Joseph Prince is the evangelist and senior pastor of New Creation Church based in Singapore. He was one of the church’s founders in 1983. Courtesy Photo.
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 in this life, because the Lord Himself is the One who blesses you with righteousness, holiness, success, victory, favor, provision, healing, wisdom and much more!
Jesus is the I AM
But of Him you are in Christ Jesus, who became for us wisdom from God—and righteousness and sanctification and redemption— 1 Corinthians 1:30
Now, that is wonderful! Notice that God does not dispense wisdom apart from Jesus. He is our wisdom! We don’t have a sanctification or holiness that is manufactured or flawed. Jesus is our holiness! His person is our redemption!
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 22:1–14) “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 as “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. 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 well-being is not dependent on things that are subject to change. It’s all dependent on the unchanging person of the Lord Jesus, who is the same yesterday, today and forever!
Wisdom has two hands, so take both!
Many people want wisdom. Many want to have riches and honor, and long life. But they don’t see that wisdom is a person, and that it is being in the Lord’s 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 honor, 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 honor, 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 don’t get it, He added,
“…therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live…and that you may cling to Him, for He is your life and the length of your days…” – Deuteronomy 30:19–20
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.
Solomon’s 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 don’t notice that God also said this:
“And I have also given you what you have not asked: both riches and honor…So if you walk in My ways…as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.” – 1 Kings 3:13–14
Notice that long life was conditional? God said, “If you continue to walk in My ways, then I will lengthen your days.”
We know that Solomon’s 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 11:42–43) What happened?
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 forsaken the Lord.
So you see, there’s something wrong when a believer only wants the gifts, but does not have a heart for the Giver. It’s not about thinking, “Jesus is all I need, I don’t need a career or money.” It’s about making Him your focus.
David knew who His source was
Now, David was a man after God’s 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 16:1–13, when the prophet Samuel came to anoint one of Jesse’s 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 just a youth, he was not afraid because he was not conscious of the giant, but of God:
1 Samuel 17:45–46 – “Then 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…This 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!
“Do not cast me away from Your presence” (Psalm 51:11) was the plea he made. He believed that the Lord’s presence had blessed him.
What the Lord wants is you
Today, we don’t 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 presence. You long for it. You will cultivate it and be conscious of it because to you, it is precious! It’s 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. He’s not a respecter of persons, but He’s a respecter of those who respect Him and value His presence. He Himself is your healing, your provision and your wisdom. So the more you honor 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 my hands on her a number of times, pray, rebuke… all the formulas I know, but nothing worked. But whenever I stopped seeking the healing and started seeking the Healer, things changed! It’s when my focus was no longer on my child, and Jesus became bigger in my consciousness than her sickness, that the results came.
Seek the Lord’s presence! He is Jehovah-Rapha. He Himself is healing. There is healing in His presence!
The Lord’s presence is your success
Now, let’s 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 position 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 who was 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 – And 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. Joseph’s success was not something “spiritual”. Potiphar, a heathen without an ounce of spiritual discernment, could see it with his own eyes.
Potiphar saw the manifest presence of the Lord in this slave boy’s life. I believe that when Joseph planted tomatoes, his tomatoes were bigger than anyone else’s. When he tamed horses, all the horses responded like he was the horse whisperer. This young slave had favor!
But you know what, beyond what Potiphar saw, I believe that Joseph was conscious of the Lord’s presence in all this time, because when Potiphar’s wife tried to seduce him, he rejected her, saying, “How can I do this and sin against God?” (Genesis 39:7–9) No one was around to hear him say it except the woman. It was not for show. Joseph was saying, “God is here!”
Joseph’s later experiences in Egypt also proved that he trusted the Lord for his provision, wisdom and success. He enjoyed such favor and success that he ended up as Pharaoh’s second-in-command!
Do you want this kind of success? Then, don’t 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 in times of trouble. (Psalm 46:1)
When He arrived at Lazarus’ tomb, Lazarus had already been dead for four days. Martha, Lazarus’ sister, said to Jesus, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother 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 11:20–24) She pushed Jesus to the past and to the future, not realizing 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?
So cultivate the Lord’s presence like you would cultivate a friend’s or your spouse’s presence. When you enjoy your friend’s or spouse’s presence, you’d talk, converse and express your appreciation! You wouldn’t act like they are part of the furniture!
When you are walking in a crowded place, say to Jesus, “Wow, Lord, it’s a squeeze here today!” And even if something upsets you, tell Him! “Lord, I don’t appreciate that about this person.”
Look out for the winks of heaven in the little things, like when a child turns and smiles at you, or when you happen to get a prime parking space. These things are not coincidences—God is saying, “Hey, I’m with you.”
Whatever it is, just turn your eyes to Jesus. Worship Him. If you can’t sing, just talk! After all, the Bible says, “Speak to yourself in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs.” (Colossians 3:16) Talk to the Lord. He Himself, His very 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 – …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 – Come to Me, all you who labor 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 unshakable, all-powerful, all-knowing and best of all, all-loving, we have a security that is immovable! A peace unspeakable!
© Copyright Joseph Prince.
