Joseph Prince - Step Out and Possess the Land (02/16/2026)
To God be the glory for His kingdom where impossibilities vanish and lack doesn't exist. In heaven, glorified bodies await believers—immortal, sickness-free, and perfect—as the ultimate victory over death, seen first in Jesus' resurrection. Yet many, like the tribe of Asher, settle lazily in rich blessings instead of possessing them fully by faith, missing out on God's more-than-enough provision.
The Reality of God's Kingdom and Heaven
To God be the glory. Amen. For all the wonderful testimonies. Every time we come to God's house, you're coming to the place where, to the world, it looks like just a hall of people gathered together in worship. But what they don't see is the invisible realm. We are here in the kingdom of God. And where the kingdom of God rules, there are no impossibilities. Amen? Where the kingdom of God rules, there is no lack.
In God's kingdom in heaven, you cannot go to God and say, "God, I think this is hyper-prosperity, Lord, in heaven." Streets of gold. I mean, over there—or down there—we walk on streets of tar, pavement. And, uh, I think You are just making it too opulent. You cannot say that to God. Amen. Amen. Amen. You cannot just say that you got no hospitals here. No COVID. There is nothing that lacks. There's no disharmony. There is no shortage. There is no sickness, no disease, no old people. Amen. In heaven. And it's more real over there—except that they don't have their bodies just yet.
The Bible says when Jesus returns for us, that's when the spirits and souls of those departed ones who have gone—your loved ones—they'll come and claim the body. Amen? And the body, by the way, in case you're wondering, our guests and friends started already the sermon. Okay? And they claim the bodies, and the amazing victory over death is not just seen in the tomb in Jerusalem when our Lord rose from the dead. He's just the firstfruits, a prototype of what is to come.
The Promise of Glorified Bodies
In fact, all the saints—that includes Moses, Joshua (Joshua is buried in Shechem), Abraham, Isaac, Jacob—all of them. Abraham is in the tomb with his wives in Machpelah in Hebron, and David in the city of David buried there. The Bible says even though their bodies have decayed, they are in heaven. Their spirits and souls are more real. The real you is in heaven. When you pass on, your body will decay—whether it is buried or whether it is burned, cremated, right? Which is sometimes a debate among Christians and all that.
But the Bible talks about, for example, in the book of Revelation, even the dead in the sea—the sea will give up the dead. That means any molecule, anything found separately anywhere in the ocean—this is the victory over death. That God says by the power by which He is able to subdue all things unto Himself, every lost piece, DNA, amen, will all come back to make that body. And that body is a glorified body.
And that spirit and soul that has departed, let's say some years ago, let's say three years ago, right? That person died in the sea. The body could not be found. But because the person is a believer, amen, the blood of Jesus has washed away that person's sins. Even if the body decays or is eaten up by fishes or whatever, God, by the power by which He's able to subdue all things unto Himself, will bring it all back together for a glorified body.
That's why it's called a glorified body. And this body cannot grow old. This body cannot be sick ever again. This body can never die. It's an immortal body. Amen? It still looks like you. Oh no, someone said. Except all the traces of deformity, all the traces of the fall, all the traces that disfigure you—that part that's of the earth won't be there.
So all of us will look like Pastor Lawrence. Amen? We have muscles like him. We will all be able to push weights like Pastor Mark—with a smile. Amen? We will all be gloriously... The Bible used the word glorified. We will be glorified. That's glorious. A glorious body. Amen?
When Jesus rose from the dead, He had a glorious body. It is a human body, but it's a glorious body. It's a human body, but it's called an incorruptible body. And how long will you be in that body? Forever. So just to let you know that we are not just floating around. Isn't this good news?
That's why the Apostle Paul says, "For me to live is Christ. To die is gain." Amen? Why gain? Because straight away, no more troubles. I will never die. I have no problems with anxiety, worry, because there's nothing to worry about. Amen?
Our True Identity: Spirit, Soul, and Body
In fact, we cry for them for the temporary separation, right? When actually we are crying for ourselves. And it's okay to cry, you know, because of the temporary separation. God understands that. But they are looking down. I wonder if they are crying for us. Because the Bible says initially when they are in heaven, the Lord wipes away their tears. Because they see how beautiful, how real it is. It is more real than life on earth. Amen?
You're a spirit, you have a soul. That's the real you. And you live in a body. The body is just a place you live in. Amen? Look around you. Look at all the different types of bodies and cottages and buildings. Some are beautiful. Amen? Some are multicolored. Some doors are not colored. Some doors are colored. What is that? "Set a guard over my lips, oh Lord." Amen? Got my lips.
So some are colored, some are not colored. But it's just a body. It's just a house. You live in a house. Amen? But you are not the house. But nonetheless, God has such a high esteem for your house that I think in some teachings it seems to imply sometimes our body is dirty, our body is bad.
It is the part that sins and all that. It's true. It's the instrument by which sin uses the sin principle. The sin is not in your spirit. You are a new creation in Christ, created in righteousness and true holiness. The sin actually is in your soul, right? And that's why once you are in heaven, listen, straight away the presence of sin is gone. It manifests on the inside, outside. Do you understand? Amen?
When we are in heaven, there's no more sin. But sin manifests like this: your body is the instrument of sin. Whenever you sin, you do something with your body—with your eyes, your hands, your legs or anything. But the body is not—listen carefully—the body is not dirty.
And when our children come to puberty, it's important to tell them, don't use words like "dirty." Don't shame them. Don't shame your children. See, God has given you a glorious body. And when you come to a certain age, talk to them. Use words to teach your kids about, you know, when you are at this age, sometimes you will have sexy feelings. Alright?
And what those sexy feelings are, don't shame them. Don't make them dirty. A lot of us discovered this area of life on our own. You don't want them to learn on their own. You don't want their friends to teach them. Because it comes with shame. It comes with hiding. It comes with a lot of giggling, laughing, like it's something that's not glorious.
You know, God ordained it. That means you're becoming a man. Amen? And you're becoming a woman. And one day be a father and a mother. Amen? That's the right teaching. Praise the Lord.
Living by Grace, Not Works or Laziness
You know, this past whole week, and for some time, the Lord has been preparing my heart to share with you some things, especially for grace people. You know, we are people that learn about that it is not by our works. It's by grace, through faith, and that not of ourselves. It is the gift of God, not of works, lest any should boast. We all know that.
What shall we say then that Abraham our father has found? If Abraham was justified by works, if he was made righteous, or God sees him as righteous—if he was justified by works—he has something to boast, but not before God. He can boast before man, but not before God. Alright?
But what saith the Scripture? It always goes back to this. What saith the Scripture? "Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness." Amen? So it's nothing to do with works. Yes, we are created in Christ Jesus. Once you are saved, you are created in Christ Jesus. We are all in Christ, say Amen. We are all in Christ. We are created in Christ Jesus unto good works.
In fact, it says we are all God's workmanship. Say, "God's workmanship." Do you know that word "workmanship" in the Greek is a beautiful word? It's the word "poema." You know what's "poema"? Does it remind you of something in English? Quite a number of English words come from the Greek. Poem.
So God says, "We are all God's poetry." "You, my friend, you are God's poetry in motion." We are meant to flow. You see, when you write poetry, it is a flow. It's inspirational. Robots have no poetry. Alright? They just do things.
Even ChatGPT and all that, they do what they have been programmed. There's no initiative on their own. There is no knack to look at things from different perspectives, that reserve that God gives only to men. The intuition is something that you cannot program into a robot. Amen.
Something that tells you, hmm, there's something wrong about this guy. He says everything right. It seems that all his books are okay. There's something inside me telling me, don't invest in this guy. Alright? Something. ChatGPT, all the AI you can come up with can never come to that place that God gives you. It's called discernment.
You see, the problem was eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But discernment is not part of your head, of your mind. It is part of your spirit. There's one time they brought someone in front of Jesus. And the Bible says that they were seeing whether the Lord is going to heal him on the Sabbath day. And the Bible says, "Jesus perceived in His spirit that they so reasoned."
Where is reasoning found? In your brain. Where is perception found? In your spirit. This is lightning fast. No, no, no. It's faster than lightning. You know things before you know it in your head. This is from God. Can I get an amen? Amen.
So, we go by the Spirit. Amen? We are God's poetry, poem, workmanship. A poetic workmanship. So, we are called to live by inspiration, by a flow. Amen. We are not robots. If we were robots, the world would be a perfect place today. No one will fall. No one will be in sin. The earth will be a perfect place. But then God would have only robots.
God didn't want to create robots. God wanted to create someone in His image that will love Him voluntarily. To have a family. God's idea.
God's Love: Voluntary and Relational
Whenever your child comes along, or you look at your child one day, and your child has just turned one year old, and you see a lot of the beauty of your child coming from your wife and yourself. Right, guys? You think to yourself, "I love this child so much. This child can be soiling his pampers and, you know, I got to change it." But you know what? When I'm changing it, I love him. I love him with all his dirtiness. Huh?
I love him even though he doesn't know how to love me yet. And all he does is that he wakes me up in the middle of the night. But I tell you this, I love him. And then that journey of love becomes deeper and deeper. As they, you know, when they're two years old, three years old, and they start responding to you, you love them even more. Amen? Come on.
Now, you may have an employee that is perfect in the way they perform and bring results for the company. Obedient. Right? Successful in your company. But when you leave your company, right, or your heart's desire, if truly you can look into your heart's desire, you want to give your company to your son. Not to an employee. Right? How good the employee is.
There is a relationship. Even though your son may not be perfect, or don't get the kind of results while he's working in your company, you always want to promote your son. There's something that God put in you. Father and son, the love is a picture of His love for His Son. And His Son is obedient, even unto death.
And that's why Jesus says, "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life." He came to lay down His life. Amen? We always think about Christ dying for us, Christ dying for our sins. But actually, look carefully. His first primary reason to die on the cross is to glorify His Father.
Because He knows that God's rights, God's holiness has been violated. So by giving Himself for our sins on that cross, He will glorify God, His Father. Do you know that? "Therefore I lay down My life." "Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life." He did it for His Father. Then He did it for us.
Now, our love is so warm, you know. We love God because He did something for us. We love God because we see what He did for us. The benefits. We love Him because He first loved us. And that's the way God ordained it to be. God wanted so. It's okay. Amen?
We don't really love God sacrificially. That's why the first and the greatest commandment is love God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, all your strength. Amen?
Many of you, you thank God for healing that you receive. You don't thank God when you don't need healing. Amen? Yesterday, last month, there was a spirit of cancer maybe coming along your address to you. Amen? Because you prayed and you asked the Lord for protection. God says, "No!" Just like that night of the Passover and the angel of death passed over the house that has the blood on the lamb. God says, "No!" "No!" "No!" "You do not touch."
And we cannot thank Him because we don't know, we didn't know it happened. We thank God. So sometimes the Lord may allow us to get into situations and then we see Him delivering us. Then say, "God, I thank You. I know it's You." You ever see that happen?
A Personal Testimony of God's Protection
Last two weeks, during the week of our youth outreach, Zone X, and thank God for the landslide of souls. To God be the glory. Remember, that was my sermon two weeks ago. I preached that Sunday, after the Zone X Saturday, right? That week, leading to that week, to my preaching on Sunday, I was involved in the worst accident in my entire life, where airbags all came out, right? It was a terrible accident.
And what happened was that I fetched my son from school, which I don't always do, but there was this particular time I fetched him. He finished school. I was with him in the car. And I was going straight. All right? Now, everyone will tell you that they have the right of way, okay? But I believe, really, I had the right of way. I'm going a straight road. Okay?
As I crossed the road, the light turned amber. And then there's a car on the right that turned right into the... It is at the junction. The car turned really fast. I couldn't go faster. I couldn't go backwards. It was so fast, it slammed right into the side of my car. Airbags all came out.
But at that moment, I felt... I felt like there was a cocoon of peace all around me. It's like I said, wow, that was an accident. And then the next thought was, why am I so cool, so peaceful? So, I pulled up slowly. The car was damaged terribly. It could have overturned. And instead, I went to the side. It's a Toyota MPV. My son was in. So, he went... I just... whatever is working. To the side.
And by the way, after that, it cannot start again. For the safety reason. The car cannot start. And I looked at Justin. I said, Justin, are you okay? He looked at me. You know what he said? Yeah, I'm okay. But straight away, when I got out of the car, I said, okay, just hang on here for a while. I need to make sure to attend to the guy. The guy is okay. But everybody is okay.
He started calling his mom. He says, I didn't even know it was an accident. That peace kept us both. I'll tell you that. Alright? And the guy's truck, it was like a pickup truck. And as I walked toward him, I told myself, he's going to say it's my fault for sure. He's going to say it's my fault. Because it's human nature, I told myself. Alright? So Joseph, friends, keep cool. Amen?
And sure enough, because of what the Lord has done for me, I can keep cool. Alright? He said, "Oh, why don't you go straight?" I said, "Friend, if I go straight and it's orange, right"? As you're going, it's orange. You know what I'm saying? You're going to a steady place. No matter what, steady place. No matter what, there's always some time before this light here change. He's on a discretionary turn. I suspect he's not watching. Okay? So we say, "Resolve it." Alright? With insurance and all that.
But then, the whole day, I was thinking to myself about that cocoon of peace. Of course, I keep on giving glory to the one that protected me. Amen? Amen? And Justin was okay. To me, for a father's heart, it's your son. Alright? And I was thinking to myself, I felt so much peace. Alright? That week, I felt so much peace, I forgot about it to tell you all. That Sunday. I didn't even mention to you all. Because it was such a wonderful peace.
I start seeing the dangers of it, actually, one week after. My wife says, "It's PTSD, darling." Post-traumatic. You know? One week after the thing, then you start thinking about it. Alright? But you see, I gave praise to God because I was in it. He delivered me from it. Amen.
Okay? Now, all of us have experiences like this, where we pray for protection. But instead of protection where we do not know we are supposed to get into an accident. Alright? All the time. For days and days and days. I'm telling you this. If without God's protection, even a simple virus can kill you, you know? Even a flu virus can kill you. You know that? You have pneumonia. Before you know it, you are dead. All right? But for God's protection. Amen. Come on. Let's give praise to God. Thank the Lord. Amen?
Worship, Praise, and Active Faith
Okay. So, we give praise. When you worship God, always remember, worshiping is for Him. His worth. His beauty. His goodness. His excellencies. Amen? His glories. Praise the Lord. You worship Him. Praise is for what He has done. We praise all that He has done. Praise the Lord for He is good. For His mercy endures forever. Alright?
Then He demonstrates what He has done for us. The entire psalm. He overthrew Pharaoh and all of the enemies into the sea. Praise God. His mercy endures forever. You praise the Lord for what He has done. But please remember, there's a lot that He has done. And God is always under-praised, under-appreciated, under-worshiped. Amen?
We are people that can be very lazy. Especially grace people. Because a little bit of work, it becomes like, "Oh, we're not into works. We must rest." You know what I'm saying? Sometimes, there are bosses, and unfortunately, I don't like to hear this. Alright? I'm speaking generally. In fact, I heard an American boss. So, nothing to do with Singapore or this church, okay? Or any church in Singapore.
But in America, one boss was interviewed. And the boss says, "You know, I don't like to employ Christians." He's a Christian himself. The first thing they do is working time. They open up their Bible. When asked, they say they are doing their quiet time. That means they are telling me to keep quiet. Amen? You're supposed to do your quiet time at home. Amen? Come to work and be a great example of Jesus.
And Jesus always invites people who are busy people. Amen? He didn't go to someone, alright, who is lazing on a hammock by the Sea of Galilee and says, "Come, follow me." Never! He goes to fishermen who are fishing. Mending their nets. Because you've got to mend your net before you catch the fish. Amen?
You've got to get yourself… Some of them are really fishing. When He says, "Launch out into the deep. Let down your nets for a draft." Amen? So, He's always calling people that are busy. Elisha, the successor of Elijah, was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen. Imagine that. When Elijah came and called him to be his successor, threw his mantle over him. He was busy. He was doing something.
In fact, the Bible says, "If any would not work…" This is the occupation now. The work there. "If any would not work, neither should he eat." Amen? Come on.
And if you are a man and you have a vision, "I got this vision from God." You know, you tell your wife and all that. Yes, it could be a vision from God. But let's test it, okay? Because we want the entire family. Everyone is suspended, you know, until the prophet comes in. Until the blessing comes in. Right? We are all putting this by faith.
So, your wife trusts you. You go into it. It failed. What do you do? Never mind. You learn what not to do. Amen? You learn where you miss what you thought was God's voice, was actually an angel of light, the enemy, trying to push you to a place where you are stressed, your whole family is stressed, where you'll be full of fear, anxiety, and there's no prophet.
But God, when God leads you, when He speaks to you, "I am the Lord thy God who teacheth thee to profit." I'm quoting the Bible now. "I am the Lord your God who teacheth you to profit and leads you by the way you should go." Amen?
When Jesus told the fishermen who were actually fishing all night that night and they caught nothing, "Throw your nets on the right side." Peter, experienced fisherman, says, "Lord, we toiled all night. We know this area. We toiled all night means we have covered all the areas that we would deem as fruitful areas, and yet we caught no fish." Carpenter, fisherman.
And Jesus says, "Let down your nets for a catch." Nevertheless, Peter said, "At Your word I will let down the net." Let down the nets. I will let down the net. You got it? Let down the nets. And now, there's so much fish. He had to call for help. And they pulled the fish into the boat. And the nets break. The net break. Why? He told them, "Let down your nets." They let down one net.
Can you... Can you come up higher in your thinking? Can you come up to God's level? Come on. Can you? Come on. Think like God. Because He's... He never fails in anything. So, I think it's good for you to think like God. He never fails in anything. When there was darkness, He said, "Light be!" And there was light. Until now, there's still light. He never says, "Light"... Do you think you can come out or not? I'm not too sure, you know. But I hope so. A lot of people are about to be created. They need the light. Light. No.
He spoke with authority. It happens. Jesus said, "Let down your nets for a catch. Let down your nets for a catch." And they brought up the fish. It was so much that the nets break. And when the fish got on the boat, the boat sank. Started to sink. Amen. Too much. He is the God of more than enough. He is your Father. And Jesus died to remove that barrier of sin between you and Him. So that He can be Father to you. Amen?
So, you come to God's house, there's more than enough here. It's invisible, but everything that is manifest today is invisible first. Amen. The chair you sit on was in someone's mind. It was invisible. So even man, alright, God made him in His image. His processes are the same. Everything is invisible before it becomes visible. Amen. It all starts in the mind. It starts with man having a vision. Are you with me so far?
The problem is that God's vision for you is so big, and His blessings for you are so vast, that many a times, especially grace people, they misconstrue rest for laziness.
The Tribe of Asher: Blessed Yet Lazy
Now, when it comes to business and all that, you fail, there are elements of failing. Learn from it. But please, God says in His Word, in more than one place, "In the multitude of counselors there is safety." In another place, in Proverbs, Book of Wisdom, "In the multitude of counselors there is victory." Make sure they are counselors. Counselors are people filled with God's wisdom. Alright? Because it's from God's book. Not in the multitude of your best friends. Are they counselors?
Get people together before a major venture. Your wife must be one of them. Because she always gives you great counsel. If you don't feel good, hold back. Amen. Preach it, Pastor Prince. God made you together, and God will speak to you together. Amen. You are one. You are one. Okay? God meant for that oneness. He's not talking just about sex. Although that's implied in a marriage, it's called the Marriage Act. "A man shall leave father and mother, and be joined to his wife, and they shall be one flesh." That one flesh there means you've got to have an agreement. Amen.
Are you listening? There's no power on earth that is released when two persons come together in agreement. Especially husband and wife. Amen. Because Jesus says, "If two of you shall agree." And the Greek word there agrees, "symphonio." From the word "symphonio." What word? "Symphony." When you both symphonize together on anything, "It shall be done for them of My Father who is in heaven." Amen.
So you speak negative over your child, alright, during this exam period, and you keep on saying, "You won't go on this way, you know, you'll be a failure." And your wife speaks positive, that kind of thing. There's no symphony. You both must symphonize. And nothing shall be impossible for that child. Amen. Amen.
We are prone to laziness. Don't use rest as an excuse. So there is a tribe of Israel that the whole week, God has been speaking to me about and, you know, telling me. This tribe was given one of the richest lands, the most fertile soil, that when it comes to the oil, the vine, alright, and the figs and the pomegranates, some of the best known in Israel, back in the Bible times, and even today also, is found in this area.
What area is it? Well, let's first of all look at this. Joshua 1, God's instruction to Joshua. How many of you want to possess everything that God has for us? Our hands are so small. God's hand is so big. When He blesses us, it's more than we can take. But how many want to take everything that He has? Amen.
He loves to give. Grace is about giving. Faith is about taking. Amen. That's when God says you've got great faith. That means what? You've got a bigger hand of faith to take. Amen. Oh, you have little faith? That means what? Your capacity is so small. You're an adult, but in the spiritual realm, your hand is so small like a baby when you take things.
Whenever Jesus corrects people, right? It's never, oh, you know, or you didn't receive a healing. Oh, you of little prayer. Never, never. You find that, I'll give you $1,000. In the Gospels, you never find someone who is not healed. Oh, you of little prayer. Oh, you of little Bible reading. Oh, you of little fasting. I can tell. I don't know. I don't know. Right?
He never said, oh, you of little, but what does he always say? Oh, you of little faith. That means, I'm so full. I came full of grace and truth. All the healing is in me. All the prosperity is in me. All the goodness of God is here for this, to dispense. My pain is not having anyone to dispense it to. I am so full. Like a mother, when she's full of milk, it's a pain for her not to be able to give to a child.
And if a child refused to take, or the child takes very little, it's a pain to be full. Mothers know this. Guys are, you don't understand. Guys who are not married especially. Amen? God is so full of the goodness for man. See, God doesn't take from anyone. He doesn't need to. Everything comes from Him. But He wants to pour it. His joy is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Jesus said. Amen.
The Dangers of Settling in Comfort
And He looked around. He wants to give to this person. The person, "No, no, no. I'm busy doing this. I got all these ideas." Okay, God goes somewhere else. "God, I'm doing fine. Thank you very much. And I'm following your principles, and I'm following your laws, and following your orders and all that." But no dependence on God. Then God goes somewhere else. "I want to pour my blessing." And then He finds someone, Joseph Prince, in class. And He's stammering. Ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta-ta. The teacher makes him stand. Everyone laugh. All the girls laugh. His ears turn red. Sit down, sit down, sit down.
Same teacher. Very bad. Every time come, "Oh, Joseph Prince, stand up." Okay, okay. Just for the sheer pleasure of seeing my ears turn red. It's a sadist, the teacher. But I forgive the teacher. Amen. In Jesus' name. And if you are here, or watching from home by accident. Amen. Repent. I still love you. I have forgiven you. Amen.
And then God looks around, and find the boy says, "God, I got nothing to give you, right? But I'm willing to take whatever you have, Lord. I am so desperately in need of you. And I know you have the goodness. You have the power. You have the strength. You have the mercies. You have the love. You have the favor. Only you can change my life." Amen.
Actually, I included, "I want to marry a beautiful wife"... Yeah. As a teenager, I prayed that, "I want to have a family." But now, the girls don't even look twice at me. Right? They look halfway. They turn their hair in. You know? Pastor Lawrence don't understand this at all. He's surrounded. "Pastor Gabriel, I don't know lah. Huh? You are a teacher? Why? You should not be in all this." Amen.
He was, he was a teacher in school. So, God found someone, and you know when God pours, it's more than enough. God pours, and God pours, and God... He's still pouring. That's my perspective of, of every single day. Right? And the devil's attack in my life is always to keep that away from me, so that I get into anxiety, fear, and worry. But I only get into that when I have lost this vision that God is the one giving, God is pouring.
And every day, the Bible says, "Blessed be the Lord God," the Psalmist says, "Blessed be the Lord God, who daily loads us with benefits." You like that? He loads you up with benefits. Okay.
So, what happened was that, there's a tribe called Asher. Say Asher. And, uh, this is their problem, Judges chapter 1. God gave them the inheritance, and Judges chapter 1 tells us, "Nor did Asher drive out the inhabitants of Akko," very famous, uh, town, by the way, Akko or Akko today, or the inhabitants of Sidon. Say Sidon. Remember Sidon? Jesus talked about, uh, Chorazin and Bethsaida. "If the miracles I did in you was done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented." Notice, Sidon.
"So the Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land, for they did not drive them out." It doesn't say they could not drive them out. It says they did not drive them out. These people were squatters. And the land was given to the tribe of Asher, but the Asherites did not drive them out.
The Asherites are known as, in the Bible, as lazy. In fact, they never got into a war. In all the records of the Bible, they never got into a war. There's only one time, to their credit, when David was wandering, running away, right? And he was in Ziklag, King David. He was in Ziklag. And at that time, he was only with his mighty men, that some men from other tribes came and 40,000 came from Asher to be with him. But even then, there's no record that this tribe ever fought together with David. But the mighty men did. There's no record of them fighting. They just like to stay.
Remember the story of Deborah? Amen? There was a king called King Jabin. And King Jabin is the king of the Canaanites. His place is Hazor, right? And he's a powerful king with literally hundreds and hundreds of chariots of iron that Israel could not handle in the natural. And he came down marauding against Israel near Mount Tabor in Israel.
And when he came down there, Israel knew that without God, it's finished. So Israel, at that time, the book of Judges, they lacked male leaders. Jesus, even then, and there was one lady leader. Amen. So who says that women cannot preach? Her name was Deborah. Even her name means the Word of God. Deborah, the word, Dabar, from the word Dabar. And she was, she was, not just that, she was judging Israel.
And then she encouraged a young man by the name of Barak. Okay? His name is Lightning. All right? To go out there to defeat this king. But the resources he had was very meager. And he didn't have many people with him. But nonetheless, because of the principle I'm about to show you, God said this to them.
Every time you go against your enemy, Joshua, this happened after the book of Joshua. But God promised Joshua this, Joshua 1. "Moses, My servant, is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and these people, to the land which I'm giving to them, the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot will tread upon, I have given you." As I said to Moses. Can you see that?
It's not for lazy people. In other words, God gave you the land, but God wants you to possess your possessions. God wants you to step out on the land that's yours. So even today, this place here, this building, we, the pastors came here when it was just a patch of ground. And we, we use this verse, "Every place that you step on." We didn't have the money to buy this building yet. And uh, all we did was that we had faith and we had a big God. Hallelujah.
And we, we walked the ground, we walked the ground, we walked the ground. Because we, you know what I'm saying? Every place the sole of our feet were tread upon, tread means walk, will be yours. So it is actually yours. But practically yours comes by you walking, possessing the land.
Now, how do we do that spiritually speaking? We do it by faith, by faith, by faith. Claim it. Possess it. Possess your possessions. Don't just know about it. Possess your possessions. And God has so much inheritance, wisdom, healing, prosperity. Amen. A sound mind. Amen. Favour. And that's amazing for relationships. Amen. Favour. True holiness. Redemption. All the good things of the Bible is there. Plus the things in this life.
God says, God is not against them having the things in this life. God doesn't want the things of this life to have them. God wants His people to rule over it, not be under it. And ruled by it. God wants His people to love people and use money. Not love money and use people.
That's why we don't allow anyone who is even a leader in our church. We tell them straight away, there are some things you cannot use your position to make money off the people in this church. Okay? So, you don't like it? Don't be a leader in this church. This church is a very legalistic one, aren't they? Okay, so, God said, so, that, that, that, that was from the very start. God said that, from the very start. Right?
But they were afraid of King Jabin. Because he had a commander-in-chief by the name of Sisera, who died of head damage later on, from the hands of a woman, believe it or not. You can read it all about it. Okay? And God was just waiting for someone to step out.
So, this woman says, "I need a man to step out." Deborah says, "No man stood up." She, she invited this young man, Barak. And Barak obeyed this scripture. Just go out. But see, before you go out, before you step out, your mind will tell you, "Look at them. Look at their chariots of iron." We don't even have a chariot of iron. Amen. Look at them. They are seasoned officers. These are the Canaanites. They are famous, far and wide. This region, they are known to be fierce warriors.
Look, the people I get, many of them are farmers, husbandmen. Amen. They have no experience. You can reason all like that. You apply to your business. You apply to your ministry. Oh, there's too much. No, God says, "Go ahead." Like when they, when I suggested last time to have a place for our people, you know what everyone tell me? Not from our church. Okay? Everyone tells me, those that I know, it's impossible in Singapore. Singapore is land scarce.
I said, "No, I believe we'll get our place." I don't know how. That's not my part. That's God's part. My part is give Him faith. And He gives me the miracle. Alright? That's my part. You have trust in Him. You see, if you know everything in your head, you don't need faith. You got to trust His heart. And sometimes when things don't go right, you cannot see His hand. Trust His heart. Trust His heart in the darkness. Trust His heart through the storm. Amen.
So, we find that Barak went down and finally, not just that, the Bible says, Barak said to Deborah, you know, you must come with us. Then we'll win. Let it turn. God says, "To the degree you limit Me, to the degree I limit you." Barak wasn't the one, even though he's a great warrior, he wasn't the one to kill the commander-in-chief, the fierce commander-in-chief, whose name was Sisera. That privilege was given to a woman. Her name was Jael. Amen.
Sisera was running away, he found her tent, he was so tired, he fell asleep, and she hammered him. She took a hammer and a nail, hammered him. Amen. And she told Barak when he passed by, "Come see your enemy." And God says, "Because you limit yourself," God says, "the victory doesn't go to you." He goes to a woman. Amen.
God, the Bible says, God uses, amen, even women in the Old Testament, that men deem as weak, to confound the mighty. Amen. Are you with me so far?
Deborah's Indictment Against Lazy Tribes
And then Deborah sang a song. The prophetess now is a singer. Amen. And she sang a very famous, in fact, it's an inspired song, Deborah's song. And in Deborah's song, this is what she said in the Scripture. She says, in the songs, she said, "Why did you sit among the sheepfolds to hear the pipings of the flocks?" She actually gave an indictment in her prophetic song against all the tribes that didn't turn up to support them, to help them.
"Why are you sitting among your sheepfolds"? Why are you sitting in front of your computer, day in, day out, hoping for all these opportunities to come to you? Amen. Get your counsellors. Step out. Amen.
So, here's this. "Why do you sit around hearing the pipings of the flocks?" "Gilead stayed beyond the Jordan. Why did Dan remain in ships?" So, Dan didn't turn up. The tribe of Dan. Asher! Now, this is the tribe I'm talking about. Asher, his name means happiness. The tribe of Asher, when he was born, right, the mother named him happiness. Asher.
Asher continued at the seashore and stayed by his inlets." Wow, what an indictment. Lazy.
By the way, let me show you the allotment of the 12 tribes in the map of Israel, okay, during Bible times. Can you see all the 12 tribes? There's Simeon below, Judah. Jesus came from the tribe of Judah. Reuben. And all the way, can you see top left? Asher. Asher actually has the sea coast. It has the sea coast. And the land is all allotted by Joshua. Amen. Actually, by God, of course, through Joshua. The land is allotted to them. Amen.
And, and Asher lived along the, the sea coast. And in this sea coast, let me just tell you why I'm showing you this. In Asher, there are two, God gave them two cities that would become the New York of the entire earth during that time. It's called the city of Tyre and Sidon. Tyre and Sidon were actually in the territory of Asher.
But what did the Bible say? In Judges 1, he did not drive out the Canaanites. The Canaanites became squatters in the land. They took over, they took over, they took over more and more land.
Go back to Judges 1 again, show them real quick what did Asher do. Asher did not drive them out. Now, one day you come home, right? You happen to see a guy down there taking a break, eating sandwich in your kitchen, right? I think he's a thief. Nowadays thief don't come with a hat, right? A mask anymore. He's sitting down there eating your, "Oh, you came back." Alright, he didn't realise you're back.
What do you do? "Oh, you want dessert"? What do you do? And you've got strong, young teenage boys or, you know, young men with muscles, like, and you've got Pastor Mark there, fresh from the gym. Alright, what do you do? What do you do? "Okay, I think this house is big enough for the two of us. Can I still stay here?" You ask him. "No, you do not tolerate that. That land has been given." Right? Correct or not?
But Asherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land. They did not drive them out.
Prophecies Over Asher: Rich Yet Unclaimed
Now, the prophecy given to Asher, there are two prophecies, by the way. One was from his father, Jacob. And this is what Jacob said. The other one is from Moses. "Jacob called his sons and said, 'Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you.'" When? In the last days. The days that we are living in. That's why God had me preach this word. We are living in the last days. There's a message for us as well. Amen?
And let's look at the tribe of Asher. Drop down. "Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties." In other words, King James says, "Bread from Asher shall be fat." It is not just a normal bread. It is a very nourishing. Today you say the most expensive bread. It's very nutritious. Why? Because Asher, the tribe, the soil of Asher by the seashore is known to be the most fertile, the most, is the richest, and the most fertile.
In fact, I've got some 1800 traveler's books to Israel. I love to study some of these, even travelers, the accounts and all that. One traveler said, he says that there's no riches, no, that kind of, he lists down almonds, pomegranates, vine, oil, like that found in this coastal area. And that's why you'll see some things when it says, "Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal dainties." In words, what? Even the food is fit for a king. Kingly food. He shall yield royal dainties. Right? So, the father prophesied that.
Now, let's go forward and see Moses' time. Moses prophesied over the tribe of Asher. By now, they are a tribe. This is what Moses said, "Of Asher," he said, "Asher is most blessed of sons. Let him be favored by his brothers." Think about the inheritance that he has. Let him be favored by his brothers.
I'm telling you this, if someone favors you, alright, they want you, they want you to be in that position, they will make it happen. I'll tell you something about bosses and people or interviewers and all that. They can look at your accomplishments and to a certain extent, all that matters. But I tell you this, it's the impression you make during your interview. Alright? The rest, I would say, 40% and all that can be based on this.
Because they have seen people who have the technical know-how and the smarts and all that who don't make it. Amen. I have a book called "How to Move Mount Fuji" sometime, many years ago. And he talks about, back then, IBM and even how Macintosh, you know, started and how they interviewed people. It's not a traditional way. They ask questions to see how creative you are. Not your smarts that you get from your universities that you graduate from.
The questions they ask. Amen. I remember Henry Ford, when he created motorcars and became the first, one of the mega conglomerate multi-millionaire. He sat down with a potential worker. And then, he ate. There were two guys, sorry, being interviewed. At the end, he says, "Okay, I'm sorry. Alright? I'll be taking him." And the guy says, "What? What? I mean, he's less, you know, accomplished than me. I'm rich from so-and-so university." And he's not from, you know, you know why? It's a very simple thing.
"I notice you both. And for you," he says, "you seasoned your food before you ate. He ate it. And then, if need be, he seasoned. You're a creature of habit. I'm concerned about people who are creatures of habit. I want people who can think." You know what I'm saying? See, many of you, you just put the thing, right? Maybe that thing has been put. It's just a habit. Amen?
You know, some, some chefs are very insulted when you start putting seasoning before you eat. Amen? Yeah. So, it's the same thing here. We see the favour of God is what matters. They like you. They'll find ways to make things happen for you. Favour from God. Not apple polishing, ah. Not going to the boss and, you know, carrying favours or… No, no, no. That's, that's not. In fact, it's human effort, really. It will negate the favour of God.
It's the favour of God. When favour… I mean, Joseph, what can he offer? He was a slave in Pharaoh's court. What can he offer? But the Bible says he was a prosperous man. Whatever he did prospered. And his boss saw it. Amen? So, let him be favoured by his brothers. Let him dip his foot in oil. And a lot of people are saying that because of the, the, the, it's such a fertile land, the abundance of olive oil there is among the best you can find in all the land.
Recently, I was, when I was travelling for, um, when I was in Israel, I actually asked a question. Because some people believe there's, there's, there's petroleum there, there's oil there. But, but, um, I said, what do you think it is? And the person said, it's well known for its olive oil. It's the region, olive oil.
It was this postal, um, go back to the map again. Is this a coastal area that Elijah came? God sent him here to a widow of Zarephath. Not a Jewish woman, a Gentile. Remember? God sent Elijah during the time of Jezebel. Can you imagine that? To the hometown of Jezebel. And Jesus mentioned this in, between the region of Tyre and Sidon. Hmm? And it's known, by the way, uh, Zarephath is just by the sea coast. But Tyre and Sidon, let's do it with Tyre and Sidon, it's there. Tyre and Sidon is the New York. Tyre especially, New York. And it boasts itself of its riches. Back then, in the ancient time, it's the, like the New York. Paris. London. New York more because of the sea coast. Right? And they got judged by God.
The judgment fell. Why? Because Ezekiel prophesied this. Ezekiel says, "The word of the Lord came to me again." Do you know there are three chapters, three full chapters on Tyre alone? Right? Okay.
Before I don't show them this, look up here. What I'm trying to say is this. If you don't possess what's yours, all right? The world will possess it. So what happened to Tyre and Sidon? It became so rich. Right? Asher! This is supposed to be yours. Because Asher, God can trust you. If you had stepped out, Tyre and Sidon will be yours and the riches and the wealth of it will be yours. And you will be a good steward of it to make sure the message that Jehovah God is the God of Israel will pass through all the four corners of the earth. You will make Tyre and Sidon a place where missions will go out. Amen. Amen.
Who better than honest people to be stewards over finances? But Asher, you lost a great inheritance. And whatever you don't possess, the enemy takes over.
I don't care what people say about, you know, they say our church, prosperity church, that kind of thing. How often do you hear me talk about material prosperity? In fact, I'm telling you the dangers of Asher is because he has plenty. Amen. But what God wants us to do is possess. Amen. Possess our possessions, even if it includes becoming successful in commerce and all that, with God's wisdom, not human wisdom, and then be in a position of influence. Amen.
Don't just pray for a job, pray for a position. Trust God to give you a net-breaking boat sinking load of fishes. If you are at work, your job is not there, okay, to just read the Bible. Okay? You are there to make your boss look good. Amen. To bring company. This is what Joseph did. Joseph did it for a boss who is not a believer. His name is Pharaoh. It's not a name, it's a title actually. Pharaoh. Pharaoh means mouth speak evil. Pharaoh. Yeah. Okay. Pharaoh. Pharaoh is not a believer. But Joseph made him the wealthiest man with his wisdom. That's your job.
The Bible says, "Work as unto the Lord." And your everyday becomes exciting. Answering email is not just answering email. It's a princely work. Once you get excited about what you're doing, you know you're doing it for the Lord. Think of ways to prosper your company. A better way of doing things. And ask God. God is a God of witty inventions, the Bible says. Of creativity. He'll give you creative ideas. And your boss will look at you and say, "It's amazing. This guy has graduated from Harvard. And you're not even graduated from it. And you got this idea. This is amazing. I want you." He won't say it out loud. It's called favor. Amen.
What if they don't see all this, Pastor? Year after year. Ask God, is that the place for you? Amen. Maybe it's not. For Joseph, it was the prison. Sorry. But, over there, he became the head. And he rose all the way to be the right-hand man of Pharaoh. All to the favor of God. Are you listening?
When God gives you something, like, Asher sit down on the laurels. Become lazy. Even Deborah says, "You stayed by your sea coast, in your creeks." Very comfortable. Refuse to help your brothers and sisters. And there's a call in church for your service. And you are skilled in it. Whether it's filming, whether it's music, whether it's ushering, whatever it is. Give God time, and He will multiply time back to you. Amen.
You know, the fisherman gave Jesus the boat to preach from, because the crowd was pressing on Jesus. And Jesus looked behind, and it was the waters. Then He saw one empty boat, because the fisherman was repairing their nets. And Jesus went on the boat, and Jesus preached from there. It was Peter's boat. Later on, of all the boats down there, Jesus rewarded this boat. The owner of this boat, his name was Peter, with a net-breaking boat sinking load of fishes.
You give Him time on Sunday, He's going to bless all the time throughout the week, I'm telling you. It's the principle of the tithe. You give God the 10%, and He blesses all the 90%. Amen. That's your move. Praise the Lord. Amen.
Nothing you give up to God. God is beholden to no man. Just to think that He blesses you is not the same amount as your service even, or your sacrifice. It's so much more. Amen. You don't know what you're missing, because you evaded your duty. You do not know what riches could have been yours, because you omitted some responsibility. A simple person may come to you and say, "Can you assist us, help us in this?" And say, "I'm too busy." You do not know the riches that you have lost, that somebody else is enjoying.
Tyre and Sidon belong to Asher, not to the world. Later on, the three chapters, they became corrupted. Yes. And having a lot of money can do that to people. That's why be very, very careful when God starts to prosper you in the area of material prosperity. Don't become materialistic. Don't become a worshiper of money. Make sure money serves the Lord.
There are many people who are very wealthy in the Bible that serve the Lord. Amen. But the Bible says those that desire to be rich got to be aware. The dangers are there, and the dangers are plenty. Okay? But God wants you to be a good steward.
Judgment on Tyre and Sidon: Lost Inheritance
So, three chapters, Ezekiel 26 all the way to 28. You can go back and read about it. At first, God addressed, Ezekiel 28, real fast. God addressed what? "Son of man, say to the prince of Tyre." He's the prince of Tyre. But later on in chapter 28, you know who he addressed? This is chapter 28, sorry. But later on, he will address the king of Tyre. And then he says to the king of Tyre, "You were in the garden of Eden. You are the anointed cherub." Satan even took over the city. Because God's people did not take it.
And the king of Tyre is actually spiritual. He was a devil. And God says, "You were in the garden of Eden. You are the anointed cherub." Lucifer that fell. But here is the physical king, prince. "Thus says the Lord God, because your heart is lifted up, and you say, 'I am a God.' I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas. Yet you are a man and not a God, though you set your heart as the heart of a God."
Drop down. "By your great wisdom in trade." See, just because you all think, "Ah, I got great wisdom in trade." I've made a lot of money. Okay? So was Tyre. Okay? See the danger? Young people especially. "I want to make money. I want to make money." Think about the story of Tyre. Alright?
He says, "By your great wisdom in trade, you have increased your riches, and your heart is lifted up because of your riches. Therefore, thus says the Lord God, because you have set your heart as the heart of a God. Behold, therefore, I'll bring strangers against you, the most terrible of the nations. They shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom, defile your splendour. They shall throw you down into the pit, and you shall die the death of the slain in the midst of the seas."
Real fast, look up here. The first one that came was King Nebuchadnezzar. Destroyed the old city of Tyre. And again, the bow says, "You cannot conquer us. Our cities are fortified." You know, "You cannot conquer us." And he did. He destroyed the city, right? And turned it to dust.
And later on, they rebuilt the city, alright? All the way, they not only built the city, they also built an island city so that people like King Nebuchadnezzar cannot reach, and became like Singapore. They built the city on an island, okay? And what happened was that during the time of Alexander the Great, Alexander passed by the area and told them to surrender, okay? And he would let them go peacefully, okay? Let him take charge of that, that island Tyre now. Because this Tyre on the, on the sea coast is demolished. And they refused. They told them, "We are so powerful, you cannot reach us."
You know what Alexander did? He got all his men to take the, the stones and the ruins of the ancient Tyre and make a causeway. That's what I say, like Singapore. They made a causeway, all the way, and they built with defence force, alright? A wooden tower for arrows and all that. And they built and they built and they were shooting them all the time as they built, all the way until they succeeded. And they, they call all the allies that, of the places they have conquered, Alexander, and they conquered Tyre.
But why all this happened? God says, because of this. This is before Nebuchadnezzar came. And God mentioned Nebuchadnezzar here. But here He didn't mention Alexander. But Alexander is mentioned in Daniel. Alright? He's destroyed. But why? God's judgment. Because He said, "I am a God. I'm so rich. There's nothing I can do. I'm so rich." Amen.
Money is powerful. Amen. Does that mean God is not, God is against you having money? No. That's it. Poor cannot help the poor. In fact, you got to have more than enough to be a blessing. Right or not? In fact, this whole place, Tyre and Sidon was supposed to be under the influence of godly teachings. Amen. Of prophets, men of God.
Does that mean God has forgotten His dream? I close with this. For Tyre and Sidon. Jesus says in Matthew 11, "O Chorazin and Bethsaida, if the mighty works that were done in you were done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes." And guess what? He did one of the greatest miracles. Feeding... Now, watch this, huh? Feeding the 5,000. Remember? 12 baskets left over.
And before the day ended, He crossed. A lot of things happened. He crossed the sea, the Lake of Galilee. On the other side, what happened? People all came and when they touched the hem of His garment, they were all healed. That's how the story ended. You know what happened the next day? The Pharisees rejected Him.
Then we follow the story from here. He says, "Jesus went out from there." Where is the "there"? The chapter before tells us, He was by the Lake of Galilee. He just did the loaves and fish miracle, as well as also healings, provision and healings. Come on. Come on. If you want to be strict about it, nah, that's health, wealth. The five loaves is provision. With 12 basketful left over, more than enough. Alright? What is healing after that? Health.
But you make it so dirty, like, "Health and wealth. Oh, they preach the health and wealth gospel." Hey friend, there's no such thing as health and wealth gospel. There is the gospel of grace and peace. But it produces provision. It produces more than enough so that you can be a blessing. And then health. Yes, soundness.
That's why we don't accept. You know, the moment you are recovering, thank God for all the areas that are healthy. And thank God for every improvement. Yes. Like the kingdom principle, thirtyfold, sixtyfold, hundredfold. Amen. But don't accept that sickness could be God's will for you. Don't accept that. Amen. Believe God. Believe God for children. IVF is wisdom from God given to someone. What was that, Pastor? Okay, I just felt like saying that. I just felt like saying that as well. Okay? Don't think it's something, you know, outside God's means. There are many medicines that are God's mercy. Because a lot of people do not know how to use faith. God is a good God.
Jesus Reaches Tyre and Sidon: Grace for the Lost
Okay, Jesus went up from the Lake of Galilee area and departed to the region of Tyre and Sidon. You know how far is it? Look at the map again. Look at the map. Can you see the Sea of Galilee? Jesus went all the way to Tyre and Sidon, 130 miles. And He went there. Along the way there, no miracles recorded. No, nothing was recorded. He came back from there. Something happened there, of course. He came back from there, back to the Lake of Galilee. No miracles recorded. Nothing was done.
So obviously, the destination has something to do with it. We went to Tyre and Sidon. And this, follow the story. Behold a woman of Canaan. Remember Canaanites? They took over the whole area. Alright? They came from that region, Tyre and Sidon. And she cried out to Him, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David."
And she called Him Son of David. Now, during this time, the Gospel was for the Jew, the house of Israel. Later is for the whole world. But Jesus' first coming is for them to accept Him, and then He will be a blessing to the entire world. But they rejected Him. But at that time, no one can call Him Son of David. Only Jewish people can.
God's Purpose for Israel and the Warning Against Pretense
What's God's purpose in raising the Jewish people? So that they can be a lighthouse to all the world. Amen. God wants them so blessed that they can be a lighthouse to all the world. But God says, "If you turn away from Me, you'll become a testimonial for the whole world of the negative."
I'm bringing this to a close. Are you with me so far? And behold, a woman came and cried out to Him, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David." She's coming as pretense. She's pretending to be a Jewish woman. Then Jesus, look at this, drop down, "He answered her not a word. And His disciples came and urged Him, saying, 'Send her away, for she cries out after us.'"
But He answered and said, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel." Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me." Now, this is a difficult passage for a lot of people to understand, unless they understand that she came in pretense. The Lord cannot bless you in pretense. Because if He blesses you in pretense, you will think that He doesn't know, but you deceive Him, and then you got the blessing from Him. But then you will always feel like you stole something. You will never feel loved by Him.
The Danger of Hypocrisy and the Love That Sees Through the Veil
More than healing, He wants you to know He loves you. And when you pretend, you're never sure the person loves you. That's why first date, then you get married, cannot. You cannot. They must see the good, the bad, and the ugly. Not just clean this wood. You must see all the rest. The ugly one as well. Right? Are you with me so far? Amen?
So, if you are a hypocrite, and you come to the Lord, and you're a hypocrite, that's why Jesus hates this sin of hypocrisy. He hates it. Why? Because you put this veneer, and if you get the blessing from the veneer, you never feel love. But when He tears away the veil, sometimes it seems quite harsh. He tears away the veil, but it's not harsh. It's actually love. And then you realize He loves you. He knows who you are.
You had had five husbands. And the one that you have now is not your husband. And still, she saw the love in His eyes. He's talking to her. And then you feel love. She wasn't being real, okay? So, and when you cannot understand the Lord, trust His heart. She knew His heart. She knew it's not time for the Gentiles to receive the blessing, but I know His heart. I know there's a lot of love there, a lot of mercies, a lot of... And He answered, "I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."
From Pretense to Authentic Faith: The Canaanite Woman's Breakthrough
She came and worshiped Him now, saying, "Lord!" No, no more Son of David, no more pretense like a Jew. Only Jews can say Son of David. "Lord, help me!" She's being real. "Lord, help me!" And Jesus said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little puppies." Okay? The word there is puppies. Puppies belong where? In the house. There's not wild dogs out there.
He's giving her a way out. It's not time for the Gentiles' blessings yet. Amen. It's a time of Israel's blessings. But then He gave her a way out. It's not right to take the children's bread from the table, give it to puppies. You see the picture? And then she says, "Yes, Lord, even... Yet even..." She keeps on calling Him what? "Lord now." Amen. That's her right. She can say that, "Lord." "But He is Lord of all the earth."
"Yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their master's table." You say, "I'm a puppy." I'm a puppy. I take my place. Amen. But even puppies eat the crumbs that fall from the master's table. Jesus answered and said to her, "Oh, woman." You know, to say "Oh," before the word "woman," means like… Have you found that Jesus in the Gospel is very hard to surprise him or to shock him? But here He's like, "Oh, woman, great is your faith."
Great Faith Rewarded: Healing and the Children's Bread
You keep on trusting My heart. You knew that I won't let you down, even though it is not time. So it's like Jesus reached into the future, dispensation of grace, and took that healing and gave it to her. Remember the promise? Out of Asher will come what? Rich bread. Children's bread. And even a crumb, just a crumb from this bread can heal the daughter. "Woman, great is your faith. Let it be to you as you desire." Her daughter was healed from that very hour.
Now, I'll close by saying this to you. Today, you are children, not under the table. You're not puppies. When Jesus churns bread, it's actually you now. We're all the children of God now. Amen? We don't eat crumbs. We eat the children's bread. You understand? But bread is once a while, for them even, their staple diet, like our rice. Right? Is it once a while or every day? I'm not talking to those who are on carnivore diet and keto. I'm talking about normal people. I'm talking right? Chapati, bread. In Israel, it's bread. Is it daily?
If you are sick, I encourage you, receive bread daily. Because He says children's bread. Receive it until the manifestation happens. Okay? Jesus likens healing to the children's bread. That means eat bread. Eat bread. Eat bread. By the way, this is the reason why I think you should not lower your cup too much. No matter how modern science becomes, right? Someday, somewhere, they'll say, "Oh, we just realized very low carbs is quite dangerous." God says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word." That means man does live by bread. But not alone. But by every word from God's mouth, so I suggest, please eat bread. Okay.
Grace for the Lazy and Compromised: Jesus Comes to You
I don't have time anymore. I got to stop here. I got to stop here. Just when it's getting exciting. I got to stop here. Amen?
Now, do you know something? Even if you can't possess your possessions, this is how the story ends. Asher was lazy, comfortable. Even, even when there was a war, Barak was sent by Deborah, the prophetess who went and fight, and the victory was won. Deborah sang a song, the prophetess, that Asher "continued at the seashore." What an indictment. It's lazy.
But even when you're lazy, under grace, Jesus will come to you. Even though it's 130 miles, He'll come to you. Even though you have compromised. Even though you have compromised. Even though you're not qualified. He went all the way for a Gentile woman. And you are part of the children. Not even a Gentile. How much more would He do this for you? And He is the bread of life.
The Cost of Shirking Duty and the Promise of Anointing
Don't sit down one day and see other people enjoying what could have been yours. Amen. If somebody took the bread from Jesse, David's father, to bring it to the valley of Elah at the right time when Goliath appeared, I do not know. He might be king. I do not know. But he, he wasn't shirking his duty. Amen.
You never know. You never know what you have lost because of shirking your responsibility. Evading duties. Somebody else will come in, of course. God is not hard up. He will bring in someone else. When Judas fell, all the disciples in the upper room quoted this verse from Psalm 69. "Let his office another take." You know what it means? God is not hard up. You don't want that office. Somebody else will take it. And take your blessings and grace and favor with it.
And He will dip His foot in oil. Oil man for you. Anointing man for you. I'm done. Praise the Lord. Okay. Listen, we might continue this series, okay? We might. There's so much here, so much I haven't shared yet. We are on the tip of the iceberg. Amen. Is it helping you? All right.
Invitation to Salvation and Call to Be a Channel of Blessing
Every head bowed, every eye closed. Real fast. If you have never received Jesus Christ and acknowledge Him as your own personal Savior and Lord, the Bible says, "Confess with your mouth Jesus as your Lord. Believe in your heart God raised Him from the dead. You are acquitted. You are justified." If that is you, say this with me right now.
Heavenly Father, I confess, Jesus Christ is my Lord, my Savior. Christ died for my sins, and on the third day He was raised from the dead when I was acquitted in Him. Thank you, Father. Now baptize and fill me with your Holy Spirit. I am the righteousness of God in Christ. In Jesus' name. Amen.
Stand to your feet. Praise the name of Jesus. Remember this, we see the dangers of materialism and greed, but that doesn't mean God doesn't want you to learn to be a channel of blessings and give and give. Amen? Amen. Praise the Lord.
Prayer for Power to Get Wealth and Stewardship
I feel like the Lord is saying there's an anointing to prosper people. You shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth. I think He wants to give you all power to get wealth. Okay? I didn't prepare for this. As I stood up here, I felt the Lord saying that. Amen? Lift your hands.
Father, you know, Lord, those whose hearts, Lord, that you will see, Lord, they will be faithful. They will be stewards, not given to avarice or covetousness or greed. You see their hearts that you have prepared, Lord, by your grace. You can trust them, that by your grace, Lord, they will steward over your great possessions, that they'll be a channel of blessing.
And now, Father, I ask in the name of Jesus as you have instructed me, Lord, according to your Word. Grant them. Grant them, Lord, everyone under the sound of my voice, whose hearts you have prepared to receive this. Grant them the power to get wealth from this day forth. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
And now, Father, I ask in the name of Jesus as you have instructed me, Lord, according to your Word. Grant them. Grant them, Lord, everyone under the sound of my voice, whose hearts you have prepared to receive this. Grant them the power to get wealth from this day forth. In the name of Jesus. Amen.