For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. — 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV)
Part 24 of 30
Have You Heard About God’s Exchange Store?
The Cost Has Already Been Paid!
Scripture
One reason many people who are believers in Christ get stuck in the messes of life is this: They don’t know about The Exchange Store. In other words, they don’t really have a revelation of what Jesus died to give them and what they already have in Christ once they are born again.
When you give your life to Christ, you don’t walk away empty handed. The truth is, you get so much more than you could ever give Him, no matter how hard you tried or how long you worked at it.
Joyce calls it “making the divine exchange.” Here’s how she explains it:
“When we come into a relationship with Christ, a divine exchange happens. He takes our sin and the messes in our lives and gives us His righteousness, peace, and joy (Romans 14:17). He gives us joy for mourning, beauty for ashes, praise instead of depression, forgiveness instead of blame, righteousness instead of guilt, hope instead of despair…and on and on. All we have to do is give up our ashes and receive God’s beauty.”
She also uses the example of The Exchange Store to get the point across that we have full access to everything Jesus is and everything He has…but we have to ask and believe we can have it. She says…
“There is actually an Exchange Store we can go to, and it never closes. You can take anything old, worn-out, useless and messed up and trade it at no cost to you, because the cost has already been paid!
“There is only one rule with the exchange policy: Ask and you shall receive!”
The truth is, God is just waiting for you to come to Him and ask. It’s tragic for born-again Christians to believe God has forgiven their sin and they have the assurance of eternal life, yet they can’t believe it’s possible to live with joy, peace and righteousness in their day-to-day life here on earth.
Think about this truth as you study these scriptures:
What do these verses reveal about what Jesus has done for us and what we can have—and experience—through our faith in Him?
Pray about any area in which you’re lacking the blessings and promises of God. Ask Him to show you how to make a divine exchange and receive what He has for you!
From Joyce
As believers in Jesus, we have the authority of His name to overcome sin and access the power of God in our lives so we can experience the promises in His Word. The promises of God belong to anyone who is born again! — Joyce Meyer
