By His Stripes

 

 

Four years ago, I faced a debilitating illness beginning in April and lasting through December. During those months, I had three hospital stays and home health. I was told that I would have this condition for the rest of my life and would have to learn to manage it carefully. Throughout those long months, I studied and prayed over Scripture and sought the Lord. Yesterday, a devotional I wrote during my healing journey popped up on my website. I was shocked to see that it had 779 viewings. But I shouldn’t be. People are hungry to believe there is healing in Jesus and He wants them well. I share this devotional with you with all its grammatical errors, just as I wrote it four years ago. I’m so overwhelmingly thankful for the abundant life Jesus gives me daily. I never want to take His precious and powerful grace for granted. Healing is His promise to be received every day. Jesus wants you well. He gave His life for you to receive it.

 

 

August 24, 2020

 

 

Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.

—1 Peter 2:24 (NKJV)

 

 

Jesus bore our sins so that we might be free of sin and filled with His righteousness. Peter writes that by His stripes—by the wounds He took for us—we WERE healed. His death on the Cross not only paid for our sins. It paid for our illnesses. And He paid it all in FULL. We are saved and healed by the finished work of Jesus on the Cross. 

 

I have been on a journey in the last few months, learning what the Word says about healing. And I discovered something that I wanted to explore in-depth. Jesus not only saved me at Calvary. He also healed me. The Scripture very clearly teaches me that Jesus didn’t do a partial work on the Cross. It was a complete work. I am sharing some of my journey with you. I’m not here to tell you what to believe. I’m just sharing what the Word has revealed to me.

 

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5, NKJV). By the beating He took—by the deep gashes in His torn flesh—by the gift of His precious blood, I am healed.  I am whole in my spirit, in my mind (aka soul), and in my body.

 

I can be healed in the spiritual realm, but that healing may not be revealed in my physical body. Just because I feel sick or have an illness doesn’t mean that Jesus hasn’t healed me. To take hold of the Truth that Jesus did a complete healing work for me on the Cross, I choose to believe in His healing just as I once chose to believe in Jesus’ salvation by faith. When I believe the Word about healing, I choose His spiritual Truth over what I feel. His Truth transforms my mind and the way I perceive. I have greater hope. Healing progresses as my faith grows stronger each day to believe that I am whole.

 

"Let all that I am praise the Lord; may I never forget the good things he does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases" (Psalm 103:2-3, NLT). Don't we sometimes forget the good things He does for us?  The Word says never to forget these good things. We must choose to hold on to His Truth deliberately. And what is the Truth in this Scripture? Not only does He heal all my sins. He heals all my diseases.

 

"He sent His Word and healed them, snatching them from the door of death" (Psalm 107:20, NLT). God sent His Word and snatched me from the door of death. Yes, this refers to salvation from spiritual death, but I believe that it also refers to deliverance from physical death. Healing is part of Christ's payment for our sins (Isaiah 53:5). 

 

How do we get this kind of faith to believe? “Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17, NKJV).  Faith is our response to the grace of Jesus. We learn from hearing His Word. Because faith without works is dead, we must act on what we believe. Don’t we want an alive faith? We know that without faith, we can't please God (Hebrews 11:6). 

 

My measure of faith grows stronger by taking in and digesting the Word of God.  “My child,” God says, “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). His Words are life, and they bring healing.

 

“Have faith in God,” Jesus said. “I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours” (Mark 11:22-24, NLT).

 

What mountain in your life do you wish to throw into the sea? Is it an illness? Is it fear? Have faith in God. You don't throw your mountain into the sea. God does when you speak by faith what you believe. When doubt is conquered by faith, nothing holds back the power of God. You believe. If you believe Jesus said, it will be yours.

 

“Because you believed,” Jesus told the Roman officer, “it has happened” (Matthew 8:13, NLT). And the officer’s servant was healed within that very hour—because he believed.  The woman with the issue of blood was healed by her faith when she touched the hem of Jesus’ garment. We believe by faith. We speak what we believe because Jesus died so we might have life.

 

I believe by faith in the healing Jesus bought for me with His life. He personally carried my sin to the Cross. Now I am dead to sin and alive in Him. But not only just alive spiritually. By His wounds, I am healed.

 

“The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life” (John 10:10, NLT).  Thank you, Jesus, for loving me with your life. I won’t let the enemy steal the seed of faith you have planted in my heart.  I choose your purpose for me—to have a rich and satisfying life.

 

“Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed; save me and I will be saved, for you are the one I praise” (Jeremiah 17:14, NIV).

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/by-his-stripes.html

 

Love as Jesus Loved You

It is the night of the Last Supper. After communion with His disciples, washing their feet, and revealing Judas is the disciple that will betray Him. Jesus informs His disciples that He is leaving them and they cannot come. They are devastated. The one they had given their life to follow would leave them. And amid their emotional turmoil, he tells them something else:

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).

These words were part of Jesus’ last words to them, so they were certainly very important. Jesus commands them to love each other as He has loved them.

Many Christians believe they are unable to love as Jesus did. They may work hard to reach that target, but they find themselves falling short. Would Jesus give His disciples a command He knew they could not keep? Of course, He wouldn’t. Then why is it so hard sometimes for us to love others? 

Perhaps, we don’t understand the love of God we have received.

God loved us so much that He gave His only Son to die for us. God doesn’t love us because we are nice or beautiful, go to church, or keep His commandments just right. God doesn’t respond to us based on what we do for Him. We can’t do anything worthy enough to receive His love. God responds to us based on Jesus’ unconditional love for us on the cross. Jesus met the conditions of God’s love. He earned it. We can’t.

God’s purpose in creation was to give Him pleasure (Revelations 4:11). He wanted someone to love and for them to willingly love Him in return. Adam and Eve were created for His pleasure, and we were created for His pleasure and fellowship with Him. 

God’s purpose in creating us was to have a relationship with Him. When religion, instead of relationship, becomes our focus, we begin to tie God’s love for us to something we do for Him. When we believe God loves us and acts on our behalf according to our performance, we hold others to the same standard. Our love for others is then based on how they treat us. If God based His love for us on how we treat Him, none of us would be worthy of love. 

We had no beauty or worth to pay the price. We had no works worthy of the price. Only Jesus’ unconditional love for us did.

Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”

God’s love has never been conditional. He loved us at our worst. Most Christians believe you are saved by grace through faith, no matter your past. But for some, that is where grace ends and religion begins.

Religion focuses on outward behavior instead of the inner witness of a changed heart. Religion says God demands you do everything perfectly. Trying to prove your holiness to God becomes a burden instead of freely living righteously out of your relationship of love in Jesus.

God isn’t focused on your behavior. God is focused on your heart. It is wrong to lie, steal, commit adultery, or any other sin. What we do is nothing more than the product of our relationship with God or the lack of our relationship with God. God always looks at the heart.

You will never fully receive God’s love if you believe He judges you according to your performance. Love is a decision, and God decided to love you even though you didn’t deserve it. There is nothing you can do to earn it or deserve it. You must receive it as a free gift.

When you understand how much God loves you, it becomes easier to love others. When you love others as Jesus has loved you, your behavior will change toward them. If you love your spouse the way Jesus unconditionally loves, you will never be unfaithful to them. If you love your neighbor as Jesus loves you, you will never steal from them or bear false witness against them.

How does the world know that we are His disciples? John 13:35 says, “By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

A Pharisee, who was a lawyer, asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus answered him in Matthew 22:37-40.

“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

The Pharisees wanted Jesus to name the most important commandment— “You shall not.” But instead, Jesus named the most important—“You shall love.” 

Don’t mentally try to earn God's love thinking, “I must do this, or I must do that.” You will become focused on yourself instead of Him. Jesus has already made the decision to love you with His life. You freely receive His love that loves the Lord will all your heart, soul, and mind. You freely receive His love to love others. You can never love with His love when you try to earn what is impossible for you to earn.

Whether you realize it or not, you will treat others as you believe God treats you. Once you understand how much God loves you, love will flow out of you toward others. You will freely give away the love you have freely received. 

You will love as He has loved you.

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/love-as-Jesus-has-loved-you.html

 

The Work is His

 

 

Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

— Philippians 1:6

 

 

What race is God asking you to run? Does it seem too enormous to you? Does it frighten you when you think about what God asks you to do? Or does knowing God trust you to believe Him for the impossible humble and excite you?

 

We have come too far in Christ to shrink back now. We live in the last of the last days. There is no time for fear or anxiety. God is looking to each of us to fulfill our part of His plan. He depends on us, and we must give our lives to do what He asks. Nothing is more important than listening to His voice and doing as He asks.

 

God could choose anyone, but He chose you. So, whatever God asks of you, consider it an honor that He would use you to accomplish something for Him. You must push aside any fear, draw upon the power of God living deep within you, stand on His promises, and step out in faith to see it done. You will never know what God can do unless you step out and allow Him to show you.

 

When the children of Israel prepared to cross the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the river was at flood stage. To all appearances, it was impossible. God commanded Joshua to instruct the priests to step right into the river. God assured Joshua that if he did, the water would miraculously part so that he, the priests, and the rest of the Israelites could pass through on the dry ground.

 

Can you imagine how Joshua felt?  People watched him and the priests, looking to see if the water would part as he had promised. But this wasn’t Joshua’s moment to shrink back in fear. He chose it as his moment to obey. Standing on the edge of the Jordan River with its water rising higher, Joshua obeyed God’s command. The priests lifted their feet to take the first step into the current. As they obeyed, the water parted just as God had promised Joshua (Joshua 3:17).

 

It took Joshua’s courage and obedience for the waters to part. Because of his obedience, all the Israelites passed into their Promised Land. This shows the power of one man’s obedience to God. Do you realize that your obedience affects others? When you obey God, other people are impacted, which opens the doors for them to receive God’s promises.

 

Obedience to God is not always easy or without conflict. Joshua had to fight his thoughts and emotions and refuse to allow fear to flood his mind. If Joshua had listened to those thoughts, he would never have obeyed God. But he rebuked the thoughts and the feelings they evoked and boldly stepped out. Joshua experienced God's superseding, supernatural, and supreme power the moment he obeyed. 

 

Those who stand on the edge and allow fear to keep them from God’s plan in their life will never experience the power of God as Joshua did. If they want to experience God’s power and see Him miraculously working in their lives, they must be willing to rise up, step out, and do precisely what God asks of them.

 

Perhaps, this is your season for God’s dream to take root in your heart. But the time will come when you must stop thinking about your dream and act. If you don’t, your dream will only remain a dream and not a reality. When you finally act on that dream and move forward to do what God has asked, that is the moment you will see God supernaturally part the waters before you.

 

Is God asking you to step out in faith and start something new or do something that seems impossible? Is He calling you into an area of ministry that seems overwhelming?  Has He placed a dream in your heart that seems beyond all your capability?  That is the whole point. Whatever He calls you to do is impossible in the natural. It takes His supernatural to accomplish.

 

Whatever God tells you to do, pray about it. Seek Him, and let Him prepare your heart. When His time is right, He will one day speak to your heart and say it is time to get off the edge and step into the water. If you do as He asks, you will see His power moving in your life as never before.

 

If you know it is time to step out in faith, take your eyes off the impossibility of what you see, and fix your eyes on Jesus. He is the author and finisher of your faith (Hebrews 12:2). What He starts, He will always finish. That’s why Paul said, “Being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:6).

 

The word “confident” means to be fully persuaded or thoroughly convinced. Paul says, “I am fully and completely persuaded and convinced…that he which began a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.” Be confident that God Himself will move you toward the goal.  He will not stop until you have reached the end. 

 

God is with you at the beginning of your journey and will empower you to make it to the finish line. You may not always feel like an overcomer, but God's grace is moving you to your Promised Land one step at a time.

 

Joshua’s obedience resulted in all of Israel passing over into their Promised Land. Your willingness to obey will also make the way clear for others to follow and experience the power of God in their lives. When you obey God, He imparts power into your life that is more extraordinary than you could ever ask or think (Ephesians 3:20). However, such power belongs to those who obey Him.

 

God will empower you to do the most incredible thing you have ever done. It may seem as impossible as crossing the Jordan at flood stage, but His grace and power will supernaturally pick you up, carry you toward the goal, and bring you to the end. 

 

What is the step of faith you need to take? What promise is waiting for you across the river? What is stopping you from taking the next step of that precipice? Is it time for you to stop just thinking about what you see and start acting on what God has given you to do?  Don’t look at yourself. You cannot part that river. Look to Him, the author and the finisher of your faith. It is Jesus in you who accomplishes the impossible. It is Jesus who began a good work in you and completed it. When you step out in faith and obey God, you finish strong because Jesus finished strong. 

 

Whatever God asks of you, your obedience will increase the blessings of His power in your life and affect blessings in the lives of others until the day of Jesus Christ.

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/the-work-is-his.html

 

 

For Your Victory

 

The time for our victory has come. God has provided us His spiritual armor but doesn’t force us to use it. We surrender to the Holy Spirit and receive His power to be victorious. If you want the abundant life Jesus has given you, you must fight the good fight of faith. Satan will do all he can to steal your victory in Jesus, but he can’t. Jesus has already won it, and it is finished. To fight the good fight of faith, you exercise the armor of God.

 

The Word of God is your Truth. But it makes no difference if you don’t know and believe it.  The righteousness Christ has given you is your inherent right to all His promises and your authority over the enemy. When you allow the gospel of peace to claim your mind and heart, faith shields you against the attacks of the wicked one. Faith receives what grace has provided. The helmet of salvation guards your mind against the devil’s lies. The sword of the Spirit—the spoken Word of God—is your weapon to declare God’s Truth in your life and defeat the enemy who comes to steal, kill, and destroy the abundant life Jesus has given you (Ephesians 6:10-18).

 

Notice that the first piece of armor is the Truth of the Word, and the last is God's spoken Word. The Word is absolute Truth; when spoken, it can break strongholds and produce life. All the other pieces of armor help you to stand firm and speak the Truth of God’s Word with His authority. When you put on the armor of God, the enemy cannot take what is yours in Jesus.

 

You fight against the enemy—not people (Ephesians 6:12). He comes against your faith and brings the battle to your mind. You will face discouragement quickly if you aren’t equipped to fight your battle. When you start to believe God for something, that is when your battle begins. You don’t just stand against him one time. You stand against him again and again. Standing builds your faith to receive the promises of God. When you stand, you set your mind on the things of the Spirit. You have life and peace no matter what you face (Romans 8:5-6).

 

God’s Word overcomes everything that comes against its Truth. No weapon shall prevail against it. You shall condemn anything that comes against its Truth in your life. This is your inheritance in Christ Jesus. You are the righteousness of God in Him (Isaiah 54:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21).

 

Looking at yourself through your eyes, it is hard to see Christ’s righteousness. You only see the imperfection of your humanness. But things change when you keep looking into your heart with the Truth of the righteousness He has given you. The revelation of your right standing with God will transform you from living in fear to fighting with faith. Submit yourself to God, and the enemy will flee (James 4:7).

 

You fight the good fight of faith when you forgive as Christ has forgiven you. When you live in God’s peace, you are standing on His Truth and at peace with Him, yourself, and others. You believe your worthiness in Christ and that you are forgiven, and you forgive others as Christ has forgiven you.

 

For faith to be effective, you must be convinced that the faith Christ has given you will quench the fiery darts aimed at your mind and heart by the wicked one. Each of us has the same measure of faith in God (Romans 12:3). Exercising your faith will make you an overcomer (1 John 5:4). Don’t give up. When you are in a battle, your faith is what is tested. The enemy tries to make you give up on your faith and what you believe. He wants you to say faith does not work for you.

 

When you fight the good fight of faith, you put the Truth of your salvation on like a helmet to protect your thoughts. God’s Truth continually renews your mind (Romans 12:2). When your mind is renewed by Truth instead of the enemy’s lies, the incorruptible seed of the Word is sown in your heart and produces fruit in your life. You have love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law that is above these (Galatians 5:22-23). You have the fruit of the Spirit inherent in your relationship with Jesus. You know your battle is won, and God’s promise is yours.

 

When you are in a battle, your emotions get out of control, and your understanding is compromised. You have to consciously put on the Truth of your salvation. When the Truth of His righteousness convinces you, you experience His peace and wisdom. Intentionally, review over and over in your mind who you are in Christ.

 

The last piece of armor declares the power of God's Word and engages all other armor pieces. It is the sword of the Spirit—the spoken Word of God. You battle successfully in warfare by agreeing with God’s Truth and speaking it instead of speaking any lie of the enemy.

 

You have the power and authority Christ gives you to defeat the enemy. But God doesn’t speak His Truth for you. You open your mouth and declare it. You wield the sword of the Spirit. You put on the Word of God and speak it over your life.

 

And you pray! “Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18, NLT).  

 

Prayer is your personal intimacy with God to receive the understanding of His Truth and guidance in your life. Your prayers not only impact your spiritual life. They impact the lives of others. Be persistent in prayer and believing for yourself and others. Put on the full armor of God. Live in an attitude of prayer at all times, and pray in the Holy Spirit. 

 

The battle you are in was won over two thousand years ago, and the enemy you face was defeated over two thousand years ago. The enemy has only as much power in your life as you allow. God has given you all you need. Keep fighting the good fight of faith. 

 

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us” (Ephesians 3:20)!

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/for-your-victory.html

 

 

 

The Sword of the Spirit

Would you like to render an incapacitating blow to the enemy when he tries to attack your mind and life?

In Ephesians 6:17, Paul wrote, “And take…the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” Paul calls the Word of God the “sword of the Spirit.” 

To understand Paul’s message concerning the sword of the Spirit, we need to know what he meant when he called the Word of God a “sword.” Paul used the Greek word “machaira,” the same word used to describe the type of sword a Roman soldier used in battle.

The Roman soldier continually trained for war. He practiced with his sword every day, striking a tall wooden post firmly fixed in the ground. This post became the soldier’s enemy during practice. He practiced by hitting certain places on the post lined up with his opponent's vulnerable areas. The purpose of sword practice was to learn how to take advantage of his enemy, hit him in his weakest area, and disable him. He was taught not to cut his enemy but to thrust with his sword. A stroke with a sword’s edge, even made with much strength, would rarely kill someone. A powerful, forthright stab was usually lethal even though it might pierce his opponent only a few inches. 

Paul had this in mind when he wrote, “And take… the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.” 

The Greek word for “word” in Ephesians 6:17 is “rhema,” which refers to an utterance or a spoken word by God. To have a sword that penetrates a blow to the enemy, we need a specific, quickened word from the Word of God engrained in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. When we speak the word the Holy Spirit has given us, we wield God’s power to render the enemy a debilitating blow.

Just as a Roman soldier only needed a well-placed wound to eliminate his enemy, a well-placed quickened word from the Lord has the power to eliminate Satan’s attack. 

The best example of the power of the Word of God—the sword of the Spirit— is found in Luke 4:3-13. When Jesus went into the wilderness, Satan continually and aggressively attacked him. Each time, Jesus answered Satan’s attack with a Word from the Holy Spirit. 

After Satan tempted him with food, Jesus drew out the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God, and rebuked him: 

“It is written, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God’” (Luke 4:4). 

Satan did not respond to Jesus’ spoken Word—the sword of the Spirit.

When Satan offered Jesus the kingdoms of the world in trade for worship, Jesus wounded him again with another Word.  He said: 

“For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve’” (Luke 4:8). 

 

Satan again had no answer to the sword of the Spirit.

 

When Satan tempted Jesus to prove His deity, Jesus answered him again with another Word by the Spirit.  He said: 

“It has been said, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God’” (Luke 4:12).

 

This time Jesus pierced Satan with a devastating blow. Jesus had replied two times to the devil with a specifically targeted Word. Still, this third time the devil finally gave up and “departed” (Luke 4:13). Satan was rendered powerless in the wilderness by the powerful words Jesus used like a spiritual sword against him.

When the Holy Spirit quickens a specific Scripture to you, and you use it against the enemy, the enemy will eventually “depart” from you. He has no comeback to God’s Word so he cannot engage you in further conflict. The Word of God is the supernatural sword of the Spirit that renders the devil powerless. 

Open your heart continually, and let the Holy Spirit reveal the Scriptures you need to withstand the devil’s attacks and force his departure. With those Scriptures in your heart and mouth, you have God’s spiritual sword to render your enemy helpless. The enemy will come at you again at some point. But if you pierce him with God’s Word spoken out of the abundance of your heart, you will be able to render him helpless again. When you submit yourself to God, you resist the devil, and he flees from you.

The Holy Spirit was sent to guide you into all truth. A Word from God that speaks directly and quickly to your heart is a deep inner assurance and witness of the Spirit. Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and His Word will be opened to you. 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/the-sword-of-the-spirit.html

 

Your Helmet of Salvation

 

Would you like supernatural protection to guard your mind from every attack of the enemy? 

As a child of God, you already have this protection. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul writes, “And take the helmet of salvation.…”

We have discussed the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel of peace, and the shield of faith. In Ephesians 6:17, Paul speaks about the helmet of salvation, illustrating a Roman soldier’s helmet.

The Roman soldier’s helmet was ostentatious and elaborate. It looked more like a beautiful piece of art than a piece of metal formed to fit a soldier’s head. It wasn’t unusual for a Roman helmet to be decorated with etchings of rural farm scenes, fruit, or pastoral scenes. As if these exquisite engravings weren’t enough, a huge plume of brightly colored feathers or horse hair stood straight up from the top of the helmet. 

The helmet was made of bronze and fortified with armor designed to protect the cheeks and jaws. Because of its extreme weight, it had a sponge lining to soften its weight on the soldier’s head. It was so immense and strong a battle ax couldn’t penetrate it.  

A helmet like this certainly drew attention. You could not walk past one of these soldiers without noticing them. 

Why would Paul use such a piece of armor regarding salvation? 

Your salvation is the most beautiful, intricate, extravagant, and ornate gift God ever gave you.

Paul calls this gift “the helmet of salvation.” By using this ornate helmet example, Paul reveals something significant. When a person is confident of his salvation, he walks in the truth of all that salvation means for him. You cannot miss the certainty of a believer who knows who he is in Christ—who walks by faith, not sight. 

The word “helmet” is taken from the Greek word “perkephalaia” and denotes a piece of armor that fits tightly around the head.

 

A Roman soldier needed a tightly fitting helmet to protect himself from an enemy coming against him with a battle ax. A battle ax could easily take off a man’s head. If a Roman soldier didn’t have a tightly fitting helmet, he could lose his head. Wearing his helmet protected his life.

 

That is precisely what salvation will do for you when you wear it like a tightly protective helmet. It protects you from the lies of the enemy. But if you don’t walk in all the truths your salvation has given you, you may feel the impact of the enemy’s battle ax as he comes to attack your mind and steal your victory.

 

If your salvation is not worn tightly around your mind like a helmet, the enemy will come to steal the blessings of your salvation. He will try to hack away at your faith, telling you that a sound mind, healing, and deliverance were not a part of Jesus’ redemptive work on the cross. By the time the enemy is finished with your mind, you no longer believe in the abundant life Jesus has given you.

Many believers attempt to do the work of God without walking in the full knowledge of their salvation, and, as a result, they are spiritually defeated. They can be harshly attacked and misled by subjecting their unguarded minds to the enemy’s suggestions. Facing the enemy without the full knowledge of your salvation is foolish. You must have this helmet to be useful and fruitful in the Kingdom of God.

If the enemy can fill your mind with lies, he can begin to tear you down spiritually, mentally, emotionally, and physically. He can manipulate your emotions and assault you with feelings of fear, sickness, and need. God has given you the “helmet of salvation” to protect you from his attacks.

We must know everything about our salvation. We must study what the Word of God says about its benefits—our healing and deliverance. It surprises some believers to realize that the Greek word usually translated as “salvation” is the same word that is also translated as "healing.” This word, “soteria,” and its related verb, “sozo,” means to save and heal. Salvation refers to our deliverance from the effects of sickness and sin. 

“Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers” (3 John 2). God desires to bless and prosper you with the benefits of your redemption in every area of your life.

 

Your understanding of all your salvation embraces must be deep-rooted in your mind. When your mind is trained and taught to think accurately about your salvation, that knowledge becomes a helmet protecting your life.

When you know who you are in Christ, it doesn’t matter how hard the enemy tries to hack away at your faith in God. You know beyond a doubt what Jesus’ death and resurrection purchased for you. This knowledge has become a part of who you are, preventing the enemy from finding headway into your life as he once did. 

The full knowledge of your salvation protects your mind from the lies that come to steal, kill, and destroy.

*******

Lord, I am so thankful for my salvation! It is the most beautiful gift you have ever given me!  My salvation has changed my life and set me free. It has brought deliverance to my mind and healing to my body. I want to understand all of my salvation so the enemy can never steal its benefits from me. Holy Spirit, help me study and understand everything purchased for me on the cross. Reveal it to me. Convince me of its truth, and help me to wear that knowledge like a mighty spiritual helmet.

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/05/your-helmet-of-salvation.html

 

 

Faith—Your Response to God’s Grace

 

Faith produces the truth of God’s Word in you. Faith is your response to His Grace.

 

To fight the good fight of faith, you have to choose to put on the armor of God deliberately. The Word of God is your Truth to stand praying and believing for God’s promises against the enemy’s deception. The righteousness Christ has given you guards your heart against the enemy’s lies and gives you the authority to defeat the enemy’s lies and innuendoes. When you allow the gospel of peace to claim your mind and heart, faith shields your mind from the enemy’s attempts to kill, steal, and destroy the abundant life that is yours in Christ (John 10:10).

 

“Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one” (Ephesians 6:14-16, NKJV).

 

For faith to shield you from lies aimed at your mind and heart, you must be convinced that it is the substance and evidence of things you cannot see (Hebrews 11:1). You believe God’s truths so strongly that nothing can sway you from believing what you not cannot physically see. Each of us has received the same measure of faith God has given us (Romans 12:3). But His Grace has no power in your life until you respond. Exercising your measure of faith in the finished work of Christ is how you grow to be an overcomer. 

 

“You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world—our faith (1 John 4:4, 5:4, NKJV).

 

As a born-again believer in Christ, you are born of God. Christ lives within you.  And Christ, within you, has overcome everything not born of His truth. He has overcome unbelief and all its destruction. His victory in your life is the faith He has given you. And that faith overcomes the world. It is yours to exercise and use. 

 

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I LIVE BY THE FAITH OF THE SON OF GOD, who loved me, and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20, KJV).

 

You are crucified with Christ, and He lives in you. You live your new life by Grace through faith. You have His measure of faith. Don’t give up. When you are in a battle, your faith is what is tested. The enemy’s purpose is to keep you from exercising the faith God has given you. He wants you to say, “Believing and praying for God’s promise doesn’t work for me.” But faith does work in your life. 

 

Jesus told the centurion that his faith had healed his servant. He told the woman with a blood issue that her faith had made her well. He told the two blind men they would be healed according to their faith. When Jesus told the father of the demon-oppressed boy that “all things are possible to him who believes,” the father cried out, “Lord, I believe; help my unbelief!”

 

Do you realize you can have belief and unbelief at the same time? However, your doubt and unbelief will decrease as you determine to believe all things are possible in Christ. You have the faith to believe, and when you choose to believe through faith what the Word says is true, your belief in the promises of God matures and produces fruit. Your faith deflects the unbelief that comes against God’s truth. It protects you from the evil that is determined to destroy you.

 

“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you” (Psalm 91:5-7, NKJV).  

 

When you believe in God’s Truth over what anyone says—over what the world says—over what the enemy says, you put on the shield of faith and exercise your authority in Christ. And with that shield, you extinguish all the evil with which the wicked one targets you.

 

Faith is more than enough to receive God’s promises. You just have to keep fighting the good fight of faith. If you are confused, God is not the author of your confusion! Never give up trusting Him, and don’t doubt. We are all tempted to doubt, but resist temptation. Just know that your faith is tested when you are in a battle. Fight, and if you get weary, don’t stay that way. Always reengage your shield of faith.

 

Faith comes by hearing the Word of God in your mind and heart. When you fight the good fight of faith, you put on the truth of your salvation to protect your mind and heart. God’s truth continually renews your mind. When your mind is renewed by His truth, the incorruptible seed of the Word, which you sow in your heart, takes root, grows, and produces unshakeable faith that God’s promises are yours. You believe that greater is God in you than the mountain in front of you. He is greater than your fear—your need—your sickness. Your faith in Him overcomes because He has overcome. Jesus has already won your victory. You receive it by faith.

 

May the Lord “give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power” (Ephesians 1:17-19).

 

“We know that the Son of God has come and has given us an understanding, that we may know Him who is true; and we are in Him who is true, in His Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God and eternal life” (I John 5:20).

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/faithyour-response-to-gods-grace.html

 

 

The Gospel of Peace

 

Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace.

—Ephesians 6:14-15 NKJV

 

 

In the New Living Translation, Ephesians 6:15 reads, “For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.”

 

When you “shod” your feet, it means you wear shoes of a specific kind. The specific kind you wear is the Good News—the peace you have with God in Christ. When you walk in peace with God, you walk in peace with yourself and others. If you have trouble believing in the inherent truths of your relationship with God. you have trouble living in peace with God and others. You are only prepared for the battles of life when you have prepared your mind and heart with the Gospel of the peace that is yours in Christ.

 

Are you at peace with God, or do you believe He is upset with you because something terrible happens in your life? God is love (1 John 4:16). For God so loved you, He sent His Son to die for you (John 3:16). You can always learn a valuable lesson from what you are going through, but that does not mean God is its author. God is good (Mark 10:18). He has nothing but goodwill toward you (Luke 2:14). It is His goodness that draws you to Him (Romans 2:4). We live in an immorally destructive world where sin and Satan rage, but we are loved by a consistent God whose love toward us never changes (Hebrews 13:8).  It is hard to trust God when you are unsure of your relationship with Him. It is hard to experience His peace in tough times if you question His consistency. Don’t get upset with God when life is hard and doubt Him. Don’t fight against Him instead of fighting the good fight of faith (1 Timothy 6:12).

 

When we pray things like “Why, God, is this taking so long” or “Why is this happening,” we aren’t living in the peace of our relationship with God. We get upset with Him. We get upset at our circumstances. We have trouble living in peace with others. We feel uncomfortable with God and wonder why our prayers are hindered. We can’t have bitterness toward anyone (spouse, children, church, family, or friend) and expect God to answer our prayers (1 Peter 3:7). When you walk in peace with God and others, you are putting on the Good News of the peace you have received. 

 

“As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him” (Colossians 2:6).

 

You received Jesus by faith. You walk in His peace the same way. You walk by faith, not sight, in good and hard times. You walk by faith in the inherent truths of your relationship with Him. When you live in God’s peace, you stand in the truth of His righteousness in Jesus. You have peace in your relationship with Him, yourself, and others. You believe your worthiness is in Christ. You know you are forgiven, and nothing separates you from coming confidently to God in your time of need (Hebrews 4:16). Nothing holds you in bondage to the debt of unforgiveness because your debt has been paid. You love God as He has loved you. You forgive as He has forgiven you. 

 

“Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory. We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they help us develop endurance” (Romans 5:1-3, NLT).

 

You have peace with God. Jesus has overcome the issues of your life with the peace He has purchased for you with God. You can pray confidently and go into God’s presence, believing in your heart that He has answered your requests (1 John 5:15, Mark 11:24). You can walk joyfully and confidently in His peace, knowing that His grace is sufficient for all your needs. You have His grace to forgive as He has forgiven you. When issues in life don’t defeat you but instead help you persevere in faith, you walk in the peace of God. When you forgive and share God’s love, you bring His peace to your heart and others. 

 

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6-7, NKJV).

 

Believe in the Gospel of peace, and take possession of it. Make it your Gospel of peace. Exercise God’s Word in your life. Give your requests to God with thankful confidence. His peace, which human reasoning cannot understand, will supernaturally guard your heart and mind. 

 

The peace you have is Christ's life in you. When you allow His peace to own your mind and heart, the enemy can’t kill, steal, and destroy the abundant life Christ has bought you (John 10:10). You can praise God and persevere in the truth that Christ has overcome all the issues in your life. Your eyes are on Him, not the situation, sickness, or storm. Faith in the Lord shields your mind from the lies and deceptions of the enemy. You stand believing the truth of God’s promises. You are convinced that Christ, the hope of glory, lives in you (Colossians 1:27), and He is greater in you than your battle that rages (1 John 4:4). His perfect love overcomes your worry and fear (1 John 4:18). The enemy has no power over your faith in Jesus. You fight him with the peace that is yours in Christ. You believe your prayer is answered (1 John 5:15, Hebrews 11:24).

 

God works in and through you when you believe you are at peace with Him. Just as you received Him, walk in His peace by faith. Stand in the righteousness, power, and truth of your position in Christ. You have been given His authority "over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you." (Luke 10:19).

 

When you believe and walk in the Gospel of God's peace, you are “fully prepared.”  Trust in the righteousness that is yours in Christ. Have confidence in your relationship with God, and walk in it. You will never be ashamed.

 

 

www.lynnlacher.com/2024/06/the-gospel-of-peace.html