Derek Prince Ministry

[who_am_i]

https://www.derekprinceindonesia.org/resources/daily-devotional/daily-devotional

July 16, Finding Our Place

 https://cdn.subsplash.com/audios/9S2SS4/f1b1c66f-1cbe-4324-843c-474d8febb6da/audio.mp3

 
I am a member of the body of Christ.

Proverbs 27:8 says, “Like a bird that wanders from its nest is a man who wanders from his place.” Have you ever seen a bird that got out of its nest and could not get back in again? Nothing is more weak and pitiful than that. This image aptly illustrates what it is to be out of your place. I have counseled many people whom I simply had to tell, “One of your problems is that you are not in your right geographical place. This is not the place where you ought to be. You will never really flourish until you find your place.”

However, “your place” is not primarily a geographical location; rather, it is a place in God, a place in the body of Christ. Scripture says that every one of us should be a member of the body. As a member, each one of us has to fit into the right place for that member. A hand looks ridiculous at the end of a leg. A foot looks ridiculous at the end of an arm. You have to find out what kind of a member you are so that you will fit into the place that is appropriate for you.

    God…has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began.     (2 Timothy 1:8–9)

That is a tremendous passage, almost unsearchable in its depth. It says that God “has saved us,” but it does not stop there. There is no punctuation; he continued immediately, “and called us.” To be saved is to be called. There is no one who is saved but not called.

There are multitudes of Christians who are saved and do not know their callings. But it is not because they are not called. When you are saved, you are saved to a calling. You will be frustrated and unfulfilled until you find and fulfill your calling.

Thank You, Jesus, for making me a part of Your body. I proclaim that I find my place and my calling in You. I am a member of the body of Christ. Amen.

[who_am_i]

https://www.derekprinceindonesia.org/resources/daily-devotional/daily-devotional

July 17, We Need One Another

 
https://cdn.subsplash.com/audios/9S2SS4/723f6db8-2a41-4279-9dfe-8eb8dbfbc432/audio.mp3
 
I am a member of the body of Christ.

In Ephesians 1:22–23, Paul provided a picture of God’s people here on earth. He said, “The church…is His [Christ’s] body.” Paul developed this theme in 1 Corinthians, saying, “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually” (1 Corinthians 12:27). He used various examples from the physical body to emphasize the fact that, as Christians, we are all interdependent; we all need one another.

The most complete and authoritative picture of the church as the body of Christ is given in Ephesians. It is most significant, therefore, that throughout this epistle, Paul spoke consistently of Christians in the plural. He had virtually nothing to say to or about individual Christians. (See Ephesians 1:3–12.) A careful reading of the rest of Ephesians will confirm that this is the book’s message from beginning to end. There are no promises and no prayers for any individual. Only in the last six verses is there one brief exception: Paul closed by asking for special prayer for himself.

This focus on the collective body of Christ comes to its climax in Ephesians 6:10–18, where Paul spoke about our spiritual warfare. In verse 12, all the key words are in the plural—both those that refer to God’s people and those that refer to the opposing forces: we wrestle against principalities, powers, rulers, and hosts.

Depicted thusly, spiritual warfare is not a conflict between individuals, but a vast war between opposing armies. There is no room here for “lone rangers” pursuing their individual goals. Victory will require controlled and concerted action by God’s people, working together as members of one body. This will demand discipline and a readiness to submit to scriptural authority.

Thank You, Jesus, for making me a part of Your body. I proclaim that I am not alone, but I take my stand with the rest of the body of Christ, for I am a member of the body of Christ. Amen.

[who_am_i]

https://www.derekprinceindonesia.org/resources/daily-devotional/daily-devotional

July 18, My Specific Place

 
https://cdn.subsplash.com/audios/9S2SS4/28a95e95-b724-4783-adcc-6a4379cfbee8/audio.mp3
 
I am a member of the body of Christ.

Jesus said that if we have “faith as a mustard seed,” we can move a mountain. (See Matthew 17:20.) It is not the quantity of your faith, but rather the quality, that matters. Faith is given to those who are realistic and humble.

Why does God give you a specific measure of faith? (See Romans 12:3.) Because He has a specific place for you in the body of Christ. He has ordained you to serve a specific function as a specific member of the body of Christ. The faith He has given you is designed for your position in the body. If God wants you to be a hand, He will give you “hand” faith. If He wants you to be an ear, He will give you “ear” faith. If He wants you to be a toe, He will give you “toe” faith. But if you are a toe and you are trying to be a nose, there will be a complete imbalance between what you are trying to do and the faith that you have. The reason is not that you do not have enough faith, but that you are trying to use your faith for something for which it was not meant to be used. It was given for the specific job and place you have in the body of believers.

My hand does a wonderful job as a hand. It opens my Bible, turning the pages. It does most everything I ask of it. But if should I try to do those jobs with my foot, I would be in trouble.

If you are always struggling for faith, you are probably trying to do the wrong job. You are a hand trying to be a foot, or a foot trying to be a hand. This is God’s way of guiding you into your place.

Thank You, Jesus, for making me a part of Your body. I proclaim that God is guiding me into my specific place, for I am a member of the body of Christ. Amen.

[who_am_i]

https://www.derekprinceindonesia.org/resources/daily-devotional/daily-devotional

July 19, Knit Together

 https://cdn.subsplash.com/audios/9S2SS4/a76f4f30-81b0-4a05-ae97-f6d2a6ed1001/audio.mp3

 
I am a member of the body of Christ.

Paul pointed out in 1 Corinthians 12 that each member depends on the other. No member is independent of the others. The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you.” The head cannot say to the foot, “I don’t need you.” Even the weakest members can be the ones that are actually the most important.

No member of the human body is more vulnerable or sensitive than the eye. Yet few, if any, are more valuable. Notice how carefully nature has protected the eye all around. The primary function of several other areas of the face is to protect the eye. But the eye gets all that protection and honor not because it is strong, but because it is weak. This is the way the body has been knit together. The strong must protect the weak. We cannot ignore or despise any member of the body of Christ, big or small, strong or weak.

This principle is true of the members of Christ’s body. We need one another; we depend on one another. We must honor one another. When one member suffers, the others suffer with it. When one member is honored, the others are honored with it. (See 1 Corinthians 12:26.) That is the nature of the universal body of Jesus Christ, the church.

Thank You, Jesus, for making me a part of Your body. I proclaim that I am knit together with other members—and I honor them—for I am a member of the body of Christ. Amen.