The Great Exchange

After a time of enjoying the benefits of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ, believers can get caught up in various things such as, ministry, education, work or just life itself and not take the time to reflect on the divine exchange that took place at Calvary nearly two thousand years ago. We can take for granted the great works that were carried out by Jesus on the cross. The work of the cross was perfect. The last words Jesus said before He died were, "It is finished!" (John 19:30). The Greek word for finished means "to end; to complete; to execute; to conclude; to discharge a debt. Jesus had perfectly fulfilled every jot and tittle of the Mosaic Law and as Hebrews says, "For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Now, He was about to complete His mission of the restoration of humanity in the dark regions of Sheol or Hades. He became sin with our sin (2 Corinthians 5:21); He became sick with our sicknesses (Isaiah 53:10); He became a curse for us (Galatians 3:13) For three days and three nights He suffered unimaginably. 

The essence of the cross and His time in Sheol or Hades, which separated Him from the Father (Matthew 27:46), consists in Jesus taking our place. He was our substitute. He personally suffered the totality of the punishment that we deserved for our disobedience so that justice could and would be satisfied. This was the divine exchange. In this exchange, we receive all the righteousness of Jesus and all the blessings of His obedience. (1 Peter 2:24; Ephesians 1:3) From the day we enter into this exchange, (John 3:1-7) our goal should be to become like Jesus, (2 Corinthians 3:18), living in the fullness of His righteousness, in the same way that He became like us on the cross, sinners in need of deliverance. 

On the cross, God the Father placed all the sin, transgression, iniquity, guilt, shame, rebellion, sickness and curses that fell upon man, on Jesus. Every wicked thing produced by our rebellion/sin was put on Jesus, as all the goodness in Him became ours because of His obedience. This is absolutely wonderful news. The divine exchange came about in the following ways; Jesus was forsaken so we could be forgiven. (Matthew 27:46); Jesus carried our sicknesses and pains so we could receive healing. (Isaiah 53:4-6, 10); Jesus became sin so we could become righteous. (2 Corinthians 5:21); Jesus died our death that we could share His life. (Romans 5:6-11); Jesus became poor that we might become rich. (2 Corinthians 8:9); Jesus carried our curse so that we could be blessed. (Galatians 3:13, 29); Jesus suffered our shame so that we could partake of His glory. (Hebrews 2:10); Jesus suffered our rejection so that we could be accepted in Him. (Ephesians 1:6)

The father has provide humanity with a perfect and complete redemption. Not only do we receive the blessings of the divine exchange shown above, but also every promise of God revealed in both the Old and New Testament. Look at the following passages, and receive by faith all that our Heavenly Father delights in giving to His children. First know that, "He (Jesus) has obtained a more excellent ministry, inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which was established on better promises." (Hebrews 8:6) This does not exclude the Old Covenant promises of God, but, actually includes them along with all the promises under the New Covenant. "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

Notice, the Father through Christ freely gives us all things! "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ." (Ephesians 1:3) "Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust." (2 Peter 1:2-4) (Note: these are just a few of the things available to believers through faith in Jesus Christ)

Some of you reading this may have been taught, with the exception of being born again, all these things only pertain to those in the Bible, especially those in the early church, and that they are not for today. This insinuates that God's Word has changed, when in fact He and His Word are one (John 1:1; 1 John 5:7) and as He has not changed (Malachi 3:6; Hebrews 13:8) then His Word also has not changed. (Psalm 119:89; Isaiah 40:8; Mark 13:31) So, how can we appropriate the benefits of what Jesus has accomplished through His death and resurrection? By faith. There are no substitutions for living by faith. We must wholeheartedly trust in God and believe that He is Who His Word says He is and that He will keep all of His Promises because He cannot lie. (Numbers 23:19)

Also, through God's plan of redemption, Jesus defeated the devil. This victory is irrevocable and eternal. Satan cannot do anything to change it. Jesus is the stronger man Who entered the strong man's house and plundered his house and his goods. (Matthew 12:29; Revelation 1:18) When confronting the devil, his crew of demons and evil spirits, we must not deal with them on any basis other than on the blood and righteousness of Jesus and the authority that He has given to us in His Name. If we try confronting the kingdom of darkness by any other means, we can be defeated. We also need to be aware of the enemy's schemes (1 Peter 5:8-9), because he can camouflage the meritorious work of Jesus, thereby diminishing its power, which is one of the devils strategies against every believer. But, if we confront the enemy on the blood (Ephesians 1:7) and righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21) of Jesus, the authority that He has given to us in His Name, (Mark 16:17-18) and the Word of His power (Hebrews 1:3) we will always be victorious.(1 Corinthians 15:57; 2 Corinthians 2:14)

God has provided a complete, comprehensive and eternal redemption through Jesus Christ and has made it available to all humanity. (John 3:16; 1 Timothy 2:4; 2 Peter 3:9) There is no value that man can put upon the Father's ingenious, brilliant plan of redemption that could ever do it justice. What Jesus did for you and me is priceless, beyond any price tag that we could imagine. Therefore, let us never forget what Jesus has done and always remember, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, (selfish, rebellious, hopeless, haters of God) Christ died for us." (Romans 5:8) So, never forget the divine exchange that we have through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ...

Anxious for Nothing

I am sure you have heard the expression "not a care in the world." It is an idiom which means to be completely happy as a result of being free from all worry and or anxiety. Now for most, this may seem out of reach, to actually live life free from all worry and or anxiety, but the reality is, not having a care in the world is exactly the life that our Heavenly Father has provided His children through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus said it this way, "Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear? For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." (Matthew 6:31-32) "Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30) 

Two main things that we must consider. First, "Do not worry...For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things." Second, "I will give you rest."  Believers are not to worry. Worrying gives way to anxiety or unease to where one's mind dwells on difficulty, troubles or the uncertainty of actual or potential problems. However, Jesus tells us, "I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? Which of you by worrying can add one cubit to his stature?“So why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; and yet I say to you that even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Now if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith?" (Matthew 6:25-30)  

Believers must come to know without doubt, that in every area of our lives, our all-knowing Heavenly Father loves us, desires to take care of us and is able to do so, far greater than all the best human father put together could ever do. (Matthew 7:11) However, with worry comes an element of torment which robs us of the very thing that opens the door to our Father's care for us, our faith. Notice Jesus says, "O you of little faith." Faith is the quintessential required by God for all who come to Him and live through Him and for Him, " But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." (Hebrews 11:6) The Bible records four times, "The just shall live by faith." (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 311; Hebrews 10:38) This is not a suggestion and therefore there is no getting around this. If believers want the rest that God has provided, then we must shed ourselves of all worry and anxiety and exercise faith in our faithful God and Father. 

Jesus also tells us, "men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth..." (Luke 21:6) Fear is a product of the devil (2 Timothy 1:7) and I believe that fear is worry or anxiety left uncheck and taken to a higher level of destroying faith and robbing believers from all that our Heavenly Father has promised us. Notice, that men's hearts will fail due to things coming on the earth. In other words, things that are not real, they have not happened and there is no assurance that they will happen. Now let us look at what the Apostle Peter tells us, "casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith..." (1 Peter 5:7-9) The Amplified Bible puts it this way, "casting all your cares [all your anxieties, all your worries, and all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares about you [with deepest affection, and watches over you very carefully]. Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour. But resist him, be firm in your faith..."  

As we can see, believers are to cast, "throw something forcefully in a specified direction" their cares on the Lord because the devil is looking for believers on whom he can take advantage of, that is, to steel from, kill and or destroy. (John 10:10) Even the American Medical Association agrees with this in some sense. The AMA has stated, "the effects of worry can cause a host of health problems." Let us be honest. Health problems are not from God. This is why believers are to submit to God, be firm in our faith and resist the devil. The Apostle James tells us, "Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." (James 4:7) How do we resist the devil? By being "firm in your faith...", that is, trusting wholeheartedly in God. The Apostle Paul reveals a plan to rid ourselves of worry and anxiety, "Do not be anxious or worried about anything, but in everything [every circumstance and situation] by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, continue to make your [specific] requests known to God." (Philippians 4:6 AMP), that is, "casting all your cares upon Him." How? "by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God."  

When we do this, God makes us a promise, "And the peace of God [that peace which reassures the heart, that peace] which transcends all understanding, [that peace which] stands guard over your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus [is yours]." (Philippians 4:7 AMP) There's the rest that the Lord said He would give us. Let's face it, everyone, at one time or another may find themselves in the difficulties of this life. The crises of life come to all of us. The difference is, if we know God's Word; if we know the Holy Spirit; if we know how to effectively offer our prayers to God and cast all of our cares on Him rather than holding on to them, then we will find the rest of the Lord and be free from worry and anxiety. 

Unfortunately, many believer today are holding onto cares that produce worry and or anxiety which rob them from the abundant life that is only found in Christ our Lord. If this is you, God wants you to turn your cares over to Him right now. Anything and everything that is causing worry and anxiety to manifest in your life, our Heavenly Father is waiting to receive from you, but you must give it to Him. Maybe worrying has become a constant habit in your life. It does not matter. It is time to make a habit of exercising faith and cast your cares upon Him. Again, if this is you, then I encourage you to make this declaration of faith every time you find yourself worrying or being anxious over any of life's circumstances...

"Heavenly Father, I am casting my cares upon you. I am turning them over to You. I refuse to worry anymore. I refuse to let anxiety have place anymore. You said to cast all my cares on You because You care for me affectionately and You care about me watchfully. Right now, I release, (name the cares) and I give them to you. They are in Your hands and now I rest in you. Thank you Father for freeing me from worry and anxiety in Jesus Name."

No doubt, the devil will do all that he can to try and bring the cares that you have just cast on the Lord, back into your mind. If or when he tries to do this, simply laugh at him and remind him that you have given the situation over into the very capable hands of your Heavenly Father because He care for you affectionately and He care about you watchfully. Paul also gives us a great way to help us guard our mind against the cares of life trying to take hold of us. He tells us, "Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy—meditate on these things." (Philippians 4:8)  May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ rule your heart and mind!

God and His Word are One

Throughout history, especially today, many believers question and or struggle with why bad things seem to happen. Is it God's will for His children, that is, believers, to suffer under the wait of sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances and or even the premature loss of a loved one? To answer this question, we first need to see what the Bible says about the will, nature, character, purpose and plan of God. Naturally, this is an extensive topic, so we will only look briefly at some of these five attributes of God. First, we must see that God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan all hang on His most potent characteristic, God is Love. (1 John 4:8)

Love is defined in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8a, and is revealed to us in all that Jesus said and did as shown in the four gospels. It is in the four gospels, through the life of Jesus, where we find the specifics concerning God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan. This does not exclude the rest of the scriptures, but for now, we will only focus on the ministry of Jesus on earth as the Son of man. Hebrews reveals, "He (Jesus) is the sole expression of the glory of God [the Light-being, the out-raying or radiance of the divine], and He is the perfect imprint and very image of [God's] nature." (Hebrews 1:3 AMP)

Jesus tells His disciples, "If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also..." (John 14:7) "He who has seen Me has seen the Father." (John 14:9) "Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner. For the Father loves the Son, and shows Him all things that He Himself does; and He will show Him greater works than these, that you may marvel. For as the Father raises the dead and gives life to them, even so the Son gives life to whom He will." (John 5:19-21; also see, John 4:34, 5:30, 5:36-37, 6:38, 9:4, 10:37-38) So, when we look at the life of Jesus, we see the Father's will, nature, character, purpose and plan perfectly revealed. 

Another thing that we must keep in mind is, “For I am the Lord, I do not change." (Malachi 3:6) This means exactly what it says, God is unchanging! He is not a different God in the Old Testament than He is in the New Testament. We see this also in Hebrews, "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever." (Hebrews 13:8) Remember, Jesus is God and man, "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14) "For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one." (1 John 5:7) "He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God." (Revelation 19:13)  

So, if God is unchangeable, which He is, and Jesus is the same past, present and future, which He is, and if Jesus was God the Word incarnate, which He was, then we have to agree that God's will, nature, character, purpose and plan have also not changed. Look at the following scriptures to substantiate these facts. "My covenant I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of My lips." (Psalm 89:34) "Forever, O Lord, Your word is settled in heaven." (Psalm 119:98) "The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” (Isaiah 40:8) "So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it." (Isaiah 55:11) "Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will by no means pass away." (Mark 13:31)     

Now that we see that God and His Word are one and that neither He nor His Word ever change, but are the same yesterday, today and forever, then we can also conclude that His will, nature, character, purpose and plan has not changed, but simply have been revealed with greater revelation. Another fact that we can look at, is that God is not only love, that He and His Word are the same and never change, but also that He is and does good. "For You, Lord, are good, and ready to forgive, and abundant in mercy to all those who call upon You." (Psalm 86:5) "For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations." (Psalm 100:5) "Oh, that men would give thanks to the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men! For He satisfies the longing soul, and fills the hungry soul with goodness." (Psalm 107:8-9) "You are good, and do good; Teach me Your statutes." (Psalm 119:68) "The Lord is good to all, and His tender mercies are over all His works." (Psalm 145:9)  

Now, let us look at one more wonderful attribute of our God. God is life! "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life." (Job 33:4) "You will show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore." (Psalm 16:11) "For with You is the fountain of life; In Your light we see light." (Psalm m36:9) "For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” (John 6:33) "It is the Spirit who gives life; the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life." (John 6:63) "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) 

The above does not show us every scripture that reveals who God truly is, but simply enough to remove the doubt and unbelief concerning His never changing will, nature, character, purpose and plan. So, scripture reveals the following truths concerning God. Jesus came to earth as God the Word in flesh; God is love; God is unchanging; He and His Word are one, and therefore His Word is also unchanging; God is good and only does good; God is life, not death. With these things in mind, it should be completely known, that God takes no pleasure in, nor is it His will, nature, character, purpose and plan for His children, that is, believers, to suffer under the wait of sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances and or even the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing. If sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances, the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing is God's will for His children, then we have to conclude that love, good and life as revealed in the scripture must be redefined to mean, hate, evil and death.    

Honestly, the love, goodness and life that comes forth from God's true will, nature, character, purpose and plan, have absolutely nothing to do with sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances, the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing. Please take note to what Jesus said concerning life and death, "The thief (Satan) does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly." (John 10:10) It is not God who puts sickness, disease, a constant lack of finances, the premature loss of a loved one or any such thing on believers, but our ancient enemy, Satan. God, permits these things to happen to His children, simply because His children have bought into the lie that these dreadful things are God's will for them because He has some mysterious, divine, benevolent purpose and or hidden blessing in such things. 

The Old testament teaches that sickness is a part of the curse of the Law of Moses. (Deuteronomy 28:15-68. The curse was the result of disobedience and wickedness. It was never for the righteous! Believers are totally forgiven and made righteous through faith in Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:38; 2 Corinthians 5:21; 1 Peter 2:24) Believers are also free from the curse of the law through Jesus Christ. (Galatians 3:13) We also note, that sickness is not listed among the blessings of God anywhere in Scripture. Intellectual reasoning, justified by experiences of failing to heal or be healed is used to teach sickness, disease, injuries and the like, are blessings. Jesus' teaching and commands to His disciples do not reveal sickness of any sort as a divine purpose or blessing from God. (Matthew 10:1-8; Luke 9:1-2; 10:1-9)

The gospels reveals Jesus healing all who came to Him without a second's hesitation, a prayer or any consideration of a possible divine purpose for sickness, disease, injury or any such thing.  (Matthew 4:23-24; 12:15; Luke 6:19) Again, Jesus and His disciples in the New Testament treat sickness, disease and injury as an enemy and never as a friend. They never act as if sickness, disease or injury might have a good or godly purpose. Instead of God causing sickness, disease or injury, the New Testament reveals several times that demons are the real hidden cause. (Mark 9:25; Luke 13:10-16) Note, that casting out demons produced over one-quarter of the healings in the ministry of Jesus. Sadly, many believers today, have concluded that there is a divine purpose or blessing in sickness, disease and or injuries. Due to this belief, they have mistaken the work of demons as the work or will of God for them.

Also, scripture does not teach anywhere that God wants to use sickness, disease, injury or any such suffering to transform a person's character, produce repentance or that it is a mysterious, divine, benevolent purpose and or hidden blessing. Scripture does reveal that God is able to produce good things from the bad things that may happen in a person's life. However, this is a long way from saying that God wants His children to be sick, diseased, injured or suffer at all, to help them. God, as any good Father, wants the best for His children even when they are in situations that are not His will for them. 

Finally, let us consider these scriptures, "For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will He withhold from those who walk uprightly." (Psalm 84:11) "Bless the Lord, O my soul; And all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgives all your iniquities, Who heals all your diseases, Who redeems your life from destruction, Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, Who satisfies your mouth with good things, So that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s." (Psalm 103:1-5) "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11) "He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" (Romans 8:32)

If you are struggling with doubt, fear or unbelief, the following scripture is also for you, "Trust in the Lord, and do good; Dwell in the land, and feed on His faithfulness. Delight yourself also in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. He shall bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him..." (Psalm 37:3-7) In other words, look to our heavenly Father, in Jesus' Name, not the circumstances that are contrary to His Word. Exercise your faith and do not lose heart, because, “God is not a man, that He should lie, nor a son of man, that He should repent. Has He said, and will He not do? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19) The grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ be with you all...