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Thursday, February 22, 2018

In Israel

Lord, I worship You…
Where you once walked, I now walk.
Where you once loved, I now love.
Where you once overcame, I now overcome.
Where you once rose, I now rise.

Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? ”
1 Corinthians 15:55

His Word

His Word is truth. His Word is life. His Word never fails. His Word is hope. His Word is promise. His Word is peace. His Word is faithful. His Word never returns void. His Word has purpose. His Word brings joy. His Word brings strength. His Word brings healing. His Word gives power. His Word is all I need for all that I face. I will study it. It reveals exactly what I need for life's journey.

Tomorrow I walk in Him.

Monday, February 19, 2018

Wings of Eagles

But those who trust in the Lord will find new strength. They will soar high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint.

Isaiah 40:31 (NLT)

Goodbye. Going to the Holy Land. 

Sunday, February 18, 2018

Israel

I am leaving in the morning for Israel for ten days. I will start posting devotions as soon as I am awake enough to do so when I get back!  Your prayers are appreciated.   I pray for all of you who read these devotions!  You make my passion for writing come alive.  


Saturday, February 17, 2018

Strength



Jesus never fails me. His promises are not dependent upon my ability, but only upon my accepting His will and walking in it. He gives me His assurance that though I may fail in what I attempt, ultimately His promise and purpose will prevail. When He chose Peter, He saw Peter's potential. He recognized not only someone who after denial and failure, would rise up to walk in His power and strength, but He chose Peter so that others who are frail and weak might realize that God's purpose is not limited by their weakness. My weakness given to God becomes His power in my life to achieve the potential He sees in me.

Often I feel weak, but I can’t go on feelings. When surrendered to Him, I am strong. Monday I leave for Israel, and it will be awhile before I return to posting and emailing devotions. I pray for the weakness of my human heart to receive every strength and purpose He has for me. I appreciate your prayers for my friend, Donna, and I, as we travel to the place where our lives began.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

Friday, February 16, 2018

Out of the Ashes



Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.
—Psalm 112:4 (NIV)

If you are struggling in darkness or circumstances beyond your control—if you live a virtuous life filled with compassion, you will not remain in that darkness forever. Light will dawn. His promise will come. You will climb out of that hole. His light will guide you safely through your battle—your turmoil—your pain—to His healing peace.

“Such people will not be overcome by evil,” the psalmist continues. “Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly” (Psalm 112:6-8, NLT).

Stand in His promise. When you belong to Christ, the evil of this world will not overcome your faith. And that faith may be as small as a mustard seed, but its strength will blossom in the midst of hardship. It would be wonderful if you only heard good news every day. Bad news is a part of life. You don’t need to fear bad news. God will take care of you. You can face whatever that news is. You can stand confident and fearless in spite of it.

“To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,” Isaiah imparts, “a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory” (Isaiah 61:3, NLT).  Evil does not win. His blessing will rise from that which tries to destroy. Not only will you rise from the ashes in His power and promise, you will remain strong, planted deeply in His purpose. Nothing that comes against you will defeat you. Out of the ashes, you will rise.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com

Thursday, February 15, 2018

Generous Wisdom



          When you face a trial, do you feel desperate and yearn for wisdom from God to handle it?  “If any of you lacks wisdom,” James writes, “he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given him” (James 1:5, NIV).  Do you feel overwhelmed by a hard circumstance and don't know where to turn? Turn to the Lord and ask for His wisdom. You will receive abundant insight to know what to do or not do in your situation.

Often we ask God why something has happened, and we don't hear an answer. We are not meant to know “why” in all instances. “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts” (Isaiah 55:9, NIV). God sometimes lets you know that you are not meant to know the reason something has happened. But when you ask in faith for His help, you can trust Him to give you divine wisdom to safely bring you through your circumstance.

          James not only instructs you to pray for wisdom, but he tells you to pray believing you will receive it. If you pray for wisdom and do not receive it, it is probably not because you do not have enough faith. The Word says that faith the size of a little mustard seed can move mountains. James identifies the problem as being “double minded”. Someone who is double-minded does not live for God, but expects God to answer his prayers. James says such a person is unstable in everything he does (James 1:8). God does not grant wisdom to a person who is double-minded. Such a person should not believe God is obliged to give him anything—let alone His infinite wisdom. On the other hand, when a single-minded person surrenders to God, and trusts in what the Lord imparts. His mind is stable. He surrenders his whole life to God, and lives only for Him. He is well aware that if he lacks God's support, he will fail. So when this single-minded person cries out to God for wisdom, He gives it generously.

          Do you feel you have faith the size of a mustard seed, but can't move your mountain? It is not your place to move your mountain. It is His. Focus on God's Word instead of your problem. Focus on His power and promise. If you give all your energy to your problem instead of seeking the Lord, you will be double-minded.

“You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast,” the Word instructs, “because they trust in you” (Isaiah 26:3, NIV). You become single-minded when you focus your mind and all your energy on Him. Your problem is never the real issue. Trusting Him is the real issue. When you completely surrender your life to Him, He generously grants you His wisdom to handle whatever comes your way. You learn that in quietness and trust is your strength (Isaiah 30:15).

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com



         

           

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

A New Command



Today’s Bible Gateway Verse
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.
—John 13:34-35 (NIV)

Love one another. It is not a suggestion. It is a command, and it is new because the One who has just spoken it is about to reveal its depth by giving His life. Not ever in the history of time has someone loved to this degree. Not ever before has a person, who has no sin, taken on the sin of the world out of the purest of love and given His life unconditionally. So this kind of love has never before been demonstrated. It is a new command because Jesus has prepared himself to offer it. Just before speaking this new command he has washed the disciples’ feet and revealed the one who will betray him and the one who will deny Him. He has made himself less, and then has revealed the human greed and deception living in human hearts. He knows they don’t get it. Gethsemane waits where the disciples will sleep, and Calvary waits for Him alone. And there mercy and grace with flow from the Savior who has just said, “Love as I have loved you.”

As He has loved us, we are also to love so everyone will know that we are His disciples—that we belong to Him. But what has happened to the mercy and grace that flowed at Calvary? Has it really changed us?  We say we love. We say the words. Yet so often we do as the world and bicker and argue among ourselves and find fault and hold grudges and judge. The new command that He confirmed—by giving up any “rights” and offering His life—has not transformed and renewed. We have not been renewed by the Holy Spirit in the spirit of our mind. We have not allowed the love of Calvary to transform us to its greatest depth and in its greatest purpose. We have not allowed it to set us free from self. And if we think “that’s not me”, remember that wasn’t Peter either.

This is a daily offering—laying down of self, and allowing Jesus to transform and renew. Self was crucified on Calvary. A new command was given—that we are to love as he has loved us. Allow the love that put you first on Calvary, to renew and fill your heart with His love and not your own. Human love is fickle, but His loves beyond measure—beyond fault—beyond “rights”.  It is the purest mercy and the unstoppable grace that conquers self. Cry out in surrender, just as Peter, “Not just my feet, Lord, but wash all of me.” The love of Calvary can’t be measured, but it can change our hearts and be lived.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com



Tuesday, February 13, 2018

He Waits



Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most. —Hebrews 4:16 (NLT)

Your gracious God waits for you to come to Him with a love that looks beyond your failures and sin and recognizes your need. He waits with a grace so forgiving and so complete that nothing can impede its power to change your life. When you come to His altar in distress and torment, your heart cries out for His mercy and for His help. Your spirit thirsts for His grace when your heart is strained to the breaking point. His mercy forgives, and His grace lifts you up when you have fallen down. You come to His altar—to the all-powerful, infinite, and sovereign God who can move mountains and change circumstances and lives.

He constantly waits for you at His altar. God yearns for you to love Him intimately just as He loves you. There, on your knees in complete surrender, you receive His forgiveness. There, you find freedom from sin that has imprisoned you. He lifts your head to meet His gaze, and you are lost in the love of His sacrifice. You receive His grace to meet any need. You are free in His forgiveness and love. He has redeemed your soul and all that has burdened your heart and tormented your mind. You rise in His grace and freedom. You rise in victory and joy. You rise in peace and purpose. You rise free from sin and free from self. You rise in His new life. You are set free by the Savior who—by His loving sacrifice at Calvary—opened His throne of grace to you. You rise in new life because you have knelt before Him and allowed Him to own your heart.

© Lynn Lacher 2018
www.lynnlacher.com




Monday, February 12, 2018

Missing



We had to celebrate this happy day. For your brother was dead and has come back to life! He was lost, but now he is found! —Luke 15:32 (NLT)

A few years ago I found a list of things that went missing from Mama’s room while she was in assisted care. It wasn’t unusual with so many residents, and the staff always found most of them. Shirts, slacks, towels—the things that were necessary from day to day to make her life complete would be missing. Now, not only Mama is missing. Daddy is too. There is no staff to return them to their place. They are both gone.

On that Resurrection morning, the women went to Jesus’ tomb, and discovered He was gone. He had died, and His body should have been there. They were told that He was no longer dead. He was alive!  But He was not there. Where could He be? I may miss Mama and Daddy, but they are still alive. Jesus has found them. One day I will find them again with Him. Missing them now anticipates their presence later. Missing them brings the promise of what is to come–healing of heart and mind and spirit. It is in the missing that I discover He has also found me.

Resurrection morning is for all who believe. Who you are certain is missing is only waiting to be found.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com


Friday, February 9, 2018

His Control



We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps. —Proverbs 16:9 (NLT)
We may throw the dice, but the Lord determines how they fall. —Proverbs 16:33 (NLT)

You and I don’t have the final answer. We don’t know the final outcome to circumstances in life. We make our plans, but the Lord determines what happens. We take a risk, but the Lord manages the ultimate result. When our plans fail, do we worry about what happens next? When we risk something for Him, do we worry about the outcome?  We have a choice to either trust Him or live in fear. Faith in Him or fear of life. It boils down to that. We either trust or we don’t. Often, we forget that we don’t exist in a void. God is actively involved in our lives. He has plans for us. They are plans for good and not disaster. He always extends a future and a hope (Jeremiah 29:11-12).

“Don’t worry about what tomorrow holds,” He promises. “Today is enough for you. Don’t dwell on what hasn’t even happened. I keep your future from you on purpose. Your faith is precious, and it cost me my life. Don’t sacrifice my love for you by not trusting me. Trusting and having faith in me comes by hearing and knowing my Word. It comes through an intimacy with me that creates absolute certainty in my faithfulness to you. Learn of me. No problem will be too great or horrible for you to handle. You will soar above whatever might come because you have waited on me instead of trying to take matters into your own hand. You have sought me. You have found my truth. You have taken my Word, and it has become your very life. No matter what your future may hold, it is secure in me. My ways are higher and greater than any other. Trust me—and nothing shall break the faithful confidence you have in my plans for your life.”

Alright, Lord, we will make our plans, and still have hope if life doesn’t turn out the way we think it should! We will abandon fear and walk by faith. We shall be thankful you are in control and responsible for us! You manage circumstances beyond what we understand. We choose to trust you.
                                                         
© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com

Thursday, February 8, 2018

Hope and Trust



I pray that God, the source of hope, will fill you completely with joy and peace because you trust in him. Then you will overflow with confident hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. —Romans 15:13 (NLT)

Have you ever watched the pendulum in a grandfather clock and observed its movement? It swings from one height to another carried by the weight of its purpose. Life also swings from height to valley and back to height again. However, unlike the steadiness of a pendulum's swing, life, when faced with hardship and pain, is often out of sync. Hope is lost, and when hope is lost, joy and peace are not far behind. You may try to stir up hope, but you soon discover you can never stir up a hope that lasts. The only hope that lasts comes from God, who is the source of all hope.

When we trust God, He fills us with His hope and not the facsimile we try to manufacture. Trust grows when we take time with Him, and seek to understand who He is and who He says we are. His Word is His truth, which inspires trust. It is His invitation to know Him intimately. When we allow His Word to transform our minds, then life with its problems, instead of robbing us of hope, encourages us that He has something greater for us. He has a plan. He has a purpose. His Word promises that if we follow Him instead of going our own way—if we hold on and not give up—then we will receive His promise. Understanding His truth encourages hope He renders. And with that hope, trust grows deeper roots. With trust in Him, peace and joy carry us safely through what otherwise might have destroyed. Confidence gains ground, and it overflows in our lives flowing into the lives of others who are hungry for what we have found.

When Paul prayed this prayer for the Romans, he prayed through the power of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit persistently seeks to pray from within our discouraged hearts. He continually offers the promise of His hope by trusting Him, instead of trusting our own strength. When trust in Him claims our moments, then we overflow with confident hope that never fails, but always believes in His promise.

“So do not throw away this confident trust in the Lord,” the author of Hebrews imparts. “Remember the great reward it brings you! Patient endurance is what you need now, so that you will continue to do God’s will. Then you will receive all that he has promised” (Hebrews 10:35-36, NLT). We want hope?  The Word makes it clear that trust in Him is the greatest part of the equation. So isn’t it time now to take this journey with Him?

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com

Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Trusting Him-Worth the Risk



Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.
—Proverbs 3:5–6 (NLT)
So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
—Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Are you ever consumed by fear? Struggling with little hope? Even though you may feel afraid and deserted, you aren’t. You can’t trust your feelings. They will often betray you. But you can trust what God says in His Word. He won’t betray you. His truth is unchanging. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever.

You may feel afraid. “Don’t be afraid,” God declares, “because I am your God. I haven’t given you this feeling of fear. I’ve given you my power and love so you can have a sound mind.” You may feel evil battering you. “Nothing that rises to defeat you will prevail!” God then says something that will cost you, but if you pay the price, you will discover greater faith. “Trust me—and don’t be afraid. If you feel weak, don’t give in to it! Move forward, and faith will meet you. You will discover my strength to carry you.”

Faith asks you to take a risk. It asks you to trust in something beyond your own understanding. It will cost you to trust in what you can’t see or feel. It will cost you to trust in God’s truth over fearful feelings. Faith is a decision. When faith is chosen over and over again—and you have continually acted upon it—feelings will fall in line with God’s truth. You will have trained your mind, your heart, and your very being to believe in God’s Word over what human emotion dictates. It is a battle to be won, and you can win it with your decision to trust Him and step out in faith. God promises to uphold and strengthen you.

Never allow fear to keep you from stepping out in faith. With one step forward, you will discover His strength. Give God a sacrifice of praise. Praise Him for the promise that His truth is greater than how you feel. “Trust me,” He says. “Don’t worry because I am your God. I will strengthen you and uphold you. You’re never alone.”  If you move forward in faith and persevere to do His will, you will receive what He has promised. Don’t just think about what might happen if you walk in faith. Allow Him to show you that trusting Him is worth the risk.

©2017 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com


Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Be Gloriously Adorned




Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They don’t work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are.  And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? So don’t worry about these things, saying, “What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?” These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need.
—Matthew 6:28-33 (NLT)

Toil. Work. Strive. Get ahead. Make more money. Have more, and want more. The world pushes us on, and we succumb to its siren call until life becomes a huge empty void of desire instead of the gift God intended. With that huge empty void to be filled, worry puts down deep roots, and we lose the spiritual understanding that the void can never be filled with the things of this world. The void can only be filled with Him.

In these verses in Matthew 6, Jesus explains how much God loves and cares for us. He tells us not to worry about what is ahead, but to have faith. The world worries about tomorrow. The ones who believe in Him should know better. If we will place God first—devoting our lives to Him with integrity and honesty—making Him more important than any need, whether real or perceived—He will meet our real needs. He will take care of us beyond what we ever imagined with our natural minds.

My father was raised a Quaker, and he was taught that simplicity of life was something to be sought. Joy and fulfillment were not to be found in how many things you own. They were discovered in how many wants you give up. We are only stewards of what we have. We do not own anything. My father left this life the way he came into it—with nothing he owned in the world, but with only what he had in Jesus.

Fill your empty void with His presence each day until the things you think you need are no more. Draw near to Him, and He will draw near to you. He will supply what He knows you need. The stock market may plunge or peak. Circumstances may whirl beyond comprehension. The government may play political chess, but you will remain secure in His plan for your life. He will not forsake you, and you will be dressed as the lilies of the field—gloriously adorned in Him.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com





Monday, February 5, 2018

For Me and You


Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
—Matthew 24:35 (NLT)

Before anything existed, the Word breathed Truth. God was the Word, and God and the Word were the same. God breathed life into the void, and His life brought light to all He had created. His light shone before anything existed, and it still shines, dispelling the darkness today. It can never be dimmed or extinguished. God sends forth His Word, and it always produces fruit. It accomplishes all the He desires, and it prospers everywhere He sends it.  His Word is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. Laying bare our innermost thoughts and desires, the Word convicts and promises life. It changes and molds the attitudes and hearts of men.

The love of God revealed in the Word is beyond any measure. It cannot be contained. Full of grace, brokenness knows healing—surrender experiences power—death discovers life. Nothing is impossible within the realm of God’s Truth. The Lord—the Word—the Truth—is the same yesterday, today, and forever.  Heaven and earth may one day disappear, but the Word of God will never disappear. Just as it existed before all time, His Word shall always stand. His Truth shall continue through the ages to change the hearts of men—His grace imparting forgiveness and freedom.

The Word breaks the bread of life, and reveals the heart of a Savior, who counting His life as nothing, gave it away as the ultimate gift of His Love. Whatever is good and perfect is a gift coming down to us from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his True Word. And we, out of all creation, became His prized possession. That is the miracle of His Truth—His Word—His heartbeat. Love lived, died, and rose again—for me and you.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com

Friday, February 2, 2018

Your Gift for His Purpose


There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
—1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (NLT)
                                                            
You have been given certain spiritual gifts by God. These are gifts that the Lord has chosen for you to help build and edify believers. Whatever spiritual gifts God has chosen for you, use each one for the benefit of the body of Christ. When using your spiritual gifts properly and in the way that the Holy Spirit desires, believers are encouraged, trained in righteousness, unified in purpose, and receive a passion to share the Good News.

Whatever gifts the Holy Spirit has bestowed upon you, allow Him to use them in your life. Don't neglect them (1 Timothy 4:14a). Only use them under His divine direction for His purpose. If they are not exercised in His power and in His anointing they will remain fruitless. No one will be edified. His purpose will not be served, and in fact, spiritual damage may be the result. You and I are absolutely accountable for the gifts He has given to us. What we do with each gift and how we use each gift reveals if God's desires are fulfilled or not. If you in humility surrender each gift to His hand, He will use each gift in your life to bring about His purpose. Through each gift, appropriately exercised in His power, lives will change. Believers will seek Him; prayer will become a way of life; the Word will bring life to dry bones, and the church will rise to become His instrument of power for greater service.

Your gifts are just that—gifts. He has chosen wisely for you. He knows you intimately, but for you to know and exercise the gifts that He has chosen, you must know Him intimately. You seek Him, and not the gift. You do not choose your gift. He chooses, and bestows as He wishes. He knows which gifts are the best for you. Love Him only. Open your heart to receive, and use what He pours into you. Don't ever neglect what He has chosen for your greatest potential. When you have experienced what He can accomplish through your surrendered life, you yearn to be consumed by all of Him. You cry out in complete surrender, just as Peter did, “Lord, wash all of me!”

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com


Thursday, February 1, 2018

Fly


 Our bodies are buried in brokenness, but they will be raised in glory. They are buried in weakness, but they will be raised in strength.
—1 Corinthians 15:43 (NLT)

Broken, you closed your eyes to this world.

Broken, you rose to know healing in heaven.

You drew your last breath in utter weakness—only to be raised in strength.

As I waited with others who loved you so much, you closed your tired blue eyes to this world to open them to the beauty of the next.

My eyes haven’t seen—my ears haven’t heard—my mind can’t fathom what God has prepared for you. But now you have seen. You have heard. You have experienced what we have yet to know.

Fly through vistas of which you only once dreamed, Daddy. Fly with Him forever.

You are free.

©2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com



Dominion Restored

    One of the most predominant questions for Christians and non-Christians alike is why there is suffering in this world. If there is a God...