Search This Blog

Friday, July 29, 2022

Your 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] 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/2022/07/your-hope-of-glory.html



Thursday, July 28, 2022

The Desire and Power


 


 

For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.

—Philippians 2:13 (NLT)

 

What a great word!  The Holy Spirit not only gives us the capacity to walk in His power but also puts His desire within us. The Holy Spirit is always drawing us toward God’s will. That pleases Him. But it doesn’t just happen. God puts the desire in us, but we must surrender and cooperate with Him.

 

When we believed in Christ, we were spiritually reborn and sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). God poured the finished work of Jesus into our born-again spirits. The same power of God that rose Christ from the dead came to live within us (Romans 8:11).  Our natural minds don't understand what this means in our lives (1 Corinthians 2:14). We have to allow the Holy Spirit to change our understanding of what Christ has given us and who we are as a result (Romans 12:2). Jesus has done His part. It is up to us to know and believe and appropriate by faith what God's grace has given us. Our minds and flesh must choose to yield to the new righteous nature of God that is ours (2 Corinthians 5:21).

                                                                                                 

“Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12, NKJV).

 

Salvation is the gift of God that can only be received by faith in Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9). The Holy Spirit stirs within us the desire to take our salvation to its greatest potential—that is to be more like Christ. Philippians 2:13 reveals there is a divine power that motivates us and is able to achieve God’s purpose within us. This calls for our response— to work out our salvation. We don’t work to be saved. We work to understand what we have received in Christ. When we cease trusting in ourselves and instead trust the power of God working within us, we work out our salvation. 

 

Surrendering to God is work. Cooperating with God is work. And it takes effort to know who we are in Christ. We often learn with fear and trembling because we must let go of who we have always believed we were and step out in faith to grasp the new person we are now in Christ. 

 

“His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue” (2 Peter 1:3, NKJV).

 

God is working within you, my friend, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases Him. Cooperate with the Holy Spirit. There is no joy like knowing Him living in you.

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/the-desire-and-power.html

 

Wednesday, July 27, 2022

The Fear of Man





The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom,
And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.

—Proverbs 9:10 (NKJV)

 

 

The fear of man and what he thinks can keep us from receiving wisdom from God. The choices we make to follow the Lord or to yield to the will of man govern the amount of wisdom we will receive. Whenever we yield to our human need for acceptance and recognition, we forfeit God’s wisdom. Anything that feeds selfishness or pride keeps us from the wisdom that comes from an intimate relationship with God. 

 

If we want God’s wisdom in our lives, Proverbs 9:10 says the starting place is the fear of the Lord. This fear of the Lord is not being afraid of God. Instead, it is placing higher importance on God and His Word than on the judgments, requirements, and opinions of others. We cannot walk in the wisdom of God until our respect for the Lord is a higher priority than what other people think and believe is best for us. 

 

The fear of man brings a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord shall be safe.

—Proverbs 29:25 (NKJV)

 

Trusting God over the opinion of others brings life and peace (Romans 8:6). But yielding to the opinions of others for your life instead of yielding to God’s purpose ensnares you in emotional bondage and restricts your potential. The fear of man will cost us God’s wisdom and eventually the respect of those we have tried to please. Look at Saul. He told Samuel, “I have sinned, for I have transgressed the commandment of the Lord and your words, because I have feared the people and obeyed their voice” (1 Samuel 15:24, NKJV). Saul humbly began as king and ended his reign in pride and destruction.

 

God also rejected Eli. Eli’s sons brought dishonor to God with their sinful behavior. Though Eli was well aware of their behavior and asked them to quit, he took no action to stop them. Eli honored his sons and what they thought of him more than he honored God. Eli’s choice not to walk in the fearful respect of the Lord, ultimately cost him his children, his recognition as a man of God, and his own life.

 

David, however, responded to Nathan the prophet when confronted about his sin with Bathsheba. He knew God’s truth was best for his life. He repented immediately and said of God, “You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part you will make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6, NKJV).  He realized that a forgiven and open heart to God would bring God’s wisdom.

 

Jesus is the greatest example of listening to God instead of men. He certainly ignored the religious leaders of his time and had no desire to appease them or seek their good opinion. He also chose to honor His Father’s will over the occasional advice of those He had called to follow Him. The emotional pressures of others did not move Jesus. His delight was in the fear of the Lord. He did not respond to what his eyes saw or his ears heard from others (Isaiah 11:3). Jesus walked completely in the wisdom of His Father.

 

 Do I walk in the fear of the Lord or the fear of man? Do I esteem the Word, which is Jesus—God-in-the-flesh full of grace and truth—as my highest priority (John 1:14)? Or do I think more of what others think trying to win their approval? Yes, we all desire to be accepted by others—especially those we care about and think highly of. But when we desire God’s wisdom above all else, putting Him first is always the beginning.

 

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom” Solomon wrote. “And in all your getting, get understanding” (Proverbs 4:7, NKJV)

 

“We do not cease to pray for you,” Paul said, “and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding” (Colossians 1:9, (NKJV).

 

The fear of man will pull us out of the will of God and His plans for us. The wisdom of God is always found in placing God’s desires above what others think. When you are filled with God’s wisdom and spiritual understanding, the opinion of man takes second place to God’s opinion. You trust God over the opinions of others. You choose Him. 

 

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/the-fear-of-man.html

 

  

 

Tuesday, July 26, 2022

Spirit to Spirit


 

Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.” And Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of him; and the child was cured from that very hour.

 

Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, “Why could we not cast it out?”

 

So Jesus said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for assuredly, I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting.”

—Matthew 17:17-21 (NKJV)

 

In Matthew 17 (and also in Mark 9), Jesus had just returned from the Mount of Transfiguration with Peter, James, and John to a father who begged him to cast a demon out of his son. The father told Jesus that the disciples had been unable to cast out the demon.

 

Jesus was infuriated and called his disciples faithless and perverse. He had already given his disciples the power to cast out all unclean spirits (Matthew 10:1). He expected His disciples to be able to cast this demon out of this boy. But when faced with the opposition of evil, the disciples just didn’t believe they had the authority Jesus had given them. How about us? When we are faced with evil, do we believe in Christ’s authority within us?

 

Jesus immediately cast the demon out of the boy. The disciples asked Jesus why they couldn’t cast it out.

 

“Because of your unbelief!” Jesus said. “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you have enough faith to move mountains. Nothing will be impossible to you. However, this kind of unbelief does not go out except by prayer and fasting.” (Matthew 17:20-21, Mark 9:28-29).

 

Jesus wasn’t saying that there are certain demons that only come out by prayer and fasting. There never was or ever will be a demon that the name of Jesus or faith in the name of Jesus won’t cast out. Jesus said in Matthew 17:21 that prayer and fasting cast out the kind of unbelief the disciples had. In Mark 9:29, He emphasized that it was the only way. 

 

Unbelief kept the disciples from casting out the boy’s demon. Unbelief will also keep us from overcoming the enemy. 

 

What kind of unbelief did the disciples have? 

 

There are three kinds of unbelief: unbelief from ignorance, unbelief from wrong information, and “natural” unbelief that rises from the senses. Unbelief that is the result of ignorance or erroneous teaching can be eliminated by receiving the truth of God’s Word.  However, the unbelief that hindered the disciples in casting the demon out of this boy was a “natural” type of unbelief. It came from what they felt—not from what Jesus had told them was true.

 

Just like all of us, life had taught the disciples to rely on what they could see, hear, smell, touch, and taste. They were simply dominated by the natural senses more than by the truth of what Jesus had told them—that He had given them the power over evil. The Holy Spirit tells us, just as Jesus told the disciples, that the way we deal with this kind of “natural” unbelief is by prayer and fasting. But it is not the act of prayer or fasting that eliminates unbelief. If we focus on the acts of prayer and fasting instead of trusting in the truths that they accomplish, then we trust in our own ability over God’s. Intimacy with God is not ours to accomplish. Intimacy with God comes when we yield to the Holy Spirit and to His truth.

 

Prayer and fasting change the way we receive the Word by the Holy Spirit. They change what we believe and give us spiritual insight into what is really true in God’s realm. The callousness of our natural mind to things of the Spirit—our ability to understand what we haven’t experienced—our perception—are all affected by prayer and fasting. Knowledge is the solution to not knowing the Word and also the solution to erroneous teaching. But knowledge by itself will not rid us of the “natural” unbelief that comes from our senses.

 

The natural man does not receive the things of God. They are foolish to him (1 Corinthians 2:14). We connect with God spirit to Spirit—not by what we feel—not by the “natural” mind. We commune and worship with God in spirit and truth (John 4:24). A heart change from unbelieving to believing comes as a result of receiving the revealed truth of the Word by the Holy Spirit. 

 

God’s Word is truth and it is life. The flesh—what our “natural” mind understands—accomplishes nothing (John 6:63). We don’t “earn” the power that Jesus has given us—not through prayer or fasting or any act that we perform. Jesus earned everything. We can’t receive the truth of who are in Christ or the authority He has given us through our senses—through our “natural” mind—or through anything we do. We receive God’s truth spirit to Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14). We can’t change the unbelief of our “natural” emotions from what we feel to the peace of spiritual truth by just wishing it to be so. We receive an understanding of God’s truth and conform to that truth when our minds are renewed spirit to Spirit (Romans 12:2, Ephesians 4:23). 

 

“But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come” (John 16:13).

 

This kind of natural unbelief can be overcome. Jesus Christ has revealed who we are in Him. When we receive an understanding of who we are and what is ours by the Holy Spirit, we overcome our natural understanding. Yield your mind. Be open to the truth He reveals in the Word. Receive spiritual understanding of who you are and what is yours—spirit to Spirit. 

 

“But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him” (1 Corinthians 6:17).

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/spirit-to-spirit.html

 

Monday, July 25, 2022

Priceless Peace



 

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 uncertain and hard. But you don’t have to live by what you feel. Fear doesn’t have to control you. Christ’s peace has overcome fear’s power to control you (John 16:33). He has overcome your roller-coaster ride of feelings. His peace is yours (John 14:27). For you to experience His peace, you have to believe in the infinite value of God’s love for you and the priceless value you are to Him.

 

The only constant that will keep you in perfect peace is to believe how much God loves you and what His love has given you. God hasn’t 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 and your concerns. You have His love that speaks life. You have the mind of Christ that lives by faith and not by feelings (1 Corinthians 2:16). But if you don’t believe the truths the Word reveals, you will not experience His peace. When you are at peace in your relationship with God, you believe in the infinite value He has placed on your life. When life is difficult, you have no reason to doubt Him. You can 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 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 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 letting your feelings tell you what is true, you are renewed by God’s truth. The Word transforms the way you think (Romans 12:2), and you begin 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 He promises as yours. Believe in the blessings of God, and experience life and peace.

 

Do you know your value to God? He didn’t pay for you with mere gold or silver, which lose their value.  It was the precious blood of His Son, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God (1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

You are priceless to Him. And He has given you priceless peace. You choose to believe what the priceless and precious blood of Jesus has purchased for you.

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/priceless-peace.html

 

Friday, July 22, 2022

He Rewards the Whole Heart

 

 

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

—Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)

 

Your faith is what pleases God. He rewards those who diligently seek Him with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13). And persistent seeking of His truth rewards you. The truth of His Word takes root and comes alive within you. You believe without seeing because you trust your Father who has revealed Himself to you. You know His promises are true.

 

The power of the Word is realized when you act upon it and choose to live its truth—even when what you experience is not seen, heard, or felt with your natural senses. When you take God’s truth and make it your own, it becomes the foundation for what you believe. Your attitude about your life changes. You see beyond what you experience. 

 

You cannot understand God’s Word with your natural mind. It seems foolish to you. His truth can only be understood spiritually by the Holy Spirit revealing it to you (1 Corinthians 2:14). God’s truth is real for you when it becomes yours. When the Holy Spirit reveals something in God’s Word, you have to choose to take possession of it and make it your own. It must renew your mind again and again (Romans 12:2). God’s truth then becomes what you believe. Now it is your truth. It is real and powerful in your life. 

 

When you believe God, you see what has not been seen or experienced. Believing His truth by faith pleases God, and He rewards you according to what you believe (Hebrews 11:6). If you believe His Word, you receive its benefit. If you don’t believe, then you don’t live the abundant life Jesus died to give you.

 

To be carnally or naturally minded is death to your faith. To be spiritually minded is life and peace (Romans 8:6). Draw a line in the sand, and choose to believe. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God—not with just your mind but with your heart (Romans 10:17). Walk by faith and not by what you see (2 Corinthians 5:7). If you doubt, you won’t receive God’s promises (James 1:6-7). But when you believe, nothing is impossible with God (Mark 9:23). 

 

Do you believe that God rewards you when you seek Him? To receive the benefits of His truth, you believe it. Reach out believing—without doubting—and seek God’s truth with all your heart. You will find it (Matthew 7:8).

 

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

 

He rewards the whole heart.

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/he-rewards-whole-heart.html

 

 

 

 

Thursday, July 21, 2022

His Treasure Within You



 

But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us. We are hard-pressed on every side, yet not crushed; we are perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed— always carrying about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life of Jesus also may be manifested in our body. 

—1 Corinthians 4:7-10 (NKJV)

 

 

The love of God has given us the greatest treasure. Another way of defining the treasure we have been given is “Christ in you, the hope of glory” (Colossians 1:27). Paul was speaking of our lives being joined with Christ and all the benefits it affords. This truly is a treasure, far beyond anything this earth or any man can give us. This treasure was purchased with the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19).

 

The earthen vessels that Paul speaks of are our physical bodies. 2 Corinthians 4:7 compares the worthlessness of our bodies to the matchless value of Christ in us. Our bodies are like clay pots that contain the precious treasure of Christ. Paul says hard times and things might come against us but they can’t destroy the treasure of His grace within us. 

 

In 2 Corinthians 4:8-9, Paul wasn’t saying God was the source of these troubles. He wasn’t saying the Lord was performing some kind of redemptive work using these problems. Paul was only listing things that are shared by everyone. But he also showed how God’s power makes us more than conquerors in every difficulty (Romans 8:37). What Paul shows us in these verses is how the credit for the power to live a victorious life goes to God and not to us.

 

Paul came into situations where he didn’t know what to do and even where there seemed to be no escape. But He knew he was never without God’s help. His earthly reasoning didn’t have the answers. But Paul wasn’t just a mind and body. Paul had Christ living in his born-again spirit, and he drew on the power of the Holy Spirit from within. He had the treasure of God’s grace living in him, and he drew from that treasure by faith. This kept him from despair and discouragement. Our problems or even our lack of problems should never determine how we feel. We can draw from the treasure of Christ within us—the power of the Holy Spirit—to overcome every situation (Romans 8:37, 1 Corinthians 15:57). 

 

It is only when we die to self that Christ can manifest His life in us. God doesn’t give us problems to prove that we are His. Satan is the one who afflicts and attempts to steal God’s truth from our hearts (John 10:10). Godly believers are constantly persecuted because of their stand for Christ. When we lean on Christ, we experience the life of Christ and His power in our lives.

 

Paul endured his afflictions for the sake of others. He denied himself so that others could receive the grace of Jesus. Throughout his ministry, many made Christ the Lord of their lives. And this was enough reward for Paul. In dying to self his inner man was being renewed every day. When we allow our inner man to be transformed by the truth of who we are in Christ, we conform to God’s image of us (Romans 12:2). 

 

Paul died to himself so Christ might live through him (Galatians 2:20). Knowing his position in Christ and all the benefits it gave Him, Paul was able to yield to God. Knowing your position in Christ is crucial in order to yield to Him. You yield to God when you trust Him more than yourself. Dying to self—dying to your need to prove yourself, magnifies God’s position in your life. And knowing who you are in Christ gives you God’s perspective. You have His power within you to show your power is from Him and not from you. You believe that Christ is greater in you than anything that comes against you. 

 

Do you believe His treasure within you?

 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/his-treasure-within-you.html

 

Wednesday, July 20, 2022

My Promise



 

For I will pour water on the thirsty land, and streams on the dry ground; I will pour out my Spirit on your offspring, and my blessing on your descendants.

—Isaiah 44:3 (NIV)

 

Life may appear without hope to some, but to someone who knows they are filled with you, Lord—who believes in your truth, it is a life bursting with abundant promise. My heart hungers to completely know this new person you have made me. My thirsty soul consumes your Word and receives your truth. 

 

“I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland,” you promise, “to give drink to my people, my chosen, the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise” (Isaiah 43:20b-21, NIV). 

 

You created me to know you, Lord—not just know about you. You have chosen me to be yours. You have blessed me (Ephesians 1:3-4). When I hunger and thirst to know the righteousness you have given me, you generously fill me with your wisdom. (Matthew 5:6, James 1:5). I see your spiritual blessings instead of my own natural limitations. When I continually receive your living truth, I am renewed by it (Romans 12:2). I see with your eyes instead of my own. I see your promises instead of a life without hope. 

 

My life reaches beyond myself, Lord Jesus. It impacts everyone I meet. My life either speaks life or death. It offers either despair or hope. It imparts failure or success. It either kills a heart or encourages someone to reach beyond their natural limitations to receive a spiritual understanding of what you have given them. Lord, I can’t encourage others to receive what I don’t spiritually understand in my own life. Teach me, Holy Spirit. Teach me the depths of who you are in me. You satisfy me with good things. My soul renews like the eagle (Psalm 103:5). I stand in your power—victorious over anything that comes against me (Isaiah 54:17). 

 

I was created to praise you, Lord. I was created to know you—to have a relationship with you—to be filled with a spirit of wisdom and revelation in my knowledge of you—to be enlightened to know the hope of your calling—to know your power toward us who believe (Ephesians 1:17-19).

 

“My child,” you impart, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38, NKJV).

 

You have poured yourself into my spirit. My mind hungers to know what your truth means in my life. My heart thirsts to believe. I draw from your ever-streaming, never-ending, fulfilling abundance to never thirst again (John 4:14). I am loved, cherished, and blameless in your unending grace. You have made everything right. There is nothing I need to make right. I am yours. I have hope and promise. And upon those I love—my offspring and upon theirs—upon those I care for—upon those I pray for—upon those you have brought into my life—you pour your life and your blessing. 

 

Grace gives more grace (James 4:6). Love breeds love through the generations to come. It is your promise that I am yours and that you never forget those you love.

 

“I will restore to you the years that the swarming locust has eaten,” you promise. “Your children shall know me, And great shall be their peace” (Joel 2:25, Isaiah 54:13).

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/my-promise.html

 

 

 

Tuesday, July 19, 2022

Christ in You


 

Jesus spoke to His disciples the night before His crucifixion. 

 

“A little while longer and the world will see Me no more, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you” (John 14:19-20, NKJV).

 

Jesus was speaking of the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit that assures believers that God is within them. God has given us His Holy Spirit as proof that we are in Him and He in us (1 John 4:13). He has sealed us as His own (Ephesians 1:13).

 

When you come to know Christ, you have the Holy Spirit within you to assure you that Christ is within you. You don’t always feel Him. But you don’t have to feel Him to know He is in you. You know it because the Word says it is true. 

 

When we really believe in our hearts that we are in Christ and He is in us, we live in the freedom of His grace. We experience the fullness of the new life He has given us. Feelings may try to tell us something different. But when doubt and fear try to claim our minds, they are defeated. We believe that greater is Christ within us than anything that comes against us (1 John 4:4).

 

Do you believe this is true? That Christ is greater within you? 

 

We have been crucified with Christ. It is Christ who lives in us. And we live by the faith of the Son of God who loved us and gave His life for us (Galatians 2:20). To experience the fullness of the new life that is ours, we have to believe what we have received in Christ. The battle to believe what we have been given is within the mind. We have the Holy Spirit to reveal God’s truth. When we allow the same faith we exercised for salvation to convince us of the new life Christ has given us, we grow to believe we are a new person. All things are new even if they aren’t felt or seen (2 Corinthians 5:17). We stand in faith against doubt—against fear—against the enemy. Christ, the hope of glory lives within us. 

 

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God” (Romans 12:2, NKJV). 

 

Our beliefs mold us. What we believe becomes who we are. To believe who God says we are, we can’t conform to any belief other than God’s truth. We can’t allow the world or our natural minds to tell us what is true. We conform to the image that God has of us by renewing our minds with the truth of His Word. Only then are we able to agree with what God says about us and experience the plans He has for our lives.

 

God is in you, and you are in Him. Do you believe it? Are you convinced of the new person He has made you—of the image He has of you—of His fruit in your life? 

 

When you believe your identity in Christ, your life produces love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control. You need no law with the fruit of God's righteousness in your life (Galatians 5:22-24). When you are convinced of your identity in Christ, you draw from the truth of whom He says you are. The self becomes less, and His truth becomes more. The Holy Spirit convinces you of the new person Christ has made you. You believe that God’s glory is yours.

 

And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one.

—John 17:22-23a (NKJV)

 

Christ is in you, and you are in Him. He is your hope of glory (Colossians 1:27). 

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/christ-in-you.html

 

 

 

Monday, July 18, 2022

Change


 

For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.  In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.”

—Jeremiah 29:11-12 (NKJV)

 

Life constantly changes. Whether good or bad, change can be hard. Change means that the circumstances you have relied upon or those you have learned to accept, are no more. When circumstances change for the worse, you might grieve the loss of what you believed would last. When they change for the better, you may have difficulty with the adjustment the change requires. No matter what happens in life, God is your constant truth in this vacillating world. When you know who you are in Christ, you have no need to fear change because He never changes. He is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8).  

 

God’s perfect plan for your life always gives hope. And hope does not disappoint you, because the love of God has been poured out in your heart by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). You have the love of God living in you. You have the Holy Spirit. God’s Word is your truth (John 17:17), and the Holy Spirit is your teacher (John 16:13). Don’t believe as the world believes. Look beyond your circumstance and believe in God’s promise. Hold tightly to your hope without wavering. God is faithful to keep His promise (Hebrews 10:23). Be changed in your spiritual understanding by the renewing of your mind with the Word. You will prove what is the good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:2). When you know God’s truth and believe His Word in your heart, you have confidence in God instead of the promise He has revealed to you. You live in the fullness of His promise instead of the fear you will never experience what He has promised.

 

Trust God when the seasons of your life change. Learn His truth in whatever your season. Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you, and apply His revelation to your life. Change is easier to handle when you believe His truth instead of circumstances that offer no truth. 

 

God is steadfast in a world that has no balance. The power of the Holy Spirit is within you. Draw from His authority. His power—His faithfulness—His consistency—His balance. These are yours to exercise every day. You can never ask too much of God. When you seek Him with your whole heart, you find Him. He has poured every spiritual blessing into your life (Ephesians 1:4). His provision is unending. Living by faith in Christ provides abundance in life (Hebrews 10:38, John 10:10).

 

Whatever change lies ahead in your life—whatever season, He has made a way to provide exactly what you need. He already has your resources in place. You are His child, and He will not forsake you or leave you (Hebrews 13:5). When you hear the Word of God in your heart, faith rises in you (Romans 10:17). You believe what He has promised. Choose to believe. Praise Him in your circumstance and His spiritual peace will claim you (Philippians 4:6-7). It is His perfect gift for your life—to know that in whatever change occurs, He has a perfect plan and purpose for your life.

 

“I am about to do something new,” says the Lord. “See, I have already begun! Do you not see it? I will make a pathway through the wilderness. I will create rivers in the dry wasteland. Yes, I will make rivers in the dry wasteland so my chosen people can be refreshed. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. (Isaiah 43:19, 20, John 16:13, NLT).

 

© 2022 Lynn Lacher 

www.lynnlacher.com/2022/07/change.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...