The Great Exchange
“For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, it is much more [certain], now that we are reconciled, that we shall be saved (daily delivered from sin’s dominion) through His [resurrection] life” (Romans 5:10 AMP).
God has tipped the scales of life in our favor. Now we have to learn how to apply this reality to our lives.
One of the major themes in my book Invite Jesus is that of redemption (also called reconciliation or restoration). I call it the “exchange” of wrong things for right things. (In the above passage, the Greek word for “reconciled” is katallasso which can mean “to change, or exchange, as coins for others of equal value” or “to adjust a difference, to reconcile, to restore to favor.”
In my opinion, the application of the exchange principle as implied in this verse is key to living a victorious Christian life. By this I mean we should think about it, meditate on it, and apply it every day.
My practical understanding of how exchange “works” began many years ago when I was a senior in college. However, many years would pass before I learned to apply it to my own life and then teach others to do so, as well.
All those years ago, an acquaintance of mine named Mimi who had taken a spring semester abroad, returned to school the following fall with a remarkable change in her demeanor. She had gone away with (what I perceived to be) a hard, competitive, self-centered kind of attitude—but she returned relaxed, soft and full of the Spirit. She had been radically transformed!
Curious, I determined to ask her directly what unique spiritual experiences she may have had while away. She was quick to explain. Through involvement in a Christian fellowship, she had learned to practice daily a “release” of anxiety associated with some family issues back home. This habit of continual “release” was what brought about the radical change.
To demonstrate, Mimi cupped her hands together to show me how she would “visually” place her family (and all the related anxiety) there. Then she would raise her family “up” to God and “visualize” Him taking them from her.
I Forgot, But God “Reminded” Me
No doubt, Mimi’s release of “wrong” things, anxiety and control in this case, along with her resulting transformation, made a distinct impression on me at the time.
However, I soon forgot about it, entirely. It wasn’t until about 13 years ago (some 30 years later!) that Mimi’s “release” experience popped back into my head.
It had been a very trying time in my own life, so on a whim I started “releasing” my anxieties and fears to God (sometimes in the middle of the night, and as often as needed throughout the day). I would cup my hands just as Mimi showed me, visualize the problem, then lift it “up.” It worked remarkably well. God would in fact “take” the wrong thing from me every time! (I knew this was so, because, almost immediately, I would “feel” a flood of peace come over me, displacing or “replacing” any anxiety I had been experiencing beforehand).
One night, at a women’s Bible study, I told everyone what I had been discovering about “release.”
They were quite enthused, and, to my surprise, wanted to try it for themselves, right then and there. So, as a group, we all cupped our hands together. Then, step by step, I led everyone to the point where they were to “release” the issues or burdens that were weighing on their individual hearts.
Well, this release exercise was anything but quiet! Early in the prayer, several ladies started sobbing. By the time we “released,” one gal was wailing uncontrollably! Little did I know, until then, how very powerful “release” could be for anyone who is willing to try it!
Exchange is the Gospel
The reason people can experience the powerful reality of release, or exchange, as I have come to call it, is because Jesus shed His perfect blood on the cross. The Bible is clear. His blood sacrifice was the “payment” (or ransom) required to set this “exchange” principle into motion so we can be released from Satan’s clutches and live in a state of constant peace and freedom.
From start to finish, the principle of “exchange” is the Gospel. For example, when an individual repents for the first time (turns away from his own way of thinking and living), he has typically said to God something like “Lord, I am sorry I have tried to live my life apart from you. I turn to You now. I give my life to you.”
What new understanding does this person then have? Typically, the repentant soul understands that he has now been mysteriously “born again” and that Jesus somehow then “lives in his heart.”
But this is what I believe has really happened: The person who “repents” has consciously “released” his life to God. (This person has been “born” into another realm, the Kingdom realm. His spirit now has a connection to the Holy Spirit.) Now Jesus comes by way of this person’s union with the Holy Spirit to live (or manifest) His life in that person.
This person has given his life to God. And God has given HIs life to him!
Jesus gave His life so this exchange could take place—so we could be set free from the laws of sin and death. These were the forces set into motion when man was tempted by Satan and then “fell.” As a result of the fall, man lost his union and intimacy with God, which resulted in a loss of peace, purpose, and authority. We have lived in a state of chaos and confusion ever since.
Taking Redemption to the Next Level
At the beginning of the Christian life, when repentant people give their lives to Him, they likely do not realize what the “exchange principle” is all about. This was the case in my own life—and the reason why I failed to take redemption to the next level.
Now I know this: The more revelation I have of the exchange principle, the more I can redeem my losses and manifest Jesus’ life here on earth.
We redeem our losses—such as time ill spent, or innocence taken—by releasing to Him the things we are holding that are wrong. Fear. Greed. Addiction. Shame. Then, He gives us back the things that are right: peace, an assurance of His love, freedom, intimacy.
The release exercise my friend taught me years ago is the tool God used to help me understand and apply the spiritual truth the Bible calls redemption. Redemption is not just some knowledge we glean from the Bible that tells us we are now forgiven and will go to heaven when we die. It is a reality that God designed for us to experience daily.
So release your wrong things to Him now, believing that He is not only your Savior but your Redeemer. He will give back to you a quantum replacement that is more than you could have asked for or imagined.
Download Emily’s Rightness/Wrongness Chart here. To consult with her click here. To find out more about her books click here.
Related Verses:
“We can all draw close to him with the veil removed from our faces. And with no veil we all become like mirrors who brightly reflect the glory of the Lord Jesus. We are being transfigured into his very image as we move from one brighter level of glory to another. And this glorious transfiguration comes form the Lord, who is the Spirit” (2 Corinthians 3:18 TPT).
“Pour all your worries and stress upon him and leave them there, for he always tenderly cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7 TPT).
“For in the Son all our sins are canceled and we have the release of redemption through his very blood” (Colossians 1:14 TPT).
“And by the blood of his cross, everything in heaven and earth is brought back to himself—back to its original intent, restored to innocence again” (Colossians 1:20 TPT).
“Never doubt God’s mighty power to work in you and accomplish all this. He will achieve infinitely more than your greatest request, your most unbelievable dream, and exceed your wildest imagination! He will outdo them all, for his miraculous power constantly energizes you” (Ephesians 3:20 TPT).