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Thursday, June 30, 2022

Believe with Your Heart

 

 

But the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.

—1 Corinthians 2:14 (NLT)

 

The things of the Spirit of God are spiritually understood. They are not mentally understood. You can have a mental understanding of God but not understand Him spiritually. 

 

Your spirit is where God quickens you to receive His truth. The Holy Spirit bears witness with your spirit (Romans 8:16)—not your mind. Faith is not a mental exercise born of emotions and feelings and reasoning. Faith does not come from the logic of your mind. It rises from the Word which has been planted in your heart. 

 

“Son of man, receive into your heart all My words that I speak to you, and hear with your ears” (Ezekiel 3:10, NKJV). 

 

Faith comes by hearing the Word spiritually with your heart (Romans 10:17).  Faith believes with the heart (Romans 10:10). The words that God speaks to your heart are spiritual life (John 4:24, John 6:63). When His Words bear witness with your spirit, you believe they are true and they are life.

 

Paul prayed for believers to spiritually hear and receive the revealed knowledge of God. He prayed “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” (Ephesians 1:17-19, NKJV).

 

Having spiritual knowledge of the Word is not something that automatically happens in your life. It comes from seeking and pursuing God. We are not meant to be spiritually blind and have no spiritual understanding. God wants to pour spiritual wisdom and revelation of Himself into our hearts. He wants us to believe His truth and be enlightened by it. He wants us to know the hope of His calling in our lives and the great power He has given us. Spiritually discerning God’s truth in our hearts comes from allowing the Word to renew our minds until we believe it (Romans 12:2). If we fail to renew our minds, we will live our lives without experiencing the abundant life Jesus has given us (John 10:10).

 

Look at Ephesians 1:17-19. What is the hope of His calling and His power in us who believe?  It is the same power that raised Christ from the dead. But if we don’t have spiritual understanding in our hearts about His power within us, we will not believe His power is ours. When we don’t believe, we don’t trust God. But when the eyes of our spiritual understanding are open to receive, we have His wisdom—His eyes to see, His ears to hear, and His understanding to see what the natural mind cannot grasp (Matthew13:16-17). And our hearts believe.

 

You take ownership of God’s truth when you spiritually receive it in your heart. Look again at Ephesians 1:17-19. When you believe these verses in your heart, they are true for you—not just for someone else. They are yours. God will freely give you His wisdom and impart to you the revealed knowledge of the Holy Spirit. You will believe that you possess God’s power—the same power that raised Christ from the dead. And you will hear and receive God’s truth—not with your natural mind but with your spiritual understanding. The same power that raised Christ from the dead is alive in you, but if you don’t have spiritual eyes to see and spiritual ears to hear, and a spiritual understanding to believe this truth in your heart, you will live a defeated and powerless life.

 

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20, NKJV). 

 

Many read the first part of Ephesians 3:20 without spiritually understanding the difference the rest of the verse makes. It is true that God is able to do exceedingly more than we ask or think. But the true power of Ephesians 3:20 is revealed in the phrase that ends the verse. God is able to do exceedingly and abundantly more than we ask or think according to His work in us. When we allow Him to work in us—when we allow Him to spiritually reveal Himself to us—we spiritually believe who He is within us. And we receive according to what we believe.

 

The natural mind cannot grasp this truth, but your heart can believe it. Believing God’s truth is His power at work in you. Seek and pursue God. Walk by faith and not by sight. Receive in your heart the spiritual wisdom and knowledge God has for you. 

 

Believe what you have been given in Christ Jesus.

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/believe-with-your-heart.html

 

Wednesday, June 29, 2022

His Perfect Love for You


 

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

 

 

Does fear ebb and flow in your life like the ocean tide? God wants you to experience the perfect peace that His perfect love died to give you. 

 

When you believe in your heart the depth of God’s love for you, you have His peace. Fear is something that is 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 for God to love you. In Christ, God gave you the greatest love that He could give you. He wants you to experience this intimate and perfect love. 

 

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 just is waiting to blast you with your failures? God doesn’t torment you. Fear involves torment. And God is perfect love.

 

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 the perfect love of the finished work of Christ, but this truth must transform your mind for you to believe it. When you don’t understand what is yours in the love of Christ, you are subject to the lies of your flesh and the enemy. But when the Holy Spirit teaches you about God's perfect love for you, you receive His revealed wisdom and knowledge of what His love means in your life. 

 

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 in His Word. You ask the Holy Spirit to pour His truth into your life. You choose not to allow any condemning thought that says God doesn’t accept and love you. You can’t earn His love. Jesus already earned it for you. God holds out His arms and says, "Come here. Quit struggling. I love you." 

 

Your natural mind—your feelings—will try to convince you that God doesn’t love you. Just because you feel something doesn’t make it true. 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 authority that Jesus has given you, His 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 revelation of the perfect love that He has given you. 

 

When you have a revelation of God’s love for you, you receive a life-changing spiritual understanding of who you are in Christ. You believe that His perfect love is yours. 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. With His truth planted deeply in your heart, you believe. And the door is 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).

 

The perfect love of Jesus guards your heart and keeps your mind in perfect peace. Jesus held nothing back on Calvary, and He holds nothing back in your life now. It is the Holy Spirit who convinces you that God’s perfect love is all yours. 

 

“Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 15:13).

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

https://www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/his-perfect-love-for-you.html


Tuesday, June 28, 2022

His Light in You

 

 

Because we have received God’s mercy, we do not lose heart as we minister Christ’s love and grace to others.  We renounce shameful and under-headed ways to share Christ’s grace. We don’t walk in deceitfulness or cleverness. Our message of God’s love is simple and open. If it is hidden, it is hidden to those who are blinded by the enemy and don’t believe. We don’t share what we don’t know. We share the grace of Jesus that lives in us. It is God who has made this light shine in our hearts so we could know His glory that is revealed in Christ. It is His light within us that radiates His grace and truth (2 Corinthians 4:1-6).

 

Paul knew that within himself Christ, the hope of glory, lived. He knew that God’s righteousness was the only thing that made him worthy. He was accepted and loved by God, and he lived his life out of God’s acceptance and love. Christ had presented Paul to God holy and without any fault. And out of his identity—out of Christ alive in his surrendered life, Paul radiated the light and love of God. Dying daily to the lie of his flesh that told him he wasn’t worthy, Paul surrendered to the truth of Christ’s life in him. And out of his yielded life, the light of Christ shone and the power of God was manifested. 

 

Paul was human, like us. He struggled at times. He was hard-pressed but not crushed, perplexed by life but not in despair. He knew who he was in Christ. He believed the Resurrection power of God was alive in him. He knew the very finished work of Christ, the hope of glory was his. We have this same treasure of grace within us (2 Corinthians 4:7). God desires us to believe in who we are in Christ and to allow the treasure of His grace to flow into our surrendered lives. 

 

Just as God created light on the first day of creation (Genesis 1:3-5)—and even before He created the sun, moon, or stars on the fourth day (Genesis 1:14-19), God created man to let the light of His life and love to shine in his heart. 

 

“In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it” (John 1:4, NKJV).

 

The world cannot comprehend His love because God reveals Himself to our hearts, not to our heads. Yes, the Lord informs our minds, but faith comes from the heart (Romans 10:10). When we follow the inner witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we truly worship God. We allow the light of our faith to emanate.

 

Paul encourages us not to be discouraged or quit, but to be confident in our relationship with Christ. We lose heart when we try to prove our worth or even to prove His. We don’t need to prove His worth. That is the Holy Spirit’s responsibility. That is what Paul was saying in these verses. Allow Christ to live in you. Allow Him to be Lord.

 

Christ has delivered you from the power of darkness (Colossians 1:17). Be free in His light and the power of His might. Just as Paul, know your position in Christ and allow the Holy Spirit to magnify Christ in you. When you know your worth—your position in Christ, you believe you are loved. You know who you are in Christ. His light within you shines from within and dispels the darkness of your circumstances and draws others to the truth that lives in you. 

 

God asks us to let Him live through us—not to live for Him out of a sense of obligation. When we live for Him out of a sense of duty, we serve Him out of our own ability instead of His strength. When we allow Him to live through us, He does abundantly more than we could ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). 

 

When you know and believe who you are in Christ, you surrender to the gift of His new life. He is your Lord. You surrender to the His holiness which is your new nature. The treasure of Christ within you is the hope of glory that lives in you and radiates out of your life.

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/his-light-in-you.html

 

Monday, June 27, 2022

Know Who You Are


 

 

As a man thinks in his heart, so is he.

—Proverbs 23:7

 

 

The way you think determines who you believe you are. If you want to believe who you are in Christ, you must allow the Word to positively change the way you think and see yourself. You are new in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). To know the new person Christ has made you, you have to see yourself as God sees you. And to experience the new person Christ has made you, you choose to have a positive attitude about who God says you are. 

 

God sees His Son in you, but you know your shortcomings. To see yourself as the new person God sees you, you learn who He says you are and choose to believe it in your heart. Learning who you are in Christ changes the way you see yourself until you start to believe the truth of what God says about you in His Word. And that change manifests itself in the way you live your life. 

 

God is not going to make you have good thoughts miraculously. You choose to think about “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” (Philippians 4:8a, NKJV). 

 

“If there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things,” Paul declares (Philippians 4:8b, NKJV).

 

If you think a positive attitude will happen quickly, you will be disappointed. You must meditate long and hard to change your thought process permanently. This happens through renewing your mind with the revelation power of the Word of God (Romans 12:2-3). The Word that God speaks is Spirit and life. And it is the Holy Spirit who gives life to the Word (John 6:63) and life-changing power to you.

 

Meditating on the Word of God and allowing its truth to change the way you think, is the answer to changing your attitude. Over time, the renewing of your mind by the Word will change your attitude (Romans 12:2). You will live from what you believe instead of what you feel. You will allow the truth of God’s Word to reveal who you are instead of believing what the old person you were or anyone else says about you.

 

“Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21, NKJV). You have the power to speak either death or life. “Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34, NKJV). You speak what you believe in your heart—either what is negative and destructive or what is positive and life-changing.

 

You are new in Christ. All things are new. Do you want to believe in the goodness of God’s love for you? Do you yearn to believe by faith in His promise that you haven’t yet seen or experienced?  

 

God’s truth first transforms your mind and the way you think. Then it becomes what you believe in your heart. According to the way you think, you speak what you believe. When you speak what God says out of the abundance of your heart, you speak the power of His life into your life. You believe no matter what the old person you were says or anyone else says. You believe God’s truth is what is real—His promises are already yours—His abundance flows through you into the lives of others—and that His inherent goodness is manifested in your life.

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17, NKJV).

 

What do you think in your heart? You are new in Christ. Your old man is dead. Do you know who you are?

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/know-who-you-are.html

 

 

Friday, June 24, 2022

Assure Your Heart

 


 

My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth. And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him. For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.

—1 John 3:18-21, NKJV

 

God is love (1 John 4:8). He never stops expressing His love toward us. He doesn’t withhold His love in His relationship with us based on how we act. If He did, none of us would have ever received the love He gave us in Christ. For God SO loved us, He sent His Son as full payment for our sins (John 3:16). His love is not withdrawn. It is constant. He never leaves us. We are the ones who allow our actions to keep us away. There is no condemnation in the love of Christ (John 3:17). It is the goodness of God, not condemnation, which brings us to repentance. (Romans 2:4). 

 

God’s love in our lives should express itself not only in what we say but in how we treat others. A person who says he loves someone, but then acts out of unforgiveness toward that person, only cares for himself. When the person he says he loved did something that hurt him, he reacted out of love for himself. That is not God’s love expressed in his life. We are called to forgive as Christ has forgiven us. And there is no condemnation in Christ’s love. When you experience the love and forgiveness of Christ with a humble heart, it changes the way you love. You put the concerns and needs of others before your own. God’s kind of love expresses itself in kind actions toward others. Truly loving others is evidence of the work of God’s grace in our hearts. 

 

1 John 3:19 says that “we are of the truth, and we shall assure our hearts before Him.” 

 

When we don’t love others as Christ loves us, then we don’t feel the assurance of Christ’s love. We can know the truth of Christ’s love and still emotionally feel the need to be assured of our standing in Christ. The enemy comes against us to kill, steal, and destroy the belief of who we are in Christ (John 10:10). As believers, we are part of the truth of Christ’s salvation, and that truth gives us the ability to stand against the enemy and assure ourselves of God’s love. Many believe that if everything is right between them and the Lord, they will always just feel good. That’s just not the case. This verse says that our hearts need assuring. If David, who didn’t have the assurance of Christ in his heart, could encourage himself, then we who know Christ, certainly have the ability to assure ourselves of the wonderful message of grace that we have received.

 

“For if our heart condemns us, God is greater than our heart, and knows all things. Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God” (1 John 3:20-21, NKJV).

 

This verse says our hearts can condemn us without God condemning us. Have you ever believed that your feelings of unworthiness are from God? Not all reservations we have are from God. Some are lies of the enemy. We have to believe God’s truth over our feelings to know the difference.

 

Even when our hearts feel unsure, God knows the truth of our right standing with Him. When we agree with God’s truth and rid our hearts of condemnation, confidence in who we are in Christ yields fruit in our lives (1 John 3:21). Jesus took all the condemnation for our sins (John 3:16-17). And now we have no condemnation in Him (Romans 8:1). 

 

“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:22, NKJV).

 

When we believe the truth of Christ’s redeeming love and allow it to purge us of feelings of condemnation, we can then experience confidence toward God. We can draw near to Him in full assurance of our right-standing in Christ.

 

“Therefore do not cast away your confidence, which has great reward” (Hebrews 10:35).

 

There is a great reward when we have confidence in God.  

 

When we, who are justified by faith in Christ, live by His faith which has justified us, we don’t shrink back (Hebrews 10:38). We assure our hearts and trust His truth over our feelings.

 

Assure your heart. There is no condemnation in Christ. You have confidence in God when you don't live in condemnation.

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/assure-your-heart.html

 

 

Thursday, June 23, 2022

A Spirit of Offense




An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars. Sensible people control their temper; they earn respect by overlooking wrongs. 

—Proverbs 18:19, 29:11 N(LT)

 

Have you ever been hurt by someone and struggled to let those feelings go? If you allow offenses to tear up your life, you are harder to win back than a fortified city. You have put up your walls and no one has permission to enter your protected space. Misunderstandings and disagreements separate you. Your life is locked down. No one can reach you. Sometimes, not even God.

 

Not letting go of feelings caused by hurts, whether big or small, leaves you wounded and emotionally broken. Misunderstandings that make us feel offended or hurt are a part of living with others. When you don’t let hurt feelings go, they can grow into a spirit of offense where you judge all your relationships with your emotional wounds. 

 

What is a spirit of offense? Simply put, it is feeling resentful because of an actual insult or an assumed insult. Sometimes, it is an actual offense and other times it is an unintended slight that is misunderstood. Regardless of the other person’s intent, we have to deal with our hurt feelings. The offense becomes a problem when we don’t process the hurt and let it go. When we nurture what has offended us, that offense consumes every thought we have and affects our ability to live in the freedom Christ has given us.

 

Jesus made you a new creation in Christ. He came to heal your wounds. You choose to allow the Holy Spirit to take those bad feelings. You choose to forgive and allow Him to heal your life. 

 

To receive inner healing for your wounded emotions, you need to learn who you are in Christ. When you know your identity in Christ and the new life He has given you, you are able to work through your emotional issues and not use them to judge the intentions of others. 

 

Don’t assume a negative intention from another person! Never guess another person’s intentions or what they expect from you. Ask what they mean and what they expect. You may not agree with them, but listen to what they have to say. And be open to sharing your needs and expectations without anger and bitterness.

 

You might discover that the person you thought had intentionally meant to hurt you, didn’t. You might find that there was a reason for something that you never knew. After sharing and listening, if you still believe the offense was purposeful, what are you going to do with it? Sometimes, we are insulted and just have to let it go. Forgiveness is the only answer. We have to forgive. Without forgiveness, we will forever be in bondage to the pain that rises from the wounds of the past. Forgiveness sets us free. It cracks our façade and brings down the walls we have constructed so we can experience the healing grace of Jesus.

 

To overcome a spirit of offense takes humility. You let go of your right to hold on to your hurt feelings. The Holy Spirit helps us walk through the pain to receive the healing grace of Jesus.

 

Don’t turn to others for advice unless the Holy Spirit specifically guides you to seek counsel from someone. Being offended involves you and someone else. Seeking advice from a third person might cause a larger issue. Sometimes in seeking help from someone not involved, you create another problem. Listen to the Holy Spirit as to whether you need to seek a third person’s counsel or not.

 

Intentionally pray for the person who has hurt you and pray for your own willingness to deal with your grief. Choose to forgive even when you don’t feel it. When you live by your hurts, you judge not only the person who has offended you. You react to others who are not involved out of your wounds. Don’t reject the person who has offended you. It is hard, but it is an important step to experience the healing of your emotional wounds.

 

Walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh. Control your temper at all costs. The Holy Spirit empowers your decision to control your emotions. You earn the respect of others when you overlook wrongs—whether intentional or unintentional— that have occurred.

 

God created us with the need to be forgiven and to be forgiving. Forgiveness flows from Calvary. Allow the grace and forgiveness of Jesus to always reign in your heart. Without mercy, you will never survive. With it alive in your heart, Christ's love will flow continually, setting you free to experience a joyful and fulfilling life.

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/a-spirit-of-offense.html

 

 

Wednesday, June 22, 2022

Your Abba Father




—Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure. So we praise God for the glorious grace he has poured out on us who belong to his dear Son.

—Ephesians 1:4-6 (NLT)

 

Before God made the world, we were chosen to know Him and to have fellowship with Him. But the powerful God who made us was pure and holy, and sin separated us from His presence. God loved us so much that He made a way for us to have an intimate and loving relationship with Him. He sent His dear Son to us—not to condemn us but to save us. (John 3:16-17). When we accept Christ into our hearts, God adopts us as His own. 

 

—And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying out, “Abba, Father!” Therefore you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ.

—Galatians 4:6-7 (NKJV)

 

The Holy Spirit within us cries out to God saying, “Abba.” “Abba” is a term of endearment that indicates a deeply loving and intimate relationship with God. The presence of the Holy Spirit within us proves that we are the children of God. God is our Abba Father—our loving “Daddy.” It is a spirit of sonship, and it brings a sense of worthiness that we are at peace with God. Knowing God loves and accepts us is the opposite of feeling we are slaves to God. The thought of being a slave to God creates a sense that we need to earn the privilege to be in His presence. And there is no way to be at peace in the presence of God if we believe we have to earn His love. When we continue to believe we are still unworthy in God’s eyes after receiving Christ, then we remain a slave to the old person we were before we received Christ. We are no longer slaves who need to live in fear of God’s wrath. There is no wrath in our relationship with our Abba Father.  We are heirs to the love that he has revealed in Christ. 

 

—For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”

—Romans 8:15 (NKJV)

 

The law made God our judge but the Grace of Jesus made God our Father. We are no longer under the law but under grace (Romans 6:14). God desires for us to know Him not as the Father who judges but as the Father who loves us. As His adopted children, we don’t need to fear His judgment. He doesn’t want us to have a fearful relationship with Him. God longs for us to know that we have the freedom to boldly come to Him in our time of need (Hebrews 4:16).

 

God chose us to be His sons and daughters. We have a privileged status of “sonship” because of Christ. The sonship that Christ has given us is found in three ways, and we were created to need these three things—a secure identity, acceptance, and approval. Without these things, we cannot live peaceful lives. But no person can give us a sense of worth. Only in Christ do we find our true worth in God.

 

When you believe you have to earn God’s love, you don’t walk in the redemption of Christ. You try to find your identity, acceptance, and approval in people and circumstances instead of Jesus who has already made you worthy. The law makes you insecure because it creates the need to earn acceptance. But the Grace of Jesus gives you unshakeable security because Christ has earned your acceptance and approval. He has given you His identity. And Christ is within you crying out that we are no longer slaves to the law, but a child of His Grace. 

 

—To them God willed to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles: which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

—Colossians 1:27 (NKJV)

 

The love of God has been made known to us in Christ. Christ lives within us, the hope of glory. We receive our identity, our acceptance, and approval from being His and being in Him. As Jesus is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). When God sees us, He sees the identity of His Son. Just as much as God loved and accepted and approved of His Son, so He loves, accepts, and approves of us.

 

Who we believe we are in Christ—our identity in Him—our sense of worthiness in Him—makes all the difference between living a defeated or victorious life.

 

—For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.

—Romans 8:29-30 (NLT)

 

You were chosen by God to receive His love. He has called you to come to Him. And when you come to Him, don’t miss the benefits of your relationship with Him. You have right-standing with God. And having right-standing with God, you have received His glory. You have Christ within you, the hope of glory.

 

God wants you to experience all the spiritual blessings of your relationship with Him. Believe Him in your heart. He is your Abba Father.

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/your-abba-father.html

 

 

 

 

Tuesday, June 21, 2022

Live by Faith


 

 

For I say, through the grace given to me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man the measure of faith.

—Romans 12:3 (AKJV)

 

God has given every believer “the measure of faith.” There are no different measures of faith. God doesn’t give one believer greater faith than another believer. When we were saved, we all received an equal amount of faith. The problem many believers have is not that they lack faith. They just haven’t allowed the Word to renew their minds until they believe what is theirs (Romans 12:2). They don’t know how to exercise the measure of faith they have been given.

 

I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.

—Galatians 2:20 (KJV)

 

Paul said that he lived his life by the faith of the Son of God. Since each believer has been given the same measure of faith as Paul, then we all have the faith of the Son of God. The life we live is meant to be lived by the faith of Christ that is ours—not by our human feelings. His faith is full of God’s power and grace. When we live out of our feelings, we are hindered by the emotions of what we experience in this life. When fear robs us of peace, it is not from a lack of faith. We experience the result of our minds not being renewed to understand the faith that is ours in Christ. 

 

We have to “sober” up and be “clear-headed” about the measure of faith we have been given—not thinking more highly or lowly of ourselves than another Christian. God wants us to have a correct understanding of who we are in Christ. The faith we have is a gift that every believer has. Some experience greater benefit from their faith than others because they have exercised it and allowed God’s truth to renew their minds. They believe in the promises God has given them in His Word, and they also realize it is only the grace of God that makes it possible for them to receive anything.

 

I beseech you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be you transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

—Romans 12:1-2 (AKJV)

 

In the same way that a switch allows electricity to flow, our minds choose to allow the measure of faith that is ours to renew our thoughts and attitudes. If we don’t allow our minds to be renewed by the truth of what is ours in Christ, we won’t exercise the faith Christ has given us. Paul lived by the faith of the Son of God. Like Paul, we have the faith of the Son of God, but that faith won’t benefit our lives until we renew our minds with the Word. 

 

Don’t conform to the world’s understanding. It is not grounded in truth. Be transformed to believe what the Word says is true so you will live what is the good, perfect, and acceptable will of God.

 

So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.

—Romans 10:17 (NKJV)

 

Hear the Word of God. Be renewed in your mind with its truth until you believe in your heart that you are who Christ says you are. You have the faith of Christ living in you. 

 

Lord, I may say I am not my own but I must believe I am yours. Keep convincing me. Keep renewing my mind to believe the faith you have given me. I don’t live what my feelings declare. I walk by faith and not by sight. The life I now live I live by the faith of the Son of God who gave His life for me. 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/live-by-faith.html

 

Monday, June 20, 2022

Less of Yourself to Be More of Him


 


We all desire to have good success. But good success comes to those who exhibit true humility in their lives. Humility is not a subject that draws a lot of people. This is because hearing about humility challenges us. It steps on our toes. But until we surrender and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal where we need to change and respond to it, we will forever limit 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

 

A person who chooses to humble himself under the mighty hand of God realizes that he can do nothing in his own strength. He knows any good success in his life comes from God. True humility is being totally—not just partially—dependent on God.

 

When a person places more trust in his own way instead of surrendering to God’s way, he has a prideful spirit. A person with pride promotes himself. He tries to make himself look good. He believes that he is the author of any success in his life. 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

 

Do you need more grace in your life? God gives more grace to the humble. 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 making yourself look less to others. Those that feel the need to demean themselves find their value in the opinions of others instead of God. They, just like those who place trust in themselves, need the recognition and affirmation of others. True humility means you totally trust God and are utterly reliant upon Him. Demeaning yourself and feeling unworthy reveals you don’t trust God—that you don’t believe in the value of what Christ has done for you

 

Look at Peter in John 13 telling Jesus he wasn't worthy enough for Jesus to wash his feet. 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 we focus our minds will reveal if we have pride or true humility. When our thoughts are on ourselves—whether we promote ourselves or think less of ourselves, life is about us. It doesn't matter if we focus on what makes us great or what makes us weak. God only desires our thoughts to be on Him. When your mind focuses on God—instead of what you want, your ideas, your failures, 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 we can draw near to God is with true humility. We don’t have to prove ourselves to God. Resist the temptation to dwell on yourself. Cast your cares upon Him because He cares for you (1 Peter 5:7)). When you cast your cares upon the Lord, that tells God you need Him, and that is true humility. 

 

God didn’t give us the ability 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). 

 

Good success is God’s success in your life. Choose to be less so He can be more.

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/06/less-of-yourself-to-be-more-of-him.html

 

 

 

 

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