These are notes on the sermon, Healing And Restoration For Your Mind, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 1 January 2023, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!
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Happy New Year! As we step into a new year, we might not know what the year holds. But we know the One who holds the year! We just have to put our hands in His hands. The Lord has gone ahead of you this year, making all the crooked paths straight (Is. 45:2). He will care for you and protect you from all the devices of the enemy.
“. . . a land for which the LORD your God cares; the eyes of the LORD your God are always on it, from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year.”
—Deuteronomy 11:12 NKJV
The context of this verse is about God’s care for the land of Israel, a picture of God’s love and care for His people. God cares for us from the beginning of the year to the very end of the year. We have a heavenly Father who loves and cares for us. If He cares for even the sparrows, surely He cares for us even more (Matt. 6:26)! His eyes are on us and on our families throughout this coming year, not to find fault but to lead, direct, bless, protect, and provide for us.
In the natural, the world seems to be getting darker and more dismal. We are beginning to see more signs of the end times e.g. plagues, diseases, and famine (recession) as prophesied by our Lord Jesus (Matt. 24, Luke 21). While the world might be entering into a time of recession, God will provide for His people and watch over them throughout this year.
“And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.”
—Matthew 24:6 NKJV
While it is easy to be afraid when we are faced with these signs of the end times, our Lord Jesus encourages us not to be troubled, but to lift our heads up because our redemption draws near (Luke 21:28). What redemption was our Lord Jesus referring to? Once we are saved, we are already redeemed spiritually. So this refers to our bodily redemption when He returns for us again (Phil. 3:20–21).
We still experience sickness, old age, and tiredness here on earth. But the finished work of our Lord Jesus at the cross has redeemed the tripartite nature of man—spirit, soul, and body.
We are spirits, housed in bodies with souls. The soul refers to our minds, emotions, and will. When God made man’s body from the dust of the ground, it was lifeless even though the body was made in His image. The body is temporal and only came to life when God breathed into it.
When we see how God first designed the earth to be, we see how He cares for us. When God made Adam, He made him last (Gen. 1:26) so that Adam could enjoy the fullness of God’s creation. He put Adam and Eve in the beautiful garden of Eden, full of goodness and devoid of any sicknesses, or pains. This shows us God’s heart for us to enjoy a perfect paradise, to be well and in health, and to freely enjoy everything that He has created for us.
When God made man, He also gave them free choice. Even though God had specifically told Adam and Eve not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil (Gen. 2:16–17) and even warned them of the consequences, death, they still chose to eat of that tree. Adam and Eve sinned, and the wages of sin is death (Rom. 6:23). As a result, man was separated from God and death came into the world—first spiritually then, physically. This is why we have to be born again (John 3:3), since our spirits are cut off from God.
Death was not part of God’s plan. In fact, God sees death as an enemy (1 Cor. 15:26). This is why the rapture is our blessed hope (Tit. 2:13) because it’s about our bodily/physical redemption! Even though we do not know the day or the hour that it will happen (Matt. 24:36), we can continue to look forward to the Lord’s return for us (John 14:1–3).
During the rapture, we will receive a brand new body (Phil. 3:20–21), an incorruptible body that is free from sickness and all the effects of sin (death)! This is forever because our Lord Jesus has already conquered death for us through His finished work at the cross (Heb. 2:14). The empty tomb and His resurrection are proof of our eternal redemption from death!
The finished work of our Lord Jesus at the cross redeemed our spirits, souls, and bodies. Our Lord Jesus redeemed us when He took our place at the cross, giving us His place of righteousness (2 Cor. 5:21). Today, God sees us in our spirits and our spirits are righteous because of the finished work of Jesus at the cross.
“But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.”
—Isaiah 53:5 NKJV
Not only did our Lord Jesus carry our sins on the cross, He also carried our sicknesses and diseases so that we can be healed! Healing is a promise for us today. We only need healing on this side of heaven because when our Lord Jesus returns for us, we will have a brand new body free of diseases. God’s heart is for us to be well—He wants us to prosper and be in health even as our souls prosper (3 John 1:2).
As Pastor Prince was preparing for this message, he received a word from God that God wants to heal our minds.
In the beginning when God made man, our minds were not forgetful. Many of us have accepted this as a norm of growing old, even making jokes about it. But this was not how God designed it to be, it came as a curse that came in when Adam sinned.
Our minds are part of our souls. It is where we can experience ailments like depression and forgetfulness. When one area(our spirit, soul, or body) is affected, it affects the others. For example, if our minds are restless, our bodies will produce disease. This has been proven by studies which have found that stress leads to sickness in our bodies.
How do we know that Christ has redeemed our souls? First, we need to understand that God made man tripartite, in His image (see Gen 1:26, Deut 6:4). God is one God but He is also a triune God, with three divine persons—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Like God, we are also tripartite. When Christ died, He redeemed the tripartite nature of man—spirit, soul, and body.
Going back to the word that Pastor Prince received, God wants to heal our minds! We need to acknowledge that forgetfulness is not normal for the believer, even though we often hear news and medical reports about this condition. Instead of saying “I’m getting old, I’m being forgetful”, let’s hold on to what God says about us, that we have the mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16) and His mind never forgets!
We appropriate God’s promises through faith. And we release faith by believing God’s Word in our hearts and speaking it with our mouths (Rom. 10:9). When God first saw darkness, He called forth light by speaking. He said “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). Similarly, we should also call forth what we want to see! For example, instead of saying “I am forgetful,” confess “I have the mind of Christ!” The more we speak forth God’s promises in our lives, the more we will see them manifest.
“The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.”
—John 10:10 NKJV
Before the thief can kill and destroy, he steals. When a thief steals, he usually steals what is valuable. The devil wants to steal the Word of God from us because he knows how valuable and powerful it is.
So how does the devil steal from us? Let’s take a look at the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:
“Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”
—Matthew 13:18–19 NKJV
The devil comes and steals the Word when we don’t understand it.
The devil doesn’t want us to receive God’s Word because he knows that the Word of God has the power to save and protect us from his attacks against us. He will try to distract us with worldly entertainment, or put barriers in our ways to stop us from going to church (e.g. by making us believe that church is boring). And if we do make it to church and hear the Word, he swiftly comes to steal the Word from those who do not understand it.
While it’s not wrong to enjoy entertainment, we should not prioritize it above God’s Word. Instead, we should hold on to God’s Word for it is what will produce God’s blessings, favor, miracles, breakthroughs, and healings in our lives. Just like how even the tiniest seeds can grow into big trees that can cut through pavements, the seed of the Word has the power to bring mighty results in our lives. This is why the enemy will always try to come quickly to rob us.
““Therefore hear the parable of the sower: When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside.”
—Matthew 13:18–19 NKJV
“does not understand it,” — The Greek translation for the word “understand” is “suniémi.” “Suniémi” refers to supernatural wisdom from God that will allow us to put two and two together, to have supernatural and uncommon insight and discernment.
“But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands (‘suniémi’) it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
—Matthew 13:23 NKJV
“Seed” — This refers to the Word of God.
“some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty” — This is a picture of a bountiful harvest. This means that when we understand God’s word, it produces powerful results in our lives.
“For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand (‘suniémi’) with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.’”
—Matthew 13:15 NKJV
“Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears . . . understand with their hearts” — Notice the pattern through which we receive God’s Word. It first enters through our ear-gates, then goes through our eye-gates, and finally drops into our hearts. This means that the more we hear and see God’s Word, the more it drops into our hearts. That’s where God gives us the understanding and revelation, the ‘suniémi’, that’s beyond natural reasoning and logic.
“So that I should heal them” — this line in the verse above tells us that when we receive and understand ("suniémi") the Word, God cannot but heal us! While there are times we do lay hands on the sick and they are healed (Mark. 16:18), God’s ordained way for us to receive healing is through us receiving revelation about our inheritance of divine health and healing in His Word.
“My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.”
—Proverbs 4:20–22 NKJV
“Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart” — Again, we notice the pattern of receiving God’s Word: first through our ear-gates, then our eye-gates, which then finally drops into our hearts.
How do we keep God’s Word before our eyes? One way we can do so is by visualizing the pictures in His word. God’s Word is full of pictures and visual descriptions of how we should see ourselves. For example, Psalm 1:3 paints a picture of a righteous man as a tree planted by rivers of water. The more we meditate on God’s Word by seeing ourselves as this luscious tree, the more God’s Word will drop into our hearts and we’ll receive fresh revelations of God’s promises for us!
“they are life . . . health to all their flesh” — This includes all areas of our bodies, from the crowns of our heads to the soles of our feet! For those who are struggling with depression, know that God wants you free. He loves you and His heart is for you to have peace in your mind and tranquility in your heart.
Not only do we receive health when we spend time in God’s Word, we also receive wisdom. God wants us to have wisdom. To God, wisdom is the principal thing (Prov. 4:7). Wisdom is independent of our intelligence; it is something that comes from God.
“For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver,
And her gain than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies,
And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.”
—Proverbs 3:14–15 NKJV
“And all the things you may desire cannot compare with her” — Wisdom is more valuable than all the earthly pleasures we can seek after.
“Length of days is in her right hand,
In her left hand riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness,
And all her paths are peace.”
—Proverbs 3:16-17 NKJV
With wisdom comes:
“In her right hand” — The right hand is usually our dominant hand. It is a picture of priority. This shows us that God’s priority is for us to enjoy good health and length of days!
“Peace” — The Hebrew translation “shalom”, which also means wholeness, completeness, and joy. Happiness depends on the right happenings but joy from the Lord is independent of our circumstances.
1 Kings 3 records King Solomon asking God for wisdom when he first rose to kingship. Solomon was at Gibeon when God appeared to him and asked what he’d like God to give him. This was Solomon’s response to God:
“Therefore give to Your servant an understanding heart (hearing heart) to judge Your people, that I may discern (‘suniémi’ – GRK) between good and evil. For who is able to judge this great people of Yours?” The speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.”
—1 Kings 3:9–10 NKJV
Of all the things that Solomon could ask God for, he asked God for an understanding heart! This prayer pleased God so much that God not only blessed Solomon with wisdom, He also blessed Solomon with blessings he had not asked for: riches, honor, and length of days (1 Kings 3:11–14). When you ask God for wisdom, you get everything else!
“So if you walk in My ways, to keep My statutes and My commandments, as your father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
—1 Kings 3:14 NKJV
Even though God promised Solomon length of days, Solomon died at a young age because he had turned away from God (1 Kings 11:9).
Under the Old Covenant of the law, certain blessings e.g. healing could only be received when the children of Israel kept God’s commandments. Our Lord Jesus fulfilled all the demands of the law when He took our place at the cross (Matt. 5:17, Col. 2:13–14), qualifying us to receive all of God’s blessings for us! Since He is the Son of the Father’s right hand and the blessing of the right hand is healing, healing is a blessing that we get to receive today!
“Then Solomon awoke; and indeed it had been a dream. And he came to Jerusalem and stood before the ark of the covenant of the LORD, offered up burnt offerings, offered peace offerings, and made a feast for all his servants.”
—1 Kings 3:15 NKJV
The first thing that Solomon did after he awoke from his dream was to go before the ark of the covenant and offer offerings to God. The ark of the covenant is a picture of Jesus. This shows us that when you receive wisdom, you will cherish the presence of the Lord!
Genesis 41 records the story of Joseph interpreting the dreams that Pharaoh had received from God.
“And the dream was repeated to Pharaoh twice because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass. “Now therefore, let Pharaoh select a discerning (‘phronimos’ – GRK) and wise (‘suniémi’ – GRK) man, and set him over the land of Egypt.”
—Genesis 41:32–33 NKJV
The Greek translations for the root word of “discerning” and “wise” are “phronimos” and “‘suniémi”, which mean “understanding or prudence” and “supernatural insight” respectively.
Joseph was able to interpret Pharaoh's dream not because he had natural talents, but because he had discernment and supernatural wisdom from God.
“So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. And Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Inasmuch as God has shown you all this, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be over my house, and all my people shall be ruled according to your word; only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you.”
—Genesis 41:37–40 NKJV
As Joseph interpreted Pharaoh's dream, he also gave him advice on how to handle the seven years of famine that were to come. God’s wisdom upon Joseph was so evident that Pharaoh promoted Joseph from a slave to the overseer of Egypt! This shows us that God’s wisdom can lead us to success.
The greatest wisdom is knowing Jesus’ love for us.
The book of Song of Songs is about King Solomon and his bride, which is a picture of Christ and His bride, the church. The analogy of a bridegroom and a bride is used because the union of newlyweds is usually the most passionate time of their relationship—this is the degree of the passionate love the Lord has for us!
“Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth—
For your love is better than wine.”
—Song of Songs 1:2 NKJV
“Kiss” — This speaks of nearness, and knowing God’s love for us personally.
“Your love is better than wine” — Wine is usually a celebratory drink. It is also a symbol of a time of great harvest, or prosperity. This means that the Lord’s love for us is better than all the earthly pleasures we can ever desire e.g. riches and prosperity. And His love for us is independent of the circumstances that we go through in our lives. Wake up every morning with the consciousness that the Lord Jesus loves you, and that His eye is on you!
“How fair is your love,
My sister, my spouse!
How much better than wine is your love,
And the scent of your perfumes
Than all spices!”
—Song of Songs 4:10 NKJV
“My sister, my spouse” — We are both the Lord’s sister and spouse.
“How much better than wine is your love” — Our love for the Lord can never compare to His great love for us. Yet, the Lord sees whatever little love that we might have for Him as something that is better than wine. He appreciates our love! Such is the magnificent grace and love of our Lord! He exceeds us in all areas, even in loving us, yet He is mindful of our love towards Him.
Pastor Prince ends the service by praying for the healing and restoration of our minds, and also over our three prayer requests for 2023.
“Heavenly Father, thank You for loving me. Your love is better than wine. Thank You for sending Your Son Jesus Christ, who died on that cross for my sins. He bore all my judgment and all my condemnation. All my sins have been put away when I was declared righteous by You. You raised Jesus from the dead and all my sins are put away. I'm totally forgiven because Jesus Christ is my Lord and my Savior, now and forever. Thank You, Father. This year, I step into 2023 greatly blessed and highly favored and You so love me. Unveil more and more of how loved I am by You, in Jesus' name, Amen.”
“This coming year, I pray over you and your families. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, may you and your families be in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow, the protection, the shelter of the Most High. A thousand may fall at your side, 10,000 at your right hand, it will not come near you. Whatever comes this year, it will not come near you. Recession or whatever it is, it will not touch and affect you negatively. In the name of Jesus, Father, I pray, Lord, You will unleash more than enough provisions, Lord, for Your people, not just for their own needs, Lord, but plenty left over to be a blessing to others, Lord, and for the gospel of Jesus Christ, that they not compromise, Father, on tithing, on sowing, and reaping, and giving to you, Lord because Your ways will never fail. Father, in Jesus' name, they'll become givers and blessers, Lord. Hallelujah, everywhere they go. And Father, I pray in Jesus' name, that this year be so full of favor, satisfied with the favor of the Lord. I pray that everyone under the sound of my voice, Lord, they and their families will be satisfied and be full of the favor of God. That people be drawn to them not knowing why just because of the favor of God that is upon you and your loved ones. Amen. The Lord protect you and your loved ones throughout this year. None of you will die before your time. You'll die only if Jesus tarries. If Jesus doesn't come back, you'll die when you are satisfied. In the name of Jesus', Father, in the name of Jesus the Lord, lift up His face on you, his smile on you, grant to you and yours throughout this year, peace. In Jesus' name, Amen.”
We hope these sermon notes blessed you! If they did, we encourage you to get the sermon and allow the Lord to speak to you personally as you watch or listen to it.
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These sermon notes were taken by volunteers during the service. They are not a verbatim representation of the sermon.
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