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Thursday, September 30, 2021

Performance Free


 

As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.

—Colossians 2:6-7 NKJV

 

We didn’t receive salvation because of our own righteousness or goodness (Titus 3:5). We received salvation by putting our faith in Christ as our Savior (Ephesians 2:8). In the same way, we receive everything else in the Christian life. However, many who were saved by faith in God’s grace try to earn the benefits of their salvation by their works. They believe God blesses them because of what they do. 

 

When we were saved by faith, we came just as we were—knowing we had nothing to offer. We hadn’t been fasting, reading the Word, or praying a lot but we received the greatest gift of all. We received a new life in Christ. But after receiving Christ by faith, many believe that they can only maintain and keep their salvation through works. They believe if they don’t fast enough or pray enough or read enough or give enough that they will fall from grace. That is not true. Paul said that those who attempt to prove themselves righteous fall from grace (Galatians 5:4). 

 

“This only I want to learn from you,” Paul asked the Galatians. “Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun in the Spirit, are you now being made perfect by the flesh? (Galatians 3:2-3, NKJV).

 

We don’t need to be so foolish!  Having begun our Christian life by the grace of Jesus, we should continue our Christian walk in grace. Faith in the grace of Jesus produces works within us that are alive and not about us. Any work that is born of the need to prove to God that we are worthy is about us. It tells God that His grace wasn’t enough. Christ died so we might be made worthy. He paid that price. Not us.

 

Instead of focusing on our inadequacies, we need to put faith in what God has already provided by grace. 

 

“Listen,” Paul declared! “If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace” (Galatians 5:2-4, NLT).

 

If we are counting on what we do to make us right with God, there is no benefit to us. These works are dead. We can’t find favor with God through what we do because He has already favored us in Christ. 

 

“But we who live by the Spirit,” Paul continued, “eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love” (Galatians 5:5-6, NKJV).

 

Let’s live by the Spirit!  Let’s know who we are in Christ so we don’t have the need to prove ourselves to God who proved Himself to us. When we know the infinite worth Christ has placed within us, we know there is no benefit in what we do. Faith in the good grace of God produces results within us.

 

When what we do is born of our faith in Christ’s work, we have no need to prove ourselves by our work. We are free of the need to perform. The love of God abounds within and flows through us into the lives of others. 

 

It is not about us. It is about Him within us.

 

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/30/performance-free.html

Wednesday, September 29, 2021

My Hope





And now, Lord, for what do I expectantly wait? My hope [my confident expectation] is in You.

—Psalms 39:7 (AMP)

 

I wait [patiently] for the Lord, my soul [expectantly] waits, and in His word do I hope.

—Psalms 130:4 (AMP)

 

Now faith is the assurance (title deed, confirmation) of things hoped for (divinely guaranteed), and the evidence of things not seen [the conviction of their reality—faith comprehends as fact what cannot be experienced by the physical senses]. 

—Hebrews 11:1 (AMP)

 

Let us seize and hold tightly the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is reliable and trustworthy and faithful [to His word].

—Hebrews 10:23 (AMP)

 

Through Him we also have access by faith into this [remarkable state of] grace in which we [firmly and safely and securely] stand. Let us rejoice in our hope and the confident assurance of [experiencing and enjoying] the glory of [our great] God [the manifestation of His excellence and power].

—Romans 5:2 (AMP)

 

Such hope [in God’s promises] never disappoints us, because God’s love has been abundantly poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

—Romans 5:5 (AMP)

 

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing [through the experience of your faith] that by the power of the Holy Spirit you will abound in hope and overflow with confidence in His promises.

—Romans 15:13 (AMP)

 

“And the glory which You gave Me I have given them,” Jesus said, “that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me” (John 17:22-23a).

 

Christ, the hope of glory, is in you.

—Colossians 1:27

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/my-hope.html

 

Tuesday, September 28, 2021

Perfect Love Perfect Peace



 

There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment. But he who fears has not been made perfect in love.

—I John 4:18 NKJV

 

 

Many have only a limited understanding of the infinite and perfect love of God. Fear comes and goes like the ocean tide. But God wants us to experience the peace His perfect love died to give us. 

 

When you experience in your heart the depth of God’s love for you, you have His peace. Fear is something that is easily defeated when it tries to invade your thoughts. The enemy can’t torment your mind with lies trying to convince you that you must do something to win God’s love. In Christ, God gave you the greatest love that He could give you. He wants you to experience this intimate and perfect love. 

 

But have lies of the enemy filled your mind instead of the truth of God’s love? Are you afraid you can’t please God and He is just waiting to punish you? God doesn’t torment you. Fear involves torment. And God is perfect love.

 

How do you cast out fear? You don't. The perfect love of God within you casts out fear. Fear can't stand against the love of God who loved you so much that He gave His life for you. You have received His perfect love in your reborn spirit, but His truth must transform your mind for you to believe it. When the Holy Spirit teaches you about God's love, you receive revelation knowledge of what His love means for you. You don’t need a second-hand revelation from anyone else. You need your own revelation straight from His heart to yours. 

 

“You will seek Me and find Me,” God promises, “when you search for Me with all your heart” (Jeremiah 29:13)

 

“Ask, and it will be given to you,” Jesus said. “Seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened” (Matthew 7:7-8).

 

To receive your revelation of God’s love, you diligently seek it. You ask the Holy Spirit to pour His truth into your life. You choose not to allow any condemning thought that says you have to earn God’s love. His love is not yours to earn. Jesus already earned it for you. God holds out His arms and says, "Come here. I love you." 

 

Fear will always try to convince you that God is not there for you. Nothing in all of creation can separate you from God’s love. God has given you His power to overcome fear. But if you don't exercise the voice of authority that Jesus has given you, that power will not make any difference in your life. You will remain defeated and afraid. You choose to exercise God’s power and speak death to the enemy’s lies. You take every thought captive and choose God’s love. And as you choose God’s love over the enemy’s lies, you are renewed by God’s truth in your mind. You receive a greater understanding of the perfect love that He has given you. 

 

When you have a revelation of God’s love for you, you receive an overpowering understanding of who you are in Christ in the depths of your heart. His perfect love has perfected you. You believe there is no fear in God’s love. You choose faith over fear. You surrender and hold nothing back. You ask and seek and find. Renewed by His truth, you believe. And the door remains open for you to receive.

 

You trust Him.

 

“You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You” (Isaiah 26:3).

 

His perfect love within you is at perfect peace.

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/perfect-love-perfect-peace.html

 

Monday, September 27, 2021

Believe It



 

Move the unmovable

Break the unbreakable

God we believe

God we believe for it

 

—Believe for It by CeCe Winans

 

 

We praise God for moving the unmovable and breaking the unbreakable. We tell Him that we believe for it. But do we?

 

If we truly believed what God says is true, we would live as if we believe it—without fear—without doubt. But we can’t live what we say we believe when deep within we hold on to doubt and fear.

 

God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, love, and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). A sound mind grounded in the love of God is able to conquer doubt and fear more quickly. The power to exercise faith is available to believe and cooperate with God’s Word.

 

“If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes,” Jesus said to the father of the demon-possessed boy. Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “Lord, I believe! Help my unbelief!” (Mark 9:23-24).

 

It is possible to have belief and unbelief at the same time. When we say we believe the unmovable will move but then exhibit doubt, double-mindedness will keep the unmovable from moving. Doubt will choke out a promise and make the unbreakable impossible to break (James 1:6-7). 

 

God’s kingdom is one that operates in faith. He wants us to believe for it. We can either believe and cooperate with what God says is true or we can believe and live what the world says. We can either believe the opinions of men or the truth of God’s Word. 

 

We can’t allow what others say or the facts of our circumstances to be greater that what God says is true. But if we don’t know truth, we won’t know what is ours in Christ. And if we don’t know what it ours in Christ, we will believe whatever we see and hear instead of the spiritual truth God has given us. 

 

God’s truth always trumps the facts of our lives. We choose to believe God’s truth is greater than anything else. 

 

Two blind men came to Jesus. 

 

“Do you believe I can do this?” Jesus asked them.

 

They said to Him, “Yes, Lord.”

 

Then He touched their eyes, saying, “According to your faith let it be to you.” And their eyes were opened. (Matthew 9:28-29).

 

According to what we believe we will receive. The unmovable will either remain or be removed.  

 

Keep choosing faith over fear and doubt. When we choose to believe and cooperate with what the Word says is true, our belief in the promises of God matures. Doubt is more easily conquered. When we know the truth of God’s Word—when we have confident assurance of who we are in Christ, we have the faith to believe the impossible. And…

 

From the impossible

We'll see a miracle

God we believe

God we believe for it

 

—Believe For It by CeCe Winans

 

© 2021

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/believe-it.html

 

Friday, September 24, 2021

Know What is Yours in Christ


 

In Ephesians 1:15-20, Paul prays for believers in Ephesus to have a spiritual revelation of their position in Christ. It is a powerful prayer because Paul prays from the personal revelation of his own position. He knows that believers have no power without the spiritual wisdom God has given them. He doesn't beg or plead with God to provide the Ephesians with spiritual insight. He knows God has already provided it. Paul prays for them to open their spiritual eyes to what they have received. 

 

“Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 1:15-20, NKJV).

 

This prayer is for us, too. In verses 15-18, Paul prays for us to open our spiritual eyes to what is ours. He prays that God would give us wisdom and revelation knowledge of what we have received in coming to know Christ. Paul knows that without growing in the understanding of our new identity we have no power to stand against the lies of the enemy and have confidence in God's calling.


In verses 19-20, Paul prays for us to understand the power we have when we believe in God. It is the same power that raised Jesus from the dead. His Resurrection power lives in us. We don’t beg and plead with God from weakness. When we have the spiritual wisdom and knowledge of who we are in Jesus Christ, we pray from His strength. We know that in our weakness, He is strong (2 Corinthians 12:9) and that His strength and power are ours. We have the confidence that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And we know that if He hears us, we have what we have asked of Him (1 John 5:14-15).

 

Have we grown in knowledge of who we are in Christ? Or do we often beg God to give us what we have already received because we don’t have the wisdom to know that it is ours? 

 

Open your spiritual eyes and learn who you are in Christ. Know what Jesus has purchased for you. Renew your mind with God’s Word. His Word is life (John 6:63). Ask God for wisdom and understanding. He gives it generously (James 1:5). 

 

When you know who you are and what you have in Christ, you can pray in the same power that raised Jesus from the dead—believing what the Word of God has promised you.

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/know-what-is-yours-in-christ.html

 

Thursday, September 23, 2021

The Healing Power of the Good News

 

 

The Gospel is God’s good news for man. It is the power of God to save everyone (Romans 1:16), and that salvation is more than just a passage to heaven. The Gospel delivers and heals the whole man. 

 

You can’t separate healing from the Gospel. Jesus was healing personified. He healed everyone who came to Him with great compassion. Jesus never denied anyone healing or asked what they had done or what might have caused their sickness. He just loved and healed them.

 

“By His stripes, you are healed,” Isaiah prophesied about Jesus (Isaiah 53:5). Jesus healed and delivered all (Acts 10:38). He fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy (Matthew 8:17, 1 Peter 2:24). Jesus heals today.

 

The Gospel has power, and it stirs faith in those who hear it (Romans 10:17). When you hear the Gospel, it draws you into a relationship with Jesus. It draws you into the goodness of the love of God. It encourages you and sets you free from the lies of the enemy. It breaks through the bondage of sin, sickness, fear, torment, oppression, and shame. Evil dies in its truth, and your needs are met in its power. The Gospel sets the captive free.

 

Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved (Romans 10:13). The word here for salvation is the Greek word “soteria.”  Its meaning includes salvation, health, and deliverance. Whenever Jesus preached the Word, miracles of healing and deliverance followed. It is the same today. When the Gospel is preached, salvation in all its fullness is received. 

 

Forgiveness, healing, and deliverance are signs that follow the Word of God being spoken (Mark 16:17-18). These are all part of the goodness of God. When you hear the pure, unmodified Gospel of God’s grace, you know it. Its power changes you. Forgiven, healed, delivered, and lacking nothing—you are made new and whole in the love of God (2 Corinthians 5:17).

 

When you received salvation, you didn’t understand everything about it. You hadn’t read the whole Bible before you prayed to receive Christ. You heard that God forgave your sins and loved you. He wanted to be a part of your life. And accepting Christ into your heart, you received the Gospel with child-like faith. You receive healing in the same way that you responded to the Gospel when you were born again. You accept it without having to understand everything about it. 

 

Do you want to receive the wholeness the Gospel has for you?  Respond in the same way you asked Jesus into your heart—by faith. Healing begins by hearing the Word and allowing it to convince you of the depth, height, width, and length of God’s compassionate love for you (Ephesians 3:18). The Word and faith work together to build confident hope. You receive healing by believing. 

 

“Daughter, your faith has made you well,” Jesus told the woman who touched the hem of His garment (Mark 5:4).

 

“Your faith has made you well,” Jesus told the blind man, “and immediately he received his sight” (Mark 10:52).

 

“All things are possible to him who believes,” Jesus told the father of a tormented boy and healed him (Mark 9:23).  

 

You are loved compassionately. Jesus is your Savior from sin and all its destruction of torment and sickness. He is your Healer—your Deliverer—your Provider. Today the Scripture is fulfilled, and you have heard it. The Good News is yours in all its fullness and power. 

 

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/the-healing-power-of-the-good-news.html

 

Wednesday, September 22, 2021

Secure as Mount Zion


 



Those who trust in the Lord are as secure as Mount Zion;

they will not be defeated but will endure forever.

—Psalm 125:1 (NLT)

 

Trust is the ability to rely upon or place confidence in someone. When you trust someone, you rely on the integrity of that person and the security they give. You have faith in them. Those who trust in the Lord, the psalmist proclaims, have confident faith in His security and protection. They know that in trusting God they will not be overcome but will always be victorious.

 

The Old Testament God that Moses encountered on Mount Sinai offered security to the Israelites if their behavior met His law. Their security in God was conditional on their performance. They staggered in fright when God commanded them not to touch the mountain. Moses himself trembled in fear (Hebrews 12:20). God blessed or cursed them based on their conduct. 

 

On the cross, New Covenant Grace changed everything. Conduct no longer remained God’s standard. Jesus Christ’s righteousness became the standard because He took the condemnation and punishment for us. “There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:1, NKJV).  

 

"You have come to Mount Zion,” the writer to the Hebrews penned, “to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to countless thousands of angels in a joyful gathering. You have come to the assembly of God’s firstborn children, whose names are written in heaven. You have come to God himself, who is the judge over all things. You have come to the spirits of the righteous ones in heaven who have now been made perfect. You have come to Jesus, the one who mediates the new covenant between God and people (Hebrews 12:22-24a, NLT). 

 

You have come to Jesus, my friend, the negotiator of the New Covenant between God and man. His Kingdom is Mount Zion—the city of the living God, and He no longer lives outside of you. The Kingdom of God is within you. You have no reason to fear God who became flesh and gave His life for you. His love is no longer conditional on your performance. God revealed His real character in the gift of His Son. He is love—grace and truth. Now you run to Him—without shame or dread. He is tangible. He is forgiveness and healing and grace. You are His firstborn. Your name is written in His heaven. You can trust God who loved you enough to send His Son to perfectly meet the conditions of His law you never could meet.

 

Do you trust Him? If you trust Him, you are secure in Him. You have peace. You have joy. You believe His truth, and you receive His love. When you understand your relationship with God, you have His faith to believe in the integrity of the security that He has given you. You have confident faith in Him because you know how much He loves you.

 

If you are dealing with trust issues in your relationship with God, you need to understand who you are in Him. You are His beloved. You are His child. He is your righteousness—your healer—your provider—your Abba Father. You can draw from the wellspring of His love for you. You can share your heart and leave your burdens in His care. You don't need to fear punishment. Yes, God is the judge over all things, but Jesus has negotiated a New Covenant for you. Jesus took the judgment for your sins on the Cross and received your punishment. God sees you through the finished work of His Son. You are without blemish—forgiven and healed and whole.

 

When you place trust in the Lord, you exercise faith. You believe you are secure in His love, and nothing that comes against you has the power to defeat God who lives in you. You have received from the spiritual riches Christ redeemed for you. And your greatest promise? You will live throughout eternity with Him. 

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/secure-as-mount-zion.html

 

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

True Humility



 We are studying a subject in our Sunday school class that isn’t very popular, but it is close to God’s heart. Until we surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal to us where we need to change and respond to it, we will forever be limiting God in our lives.

 

God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time, casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

—1 Peter 5:5b-7 NKJV

 

True humility is being totally dependent on God. A person who chooses to humble himself under the mighty hand of God realizes that he can do nothing in his own strength. When a person trusts in his ability above God's ability, he has a prideful spirit. 

 

A prideful person promotes himself. He tries to make himself look good. He believes that he is the author of his success. God’s power doesn’t flow through someone who does things his own way. Exalting yourself never invites God’s grace. God exalts you when you depend upon His guidance and trust His timing. You don’t have to promote or prove yourself. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. 

 

But He gives more grace. Therefore He says: “God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”

 —James 4:5 NKJV

 

God gives more grace to the humble. Do you need more grace in your life? Are you entirely dependent on Him? Do you trust Him and allow the Holy Spirit to teach and guide you? The humility that you have before God determines the amount of grace you receive. 

 

Pride is also demeaning or debasing yourself. This is false humility. Those that feel the need to demean themselves find their value in the opinion of others instead of God. Remember that humility means you totally trust God and are utterly reliant upon Him. Demeaning yourself and feeling unworthy reveals you don’t trust God. 

 

Look at Peter in John 13 telling Jesus he wasn't worthy enough for Jesus to wash his feet, and Jesus told Peter if he didn't allow Him to wash his feet, Peter could have no part of Him. Not allowing Jesus to wash his feet was not humility in Peter. Consider the fact that Jesus told Peter he could have no part of Him if he didn't allow Him to wash his feet. Jesus wished to give a gift to Peter by washing his feet, but Peter's resistance came from pride. Until Jesus explained the result of his refusal (that Peter could have no part of Him), Peter rejected the gift of grace that Jesus offered him. God gives grace to those who are humble and resists those who are proud. Pride is not just arrogance. In its simplest form, it is nothing but self-centeredness. 

 

Looking at where you focus your mind will reveal if you have pride or true humility. When your thoughts are on yourself—whether you promote yourself or think less of yourself, you are thinking of “you.” It doesn't matter if you are focused on what makes you great or what makes you weak. You are thinking about yourself. God desires your thoughts to be on Him. When your mind focuses on God—instead of what you want or your ideas or your failures or your feelings or your circumstances, you approach God with a humble spirit. You trust God and have His peace (Isaiah 26:3).

 

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you 

—James 4:7-8 NKJV 

 

The only way you can draw near to God is with a humble spirit. You don’t have to prove yourself to God. Resist the temptation to dwell on yourself. Just cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you. When you cast your cares upon the Lord, that tells God you need Him, and that is humility. 

 

God didn’t make you able to handle things without Him. When you hold your life back from God—when you say no to Him washing your feet—you limit His grace in your life. When you give God your worries and tell Him that you trust Him, He blesses you with a peaceful heart (Philippians 4:6-7). 

 

When you choose to be less so He can be more, you receive more grace.

 

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/true-humility.html

 

 

Monday, September 20, 2021

A Revelation of His Love



God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

—John 3:16 

 

God had so much love in His heart that He had to do something with it. He came to us with the greatest compassion and love. His love gave us the gift of His Son. He didn’t have to do anything for us, but He did. 

 

God is love (1 John 4:8). He doesn’t stand back with His arms crossed, shaking his head and saying, “I'll love you when you do good enough to please me." The enemy tells us that the love of God has to be earned and then kept by still earning God's approval. Religion says that if we do certain things, we will receive God's blessings. But God says that He loved us so much while we were yet sinners, He came to save us (Romans 5:8). He didn't ask anything of us. He offered His life for ours.

 

Have you ever considered everlasting life as being yours now?  You received the promise of eternal life when you were saved. You became joined to God in spirit (1 Corinthians 6:17), and your soul became one with His forever (Ephesians 1:13, 4:30). Christ, the hope of glory, came to live in you. Through Jesus, God has made known to you the riches of His glory (Colossians 1:27). His promises of peace and joy and wholeness are the gifts of His abundant life now (Romans 14:17, John 10:10). 

 

“In this the love of God was manifested toward us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him” (1 John 4:9, NKJV). 

 

“My love for you is revealed to you through my Son,” God declares.

 

God didn’t send His Son to save us and then burn us out by requiring that we prove our love for Him. That is not the love of God. We don’t have to prove that we love God by what we do. He loves us, and we love God because He first loved us (1 John 4:19). Jesus came to reveal the love of God to us. It was His love on the Cross that destroyed sin and death and the separation between God and us. And it is the revelation of God’s love that now fills us with His overflowing love and grace.

 

The Word of God is His love letter to make personally yours. A revelation of His love unlocks His promises to you. When you realize the love and power of God that was manifested for you, you have the victory of His abundant life now (John 10:10). You experience peace and joy and healing through the finished work of Jesus. 

 

God gave you all His love on the Cross. He would never hold back the blessings that His Son purchased for you. That isn’t love. And He doesn’t hold back. He freely gives us all things (Romans 8:32). He paid the price. Not you. That is His love for you now and not just sometime in the future. When you realize how much He loves you right now—how deep His love for you is—you are free to receive His love and to love as He loves you.

 

The fullness of the love of God lives within you. Your sometime is now. 

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/a-revelation-of-his-love.html

 

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Infinite Value

 

 

You will keep him in perfect peace,

Whose mind is stayed on You,

Because he trusts in You.

—Isaiah 26:3 NKJV

 

 

         Nothing is constant in life. You may feel peace when life is good and experience fear when life is hard. But you don’t have to live that way. Christ’s peace has overcome the world’s power to control you (John 16:33). He has overcome your roller-coaster ride of feelings. His peace is yours. For you experience His peace, you must believe the infinite value of God’s love for you and the infinite value that you are to Him.

 

         The only constant that will keep you in perfect peace is believing how much God loves you and what His love has given you. God has not given you a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). You have the power to believe He takes care of you. You have His love that speaks life. You have the mind of Christ that lives by faith and not by feelings. But if you don’t believe these are true, you will not experience His peace. When you are at peace in your relationship with God, you believe the infinite value He has placed on your life. When life is hard, you have no reason to doubt Him. You believe that every spiritual blessing is already yours in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). 

 

         Never trust your feelings. They will betray you. They always change. Trust God and the truth of His Word. His Words are life and never change (John 6:63). God asks you to look beyond what you feel—what your natural (carnal) mind says is true—and believe what He says is true—what you cannot see.  

 

         You receive faith by hearing the Word of God and act upon your faith by being renewed in the spirit of your mind (Romans 10:17, Ephesians 4:23-24). Faith requires you to trust in the truth of God's Word beyond what you experience or feel. When you allow the Word to teach you what is true instead of allowing your feelings to tell you what is true, you are renewed by God’s truth. The Word transforms the way you think (Romans 12:2), and you start to trust God’s Word rather than how you feel.  When you continually focus your mind on the truth of what God says instead of what you feel, you experience the power of His faith over your feelings. Your feelings will eventually be controlled by His truth. 

 

          “Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things. The things which you learned and received and heard and saw in me, these do, and the God of peace will be with you (Philippians 4:8-9, NKJV). 

 

         “For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Romans 8:6, NKJV).  

 

         God guards your mind and keeps you in perfect peace when your thoughts are on Him instead of what is happening or what might happen in your life. Don’t dwell on personal problems you have or might have. Your mind will run havoc with feelings of fear. Be spiritually minded—see the things that are promised as yours. Think on the blessings of God, and experience life and peace.

 

         You are of infinite value to Him. You can trust Him.


 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/infinite-value.html

 

 

 

Wednesday, September 15, 2021

His Love in Me




Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ? Any comfort from his love? Any fellowship together in the Spirit? Are your hearts tender and compassionate? Then make me truly happy by agreeing wholeheartedly with each other, loving one another, and working together with one mind and purpose. Don’t be selfish; 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.

—Philippians 2:1-4 NLT

 

 

I’ve received hope and comfort in Christ. Do I offer hope and comfort? The Holy Spirit encourages me. Do I encourage others? Am I sensitive to someone's hurt, or do I throw fuel on the fire of their pain with casual words? Do I put the needs of others before my own, or do I find a way to just do enough? In my words and my actions, I speak either encouragement or defeat to another person. I speak life or death to another heart.

 

 

His life in us is not about what we want or how we feel. It is about His grace flowing through us for the sake of others. His desire is for us to love others as He loves us—to tenderly and compassionately give ourselves away expecting nothing in return. Freely He gave. Freely we give. He desires for us to encourage and speak life to those trapped in despair and pain—to bless those who are beaten down from the struggles of life with the healing presence of His love.

 

Christ’s grace within us never holds back. But we must allow Him to flow in us. He reveals Himself and empowers us to encourage as He has encouraged us. His faith draws and calls us to action. 

 

Do I allow His compassion to fill my heart for someone else?  If His life is only about me, I offer nothing of value. If I want to experience His Kingdom—to see with His eyes, to hear with His ears, and to understand with His Spirit, I place a higher value on another life. I love with His love and encourage with His grace and truth.

 

May no masks veil my heart. May I bring Him joy by encouraging with the love and grace He has given me. I do not have to be perfect to give myself away. He floods my weakness with His strength and power. It is in giving that I receive more of His grace. And it is in receiving more grace that I am blessed to give again. 

 

A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you.

—John 13:34 NKJV

 

© 2021 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2021/09/his-love-in-me.html

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...