Category: From the Author

It’s a Journey (Notes from the Wilderness)

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Photo credit: Pinterest, Tony Evans

Beautiful friends, I might have one more post in me for the Spiritual House series. However, stay tuned for a new series upcoming-Abiding & Walking out Sonship. We need to know who we are as children of God. 

Today, I hope to impart hope from my journey. You’re reading words from a person who understands brokenness and the wilderness. I walked through abuse (verbal mostly), sickness, loss, betrayal, persecution, persecution from Christians, abandonment from my biological father, rejection from peers, rejection from family members, and so many things I won’t drudge them all up. My heart has been broken so many times; by family, in ministry, by friends…by people who claimed to love God. 

When people say to me, “I wish I had your relationship with God or your life is so good,” I want to say to them, “You don’t want to go where I’ve been and walk through what I have walked through with God.” 

My life has been walking through whatever I have been called to minister to. Like Jesus, I’ve had to walk it out. I went through many years of devastation…Needing miracle after miracle…Cheating death over and over…Living under persecution for almost a decade, praying, fasting…crying out for a miracles. 

God didn’t always deliver me from. He delivered me through. There’s so much of my story you’ll have to hear in the Suffering with Christ book I’m working on. There’s not enough space here.

I don’t glorify suffering. I do think people need to know all of life with Jesus isn’t skipping through parks of roses. If you suffer, it doesn’t mean you don’t love God or have enough faith. 

I feel I walked out of the wilderness in late 2012. Battered, bruised, tired, over trauma and near death experiences, over phony church love (yes I said it-I was tired of being beat up by Christians and imitation love), exhausted, wounded, discouraged, grief striken, and fed up. I had walked through both parents having cancer, my own sickness, too much church drama, losing a parent, losing “friends”, perpetual harassment at work, and so much more. I was done…

How do/did those wounds heal? God. 

Crucial Keys/Notes 

1. Forgiveness: forgive the people who’ve hurt you. Many of them don’t know God’s love. There are people in your church community/life who do not know the love of God. They can’t give what they haven’t received. You forgive (release them to God-don’t gossip, don’t seek revenge) and keep connection with God. If you’re upset with God, talk to Him. He’s not afraid of pain or you. 

Pray for those who hurt you. Their greatest sin is against God. They need Him and to know Him.

2. Seek God. 

My major healing didn’t happen with a SOZO, a pastor, a conference, counseling, or reading a book. 
The healing began with God. Over and over He would meet with me and heal one part of me then another. Some progress was quick. Others slow and painful. I was like a person who had been backed over repeadily by a semi truck and every bone broken. 

I was saved and sad. My soul was sick. Abundant life is in His word, yet I wasn’t seeing it in the people around me. 

The mentality was, “As long as my spirit is okay. I’m saved. I am okay.” This is false. We can be saved, on our way to heaven and miserable because we are filled with unbelief, fear, anxiety, depression, despair, insecurity, without lasting joy, or hope. 

Jesus paid for the whole person to be healed and restored!-Saved, healed, and delivered. 

God is the Source of abundant life. Get to know God personally. Intimacy with God is crucial. 

Quite a bit of my wounding came from other Christians who were either insensitive, ignorant (unlearned about dealing with people who had lived through trauma or abuse), unloving (let’s throw a scripture on it), wanted to be grief buddies (let’s be broken together), critical (if you were truly saved, this would not be happening  to you), or they avoided or ignored me (this isn’t my problem-go see a counselor-I’m only called to love those in my circle-get your needs met elsewhere). 

So I’m a huge proponent of going straight to God.  

There are some great Christian counselors, pastors, people. I’ve peer counseled, led people through deliverance/inner healing. Yet I tell people to continually seek God. I’m only human. I am limited. God is not limited. He can do more in a moment than I can in a lifetime. 

Recommend: 

Pray and ask God who you should confide in. Some people aren’t concerned, they are nosey or miserable too and want company. Some are not equipped to handle other’s brokenness. 

3. Learn the voice of God. 

This key kept my mind. You have no idea the warfare that raged on for years because I didn’t know how to fight. Fight from victory! God already won. 

In life I need His voice.  God saved my life so many times through communicating with me. 

I learned through His still small voice, dreams, visions, impressions, etc…He encouraged my heart, mind, emotions, spirit. His word is incredible. That’s where we started. He would speak the word to me. 

The most comforting thing He showed me during a horrible time was an open vision of me sitting on His knee. In the vision He pulled up movie scenes from my life. He pointed and He acknowledged He was there. He showed me that no matter what I faced, my Papa God was always going to be there. Some things in the last few scenes nearly tore my world apart. He stood with me. He let me know ahead of time, “This will hurt. This will shake your world, yet I am there.” In that vision I was a little girl. And that’s how I view myself now, a little girl on her Father’s lap. 

I live under the waterfall of His voice! Intimacy; listening…abiding. 

What is He teaching me about Himself during this trial or season?

4. Forgive the Process

I’d love to say through it all I’ve been this fierce warrior of faith. I’d love to say I’ve applauded God every second of the process. Nope. After my discipleship group (some of them) turned on me, lied, gossiped, betrayed my trust…and my pastor at the time eluded to the fact I had an idolatry problem because I was wounded from being betrayed by people I’d given my entire heart to for 3.5 years….Not to mention both my parents got cancer during that time, and I was being persecuted at work. I completely shut down. I closed my life off to anyone other than God and my immediate family. 

During that time with God, I had to forgive the process. Did God cause all these things? No. Did He allow them? Yes. Is He using it for His glory? Yes. 

5. Soak in His love; Find hope in His word. 

Soaking is my favorite thing. It’s focused time with God. It’s resting in His love. I soak with worship music or none at all. I invite God to speak, minster to my heart. Wow! He deposits so much. 

His word is filled with life. I do declarations and pray the word of God. I speak to my soul. I speak to my spirit. I highly recommend investing in saying what God is saying over your situation. 

“God Your word says, where Your Spirit is there is liberty!”

6. Understand it will hurt and you will grieve. 

I mostly grieve with God because He understands how to deal with me. I sometimes grieve with others but not very much. Sometimes people, though well meaning, leave you feeling worse. 

7. Pray for healthy, loving community. 

The worst thing I found in seasons of pain and suffering was the wrong community. It’s worse than no community. We tell people to be in community, yet if it’s not rooted in true agape love and centered on Jesus it can be a disaster. 

I hate it when people say, “hurting people hurt people” so don’t stay away from those who do bad things. If every time I see you I punch you in the face and say, “Hurting people hurt people,” you’d stop coming around me. At least I hope you’d confront me and say, “I love you but this behavior is not okay. Stop or I am distancing myself until you learn self control.” There’s a huge difference between being easily offended and staying in an unhealthy place. 

God longs to connect you with believers who will love you! 

I’m super thankful for my current church. There have been times I’ve gone in hurting and without me asking someone would come pray for me, share a word of hope, or prophetic word. 

There are great churches everywhere. Find your tribe! Pray for God to bring in people who love like Him. There are some. 

God longs to be the primary person to meet our needs. He also wants to love us through people. He sets the lonely in families. You are not alone. 

Well, I’ve given you lots of words. I hope you know you are loved! I’m praying for you (not just saying that). If I can make it, and it was so challenging, you can too. I have more JOY today than I’ve ever had. I laugh more than any of my friends. 😄 God heals! Yes indeed. 

Love,

Erin 

The King’s Table (Love Poem for The Bride of Christ)

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The King’s Table (written by Erin Lamb inspired by Jesus)👑

My Bride, My love. 
I’ve invited you to a continual feast at My Table. 

To dine with Me.

To meet with Me. 

To be with Me. 

My Beloved,

The one I gave My life for,

And the one My heart beats passionately for.

I made you for Me. 

You are of an elegant design.

Handcrafted.

An original masterpiece. 

I see great beauty when I look into your heart. 

I see a treasure

Made for Me. 

I love you with an everlasting love. 

It is a love that existed before you 

And it will continue on into eternity!

I am rejoicing over you. 

Singing you love songs.

Songs the Angels also sing. 

My Bride, My love.

I have prepared a place for us. 

Here in Paradise. 

Where the radiance of My Father 

Fills every crevice with His Brilliance and beauty. 

I have prepared a table for us.

It is decadent.

I ask that you come away…

be with Me. 

Come away with Me.

Lay aside the troubles of today, 

Come feast at the Banquet Table.

My heart erupts with joy,

When you look My way, 

When you seek My face.

I am overflowing with love for you. 

I am relentlessly pursuing you to love you. 

I am moving mountains for you that you cannot see. 

I am praying for you continuously. 

I gave My life so you and I could be, 

Closer, 

One,

Together for all of eternity, 

Here I am My Beloved,

Desiring you, 

Loving you, 

Craving more profound intimacy. 

I long for you to know Me,

Truly experience all that I am. 

I long for you to be with Me. 

I don’t take My eyes off you. 

You are covered in My Robe of Righteousness. 

I gave you My name. 

I sealed our covenant with My blood. 

Eternal love,

It’s what I pursued you for. 

No human being can love you more. 

No human being can fill your voids. 

It is I who completes,

Who fills to overflowing.

Come drink of My cup and you will not thirst. 

Come feast of My bread and you will hunger no more. 

Come rest your head on My chest, 

Feel My heart beat.

Can you hear it pounding? 

It’s a sweet melody. 

My love for you is custom to you. 

I know everything there is to know about you. 

And I am offering you all of Me. 

Come My love…

Come…

My Beloved, My Bride, My love…

Come and feast with Me. 
You are all so deeply loved. 

Papa God I thank You for each person reading this. I ask Your love would saturate each heart. Give us all (myself included) an even deeper revelation of Your incredible love…the height, depth, width, and breath of it. I ask for miracles in our souls. Healing to every single wound. A saturation of Your peace, love, joy, hope, goodness, and mercy. I bind fear, insecurity, worry, doubt, and unbelief. I bind the orphan and pauper spirits. I loose freedom to know our identity in Christ. We are Your beloved children, You said You’d meet ALL our needs according to Your riches in glory. We are not orphans, we are children. We are deeply loved, chosen, set apart by You. Holy Spirit fall afresh on each of us today and everyday, draw us deeper into the secret place…the deep reservoirs of Your heart. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 
Love, 
Erin Lamb

You’re Never Too Broken for God (Spiritual House Series Part V)

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Beautiful friends, I hope this post deposits hope and seeds of faith in your hearts. God loves you with a deep, pure, and everlasting love. 

God’s love is not based on performance or merit. He loves us as we are; while sinners, while broken, while messed up, while self righteous and prideful, while scornful, while we are rejecting Him or trying to use Him, while immature…God is love. 

You and I are never so broken or too broken for God. As we receive His love, we are transformed from the inside out. We are made whole through relationship with Him. 

One of my favorite passages is from Isaiah 61. I taught on this passage Sunday. Why did Jesus come to earth? It wasn’t simply for our forgiveness of sins and to get us into heaven. God longs to get heaven into us so we are restored, renewed, and full of His glory. He came so we could have life, and life abundantly (John 10:10). 

Here are verses 1-3. 

“THE SPIRIT of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound, [Rom. 10:15.] To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn, [Matt. 11:2-6; Luke 4:18, 19; 7:22.] To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion–to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit–that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.”

‭‭Isaiah‬ ‭61:1-3‬ ‭AMP‬‬

http://bible.com/8/isa.61.1-3.amp

What if your life right now is a mess? What if you hurt every day? What if those around you just want you fixed so they don’t have to deal with your brokenness, depression, grief, heartache, or pain? What if people would rather ignore you than walk with you? What if grief is your bedfellow? Well, dear hearts, I know Someone who is close to the broken hearted. No matter the pain, sorrow, grief, or sin…God moves towards not away from the hurting and sinful. 

I’ve been there. Maybe not in the same exact place, yet I understand suffering and prolonged suffering. I recall being sick in my body, losing my hair, being mocked for losing my hair, told by relatives I wasn’t truly sick or I could do more than I could, and I recall hurting day after day-night after night. Some nights the pain was so bad I’d cry out for numbness, to feel nothing. 

I know what it’s like to hurt beyond the capacity to pray. There was no one there but me and God in some dark moments. I can say with confidence God didn’t turn away. He didn’t remove all pain. He did walk me through the pain that wasn’t immediately healed. 

There was excruciating pain and agony in seasons. God was there. He never left. He never said, “You’re too sick to heal. You’re too broken to deal with right now or ever. You’re a mess! You’re not worth my time.” I have had people in Church and family/”friends” do those things, God never has. 

God stayed right with me in hospital rooms. God kept me from dying. God spoke words of encouragement when others were super discouraging. Even when I couldn’t hear His voice, He didn’t let me die. He was and is a miracle worker.

So my encouragement to you is this…

If you’re hurting today, that doesn’t mean your condition is permanent. I never thought I’d have lasting joy or relief from chronic pain. I spent many years waiting for the next bad thing to happen. Yet God gave me joy for mourning. 

If you’re severely broken or struggling, God isn’t looking down His nose at you in disdain or disgust or trying to run from you. He’s longing to heal and restore. He reaches down low and lifts up the broken. 

No matter what is happening in you or around you, God longs to be an Advocate, Comforter, Lover of your soul, and Healer for you.  You are SO deeply loved (John 3:16). 

Please don’t give up!

Please don’t run from God, run towards Him! 

No one loves you more!

Papa God, I ask for the souls of everyone reading this to prosper and be in good health. I ask for healing of the mind, body, soul…restoration and renewal. I ask for freedom from shame, excessive hurt, comfort for grief, and freedom from all sickness, disease, depression, hopelessness, despair, infirmity, and pain. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Love to you all…you’re continually in my prayers. Yes indeed. 

Love in Christ, 

Erin Lamb 

I AM Here (Love Poem from Papa God)

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Sweet (dulce) friends…I’ve been doing this series on healing the soul. For once the soul is healed, the body receives healing as well. Beloved, I would love for you to prosper even as your soul prospers. 

The One who’s produced the greatest healing in my life is God. When people failed to demonstrate the love of God to me, God stepped right in and loved me to health. I know the profound rejection from people truly did me a favor, it pushed me deeper into the arms of the One who truly loved me. I tell you this because maybe you’re still hurting. Maybe your soul aches and you’re tired of advice from people who have no clue the depths of what you’re going through. Maybe you’re wondering, “Why God? Or when God? Or will this pain, suffering, or trial end? Or will I ever be healed?” 

Oh dear ones…I’ve been there. Agony that lingered for days, to months, to years…enduring things that at moments made me feel I might just die. Then I’d wake up the next day, with the residual of tears dried to my face. No one but God saw the depths of grief, sorrow, or pain. People love to applaud the overcomer, yet I’m here to say, “God will get you through this. Hang on! I’m praying for you.” 

I can’t be with you all and wipe your tears. Yet know I’m thinking of you, praying for you, loving you through intercession, and I hope this poem encourages you. God will get you through this. He did it for me and there were days I had no hope and He’d give me His. Such a Best Friend!

Here I Am 

Standing

Overflowing with passionate love

Reaching out for you 

The one I love 

While you slumber

I’m wide awake 

Eagerly anticipating 

Meeting with you face to face 

I’m singing you love songs 

The sweetest melodies 

My Son has been praying for you 

He loves to intercede 

Here I Am 

In your storms 

In your trials 

In your fears 

In the midst of your uncertainties

And I’m reaching out 

For you to cast your cares on Me 

You see I’m stronger 

I can handle it all 

I’m strong enough 

And here when you call 

I’m never too busy 

My heart is soft towards you 

Trust if you move a millimeter in My direction

I’m running miles in yours 

I AM here 

Today

Every day 

Loving you 

Wanting you 

Seeking you 

Pursuing you 

Desiring the closest space in your heart 

It’s Me 

Your loving Father

There’s no one and no love that can take My place 

Other loves make promises they cannot fulfill 

They promise you love and pleasure 

Leaving you emptier still 

I AM here 

My love will not disappoint you 

Or leave you with regrets 

Oh for you to know Me…

To know My loves’ great width and depth

You cannot exhaust the magnitude of My love

It existed before you 

It’s who I AM 

I AM love 

I’ve seen the end from the beginning

And you cannot change who I AM 

I AM here standing 

Standing in love for you 

Wanting what’s best for you 

Cheering My heart out for you 

Singing my song over you 

Collecting those tears for you

Moving mountains in love for you 

Setting up divine appointments to bless you 

Setting up opportunities to grow you 

I AM here 

And if the entire world turns on you 

If they walk away 

If they refuse to see the gift

The treasure I’ve created in you 

Know you are not alone or abandoned

I AM here 

Papa God, I ask for Your unfailing love to flood each heart and soul. Bathe sorrows in Your comfort. Deposit hope for a better tomorrow. I bind every lie of the enemy, for this too shall pass. You are the God of new beginnings. The One who gives life, abundant life and joy. I ask for miracles for each one reading this. I ask for surprises from above! Bless them richly and abundantly. Let them know tangibly that they are deeply loved, seen, heard, and You’re working for their good. I’m Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Love, 

Erin Lamb♥️💯

Closing Doors Cont’d (The Spiritual House Series Part IV)

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Aloha friends, 

I wanted to finish up on the closing doors part of this series. We’ve talked about 4 of the open doors in series part 3 (Spiritual House Series III Closing Open Doors). 

Additional Open Doors: 

  • Unbelief
  • Choices of Entertainment
  • Occult Involvement 
  • Generational Sin (Your Ancestors Opened the Door) 

Unbelief: 

…without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who earnestly seek Him,~Hebrews 11:6. 

Unbelief opens the door to torment and fear in our lives. It ties into the open door of believing lies. Only God is truth. So, if we are not believing God, we are believing a lie. The devil is the father of lies (John 8:44-Biblehub of verse). 

Unbelief opens us up to…

  • Fear (God won’t protect me). 
  • Insecurity (I’m not enough, not good enough, not valuable…). 
  • Pride (I know better than God).
  • Deception (What I think or believe is superior to what God thinks or says).
  • Discouragement/despair  (God won’t bless me, God isn’t working out good plans for me, this will always be bad…)

And a host of other things…

Disclaimer: these prayers are written for those who have accepted Christ. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus, please check out  How to Know Jesus. It’s important that a house be inhabited by Jesus before cleaning it. Also to be in a position to want to give up the behaviors that opened the doors. 

Prayer: 

Father thank You that You are faithful and everything You say is true. You are truth. Father forgive us for our unbelief. Help us to not only believe in You, to believe that everything You say is true. We confess and repent of our unbelief. Please cleanse our souls of any wounds caused by deception, unbelief, and pride. 

Choices of Entertainment: 

Guard your hearts for everything you do flows from it,~Proverbs 4:23. 

Our media is filled with immorality. I was bowling with my sister and a hamburger commercial came on. Two girls in bikinis were sliding across cars pretending to eat burgers. Every male in the bowling ally was drooling or gawking and I don’t think it was the burger that had them so into the commercial.

They say sex sells. One of the number 1 industries in our country is porn. The eye and ear gate is powerful. 

Images are tools. God gives visions to convey His messages. The evil one uses images to plant his messages. Messages that lead to lust, murder, materialism, and a host of things. 

Studies have shown images stick with us longer than what we read or even hear (unless it’s a song). 

Does this mean you never watch tv, go to the movies, or listen to non Christian music? I’m not saying that. Are the things you’re feasting on hurting your relationship with God, impacting your purity? Understand what is taken in is sowing a seed. Feed what you want to see grow. 

If you’re addicted to pornography or looking at it, I will advise counseling/inner healing/deliverance. It’s not holy, pure, good, and reaps no good fruit. It opens the door to unclean spirits. Check out Moral Revolution for more info (moralrevolution.com). 

Prayer: 

Father please forgive us for feasting on things You consider detestable. Please cleanse our hearts and minds of images and anything that promotes immorality. Anything attached to us that’s not holy we ask that it be evicted and replaced with whatever is pure, holy, noble, and good. Any wounds created in our souls from feasting on these things, I ask for healing and cleansing. In Jesus powerful name. 

For those who struggle with porn: 

Dear Lord please cleanse my soul from any attatchments to images. Please restore my hormone balance and purge me of lust, fantasy lust, addiction, sexual immorality, and porn. Wash me clean in Your Son’s blood. Break any physical/emotional dependency on porn for comfort or pleasure. In Jesus powerful name. Amen. 

Occult Involvement: 

Do not turn to mediums or necromancers; do not seek them out, and so make yourselves unclean by them: I am the Lord your God,~Leviticus 19:31 ESV.

God is firmly opposed to the occult. This includes mediums, tarot card reading, horoscopes, witchcraft, sorcery, attempting to gain information from the dead, fortune tellers, pacts with demonic spirits, magic, and any means to obtain information or power outside of Him. Occult sources are not from the Holy Spirit. It’s rooted in idolatry, worshipping something or someone other than God. It opens the door to a host of problems in a person’s life. For more information check out The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson. 

Prayer: 

Father we confess the sin of placing other gods in front of You, for seeking information outside of You, for desiring to control others or situations, for manipulation, for any and all occult practices. Please forgive us. We affirm it as sin and cut off all ties with demonic involvement. Come cleanse our souls. Heal our hearts and minds. We give up all sources of information or power sources that are not You. In Jesus powerful name. Evict any spirits that are not Your Holy Spirit. In Jesus powerful name. Amen. 

Generational Curses: 

Our DNA carries memories,~Dr. Caroline Leaf. 

Our ancestors Adam and Eve brought the original curses on humanity. We are still feeling the impact today. We also have generational sins that get passed down from our parents, grandparents, etc… The Bible is filled with examples. 

Jesus became the curse for us. So we are blessed in Him. Yet you still see families plagued with generational issues; poverty, debt, divorce, sickness, disease, mental illnesses, broken relationships. Some is just the result of individual sin. Some is familiar patterns of brokenness we are born into (generational sin). 

Prayer: 

Father we ask for the forgiveness of all our ancestors sins all the way back to Adam. We are sorry for the sins of our forefathers. We are sorry for our sins. Please forgive them and us. Any memories stored in our DNA that are not good or holy, I ask they be purged by the power of the Holy Spirit. We affirm our new identity in Christ and lineage with Christ. We renounce all ties that are unholy or ungodly and say they are covered by the blood of Jesus. Cleanse and purify our DNA, our minds, our souls, our emotions, and our bodies. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Father thank You for Your power to save, heal, deliver, cleanse, make new, redeem, and transform. Transform us from the inside out. I ask for total healing and restoration, what Jesus paid for to be completely appropriated to us. Lead us on a path of righteousness and purity. In Jesus name, amen. 

God bless you friends, praying for you. 

Erin 

Why Soul Healing?

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Beloved I pray you would prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers,~3 John 1:2.

Sweet friends you are deeply loved by God. So loved. I wanted to take a week off of the spiritual house series to talk about why I started this series. 

I too have been on this journey to wholeness. I couldn’t figure out why after forgiving people or situations that had happened in my life there was still deep sadness within. My spirit was beaming over with joy, yet my soul was sick. This sickness in my soul was leading me to eat the wrong foods, make decisions out of hurt/pain, and limit my freedom in Christ. 

The blood of Jesus was applied to my sins. My spirit sealed in Christ, yet I was walking around with deep wounds in my soul. Wounds of rejection, trauma, offense (though I’d forgiven people), and more. The power of God needed applied to my soul, the wounds in my soul. 

I’m pro Christian counseling. I’ve never done it, but have peer counseled. I’m extremely pro get with God and let Him touch every place that’s been wounded. God can do in an instant what others need a lifetime for…

I also through peer counseling, mentoring, praying for the sick and demonized realized the soul (mind, will, emotions) plays a huge role in freedom/lasting freedom. Hence there would be people who’d get free of an addiction and fall right back into it because their soul was sick. We’d evict evil spirits, they’d be filled with Holy Spirit, and end up right back in a hot mess. Why? The root issue was never dealt with in that person’s soul. Evil spirits love wounds. God loves to heal wounds. 

I also recall a lady who was deaf that we prayed for who was not getting any breakthrough until we started addressing unforgiveness, bitterness, etc in her soul. If the soul is sick, it impacts the body. 

The goal is hopefully to encourage you there is freedom, wholeness, and healing in Jesus. He paid for complete freedom. There’s no condemnation or shame to be had if the soul is sick. There’s a “God loves me so much He wants me healed and whole.” There’s forgiveness for sins and power in His name to heal! 

I’ve been in bondage to fear, and other things in my life and I can say with firm confidence I prefer freedom! Freedom in my soul! Yes God! He who the Son sets free is free indeed…thank You Jesus!

Father (Abba), bless everyone who visits this site or receives emails. Overwhelm them with Your love, peace, power, goodness, and the healing of Jesus. I speak wholeness of soul over each one of us. Soul be healed in Jesus name. More of You Lord. May our souls be excellent and free of wounds. Shine Your love and Light into every place. Do what only You can do. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen.

Love to you! ♥️ Lifting you up…

Love, 

Erin 

Closing Open Doors (The Spiritual House Series Part III)

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If a kingdom is divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand. If a house is divided against itself, that house cannot stand. And if Satan opposes himself and is divided, he cannot stand; his end has come. In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house,~Jesus (Mark 3:24-27).

Hello sweet friends. I hope you’ve been enjoying this series on the spiritual house. I started it because I’ve seen the good fruit of inner healing. I’ve also peer counseled several over the years who had issues of the soul, sins they couldn’t seem to break free from, and though their spirit was free and in Christ, their soul was sick and afflicted. 

The Bible says, “Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers,”~1 John 1:2. Our physical sickness can be the result of our soul sickness. When our soul is sick it causes relational problems, mental problems, and financial problems. I want to be healthy and whole. How about you? 

So, let’s talk more about open doors. How does our soul get sick? Last post I talked to you about lies. How believing lies opens the door for the evil one to gain access to our lives. Once we start believing lies, we begin acting on them because as a man thinketh, so is he (Proverbs 23:7). The body will go where the mind has been. 

Today I will touch on some of the other open doors. You ready for some house cleaning? 

Open doors list: 

  • Unforgiveness/Offense
  • Trauma/Abuse
  • Neglect/Abandonment
  • Gross Sin/Sexual Sin
  • Unbelief
  • Choices of Entertainment
  • Occult Involvement 
  • Generational Sin (Your Ancestors Opened the Door) 

I don’t have the space to touch on each one of these in detail. It’d be pages of information. I will once again share resources at the end so you can learn more. 

Door number 1: Unforgiveness and Offense. 

The Bible is very clear that if we don’t forgive others, we are not forgiven (Matthew 6:15). Jesus never gave us a pass on this one. We must forgive. What does not mean? It means we refuse retaliation or revenge. We surrender the offender to God. We pray for them. We cease carrying heavy stones in our pockets to assault the offender. Is it denying their bad behavior, no? Does forgiveness mean you have to be best friends, no? Does forgiveness equal reconciliation, no? Reconciliation is restoring the relationship. This is not always possible. 

Forgiveness is saying, “I refuse to hold on to what you have done. I lay it at the feet of Jesus. He paid for all sin, yours and mine. He will repay according to His perfect love, mercy, and judgment.” God has a far better way of dealing with people than we can imagine. He’s just! He’s fair. He’s good. 

So let’s close some doors in our lives! 

Prayer: 

Holy Spirit, search our hearts. Please reveal anyone or the people we are holding grudges against. Please reveal anyone or people we are harboring offense against (pause and listen). 

Father right now I choose as an act of my will to forgive ______________(insert name), for their sin of __________(insert offense). I ask God you would forgive them as You’ve forgiven me. I ask the sins of unforgiveness and offense would be washed from my heart and soul in Your Son’s cleansing blood. I shut the door to unforgiveness and offense in my life. I freely receive Your forgiveness and freely give it away. 

Holy Spirit release Your dunamis power into every wound created in my soul by these events and being sinned against. Heal my soul of all wounding caused by sin. Flood my soul with Your incredible resurrection power. Heal every place that was hurt or wounded. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

You may need to forgive yourself or God. Some are angry with God. He is sinless, yet if we are holding a grudge against Him, we need to surrender it to Him. 

Door 2 and 3: Trauma, Abuse, Neglect, and Abandonment

We were created by God to be accepted, unconditionally loved, cherished, protected, adored, and cared for. We were created to feel safe. The original design was a mother (woman) and father (man) would bring up children in an atmosphere of God’s incredible, unconditional love. There was no trauma, abuse, neglect, or abandonment in the Garden prior to the fall. These doors open us up to spirits of rejection, the orphan spirit, self hatred, insecurity, fear, fear of man, rebellion, control, and more.

I unfortunately have tons of experience with these two doors. I wish I didn’t, but I do because of the sinful choices of my ancestors and family members. Rejection and fear were spirits I battled for a long time. I still have things I must take to God so He can do an even deeper work. I won’t elaborate here, maybe later in a testimony post. 

Prayer: 

Father I thank You for the cleansing power of Your Son’s blood shed on the cross. I forgive every person who has traumatized me, abandoned me, rejected me, hurt or abused me, or caused great harm by withholding love, affection, or acceptance. I release them and each situation to You. I ask right now Your Holy Spirit would go back in time to every entry point of wounding and open doors to my soul. I plead the blood of Jesus on those moments. Cleanse me of all wounding and I ask for Your resurrection power to fill my soul. I ask for complete healing of my mind, emotions, memories, and body from trauma, abuse, neglect, and abandonment. Fill me to overflowing with Your perfect love! Bathe every memory in Your love and purging fire. Consume any dross in me as a result of being afflicted. Give me a deeper understanding of Your unfailing love! Fill me to overflowing. Break off anything in me that would attract me to people who would abuse, neglect, reject, hurt, or abandon me. Send those filled to overflowing with Your amazing love! 

Eviction notice prayer for those in Christ:

Any spirit that attached itself to me due to these open doors I command them to leave and go to a dry uninhabited place never to return. Holy Spirit flood every place with Your love and light. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

I ask for a release over each of you the peace of God, spirit of adoption, and increased awareness/reception of the love of God. You are loved, cherished, adopted in God’s family (if in Christ), wanted, fully accepted based on what Jesus did, free of being an orphan or outcast, and given a new identity in Christ! 

Door 4: Gross Sin/Sexual Sin 

The Bible is very clear that sexual sin impacts us differently than other sins. Why? Because it’s sin against the body, the temple of the Holy Spirit. And sex was intended to join us (glue us) to another person physically, spiritually, and in our soul. It’s stronger than super glue. Have you ever super glued two things together and then wanted them apart? I have. You notice there’s a ripping or tearing when you get them apart. There’s residue on one and brokenness on the other. It’s scientifically proven that our brains do not know the difference between actual lawful sexual intercourse which releases hormones in the brain and all other activities that release those hormones. 

God designed sex and sexual release so humans would be drawn back to each other over and over. Hence the body’s craving for stimulation once activated. So no matter the source, it leads to bondage or addiction if not placed in its proper place within marriage (man and woman). Check out Moral Revolution for more information on sex and sexuality. 

We are also told not to keep on sinning (on purpose) once saved. Gross sin is: you know something is wrong and just keep on doing it without any repentance. Does this mean we strive for perfection? Ummm…no! We abide in Christ and confess our sins to Him. We rely on His empowerment, the indwelling and powerful Holy Spirit. Our spirit is saved if we are in Christ. We can still choose to sin which opens the door for the evil one to get a foothold or eventually a stronghold in our lives. 

Prayer: 

Holy Spirit search my heart. Please reveal any unconfessed sins so that I might repent of them (listen). 

Father please forgive me for ________(insert infractions). I’m sorry for choosing my way above Yours. I receive Your forgiveness. Help me to say yes to Your will. Father any place I’ve surrendered my purity for sex outside of marriage (man and woman) or engaged in immoral sexual activity I ask for Your forgiveness. I ask for the power of Your Holy Spirit to restore my hormone balance so I am not addicted or in any bondage. Any part of me that’s attached to another, I ask that it be returned to me washed in Your Son’s cleansing blood. Any part of another person that’s attached to me through immoral activity I ask that it be returned to them washed in Your Son’s cleansing blood. The spiritual super glue that bonded us together in unhealthy ways to receive the breaking power of Your anointing. I ask for wholeness in my soul. Holy Spirit heal my soul from all the wounds inflicted through gross sin and sexual sin. I want to be whole and walk in purity. Holy Spirit release Your dunamis power into every wound in my soul. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Eviction notice prayer for those in Christ:

Any spirit that attached itself to me due to these open doors I command them to leave and go to a dry uninhabited place never to return. Holy Spirit flood every place with Your love, purity, and light. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

I ask for a release over each of you the purity of God, self control, comfort, and cleansing of the mind. 

Next time I will cover the other open doors. You are loved sweet friends! Let’s continue on this journey to wholeness in Christ. 

Resources: 

The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson
Soul Decrees by Katie Souza
Deliverance and Spiritual Warfare Manual by John Eckhardt
The Naked Truth about Sexuality by Havilah Cunnington 

Father thank You that You’ve given us everything we need to be free: sin cleared by Your Son’s blood and healing in the power of Your Spirit. We want to be whole; mind, body, soul, spirit. Do a deep work within so our souls look like Jesus. Heal every wound. Thank You Papa. May we receive fully all You have paid for. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Love in Christ, 

Erin 

Open Doors-Starts with a Lie (The Spiritual House Series Part II) 

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Beloved, I pray that in all respects you may prosper and be in good health, just as your soul prospers,~3 John 2:2. 

Hello beautiful friends. I hope this series draws us both closer to God and many find tremendous healing. Last post was far longer, so this one may be split so it’s not quite as long. 😊

Today I will be talking to you about open doors. I’ll start with a story from my childhood that may help with understanding. 

When I was around 13 I had this neighborhood friend, let’s call her Lucy. Lucy was adventurous, free, and didn’t truly understand the purpose of rules. 

I’m an artist. I love to paint. I was working on a lighthouse mural on canvas in our basement. It was larger than life and my friend Lucy was eager to see it! She was overflowing with excitement. I became sick with the chicken pox right before the big reveal. Lucy stopped by and she was stopped by my mum at the door. 

“Erin is sick, you will have to come back another time,” my mum said. 

“I really want to see the painting, can’t I just come in for a minute?” Lucy exclaimed. 

“No, I would like for you to come back another time,” my mum politely responded. 

I could see over the stairs their dialogue back and forth. As Lucy became more insistent, the level of irritation in my mum increased. Eventually Lucy saw the door was open enough for her to squeeze in. She bolted into the house and down the steps to see the painting. In a whirlwind she had gained entry. Through that open door we had an intruder. She seemed nice at first, yet she came with a mission, to gain entrance into our house. 

My mum in a sense of outrage chased her down the steps, then escorting her out the door. The next thing I knew Lucy was getting a lesson on boundaries, respecting adults, and well that friend never came back to play. 

Why did I tell you this story? Good question. There are many things in this story that relate to our souls (mind, will, emotions) and spiritual house. The house is you or me. The inhabitants if you’re saved (in Christ) are you and Jesus. The intruder (Lucy in the story) represents the lies, footholds, strongholds, demonic spirits that can enter into our lives through open doors. We (you and I) or our ancestors opened the door to oppression, sickness, death, etc…through sin. It started with Adam. We can also open doors by believing lies, gross sin etc…

My story isn’t perfect in the sense Jesus never opens the door to sin or the demonic in our lives. You and I do that or our ancestors did that. He does cast them out. Yet wanted to give you a visual of opening doors. 

So, you can be walking along, Spirit filled, and still have a room in your soul marked fear, lust, prejudice, insecurity, anger, pride, or addiction… In these rooms are thoughts, ideas, images, memories, behavior patterns. All rooms God wants to clean out…lust becoming a room of love and purity, anger becoming patience and long suffering, pride becoming humility, insecurity becoming security in Christ, sexuality refined by God’s original design. Some rooms as stated in last post are swept clean at conversion. Some are not. Why? 

Everything in the Kingdom of God works by faith and before salvation we are completely under the influence of lies. 

Believing lies open doors to give the devil a foothold. What is a foothold. It’s a crack in the door. Think of Lucy. She knocked on the door and my mum thought she was checking on me. She wasn’t. My mum believed something that wasn’t true. A crack in the door can lead to further problems.  

Continuing to believe lies leads to strongholds. These are fortresses of lies. Lucy persisted in trying to bargain with my mum. She wanted entrance inside. Lucy only wanted to see my painting. The evil one wants to take up residence; to kill, steal, and destroy. So once the lie is believed he seeks to link other lies to it. The goal is to ensnare you and I into sin; gross sin leads to demonic oppression. 

Follow this trail. Stories from ministry. 

Jane (name changed for privacy) starts to feel neglected by her husband. The lie sown, “Your husband is boring and there’s far more excitement out there.” Jane believes this lie and starts flirting back with her coworker who is also married yet not a Christian. The lies keep building. “Your coworker is excited to see you. He appreciates you. You’ll have a far better life with him.” Well Jane stayed on this journey until she ended up sleeping with the guy at work. He left his wife. She did not leave her husband. The aftermath was two families hurt, damaged, and wounded. Jane’s reputation ran through the mud. Tons of inner healing for Jane and her husband. The guy had to process the hurt of not getting what he wanted and mend things with his ex wife. It was a mess that started with a lie. 

There’s Max (name changed) who was lured into pornography. Lies: “It’s exciting. This will spice up your love life. This is far better than being with your wife. You’re a guy, boys will be boys-you need release right? There’s no harm done. It’s just fantasy.” Max becomes addicted to pornography, loses his spot on the worship team and in ministry. He struggles to get free and get images out of his head. His wife is devastated. She thinks, “Why wasn’t I good enough for him? Why did he lie to me?” They both go through tremendous hurt, shame, pain, inner healing, and deliverance. Pornography is an evil spirit. There’s an evil spirit behind it. 

There’s Julie who experienced turmoil and father issues. She hears the lie: “You were born the wrong sex. You should’ve been a boy.” These lies go against Psalm 139. God formed us and chose our gender. Julie begins to believe these lies and act on them. This leads to her living many years as a man. Julie eventually has an encounter with Jesus. This lifestyle brought great pain and anguish into her life. She developed cervical cancer and God healed her. She has a radical testimony of being spiritually, emotionally, and physically healed. She’s now living as a woman and has given up sexual relationships with women. She had to walk through deliverance from evil spirits because gross sin leads to demonic oppression. She still, though saved and set free, battles at times shame. 

The devil never tells people the consequences of listening to him. He just says, “Do what feels good.” That’s what he did to Eve. We see how that story ended. Yet there’s hope in Jesus. There’s power in His name to break every single chain.

There are people who say your soul is not influenced by evil once saved. This is not true. You still can choose to partner with lies or engage in sinful activity that opens up your soul to torment. That’s why scripture says…

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled,~2 Corinthians 10:3-6.

You may have lies that don’t seem as big as those that lead to adultery or sexual sin. Those lies may be…

You’re worthless; I’m worthless 

No one loves me

God will not protect me 

This is hopeless

I have no reason to live 

God hates me 

God doesn’t love me

God loves others more than me 

I need to earn God’s love or approval 

I need man’s approval 

I’m a failure 

Everyone’s against me 

I can’t do what God called me to do 

I’m never going to be free 

I’m not important to God

God is blessing everyone but me

Other people are beneath me (leads to prejudice, sexism, racism)…

It’s okay to engage in this sin

I was born this way so I must stay this way

God is not all powerful 

I ask Holy Spirit to reveal any lies I am believing and renounce them. I want those doors shut so the enemy can not build fortresses (strongholds of lies). It’s a process and journey of renouncing lies and getting truth into our minds. Renewing the mind. It’s the daily battle. For it is not the truth that ultimately sets us free. It’s believing the truth that sets us free. 

If you struggle with lies and thoughts, I highly recommend Beth Moore’s Book Praying God’s Word (Purchase Praying God’s Word), Decree by Patricia King (Purchase Decree) Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer (Purchase Battlefield of the Mind). Also recommend Beth Moore’s DVD/CD teaching Breaking Free (Purchase Breaking Free). 

Next post we will talk more about open doors. There’s…

  • Unforgiveness 
  • Trauma/Abuse
  • Neglect/Abandonment
  • Gross Sin/Sexual Sin
  • Unbelief
  • Choices of Entertainment
  • Occult involvement 
  • Generational Sin (Your Ancestors Opened the Door) 

I love you friends. ❤️ Praying for you! May you and I be completely free in Christ. I’m on this journey with you! Jesus is mighty to save, heal, and deliver! 

Love, 

Erin 

  

House Cleaning (Spiritual House Series Part I)

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Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?~1 Corinthians 3:16. 

If you are a born again believer, then you are the temple God resides in. He is omnipresent. Meaning God can be in more than one place at the same time. His Spirit resides in those who are born again. He takes up residence in us. 

We are body, soul, spirit:

We see a body. When we look at people we see flesh. Yet we are more than flesh. We are body, spirit, soul (mind, will, and emotions). They are all connected. The Spirit empowers the body. The spirit, our human spirit, is purified at conversion. We are told to be led by the Holy Spirit. 

The body (flesh) is not perfected. The soul is being renewed, transformed, and made more like Christ. Scripture to support this. 

I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will~Romans 12:1-2. 

…whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable–if anything is excellent or praiseworthy–think about such things,~Phillipians 4:8. 

So get rid of all uncleanness and the rampant outgrowth of wickedness, and in a humble (gentle, modest) spirit receive and welcome the Word which implanted and rooted [in your hearts] contains the power to save your souls,~James 1:21 (AMP)

Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak,~Matthew 26:41. 

There are so many verses that tell us to renew our minds, cast down thoughts and vain imaginations, deny the flesh, be even tempered and self controlled, take every thought captive…

It is true there is evil in the world that impacts the soul and body. Yet our mind requires renewal. Our emotions need the work of the Holy Spirit. Our wills need to be submitted to God. We can still choose to sin after being saved. Our bodies still need to be Spirit led as well. 

Why bring up the body, soul, and spirit? Glad you asked. I’ve read so many things that say we can live however we want because our spirit is saved. We can choose sin; God doesn’t force us to obey Him. Yet there are not many people talking about what sinful choices do to the body and soul. You can keep sinning once saved yet it’s detrimental to do so. Just read Matthew 7:21-23. Jesus said many will claim Him and He will say, “Depart from me I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness.” 

The Bible is very clear, sin brings destruction and death. It’s like a cancerous poison. There’s nothing good about it. 

I’m going to give some illustrations so hope it will be fun and interesting (maybe). 

Let’s suppose you have a shack in the woods. It’s pretty beat up and dead looking. One day a man knocks at the door and says, “Can I come in? I’d love to live here with you and turn this shack into a mansion?” You may think, “What’s the cost?” He smiles at you and shows you His credentials. He’s a King! The King of all Kings. After listening and seeing the enthusiasm in His eyes, you agree to join your life with His for life. 

At that moment He looks around and sees there are so many doors, rooms, filled with who you were before. Some are dark. Some are filled with pain. He smiles because His vision is the best vision. The old you disappears and the new you stands before Him. Your shack becomes a new building. You still look the same on the outside. Some of the rooms still look the same. Yet some are gone. Your place is no longer a dead looking shack it has life. He’s there, this King with you. 

I like how C.S Lewis put it. 

  
You notice over time He’s moving stuff around. There’s transformation happening in your mind, emotions, and will. As you spend time with Him you are growing to want to be like the Master Builder. He’s pulling stuff out of the rooms that aren’t like Him. 

If a person had demonic oppression, addictions, emotional problems, ancestral issues, strongholds, soul sickness, etc…at conversion, that does not mean those rooms in their soul are immediately cleaned out. For some people things are broken off instantly; for some they are broken off as they are delivered. I call deliverance house cleaning/inner healing. 

I had someone tell me the soul was saved so it could not be impacted by an evil spirit. This is not true. I will address in another post in more detail about oppression. 

Here’s a testimony from my life. 

I’ve had many traumas in my life. Won’t bore you with them all. I will tell you about my battle with fear. There’s healthy fear (of the Lord, the body’s natural fight or flight to real danger). And there’s a spirit of fear. It’s an evil spirit that comes to torment, harrass, hinder, bind, and constrict. God’s perfect love casts out fear (1 John 4:18). There’s no need to cast out something that’s like God, right? So fear, like all evil spirits, is an intruder. He tries to set up a room in your soul (mind, emotions, and will) to bring turmoil into your life.

I recall when fear entered by life. It was the day I was taken from my adopted parents and placed back with my biological mother. It was one of the most traumatizing moments of my life. Fear came in and set up shop. I became afraid of so many things. Later in life after breaking off a relationship that man threatened my life. I knew he had partnered with a spirit of rage and the fear in me increased. A year after that I was in a car accident trapped under water, the people who saw the accident left me to die. 911 never came for me. Fear increased to the point of panic attacks and the inability to be in enclosed spaces. The room marked fear was taking up more and more space. Add to that being under a program manager and manager who bullied and harassed me for years without help from Human Resources. Church people who turned on me…and well that room was massive. I did not function normally. I continually thought, “Something bad is about to happen.” Did I have the Holy Spirit? Absolutely. Was my soul sick and oppressed by an evil spirit? Yes! 

Holy Spirit is all powerful: 

Much of my life story is God shows up and does the deliverance. I’ve been blown off by a few Christians and some, though well meaning, had zero clue how to help me. But God knew. One day I was crying out to God for relief from panic attacks. He touched me that day. It was like fire ran through my body and I never had another one. For the other things, fear of loss, persecution, rejection, etc…those were all tackled in process. I would soak in God’s love. I asked for belief of His word as unbelief opens the door for torment. I had some inner healing with trusted mature Christians. That room marked fear has been infiltrated by the incredible love of God. He continues to purge out what’s not of Him! He’s so good. 

There are rooms there at conversion and some we open after accepting Christ that bring torment, addiction, or oppression into our lives. 

Ways we open doors (invite guests other than Holy Spirit): 

Unbelief 

Coming into agreement with lies 

(Fear entered my life because I came into agreement with the lie that God would not protect me. The initial trauma of being removed from my home started a snowball effect. Once I believed the lie, circumstances reinforced the lie. A foothold became a stronghold.)

Unforgiveness 

Bitterness 

Jealousy 

Sexual Sins (fornication, pornography, adultery, fantasy lust, sex outside the covenant of a man/woman in marriage)

Judging others (saying something is not right is not judging a person. Judging a person is to pass sentence on them-God judges (determines the eternal fate of a person.))

Gossip/slander/hate speech/complaining 

Rebellion (against God or those in authority)

Unchecked Anger

Idolatry (worshipping anything or anyone other than God).

Gross sin

Occult Practices 

Drug use

Negative vows 

Sins that are committed against us or traumas can also open doors in our lives. 

What’s the solution: God! 

I recommend starting with God. I ask God to work in my foundation and purge what’s not of Him. I ask the Holy Spirit to reveal any lies I’ve come into agreement with or to reveal any hidden idols of my heart. I ask so I can renounce lies and confess my sins before the Lord.

Rescources I recommend: 

The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson 

When the Enemy Strikes by Dr. Charles Stanley

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

The teaching series Breaking Free by Beth Moore

Father may we yield our entire lives to You! I pray Your love saturates the heart of each person. May we invite you to clean house. May we surrender every lie we have believed to You! May we renounce partnership with any lie. Forgive us for our unbelief. Replace it with truth and faith. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

You are deeply loved!

Erin 

The Spiritual House (Intro)

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Unless the LORD builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain,~Psalm 127:1. 

I love Psalm 127:1. God is central in all things; when He’s not placed at the center it leads to all kinds of terrible things.

If you look around the world, you’ll notice that the majority of problems with humanity are rooted in mankind (humans) being central (exalting their desires above God) and God is often an afterthought. 

Adam and Eve were the first humans to choose doing their will above God’s and it brought sin, shame, death, sickness, disease, separation from God, broken identities, and fractured hearts into humanity. You can read about it here. Genesis 3 (The Fall). One act of choosing to live independent of God’s will led to the corruption of humanity. Thank goodness for Jesus who came to redeem humanity! He came to restore. 

Our world is seeking independence from God and His ways…

There are current campaigns that say, “Everything is permissible. I’m okay, you’re okay.”  There’s also a lack of reverence for God and His ways. 

How do followers of Jesus respond? 

How do we respond rightly to the condition of the world today? How do we deal with the pressing questions of “Is this okay? Did God make me this way? Do I have to stay this way?” What is santification? Why does God provide guidelines for living? Why does He say yes to some things and no to others? Why does choosing our own way lead to eventual destruction? How do we love people without compromising the truth and holiness of God? 

It starts with our own understanding of God and who we are in Him. 

Knowing God and our identity is where it starts. God loves us! Adam and Eve were already like God (created in His image). They didn’t need to eat the fruit. If they had believed 1. God is good and withholds nothing good from us. 2. God’s given us everything we need. 3. We can trust God. 4. God loves us and wants the best for us…then maybe they would’ve made a different choice. 

We are the house God built.  

God handcrafted Adam and Eve. We were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). We are a spiritual house. Yes, you and I are spirits inhabiting bodies. 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 tells us that those in Christ are blood bought children of God. God breathed life into man. Our lives are no longer our own. We are called temples of the Holy Spirit. 

Before we accept Jesus the Bible tells us we are dead in trespasses and sins (Colossians 2:13, Ephesians 2:1-2). Without relationship with God, there’s no Holy Spirit and the human spirit has not been forgiven, cleansed, renewed, awakened, or made new. After Christ, we are transformed and being transformed into the image of the Son. God intended for us to reflect Him. 

So what happens when our house is filled with what’s not of God or society says, “You were born this way you must stay this way?” My response, “There is power in the name of Jesus to break every chain.” 

Our spiritual house is meant to be filled with love, light, joy, hope, faith, truth, purity, goodness, kindness, and the character of Jesus. I wish this process was instant. Some of it is and some of it takes time. We are transformed and being transformed. 

I know many people, myself included, who have had their spiritual house cleansed and rebuilt by God. 

Names changed to protect people… 

There’s John who was addicted to pornography. This brought great pain to his wife and family. Though he did these things in secret, it affected his ability to truly represent Jesus. His heart was divided. God broke the addiction and lust off his life. God restored his marriage. Though He was a born again believer, he had opened a door in his life for demonic oppression, lust, addiction, and self gratification. 

There’s Mary who spent a good portion of her life living as a man. She dated women, lived with women, and had no desire to be who God created her to be. Mary had a radical encounter with Jesus. Mary now lives as a woman and is a radical worshipper. She said coming to know Jesus she regretted her time living as a man. It brought confusion, loneliness, and pain in her life. 

There’s Mark who had told his parents he sold his soul to satan and was threatening to kill others. He was a rageaholic, and his family feared him. Mark had a radical encounter with Holy Spirit and he’s now an evangelist. He’s kind, and last I know representing Jesus well. 

There’s Todd who was a drug addict and dated men. He too had a radical encounter with God and was delivered of drug addiction and no longer dates men. 

There are more stories that I will share throughout this series, including some of my own.

I will say God comes into a house to inhabit it, not leave it the same. At conversion the old man is crucified with Christ. The new man has come. The Holy Spirit then works within to reveal the love, righteousness, holiness, and goodness of God. We come to God as we are. He loves us purely as we are. He loves us so much He works within so we are transformed into original design, pre-fall. 

I hope you stay tuned for this series! I hope it gives you hope that God loves you and there are no hopeless cases! 

When God is invited into every area of our lives and we yield to His leading there are so many good things that take place…May we receive His great love, believe Him, believe who we are in Him, pray to Him (He responds to “God help”-I pray this prayer), and yield to His leading. 

You are deeply loved and prayed for. 

Love in Christ, 
Erin