Trusting God

 

 

Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me.

—John 14:1

 

 

The night in the Upper Room the disciples were fearful about Jesus leaving them. Jesus wanted them to know that they would be with Him again and not to be troubled or fearful. “Trust in God, and trust in me,” He told them. 

 

Jesus was amazed when he was asked to show them the Father. “Have I been with you all this time and still you do not know me?” He asked them. “I am in the Father and the Father is in me.” 

 

Insecurity had filled the disciples with fear, and Jesus was telling them to trust in Him instead of what they would experience. If they really knew Him, they would trust Him. 

 

The Holy Spirit asks us the same question. Has Jesus been with you all this time and you still haven’t known Him? Have you focused on the issues of life instead of learning who Christ is within your heart? When we go through the insecurity of this natural life with fear instead of Jesus, we haven’t really known Him. 

 

The Holy Spirit tells us the same thing Jesus told the disciples. If we really know Christ, we would trust Him. We don’t have to experience the insecurity of the world around us when we know the security of God within us. When you have a spiritual understanding in your heart of who you are in Christ—when you believe Jesus is in you and you are in Him, your perspective changes about life. You have peace no matter what happens When you genuinely believe His truth, you trust Him.

 

Trust is the “firm belief in the reliability, truth, or ability of someone or something” (www.dictionary.com). When you believe firmly and without a doubt in God’s love for you, you believe He is reliable. You believe He has the ability to take care of you, and you believe He will take care of you. Believing God’s Word as truth without needing any proof changes your perception of life from one of insecurity to trust. You believe Him in your heart. You don’t need to see to believe. 

 

If you have fears that keep you from trusting God, then those fears are more important and relevant to you than the peace Jesus has given you. Trust begins as a decision to learn the truths of the new person your Savior has created in you. Each and everyday day, you choose to deny the fears where you have placed your trust. When you submit the things that worry you to God, you let go of them (Philippians 4:6). And when you submit to God, you resist the enemy who creates fear (James 4:7) Giving God your worries and fears allows the peace of Christ to rise in your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7). When you think only on good things and continually renew your mind with the truth of God’s goodness, you spiritually plant His truth in your heart (Philippians 4:8, Romans 12:2).

 

Don’t let your heart be troubled. Don’t worry about today or tomorrow (Matthew 6:25). When you believe in the new life Jesus has created in you, the blessings of God spring up from His new life in you. He is alive in every cell. He is alive in every thought—conscious or unconscious. As He is so are you in this world (1 John 4:17). Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in you (John 17:21). The abundant life of the Father is within you. He is yours (John 10:10). 

 

Trust comes from knowing who you are in Christ—from believing that your Father, through the finished work of Jesus, has already taken care of your issues in life. There is no need to fear circumstances or anything in this world. Trust begins as a decision to accept what God promises in His Word as truth for your life, and the Holy Spirit empowers you to believe His truth by faith. 

If you trusted God for your salvation, you can also trust Him for everything else. He will never leave you or forsake you (Hebrews 13:5). That is His truth you can believe and trust.

 

God has not given you a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). So don’t let your heart be troubled. Trust in God. Trust in Jesus. Trust the Holy Spirit within you. When you know who you are in Christ, fear has no power in your life. 

 

Blessed are those who have not seen but have believed (John 20:29).

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/trusting-god.html

 

 

 

 

 

As You Think in Your Heart

 

 

My son, give attention to my words;
Incline your ear to my sayings.
Do not let them depart from your eyes;
Keep them in the midst of your heart;
For they are life to those who find them,
And health to all their flesh.
Keep your heart with all diligence,
For out of it spring the issues of life.

—Provers 4:20-23

 

 

It is so hard when you are hanging on by a thread. It is such a relief to finally let go and trust God’s Word. His Word is His truth for you. It is His will. Don’t dilute it with “if” because you don’t see any physical evidence of His promise to you. Faith is the substance of what you hope for. It is the evidence of what you can’t see (Hebrews 11:1).

 

God’s Word is true but it is not true for you unless you make it yours. Don’t allow what you question is God’s truth for your life to get in the way of what the Word says is true for you. That isn’t faith. That is doubt that keeps you from receiving the promises of God’s Word (James 1:7-8). His Word is truth (John 6:63). God’s truth is His life yearning to come alive in you. 

 

If you want the promise God has revealed to you to be true in your life, you have to place everything you believe in God’s faithfulness. You quiet the other voices. You quiet the doubt. You choose to trust that God, who is the Word, is faithful to perform His truth in your life. 

 

Let go of that thread of doubt. Let go of that thread of fear. Let go. The power of the Holy Spirit is already in you. Take the faith Jesus has given you, and choose to believe His truth in your heart. Give attention to God’s Word. Think continually on God’s promise. Guard His truth from your thoughts when they want to believe anything that is contrary to what you are promised.

 

Out of your heart flow all the issues of your life. Faith comes from spiritually hearing God’s Word in your heart (Romans 10:17). Let God’s Word take root in your heart. His Word is life to all who find it. It is healing to all your flesh. 

 

Do you have an issue in your life that consumes you? When the Holy Spirit reveals the truth of His promise to you in the Word, hang on to what He has promised you. Allow His truth to consume you. Allow His truth to grow strong in you and become who you are. As a man thinks in His heart, that is who He is (Provers 23:7).

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/as-you-think-in-your-heart.html

 

 

True Friendship

 

 

“O my dear brother Jonathan, I’m crushed by your death. Your friendship was a miracle-wonder, love far exceeding anything I’ve known— or ever hope to know” (1 Samuel 1:26, MSG).

 

 

David and Jonathan were bound by the deepest friendship. On the report of Jonathan's death, David was crushed, but he said something in this verse that speaks of Jonathan's friendship being one that exceeded anything he had ever known. His friendship was a “miracle-wonder.”

 

C. H Spurgeon once stated, “Friendship is one of the sweetest joys of life. Many might have failed beneath the bitterness of their trial had they not found a friend.”  

 

I have a quote a friend gave me several years ago. “A friend is someone,” it reads, “who knows the song in your heart, and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.” 

 

Luke writes of a man who would have missed Jesus’ healing without the determination of his friends to literally carry him. Four men bring their paralytic friend to a house where Jesus is but can’t get through the mass of people. Determined, they climb to the roof of the house by an outside stairway. After removing roof tiles and prying up the mud and wattle, they lower the paralytic’s pallet through the opening. Jesus looks up and sees the pallet being lowered. He sees the faces of four men filled with purpose. He sees their great faith. Jesus looks at the paralytic and declares, “Friend, your sins are forgiven. Rise up, and pick up your mat. Go home.” (Luke 5:16-24)

 

In Proverbs, Solomon lists three strong values found in a good friend. He loves at all times (Proverbs 17:17); he is closer than a brother (Proverbs 18:24); he never forsakes his friend (Proverbs 27:10). 

 

The story of the paralytic in Luke brings the wisdom of Solomon to life. The paralytic received ongoing love from his friends. He was closer than a brother, and they did not forsake him. His friends believed in his healing and did what they could to help him. Maybe, the paralytic had given up all hope and had asked them to leave him alone. Perhaps, because he was unable to do anything for himself, he was relying upon his friends. 

 

Whatever the case what can we understand about friendship from this example of the four friends’ commitment? No matter what your friend’s belief or lack of belief, you believe in the very best for him. You encourage him with the Word. You believe in his miracle when despair has claimed his heart. You go the distance for him.

 

True friendship never acts upon human desire but only upon the desire of the Holy Spirit. It listens and follows His guidance. True friendship never sacrifices the heart of a friend. If a friend shares his heart, he has trusted you enough to make himself vulnerable to what you think of him. If your friend comes to you seeking advice, pray for God's wisdom and always extend the grace of honesty without judging him. Realize you don't have all the answers but carefully listen. When the Holy Spirit gives insight, offer His insight without placing compliance on your friend. Make it clear he is loved no matter what his choice. God gives us free will, and we should do the same. You can believe in a promise for your friend, but you can never demand or make him believe it. That is his decision. You can share what the Holy Spirit has shown you, but you can't coerce him to believe. That is not your place. Your place is to believe. Encourage, and pray for him. You accept him with all his hang-ups and struggles, just as Christ has accepted you with all of yours.

 

A David and Jonathan friendship knows the other friend's heart without asking. When your friend has lost all hope, you will know it. If the time comes when the Holy Spirit tells you to cut that hole in the roof for your friend, you will step out in faith and cut that hole in the roof. You will believe without doubt in the miracle Jesus has promised. You will know what the Holy Spirit is leading you to do for the sake of your friend. 

 

Trust Jesus if He has led you to the place on the roof. Step out in faith. If your friend has forgotten the song in his heart, believe God’s promise and pray your friend will receive it. The Holy Spirit is just waiting to meet your friend's need. 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/true-friendship.html

 

 

 

 

The Author of Your Faith

 

Blessed is the man who endures temptation, for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. So be subject to God. Resist the devil [stand firm against him], and he will flee from you.

 

—James 1:13, 4:7 (NKJV, AMP)

 

 

James 1:12 speaks about temptation and the benefits of enduring through them. Some believers interpret this verse to say that God gives temptation and trials to bring us to redemption. However, James 1:13 makes it clear that God is not the author of the things that tempt us to turn from God. God is love. He is the author of everything that is good. Satan is the author of everything evil. Satan tempts us with sin and trials to make choices to destroy us. 

 

Temptation and trials will always come, and there is a great benefit to be derived from enduring them in a godly way. But they do not come from God. Thinking that God sends evil to build our faith will tempt us to submit to them rather than resist them (James 4:7). Yes, we can benefit from trials that come against us (James 1:2-3), but God, our loving Abba Father, is not the author of them. 

 

“My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,” James wrote, “knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience” (James 1:2-3). 

 

This verse clearly reveals that we are to rejoice in our trials. However, this verse is often misinterpreted to say that God is the author of our trials. James 1:13-14 reveals differently. God never tempts us, and He never leaves us. He is faithful to carry us through our temptations and trials. So we can rejoice in the midst of our trials believing that God will bring us safely through. Our belief in His inherent goodness helps us to stand. And in our standing, the good work of patience develops in us. 

 

The testing of our faith by temptation and trials produces patience in us. This is essentially the same thing Paul said in Romans 5:3. But now look at the following verse, Romans 5:4. It states that patience comes from the Word. Does patience come from our trials or from the Word?

Patience is faith that endures over a long time, and faith comes from the Word (Romans 10:17, 5:4). But patience has to develop and mature. A person who goes to school learns a trade, but he develops the skills he has learned as he uses them on the job. Likewise, we get our faith and patience from the Word, but they develop in us as we encounter trials in life. 

Many Christians who believe their Abba Father sends trials into their lives to perfect them, actually end up accepting their trials instead of fighting against them. Trials tempt us to turn against God, but when we praise God IN whatever our temptation or trial, we choose His faithfulness over the evil that comes against us. We lean on Him and develop patience as a result. 

However, it is crucial that we keep clear who is the author of our temptation and trials (John 10:10a) and who is the author of our blessings (John 10:10b). God doesn’t tempt us (James 1:13). We choose to submit to God and resist the enemy (James 4:7).

God, who is the author of your faith, will faithfully complete your faith (Hebrews 12:2). 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlache.com/2023/05/the-author-of-your-faith.html

 

 

 

 

Let His Peace Rule

 

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.

—Colossians 3:15

 

If there is one thing we can learn from hardship or worry, it is that they can steal our peace. When we endure hardship or experience fear, we, often look for encouragement from someone else or in improving circumstances. We attempt to reach an emotional place of peace instead of allowing the spiritual peace God has given us to rule in our hearts. His peace comes from within our hearts. It is not the peace we receive from circumstances or good feelings. The perfect love of God that lives in us carries us through any hardship without fear if we choose to draw upon it. 

 

The Amplified Bible Classic Edition expands Colossians 3:15 in this way: “And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. And be thankful (appreciative), [giving praise to God always].” 

In sports, an umpire is a person who knows all the rules of the game and settles disputes. The peace of God is our umpire that knows all the rules and settles all disputes as to what the will of God is for our lives. We have to learn to listen to what the peace of God is trying to tell us. We need to give it priority in our lives and follow what it tells us.

God’s peace is a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is something that every born-again believer possesses. His peace continually attempts to “umpire” and guide us, but many times we just don’t listen. We go against the peace of God in our hearts and act according to our game plan. Later, when tragedy becomes the result of a bad decision, we acknowledge the unease that initially existed in our hearts. That unease was the peace of God trying to rule in our hearts, but we were too determined to play by our rules instead of His.

There are some things we can do to assist the peace of God ruling in our hearts and “umpiring” us. 

We should contemplate all our options. Wrong decisions are made when all options are not given thorough consideration. And we can’t let doubt rule out what might be God’s possibilities. As we visualize the result of each different option, we should perceive a greater peace when we consider the option the Lord wishes for us. This does not mean there will be total peace with any choice. Within our born-again spirits, spiritual peace exists over the right choice. But since we are not always 100% completely in the Spirit, it is not unusual for there is be some questioning and unrest. Just as an umpire has to make a call, we need to be courageous enough to follow the decision that gives us the most peace.  

A ship has to be moving for its rudder to give it direction. That ship doesn’t have to be at full speed for its rudder to work, but that ship still has to move to receive direction. We, also, must move and step out in faith before the peace of God gives us perfect direction. Sometimes we will make a mistake. But when we make a wrong decision in faith trying to follow the peace of God in our hearts, the Lord will bless it more than indecisiveness and indecision (Romans 14:23, Proverbs 16:3).

The peace of God settles with finality all questions that arise in our minds. God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and love and a sound mind (2 Timothy 1:7). God’s peace is the state of mind in which we are always called to live. Total spiritual peace comes when we step out in faith trying to follow the peace of God. Praising God for His spiritual peace guards our hearts and acknowledges its priority in our lives. 

Hardship? Worry? Fear? Always follow the peace of God. Let it rule in your heart. 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/let-his-peace-rule.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Expectation

 

For I know that this will turn out for my deliverance through your prayer and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ, according to my earnest expectation and hope that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.

—Philippians 1:19-20

 

 

You may not realize it but your life is always filled with expectations.  Your expectations are either positive or negative. Pessimists expect nothing but defeat in their lives. They live without hope. Optimists find something positive in every situation. They expect God’s blessing through any hardship. Your life will always bear the fruit of what your expectations are. 

 

Our expectations come from what we believe about God, ourselves, and others, and what we allow to influence our lives. If you question God’s love for you, you doubt if He will take care of you. If you were raised with negativity, you will doubt yourself. You will doubt how others think about you. If you are allowing negative things to influence your life, you are feeding a defeatist attitude. If you think about your past with shame and guilt, you probably expect more of the same. Your attitude about life is powerful. It greatly affects your outcome. 

 

In Philippians 1:20, Paul speaks of expectation and hope as separate things. Your expectations make up your attitude. It is your approach to life. Your attitude is either based on the truth of God’s promises or on your fears and limitations. The hope of God that is poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5) grows when we have positive expectations. If faith is the substance of things hoped for (Hebrews 11:1), and if it grows when we have positive expectations, then a negative view of life can never be an environment that inspires faith. You are motivated by faith when positive expectations and hope are alive. This is the very reason many believers struggle to live a victorious life. 

 

Expectations, hope, and faith all spring from one of two sources: you have been promised something or you have sown a seed in your heart. God gives His promises to trigger our faith. His promises are true. He cannot lie. Faith comes when we “hear” His Word (Romans 10:17)—not when we have “heard” His Word. Faith springs from an alive and fresh Word. God has also determined that both natural and spiritual seeds will increase according to their nature. A farmer who sows a seed can expect a harvest. A believer who sows the seed of God’s incorruptible truth into his heart can expect a harvest of God’s promise. And when you sow the love and grace of God into others, you can expect a harvest of love and grace. You reap what you sow.

.

What do you expect in your life?  What is the source of your attitude and approach to life? If you are building your life on God’s truth and His promises—if you are sowing the seed of His Word in your heart—if you are tending and protecting it from the lies of the enemy, then you will undoubtedly live a life of faith. But if the source of your expectation, hope, and faith is not the promise of God that has been sown in your heart, you will see everything in your life with negativity and pessimism. You will live your life on your own strength instead of believing by faith in God’s truth. 

 

You receive through the grace of Jesus—through His finished and complete work of grace. You receive from the Lord according to your earnest expectation and hope.

 

“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).

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/expectation.html

 

 

 

A New Thing

 

 

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 may 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 revelation of His love 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. Even when you don’t feel Him, the power of the Holy Spirit is within you. Draw from His power—His faithfulness—His consistency—His balance. These are yours to exercise every day. You can never ask too much of God. 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” (Isaiah 43:19).

 

The Spirit of truth has come! He has made a way, and He is the way, the truth, and the life. He wants to reveal Himself to you. He guides you into all truth. He does not speak on his own but tells you what He has heard. He tells you about the future” (John 14:6, 16:13). 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/a-new-thing_22..html

 

Reigning in Life

 

For if by the one man's offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

—Romans. 5:17

 

Are you “reigning in life,” or are you living in defeat? You have received God’s abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness through His Son’s sacrifice. You “reign” over whatever emotional or physical issue that comes against you. 

 

To “reign” in this life, you allow the Holy Spirit to renew your mind and change your attitude (Romans 12:2). You think on good things (Philippians 4:8). You speak life instead of death (Provers 18:21). You stand in the authority Christ has given you against the enemy (Luke 10:19).  

 

What are you facing in your life over which the grace of God has already been victorious? Don’t give up thinking about God’s goodness, speaking life into your need, and standing in the authority Jesus has given you. You can be your own worst enemy. Dr. William Snow makes a statement in his book, With God’s Help, Yes, I Can. “At the point of being victorious, hold on to God and stay there. Don’t defeat yourself!” 

 

In Romans 5:17, the “death” Paul speaks of is not just limited to physical death. Anything that comes as a result of sin is death. Sickness, deprivation, strife, immorality wrath, selfish ambitions, and all things that resulted from Adam’s offense are death.

Many Christians today say their sins are forgiven, but they don’t believe they are righteous. Yet this verse in its context reveals that this gift of salvation wasn’t just for the forgiveness of sins (Ephesians 1:7). It was also a gift of righteousness to give us right standing with God. The grace of Jesus reigns in us—it is victorious in us—it overcomes sin and all the results of sin with God’s righteousness. Grace overcomes sickness, deprivation, immorality, wrath, and all things that came as a result of one man’s fall from God’s grace.  

 

“Where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20b-21).

 

In Jesus’ victory over sin and death, grace abounded more than sin! It overcame the root of all evil so we might “reign” in this life through the righteousness we were given. Jesus came to give us abundant life. In Jesus’ victory on the cross, the enemy was defeated. The enemy is not satisfied with that truth. He tries to steal back what he has lost. He tries to steal, kill, and destroy your belief in the abundance of grace and in the righteousness,  Jesus has given you (John 10:10).

 

Look at Romans 5:27 again. To “reign” in this life, we have to “receive” the abundance of God’s grace and the gift of His righteousness. Receiving grace is absolutely essential, but grace can only “reign” in us—we can only have abundant life and all the privileges that come with it when we couple it with our right standing in Christ.

 

If you have received God’s abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness, how should your life look to you? Are you “reigning” with Him or living in defeat? Are you seeing your life through the eyes of God or through your circumstances and feelings? Thinking, speaking, and living right comes from your right standing in God—not from what you do. 

 

Dr. Williams Snow writes, “Too many people have an ‘I can’t' attitude in life. Many times that ‘I cannot’ comes from a deeper “I am not.”  If you don’t believe you are the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus (2 Corinthians 5:21) and that you have right standing with Him, you will struggle with an attitude of defeat.

 

“And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:14). 

 

We received the grace of God by faith in Jesus, and we continue to receive the grace of God by faith in the love of Jesus! We choose to lay aside the mindset that living an abundant life is not possible. We choose to see the pressed down, shaken together, running over, exceeding abundantly more that we ask of think grace of God (Luke 6:38, Ephesians 3:20).

 

If you are born again, everything you need to “reign in life” lives in you. Choose to believe in the potential of the “new creation” you are in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). You have the “exceedingly abundant” grace of God in you (2 Corinthians 9:14). It is just waiting to be exercised by faith in your right standing with God.

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/reigning-in-life.html

 

 

 

 

Obedience by Faith

 

Yet we know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law. And we have believed in Christ Jesus, so that we might be made right with God because of our faith in Christ, not because we have obeyed the law. For no one will ever be made right with God by obeying the law.

—Galatians 2:16 (NLT)

 

 

Keeping the law doesn’t make us right with God. We wouldn’t have needed Christ to be the perfect sacrifice for our sins if it did. Working to prove ourselves right with God is frustrating because it is impossible. Our right standing with God is a gift we received by faith in Jesus Christ. We are made right with God by faith alone in Jesus—not by obeying the law.

 

We can’t earn the gift of salvation that Jesus has already earned for us. We can’t earn the healing that He already paid the price for us to have. Believing that God will do something for us in response to what we do for Him disgraces Him. Jesus has already paid for our forgiveness, our healing, and everything we will ever need. Faith appropriates the promises God has provided through His Son’s finished work of grace. Faith believes in God’s promise without needing physical proof for it to be true. Believing in only what you see is not faith. Faith is the substance of what you hope for. It is the evidence of what you have not seen. 

 

Obedience is the fruit of faith. The promises of God are true, and we receive them by faith—not by our works. We don’t receive salvation or healing or God’s promises because we have obeyed the law. We receive salvation and healing and God’s promises only by faith in the finished work of Christ. If God’s promises are only received in response to what we do, then faith in Jesus Christ is pointless. 

 

Any work born of a need to prove to God or to ourselves or to others that we are good is purely self-righteous. This kind of obedience is dead. But obedience and works born of our faith in our right relationship with God are full of His life. When we believe we don’t have to serve God to prove our love for Him—when we are obedient with nothing to prove to ourselves or anyone else, the works that we do for Him are alive. They are full of faith and are powerful. 

 

The wrong kind of obedience to God is full of ourselves and disgraces the finished work of Jesus. The right kind of obedience is full of faith and God’s love. God calls us to be obedient but He desires obedience born of faith and not of a selfish need to prove ourselves to Him. To serve God out of our love and faith in Him, we need to know the new person Jesus created us to be. For Him to be the Lord of our lives, we need to know who He is within us and the difference He has made in us. 

 

Until we know our position—our right standing in Christ and surrender our need to be accepted, recognized, and rewarded—until we believe that God has already accepted, recognized, and rewarded us—until we believe the righteousness of Christ is alive in us, we will wrestle with our obedience to God.

 

We love and serve God when we know and believe with unshakeable certainty that God first loved us. And because He loved us before we ever loved Him, we have nothing to prove. There is nothing we need to do to win His acceptance and love. Jesus won God’s love for us. 

 

Faith works through love. Works without faith and God’s love have no life. Works born out of our faith in Jesus and His love for us, are alive and bring glory to God. It is only by faith in Christ we have right standing with God. It is only by faith in His finished work of grace that we can be obedient. 

 

What we do for God is only powerful and alive, when we live for Him out of the righteousness that is ours in Christ. When we believe we are right with God, there is nothing to hinder His work in us. We are obedient not to be obedient. We are obedient because we know He first loved us. 

 

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/obedience-by-faith.html

 

 

 

Satisfied with Jesus

 

John 14:5-11

 

The night before His crucifixion Jesus told the disciples that He would be leaving them soon to prepare a place in His Father’s house for them. He told them that He would return one day to get them and that they knew the way.

 

Thomas declared they did not know where He was going and asked how could they know the way. 

 

“I am the way, the truth, and the life,” Jesus said. “No one can come to the Father except through me. If you had really known me, you would know who my Father is. From now on, you do know him and have seen him!”

 

“Lord, show us the Father,” Philip said, “and we will be satisfied.”

 

Jesus replied, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and yet you still don’t know who I am? Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father! So why are you asking me to show him to you? Don’t you believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words I speak are not my own, but my Father who lives in me does his work through me. Just believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me.”

 

Are we like Philip and not satisfied with the truth that is right before us? Maybe we are like Thomas and have trouble believing. Christ satisfied the law once and for all time for us. He satisfied the price for our salvation and healing and provision and wholeness of life. He has given us a right relationship with the Father. Yet, are we like Philip asking Him to prove Himself to us just one more time? If Christ has satisfied us with the Father, why are we not satisfied with what He has done for us? Why do we have trouble believing every Word of truth He has given us?

 

Jesus has shown us His Father. He has satisfied our account. Are we satisfied with Him? 

 

You can know about Jesus and not know Him. You can know what the Word says with your mind and not believe the Word in your heart. The heart is where you believe. And for the heart to believe His truth you cannot connect to God with your natural mind. Your spirit connects to His Spirit. You received all the fullness of God when you were born again, and the truth of His Spirit lives within you. But you must know what His truth is and believe it. You must draw from the truth that is yours in Christ. 

 

Jesus is in the Father, and the Father is in Him. Jesus is in you. And the Father is in you. Are you satisfied with Him?

 

For He satisfies the longing soul,
And fills the hungry soul with goodness.

—Psalm 107:9

 

Who satisfies your mouth with good things,
So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.

—Psalm 103:5

 

With long life I will satisfy him,
And show him My salvation.

—Psalm 91:16

 

The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail. Therefore with joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.

—Isaiah 58:11, 12:3

 

Do you long to believe all Christ has done for you? To lay down all your doubt and believe His truth? To taste and see that the Lord is good? He satisfies your hunger with good things so that you are renewed! He guides you and satisfies your soul in hard times and good times with His Word that is planted deeply in your heart. He reveals to you the truths of your salvation. His living water springs up in you—to be an ever-flowing stream whose water never fails. You draw from His living truth within your heart! 

 

Have you been like Philip or Thomas? Has Christ been with you all this time and you really haven’t known or believed who He is in your life?  Are you satisfied with Jesus? Do you know what you have received in Christ?

 

“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,” Jesus taught in Matthew 5:6, “for they shall be filled. They shall be satisfied." Be hungry and thirsty enough to know the truth of the righteousness you have received in Christ, and you shall be satisfied. You shall be filled.

 

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2023/05/satisfied-with-jesus.html