‘bad luck’? Well, what the world calls ‘good luck’ or ‘bad luck’, the Bible calls ‘favor’ or ‘plague’, and the good news is you don’t have to live in ‘plague’ anymore!

As a believer, know that Jesus has already borne all your ‘plagues’ (or whatever ‘trouble’ that seems to have no end) on the cross. So, not only is there no condemnation when you are in Christ (Romans 8:1), there should also be no plague when you are in Christ! (Exodus 12:13) Will you believe for it? Will you be conscious of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you, and also consciously come under it?

In Exodus 12:13, God said, “When I see the blood, the plague shall not be on you”. He never said, “When I see your hardwork/self-effort/self-determination”, or even “When I see your devotions to Me, or how long you pray”, but He said “when I see the blood, the plague shall not be on you”. This blood here is a ‘picture’ of the blood of Jesus shed on the cross 2,000 years ago. In fact, this ‘blood’ is the very foundation of your Christian life, and it’s only from this foundation, your devotion (or faithfulness) to Him comes forth!

The ‘blood’ here speaks of redemption (you were bought back), where you can be ‘at one’ (reconciled) with God again. When you are 'at one' with God again, His favor flows to you, and His righteousness is imputed to you. Thus, no plague shall be on you anymore. In Exodus 12, Moses was commanded by God to tell the Israelites that ‘every household shall take a lamb without blemish, a male of the first year (firstborn), and then kill it on the night before the Passover’ (Exodus 12:3-6). This is a ‘picture’ of Jesus, the unblemished, innocent Lamb of God, the firstborn over all creation (see Colossians 1:15-18) being sacrificed on the cross.

And then, on that evening, the Israelites were told to ‘take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts (and on the lintel) of the houses where they eat it’ (Exodus 12:7), and they shall ‘eat the flesh, roasted with fire, and whatever remains of it shall be burned in its entirety’ (Exodus 12:8-10). This is also a ‘picture’ of Jesus’ death on the cross, where His blood was shed at the cross. The ‘doorposts’ here in Exodus 12:7 is a ‘type’ of the ‘wooden cross’ where Jesus’ blood was shed 2,000 years ago, and we know that Jesus also gave Himself as a ‘burnt offering’! (Hebrews 10:5-10)

Beloved of God, Jesus has indeed paid a high price to redeem you on the cross. In fact, He didn’t pay 1 million dollars, 2 million dollars, or even 50 million dollars as a ransom for you, but He paid with His life! The blood here speaks of Jesus’ very own life, and it was shed so that you have the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7). He knew you can never repay this debt of sin by your own self-effort. That’s why He came down, and that's why you need Jesus.

And not just that, He has also carried every punishment (judgment) of your sins on the cross. So, instead of you being 'punished', He was 'punished'. And instead of those ‘plagues’ falling on you, it fell on Him at the cross. Such is His amazing love for you! He loves you so much that He's willing to 'pay this price' for you, though none of us deserve it. He has indeed paved a way out for you, and even when He was being crucified, He still thought of you till the end.

The power of the spoken Word - The Deborah Story

Judges 4:14 says, "Up! For this is the day the Lord has delivered 'Sisera' into your hand. Has not the Lord gone out before you?" 

It was Deborah the prophetess who declared these words to Barak (who would then lead Israel to battle against Sisera, the commander of Jabin's army, the enemy of Israel). 'Sisera' is a 'picture' of whatever the devil throws at you (i.e. sickness, financial lack, fear, discouragement, etc).

Let's begin with the background story. At that time, Israel was already 'disorderly' and 'at a low' for twenty years, having been sold into the hand of Jabin the king of Canaan, and was harshly oppressed. But when they cried out to the Lord, God heard their cry and raised up a prophetess named Deborah (Judges 4:3-4), who would then 'put things back to order' for Israel.

The name 'Deborah' comes from the root word 'dabar' in Hebrew, which means 'to arrange, to speak (spoken words), to utter, to declare or to pronounce (either victory for God's people, or destruction to the enemy), and to subdue (as the Word is spoken)'. Another meaning of 'Deborah' is 'bee' (having systematic instinct, having a sense of orderliness, or putting things in order). So, to summarize, the name 'Deborah' means 'to put things back to order by the declaration of the spoken words'.

As Deborah declared what God has spoken (Judges 4:14), and as Barak went down to battle against Sisera, the Bible says 'the Lord routed Sisera and all his chariots and all his army with the edge of the sword' (Judges 4:15). Not a man was left (Judges 4:16), and Sisera had to run for his life! What Deborah has declared eventually came to pass in the natural realm! The 'sword' here is a 'picture' of the spoken Word of God (Ephesians 6:17). And then, as Sisera hid at Jael's place, Jael took a tent 'peg' and a 'hammer', and she drove the 'peg' into Sisera's temple (area between eye and ear), and Sisera died (Judges 4:21). And on that day, God subdued Jabin king of Canaan in the presence of the children of Israel (Judges 4:23). Interestingly, 'peg' (Ecclesiastes 12:11) and 'hammer' (Jeremiah 23:29) are also 'pictures' of the spoken Word of God!

Now, before I move on, let me emphasize that we are now living in the New Covenant, and we don't fight 'flesh and blood' with bloodshed. Ephesians 6:12 clearly says our real enemy is the devil (i.e. against principalities and powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, and spiritual hosts of wickedness), not human (flesh and blood). So, let's read the Old Testament in the right context, i.e. from the New Covenant perspective (when 'agape' love has already been poured out on us). The 'sword, peg, and hammer' are merely 'pictures' of 'the spoken Word of God' in our time.

The Bible says 'Israel was not in order UNTIL Deborah arose' (Judges 5:7). In short, Deborah arose 'to put Israel back to order by the spoken Word of God', and as a result, Israel had rest for a good long forty years after that! (Judges 5:31)

Remember when the devil tempted Jesus (Luke 4:1-13), Jesus Himself also answered with the spoken Word? (He said, "It is written,...") So, if 'sickness' comes your way, declare that "Jesus has borne my sins upon the cross, and by His stripes I was healed" (1 Peter 2:24). Or if 'fear' comes your way, speak forth "God has not given me the spirit of fear, but He has given me the Spirit of power, and of love, and of a sound mind" (2 Timothy 1:7). The list goes on! And that's how you subdue by your spoken words! Choose specific verses (instead of paragraphs) in the Bible to subdue a particular problem. The Bible as a whole is likened to the 'sunlight', and as you focus on specific verses to tackle a particular problem, it's like you holding a 'lens' to concentrate the sunlight till the 'object' (the problem) under the 'lens' is set on fire and burned! That's how the Word of God destroys the work of darkness!

Beloved of God, begin filling yourself with the Word of God day by day. Notice that if you don't fill yourself with the Word, something else will fill you! Begin to personalize verses that have spoken to you and  make them yours! Speak them over & over again as you 'saturate' yourself with the spoken Word of God every day!