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Monday, September 30, 2019

Mustard Seed Faith


"You don't have enough faith," Jesus told them. "I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it would move. Nothing would be impossible."
—Matthew 17:20 NLT


         The disciples had just asked Jesus why they couldn’t deliver a boy of a demon that had possessed him, and this was his answer. They didn't have enough faith. All they needed was faith as small as a mustard seed for nothing to be impossible. They could speak to the mountain in that boy’s life, and tell it to move.

         What is that mountain you want to move in your life? You can tell it to move. Just as Jesus told the disciples, all you need is a mustard seed of faith.

         “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed planted in a field,” Jesus said in a parable. It is the smallest of all seeds, but it becomes the largest of garden plants; it grows into a tree, and birds come and make nests in its branches” (Matthew 13:31-32, NLT). 

         The Kingdom of Heaven resides within you. You received it when you were born again in your spirit. Your soul (mind) doesn't understand right away what Jesus has given you. Your mind doesn't understand the power of what you have received until you exercise it—again and again. It only took a mustard seed of faith for you to believe in Jesus, and that mustard seed faith grows as it transforms your mind and the way you perceive it. 

         Your knowledge of the faith you received at salvation may begin small, but it doesn't have to stay that way. With proper nourishment from the Word and prayer time in the Holy Spirit, your understanding of the power you received at salvation grows. Spiritual growth changes your perspective from what your natural mind sees to what God sees. When greater faith anchors your life, you believe in what Jesus has given you. 

         Seeds germinate in moist earth and push through the soil to find the light. Your faith germinates and sprouts, reaching for the light of His truth. That small seed develops and stands against the elements until it becomes a large tree. Circumstances of life bring greater growth instead of defeat, and your faith is nurtured when tested. The Word strengthens your mustard seed of faith as it transforms your perception. Your faith grows through prayer and praise. When you choose repeatedly to tell your mountain to move, your mustard seed of faith is answered by a Savior who loves you more than His own life. You begin to see what you have spoken. You believe it.

         Can you choose to believe in God's truth no matter how you feel? It takes the Word to be renewed by the Holy Spirit in your mind. Faith comes by hearing the Word again and again. You have the faith to hope in what your eyes can’t see. Jesus delivered the boy that day of his demon. He removed that mountain. He tells you that you can speak to your mountain, and tell it to move. It begins with a mustard seed of faith and what you choose.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Unmasked


Do you allow the Holy Spirit the liberty to transform your mind? Or do you mask your feelings and hold up a shield so others will not know that you, too, are human?  Where the Holy Spirit is there is freedom—with God and also with those He sends to you. He wants to heal you, but He can’t if you hide behind self-imposed walls of protection. Christ has the power to set you free from the “old covenant veil” you hide behind so others can’t see your pain. 

"We are not like Moses," Paul wrote, "who would put a veil over his face to keep the Israelites from gazing at it while the radiance was fading away. But their minds were made dull, for to this day the same veil remains when the old covenant is read. It has not been removed, because only in Christ is it taken away. Even to this day when Moses is read, a veil covers their hearts. But whenever anyone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away. Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom" (2 Corinthians 3:13-17, NIV).

Before you knew Jesus, a veil covered your heart. You were not free. You were in a prison of pain striving to be good enough—struggling to keep laws that had no chance of setting you free. Then Jesus destroyed that veil—that false protection which could never free you. He unchained you at the Cross when, in one moment, the veil that separated you from God was torn. Now you can run without hesitation into God’s presence. Jesus has opened access to the holy One who once judged you, but now sees you righteous because of His Son. Where there is no judgment, there is no need to hide. There is, also, no need to judge.

Don’t try to hide behind a mask from the Holy Spirit. It is impossible, and you only hurt yourself. He wants to transform the way you think until you understand with His mind—forgive with His heart—flow with His power—love with His Grace. Be free in Jesus. And don’t hide behind a veil from others. Let down your mask and be vulnerable with those God brings to you. Where Jesus is, you are free. You are healed. You are whole. You have nothing to hide. Nothing to gain. No agenda, but to love with His Grace. 

Where the Holy Spirit is, you have the liberty to open your mind and your heart to the truth of who you are in Jesus. He has made you righteous so you are free to run into God’s arms. You have the openness to give yourself away. When you flow—unmasked—in His Grace, streams of living water flow, and against such fruit, no law Jesus died to fulfill, has any power to destroy who you are in Him. Jesus will heal those He has entrusted to you. And also heal you. 

“And we,” Paul concluded, “who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit” ( Corinthians 3:18, NIV).

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/unmasked.html

His Word Heals


In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God.
—John 1:1 (NLT)
He sent out his word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death.
—Psalm 107:20 (NLT)
For he is sent by God. He speaks God’s words, for God gives him the Spirit without limit. The Father loves his Son and has put everything into his hands.
—John 3:34-35 (NLT)


Before the world was even created, the Word existed. The Word was God. It breathed with His eternal life. But we were alienated from our holy God by sin. Nothing we could do would heal our hearts of sin that separated us from Him. God sent Jesus, His only Son, into the world to die for us—to snatch us from the door of death. He placed everything into the hands of Jesus and wanted us to know that if we had seen Jesus, we had seen Him. Jesus, full of the Spirit, spoke the very breath of God. 

“The words I speak are not my own,” Jesus said, “but my Father who lives in me does his work through me” (John 14:10, NLT). God, the Father was alive in Him, and Jesus spoke the true breath of God—the Word. The purpose of the Word was fulfilled by Jesus on the Cross. The Word was God’s love that healed us. His love was manifested in all its glory. It is as simple as it is powerful.

When we believe in Jesus, we are healed—not only healed from sin but from disease and poverty. Where once we were poor in sin, we are now rich in Jesus’ love for us. God sent His Word in Jesus and healed us. The purpose of the Word was fulfilled on Calvary, and we are the adopted children of our Abba Father. We no longer face the wrath of a God who judges us. We live under the gift of Jesus’ precious and costly grace. 

Whatever you face in this life, Jesus has procured your healing on the Cross. He has purchased your peace. He has purchased new life for you and snatched you from the doors of death. We believe in Jesus by faith! Believe in what the Father has given you! 




© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/his-word-heals.html

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

His Peace


Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.
John 14:17 (NKJV)


This world can be draining. Stress pulls you in so many directions until you feel shattered into pieces. You crave peace above anything else. Escape is never the answer. There is no hope in escape—no peace of mind and heart. But, please, don’t despair. Don’t be troubled or afraid. Jesus left you a gift when He gave you peace with His Father. When your mind is changed by the truth that God is no longer your judge, but your Abba Father, you understand what that peace means. You can’t feel peace in your heart until God’s truth transforms your mind—until His truth changes the way you think. 

Your circumstances will never be perfect. This world will never give you peace. But you know that already. You have tried to make things right and failed. You have been attempting to make yourself perfect and realized the impossibility of that battle. You have strived and struggled until fear has claimed your heart and mind. Jesus waits for you to come to Him and give Him your circumstances—your despair—your fears. When you allow God’s truth to mold your mind, then your attitude toward life changes. You don’t see life’s hardship as something to destroy you but something which strengthens you. You see possibilities instead of problems.

The Holy Spirit has come to teach you God’s truth. He is with you always whether you feel Him or not. The world can’t receive peace with God because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He dwells in you. He always calls you with hope and promise. He always reveals His reality instead of what you see. 

Grasp this truth. You can never change what happens—just like you can never change your own heart. Only Jesus changes hearts and circumstances. He has loved you with an everlasting love and has drawn you in loving kindness. God has plans for your life—plans that don't disappoint but give you great promise. The hope He gives never leads to disappointment. The world only loves you when you please it. Jesus loves you in your pain—in your fear—in your misery. He makes right what you don’t have the strength to make right. Escape is never your answer.

Jesus reached down to you from the Cross and said: "it is finished." He gave His life so that you can have a new life. The Holy Spirit reaches to tell you that your pain is finished. Your heartbreak is finished. Jesus is your answer.

You are loved, friend.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/his-peace.html


Monday, September 23, 2019

My Savior


God is a safe place to hide, ready to help when we need him. We stand fearless at the cliff-edge of doom, courageous in sea storm and earthquake before the rush and roar of oceans, the tremors that shift mountains. Jacob-wrestling God fights for us; God-of-Angel-Armies protects us.
—Psalm 46:1-3 (MSG)


He is my refuge—my place of safety. He is my anchor—my confidence in my time of need. He is all this and so much more. What do I ever face that He can’t and won’t handle? Because of Jesus, I stand without fear. I stand courageous before the unrest of today and the unknown of tomorrow. No storm of life can shake my assurance in Him. My world may surge with circumstances beyond my control, but they are not beyond His. No shock is too great to defeat my faith in His unchanging truth.

He is my Savior. His grace is my gift of righteousness. The same God whom Jacob wrestled, also fights for me. I may feel the wound of failure, but I am not defined by it. I become stronger because His grace reveals His truth to me. I am not a failure. I am no longer wounded because Jesus was wounded for me. Jesus has already won my salvation. My Savior—the God of the angelic host—fights against my enemy. Jesus wins battles that are beyond my comprehension—some of those battles of which I know nothing. But I don’t need to know! The peace of Jesus in my life holds me safely. I don’t fight anything in my past, present, or future. 

I can rest in this truth. Jesus, who won me at Calvary, still fights for me. There is nothing for me to do but believe.


© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/my-savior.html

Be Free


If Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.” Now to him who works, the wages are not counted as grace but as debt. But to him who does not work but believes on Him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is accounted for righteousness, just as David also describes the blessedness of the man to whom God imputes righteousness apart from works: “Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin.”
—Romans 4:2-8 (NLT)

Guess what? There is nothing you can do to justify (make yourself right) with God. If Abraham thought what he did made him right, he had nothing to boast about before God. Abraham believed God, and God credited it to him as righteousness. Believing in Jesus Christ is what saves you—not working to get right with God. If you try to work to make yourself right with God, what you earn in God’s eyes is not counted as grace, but as debt. But if you BELIEVE in Jesus Christ, who by His grace on Calvary makes you right with God, your FAITH in Jesus makes you righteous in God's eyes. You are justified by FAITH—not by what you try to do to be good enough.

Do you remember Paul and Silas in jail? Paul and Silas were in stocks and chains. As they sang praises to God, the foundations of the prison shook. Stocks opened; chains fell off; doors opened. But no one left. Waking and seeing the prison doors open, the jailer believed that the prisoners had fled. He was ready to kill himself when Paul called to him that they were still there. The jailer ran in fear to Paul and Silas and then brought them out. He asked what he had to do to be saved. Paul told him to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and he and his household would be saved. (Acts 16:25-31)

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you are saved. Chains loosened! Sin destroyed! Your punishment is paid for by Jesus! You have no debt! You are saved by His grace—not by your works. You don’t have to prove yourself to God. He has approved you from the Cross. Live the amazing grace of faith in Jesus, and others will come to know Him. His grace sets you free from the jail of guilt and shame. You can get off that treadmill and believe Him. The jail doors are open.

David described how blessed is the man to whom God gives His righteousness apart from any works. He prophesied of the grace of Jesus that was to come. "Blessed are those whose lawless deeds are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall not impute sin."

Have faith and believe in Jesus! Works will flow out of your belief—not works that strive to make you right with God but works that flow from being right with God. You can’t “do” free. You can only “be” it.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/be-free.html





Friday, September 20, 2019

Only Jesus



Dear brothers and sisters, here’s an example from everyday life. Just as no one can set aside or amend an irrevocable agreement, so it is in this case. God gave the promises to Abraham and his child. And notice that the Scripture doesn’t say “to his children,” as if it meant many descendants. Rather, it says “to his child”—and that, of course, means Christ. This is what I am trying to say: The agreement God made with Abraham could not be canceled 430 years later when God gave the law to Moses. God would be breaking his promise. For if the inheritance could be received by keeping the law, then it would not be the result of accepting God’s promise. But God graciously gave it to Abraham as a promise.

Why, then, was the law given? It was given alongside the promise to show people their sins. But the law was designed to last only until the coming of the child who was promised. God gave his law through angels to Moses, who was the mediator between God and the people. Now a mediator is helpful if more than one party must reach an agreement. But God, who is one, did not use a mediator when he gave his promise to Abraham.

Is there a conflict, then, between God’s law and God’s promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God’s promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ.

—Galatians 3:15-21, NLT


Why am I tackling this long passage of Scripture?  If I could teach on all of Galatians 3 in one devotional, I would!  And perhaps you won’t find this exciting. But it is to me because Paul teaches I’m now under grace and not under the law. I’m free from the law. I don’t have to perform according to rules for God to accept me. When I believed in Jesus Christ, I received God’s approval and promise of freedom.

The covenant God made with Abraham is irrevocable. God gave the promise to “Abraham and his child.” The "Abraham and his child" to which the promise was given represent Abraham and his descendant, Christ. The agreement with Abraham is one of grace. There was no law Abraham had to keep to receive it. If the law had been in force at that time, some of the things Abraham did would have broken it.  There was no law until it was given to Moses 430 years later on Mount Sinai. And that law given to Moses didn't cancel the covenant of grace that God had given to Abraham. If it had been canceled, God would have broken his promise. Abraham's covenant of grace is still in force—just as the law is still active. Abraham’s covenant of grace is received by faith through Jesus Christ, who perfectly fulfilled the requirements of the law. Abraham's faith in God was credited to him as righteousness. Jesus, as our perfect mediator, has met the requirements of the law and set us free. We are heirs to Abraham's promise, and faith in Jesus is credited to us as righteousness. Jesus has paid what the law requires. We live in His grace and not in debt.

The law only exposes sin. It doesn’t make us righteous. We are made righteous by faith in Christ. Those who depend on the law to make them right with God are cursed because they can't entirely keep the law. They erroneously believe that their good performance will make them acceptable to God. Only faith in Jesus sets you free from the condemnation of the law! To perfectly keep the law (which is still active just as every other covenant made by God is active) you can't fail one rule. If you fail once, you have failed over 600 laws. Only Jesus could perfectly mediate for our payment. He was our perfect sacrifice. He became the curse for us because we can’t save ourselves! In Jesus, we are free from having “to do” to be saved. We believe by faith, and faith in Jesus makes us righteous to God.

“Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses?” Paul asked the Galatians. “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? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it” (Galatians 3:2-4, NLT).

What about you? Are you striving to be perfect when Jesus has made you righteous by faith? You can't make yourself righteous by keeping a law. That becomes self-righteousness. After accepting Jesus as your Savior, why do you bear the weight of guilt from sin, which Jesus bore for you on the cross? Have you experienced the grace of Jesus for nothing? When you understand who you are in Jesus, you are forever changed by the Holy Spirit. Living for Jesus doesn't come by self-effort. It comes from the gift of His life for yours.

“The law was our guardian until Christ came.” Paul wrote. “It protected us until we could be made right with God through faith. And now that the way of faith has come, we no longer need the law as our guardian” (Galatians 3:24-25, NLT). 

If you believe the Good News of Jesus, you are accepted and approved by God. Jesus has made you worthy. Nothing you do makes you worthy.

“You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus. And all who have been united with Christ in baptism have put on Christ, like putting on new clothes. There is no longer Jew or Gentile, slave or free, male and female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus. And now that you belong to Christ, you are the true children of Abraham. You are his heirs, and God’s promise to Abraham belongs to you” (Galatians 3:26-29, NLT).

You are heirs to God’s promise of Jesus! By faith, you are saved! Nothing of yourself!  Christ makes you free!  Nothing you do gives you freedom!  Allow Him to teach you who He has made you! That is the answer to live for Him! Seek truth in His Word, and see how it reveals the promise of grace in Jesus Christ. He is your answer. Only Jesus.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/only-jesus.html







Thursday, September 19, 2019

You Pray



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 8:26-28 NLT


         Thank you, Holy Spirit, for always giving me your strength in my weakness. You pray from within my heart. You pray the real need—not what my mind perceives that need might be. You, the only one who knows me intimately and completely, pray what is perfect to fulfill your truth. My heart prays your will without my mind analyzing—without thoughts dictating my feelings. When you pray within 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—the mind of Christ 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 (self) 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 regularly send, then I walk in defeat. You constantly speak promise. A double-minded man is unstable in everything he does or thinks or attempts. One mind will always take precedence over another. I don’t want to be the one who has trouble hearing and seeing what you reveal. I choose to believe your spiritual truth over anything else that this world tells me is true. 

         No words describe the joy of you praying within my heart, Holy Spirit. No words describe the peace of knowing you own my heart, and that everything I go through in life works for your good. When I choose you over what I see or feel—when I accept your spiritual truth over my human perception—I trust in what the natural world says is impossible. I walk by faith and not by sight. And I believe.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/you-pray.html


Wednesday, September 18, 2019

Without Agenda


Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.
—Romans 12:10 (NIV)

Love. Be devoted. Have compassion. Honor the need of someone else as more significant than my own. This morning I read this verse and wonder if God sees this in me. The Holy Spirit calls me to love the way Jesus loved me. 

“Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others,” Paul wrote. “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 Christ had” (Philippians 2:3-5, NLT). What was Jesus’ attitude toward me? He showed me that I was worth His life.

“Love each other with genuine affection,” Romans 12:10 reads in the New Living Testament reads. “Take delight in honoring each other.” Do I honor others without expectation? Without an agenda? When I have no plan, I find joy and delight in what I share. I’m not grading someone’s response and looking for results. Jesus gave me His love. I didn’t have to measure up to receive it. 

Only I allow the Holy Spirit to examine the motive of my heart and continually change me. It is not my place to question anyone else’s. Only I let God renew my mind. I can't change how someone else thinks. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. I can only love with the grace that Jesus unselfishly gave me. My life is not about me and what I think I need to see in someone else. My life is about how Jesus can love through me.

“Jesus, I can’t do your work in someone’s heart. Only you, Holy Spirit, can. Peace is knowing it’s not my responsibility. It’s yours.”

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/without-agenda.html

Tuesday, September 17, 2019

His Potential


When they arrived, Samuel saw Eliab and thought, “Surely the Lord’s anointed stands here before the Lord.” But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.'” 
—I Samuel 16:6-7 (NIV)


In this Scripture, God has sent Samuel to Jesse of Bethlehem with the instruction that He, the Lord, has chosen one of Jesse's sons to be the new king. Samuel looks on the outer appearance of Eliab and immediately believes him to be God's chosen. But God lets Samuel know that He rejects Eliab. He is not the one. God has chosen David, a simple shepherd boy, to be His anointed.

Do we look on someone's outer appearance—whether in looks or clothing or size or manner—and judge who they are? Have we done as Samuel and expected God to choose a particular someone for a purpose only to discover that our choice was not God's choice? Do we believe we know what is going on in someone's life only for God to show us that we know nothing at all? We do not see the depth of a person's heart. 

Man perceives with His natural senses. But God desires us to look on others with His mind and Spirit. He wants us to see past any human fault and recognize the potential God sees. Not only does God realize the potential in other people and does not want us to judge them, God sees potential in our lives, too. Some Christians judge themselves as harshly as they judge others. When they cannot see the potential in their own lives, it is hard to see it in others. When we exercise the mind of Christ, we see beyond our natural senses. We live faith without judging. We offer hope without restraint. We recognize and understand the promises of God. 

God saw promise in a shepherd boy. He saw David's heart and knew his potential. God always sees His potential in us. We may fail, but He sees our promise. When we recognize God’s potential in our own lives, it is possible to see it in others. When we experience the forgiveness of Jesus, it is so much easier to forgive. If we see others through His redeeming love, their potential shines above any human fault. 

We all have human faults, and we fail every day in some way. But God sees us through the gift of His Son. He always sees the new heart He has given us. Our potential is real to Him. If we allow ourselves to see with His eyes, we will recognize what He sees. We will believe that a shepherd boy can have the heart of a king.   

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/his-potential.html




Monday, September 16, 2019

Rich In Mercy


But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) —Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT)

I was poor, but God, being rich in mercy, loved me. Even though I was dead in sin, Jesus gave me a new life when He rose from the dead. When I believed in Him, I rose in a new life with Him. He buried my sinful life so I might rise in His righteous one—free of guilt and shame and fear.

The grace of Jesus is why I am saved. I do not have to prove anything to gain anything. He proved Himself for me. I have nothing to win because Jesus has won me. I am free because Jesus chose not to be. He paid the price I had no way to pay. Because of His abundant mercy and His marvelous grace, I stand forgiven. I am free. 

Many believers view a relationship with Jesus as one where they have to win His love. Believing that the Old Covenant's merit system grades them, they become convinced they have to prove they are good enough for Jesus to love them. They see a relationship with Him as very restricting, when, in fact, the exact opposite is true. A relationship with Jesus is liberating and fulfilling. When I die to self, I live in Him. What was once poor in my life becomes rich because of His mercy and grace at Calvary.

“This is how love is made complete among us,” John wrote, “so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:17-18.NIV).

On the Cross, Jesus opened the door to God’s perfect love. I was made righteous by His grace. Because of this truth, I have confidence that He has saved me! I belong to Jesus. I am judged innocent because of His perfect sacrifice for my sinful nature. In this world, I am as Jesus is—perfected in His love. There is NO fear in His perfect love because fear involves punishment. There is no judgment and no penalty in grace. God judged Jesus and punished Him for me. When I believe what Jesus has accomplished, I have no fear of punishment. I know my identity in Him. He accepts me and approves of me. Once, my judge, God is now my Abba Father. He loves me without question. Just as Jesus, I am also His child.

The perfect love of Jesus declares me innocent. His grace purchased the riches of heaven for me. His Spirit molds me. What do I have to lose? Only myself in whom He has made me!  When I lose myself in Jesus, I find my identity. I receive all the riches of His mercy.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/rich-in-mercy.html

Friday, September 13, 2019

Trust Me


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)

Does fear ever consume you? Are you 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. 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,” He promises.

If you let go and allow God to have control, you will discover greater faith. “Trust me with all your heart,” God says. “Don’t depend on your own understanding. And don’t be afraid! If you feel weak, don’t give in to it! Move forward, and faith will carry you. You will receive my strength.”

Faith asks you to let go of what your natural mind tells you is accurate and believe in what seems illogical—to trust in God’s truth over fearful feelings. Faith is a decision. When you choose God’s truth over and over again, your feelings fall in line with God's truth. You can train your mind and heart to believe in God’s Word over what human emotion dictates. 

You can overcome any fear or lie of the enemy with your continued decision to trust what God says. He promises to uphold and strengthen you. With one step forward, you will discover His strength. Praise God 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, you will receive what He has promised. You will soar like an eagle. Don’t just think about what might happen if you walk in faith. Allow Him to show you.

©2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/trust-me.html

Thursday, September 12, 2019

Pain-Free


No one likes to face pain. When you have lived through a hurt, your natural instinct is to move on and forget it. But God might have other plans. What is your natural instinct may not be His. He longs to use the pain you have experienced—the things that you regret—the highs and the lows—the fears and the failures—the very things you want to hide from—to help others. He wants your willingness to open your life to those He chooses. They can find freedom from their pain, and you can discover healing for yours.

Being open is a hard place to be. You might want to build a wall to protect yourself from your pain. But building a wall doesn't protect you. It imprisons your mind and heart. It imprisons healing of not only your wounds but those of others. Your wall turns your heart into a heart of stone because, in closing yourself off, you are unable to hear the Holy Spirit.

However, when you allow that wall of false protection to tumble down, the Lord turns your pain into victory not only for yourself but for others. “I'll give you a new heart,” the Lord promises, “and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

A heart that yields without hesitation to the Holy Spirit is a heart of tender “spiritual flesh.” It is a heart that is malleable, vulnerable, and not afraid of the pain that often accompanies healing. It is a heart that is ready to face the hurt of the past or the present head-on and allow the Holy Spirit to do whatever is necessary. Willing to deal with whatever must be dealt with, this heart trusts that the Lord who has exposed the pain is capable of healing all that has caused it.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit,” Paul imparts, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Holy Spirit will liberate you from any pain or fear. Just be willing.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/pain-free.html

Wednesday, September 11, 2019

His Work in You




Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.
—1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NLT)


Paul’s final greetings to the Thessalonians is an incredible blessing. He wants them to know that the God of peace makes them holy and keeps them blameless until Jesus comes again. God is the One who will make it happen. He, who calls them to be holy, is faithful to keep His word.

Jesus has given you His Father—the God of peace! Jesus has reconciled you with His Father, and God is now your Father. Nothing separates you from intimacy with your God! Jesus has attributed to you His righteousness. Your Father makes you holy. There is nothing you can do to make yourself holy. Only God can.

"God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful," verse 24 reads. Through many years, I have looked at this verse only one way. If God calls you to do something, He is faithful to create whatever He called you to do. This is a true statement. God will not leave your hanging if He has called you. But there is another side to this verse, and its meaning is revealed in verse 23. The God of peace, your Father, makes you holy, and He will keep you blameless until the day Jesus calls you home. God will make this happen. He is faithful to you.

We live holy lives because Jesus loved us enough to give us His righteousness. We don’t live holy lives out of fear of God’s punishment. Jesus ended God’s judgment when He took our punishment for us. God sees us through the gift of His Son. He doesn’t pour out His wrath on His children. And that is what we are—His children. He loves us with His everlasting love.

We can’t save or sanctify ourselves. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Your spirit was reborn—newly created by redeeming love—when you believed in Jesus’ work on the Cross. You became the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Your soul (your mind)  is continually transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit, who lives in your spirit. This is sanctification by the Holy Spirit. He teaches you and guides you to understand the truth of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit reveals to you the truth of who you are in Jesus. You believe in your mind by faith that the redeeming love of Jesus has made you holy, and you allow that truth to shape your understanding. You trust in what the Spirit reveals, and your body (your flesh) lives out what your mind believes. 

"By his divine power," Peter writes, "God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the One who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3, NLT). Do you see that? God has given us EVERYTHING we need to live a godly life. We don't live a holy life without using what He has given us. Our flesh can't live a godly life. He has given us ALL OF THIS by knowing Him. He has called us to Himself. He has made us His own.

Peter continues in the new few verses and tells us that “because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:4, NLT). He has given you precious promises to help you share in His divine nature. It is His power that enables you to escape your human desires. You don't have the ability on your own to escape anything.

“In view of all this,” Peter continues, “make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone” (2 Peter 1:5-7, NLT).

Allow the righteousness of Jesus to transform you!  Respond to God’s promises by supplementing your faith with what God has given you! You received these things when you were born again in your spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to change your perception and understanding in your mind. The God of peace makes you holy and keeps you blameless. God will make this happen. The One who calls you to live a holy life has given you everything you need to do it.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher
www.lynnlacher.com/2019/09/his-work-in-you.html


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