Only Perfection

Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

—Matthew 11:29 (NLT)

Are you a perfectionist? Are you tired of struggling to be just right in everything you do? Well, that is impossible. You can't make life perfect. You will make mistakes. When we try to handle everything without relying on the Holy Spirit, we will never discover rest—only frustration and dissatisfaction. 

The yoke or burdens we impose on ourselves in life are endless and massive—countless lists and obligations. The yoke Jesus offers is easy and light. Jesus is not an obligation! He is our gift! When we quit struggling in our self-righteousness to be good enough and accept the gift of His righteousness, we start seeing His purpose in our lives as the only surrender that brings any joy. 

Jesus is humble and gentle at heart! Just as a Lamb, He allowed Himself to be slaughtered for us. Jesus didn't fight His purpose to die for our sins. He surrendered to His Father's will. He had nothing to prove—only a life to offer. We don't have anything to prove anymore to win God's acceptance and love. Because of the humble gift of His Son on the Cross, God's love is not dependent on anything we do. Jesus changed everything so we could be His. No more striving to prove that we are His. It is the gift we could never earn. 

Allow Him to guide you. Let Him perfect what is so hard to change. The Son of God who saved you does not let you flounder and drown. He asks you to let go as He let go. "Not my will, Father, only yours," He said. Trust the Savior who saved you to teach you. Rest in the finished work of Jesus. You never can make anything perfect. He is the only perfection.

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Believe Grace

My child, pay attention to what I say. Listen carefully to my words. Don’t lose sight of them. Let them penetrate deep into your heart, for they bring life to those who find them, and healing to their whole body.

–Proverbs 4:20-22 (NLT)

Alone in the hospital, I clung to these verses and others like them. I remember very little of my time there.  The Word of God brought me safely through each battle every day. It built my faith to believe that Jesus had already healed me. I was in the process of believing in His finished work of Grace. Jesus was with me each way I tossed in the bed—holding me, speaking His promises, and reminding me of His constant and abiding love.

In Proverbs 4, God calls me “my child.” I am His beloved. He tells me I am in good health just as my soul prospers. My soul prospers when it is transformed by Truth and believes it.  “Pay attention,” the Holy Spirit says. “Don’t just rush through the Word. Listen carefully. Don’t let my Words out of your sight. They will go deep into your heart and penetrate Truth into your mind and then into your body. When you discover the Truth in my Words, they bring life to you. They bring healing to your whole body.”

Today I am home on home health. It has been a battle to find a doctor. The one I had for years was called to do something new by Jesus. I had an appointment with a nurse practitioner at the clinic to see me and get me a physician. But before that appointment could materialize, my body started in a downfall like I’ve never known. Home from the hospital, I am on a special medication drink which needs to be managed by a doctor—a nephrologist. But I have no one to manage it—just the orders from the hospital discharge prescribing it for me. I have some health professionals saying not to take it and others saying to take it. I have opinions instead of direction. The Holy Spirit is my guide through this time. I have experienced His nudges to go a certain way. He sent a pharmacist at CVS to work behind the lines to help me. I believe I will get the physician I need. Each day I choose to believe that the hurdle before me is gone. And hurdles are starting to fall. The race gets easier!

The Word is LIFE. You can stand on its Truth. God’s Word accomplishes His purpose. Listen to what He says. Don’t listen to opinions. Believe His Word. Allow it to transform your fear into peace. Allow it to set you free from the lies that have hammered your mind. No weapon comes against you. You are a child of God because of the love of His precious Son.  You are new—healed—whole—restored. Believe, my friend, and trust Him. Believe Grace.

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I Thirst

Jesus knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. When Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

—John 19:28-30, NLT

Jesus was ready to give up His spirit. He knew His work on the Cross was almost complete. He declared, “I am thirsty.”  They gave Him sour wine in a sponge and held it to His lips. Tasting it, he said the most important words in history, “It is finished.”  And He was gone—but only temporarily. Jesus had just defeated hell, sin, and the grave. He would rise again soon.

I think of His words, “I thirst,” this morning and wonder how He must have felt—dying for me on the Cross in unbearable pain so I might have a new life. Fluids drained from His body—His sodium level crashing. My heart goes out to my Savior.  My sodium level crashing is nothing like the horror He experienced. My thirst could never be as His.  

My thirst is great. I’m on restricted intakes of fluids. Each day presents another work of the Holy Spirit in my life. Jesus is slowly revealing new insights in His Word.  I may thirst physically now. But my spiritual thirst is for all He has for my life. I want to take Him all in. He has finished His work for all time. I am healed by the precious blood of the Lamb.

Hebrews 10:5-7 reads, “When Christ came into the world, he said to God, ‘You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. But you have given me a body to offer. You were not pleased with burnt offerings or other offerings for sin.’ Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God—as is written about me in the Scriptures.’”

Do you thirst for Him?  Really thirst for Him?  Trying to work hard to be forgiven accomplishes nothing. Your thirst then becomes what you are able to offer. God was only pleased with the life of Son. Our offerings for redemption will never work. The work on the Cross has already been accomplished. Only the Grace of Jesus sets you free. He came to fulfill the will of His Father.

“For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time” (Hebrews 10:10, NLT).

If your thirst is great enough, then that is all you need. Learn what He has accomplished on the Cross for you. Learn what freedom is from the old life and the old law that He has canceled for all time. Learn that “I thirst” means “I live.”

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Praise the Lord

For I fully expect and hope that I will never be ashamed, but that I will continue to be bold for Christ, as I have been in the past. And I trust that my life will bring honor to Christ, whether I live or die. For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith. And when I come to you again, you will have even more reason to take pride in Christ Jesus because of what he is doing through me.

—Philippians 1:20-25 (NLT)

Thank you, Jesus, for life. Just as Paul stated so eloquently, living is Christ in me. I have also been torn between two desires. But going to be with the Lord is only better for me. It does not take into consideration the purpose I have to encourage others. For me to live is Christ. I praise God that somewhere someone longs to be encouraged in their faith. I write to live for Christ. It is all I know. Jesus is alive in me. Knowing that someone needs to read a word of encouragement, I am convinced—just as Paul—that I will live and continue to help others experience the joy of their faith. So many miss the joy of His promises.  They are very real, and I praise Him that as my strength returns, I will continue to write to you again.  

Much love,

Lynn Lacher

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Believe

If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you no plague will come near your home.

—Psalm 91:9-10 (NLT)

I pray for each one of you. Make the Lord your refuge. Trust Him. Trust Him to shelter you. Believe that no plague will come near your home. No evil will conquer you. No weapon that rises against you has the power to destroy you.

Your body is the home of the Holy Spirit. You are His dwelling place. He lives in you. He rescues you because He loves you. The Lord will be with you in trouble. He will be your strength and your protector. Under His wings you will know rest.

Believe, my friend. Believe in the love of Jesus for you on Calvary!

Praise Him for His mercies last to all generations!

©2020 Lynn Lacher

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Come and Drink

Come and Drink

You will live in joy and peace. The mountains and hills will burst into song, and the trees of the field will clap their hands! Where once there were thorns, cypress trees will grow. Where nettles grew, myrtles will sprout up. These events will bring great honor to the Lord’s name; they will be an everlasting sign of his power and love.

—Isaiah 55:12-13 (NLT)

What is peace? And joy? You can't find them in the circumstances around you—no matter how hard you try to make things right. You just can't. Feeling good never lasts because circumstances change. This pandemic is not an everlasting sign of God’s love. Only one thing lasts forever—Christ giving His life for you on Calvary. God draws you in the pain of this chaos. He hurts for your heart just as He once suffered on the Cross for you. He gives you His promise of joy and peace and longs for you to thirst for His love.

Are you thirsty? Are you afraid? Christ says to come and drink of His everlasting water of joy and peace. “Come to me,” He whispers, “and you will find life.”  Peace can't be found when all is perfect around you. Peace is found when nothing else makes sense but Him. 

“The rain and snow come down from the heavens and stay on the ground to water the earth. They cause the grain to grow, producing seed for the farmer and bread for the hungry. It is the same with my word. I send it out, and it always produces fruit. It will accomplish all I want it to, and it will prosper everywhere I send it” (Isaiah 55:11 (NLT).

Just as rain and snow water the earth bringing forth new life and producing what is needed, so does God’s Word in you. Thirst is filled with His love. Hunger overflows with His promise. You rest in His love. The Word plants truth and yields grace. It changes the way you view life. Faith prospers as you put down roots in Him. You can rely on His Word to supply what you need. It accomplishes His purpose. 

And His purpose is to love you.

“This is real Love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent His Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins” (1 John 4:10, NLT). God’s love is not dependent on how much you love Him. His unconditional love redeems you and forever flows from Calvary. It's free for the asking. Are you thirsty? Come and drink.

© 2020 Lynn Lacher

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My Awakening to Grace

My Awakening to Grace

You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when he adopted you as his own children. Now we call him, “Abba, Father.”

—Romans 8:15 (NLT)

         I remember the morning I realized the Grace of Jesus had taken care of every issue in my life—had supplied all my needs—had healed me in ways I had never dreamed. It was not when I believed Jesus was my Savior, or even when I became filled with the Holy Spirit. This awakening to His Grace had been growing through the years. I began to understand Scripture as never before. Jesus revealed His love to me right through His Word. 

         “Abba” means father in the Hebrew and Aramaic languages. It is a name that reveals child-like trust. “Abba" is often translated as "daddy."  When God is our Abba Father, we have a trusting child-like faith in Him. He is a loving "daddy" to us. We can trust Him with everything.

         I use to have problems with the fearful picture of God of the Old Testament being the same God that was my loving Abba Father. I could never reconcile the God of retribution in the Old Testament with the God of Grace in the New. Then one day, I again read Romans 6:14: “Sin is no longer your master, 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). 

         The Holy Spirit began a journey of revealing His truth that unfolded over the next two years. I grew to understand that Grace had fulfilled the demands of the law. I didn’t need to carry shame as payment for sin. I didn’t need to struggle with the fear of punishment from my God. I didn’t need to try to balance law with Grace in my mind. Jesus had made the payment for my sin. My struggles to be righteous were missing the understanding of the Cross. Jesus was the pivot point. The Cross had taken care of all sin for all time. Jesus had given me His righteousness. When I believed in the gift of His life for mine, I became free from the bondage of the law. I was no longer under law. I was under His Grace.

         I also read, “If you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law,” Paul wrote, “you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace” (Galatians 5:4, NLT). 

         How long I had dealt with feelings of guilt and shame of not being good enough! How long had I tried to make myself right when His death had made me right! When Jesus said on the Cross, "It is finished," there was nothing more for me to do but believe in Him and allow the Holy Spirit to do the work in me. Repentance wasn’t scourging myself with feelings of shame. No longer did I need to beat myself up when I failed. If I tried to make myself right with God, I would be cutting myself off from Christ. Struggling to make myself right wouldn't keep me from falling back into sin. It was falling away from the understanding of what Jesus had given me. The Holy God of retribution in the Old Testament gave way to the God of Grace in the New. 

         God became my Abba Father of love and forgiveness. He adopted me as His child when Jesus died for me. The love of the Cross opened access to my Father. I discovered a deeper intimacy and trust. I found that His discipline was never harsh but made as a loving parent guiding His child in spiritual growth. I understood that the gift of His Grace was freedom from the feelings of shame, which had bombarded me. I was free to receive His Grace and love as never before. And with this awareness, I experienced His peace and joy. I believe now in His Grace alone, and He continually guides and reveals His love to me. I experience His peace during times such as we are going through right now.

         If you are living in fear, search His Word, and allow the Holy Spirit to reveal the truth of His Grace to you. You don’t have to live in fear of punishment. You don’t have to live in fear of failure and losing His love. He is no longer the God of retribution. God is love. You, too, can grow in your understanding of Grace. I would suggest that you take time now to make your journey of faith. Awaken to the love of His Grace!

         “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14 (NIV).

         His truth is Grace.

© 2020 Lynn Lacher

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A Great Awakening

         In 1958 David Wilkerson served as a pastor of a small Pentecostal church in Pennsylvania. Opening an edition of Life magazine, he saw a photograph of seven teenagers who were members of gangs in New York City. Wilkerson felt the Holy Spirit drawing him to preach the love of Christ to them. On arriving in New York, he went quickly to the place where the teenagers were in court. Wilkerson entered the courtroom and asked the judge for permission to speak to them, but the judge threw him out. This action did not stop him from sharing the love of Jesus to addicts and gang members in New York. Soon Wilkerson started Teen Challenge, a Christian recovery program. Years later, he wrote a book, "The Cross and the Switchblade," which became a movie in 1970 starring Pat Boone.

         Why do I mention him? In 1986 David Wilkerson said to his church: “I see a plaque coming on the world, and the bars, churches, and government will shut down. The plague will hit New York and shake it like it has never been shaken. This plague is going to force prayerless believers into radical prayer and into their Bibles, and repentance will be the cry from the man of God in the pulpit. And out of it will come a third Great Awakening that will sweep America and the world.”

         Is that this time? Whether it is or not, I have no idea. The issue is that God is drawing His people to seek His face and get into the Word. The Holy Spirit draws us to praise Him as never before. We have never known real worship, but we shall.  And for those who don't know Christ? God will not only raise the man of God in the pulpit but also His children, to share the Grace of Jesus with a world suffering and dying.

         

         From years ago, I remember a friend telling me that she had heard an evangelist say that one day there would be a great move of the Holy Spirit in Alabama. Is that this time? Could this be the third Great Awakening of which Wilkerson prophesized? I don’t know. But I do know the Holy Spirit always draws us with the Grace of Calvary. Christians can't fear when we know His Grace. We must share the peace that only Christ offers with those who have no hope. 

         Now is the time to search within our own lives and allow the Holy Spirit to convince us of what we need to change. Now is the time for prayer and praise and the Word. Allow Him to prepare you for such a time as this. “That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news’” (Romans 10:15, NLT)!

      Share the Grace of Jesus. Bring the hope and peace of His Good News to a terrified world.  

© 2020 Lynn Lacher

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For Me to Live is Christ

For to me, living means living for Christ, and dying is even better. But if I live, I can do more fruitful work for Christ. So I really don’t know which is better. I’m torn between two desires: I long to go and be with Christ, which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live. Knowing this, I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.

—Philippians 1:21-25 (NLT)

There is nothing I love more than helping others experience the joy of their faith—to know peace and joy at all times. Peace and joy, which aren't dependent on what is happening around you, become yours as you grow in your relationship with the Lord. If you are growing, you are on a journey to learn your identity, and that journey continues to the day He calls you home.

Growing in your knowledge of who you are in Christ and experiencing His hand on your life, keeps you safely secured in this world and in believing in your promise of life after death. Paul was secure in His faith. He was torn between the desire to live or die. To die was to be with Christ. To live was to live for Him.  

“I long to go and be with Christ,” he wrote, “which would be far better for me. But for your sakes, it is better that I continue to live.” His heart was already with the Lord in heaven, and he longed for that promise to be fulfilled. But Paul knew he had a purpose in the lives of believers. 

“Knowing this,” he continued, “I am convinced that I will remain alive so I can continue to help all of you grow and experience the joy of your faith.”  Paul knew he had a purpose of helping others experience the joy of their faith. Paul was convinced. He would live because he believed it. 

In Christ, you are an overcomer. Do you believe it? You have the peace of God, which passes all understanding. Do you experience it? You have joy that is not dependent on what is happening. Is it yours? Right now, the world says to fear. Without knowing your identity in Christ, your peace and joy will be dependent on your feelings.

Now is the time to get in the Word, and learn who you are. You have a reason to live—for you to live is Christ.

©2020 Lynn Lacher

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Ask Him into Your Heart

All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is by his great mercy that we have been born again, because God raised Jesus Christ from the dead. Now we live with great expectation, and we have a priceless inheritance—an inheritance that is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay. And through your faith, God is protecting you by his power until you receive this salvation, which is ready to be revealed on the last day for all to see. 

—1 Peter 1:3 (NLT)

When I was eight years old, I didn't know what born-again meant. I just knew that as I sat with Miss Cliffie Johnston in church that morning, I heard Brother Ward ask if there was anyone who wanted to ask Jesus into their heart. And I suddenly, I knew that I did. So I asked, and my whole life has been a journey to understand who I am in Jesus. I’m new each day of my life. There is no end to the mercy of His grace.

I look back on life now, remembering the moments that shaped my faith. He filled me with His Spirit and set my life on a path I've never regretted. He is the love of my life. If this were to be the last thing I ever wrote, I pray that it brings glory to Him.

All praise to God, my father, because of Jesus Christ, my Savior. It is by His great mercy that I have been born again. Now I live with great hope and expectation. I have a priceless inheritance that is kept in heaven for me. It is pure and clean beyond the reach of this world's pandemic. God protects me by His power until He is ready to be revealed on the last day. 

If you want to have a priceless inheritance, please ask Jesus Christ into your heart. 

©2020 Lynn Lacher

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