Jesus Marveled

Luke 7:2-10 is the story of a Roman centurion in Capernaum whose servant was near death. When the officer heard about Jesus, he sent the Jewish elders to ask Jesus to come and heal his servant. Jesus agreed to go with them. 

 

However, just before they arrived at the house, the centurion sent some friends to say, “Lord, don’t trouble yourself by coming to my home, for I am not worthy of such an honor. Just speak the word from where you are; my servant will be healed. I know this because I am under the authority of my superior officers, and I have authority over my soldiers. I only need to say, ‘Go,’ and they go, or ‘Come,’ and they come. And if I say to my slaves, ‘Do this,’ they do it.”

 

When Jesus heard these things, the New King James Version of Luke 7:9 states that He “marveled” and declared to the Jewish crowd that He had not seen such great faith, not even in Israel. The centurion's friends returned to the house and found the servant healed.

 

This centurion's faith caused Jesus to “marvel” and say this was the greatest faith He had ever seen. But this faith didn’t just happen. There was a reason for this centurion’s great faith. Capernaum was the city where Jesus performed His first recorded individual healing of the nobleman’s son (John 4:46). This nobleman had wanted Jesus to come to his house and heal his son. Still, Jesus told him to return on his own because his son was healed. The man obeyed, and the son was healed that very hour. This centurion lived in Capernaum and had no doubt heard that Jesus healed the nobleman’s son by just speaking the word. He had also heard of Jesus casting a demon out of a man in the Capernaum synagogue (Luke 7:5) and the healing of Peter’s mother-in-law and the multitude (Matthew 8:14-17). What the centurion heard inspired his “speak the word only” faith.

 

When Jesus was almost at the centurion’s house, the centurion sent his friends to tell him not to come. He said he wasn’t worthy enough. Jesus could just “speak the word,” and his servant would be healed. This centurion had a humble heart and knew he didn’t deserve a thing. He was not one of God’s covenant people and had no legal claim to this healing. The centurion asked for this healing purely based on his faith in God’s grace.

 

And, yes, Jesus “marveled” at his faith! There are only two times in all of Scripture that Jesus marveled. They were at the centurion’s faith and at the Jews’ unbelief (Mark 6:6). A faith that made Jesus (who is the author and finisher of our faith) marvel is worth examining. This centurion believed that the spoken word of Jesus was enough to produce his miracle. He didn’t need Jesus to come to his house. He had faith in Jesus’ word. Consequently, we can see that the person who simply believes the written Word of God is exercising a higher level of faith than someone who requires additional proof. Compare the centurion’s faith to Thomas's “lesser” faith in John 20:24-29. The centurion had faith to believe, whereas Thomas needed to see the scars in Jesus’ hands to believe. 

 

This centurion recognized authority and knew Jesus had the authority to speak and make his servant well. His strong faith believed and even made Jesus Himself marvel. 

 

*******

 

Jesus,  thank you for giving me a legal right to come to you for healing. I want to have the kind of faith of this centurion that believes and honors you. I don’t want you to marvel at my unbelief. I want you to marvel at my faith. I submit to your power and authority over sin, sickness, and every lie of the enemy that comes against your truth. I hear your Word in my heart, and it inspires my faith. You answer the moment I ask, and often, it takes enduring faith for that mountain to move. I will not doubt but believe. Help me, Jesus. Reveal any unbelief. I shall continually put your Word in my heart, knowing you are all I need. Your Word is life in me. I walk by faith every day in your healing, praising you for each breath you have given me.

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Are You Shining?

 

 

"No one is good but One, that is, God," (Luke 18:19).

 

One of the most prevalent questions asked by Christians and non-Christians alike is: If there is a God and He is good, then why is there suffering in this world? A Christian who lacks answers about suffering for those who have decided there must not be a God lacks understanding about his faith.  

 

There is a good God, but we live in a world far from perfect. In the beginning, it was. The world God created was unspoiled, faultless, and complete.

 

"Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good" (Genesis 1:31).

 

There was no evil in God's perfect creation. There was no sin, sickness, violence, disaster, or death. Right before God completed His creation, He created the very purpose for which He made it. He created man.

 

"Then God said, 'Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth'" (Genesis 1:26).

 

God created us in His image, and we were given dominion over His creation. As God's agents, we received His authority to care for it.

 

"The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's; but the earth He has given to the children of men" (Psalms 115:16). 

 

David wrote of the Lord: "You have made him to have dominion over the works of Your hands; You have put all things under his feet" (Psalm 8:6).

 

God created a perfect world, gave it to man, and put him in charge. Once Adam and Eve sinned against God, the results were instant. Sin, sickness, violence, fear, darkness, and all its evil entered into God's perfect creation because man had chosen independence from His Creator. He had rejected the source of all life and goodness and lost the authority God had given him.

 

The earth was now under the control of the enemy who had deceived Adam and Eve. Because of their sin, Satan had stolen their dominion. The loving Creator could only watch as the man He had created gave his gift to the enemy. God had given humanity authority over His creation, and humanity had thrown it away. Now, God must honor His Word. 

 

Cain murdered Abel, yet God didn't intervene. Why didn't He? God couldn't go against His Word. The earth belonged to man (Psalms 115:16), and man had given it to Satan. The only way God could now intervene in people's lives was through their belief in His covenants. Ultimately, man's authority was restored through God's ultimate covenant of grace—God's gift of redemption through Jesus Christ. Only through our faith can God "do something" in our lives.  

 

Suffering arises from living in a world of sin, sickness, and destruction. The evil present in this world is not God's fault. Jesus has restored the dominion we relinquished. We now bear the responsibility to exercise the authority He has given us. We have His authority to "reign in life" (Romans 5:17), "heal the sick" (Luke 9:2), "resist the devil" (James 4:7), and "believe and receive" (Mark 11:24). 

 

There is a God, and He cares. He is waiting for us to trust Him. Born-again Christians are His light shining in a world filled with evil's deception.

 

"Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:16)

 

As Christ is, so are we in this world (1 John 4:17). We are Jesus in this fallen world. We are to exercise the authority He has given us and maintain the dominion He has restored. We are to demonstrate His goodness in this world's present darkness.

 

His light in you dispels the darkness. God reveals His goodness through you. Are you shining?

 

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He Cannot Deny Himself

 

If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us: If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself.

—2 Timothy 2:12-13 KJV

 

 

Have you ever realized there are different denials? This word "deny" has a variety of meanings, ranging from "contradict" to "disavow" or "disown."

 

Look at Peter's denial of the Lord (Matthew 26:69-75, Mark 14:66-72, Luke 22:54-62, John 18:15-17, and 25-27). Jesus certainly didn't deny Peter in return for denying Him. He forgave Peter and continued to use Him. Peter denied the Lord in a lesser sense and was not totally rejected by Jesus. The Apostle Paul called his denial of the Lord blasphemy. Still, he received mercy because of his unbelief (1 Timothy 1:13). We can see that the heart's attitude behind the action is critical.

 

In 2 Timothy 2:12, Paul sternly warned anyone who willfully and spitefully denies the Lord. He wasn't speaking of a simple failure on the believer's part. Paul was speaking of total rejection of the Lord. This is not speaking about those who struggle to be faithful to God. This is speaking of those who willfully resist the Lord. 

 

When we fail to believe as we should (2 Timothy 2:13), God is faithful to Himself. He has sworn that He will never leave or forsake us (Hebrews 13:5), and He won't. God will not be the one to reject us, regardless of how much we fail. To be totally rejected by God, we must declare we want nothing more to do with Him. We have to initiate the proceedings and "divorce" Him. 

 

Those who spitefully resist the Lord until they become so hardened they totally reject Him are called reprobate. A reprobate mind is a mind that has no restraints. There is no conviction. Those who are reprobate know they are wrong and don't care. Hebrews 6:4-6 says there is no repentance from total denial of the Lord. Even though Peter sinned and asserted he didn't know Jesus, God did not disavow, disown, or divorce him. Anyone who still cares and is concerned about the Lord's opinion of them is not reprobate.

 

Many Christians are haunted by the fear they have denied the Lord because of some sin they struggle with. They live in fear and shame that God has totally rejected them. However, God looks on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). Regardless of their action, if there is still a place in their hearts where they honor Him, God will not deny them. To totally deny the Lord, we must begin the proceedings and divorce Him. 

 

Our covenant of salvation was not directly made between God and us. It was made between God the Father and Jesus the Son. We accessed their covenant through faith (Ephesians 2:8). We participate in the covenant they made between themselves. If we choose not to believe in our relationship with the Lord, we begin measures to remove ourselves from partaking in the covenant. We finally separate ourselves from Jesus' grace. We totally reject what Jesus has done for us.

 

"If we believe not, yet he stays faithful: he cannot deny himself" (2 Timothy 2:13, American King James Version).

 

Failing to believe in the Lord is not the same as blatantly choosing not to believe. Even if we fail to believe, the covenant still holds because of the oath the Father made to His Son. If the Lord rejected us for failing to believe Him, it would be like God denying Himself. We must do more than fail to believe to remove ourselves from this covenant. Before the Lord will deny us, we must disown and divorce Him.

 

There are Christians who live in fear of that one sin that makes the Lord deny them. They have trouble believing Jesus looks on their heart and says, "What sin?" The finished work Jesus has accomplished for the person who believes in Him cannot be denied by Him. He is faithful. Jesus saw Peter's heart. He saw Paul's heart, and He sees the heart of His child who is struggling. Your heart is only hardened to Him when you get to the point where you have become totally numb to His conviction, you know you are wrong, and just don't care.

 

If you are dealing with the fear that the Lord has totally rejected you, He hasn't. The fact that you care and are concerned about what He thinks of you means you wish to honor Him. Don't give up. He will empower you to overcome through faith in Him.

 

"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:9).

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2025/01/he-cannot-deny-himself.html

 

Honesty in Your Relationship

 

Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another.

— Ephesians 4:25

 

People get hurt when minor issues get blown out of perspective. When something happens, the situation seems so big, but you know deep in your heart that you just need to let it go. How often do these little problems cause unrest, dissension, and hurt relationships? We need to learn to pinpoint these irritations and do something before they ultimately steal our time, rob our peace, and destroy our relationships with those we truly care about.

 

Is there someone you have a hard time getting along with? Perhaps you have a friend who has disillusioned you. Others may just annoy you and make you uncomfortable. You don't know why you feel the way you do, but when you see them, you want to turn away. Perhaps someone has hurt you inadvertently by carelessly saying something, or maybe they have purposefully attacked you. No matter their intention, their words hurt your heart, and you feel wounded. The pain of their thoughtless words and actions is real. 

 

As a Christian, you should ask the Lord to forgive you for your bad attitude and help you change how you see people who have wounded you. You know you should disregard their flaws, forgive their wrongdoings, and forget the things about them that bother you. The Lord asks you to do something else—to be honest with the person who has offended you.

 

Perhaps your emotions are so overwhelming that you just want to forget the person and the issue that has hurt you. Your flesh doesn't want you to take the time to forgive and make an effort to restore your relationship with them. In truth, as much as you want to forget, you can't. You keep remembering that moment when you were hurt and rehearsing it again and again in your mind. You examine every little thing said. Your feelings are fresh—as if the offense just happened. You should be over it, but you aren't.

 

If this describes you, the time has come to let go of your hurt and forgive the person who hurt you. Bad attitudes pushed down deep inside you become a root of bitterness that will eventually destroy you (Hebrews 12:15). To rid yourself of this destructive mentality, you must confront your bad attitude and be honest with yourself and the person who hurt you. 

 

Honesty is vital. Being honest is Paul's directive in Ephesians 4:25: "Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor, for we are members of one another." God tells us to put away the tendency to lie and avoid conflict.

 

Paul wrote to mature believers who were having problems with each other. Maybe they weren't deliberately lying. Perhaps they just didn't know how to be honest with each other. No matter how the problem emerged, it had led to lying. Paul called on these believers to learn how to speak the "truth" with one another. 

 

Most churches have believers who pretend everything is fine when a brother or sister's words or actions have hurt them. They aren't trying to be dishonest. They think silence about what has upset them makes them mature and spiritual. But this is spiritual immaturity. The outcome is most often the growth of bad attitudes, bitterness, and a hardened heart.

 

Ignoring your hurt will not make it go away. You may push it deep down inside for a while, but the next time a similar issue arises with the same person, that old injury, with all its bitterness, will burst to the surface. This sudden reaction reveals that you have not dealt with your hurt. You never worked through it; you just covered it up.

 

Honesty might be challenging, but it is no more demanding than living in bitterness and resentment. Being honest with the one who has hurt you may seem difficult, but when it heals the brokenness in a relationship, you are free. Jesus told us to love each other as He has loved us. Honestly sharing your heart in Jesus’ love (Ephesians 4:15) frees you of emotional bondage. You let the one who has hurt you and yourself off the hook. It no longer matters.

 

Is the Holy Spirit speaking to you about being honest with someone who has hurt you? 

 

*******

 

Dear Jesus, I hate my bad attitude and ask your forgiveness. I choose right now to give it to you. I need your wisdom. I yield to you, Holy Spirit, guiding me into truth about this issue, myself, and _______. Help me to receive spiritual understanding. As I search the intentions of my heart, may your Word speak to me and give me revelation knowledge about myself and ________. Reveal to me any dishonesty I have had in this relationship in an attempt to deal with my hurt. Teach me, Holy Spirit, how to speak the truth in love. I want to live with integrity and honor you, Lord, in all the areas of my life and in all my relationships. Thank you, Jesus, for shedding your love abroad in my heart. I know you will give me the strength to forgive completely and without hesitation. You will give me your words to say. May I always forgive and move forward in honesty, integrity, and grace. 

 

In Your Name, Jesus. Amen.

 

 www.lynnlacher.com/2025/01/honesty-in-your-relationship.html

Out of the Abundance of Your Heart

 

God breathed His life into us through Jesus. His life is abundant and unlimited. He lives in us, who are new creations in Him. Do you hear Him? Do you believe Him? He lives inside of you. He doesn’t limit us. It is we who limit Him by limiting our faith in Him. We have rivers of living water ready to flow out of us (John 7:38). If you lost everything in this world, you still have the abundance of Jesus just waiting to flow out of you (John 10:10). You have the ability to draw upon the abundant life Jesus has placed in you. But how?

 

1.    You can “hear” God.

 

Throughout the Bible, we are repeatedly told to “hear” the Word of the Lord. You can hear God speak to you. God will never ask you to do something you aren’t capable of doing. 

 

Hearing God speak to you is one of your most important gifts. Nothing is more vital than hearing God speak His Word to you. You are His sheep, and you know His voice (John 10:4). God is always speaking, but you must be still and listen. You must desire and seek Him. Your Father created you to hear Him.  

 

Faith comes from hearing Him, and hearing Him is the source of faith (Romans 10:17). Healing comes from hearing God’s truth in your heart. Direction, guidance, and warnings in life come from hearing Him. When you aren’t hearing God regularly, you live a fearful, confused, and defeated life. When you hear God, the words He speaks to you are spirit and life (John 6:63). You bow to His truth. You exalt His Word above any doubt or unbelief. You are still before Him, and you “know” He is your God (Psalms 46:10). You experience His peace, joy, and victory. You know He is King over everything in your life. He has blessed you for eternity. Praise cannot be contained when you “hear” the words of His mouth in your heart.

 

“All the kings of the earth shall praise You, O Lord when they hear the words of Your mouth” (Psalms 138:2). 

 

2.    You can “see” God’s will.

 

“While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18).

 

Hearing God gives birth to “seeing.” You can “see” healing, provision, and victory in the Spirit. The ability to spiritually “see” is in you, but first, you must “hear” God. Hearing stimulates vision. You see what you hear. If someone asks me to go shopping, their words instantly create a vision. I have an image in my mind of going with them to the store. God’s Kingdom works in the same way. He constantly speaks His Word, and when you finally “hear” Him, you have a mental picture of what He has told you. 

 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1).

 

God “sees” all the possibilities but is limited to what you “see.” God “saw” all the possibilities when Jesus ministered through faith, but Jesus could only do what He “heard” and “saw” from His Father (John 5:19).

 

3.    You can “speak” God’s words.  

 

The exact words God spoke to create and sustain His creation can be “heard,” “seen,” and "spoken." His words are rivers of living water available and ready to flow out of you. We weren’t created like animals. We were created in His image and can speak His words. Just as God spoke His creation into existence, His spoken Word speaks His truth into existence. 

 

“For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23).

 

Jesus has given you His authority over all the enemy's power (Luke 10:19). You can “speak” the all-powerful truth of God’s Word into your need. When you “speak” by faith what God has spoken and revealed to you, you draw out of the abundance of Jesus in your heart. You have surrendered any doubt and unbelief to your Father. You believe Him. His Word is your Word. He is your truth. You can hear, see, and speak Him. Out of the good treasure of your heart, you bring forth good things (Luke 6:45).

 

“Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer” (Psalms 19:14).

 

Lord Jesus, I desire, above all else, for my life to be acceptable in your sight. Let me honor you by meditating on your words and speaking them. You are my Redeemer and my strength. I will open my mouth and speak out of the abundance you have placed in my heart. 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2025/01/out-of-abundance-of-your-heart.html

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Changed from the Inside Out

  

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And 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:-1-2).

 

The word "therefore" in Romans 12:1 means that this verse continues what was presented in the preceding verse, Romans 11:36. Since God is all-in-all, he deserves our total surrender, which is our reasonable service. 

 

Paul appealed to believers in Rome to present themselves as living sacrifices to God, who had been so merciful to them. We must present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord. The difficulty in being a living sacrifice is remaining one. It is not a decision we make only once; we must intentionally follow through with that decision every day of our lives. 

 

The English word "acceptable" is translated from the Greek word "euarestos," which means "fully agreeable" (Strong's Concordance). Being "fully agreeable" to God means living in agreement with Him. God isn't asking too much; this is only reasonable. Jesus died for us, and the least we can do is live for Him. 

 

We can surrender our lives to the Lord for salvation but not yield to Him daily. Only when we surrender entirely in every area of our lives and become a living sacrifice, do we begin to see God's perfect will manifest in us. 

 

"And 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).

 

The word "renewing" in this verse comes from the Greek word "anakainosis," which means "renovation" (Strong's Concordance). We don't need to "touch up" our minds; we need a complete renovation of our thinking that changes us from the inside out.

 

Some might think that meeting the conditions as a living sacrifice is enough. That is not the case. In Romans 12:2, Paul states that we must also renew our minds. Many of us who have made genuine commitments to the Lord but haven't renewed our minds through His Word needlessly suffer because we haven't agreed with Him. 

 

The Greek word that translates as "conformed" in Romans 12:2 is "suschematizo." which means "to fashion alike, i.e., conform to the same pattern" (Strong's Concordance). The use of this word tells us that we should be different than unbelievers. Many Christians realize they should be different but just don't know how. This verse goes on to give us the answer. The key is a complete renovation of our minds. "For as he thinks in his heart, so is he," Proverbs 23:7 declares. If we think about the same things the world thinks about, we will get the same results as the world. We will deal with fear, unrest, and turmoil. But if we keep our minds focused on God through our study of His Word and fellowship with Him, we will have perfect peace (Isaiah 26:3).

 

The Greek word translated as "transformed" in Romans 12:2 is "metamorphoo," which is where we get the word "metamorphosis." It describes a thorough change in which what was before is no longer identifiable—just like a caterpillar changing into a butterfly. Aligning our thinking with God's Word will result in this complete transformation that no longer aligns with the old person we once were but agrees with the new person we are in Christ.

 

When people are born again, they become new creations in their spirits (John 3:6). Their spiritual salvation is complete in Him (Colossians 2:9-10). In their born-again spirits, they are full of faith, peace, and joy. However, it is not God's will that we only be changed on the inside. He wants to manifest our salvation in our physical lives, too. This change takes place through the renewing of our minds.

 

We each have a spirit, soul, and body (1 Thessalonians 5:23). As born-again believers, in our spirits, we are one spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17). This means that we are the same as He is (1 John 4:17). But this is only true is our spirits. This truth doesn't miraculously change our thinking and how we live. The answer is in the renewing of our minds. If we begin to renew our thinking to believe what God says in His Word about who we are and what we have as a new creation in Christ, our souls will start agreeing with our born-again spirits. We will change from the inside out. However, if we fail to renew our minds, we can live our entire lives without experiencing the abundant life Jesus provided us (John 10:10).

 

The American Heritage Dictionary defines the word "prove" in Romans 12:2 as "to establish the truth or validity of (something) by the presentation of argument or evidence." "Prove" in this verse speaks of physically displaying God's truth. If we fulfill the requirements of Romans 12:1-2, we will prove God's good, acceptable, and perfect will. We will be changed from the inside out.

 

Romans 12:2 is a wonderful promise that we can prove God's will. Finding God's will for our lives is not difficult when we do what Romans 12:1-2 instructs us. Actually, God's will for us is to make a total commitment to Him as a living sacrifice. The particulars of how His will plays out in our lives are secondary. Once we intentionally commit ourselves to God as a living sacrifice and renew our minds, a more specific direction will come through the Word and Holy Spirit.

 

If you try to find God's will but don't completely surrender yourself to Him as a living sacrifice, you frustrate His purpose. God doesn't just desire your service. He wants all of you—spirit, soul, and body. Once God gets all of you, you will live for Him.

 

"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you completely; and may your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thessalonians 5:23).

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