Rich In Mercy

But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) —Ephesians 2:4-5 (NLT)

I was poor, but God, being rich in mercy, loved me. Even though I was dead in sin, Jesus gave me a new life when He rose from the dead. When I believed in Him, I rose in a new life with Him. He buried my sinful life so I might rise in His righteous one—free of guilt and shame and fear.

The grace of Jesus is why I am saved. I do not have to prove anything to gain anything. He proved Himself for me. I have nothing to win because Jesus has won me. I am free because Jesus chose not to be. He paid the price I had no way to pay. Because of His abundant mercy and His marvelous grace, I stand forgiven. I am free. 

Many believers view a relationship with Jesus as one where they have to win His love. Believing that the Old Covenant's merit system grades them, they become convinced they have to prove they are good enough for Jesus to love them. They see a relationship with Him as very restricting, when, in fact, the exact opposite is true. A relationship with Jesus is liberating and fulfilling. When I die to self, I live in Him. What was once poor in my life becomes rich because of His mercy and grace at Calvary.

“This is how love is made complete among us,” John wrote, “so that we will have confidence on the day of judgment: In this world we are like Jesus. There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:17-18.NIV).

On the Cross, Jesus opened the door to God’s perfect love. I was made righteous by His grace. Because of this truth, I have confidence that He has saved me! I belong to Jesus. I am judged innocent because of His perfect sacrifice for my sinful nature. In this world, I am as Jesus is—perfected in His love. There is NO fear in His perfect love because fear involves punishment. There is no judgment and no penalty in grace. God judged Jesus and punished Him for me. When I believe what Jesus has accomplished, I have no fear of punishment. I know my identity in Him. He accepts me and approves of me. Once, my judge, God is now my Abba Father. He loves me without question. Just as Jesus, I am also His child.

The perfect love of Jesus declares me innocent. His grace purchased the riches of heaven for me. His Spirit molds me. What do I have to lose? Only myself in whom He has made me!  When I lose myself in Jesus, I find my identity. I receive all the riches of His mercy.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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Trust Me

So do not fear for I am with you. Do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

—Isaiah 41:10 (NIV)

Does fear ever consume you? Are you struggling with little hope? Even though you may feel afraid and deserted, you aren't. You can't trust your feelings. They will often betray you. But you can trust what God says in His Word. His truth is unchanging. He is the same today, yesterday, and forever.

You may feel afraid. “Don’t be afraid,” God declares, “because I am your God. I haven’t given you this feeling of fear. I’ve given you my power and love so you can have a sound mind.” You may feel evil battering you. “Nothing that rises to defeat you will prevail,” He promises.

If you let go and allow God to have control, you will discover greater faith. “Trust me with all your heart,” God says. “Don’t depend on your own understanding. And don’t be afraid! If you feel weak, don’t give in to it! Move forward, and faith will carry you. You will receive my strength.”

Faith asks you to let go of what your natural mind tells you is accurate and believe in what seems illogical—to trust in God’s truth over fearful feelings. Faith is a decision. When you choose God’s truth over and over again, your feelings fall in line with God's truth. You can train your mind and heart to believe in God’s Word over what human emotion dictates. 

You can overcome any fear or lie of the enemy with your continued decision to trust what God says. He promises to uphold and strengthen you. With one step forward, you will discover His strength. Praise God for the promise that His truth is greater than how you feel. 

“Trust me,” He says. “Don’t worry because I am your God. I will strengthen you and uphold you. You’re never alone.”  If you move forward in faith, you will receive what He has promised. You will soar like an eagle. Don’t just think about what might happen if you walk in faith. Allow Him to show you.

©2019 Lynn Lacher

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Pain-Free

No one likes to face pain. When you have lived through a hurt, your natural instinct is to move on and forget it. But God might have other plans. What is your natural instinct may not be His. He longs to use the pain you have experienced—the things that you regret—the highs and the lows—the fears and the failures—the very things you want to hide from—to help others. He wants your willingness to open your life to those He chooses. They can find freedom from their pain, and you can discover healing for yours.

Being open is a hard place to be. You might want to build a wall to protect yourself from your pain. But building a wall doesn't protect you. It imprisons your mind and heart. It imprisons healing of not only your wounds but those of others. Your wall turns your heart into a heart of stone because, in closing yourself off, you are unable to hear the Holy Spirit.

However, when you allow that wall of false protection to tumble down, the Lord turns your pain into victory not only for yourself but for others. “I'll give you a new heart,” the Lord promises, “and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26).

A heart that yields without hesitation to the Holy Spirit is a heart of tender “spiritual flesh.” It is a heart that is malleable, vulnerable, and not afraid of the pain that often accompanies healing. It is a heart that is ready to face the hurt of the past or the present head-on and allow the Holy Spirit to do whatever is necessary. Willing to deal with whatever must be dealt with, this heart trusts that the Lord who has exposed the pain is capable of healing all that has caused it.

"Now the Lord is the Spirit,” Paul imparts, “and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The Holy Spirit will liberate you from any pain or fear. Just be willing.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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His Work in You

Now may the God of peace make you holy in every way, and may your whole spirit and soul and body be kept blameless until our Lord Jesus Christ comes again. God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful.

—1 Thessalonians 5:23-24 (NLT)

Paul’s final greetings to the Thessalonians is an incredible blessing. He wants them to know that the God of peace makes them holy and keeps them blameless until Jesus comes again. God is the One who will make it happen. He, who calls them to be holy, is faithful to keep His word.

Jesus has given you His Father—the God of peace! Jesus has reconciled you with His Father, and God is now your Father. Nothing separates you from intimacy with your God! Jesus has attributed to you His righteousness. Your Father makes you holy. There is nothing you can do to make yourself holy. Only God can.

"God will make this happen, for he who calls you is faithful," verse 24 reads. Through many years, I have looked at this verse only one way. If God calls you to do something, He is faithful to create whatever He called you to do. This is a true statement. God will not leave your hanging if He has called you. But there is another side to this verse, and its meaning is revealed in verse 23. The God of peace, your Father, makes you holy, and He will keep you blameless until the day Jesus calls you home. God will make this happen. He is faithful to you.

We live holy lives because Jesus loved us enough to give us His righteousness. We don’t live holy lives out of fear of God’s punishment. Jesus ended God’s judgment when He took our punishment for us. God sees us through the gift of His Son. He doesn’t pour out His wrath on His children. And that is what we are—His children. He loves us with His everlasting love.

We can’t save or sanctify ourselves. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. Your spirit was reborn—newly created by redeeming love—when you believed in Jesus’ work on the Cross. You became the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. Your soul (your mind)  is continually transformed by the work of the Holy Spirit, who lives in your spirit. This is sanctification by the Holy Spirit. He teaches you and guides you to understand the truth of God’s Word. The Holy Spirit reveals to you the truth of who you are in Jesus. You believe in your mind by faith that the redeeming love of Jesus has made you holy, and you allow that truth to shape your understanding. You trust in what the Spirit reveals, and your body (your flesh) lives out what your mind believes. 

"By his divine power," Peter writes, "God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the One who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence" (2 Peter 1:3, NLT). Do you see that? God has given us EVERYTHING we need to live a godly life. We don't live a holy life without using what He has given us. Our flesh can't live a godly life. He has given us ALL OF THIS by knowing Him. He has called us to Himself. He has made us His own.

Peter continues in the new few verses and tells us that “because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires” (2 Peter 1:4, NLT). He has given you precious promises to help you share in His divine nature. It is His power that enables you to escape your human desires. You don't have the ability on your own to escape anything.

“In view of all this,” Peter continues, “make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone” (2 Peter 1:5-7, NLT).

Allow the righteousness of Jesus to transform you!  Respond to God’s promises by supplementing your faith with what God has given you! You received these things when you were born again in your spirit. Allow the Holy Spirit to change your perception and understanding in your mind. The God of peace makes you holy and keeps you blameless. God will make this happen. The One who calls you to live a holy life has given you everything you need to do it.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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With His Help

So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you. —Romans 12:1-2 MSG

How often do we miss the fact that without God helping us, we will never be changed from the inside out? Embracing this change is the best thing you can do for yourself. Just as Jesus offered His life for you, this day is your offering to Him. Welcome, all that He has for you. Anticipate His guidance with His promise of strength for whatever the day holds. Long to be renewed in your mind and open to all He wishes to pour into your life. Like a sponge, absorb Him so that you might grow spiritually mature in the understanding of His grace.

What is life like without spiritual maturity? Life has no emotional and mental stability. You are like a ship on the sea with no anchor to hold it securely. Subject to every circumstance that arises, you are tossed in the storms of life with no lasting peace. Your mind is so self-absorbed that all you know is worry and fear. Your ears are attuned to the accuser's voice instead of the encouraging voice of God. This is who you are if you don’t allow the truth of His grace to transform you.

Choose to surrender to His truth. Studying His Word changes your perception and shapes your attitudes. Focusing on Jesus instead of any thought or circumstance places your mind on His goodness and strength instead of your weaknesses. You are stronger as a result. If you allow the Holy Spirit to mold you, life is full of His supernatural promise instead of what the world says is true.

Changed from the inside out, you will not be subject to any lie or any fear. God will rescue you from any uncertainty and set you on His rock-solid foundation of truth. You will recognize the lesson He shows you, and you will respond without hesitation. His peace will anchor you safely through storms that come. His joy will spring up like a fountain, always offering a fresh outlook. His strength and power will continuously raise you above any circumstance or temptation. You will not be pulled back down to a level of immaturity that will ultimately destroy the peace you have in Him.

God brings out the best in your life! He is the potter, and you are His clay to shape as He wishes. With God’s help, place your life in His hands to be created and transformed by His grace. You are not your own. You are His.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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Only by Grace

Oh, foolish Galatians! Who has cast an evil spell on you? For the meaning of Jesus Christ’s death was made as clear to you as if you had seen a picture of his death on the cross. Let me ask you this one question: Did you receive the Holy Spirit by obeying the law of Moses? Of course not! You received the Spirit because you believed the message you heard about Christ. How foolish can you be? After starting your new lives in the Spirit, why are you now trying to become perfect by your own human effort? Have you experienced so much for nothing? Surely it was not in vain, was it?

—Galatians 3:1-4 (NLT)

Oh, child of God! What makes you think you must obey the law to receive the Spirit of Christ? Wasn’t the meaning of Christ’s death for you made very clear in the Word—just as clear as if you were there when He died? Answer this question. Did you receive the Spirit by obeying the Ten Commandments? Of course not! You received when you believed the message you heard about Jesus. Faith comes by hearing His message—not from obeying the law. Why do you allow the law to speak death to your faith in Jesus? The law only condemns you. Have you experienced His love for nothing? Was the precious gift of His life in vain?

“We know that a person is made right with God by faith in Jesus Christ,” Paul wrote, “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).

You believe in Jesus! You are right with God because of your faith—not because of anything you have done. No one is made right with God by keeping the rules. A person is only made righteous by believing in Jesus. Just believe in His grace that looked beyond your sin and recognized your real need—to be reconciled to God. He opened the door to intimacy with the Father—something you and the work of your hands could never achieve.

“When I tried to keep the law,” Paul wrote, “it condemned me. So I died to the law—I stopped trying to meet all its requirements—so that I might live for God. My old self has been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me. So I live in this earthly body by trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. I do not treat the grace of God as meaningless. For if keeping the law could make us right with God, then there was no need for Christ to die” (Galatians 2:19-21, NT).

When you focus on fulfilling Old Covenant law, New Covenant grace has little meaning. The law will always condemn you for not being good enough. Paul stopped trying to meet all of its requirements. He focused his whole life on what Jesus had done for Him instead of judging whether what he did for Jesus was good enough. And what did Paul discover? He could live for God without the fear of failure. Because of the grace of Jesus, Paul longed to serve God and share His love. But He knew His worth didn’t depend on that. Jesus loved and accepted him no matter what he did. His old sinful nature was crucified with Christ. Paul no longer lived—only Jesus lived in Him. Paul lived by trusting Jesus, who gave His life for him. The grace of Jesus meant everything to Paul, and he never treated it lightly or made it into something that it wasn’t.

“Christ has truly set us free,” Paul wrote. “Now make sure that you stay free, and don’t get tied up again in slavery to the law” (Galatians 5:1, NLT).

The grace of Jesus is a state of being right with God. It is not a state of doing anything to make yourself right with Him. Christ has truly set you free! When you know you are free in Jesus, you are free to live for Him! You never consider grace as a license to sin but as a gift to live as He has loved you. Don't make faith a work. Don't live for His approval. He already approved you when you believed in Him. Live, knowing you are approved by Jesus.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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My Shield

But you, O Lord, are a shield around me; you are my glory, the one who holds my head high. I cried out to the Lord, and he answered me from his holy mountain. I lay down and slept, yet I woke up in safety, for the Lord was watching over me. I am not afraid of ten thousand enemies who surround me on every side.                                                                                                                                                                       —Psalm 3:3-6 NLT                      

I cannot shield myself. I cannot save myself. I cannot fix anything. Jesus, you shield me! You protect me! I trust you. I believe you. I am yours. I have no need to struggle to feel accepted. You accepted me when you died for me. You made me new. I don’t have to work to win your love. I am loved.

I lay myself down before you, Lord. I surrender any thought that I must do something to win your love. I rest in your Grace. Your love which saved me also holds and guards me. You came into the world to save me—never to condemn me. You accomplished your work in me when I said yes to your Grace. I did nothing but only receive. What once separated me from your glory, has been ripped into shreds. The work of Calvary is finished. 

Your altar is open to me. You wait to not only shield me from any dead attempts to change my life, but for me to understand that you alone are my glory. You solely are the one who renews my mind. You are the one who lifts me from destruction—which holds my head high when life is hard. You are the one who strengthens and empowers me.

I lay down and wake up in peace. You guard my faith with your Grace. I am not afraid of anything that comes against me. I have surrendered to your peace and believe what you make real in my life. Though the enemy may attempt to steal what you have safely secured for me, he cannot. I trust you and believe. Ten thousand cannot defeat me. I stand in your power without fear. You are my shield. You are my glory.               

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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Wisdom Conquers

One who is wise can go up against the city of the mighty, and pull down the stronghold in which they trust. 

—Proverbs 21:22 (NIV)

Have you ever faced a wall in your life that seems impenetrable? You can't find a weakness in its structure. Each time you think you have found a way to break through, the wall only reinforces itself. No matter what you try, you fail. You are about to give up, but then you admit that you haven't asked God for His help. You have stubbornly tried to bring that wall down by yourself. Without His wisdom to reveal the weakness in that wall, you can't discover what will bring it down. With God's wisdom and His power, you can leave that whole wall in ruins.

Do you have a stronghold that holds you fast? Perhaps, there is something where you have unwisely and maybe even unwittingly, placed your trust. It is even possible that you can't quite put it in words. You need God's wisdom to identify and conquer what you alone have no power to address.  

"If any of you lacks wisdom," James writes, "you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you" (James 1:5, NIV). If you ask God for His wisdom, He bestows it abundantly without restraint. With His understanding, you can identify and conquer that very thing where you have placed your trust—the very thing that has held you in bondage. With His power, you can pull down any stronghold which has claimed your confidence more than God has claimed your trust. 

What you believe determines your outcome! Don’t believe in your stronghold more than you believe in your God! Admit you have a stronghold. Seek God's wisdom. When you have studied that wall with His spiritual understanding, you will find the weakness in its structure. When addressed in His power, He shall pull down the whole wall. Let the Holy Spirit have control and guide you, and your wall no longer is impenetrable. That stronghold no longer has greater strength than your God who strengthens you. His wisdom has found the weakness in its structure, and it will fall. 

When your wall comes down, you understand His freedom in a way you never thought possible! You can breathe His Spirit! There is nothing between you and God! You know nothing separates you from His love. You have a peace that nothing else can give you. You have a joy that makes you even stronger. You have experienced the power of His grace and stand without shame unveiled in His presence. When you abide in Jesus, no power on earth or in hell can rebuild that wall. 

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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You Are His

If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News, you will save it.

—Mark 8:35 (NLT)

Giving up your life for Jesus’ sake is giving up your limited human frailty to receive all the fullness of His unlimited spiritual life! It is discovering who He has created you to be. You can’t hang on to who you were before He saved you from your sinful life. If you do, you will falter in feelings of guilt and shame. If you allow the sin of who you were to define who you are now, you will believe you owe something when your own righteousness has no worth. Only His righteousness has worth! When you believe in the gift of His life for yours, you receive His righteousness. He gave everything He had for you. He held nothing back. You were worth it all to Him. And now He calls you worthy because He has made you righteous. 

What is your identity? Who are you? Do you belong to your past, or do you belong to Jesus? Do you belong to what you believe in your natural mind instead of what He wishes to reveal through His Spirit? If you hang on to who you were, you will never know who you are now. If you keep trying to pay a debt you don’t owe, you will forever be indebted. When you give up the power of your past to determine who you are and what you believe, you will know the power of faith in Jesus Christ. You will walk in His new life by faith and not by sight. 

His Good News is too good to be true to the natural mind! Who would ever die for someone else? Only Jesus—the righteous Son of God—would give His life with nothing owed in return. Don't try to hang on to who you were. It will defeat His power to change your perception to one of acceptance instead of one of needing to win His approval.  If you give up the selfishness of your failures and desires and allow His righteousness to transform your mind, you will be changed by the Holy Spirit to believe you are free in His grace.  

You were bought with the most precious blood—given for you without hesitation. Give your life for His sake—for His Good News—and discover who Jesus says you are. You are chosen in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. You are forgiven—showered in His love with all wisdom and understanding.

When you first believed in Jesus, He identified you as His own. So who are? YOU ARE HIS. 

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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Believing Faith

Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prosper. —3 John 2 (KJV)

Many years ago, I discovered this verse. I had just found out that I had cancer, and God spoke these words directly to my heart. The Holy Spirit placed my name after beloved. I was His beloved. He wished for me to thrive and be in health! My mind focused entirely on these words, and I believed they were His promise for me! 

Now years later, I understand how important the second half of the verse is. It reads, “even as thy soul prospers." With spiritual growth, my soul prospers, and my mind renews. With a thriving soul, God bestows greater faith to believe. I think differently. I see life differently. I trust in what my natural mind says is impossible. I can believe for God's healing even when I haven't yet experienced it. 

         Are you facing a difficult situation in your life? Perhaps you suffer an illness which claims your days. God wishes above all things that you prosper in Him and be in good health. When you were born again by His Spirit, you became new and filled with His righteousness. The abundance of His life became yours. But it takes your soul—your mind—blossoming in His truth to believe who you are in Jesus. When your soul thrives, and your mind transforms to His truth, you grow to understand what His truth reveals. He gives you everything you need for life.  

         “My God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus,” wrote Paul (Philippians 4:19, NIV). His riches in glory are full and abundant and over-flowing! When faith grows, you believe.

Choose to believe Jesus has healed you! Although you might not feel it, choose to believe—again and again. Be renewed by His power in your soul and mind. Hope will spring up, and faith will grow. You soul will thrive, and you will know His promise for you.

© 2019 Lynn Lacher

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