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Tuesday, April 30, 2019

Because of His Love


Because of the Lord's great love, we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness! 
—Lamentations 3:22b-24 (NIV)


Scripture takes on a deeper meaning as I study the Grace of Jesus. New Testament verses bring a greater revelation of what He accomplished for us on Calvary. As I look at the impossibility of man to meet Old Testament law by human means, I’m increasingly amazed at the incredible gift Jesus has given us. Once we had no hope, but now we do. Before the Cross nothing we did was good enough; now Jesus has made all things new. Where once approaching a holy God would bring destruction, now, because of His great love on Calvary, we aren’t consumed. Because Jesus exchanged His righteousness for our sin, we are free to approach God without judgment. 

Many believers live in fear of the Old Testament God of retribution. They believe He wants to punish them for every mistake they make. They can never live perfectly so they continually strive to reach impossible goals and feel condemned when they can’t. Jesus took the punishment that we deserved and opened the arms of His Father to us. He is our “Abba" father. We have a relationship of the most profound personal intimacy. However, so many believers don’t grasp this. The love of Jesus—His Grace—is the greatest gift in the history of humanity. God loved us so much that He sent His Son to be what we could never be—a perfect sacrifice for our sins. Jesus wasn’t sent to condemn us, but to save us.

Then what does it mean for you to have an intimate relationship with God? When you understand what He has given you at Calvary, you yearn to know more and more. Nothing separates you from His love. You unashamedly run into His presence. You tell Him the worst about you and rejoice with Him over the best. You are always in awe that His compassions never fail. Every morning they are new! His faithfulness never ceases to astonish you. Because of the Lord’s great love, you have Jesus.


© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/because-of-his-love.html


 I will be gone through May 9 on vacation. I pray His love gives you a deeper revelation of His precious grace. 

Monday, April 29, 2019

The Stolen Identity Lie


The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.
—John 10:10 (NLT)


         “And through it all, through it all,” we sang in church on Sunday morning, “my eyes are on You. And through it all, through it all, it is well. And through it all, through it all, my eyes are on You. And it is well with me” (© Warner/Chappell Music, Inc, Bethel Music Publishing).

         Is it well with you? No matter what happens are you filled with His peace which goes beyond human understanding?  Or has the enemy attempted to convince you that you no longer belong to Jesus Christ—that you are forever separated from His love? The enemy is the thief that longs to steal and kill and destroy the assurance of your identity in Christ. His purpose is to convince you that you have no hope. If you have a perfectionist mentality, he doesn’t have to try very hard. You find it is easy to condemn yourself. You are used to not being good enough. 

         Jesus doesn't see you the same way you see yourself. He sees you through His finished work on the Cross. Jesus sees you pure. He sees you healed and whole. He sees you sinless. You belong to Him. You have His identity. The thief will always try to steal your assurance that Jesus has saved you. As Smith Wigglesworth once said, “The devil is a liar. If he says you are not saved, it is a sure sign that you are.”

         How do you stand against the enemy that lies about your identity and steals your peace and joy? You stand strong when you know who you are in Jesus. When you grab hold of the miracle of the cross in your spirit, you begin to live the power of Jesus’ resurrected life. His righteousness, which was born in your spirit when you accepted Him by faith, transforms the way you think. It changes your attitudes and your perception. When you have a spiritual understanding of His grace, you “put on your new nature, created to be like God—truly righteous and holy” (Ephesians 4:24, NLT).  When you have claimed this new nature as your own, you know who you are. Satan cannot plant stupid lies in your head. He is defeated by the power of Jesus’ grace flowing in your life. His love on Calvary changed everything. His grace abounds. It covers all your failures—your need to be perfect. Only Jesus was perfect, and the grace of His perfect sacrifice has set you free.

         God’s purpose is to give you a rich and satisying life. That life is defined by His peace and His joy instead of the enemy's lies of guilt, shame, and fear of punishment. Jesus has redeemed you. He paid for your sin. He took your punishment. He took your fears, guilt, and shame to the cross. You are forgiven. Allow the Holy Spirit to encourage you with His blessed assurance. Quit trying so hard to be perfect or “good enough” when your precious Savior has already saved you. There is nothing you have to “do, do, do” to be accepted. You don’t have to earn His love. Just “be” who He says you are. Get to know the “real” you in Jesus.

         Why would you ever let the enemy mess with your head until your promise of a spiritually satisfying life in Jesus is destroyed? Your identity is not stolen. Satan can only make you believe it is stolen if you allow it. Put on Jesus’ nature. Put on the mind of Christ, and be transformed in your perception and understanding. You will then discern what the enemy tells you for what it is—an attempt to separate you from the assurance of God’s love. God sees you through the finished work of His Son on the cross for your sins. What you call ugly, He sees as righteous. If you allow His mind to transform yours, you can stand firm and rebuke the lies of the enemy. All the power of heaven is yours. The reassuring peace of the Holy Spirit will reign in your life no matter what happens. The lies of the enemy will become like distant thunder. 

         Are you tired? Nothing you have tried has worked? Are you hungry for peace and joy? Where can you begin to learn your identity in Jesus? You might start with 2 Corinthians 5:21. 

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/the-stolen-identity-lie.html

         

Friday, April 26, 2019

Receive


We have received God’s Spirit (not the world’s spirit), so we can know the wonderful things God has freely given us.
—1 Corinthians 2:12 (NLT)


God wants to reveal Himself to you. He doesn’t want to hide the amazing revelation of His Spirit from you. God's Spirit that Paul mentions in today’s verse is the Holy Spirit, and that is just who Jesus said would come at Pentecost to teach us all truth. Pentecost came, and the Holy Spirit descended. The mighty rushing wind of heaven arrived on earth and came to live in those who believed.

Do you believe that Jesus works miraculously beyond your human understanding? “The wind blows wherever it wants,” John wrote. “Just as you can hear the wind but can’t tell where it comes from or where it is going, so you can’t explain how people are born of the Spirit” (John 3:8, NLT). Just as the incredible way that a person is reborn of the Spirit, no one can tell another person how he receives spiritual understanding from God. 

The Holy Spirit opens the Word to you so He can reveal the beautiful things that Jesus has freely given you. These things might be free to you, but there was a cost so that you might receive them. Jesus paid the price for your sin so that you can receive His forgiveness and righteousness. This is news that is too good to be true—news that humbles you before a Savior so filled with compassion that nothing kept Him from the Cross. Because of His grace, Jesus fills you to overflowing with new life and the amazingly fresh perspective of the Holy Spirit.

You can receive from the Holy Spirit! He never stops imparting wonderful truths to you. He never stops encouraging you. Perhaps the reason you might not be hearing from the Holy Spirit lies in the fact that listening to His voice means you have to be quiet—to give up control and your preconceived agenda. You surrender to receive from Him. To receive His truth you take hold of what He offers. You trust and believe by faith. You let go of your human understanding so that you can receive His supernatural things. 

Do you realize that you have the mind of Christ? By faith, you received it the day you accepted Jesus. Take hold of His mind and receive beyond your natural mind’s ability! You have the Holy Spirit! Listen to Him! Surrender to His love! Grow in His truth and His grace! 

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/receive.html

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Who We Are


“Let me ask you this one question,” Paul asked the Galatians. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort” (Galatians 3:2-3, NLT)?

Sometimes we, too, are foolish. Did we receive the spirit of Jesus Christ by just keeping rules? Of course not! We received the Spirit when we believed by faith. Striving to keep rules perfectly can never save us from our unrighteousness! However, unknowingly, some of us still strive to earn the gift of His love. Some believe they are not acceptable to God unless they keep working to be perfect. They know in their hearts that they could never earn the gift of His love, but they live differently. They are on a treadmill—never understanding what they received when they asked Jesus into their hearts. 

Why do we keep trying to be perfect by our own efforts? Instead of seeking to know who we are in Christ—how the gift of His life changes us—we live as if we haven’t experienced His grace at all. Grace sets us free to live the righteousness that He has unselfishly won for us. That grace wasn't free. It cost Him everything. When we don't live the freedom He earned on Calvary from the rigor-based performance trap of not being good enough, we make His grace cheap. We say that it wasn't enough. We strive to meet the requirements of the law He fulfilled on Calvary and then feel condemned when we aren’t good enough.

“So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus,” Paul wrote, “and because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death. The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature. So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:1-4, NLT).

When will we get this? When will we understand that the Holy Spirit doesn’t bury us with condemnation?  Knowing who Jesus says we are is critical. HE FORGIVES US! WE HAVE RECEIVED HIS BLAMELESS LIFE FOR OURS! He paid for our sin and set us free. When we understand this truth, we shall live in the freedom that Jesus won for us on the Cross. His unconditional love will change our attitudes, our hearts, and our minds. We will see through the eyes of grace instead of judgment. We will know that Jesus has given us new life! We shall love because He first loved us! We will give because He gave to us!  We will be free to serve Him without hesitation—not out of any requirement, but because He loves us so much!

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/who-we-are.html

Wednesday, April 24, 2019

No Fear


Such love has no fear, because perfect love expels all fear. If we are afraid, it is for fear of punishment, and this shows that we have not fully experienced his perfect love.
—1 John 1:18 NLT


         The perfect love of Jesus drives out all fear. This verse clearly states that if we are afraid, we are fearful of punishment. Those inundated with fear feel plagued with thoughts that they deserve punishment. “I can never be good enough—I can never do enough to make up for what I have done—I'm so ashamed that I failed."  Do you realize that as you think you are is what you are?

         Because of Jesus' love for you, His child, on Calvary, you don't need to be overcome with feelings of guilt and shame. Jesus saw you in your sin, and He died so you would not only be free of it but also the emotions that accompany it. He declared you whole and healed. Jesus died to set you free from the reminders of the enemy that you are in debt to God—that there is something you must do to be in right-standing with Him. You can never be good enough on your merit, and striving to prove you are is self-defeating! You belong to Jesus! You are in right-standing with God! You can be free from all fear. It is His promise to you. The Lord wishes to perfect His perfect love in you—to get you to the point where His love, which defeats all fear, is as natural as breathing.

You received all of Jesus the day you asked Him into your heart. You received His perfect love. For you to grasp this, you have to allow Him to change your perception of who you are. He doesn’t see the failure that plagues you with guilt. He sees you pure and forgiven. He sees you through the eyes of grace. Until you grasp the depth of His forgiveness, you will forever fight the fears which accompany feelings of punishment—of not being good enough.

The love of God was perfected by Jesus on Calvary when He died for you. You can't develop it within yourself. You allow Him to change what you can't. You face your fears with a decision that He will conquer them for you. You decide that God is not waiting to beat you up because of sin or failure. He is waiting to love you with His perfect love. You keep choosing to believe, and He brings Resurrection power to fulfill it.

Allow His perfect love to change you continually, and you shall become stronger to stand against the lies of the enemy. You won't believe any negative feelings that arise from your consciousness to condemn you. His love becomes stronger in you and perfects you. Only His love drives out fear and gives faith to believe in His peace no matter how you feel. If you remain rooted in His Word and growing in His grace, perseverance will finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking in anything. You will choose faith over fear. Peace and joy will live in your heart and mind. His perfect love will flow like a river of living water—refreshing and empowering you to live by faith. Fear will have no claim on your life.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/no-fear.html

Tuesday, April 23, 2019

Foundational Faith


Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken. —Isaiah 28:16b (NLT)

Jesus is the precious cornerstone of our faith—a prized and valuable foundation. There, in Jerusalem, upon Mount Moriah where Abraham did not have to sacrifice his son, God sacrificed His. Upon Golgotha, Jesus accomplished His Father’s will. What He offered for us is without price. He, who had no sin—who was completely innocent—became sin, so that we might stand without fault before God. There, while the enemy waited for what he erroneously believed to be his victory, Jesus finally died. In that terrible moment, unbeknownst to all, the death of Jesus split the veil of the temple—giving us His father as our own and imparting freedom that would not be realized until three days later when creation breathed with the power of His Resurrection.

Upon the gift of His life for ours, the Holy Spirit builds our faith. Valued above all else, He is the reason for all we believe—all that we are. He was tested and tried upon Calvary, and there He won our Resurrection victory. He is the only sure foundation in which we trust—the only safe harbor in which we find refuge. The gift of His precious life calls for our response even though there is nothing He demands. His love was the only love ever forged and resurrected. His love gave without regard. Without hesitation, He died to rescue you and me.

New life burst forth on that Resurrection morning and claimed us! His grace set us free from God’s judgment for our sin and gave us His power to rise above the enemy’s attempts to destroy our faith. Nothing else is the truth, but Him crucified for you and me. Nothing else is worthy to build upon, but His life for ours. 

Jesus builds in us what we cannot grow in ourselves—a costly and precious faith that need never be shaken. He is our safety and our victory—if we believe!  And belief is our choice!  Belief is our action in response to the free gift of His love. In response to His love for you, believe in who He made you at Calvary. Believe in who He says you are. Walk without hesitation in the newness of His Resurrection life—rejoicing and praising God for the joy of His freedom.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019.04/foundational-faith.html

Monday, April 22, 2019

Peace of Mind and Heart

Peace of Mind and Heart


I am leaving you with a gift—peace of mind and heart. The peace I give is a gift the world cannot give. So don’t be troubled or afraid.
—John 14:27 NLT


Jesus spoke these words to His disciples the night before His death. He told them that he was leaving them with a gift of peace of mind and heart and not to be troubled or afraid over what was coming—about what they would not understand. The Holy Spirit speaks the same truth to you. Don't be frightened or troubled over what you don't understand.

How you crave this peace in a world you can’t control—in thoughts, you can’t control. But it is real, and it is the greatest gift Jesus can give you—this gift of faith that believes in what is not seen or heard or understood with your natural mind.  Peace comes when Jesus reconciles you to God. You are at peace with God because Jesus has paid the price of your sin and fulfilled the requirements of the law. The law only exposed sin. It didn’t wipe it away. It didn’t heal your heart. Jesus gave His life so you can have a new life, and have it abundantly—so you can wake up rejoicing in the day ahead no matter what that day may bring. 

“Christ himself has brought peace to us,” Paul told the Ephesians. “He did this by ending the system of law with its commandments and regulations” (Ephesians 2:14a,15a NLT). So why do you keep striving to be good enough according to the law and then feel condemned when you aren’t perfect? Does the law save you? No, only Jesus saves you. Only the Holy Spirit transforms your thoughts and renews you in the spirit of your mind! Your part is to surrender and allow Him to change you. You grow when you allow the Holy Spirit to teach you what it means to be blameless in the eyes of God because of Jesus’ love for you. Jesus, who had no sin, became your sin for this very reason—so you might become the righteousness of God. 

Suppose we seek to be made right with God through faith in Christ,” Paul told the Galatians, “and then we are found guilty because we have abandoned the law. Would that mean Christ has led us into sin? Absolutely not! I am a sinner if I rebuild the old system of law I already tore down. For when I tried to keep the law, it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God” (Galatians 2:17-19, NLT).

Paul said that when he tried to keep the law, it condemned him. Quit striving to be perfect on your own strength. It is self-defeating! Open your spiritual eyes to the freedom of His grace, and allow the Holy Spirit to mold your life. His grace is not a license to sin. That would only cheapen the precious gift of His life! However, you are free to live as He instructs—not because you have to, but because you love Him and want to. He has given you the freedom to choose. If you are tired of the emotions of roller-coaster days that run rampant and fears at night you can’t control, you can choose the freedom of His grace which was greater than your sin—greater than your failure—greater than the condemnation you live under because you don’t feel good enough.

Don’t be troubled or afraid. Jesus’ gift of righteousness is His gift of peace of mind and heart to you. Striving on your own strength is self-righteous and brings doubt that you have received His love and acceptance. That isn’t peace! That is strife! You have received His acceptance! He loved you without condition on Calvary. In His grace, peace of mind and heart are yours. Let go and allow Him. 


© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/peace-of-mind-and-heart.html


Friday, April 19, 2019

Dying for You

Dying for You


Is there something you believe God has promised but it hasn’t happened? Do you feel that God has abandoned you in your need? That He doesn't understand? How can the Savior who died for you not understand your pain? He is there for you right now. Lay your guilt, your discouragement, your suffering, your failures, your disappointment, and your heart at the foot of His cross, and look at Him.

_______


        “Why didn't it come true?” she cried. “I believed. I had hope.”

        He said nothing.

        “Do you even hear me?”

        “I hear you, child,” He said softly.

        “But I thought you promised.” Facedown, defeated and blinded by heartbreak, she laid on the ground beneath him on the cross, 

        “I’m dying right now,” He whispered. “Dying for you.”

        She could not look at him.

        “Look at me, child.”

        “What do you want from me?” she cried. “Just what do I need to do?”

        “Nothing, but look at me.” His voice, soft against the darkened afternoon, resonated with longing. “Please look at me.”

        She was afraid of what she would see.

        “All I ask is that you look. Is that too much to ask?”

        She had heard the weight of His body tearing the flesh surrounding the nails. She had heard those nails pounded into His hands and feet, but she had been unable to watch.

        “Why did you take my joy away?” she finally cried.

        “You lost your joy. I never left you. You looked at me so long ago, and then you dropped your eyes from mine.”

        She felt the pull of His love.

        “Look on me. My yoke is easy. My burden is light.”

        “I don’t want to feel your pain.”

        “I feel yours, dear child. I know yours.”

        She wanted to look up at him, but it would mean allowing His gift to claim her life.

        “Please…” He murmured.

        As thunder rolled suddenly in the distance, the cry of His heart resounded within her. Gripped by the moment, she raised her head. She barely saw His face—much less his swollen eyes—now closed in obvious agony, yet also in anticipation of imminent release.

        “Lord,” she faintly managed.

        His eyes slowly opened. Peering deeply into the crevices of her pain, her guilt, her shame, her fear, He ripped them from her heart, and took them upon himself.

        “Into your hands, Father, I commend my spirit,” He whispered and drew His last breath.

         Suddenly she could breathe. Her pain-filled heart was… free.

_______

Pain you feel now offers the promise of joy to come. Look at Him.


© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/dying-for-you.html

        



Thursday, April 18, 2019

Believe Him

I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
—Ephesians 1:19-20 (NLT)

If you honestly seek to understand something, it has the power to change your perception of reality—to show you that there is something more than what your physical eyes see or your ears hear. If you genuinely believe something, it becomes foundational in your life. You live it as truth. Now, what if that something you believe is God?  If you seek to understand Him, He has the power to change your subjective perception of reality to what the Holy Spirit reveals as truth. Paul writes in this letter to the Ephesians that he prays they will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power. This power lacks nothing. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. Belief is a powerful thing.

Your life is not a dead end. Your life sings with promise. Do you understand this? If you seek His truth, you will find His reality. You will believe, and that belief will change your perception. His power will permeate your life. You will see differently, hear differently, and understand with the incredible greatness of God that all things are possible. The same power that raised Christ from the dead will transform your mind so that believing is natural as breathing.

"Faith shows the reality of what we hope for," the writer of Hebrews imparts. "It is the evidence of things we cannot see" (Hebrews 11:1, NLT). Do you wish for a faith that believes in the incredible greatness of God's power? Seek Him. Choose to believe Him. Your perception will change, and you will understand that "no power in the sky above or in the earth below—indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8: 39, NLT). 

Nothing separates you from the love of God revealed through the grace of Jesus! God’s power resides in those who believe Him. His power completes your life and has no limit. Allow His grace—His truth to empower your life. Be taught by the Holy Spirit. Believe in Jesus who now lives in heavenly realms. He prays for you. He believes in you. Believe Him.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/believe-him.html




Wednesday, April 17, 2019

Softened by the Cross


Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude.

As believers, being of one mind is not the same as agreeing on everything. It does mean that you agree on the core issues of faith in Christ. Although you might have different perspectives, you seek unity. If we all had the same approach—the same viewpoint—the same idea, we could not envision God’s whole picture. Paul compared each member of the body of Christ to each member of the physical body. The hand can’t do much without the eye to guide it. The idea in a head can’t be expressed without the tongue to speak it. We, also, as members of the body of Christ, discover we need each other to become the whole that God intended.

For this to happen, a humble attitude is paramount. Sympathize with each over, and love each other as brothers and sisters. Without tender-hearted love, your way to do something consumes you, and pride, which believes your way is the only way, grows without limit. “Don’t be selfish,” Paul wrote. “Don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves. Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too. You must have the same attitude that Jesus Christ had” (Philippians 2:3-5, NLT). Do we get that? Are we willing to lay down our preconceived notions and listen to someone else’s perspective?

The idea that “my way is best” nurtures a critical spirit. Truthfully, at times we all fight a critical spirit. Some fight it easier and less often than others. But it is something we all must place on His altar. Jesus had the “best way,” and He had the answer. But the way He proved it was by laying down His life. He washed feet that didn’t see that less is more. He loved without receiving. He gave without hesitation. He extended us undeserving grace on the Cross. 

What if you believe that your way is best? And no one listens to you? No issue in the body of Christ is more important than His unselfish love—His amazing grace.  When you continually lay down your way—just as Jesus laid down His life—you exercise His gift of freedom. When you have no agenda, you have nothing to prove. Grace flows freely from a heart that has been changed and softened by the Cross. 

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/softened-by-the-cross.html

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Rejoice

Rejoice

God loves you! He doesn’t punish His children! Why would the Lord who gave His life for you deliberately make you suffer? The problem is that we live in a world that doesn’t know the Lord. The enemy lures those who don’t believe in Christ and attempts havoc with those who do. Life, although full of God's promise, can sometimes be very hard. There will be storms in life, but no matter the storm the Lord already has provision for your promise. Don't just wait for the storm to end. Choose to rejoice when the rain comes! Launch into the fury in faith—trusting the Lord to help you handle it with grace.

“Brothers and sisters,” Paul wrote, “whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things" (Philippians 4:8, NIV). You launch into the storm in faith when you think on God's good things. Dwell on what you know the Lord says is true. Think about what encourages and offers hope! Your storm has a positive aspect that can teach you something life-changing! It has the power to reveal something incredible! Give power to the positive in Jesus’ grace! Don’t dwell on the negative and give power to the enemy’s intent!

“Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice,” Paul also wrote, “and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9, NIV). When you asked Jesus into your heart, you were reborn with His mind—with His nature. But you must put on this new nature and practice it to be transformed in the way you think!. When you allow the Holy Spirit to change your mind, fear fades into the background. Instead, you rejoice in His faithfulness. You walk by faith and not by sight. You trust and believe. Peace reigns.

God is in the midst of your storm. He is the fourth man in your fire and the strength that holds your arm high above the battle. Jesus is the living water that quenches your thirst in that desert place. He is your song when no one else is singing. He is your victory! Rejoice in Him always—in the rain and in the promise! Never forget that He has overcome the world!

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/rejoice.html

Monday, April 15, 2019

Complete Me


When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—the moon and the stars you set in place—what are mere mortals that you should think about them, 
human beings that you should care for them? Yet you made them only a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
—Psalm 8:3-5 NLT


Just above the top of the trees, I see the full moon, round and bright, seemingly balanced on the edge of the horizon, revealing its place in the night sky. Beyond its area of illumination, stars twinkle, some glowing more brightly than others. The passionate beauty of this divine painting draws my heart. This is the work of your hands, Lord! I cannot fathom how you created it—much less how you created me. But you did. This heavenly canvas is your masterpiece, and that is what you also created me to be—your masterpiece.

You created me in your image and crowned me with your glory!  Why would the creator of the universe care so much about me?  But you did. Not only did you create me. You also gave the life of your Son so I might live with you forever. The creator of the universe—my creator—loves me enough not to demand my love! You give me free will to either deny or accept you. How can I not accept you—the God who created me—who loves me enough to lay down everything for me?
                                                                                              
Not only have you created and designed me, but you have created and designed my path in life. Youknow me intimately—my heart—my character—my capability—my greatest potential. When you lead me to do something, you do it with full knowledge of who I am. Hardship and circumstance will not pull me from your course. These only can refine me for a higher purpose. When I allow you to develop my life the result is glorious and rewarding beyond anything I can imagine. 

Just as the moon and stars I see in the night sky, I also am your creation. My life is your canvas. You began this faith and this work in me. If I continually surrender what I think needs to be real in my life to what you know is best, you shall perfect your love in me. I will know in my deepest being who you say I am. I am your righteousness—blameless in your sight because of your unconditional love. You birthed a masterpiece in me at Calvary, and you will complete it. The night sky is not the only work of your hands. So am I. Complete me.


© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/complete-me.html



Thursday, April 11, 2019

Just Believe


Jesus told them, “This is the only work God wants from you: Believe in the one he has sent.”

Quit striving. Just believe in Jesus. All things are possible when you believe. Peace and rest are real when you have faith. Power and strength are yours when you trust Him. The only work God desires from you is to believe in His Son whom He sent to die for your sins—to believe in the new life He has bought you. All He asks is for you to believe in Him. When your efforts (works) are born of self, anything you strive to do is never good enough in your eyes. You not only judge your own efforts but find yourself judging those of others. When born of His Spirit all things are possible, and any work for Him is an overflow of the grace He won for you. 

At Calvary, Jesus had mercy on you. While you were yet in sin, He, who was free from sin, took your sin to the Cross. He paid your debt. He set you free. Jesus always sees you through the unconditional love He gave for you. He continually intercedes on your behalf to His Father.  To Jesus, you are righteous—blameless in His sight. In your view, you can never do enough to be good enough. Just believe in the Savior He has sent. His grace is a free gift. Offered without hesitation for you, that gift cost Him everything. He thought you were worth it, or He wouldn’t have given His life. When you grasp the magnitude of His amazing grace—His gift of righteousness for your sin—you are transformed in the way you see, hear, and understand. You no longer perceive with the natural mind. You perceive His truth with the fullness of His grace. Just believe. He believes in you.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/just-believe.html

Wednesday, April 10, 2019

Nothing to Prove


So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus.  And because you belong to him, the powerof the life-giving Spirit has freed youfrom the power of sin that leads to death.
—Romans 8:1-2 (NLT)


Has the grace of Jesus transformed your mind to the place where you believe you are free from guilt and shame? If you have accepted Him into your heart, you are free of sin’s condemnation. Jesus forgives you! You can be repentant without crippling feelings of guilt and disgrace to prove that you are. God doesn’t want you to walk in defeat! Jesus died so you might have victory! There is no penance you have to pay. You are debt-free. His grace has freed you, and you can live abundantly in that freedom.

Don’t wear a badge of guilt to prove He forgives you! You don’t have to miserably exist to demonstrate it. You are no longer a victim. Jesus knows what He has done for you. He died to set you free from condemnation. You don't have to live in bondage and guilt for sin for which you have received His forgiveness. His grace paid your debt once and for all. There is no greater love than this—that He would give His life for you. No other love sets you free from the law that was unable to save you.

“The law of Moses was unable to save us because of the weakness of our sinful nature,” Paul writes. “So God did what the law could not do. He sent his own Son in a body like the bodies we sinners have. And in that body God declared an end to sin’s control over us by giving his Son as a sacrifice for our sins. He did this so that the just requirement of the law would be fully satisfied for us, who no longer follow our sinful nature but instead follow the Spirit” (Romans 8:3-4, NLT).

God did what the law could never accomplish! He sent His innocent son to deal with life in the flesh just as you have to deal with life in your flesh. Jesus understands your struggles. On Calvary, He became your wounded healer, and defeated the battles of your flesh. Declaring that sin no longer has control, Jesus fully satisfied the requirement of the law you were unable to meet. Where you once were weak, the Holy Spirit gives the power to live the new nature He has bestowed upon you. You have been made righteous only by His loving grace. 

The grace of Jesus finished its work on Calvary. Sin and death were utterly defeated. He fulfilled the obligations of the law. What does this mean for you? You are free from sin’s condemnation, and the righteousness of Jesus lives in your reborn spirit. Allow Him to complete His work in you so that you will believe what you have received from Him. When He forgives you, you are free. There is perfect peace in that truth! There is no guilt or shame you have to wear to prove it. Whom the Son sets free of sin, is absolutely free of guilt and shame. Stop wearing that badge. You have nothing to show. Live joyfully in the grace He has given His life for you to receive.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/nothing-to-prove.html

Tuesday, April 9, 2019

Walk by Faith


The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
—Romans 8:25-28 NLT


When I feel weak in my flesh, Lord, I’m really not. I’m strong in my spirit that you have claimed as your own. You help me, Holy Spirit. You pray within my heart what I can’t even put in words. You pray my real need—not what my mind perceives that need might be. You, the only one who knows me intimately and thoroughly, prays what is perfect to fulfill the purpose you have for me. My heart prays without my mind analyzing—without thoughts dictating my feelings. When you plead for me, I receive greater faith to believe your truth, and my shield of faith is strengthened to withstand the lies of the enemy.

I have two minds, Jesus—your mind and the mind of self—the spiritual mind and the human mind. Holy Spirit, you continually speak spiritual truth and encouragement, but so often, my human perception wipes out what you say. When I allow what I see and hear in this natural world to be greater than the spiritual truth you constantly send, then I walk in defeat. A double-minded man is unstable in everything he does or thinks or attempts. One mind will always take precedent over another. I don’t want to be the one who has trouble hearing and seeing what you reveal. I choose your spiritual truth over anything else that this world tells me is true. You always speak promise. 

No words describe the joy of you praying within my heart, Holy Spirit! No words portray the peace of knowing you own my heart, and that the things I go through in life work for your good. When I choose you over what I feel—when I choose your spiritual mind over my human mind—I believe in what the natural world says is impossible. I walk by faith and not by sight.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/04/walk-by-faith.html


Monday, April 8, 2019

As He Has Loved You


It is impossible to love God without the love of Jesus alive in you! You can’t love God enough with your own self effort. Making yourself love God would be of your own works and would be self-righteous. One day an expert in religious law asked Jesus what should he do to inherit eternal life. In return, Jesus asked him what the law said, and the law expert answered, “you must love the Lord your God with all you heart, all your strength, and with all your mind.” Loving God with all your heart, strength, and mind is the greatest commandment under the law according to Jesus. But Jesus came to fulfill the law, and with His love for you on the Cross and His gift of righteousness for your sin, everything changed. Loving God was no longer about how much you could make yourself love God. It was all about His incredible love for you that set you free. You now love because He first loved you. Just as the woman with the alabaster box, you realize how much you have been forgiven. When you know you are forgiven by Jesus, you love abundantly as He has loved you. Rivers of living water flow from Calvary through you—an unstoppable love that springs up from your spirit where you have been reborn.

 “This is real love,” John wrote, “not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10, NLT). You can’t work up a love for God either through feelings or by working enough to prove you love Him. Jesus also told the law expert that part of the law’s greatest instruction was loving others as yourself. Love is born in you at Calvary. When His Spirit lives in you, you can easily love God and unconditionally love others because He first loved you. Jesus gave everything for you. Nothing was of you. It was all Jesus. If you want His love to live in you and flow without regard, you need a revelation of the Cross—what His finished work on Calvary accomplished in your life. Don’t just talk about being free of sin. You are free of sin. Don’t work to be new work in Jesus. You are new in Jesus. You walk in NEWNESS of life. And that newness of life is not about your behavior. It is about your new identity in Him. Your newness of life is Jesus alive and living in you. His righteous Spirit has claimed your sinful one! When you realize how completely—freely and without judgment—you are forgiven, you know you are loved MUCH, and because of His incredible love you sin LESS!  You love Him as He has loved you.

“This way of faith is very different from the way of law,” Paul wrote, “which says, “It is through obeying the law that a person has life” (Galatians 3:12, NLT). The way of faith says that it is only through believing in Jesus Christ that a person has life. You have the new life of Jesus in you. Not from anything you have done, but from His free gift of salvation. Learn what Calvary has given you—a new identity. You have freely received His blameless life as your own. Be continually renewed daily by putting on this new identity until you are transformed in the way you think—until His revelation of grace breathes truth into your heart.

You are not loved because of what you have done. You are loved because of who He is. As He has loved you, you are free to love Him.

© Lynn Lacher 2019

Christ My Hope of Glory

  .   And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You. —Psalms 39:7 (AMP)   I wait [patiently] f...