The Great Exchange

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.”
— Romans 3:23

Sin means missing the mark. It is any thought, action, or failure to act that breaks God’s commands and falls short of His standard of moral perfection.

Sometimes sin is something we do—this is called the sin of commission. It is doing what God has explicitly forbidden, such as lying, stealing, or treating others with hatred.

Other times, sin is something we fail to do—the sin of omission. It is failing to do what God has commanded us to do.

At the root of sin is rebellion and lawlessness. It is putting my desires above God’s will and choosing what I want instead of what He wants for me. We are also born with a sinful nature, a tendency that pulls us away from God.

Sin has consequences. It separates us from God, creates a barrier in our relationship with Him, and ultimately leads to spiritual death.

But thank God, sin is not the end of the story.

There is salvation.

SALVATION

Salvation is God’s deliverance of humanity from the power and consequences of sin. It brings reconciliation with God and the promise of eternal life.

Salvation means deliverance, safety, and rescue.

And salvation is not something we can earn.

It is by grace alone—a gift from God.

It is through faith alone—placing our trust in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

It is in Christ alone—because He made the ultimate sacrifice for us.

There are three dimensions to salvation:

Justification — Past: We are saved from the penalty of sin.

Sanctification — Present: We are being saved from the power of sin as the Holy Spirit works within us and transforms our lives.

Glorification — Future: We will be saved from the presence of sin and experience eternal life with God.

This is the great exchange.

Jesus took what belonged to me so that I could receive what belonged to Him.

I was guilty, but He gave me forgiveness.

I was bound, but He gave me freedom.

I was spiritually dead, but He gave me life.

I was separated from God, but He made a way for me to come home.

MY STORY

We need to follow God’s commandments—all of them.

Jesus Christ came to fulfill the Law, not to abolish it. Following Christ means learning not to compromise our convictions. It means choosing to walk in integrity, obedience, and truth—even when doing so is difficult.

We were bought with a price.

The precious blood of Jesus was spilled at Calvary for the redemption of our souls. He became the ultimate sacrifice. He took our place and became the Lamb of God who takes away our sins.

Today, we can walk in freedom, boldness, and truth because of the exchange that was made for us.

I was made new when I gave my life to Him.

I rededicated myself to Him on October 14, 2002, and I have never looked back.

I became a new creation in Christ.

The chains that held me down were broken.

I was re-baptized in what had once been a morgue.

Funny how the Lord orchestrated my steps.

I was resurrected to life in a morgue.

When I went under the waters of baptism, the old me died, and I was resurrected to a new life in Christ.

The life I now live, I live for the One who gave His life for me.

My sins were washed away.

I learned to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Jesus.

I received the gift of salvation. I became a new creation in Him. He took my heart of stone and gave me a heart of flesh.

His mercy brought me back to Him when mental illness, jail, or the morgue were waiting for me.

I should have been lost.

But God.

His mercy found me.

His grace rescued me.

His love refused to let me go.

In His unfailing love, He received me just as I was. He continues to walk with me at my pace, teaching me, correcting me, transforming me, and drawing me closer to Himself.

The great exchange took place in my life, and I am forever grateful.

I no longer live as the woman I once was.

I live because He gave me life.

I walk because He rescued me.

I have hope because He redeemed me.

And I have a future because He saved me.

THE JOURNEY TO THE CROSS

Salvation did not simply change where I will spend eternity.

It changed who I am becoming today.

The cross reminds me that my life is no longer my own. Jesus paid the price for me, and my response is surrender.

Every day I must choose Him.

Every day I must deny myself, take up my cross, and follow Him.

Every day I must surrender my desires, my plans, my fears, my past, and my future to the One who gave everything for me.

I have learned that the cross is where I find freedom.

It is where shame loses its power.

It is where condemnation is silenced.

It is where chains are broken.

It is where the old life dies and new life begins.

That is why it has become my life’s mission to journey to the cross.

Because at the cross, the ground is level.

There is no hierarchy at the foot of the cross.

There is no one too broken.

No one too far gone.

No one too sinful.

No one beyond the reach of His grace.

The same Jesus who rescued me is still rescuing others.

The same blood that washed me clean is still powerful enough to cleanse.

The same Savior who gave me new life is still calling people out of darkness and into His marvelous light.

I am living proof that salvation is real.

I am living proof that God can take a life that was headed toward destruction and give it a new direction.

I am living proof that the chains can be broken.

I am living proof that the old can become new.

I am living proof of the great exchange.

And so I keep journeying toward the cross—not because I have arrived, but because I know where my life was redeemed.

At the cross, I remember who I was.

At the cross, I remember what He did.

At the cross, I remember who I am becoming.

I am His.

And that is enough.

PRAYER

Lord Jesus,

Thank You for the gift of salvation.

Thank You for Your grace when I did not deserve it, Your mercy when I was lost, and Your unfailing love when I was running from You.

Thank You for taking my place at Calvary.

Thank You for becoming the Lamb of God who takes away my sins.

Thank You for breaking the chains that held me captive and giving me new life.

Help me never to forget the price You paid for me.

Teach me to follow Your commandments, walk in obedience, live with integrity, and never compromise my convictions.

Help me to deny myself, take up my cross, and follow You every day.

Continue to transform my heart of stone into a heart of flesh.

When I am tempted to look back, remind me of how far You have brought me.

When I feel unworthy, remind me of Your grace.

When I feel condemned, remind me of the cross.

And when I forget who I am, remind me that I am Yours.

Lord, let my life be a testimony of Your redeeming power.

Use my story to help someone else believe that they are not too far gone.

Let my life point people back to the cross—the place where mercy meets us, grace restores us, and the ground is level.

I am forever grateful for the great exchange.

You gave Your life for me, and now I give my life back to You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

Ivette Diaz-Yee 

September 2026

My Faith My Hope

Justification: The legal act by which God declares a guilty sinner to be righteous in His sight. It is God’s grace in my life—a gift from God that I receive by faith.

Sanctification: An ongoing, lifelong process in which the Holy Spirit helps a person become more like Jesus in daily life.

Faith: Confidence, assurance, and active trust in God and His promises, even when they cannot be physically seen.

“Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” — Hebrews 11:1

To be certain of what we cannot see—that is faith.

So it is with love. I cannot see love, but I can feel it within me through my actions and the way I care for others.

Strength is another example. I cannot see strength, but I am able to take the next step, no matter how difficult it may seem.

Faith is like coming home and turning on the lights, knowing they will come on. It is like turning on the water faucet, knowing that water will come out. I am certain of things I cannot see. In some ways, that is faith.

To know, without a shadow of a doubt, that I have been justified by faith and that I am in a relationship with God Almighty because of what took place at Calvary—that is faith. Today, I can draw near to Him.

On my journey, the Holy Spirit helps me become more like Jesus. What hurts Him should hurt me. What pleases Him should please me. I am an ambassador of Heaven. I am a traveler passing through, telling everyone about Jesus.

By faith in Jesus Christ, I have been set free. Today, I walk in the freedom I have received from Him. Mental illness is gone. Jail is gone. Spiritual death is gone. I have taken God at His Word. I have learned to walk in boldness, God-fidence, and truth.

Free people free people.

We are becoming living testimonies of God’s grace in our lives. We have been made whole by the power of the Holy Spirit within us.

I expose my own doubts, insecurities, fears, and comparisons. I look into the mirror for self-reflection. When a situation arises, I bring it to the altar. This does not mean that I have achieved everything, but I strive to receive and walk in what the Lord has spoken to my heart.

Our hope in God is the anchor that keeps us steady.

To know in my heart that I am a daughter of God and that someday I will be like Him is extraordinary to think about. But in the meantime, as I draw closer to God, He continues to purify my thoughts and my actions.

I want to be different.
I want to be changed.
I want to be used in any way or form that will bring glory to His name.

That is my faith and my hope.

Ivette Diaz-Yee
9/18/26

This is the Day.

 This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV

This verse, in some ways, has become a cliché spoken often without fully grasping its depth –it holds a deeper meaning when we allow ourselves to actually look into the day.  And it is here in this moment where my day begins simply and profoundly by thanking God for waking me up!

This is a new day, with two distinct attributes; its different than yesterday, and one I have never been in, until now. Today is the tomorrow for which I prayed for yesterday, praying for the Lord to bring me here. There was a season in my life when I didn’t believe I would make it too now.  Neglect, abuse, abandonment fear, insecurity, these were the attributes of my yesterdays. But as I look back on my life, from the vantage point of this new day, where I rejoice and am able to  recognize God’s hand of protection that was always around me, leading me, comforting me and protecting me.  

 

This is the day I will rejoice, and be glad, grateful for his protection past and present, and grateful for what he’s doing in my life now.  I have been changed, restored, redeemed and set free, fully surrendered believing in my heart I have another 40 more years to dedicate completely to the Lord and His plan for me. 

 

I have never been in today; so today I will make the best of what I have been given and use what God has put within me to be the light that leads others to Christ. I will be here to listen, encourage and smile whom the Lord brings. I will meet people where they are, just as Christ did with me and whatever He requires of me, that is what I will do.  I have been brough to this day by the grace and mercy of God, so I will use the gifts He has given me for His glory!  

This is the day the LORD has made;

let us rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24 ESV