SEEING JESUS IN THE WORD GIVES LIFE!

By Joseph Prince

Little Gabriel sat quietly on the sofa. His father, one of my

faithful leaders, had brought him over to my place for a
birthday celebration for one of the kids. But instead of running
around expending rambunctious, youthful energy, or
frantically pushing buttons on the latest gaming gizmo with the
rest of the children, I saw the bright-eyed boy reading a book
intently in a quiet corner.

A little curious, I went over to him to see what book he was

reading. To my surprise, he was reading the Bible! What a
precious sight it was to me. It touched my heart to see this
six-year-old boy showing a desire for Gods Word. But when I
bent down and looked closer, I realized that he was reading
the Introduction and Prefacethe very first few pages of his
Bible!

I couldnt help but smile wide and love the boy. I knew that in
Gabriels sincere desire to read the Bible, he didnt want to
miss anything. Every word of God was precious to him, and in
his young mind, it included the words in the Introduction and
Preface. He simply wanted to read his Bible from cover to
coverliterally!

This precious child was headed in the right direction, but he

certainly could do with some guidance, I thought to myself.
The last thing I wanted was for him to get bored, confused or
stuck in the Introduction and Preface, and say, Pastor Prince,
the Bibles boring!
So I said to the lad, Hey, Gabriel, youre reading the Bible.
Thats wonderful! Are you enjoying it? You know where I like
to start? I like to start with the Gospels. You can read about
Jesus our hero and all the amazing things He did. I brought
him to the Gospels and saw that he was all the more excited!

God's Word Supplies Life

You know, many of us arent very different from little Gabriel.

Many of us have a desire to read the Word, but were not sure
how to go about it. My friend, I encourage you to take the
advice I offered Gabriel: When you open your Bible, zoom in
straight on Jesus. Home in right on our beautiful Savior. Then,
you will experience life when you read Gods Word.

When you come to Gods Word desiring to see Jesus and you
find Him and behold Him in the Word, something special
happens to you. LIFE is supernaturally imparted to you. You
see, God is in the business of supplying life to every area of
your life. In the Book of Proverbs, it says that Gods words
are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.
(Proverbs 4:22) This means that if you are tired, reading
Gods Word will recharge and energize you. If you are
depressed, it will pull you out of the darkness of depression,
set your mind free and bring peace and joy. And if you are
sick, it will bring a flood of healing and divine health to your
body!

In fact, receiving Gods life includes experiencing revival and

resurrection in barren or dead areas of your life. Gods life is
what you need when you see signs of death in your
circumstances. Is your marriage failing? Have your dreams
been crushed or put on the back burner? Have your finances
dissolved into a sea of debts? Beloved, if theres death
operating in any area of your life, dont despair and dont lose
hope! Dont struggle, strive and scheme to make things
happen. Beloved, cast your cares to the Lord for He cares for
you, and just spend time in Gods Word to receive His supply
of life. His resurrection life will put that spark back into your
marriageturning plain water into intoxicating wine! It will
breathe life into your dead dreams or birth new ones in your
heart. It will cause a multiplication of loaves in your finances,
so that you will have more than enough for you and your
family!

See Jesus In The Word

There will be an impartation of Gods kind of health and life to

every area of your life. It comes not just by simply reading the
Word superficially, but by seeing Jesus in the Word. You may
ask, Well, Pastor Prince, all that sounds really cool, but what
does it mean to see Jesus in the Word? How do I do that so
that I can receive Gods supply of life?

Those are good and fair questions, my friend. Let me start by

explaining that contrary to popular opinion, the Bible is not a
book of rules for right living. No, the Bible is ALL about Jesus.
Every page speaks of Jesus, Gods Son, the object of His
delight!
Once, when my daughter Jessica was little, I asked her what
she thought the Bible was all about. I will never forget her
answer: Daddy, its a book about Jesus with a red string in it.
By red string she meant the long piece of narrow red cloth
that serves as a bookmark. But do you see Gods wisdom in
her words? Talk about God speaking to you through your little
ones! Simple yet profound! Yes, the Bible is all about Jesus,
but more specifically, it is about His loving sacrifice at Calvary.
The red string or scarlet thread represents the blood of
Jesus and His death on the cross. His blood has cleansed us
of every sin and His death has brought us abundant and
everlasting life! From Genesis to Revelation, our Bible has
one grand themeour Lord Jesus and His perfect sacrifice.

So you see, the Bible is not about us. It is all about Jesus and
what He has done for us. Yet, when you find Him in the Word,
you find yourself in Him for as He is, so are we in this world.
(1 John 4:17) You discover that as He is righteous, accepted
and favored before God, so are you. As He is full of health,
wholeness and life, so are you!

Beloved, I want to show you how when you see Jesus in the
Word, you experience His life. Jesus said these amazing
words, I have come that they may have life, and that they
may have it more abundantly. (John 10:10) He also said,
The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life.
(John 6:63) In other words, you allow Jesus supply of life to
flow in your life when you see or behold Him in the Word. This
is precisely how you are transformed from glory to glory. (2
Corinthians 3:18) As you keep beholding the Lord and His
glory, youll be transformedfrom sickness to health, from
knowing only lack to experiencing abundance, and from
having an unforgiving heart to having a joyful and loving heart.
Now, when I say see Jesus in the Word, I dont mean seeing
Him in the flesh or just reading about Him as you would read
a novel. I mean seeing His goodness toward you, His
manifold excellencies and glories, and especially His perfect
sacrifice for you.

Its Really All About Jesus

Many of the Bible stories, parables and even Old Testament

feasts and laws are actually about Jesus, His love for you and
His finished work at Calvary. The Bible is really all about
Jesus: He is the magnificent, watertight ark of salvation in the
ancient flood of Noah. In the story of Abrahams sacrifice, He
is the strong and youthful Isaac, who carried the wood (the
cross) up Mount Moriah (Mount Calvary). Then, on Mount
Moriah, He is the true sacrificial ram sent from the Father and
caught in the thicket.

In the life story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis, Jesus is our

heavenly Joseph. He came to His own, but His own did not
receive Him. Rejected by His brothers, He found comfort in a
Gentile bride, and became a blessing to the Gentile world. But
He has not forgotten His brothers, who will recognize Him at
His second appearance. Isnt this the story of Gods ancient
people, Israel? They rejected their Brother-Messiah, but will
acknowledge Him at His second appearance.

In the love story of Ruth, He is our heavenly Boaz, our willing

and most able kinsman redeemer. In the law of the Hebrew
servant, He is that faithful servant, the one who said, I love
my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,
and who was pierced and who remains a servant forever.
(Exodus 21:56)

In the Book of Leviticus, the details of His sufferings and

crucifixion are hidden in the details of the offerings. In the
Book of Judges, when Samson stretched out his hands and
pushed against the two pillars moments before his death
(Judges 16:2930), what do you see? The cross of Jesus!
Like Samson, Jesus accomplished more (against our
enemies) in His death than in His life on earth.

See Jesus Goodness, Grace And Love

Toward You

These are just some Old Testament examples of seeing

Jesus. He is in the Old Testament concealed, and in the New
Testament revealed. And although you can read plainly about
Him and His awesome miracles in the New Testament, ask
the Holy Spirit to show you glimpses of His gloryHis
goodness, grace and love toward you. See His glory, when
He stretched forth His hand and touched the leper before He
healed him, because our compassionate Lord knew that this
poor outcast had not been touched or hugged for a long time.

When our Lord raised Jairus daughter from the dead, He

wasnt too spiritual to forget the childs basic needs. While
everyone else was overcome with amazement, Jesus was
practical enough to tell the people to give the child something
to eat. And although this girls healing had URGENT!
stamped all over it, Jesus pushed time aside to minister to a
poor woman who had an issue of blood for 12 years. He didnt
want her to just take healing from Him and leave with a guilty
conscience. No, He wanted to meet this woman of faith face
to face, assure her of her healing, and let her know that she is
His beloved daughter. Thats our Jesusaltogether lovely and
glorious in His love for you and me!

The Emmaus Road Experience

My friend, you will feel like jumping up and running around

when the Holy Spirit unveils Jesus and His glory to you. Im
telling you, it gets my spiritual hormones bubbling and puts
goose bumps on my goose bumps! This is what makes
reading the Bible an exciting adventure. Theres so much life
imparted! Its not about how many chapters you have read or
how much Bible knowledge you have accumulated. Its all
about seeing Jesus and having a personal encounter with
Him. Its all about having an intimate relationship with Him and
receiving His generous supply of life!

I like to call this the Emmaus Road experience. When Jesus

opened up the Scriptures to two of His disciples along the
road to Emmaus, and expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning Himself (Luke 24:27), it
had a profound effect on the dejected disciples. Their hearts
burned within them with the warmth of Gods love as He
showed them how the stories, feasts and laws in the Old
Testament books were all talking about Him and His sacrifice
at Calvary.
And at the end of that life-producing Bible study, the disciples
were no longer a tired, confused and depressed duo. They
were divinely uplifted and energized, and even walked the
whole seven miles back to Jerusalem. Thats what seeing
Jesus in the Word and receiving His life will do to your body
and soul! (I talk a lot more about the Emmaus Road
experience in Chapter 15 of my book, Destined To Reign. I
encourage you to read it for more insights into this heart-
warming and life-generating experience of seeing Christ in the
Scriptures.)

Receiving Healing And Life By The Spirit Of

The Lord

Beloved, as you simply behold Jesus and His glory, you are
transformed into His image from glory to glory. You become
more and more like Jesus. He becomes your strength, your
wisdom and your holiness. He pours into you His love, joy and
peace, driving out every fear in you. You are not changed by
your self-efforts. It is by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians
3:18) If you read the context of this verse, you will see that
Paul also wrote, the Spirit gives life (verse 6) and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. (Verse 17) Thats why,
when you see Jesus in the Scriptures, you encounter His
Spirit, and His Spirit imparts life and liberty to you. If you are
sick, His life will swallow up that sickness and infuse you with
strength. If you are hooked on nicotine or pornography, those
chains will be broken and you will experience true freedom!
Many a time, just looking at Jesus in the Gospels has healed
me. Once, when I was down with a nasty fever, the Lord told
me to simply read about His healing miracles in the Gospels.
He even told me to forget the teaching or doctrinal aspects,
and to just focus on His grace, compassion and willingness to
heal the sick. So in the midst of my weakness, I plunged into
the Scriptures and soon found myself in the presence of the
Great Physician, the giver of life. I bathed in His love for me
and just saw His goodness and willingness to heal me as He
healed every single person who came to Him for healing. I
didnt have to wait too long before the fever departed. No
hands were laid on me and there was no worship music being
played in the background. Without fanfare, but simply by
reading the Word in the quietness of my room and soaking in
the love of Christ, I received His health unconsciously and
effortlessly.

Listen, my friend, if you are sick today, just open your Bible to
the Gospels and feed on Jesus in every healing miracle. See
His compassion, willingness and power to heal you. Dont get
caught up with the theology or dos and donts of healing. Just
receive the love of Christ and His abundant supply of healing,
health and life. Im telling you, in the presence of the Lord
there is fullness of joy and overflowing life! His joy is your
strength and His resurrection life will drive out that sickness!

Beloved, thats how you partake of the divine life and nature
of God. Thats how you make chronic fatigue and long-term
ailments a thing of the past. Thats how you walk in His divine
health, strength, vigor and life every day. So make a decision
today to open your Bible. Begin to seek and see the Lord. He
is your healer and provider. I tell you, you cant help but walk
in a greater measure of health and prosperity!
His Life For Persistent Conditions

Pastor Prince, Ive been doing that for the past week, but Im
still sick. Is there something wrong with me? What should I
do?

My friend, dont feel condemned because you are still sick

and dont give up on your healing. I knowand I want you to
knowbeyond a shadow of a doubt that your heavenly Father
wants you well. His will is for you to be healthy and strong! (3
John 1:2) Dont go by what you can see or feel, but by the
unchanging Word of God. His Word is truth and it supersedes
all the negative reports and symptoms. Keep seeing and
feeding on Jesus in the Word, even if the symptoms persist.
Just continue to read the Word, mixing it with faith as you
behold the glory of Jesus and His amazing love for you. You
will get better and better each dayfirst the thirtyfold, then the
sixtyfold and finally the hundredfold!

Maybe your challenge right now isnt a physical condition. The

answer is still the samewhatever your challenge or
weakness, however long theyve persisted, continue to see
the beauty and compassion of the Lord Jesus in the Word. If
youve been trusting God for a financial breakthrough, see
Him taking a paltry portion of two fish and five loaves and
multiplying it for people He had compassion on. As you feed
on His willingness and ability to take care of you, the same
miracle will manifest in your life.
Maybe what you want to see is a resurrection of romance and
love in your relationship with your husband or wife. So see
Him turning the water into wine at the wedding in Cana. Just
as He turned plain water into intoxicating wine for the wedding
couple (blessing them also with prosperity), He will do the
same for your relationship without you struggling to do it on
your own.

Open My Eyes, Lord!

My friend, I hope that I have ignited a fresh desire in you to

get into Gods Word. Are you ready for an exciting road trip to
Emmaus? Are you ready to receive an infusion of life and
experience glorious transformation? Then, start your
adventure with an honest prayer. Come to the Father and say,
Father, open my eyes to see Jesus in all His glory, beauty
and love toward me. I am ready for Emmaus Road. I am
ready to receive an impartation of life and be transformed!

Listen my friend, you are not just reading any book, you are
reading Gods precious love letter to you! So open your Bible
knowing that God loves you intimately and unconditionally
and wants to commune with you. When you realize that He is
your best friend and lover, its not hard to hear from Him or to
talk to Him. His Holy Spirit in you will open up the Scriptures
to you and guide you into all His loving truths.

Thats how I approach reading the Bible. I dont rely on my

own intelligence nor do I assume that the Scriptures will open
up to me just because I am a pastor. But I believe that God
loves me despite my inadequacies, and just like you, I need to
depend on the Holy Spirit. And while I have numerous Bible
study software, concordances, dictionaries and access to a
wealth of Bible information on the Internet, I dont depend on
these things. I may use them, but my dependence is still
completely on the Holy Spirit, the one who inspired the Bible
and who always bears witness to and opens our eyes to
Jesus.

Beloved, come to God and His Word like a little child, and
stand under the shower of His never-ending supply of life.
While you may already be familiar with many of the stories in
the Bible, read them again with fresh eyes, trusting the Holy
Spirit to show you Gods grace and compassion toward you.
You wont be disappointed. Gods Word gives life! You will
experience His abundant supply of life as you simply allow the
waves of His love and glory to wash over you!

Copyright Joseph Prince, 2010. All rights

reserved.