My Thoughts

My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord. “And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so my ways are higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.”

—Isaiah 55:8-9

         His thoughts are not my thoughts. They are higher than anything I might imagine. His ways are also beyond the ability of my human mind to conceive. God is spiritual, and I am human. His mind is supernatural, and mine is natural. Two minds are at war within man, and until the spiritual mind of God outweighs the human mind of man, there is no peace.

         “If any of you lacks wisdom,” James wrote, “you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do” (James 1:5-8, NIV).  

         God grants wisdom when I ask. He grants His mind and His higher thoughts when I ask. However, when I ask God for His thoughts—when I request His wisdom—I must ask in faith, or I doubt His ability to provide the very thing for which I ask. If I am double-minded and unstable, I should not expect to receive His wisdom. I should not expect to see beyond the limitation of my human mind consumed with fear or worry.

         “Who can know the Lord’s thoughts?” believers in Corinth asked Paul. “We understand these things,” Paul affirmed, “for we have the mind of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:16b, NLT). Two minds are present in each believer. One will be more prevalent than the other and eventually outweigh the ability of the other to control my thoughts. If I respond to what I physically see, hear, and feel, then the spiritual mind of Christ will not grow stronger and impart greater faith to believe. However, if it is the spiritual mind of Christ I seek—if it His thoughts I want—if it is His truth I desire, His mind will take precedent, and I will have greater faith to believe. I will see with His eyes, hear with His ears, and understand His thoughts with my mind.

         Is this too radical?  Is this too impossible? No, it is not. Grace is a radical truth that makes no sense to the human mind. Why would the God of creation give His life for me?  Why would He love me so much?  It makes little sense to a double-minded man who has trouble believing in the faithfulness of God. To the spiritually-minded man, grace is abundant living. It is joy without comparison. It is believing in what the world cannot acknowledge—the mercy of an unconditional love that never judges, but loves with reckless abandon.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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More than Amazing

For the sin of this one man, Adam, caused death to rule over many. But even greater is God’s wonderful grace and his gift of righteousness, for all who receive it will live in triumph over sin and death through this one man, Jesus Christ.

Romans 5:17 NLT

One man’s sin caused death to rule over everyone, and then one man’s sacrifice on Calvary triumphed over sin and death giving eternal life for all who would receive His wonderful grace. This new life in Christ is more than just eternal. It promises abundant life now. In a difficult world that promises nothing which lasts, His grace is more than miraculous—absolutely more than amazing.

We serve an amazing God, but we don't really understand just how amazing. His grace accomplishes what nothing else can—the gift of His righteousness within our hearts. Where we once walked in death, we now walk in life. Where we once had no hope, hope is now all we have. Grace means everything in this life. Until we understand in our hearts how He sees us—clean and righteous through the eyes of His benevolent grace—we can never be set completely free. Without the revelation of His mind-blowing unconditional love on Calvary, we can’t know who we are in His love.

We say we believe in His grace, and then we see ourselves under judgment, striving to be good enough just as the law requires. “God’s law was given so that all people could see how sinful they were, but as people sinned more and more, God’s wonderful grace became more abundant. So just as sin ruled over all people and brought them to death, now God’s wonderful grace rules instead, giving us right standing with God and resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Romans 5:20-21, NLT). Where once judgment and death ruled, now His wonderful grace rules. 

If we allow, His grace changes our total perspective of what it means to be loved with an everlasting love! We see ourselves through spiritual eyes instead of our natural ones. We believe in what others can't perceive with the natural mind. We walk by faith, and not by sight. We are free to see with His eyes, hear with His ears, and understand with His heart. When we spiritually understand His grace, we live the righteousness that He ascribed on Calvary. As we grow in His grace, understanding more and more how the mind of Christ changes our perspective, we are transformed in the spirit of our minds. 

“Sin is no longer your master,” Paul wrote, “for you no longer live under the requirements of the law. Instead, you live under the freedom of God’s grace” (Romans 6:14, NLT). If He is our Lord, we no longer live under the burden of judgment the law requires. We are free to live the righteousness He bought for us with His life. This truth is more than our human minds can conceive. We have to understand His grace with our spiritual minds. 

Are you free in His amazing grace? Pray for your spiritual mind to take precedent over what your natural mind reasons. Ask Him to reveal His heart to you. If you seek, you will find.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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Not by Sight

The Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words. And the Father who knows all hearts knows what the Spirit is saying, for the Spirit pleads for us believers in harmony with God’s own will. And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.

—Romans 8:25-28 NLT

         When I am weak, you help me, Holy Spirit. You pray within my heart what I can’t even put in words. You pray my real need—not what my mind perceives that need might be. You, the only one who knows me this intimately and completely, prays exactly what is perfect to fulfill the purpose you have for me. My heart prays without my mind analyzing—without thoughts dictating my feelings. When you plead for me, I receive greater faith to believe your truth, and my shield of faith is strengthened to withstand the lies of the enemy.

         I have two minds—the mind of Christ and the mind of self—the spiritual mind and the human mind. Holy Spirit, you continually speak spiritual truth and encouragement, but so often, my human perception wipes out what you say. When I allow what I see and hear in this natural world to be greater than the spiritual truth you constantly send, then I walk in defeat. You constantly speak promise. A double-minded man is unstable in everything he does or thinks or attempts. One mind will always take precedent over another. I don’t want to be the one who has trouble hearing and seeing what you reveal. I choose your spiritual truth over anything else that this world tells me is true. I choose you.

         No words describe the joy of you praying within my heart, Holy Spirit. No words describe the peace of knowing you own my heart, and that everything I go through in life works for your good. When I choose you over what I feel—when I choose your spiritual mind over my human mind—I believe in what the natural world says is impossible. I walk by faith and not by sight.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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All You Need

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me.”

—2 Corinthians 12:9 NIV

Whatever you face—whatever makes you feel weak—whatever strikes at your heart, has the power to make you stronger. When you allow Him to work through you, His grace is sufficient. God’s amazing truth is that His power is made perfect in your weakness. It is in your weakness His strength is seen. When He meets your need, it is His power that is revealed. Do you want Christ to be your strength, and His power to make a difference in not only your life but in the lives of others who are struggling? 

“For the Lord delights in his people,” the psalmist wrote, “he crowns the humble with victory” (Psalm 149:4, NLT). When you humble yourself before the Lord and surrender your weaknesses to Him, you invite His power into your life. When you allow the trials of life to spiritually grow you into His beautiful creation, you invite His victory. Instead of defeating you, those trials inspire you to trust Him more. He crowns the humble with victory.

“Humble yourselves under the mighty power of God,” Peter wrote, “and at the right time he will lift you up in honor” (1 Peter 5:7, NLT). His power is best understood in humility. Its greatest revelation is found in humility. When He completely owns your heart, pride is something that is more easily defeated. Its power to control your emotions and feelings become less as He becomes more. When your life is about Him, what you spiritually see, perceive, hear, and understand is not yours to own. Your life is His, and there is nothing for you to gain—nothing to prove—nothing to declare that He can’t call into existence. When you lay everything down, you become His instrument to use as He wills. When you humble your life under His mighty Hand, He uses you for His purpose—as He ordains. 

His power is greatest when revealed through humbleness of heart. Humble yourself before Him—with nothing to prove—with nothing but to live who He is in you, and experience the power of His freedom. Discover His Spirit—alive in you setting you free from all that you have thought yourself to be—from fears that have plagued you—from circumstances controlling your emotions. Discover your true purpose is His to direct—His to own. 

You are ready for His greatest freedom when you are willing to lay everything down—your strengths and your weaknesses—your feelings and your rights—all He has imparted—and allow Him to wash your feet. Stripped of all that stands in the way of His Hand upon you, you are unhindered by need or perception or anything at all. He, who need not become less for you, now has. You are His, and you realize that He has brought you to a place of victory that you never imagined. 

At His feet, you learn what it means for your weakness to be His strength. You are crowned with victory only because He was willing to humble himself for you. You know love full of joy that no word can describe because He gave His life for you. His grace is more than sufficient. It is everything you need.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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Come

In my distress, I prayed to the Lord, and the Lord answered me and set me free. — Psalm 188:5 NLT

Are you in distress? Does your mind run crazy with worry? Is life overwhelming, and is fear choking your faith? Your circumstance or your problem, instead of being a place of imprisonment, can become your place of freedom. The Lord waits for you to come to Him. He waits for your need to come to His altar. He waits for you to lay down your fear—the problem you can’t fix and the thoughts you can’t control. When you come to the Him in surrender and prayer, He answers with the same power that raised Jesus Christ from the dead. When you relinquish at His altar, you too are raised into the freedom of new life.

“Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God,” the writer to the Hebrews imparts. “There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most” (Hebrews 4:16, NLT). 

Your gracious Lord waits at His altar with a love that looks beyond your sin, your failure, your fears, and recognizes your need. He waits with a grace so forgiving and so complete that nothing can impede its powers to change you. When you come in distress, your soul cries out for His mercy and for His help. When your heart is strained to the breaking point, you thirst for only Him­. He comes to meet your thirst. His mercy forgives, and His grace lifts you into His very presence. You come to Jesus—who opened this altar of grace to you—to the all-powerful, infinite, and sovereign God who can move mountains and change circumstances and lives. 

Right before you, this omnipotent God, who yearns to love you intimately, just waits for you to come—to realize how much you need Him. There, on your knees in complete surrender, you receive His mercy and His forgiveness—there you find freedom from sin and failure that has imprisoned you. He lifts your head to meet His gaze, and you are lost in the love of His sacrifice. You receive His grace to meet any need. You are free in His forgiveness and love. You know He has not only redeemed your soul but redeemed all that has burdened your heart and tormented your mind. You rise in His grace and freedom. You rise in peace and purpose. You rise in the joy of His grace, because you have knelt before the Savior, and allowed Him to own your heart.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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Yield Myself to You

  

He sent His Word and healed them.

Psalm 107:20a NLT

You came once in a moment

When I was in despair;

You lifted up my broken heart

And called me to share

The very pain which I had fought

Until it was enough

To drive me into your arms

And let you take my cup.

I found it was in giving

That you alone could bring

Joy instead of ashes,

Praise instead of pain;

Hearts healed and mended.

Despite the hurt of years,

Lord, you reached into my heart

And soaked up all my fears.

I heard some news today, Lord,

That in the past caused fear;

But, amazingly, I knew your peace

And that you held me near;

I am not forgotten,

And you are not yet through

With what you wish to do through me;

I yield myself to you.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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An Untroubled Heart

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

—John 14:27 NIV).

            What the Lord gives is not what the world gives. His peace is not the peace felt by calm circumstance. His peace is the perpetual calm in the midst of any storm. It is rich, complete, amazing, supernatural, and more than can be described by any pen. It is abundantly given.

            The world gives expecting something in return. Often, what it gives demands something from you. God gives freely of His love for you. He doesn't demand that you love Him. He doesn't demand that you choose Him. He offers Himself as a living sacrifice, and allows you to decide to accept His love or not. It is amazing that the Creator of the universe would offer us a free will to choose or reject His love. And when we accept His love, what we return to Him is given of our free will offered with no restraint. The greatest peace comes from knowing that the burden you have freely offered to Him is no longer yours to handle. It is His.

            God never demands anything. He waits for the gift of your life—your struggles—your problems—your needs. He waits for you to let go. He doesn't demand it. When you finally release what has claimed your heart and mind, His gift is a peace that carries you through whatever life brings. The world could never give this kind of peace to you because the world's peace is based on circumstance. His peace comes from trusting the heart of a Savior who is greater than anything else in your world. 

            “Don’t worry about anything,” He reveals. “Instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7 NLT). 

            Make room for Him by clearing out the clutter of the world. Stop analyzing, and trying to figure out what only the world offers. Empty yourself of its demands and expectations. Empty your life of self so that you can receive all of Him. Give Him what troubles your heart and mind. And you shall receive His peace that is above all human understanding. You can have His heart—untroubled and free.

+++

Choose me, He whispers. Just choose me.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

www.lynnlacher.com/2018/11/an-untroubled-heart.html

Hang On

You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised

—Hebrews 10:36 NIV

The Lord promises He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He loves you with an everlasting love. He supplies all your needs. His grace is sufficient for whatever you face. When you draw close to Him, He draws close to you. There are hundreds of divine promises in His Word! His promises are not dependent upon who you are or what you do. They are true for all His children. Sometimes, however, when you realize the cost of His calling, you pull away. When you pull away, you forsake Him and forsake what He promises. All He desires is for you to love Him, seek Him, and persevere to follow Him. Though you may fail at times―if the desire of your heart is to love and serve Him―His promises will be fulfilled. He knows your strengths and weaknesses, and He knows the areas you need to mature spiritually. When you are stretched for His sake, you receive what He has promised.

Do you think that when Jesus called Peter to follow Him that He did not know his strengths and his weaknesses? God knew Peter. He knew that despite human weakness, Peter would discover His strength. If you feel weak and lacking in power, remember the Lord chose Peter knowing His potential―knowing that one day, even though Peter would deny him, Peter would also be filled with His Spirit and power. God's choice of Peter is encouraging. Choosing a weak Peter to follow Him encourages that you, also, can be used for God's service. Take heart. No matter what your struggle or your area of weakness, God knows your potential. He extends love and forgiveness throughout your life so that you may achieve it. Peter, as a result of God's grace, discovered spiritual maturity.

“His divine power.” Peter writes, “has given us everything we need for a godly life through our knowledge of him who called us by his own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature, having escaped the corruption in the world caused by evil desires” (2 Peter 1:3-4, (NIV). He has called you to serve Him―not because of who you are, but because of who He is. His divine power is available so that through Him, and through His precious promises, you may become more like Him. You can reach a level of spiritual maturity where you are effective and productive in your Christian walk. But you must “let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything” (James 1:4, NIV). Persevere! Hang on! Don't give up! Seek Him and abide in Him! You will receive what He has promised!

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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Allow Your Heart

Allow Your Heart

For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.

—2 Corinthians 3:17 NLT

You yearn for peace and for blessing, child. Your heart must seek mine. Your decisions will be the right ones if you commit them to me and desire me before anything else. Place your will on my altar as your most precious offering. I gave up my will for you when I died for you. Now I long for yours to be given in love. Now I seek yours. Trust that what I shall do is best for you. Believe that I am powerful enough to do anything and everything. Believe that nothing is impossible in my hand. Then leave all with me with thanksgiving in your heart. Give me your tired heart, your struggles, your hard days, your thoughts, your whole being–all in you that cries out to be free. Be confident of my safety and complete protection. When you give all to me, I am not only the Redeemer of your past and the Lord of your present, but also the Lord of your future. It is in my hand. You cannot see the future, but you can trust me for it.  Right now, child, if you could see all of the future, it would either be too painful or too amazing for you to comprehend its importance. I will reveal it all as I determine. Have faith that I have loved you with my everlasting love and drawn you in my unfailing kindness. If you accept my heart and my will, you will know joy. You will know peace when I have all of your life in my hands. Look to me the author and the finisher of your faith. Allow your heart to be molded by mine, and your heart will be free.

(This devotional is taken from the following Scriptures: Matthew 6:33, Proverbs 16:3, Luke 22:42, Luke 1:37, Hebrews 13:8, Zephaniah 3:17, Psalm 62:11, Philippians 4:6-7, Revelation 22:13, Isaiah 41:13, 1 Corinthians 13:9-12, Jeremiah 31:3, Philippians 1:6, 2 Corinthians 3:17.)

© 2017 Lynn Lacher

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Out of the Ashes

Even in darkness light dawns for the upright, for those who are gracious and compassionate and righteous.

—Psalm 112:4 (NIV)

If you are struggling in darkness or circumstances beyond your control—if you are living an honorable life filled with kindness and compassion, you will not remain in that darkness forever. Light will dawn. His promise will come. You will climb out of that hole. His light will guide you safely through your battle—your turmoil—your pain—to His healing peace.

“Such people will not be overcome by evil,” the psalmist continues. “Those who are righteous will be long remembered. They do not fear bad news; they confidently trust the Lord to care for them. They are confident and fearless and can face their foes triumphantly” (Psalm 112:6-8, NLT).

Stand in His promise. When you belong to Jesus Christ, the evil of this world will not overcome your faith. And that faith may be as small as a mustard seed, but its strength can flourish in the midst of hardship. It would be wonderful if you lived in a world where you only knew good things every day. But life isn’t just the good. Bad circumstances are a part of life.  You don’t need to fear what is bad. God will take care of you. You can face whatever happens. You can stand confident and fearless in spite of it. 

“To all who mourn in Israel, He will give a crown of beauty for ashes,” Isaiah imparts, “a joyous blessing instead of mourning, festive praise instead of despair. In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the Lord has planted for his own glory” (Isaiah 61:3, NLT). Evil does not win. His blessing will rise from that which tries to destroy. Not only will you rise from the ashes in His power and promise, you will remain strong, planted deeply in His purpose. Nothing that comes against you will defeat you. Out of the ashes, you shall rise.

© 2018 Lynn Lacher

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