Intimacy (God’s Love Letter)

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Intimacy (God’s Love Letter)

Written by Erin Lamb

January 11, 2016

All rights reserved. May only be reproduced with author permission. 

How He loves us so! Hope this encourages your hearts. 

In the collection of My imagination, there you were, there you are.

You are My chosen one. 

You were and are of divine design. 

As I gathered My thoughts, as I smiled with delight, I was thinking of you.  

You are the one I love, the one I gave My most treasured possession for.

I gave My Son, My image bearer.

He is the physical manifestation of My steadfast love and overflowing compassion.

How I love Him!

How I love you! I exchanged My love for your love. 

I gave My highest, My best, for your freedom, for relationship. 

My Son gave His life to set the record to rest. 

Not guilty, not guilty in My Son. 

For His sacrifice pays the penalty that once separated you from Me.

He paid for compete liberty; liberty from the bondage and strongholds of sin. He paid for intimacy. 

I’m daily pursuing intimacy.

The deep longing of My heart is for you and I to be one, together in complete and unbreakable unity.  

I so desire to unveil to you My glorious mysteries.  

I’ve laid a pure and rich path before you that leads directly to Me. 

Come dwell here. 

Come rest here.

Come find your true identity here; for I know who you truly are.  

Do you know Me?

Do you know who I am?

I see more than the world’s sin and tragedies.

I see people I love, those I adore, those I paid the highest price for.

I see those adopted into My family and those who’ve chosen to live independent of Me, those I cannot yet call My own.

Some will choose to live without Me for all of eternity, separated from My love, peace, presence, and joy. 

I so long to embrace the entire world through My Beloved Son. 

Yet many will reject My love, and choose to leave Me forsaken. 

However, won’t  you come? 

Come through faith in My Son. 

Come through the torn veil straight into My arms. 

Won’t you come? 

Come dance to the marvelous melodies that the angels sing. 

Come sing along. 

Won’t you come? 

Deeper and deeper down the winding staircase of My love. 

As you continue your journey you will find your heart softening again and again. 

Come with Me! 

Allow Me to reveal love’s true meaning. 

My love will overtake you, saturate you, bathe you, cleanse you, and most of all My love will free you.

Free you of every shackle and every chain. 

Free you of every insecurity and pain. 

Won’t you come? 

Come frolic in the ocean of My love and compassion. 

Allow the tidal waves of My relentless love to crash against the worn shores of your heart and soul. 

Come feast from My banquet table. 

Here you will never grow hungry and you will thirst no more. 

For I fill to overflowing…

I give and then I give abundantly more. 

There’s no end to My provision. 

You cannot exhaust My resources or My love. 

It has no end. 

I have no end. 

I am eternal and so is My love for you. 

I am the One who loves you with an everlasting love, a love that will never cease to love. 

Won’t you come? 

Rest your head on My shoulder, find peace in My arms. 

I long to love you, and to be known by you.  

I desire for your heart to beat in tandem with Mine. 

I long to never be apart.

Intimacy is My heart’s cry.  

Oh for you to sincerely know Me, as your best friend who will endure with faithful, unending love. 

I want to be with you more than you could ever want to be with Me. 

This is My heart’s cry for continual intimacy. 

A habitation where My Spirit occupies every part of you and reveals My truth, My wisdom, My nature, My love. 

So won’t you come? 

Come away with Me into the deep recesses of My heart. 

You were made for Me. 

Let Me love you and fill to overflowing every empty place. 


Created Not Cloned (Manifesting Sonship Series Part VIII)

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Oh yes, you (God) shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking!

Body and soul, I am marvelously made!

I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body;

You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you,

The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day,~Psalm 139:13-16. 

If I asked you what is the most common and destructive tool of the evil one, what would you say? 

I believe the answer is getting humanity to fail to see who they are from God’s perspective. Insecurity and a fractured identity are crippling.

Lack of identity in Christ leads to horrible decisions in many cases. Insecurity can lead to pain, shame, fear, comparison, competition, putting others down, racism, sexism, prejudice, jealousy, envy, abuse, control, manipulation, relational problems, low self worth… 

The evil one started with Eve, he spoke a lie to her which implied she wasn’t already created in the image of God. He’s worked throughout the course of history to sow insecurity, shame, and pervert identity. He tried again with Jesus and failed (Matthew 4:6-8). 

In order to know the purpose or identity of something, one must ask the One (God) who created it. God creates. He did not clone humanity. Each person is a unique expression of His heart and creativity.

God created mankind. We did not create ourselves. Nor do I believe we evolved from another animal life form. If we don’t believe we were created by a loving, caring, wise, and good God, then where does our worth come from, what is it’s source? 

In our world a person’s worth is often measured by their performance+people’s opinions. Another scenario is beauty/outward appearance+people’s opinions. What’s the issue with the formulas? People’s opinions of us can change like the shifting sands. One minute you are loved, the next you’re not. Performances can fall flat or someone more talented or gifted comes along. The standard of beauty changes. What’s hot today may not be tomorrow. If each person is trying to be someone they are not, or trying to prove their worth, we have a life of striving and mini replicas. 

The original is always more valuable than a copy. 

When I was a kid I loved puzzles and art. I spent hours either creating or putting together puzzles. What if all my drawings were exactly the same? Here are 30 drawings of the same picture. Each one is exactly the same. You might think, “She’s not very creative! Wow, this is boring!!” 

What if the puzzles had a box full of the same identical piece? Well, I’d be frustrated. Who didn’t do their job right? Seriously, you had one job (insert laugh here). 🙂 You would not see the picture the artist intended. You’d also be bored. All the different shapes and colors make up a bigger picture. 

God is the artist who created all the different colors, shapes, personalities, giftings, etc…it’s His picture. It’s His canvas; God is not boring. 

I paint. I paint collections. Each piece by itself I love. When you see them together it takes on a new meaning. God created humanity with diversity. He did not create one type of person and then clone them. 

Our attempts to change His design don’t bring Him glory. Our put downs of what He’s made don’t bring Him glory. Our arguing with God about our existence doesn’t bring Him glory. God likes what He made. Who are we to argue with God?  

I used to want to be someone different. I wanted to be like my dad. He always had something good to say. I wanted to be like my mom. She was effortlessly beautiful and overflowing with kindness and grace. I wanted to be tall. As I got older I wanted a different brain. I process through logic then emotion, which confused and bothered some people. Women are supposed to be super emotional right? Not all of us are. I realized I was insulting God by wanting to be like someone else. 

Insecurity is actually sin. It’s a fruit of unbelief. It’s refusing to accept that God doesn’t make mistakes. We make them, that doesn’t mean we are a mistake. Behavior does not equal identity. We are who God says we are. Our behavior is a result of what we believe about ourselves or God. 

There are many things God wants us all to know and believe:

1. We were God’s idea. Parents may not have loved well or chosen a child, but God wants every single child conceived (not just the ones born or wanted by their parents). 

2. We are unique. Every human being has unique markers. No two human beings are exactly alike. Even identical twins have different fingerprints and personalities. 

3. We are gifted differently to reflect His creative genius. We can’t take credit for natural talents or giftings. They are given by God to bless the world and reflect His creativity; bring Him glory. 

4. God created what was really good! When God created humanity He said, “It is very good.” Go back and read Genesis 1. 

5. God values diversity! The Bible tells us in the book of Revelation that every tribe, nation, people group, and tongue will be represented in heaven (Revelation 5:9). 

6. God establishes true identity that cannot be shaken. If I listened to everything people said about me, about who I am, I’d be a mess. Don’t allow people who don’t know or like who they are to define who you are. What does God say? What He says is truth. 

I leave you with this poem God wrote on my heart years back. 

Do You Know Who You Are?

You are deeply loved sweet ones! Lifting you up and expecting great things in your lives in 2016! The best is yet to come. 

Love, 

Erin Lamb 

Happy New Year! 

There Will Be Miracles (Manifesting Sonship Series Part VII)

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When He went ashore, He saw a large crowd, and felt [profound] compassion for them and healed their sick,~Matthew 14:14 (Amp) 

Be kind and helpful to one another, tender-hearted [compassionate, understanding], forgiving one another [readily and freely], just as God in Christ also forgave you,~Ephesians 4:32 (Amp). 

Miracle: a wonderful or unusual event that is believed to be caused by the power of God. An extraordinary event involving divine intervention. 

Adaptation from online Webster Dictionary. 

One of the greatest miracles is salvation. 

The birth of Jesus is an extraordinary event that involved divine intervention. God provided a way for all of humanity to come to know Him. 

The life of Jesus is filled with miracles. Scripture tells us He was moved with compassion (sympathetic consciousness of others pain coupled with a desire to alleviate it). Fueled by love and compassion Jesus brought divine intervention into the lives of many. 

As followers of Jesus He encourages us to do as we see Him doing. He tells to freely give as we have freely received. We are to be the heart, hands, feet, and mouthpiece of Jesus in the world. 

Here are some Scriptures to confirm those words.  

Heart of God: 

I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, so you too are to love one another. By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you have love and unselfish concern for one another,~Jesus (John 13:34-35). 

I find it interesting that Jesus did not say, “The world will know My disciples by their Bible knowledge or activities or church attendance.” He said the world would know His disciples by their love (agape) and unselfish love for one another. 

I’ve caught quite a bit a slack over the years for talking so much about the love of God. I’ve been told to talk about the severity, wrath, God’s anger over sin. 

Will God judge the world for their sins? Yes. Does God hate sin and evil? Yes. Is God weak? No. Does God conform to our culture and sinful desires? No. Is Godly sorrow and repentance required for salvation? Yes. 

My stance is what the Bible says. “God is love (agape). Those who do not love (agape) do not know God,”~1 John 4:8. I’ve found my role is to present the truth to people in love. It’s the Holy Spirit’s job to convict hearts. It’s God’s job to issue out any eternal consequences for the unrepentant. He told me to love people. Even my enemies. 

What does love look like? Love looks like Jesus. 

It requires the supernatural work of God through us to love the unlovely.  It’s a miracle (extraordinary, amazing, divine work of God) to consistently love like Jesus. 

Hands of God: 

…if your enemy is hungry; feed him. If he’s thirsty give him a drink,~Romans 12:20 (Amp). 

Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse the lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely give,~Matthew 20:8 (Amp). 

We are also encouraged to care for the poor (Proverbs 29:7). 

Being the hands of God means we are allowing God to work through us to bring miracles into the lives of people. Those miracles may be financial, physical, food, spiritual…

Some simply associate miracles with only healing; there are many acts of miracles that are provisional. 

Theses are two stories from this  past holiday weekend. I went to visit my dad and it often involves some ministry time. 

I was shopping with my dad and had to go to the ladies room. There was a lady in line complaining about her back pain. I felt led to ask her if I could pray, but she was talking. Finally I asked her if I could pray for her back. She exclaimed, “Yes!”

God brought healing to her back (decreased her pain) the Walmart bathroom. She exclaimed, “I guess prayer does work!” Always amazed how the unchurched believe more in healing than some Christians. 

Also thankful for the visit with the sick, mentally ill, and spiritually oppressed yesterday. One man the nurse told me was quite hostile and aggravated. He’s known to be combative and have fits of rage. He wouldn’t let the first person pray with him. Yet he let me. I stood in awe while the Holy Spirit moved the heart of this moments earlier angry man to tears. He raised his hands at one point and cried out, “God with You nothing is impossible!” He let me hug him and he laughed with me. He stated, “Today is going to be a good day and next year a good year!!” He smiled his first smile of the day.

Others who overheard the prayer time cried out, “Pray for me too! I want God to heal me too!!!” 

It was a great afternoon of loving on people and watching God do what He does; love, heal, and deliver.

God’s Feet and Mouthpiece: 

Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain which Jesus had designated. And when they saw Him, they worshiped Him; but some doubted [that it was really He]. Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority (all power of absolute rule) in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations [help the people to learn of Me, believe in Me, and obey My words], baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always [remaining with you perpetually—regardless of circumstance, and on every occasion], even to the end of the age.”~Matthew 20:16-20. 

We are told to go. We are told to make disciples of Jesus. We are told to teach others what Jesus is teaching us. How will the world know if no one goes? How will the sick be healed if no one prays? How will the spiritually oppressed find liberty if no one is willing to go to the nursing homes and mental hospitals to pray?  

If all the saved people are blessing and loving saved people, who is attending to the lost? Some people can’t come to our worship gatherings. Someone has to go for them. 

One of my greatest loves is street ministry.  I’ve seen the love of God in high capacity on the streets with the hurting, broken, dying, addicted, and diseased.

I purposefully chose a bench for my photo choice. We are not called to sit and receive until we die. Our attitude is not to be, “God bless me and no one else!”

We are called to demonstrate to the world what God is like. We are representatives of the heart, hands, feet, and mouth of Jesus. Everyone gets to participate. It’s not simply for pastors. Every follower of Jesus is called to freely receive and freely give. 

I’ve gone through many situations where God brought the miracle without another human being. I know this is possible. He also loves to colabor with us. He gave His Spirit who empowers us to love, to serve, to go, to teach. 

Father I thank You for all You have done for us. Help us to abide in Your  love and power. May our hearts overflow with tremendous compassion for humanity. May the world see Christ in us, the hope of glory! 

Happy upcoming New Year! You are so deeply loved and prayed for. 

Erin Lamb 

The Gift of Jesus 

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Love came down and entered humanity as a babe. He left paradise to enter sinful humanity. There’s no sorrow in heaven. There’s no sin or poverty. Jesus left the most peaceful of circumstances to save humanity. He came not as a warrior on horseback, but as a babe. 

It’s a timeless love story that never grows stale or cold. A king leaves His place of prominence to serve a lost and broken world. 

Jesus is the gift that changes lives. He transforms wicked men into righteous men. He comes with love in His eyes and healing in His wings. He is the physical manifestation of the heart of the Father. He is a loving Heavenly Father who was willing to give His only begotten Son so many sons and daughters could be restored to right standing with Him. 

It is also a story of redemption and sacrifice. What is love if it does not involve sacrifice? If love costs me nothing, it means nothing…For true love will always look for a way to give. 

Jesus marked the world with a kiss of heaven. 

His very life proclaimed, “I love you. I am willing to humble Myself. I am willing to pay the price for you. While guilty, I am still willing to give My all for you.” 

I know no greater love. I know no greater sacrifice. I know no greater love story! I know no better reason to celebrate than the life of Jesus. 

Jesus is the gift that exceeds all expectations. He is the gift that continues to be a blessing throughout the ages. He is the gift that transforms lives. He is the gift divine! 

Whatever you are facing this Christmas season; grief, loss, financial difficulty, physical pain, worry, anxiety, hurt, lack of family/friends…I want you to know God loves you with an everlasting love! He cares dearly and deeply about you. He gave His all for you. 

Our world has made the birth of Jesus about getting presents, giving presents, decorating, eating, trees, family and friend time. None of those activities are evil. I simply hope there’s time to reflect on the real gift, Jesus. 

It’s not about the presents. It’s about His Presence. 

 

God promises to never leave or forsake us. He promises to love when no one else will love. Every day His love is on full blast and directed towards humanity. He never stops loving and pursuing the best for His children. 

Papa God, thank You for Your plan of redemption. Thank You for Your mercy, grace, love, and choosing us to be the objects of Your affection. Thank You for the gift of Jesus. I ask for every person reading this to have a deep revelation of the height, depth, width, breath, and vast expanse of Your love. I ask that Your Presence and nearness would be felt this season. May each person encounter You and the wonder of Your love! For those sick, hurting, or struggling, I ask for healing, comfort, love, provision, comfort, and peace to come. I bless each one in the mighty name of Jesus. 

Merry Christmas to you! You are so deeply loved. 

Erin 

 

Releasing What You Carry (Manifesting Sonship Series Part VI)

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Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight,~Ephesians 1:3-4 (Amplified).  

“Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me. I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing. If a person does not dwell in Me, he is thrown out like a [broken-off] branch, and withers; such branches are gathered up and thrown into the fire, and they are burned.”~Jesus. ‭‭John‬ ‭15:4-6‬ ‭(Amplified).‬‬

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control,~Galatians 5:22-23 (NIV).

How do we manifest what God is like to the world? How do we walk in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit, and continually bear good fruit? How do we release what He’s deposited?

It Starts with Saving Faith

We are saved by faith in Jesus, by grace, as a gift of God through repentance (confessing our sins and changing our mind about sin). If you have not accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, check out How to Know Jesus. 

It Continues on with Relationship…

Fruit bearing is a manifestation of connection and relationship. How do we cultivate relationship with God? We can only release what we carry. 

For each person it may look a bit different. I am not suggesting you follow a formula or feel bound. There’s so much holy freedom in Christ. These are simply some things I do. 

  • Worship God. Worship is more than singing songs. Worship is a posture of the heart that says, “God You are greater than all things. You are worthy. All that I am is in awe of all You! I give you thanks, praise, adoration, my entire life! It’s all Yours!!“
  • Make time with God a priority. I have worship parties with God. It’s just us and sometimes there’s singing, dancing, laughing (lots of laughing), praising, or face down on the floor time. 
  • Study the word with God. God and I have study dates. Normally these are Sunday afternoons in the war room (prayer room). I study with His input. I learn the Bible with God. It’s our time. 
  • Talk to God daily. He loves to be with us. 
  • Listen to God and jot down what you believe He’s saying. I carry a prayer journal with me everywhere with documented prayers, words, impressions, etcetera…I have some that are over 10 years old. Wait 15 years old. I can go back and reference our time together and answered prayers, prophetic words fulfilled, and encouraging words He has spoken. 
  • Ask God for deeper revelations of His love, His Presence, and His care. He loves to answer this prayer.
  • Ask God what His agenda is for the day. Who does He want to bless? If we pay attention He will highlight someone or multiple people each day.
  • Obey God. Some have taught that obedience is legalism. It is not. Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father and I dare anyone to call Him legalistic. Obedience is better than sacrifice (1 Samuel 15:22) and a manifestation of our love for God (John 14:15). We are a slave to whoever we obey (Romans 16:6). We are not saved by obedience. We are saved by faith. However to claim Christ and practice lawlessness is not something God celebrates or approves of. See Matthew 7:21-23. God hates what damages us. Sin is damaging.

What if you say, “My tree does not have abundant good fruit! Or I don’t have anything good to offer the world. I am barely making it.”

 
If I go out to an orange tree and it has no good fruit. I don’t curse the tree. I look at the root system. Only a tree planted in good soil, watered, receiving light from the sun will produce good fruit. Only a tree free of disease will produce good fruit. 

If I am not producing the good fruit of God’s likeness, it’s because I’ve disconnected from the Vine (God), forsaken intimacy (watering (Holy Spirit) and His Presence (Light)), forsaken fellowship (community), and chosen to live by my flesh instead of being led by His Spirit. If I’m still not producing good fruit, there are wounds/hurts (disease) in my soul that need healed. The spirit is saved, new at conversion. The soul is being sanctified (changed, cleansed, purified over time with God). 

God can and does heal the wounded soul. I will post more about that later. Our pride and rebellion can also block the flow of the Holy Spirit. It’s easy to confess those things to God and get the flow moving freely again. 

Releasing What You Carry…

Possession proceeds releasing. We can only give what we have first obtained from God. We receive by faith. 

  • We can only release by doing something. 
  • Faith requires activation. 

A couple years ago I was talking to God about wanting to see more sick people healed. He responded, “Go pray for more sick people.” I’ve seen God heal more sick people in the past 12 months than I have in  my entire walk with God. Mainly because when someone is ill, I jump to pray. 

Want more, release more! Find people to encourage, pray for, share the Gospel with, teach, mentor, disciple…pay it forward. 

God is a wise investor. If we use what’s given to bless others, He adds more. So, we stay connected and share what’s given. We love God for who He is, not to gain things from Him. If we spend time with Him, we will overflow with more than enough to share. 

Final Notes: 

There’s no fear in love. If I’m not producing good fruit in an area, I go to the Source (God). I abide in Him. I submit myself to Him and allow God to work in my soul that which is pleasing to Him. I deepen our connection. Good fruit is not produced by striving. It comes only through intimacy with God, abiding. 

Papa God, You are incredible and holy. I ask for all of us to be saturated with Your steadfast love, power, wisdom, and thoughts. Heal any wounds in our soul. Uproot unbelief, fear, pride, rebellion, insecurity. Plant us in good soil. Help us to stay under the waterfall of Your unfailing love. Keep our eyes on You! In Jesus mighty name. Amen. 

You are deeply loved and prayed for often. 

Love in Christ, 

Erin Lamb 

Orange tree photo courtesy of Pinterest. 

Glory to Glory (Manifesting Sonship Series Part V)

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Photo credit: Pinterest 

And we all, with unveiled face, continually seeing as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are progressively being transformed into His image from [one degree of] glory to [even more] glory, which comes from the Lord, [who is] the Spirit,~2 Corinthians 3:18 (Amplified).

God’s glory is the external manifestation of His being. God’s glory is something that appears ( Exod 16:10), is revealed (Isa 40:5), or can be seen (Num 14:22)-source BibleStudyTools.

Holy Spirit is glorious! He is fully God and marks/seals believers as belonging to God (2 Corinthians 1:22). He works within us to reveal Jesus, righteousness, and to take us from glory to glory. 

I’ve heard some preach that since we are saved by faith and God loves us as we are, that means we are to stay as we are when God encountered us. This isn’t what the Bible teaches. It neglects the powerful work of the Holy Spirit.  When God encountered Paul (formerly Saul), he was persecuting and killing Christians. After his radical encounter with God, Paul became one of the most radical preachers of the Gospel. We see a murder and persecutor completely transformed.  

We worship a God who makes all things new. 

We too are called to transformation. It’s not transformation that is the result of striving. It’s a result of beholding Him and abiding (remaining) in Him (John 15:5).  

Our spirit is made new at conversion. Our soul (mind, will, emotions) and character are being transformed/sanctified. 

The Road to Tranformation…

Faith: It starts with believing God. My thoughts about God will determine what I become. If I believe God is harsh or critical, it will manifest in my behavior and response to Him. 

Believing the revelations of God’s word, nature, and character brings transformation. 

Truths I’d love for us to digest and meditate on today: 

  • God is love. It’s who He is, not simply what He does. It’s not based on our merit, behavior, or performance. 
  • God is truth. He cannot lie! Every word He speaks is truth. Every promise in Him is yes and amen. 
  • God is good. Every good and perfect gift comes from above from the Father of Lights who does not change like shifting shadows. 
  • God is holy. There’s no sin in God, and He will never lead you down a path of sin. We were born into sin; He paid the price to free us from sin. 
  • God is perfect in patience. God has infinite patience. He is not like humans who may toss you aside if you fail. Think of the prodigal son story. The Father was looking for the son! He ran out for his wayward son. If everyone else gives up on you, God will take you back. Come running…if you move an inch He will run miles. 
  • God cares for every detail of our lives. What matters to you, matters to Him. He knows every hair on our heads, every tear we have shed. He knows our thoughts, dreams, desires. He cares more than anyone else.  

His Word: I truly believe we are to be people of His Word. He gave it to us as food and a blueprint. We read, study, and seek Him with the Holy Spirit. I ask the Holy Spirit to teach me. 

Worship: Loving God, honoring God, celebrating God, and putting Him first in all things leads to such encounters. He inhabits the praises of His people. It takes the focus off who we are, what’s happening around us, and places the focus on Him. 

Intimacy with God: God invites us into relationship with Him. A deep, pure, growing relationship that’s life giving. It’s more than a Sunday morning activity. It’s a daily love relationship, more intimate than marriage.  

Obedience: Scripture tells us we are a slave to whoever we obey (Romans 6:16). We are either obeying God or the evil one. Obedience is better than sacrifice. Jesus perfectly obeyed the Father. I’m not suggesting perfectionism or striving. I’m stating there’s blessing in obeying God. If we miss the mark, we go to our Father and say sorry. He’s so eager to forgive. No shame and no condemnation (sentencing). 

What If What We See Isn’t Jesus? 

It’s a process. So the focus is God. If I sit down and look at the character of Jesus and my character, I have so far to go. He’s perfect. I am not. The objective isn’t a self help program or to try to make myself like Jesus. The objective is to remain in Him, let Him love me, and keep my eyes on Him. 

It’s not what we see. It’s what God sees and who He says we are. We are His image bearers in the earth!   
Photo credit Pinterest. 

You are so deeply loved friends! Lifting you up. God bless you. 

Love in Christ, 

Erin Lamb

God Esteem & Confidence (Manifesting Sonship Series Part IV-b)

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Sometimes WordPress behaves wacky. In the middle of my post on Moses it posted what was not finished. Hence getting more than one post today…😃

I left off talking about Moses letting God know about His weaknesses. God already knew. He knows everything. We are deeply loved by God, yet the story isn’t primarily about us…it’s about God. It’s about who God is. 

God has always existed. It’s His story for His glory, and we get to join His story. 

God had a plan to free His people, and He chose Moses to be His spokesperson. He knew when He chose Moses that he had a fear issue, fear of rejection, insecurities, and that Moses was not eloquent of speech. He didn’t walk up on Moses and say to Himself, “Hey I wonder what this guy is like? Can I use him?” 

God knows our flaws, fears, weaknesses, insecurities, wounds, shortcomings, and still calls us all to join His story. 

If you read the Bible cover to cover you will find only one who is perfect and He is Jesus. He perfectly represented the Father. 

What does that mean for us? 

1. It means we are who God says we are. No ifs, ands, or buts about it. He’s right in His assessment always. 

2. Our confidence is to come from our identity in Christ, nothing else. Jesus plainly said, “I am the Vine. You are the branches. If you abide in Me, you will bear much fruit. Apart from me you can do nothing,“~from John 15:5.

3. If God calls, He equips, and provides provision. It’s about Him being seen through us for His glory. We can’t take credit for what He has done when He works through our areas of weakness. We can’t take credit for our strengths either…

4. It’s not about our weakness, it’s about His strength! 

5. Even if we mess up, God has a redemptive plan. 

6. Low self esteem and insecurity are not the will of God, nor is it humility. 

a. Some today might applaud Moses for telling God he wasn’t qualified or worthy. God on the other hand rebuked him. He said to Moses, “Who made the mouth?” 

You may be thinking, “Easier said than done. This God esteem seems hard to walk out.” 

Ummmm…yeah! It’s something I’m learning to walk out. Confidence hasn’t always been applauded in my life. Some Christians labeled me arrogant for thinking I could hear from God and I didn’t have great experiences walking confidence out. If I stated I was a filthy sinner or worm, there was applause for my humility. Yet the more I searched the scriptures, the more evidence I found that God wanted us to accept His assessment of who we are. We were (past tense) dead in trespasses and sin. We were (past tense) sinners on the way to hell. 

Even in my occupation other women and some men made it their mission to sabatoge efforts for success. 

I am still walking it all out with you because God calls me way, way, way out of my comfort zone. I had zero desire to lead, be known, teach, preach, be on platforms, etc…leave me in a room with God alone and I’m as happy as can be. I had zero, zero desire to be a spokesperson for God. None. And God has called me repeadily to do what I never thought I could and many things I had no desire to do. 

Life examples:

After years of being somewhat beat down in ministry and enduring some intense persecution at work and with Christians. I am not talking about people just being rude either. I’m talking about being stalked, falsely accused, publicly humiliated and lied on, people trying to get me fired, cussed out in public places, vandalized property, people I didn’t know contacting me about gossip they heard, being removed from “friend” circles without warning, destroying my work samples….on and on…God calls me after this 7 year period of testing-(lets call it that), to minister to a stranger I met one time at a conference. 

My first response was, “Are you serious? Um no thanks.” God didn’t rebuke me like He did Moses. He kept nudging. “Will you go for me?” I was still hurting, still tired, over ministry, seeking rest and restoration. I had zero desire to go minister to someone I didn’t know. And I would hold things God gave me until I had courage to send them. It was hard. I had to overcome plenty of fear. Or at least move past it long enough to bless someone else. He would state the timing was on point. God had figured in my lag time.

That one act of (delayed) obedience led to years of being obedient, faithful, facing fears, and just being a vessel God could use, even while broken. It was super challenging as I felt a truck had backed over my life, yet it brought about good things for that person and their family. It also helped me grow in God confidence.  

The purpose of me telling you is this…Sometimes, you’re going to be afraid. Sometimes you may feel really small or inadequate. Sometimes you may not be well received. Yet if you give it to God, He will do something beautiful. You may not be the benefactor. It may be someone else. It’s for His glory. I told God He could have all of my life. Since then I’ve had chances to walk it out. 

We are His workmanship created for His glory. Your reward for being faithful to God (He does like to give rewards by the way), may be in heaven where moths and rust do not decay. Some may be on earth, I can’t say. I do know it’s worth it to believe what God says about us and to step out of the boat! 

No one wins games by sitting on the bench. 

No one walks on the water by sitting in the boat! 

Papa God I thank You that Your strength is made perfect in our weakness. I thank You that all You say about us is true. I thank You that You are so powerful to heal us where we are afraid, weak, broken, and insecure. Our true confidence is in You! I bless everyone reading this with Godly esteem and God Confidence. In Jesus name. Amen. 

Love, 

Erin 

God Esteem & Confidence (Manifesting Sonship Series Part IV)

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I love the story of Moses. He’s one of my Bible favorites. He was given a very challenging task by God and when God instructed Moses to be His spokesperson, Moses responded with his inadequancies. Has God ever asked you to do something and you responded with fear or all the reasons you couldn’t do it? I have. Let’s first look at some scripture. 

God at this point in Exodus 4 has already shown Moses His power. Go back and read Exodus 3 and 4. We are picking up at Exodus 4:10-17.

Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I am not a man of words (eloquent, fluent), neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute or the deaf, or the seeing or the blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and will teach you what you shall say.” But he said, “Please my Lord, send the message [of rescue to Israel] by [someone else,] whomever else You will [choose].”

Then the anger of the Lord was kindled and burned against Moses; He said, “Is there not your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. Also, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be overjoyed. You must speak to him and put the words in his mouth; I, even I, will be with your mouth and with his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; he will act as a mouthpiece for you, and you will be as God to him [telling him what I say to you]. You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs [the miracles which prove I sent you].”

Moses was human just like us. Rejection doesn’t feel great. Being teased or ridiculed for a weakness doesn’t feel great either. In his shoes I may have thought the same thing, “Who am I to go speak for God?” I actually have had some interesting experiences with this. 
God tells us to find our identity in Him not our gifts, talents, eloquence, knowledge, or performance. Even if we are the best at what we do, we pale in comparison to God. Not even close…to matching His perfection. It’s not about us, it’s about Him. 

Identity Crisis (Manifesting Sonship Series Part III)

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“Before I shaped you in the womb, I knew all about you. Before you saw the light of day, I had holy plans for you: A prophet to the nations that’s what I had in mind for you,“~Jeremiah 1:5. 

Those are beautiful words spoken by God about the prophet Jeremiah. God affirms it is He who shaped Jeremiah in the womb. He is also the One who had a plan for Jeremiah’s life before he was born. You and I are no different from Jeremiah. God knew us before we were ever conceived and has a great plan for our lives. 

We matter to God. Every life has a purpose. You were not a mistake. If you were born male, God intended you to be male. If you were born female, God intended you to be that way. Your skin color, nationality, ethnic origin, place in history were all seen and known by God. He doesn’t make mistakes. Humans make poor choices or mistakes. Because of Adam and Eve we are born with a sin nature, yet God even took care of the sin issue through His Son. We may be born with issues, that doesn’t mean God intended for us to keep them. Nor does He wish for us to sin or have a perpetual identity crisis. He longs to restore humanity to the first estate. 

The first estate of Adam and Eve was God’s plan. Man and woman made in His image, without sin, linked together in the first human covenant, to be representatives of Him in the earth. He made mankind in His image (Genesis 1:27). They (man and woman) together represent what He is like. They were given a purpose; be with God, love God, love one another, have dominion on the earth, rule, subdue, be fruitful and multiply (procreate). 

“Oh yes, you shaped me first inside, then out; you formed me in my mother’s womb.

I thank you, High God—you’re breathtaking! Body and soul, I am marvelously made! I worship in adoration—what a creation!

You know me inside and out, you know every bone in my body; You know exactly how I was made, bit by bit, how I was sculpted from nothing into something.

Like an open book, you watched me grow from conception to birth; all the stages of my life were spread out before you. The days of my life all prepared before I’d even lived one day,“~Psalm 139:13-16 (The Message). 

Our society has redefined identity. Even in the church. Everyone gets to be who they want to be. Our culture says if you feel like a duck, then you can become a duck and everyone around you must approve and applaud. If you dress like a duck, I’d still love you. God still loves you. That doesn’t mean you are a duck. Your DNA will still say human. No matter the pills we take, clothes we wear, or what we place on our drivers license/birth certificate, or what we call ourselves, our identity was selected by God and written on our DNA. 

On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it?~Romans 9:20. 

You may be saying you’ve never argued with God about your identity. Have you ever wished you were someone else? Wanted their gifts, talents, skills? Wished you could look like someone else or have what they have? Tried to change who you are to fit in, so people like and approve of you? Defined yourself by success, family, marriage, or associations instead of as a beloved child of God? Defined yourself by your sin instead of what God says? Allowed others to tell you who you are? Felt discontent because you couldn’t compete with others? Allowed the opinions of others or lack of approval/acknowledgement to steal your joy?

Our media is set up to bring confusion and discontentment. There’s no message that I can find of, “Be content with who you are and what you have.” Nor are there many messages stating God is the standard, the tuning fork we are to adjust our lives and thoughts to. 

Examples from life:

My personality is rare, the rarest among women according to Myers Briggs. People have told me, “You’re like a man.” I’m not a man. I’m 100% female and don’t wish to be a man. Yet it’s challenging when people try to define who you are by their standards instead of God’s. God gave me a mostly logical brain, and I am a thinker. I’m not into the same things many women are. Yet I am who God created me to be; created to display His creativity in the earth. 
Wait a minute! Don’t change my design…

There’s a comic artist I love online. Her comics bring such joy! One day she posted how people were taking her creations and chopping them off or changing them by only showing part of the image. She as the creator was livid that her original designs were being changed. She knew the message she wanted to send to the world. When her creation was changed, the meaning was lost and it no longer brought glory to her. She was no longer honored nor her true intentions seen. It wasn’t hers anymore. It was altered, changed, and the message confused. 

God handcrafted you! You were and are His design. 

I posted somewhere I had a vision a year or so ago with all these priceless hand cut gems from heaven. The Father was pouring them out into the world via a conveyor belt. They filled the earth perfectly. Each one different and unique, and perfectly cut so they fit together. He then lit up the world; it was the most brilliant scene. What if the diamonds decided to be rubies or the emeralds to be opals? They decide to make their own design and well, that’s where we get perversion. Which is something twisted, altered, and the wrong version. 

The evil one says, “Do what feels good to you. God made you different than what you appear. You can be who ever you want to be! It’s your world, your body, your ideas, your feelings, and passions that matter most.” Then he sits back and laughs at humanity like I believe he did with Adam and Eve. They forfeited God’s amazing plan for something that brought sickness, torment, disease, sin, pain, confusion, abuse, heartache…all the horrors we see in the world today go back to Adam and Eve choosing their way over God’s. The devil never told them the negative consequences of believing him over God. The devil never tells anyone that stepping outside God’s will cause eventual destruction. 

What’s the Good News?! The good news is God always has a redemptive plan. No matter how we feel or think about who or what we are, God can and will give us His lenses and perspective. He sent His Son Jesus to redeem humanity and reestablish broken, fractured, and lost identity. He takes what was broken in the Garden and makes it whole. 

God’s vision for humanity was represented in the Garden of Eden before Adam sinned. If Eve had truly believed she was made in the image of God, when the serpent tempted her with something she already had she may have resounded, “I am created in His image already. No thank you!” If she had fully grasped the goodness of God, maybe she would responded, “God withholds nothing good from me. He is good. I will not eat from this tree.” 

Sweet friends, God knew what He was doing when He created you. He has an amazing plan for your life. You are defined by heavenly standards and God sees someone He loves. He defines you by His book, His creative idea, by Himself. You were carved out of the imagination of God. God doesn’t define anyone by sin or the world’s standards. He looks at His children and calls forth their true identities as sons and daughters of God. It’s not about what we feel or what others say. It’s about what He says. Only the Creator can tell you the purpose and identity of His creation. You are a walking poem and billboard for God’s creative genuis. 

Papa God, please forgive us for trying to tell You who we are, for defining ourselves by the world’s standards or by our feelings/thoughts/passions/insecurities. Please cleanse us of pride, insecurity, deception, rebellion, perversion, and unbelief. Please forgive us for redefining who we are in ways that dishonor and disrespect You. Help us to seek You for identity because the greatest title we can carry is child of God. Help us to see ourselves through Your eyes. Show us what we were born for. In Jesus mighty name amen.

You are so deeply loved! 

Erin 

Adopted into a Royal Family (Manifesting Sonship Series Part II)

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Adopted children are chosen for love, desired, and given the same access to the Father as natural children. 

Beautiful friends, I’m so thankful you’re joining me on this exploration of sonship. Knowing who God is and who we are in Him is so crucial to living an abundant life and manifesting what He’s like to the world. 

I cannot love myself, love others, or fully love God if I do not first know His love for me. I also cannot imitate someone I do not know. It’s impossible to bear the fruit of His likeness without abiding (remaining in Him). See John 15:5. 

You and I were once unreconciled to God. Scripture tells us all but Jesus have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). God however had a redemptive plan all along, to save the world through His Son. Through relationship with Jesus we have the opportunity like Him to call God Abba Father. 
Let’s dig into some scripture that talks about our adoption. 

Ephesians 1: 3-14 (Amplified)

Blessed and worthy of praise be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms in Christ, just as [in His love] He chose us in Christ [actually selected us for Himself as His own] before the foundation of the world, so that we would be holy [that is, consecrated, set apart for Him, purpose-driven] and blameless in His sight. In love He predestined and lovingly planned for us to be adopted to Himself as [His own] children through Jesus Christ, in accordance with the kind intention and good pleasure of His will— to the praise of His glorious grace and favor, which He so freely bestowed on us in the Beloved [His Son, Jesus Christ]. In Him we have redemption [that is, our deliverance and salvation] through His blood, [which paid the penalty for our sin and resulted in] the forgiveness and complete pardon of our sin, in accordance with the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. In all wisdom and understanding [with practical insight] He made known to us the mystery of His will according to His good pleasure, which He purposed in Christ, with regard to the fulfillment of the times [that is, the end of history, the climax of the ages]—to bring all things together in Christ, [both] things in the heavens and things on the earth. In Him also we have received an inheritance [a destiny—we were claimed by God as His own], having been predestined (chosen, appointed beforehand) according to the purpose of Him who works everything in agreement with the counsel and design of His will, so that we who were the first to hope in Christ [who first put our confidence in Him as our Lord and Savior] would exist to the praise of His glory. In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. The Spirit is the guarantee [the first installment, the pledge, a foretaste] of our inheritance until the redemption of God’s own [purchased] possession [His believers], to the praise of His glory.

I gave you lots of verses for a reason; we have a weighty inheritance. I encourage reading these verses again and again asking the Holy Spirit to root them deep into your heart and mind, soul and spirit. 

What can we take away from these verses. 

  • You and I are no mistake! We were on God’s mind before the foundation of the earth. Our earthly parents may have been confused but God wasn’t. 
  • God wanted and wants a personal and intimate relationship with us. We were chosen. Adopted children are wanted and chosen (hand selected). 
  • We have a spiritual inheritance in Christ. We are not orphans without an inheritance or future. This means we are not paupers, beggars, nor are we poor. Our Heavenly Father owns everything. He’s not poor.  
  • We have been given His name and His seal. In Christ, we are His. I was adopted. I took my Father’s name. Everything the natural children received because of my father’s name, I received. We are coheirs with Christ. Not beggars outside the gate. 
  • We become a Royal Priesthood! …you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a consecrated nation, a [special] people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies [the wonderful deeds and virtues and perfections] of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light,~1 Peter 2:9. 
  • We can boldly approach the throne of grace, our Heavenly Father (Hebrews 4:16). We have been given access in the Son (Jesus). 
  • We don’t have to beg God to do things. We are His children; He longs to do what’s right more than we do. Jesus told us to ask, believe, not beg (Matthew 7:7-11). He withholds nothing good (Psalm 84:11). Our idea of good doesn’t always match His, His timing, or His understanding yet He’s always working for good. 
  • We are unconditionally loved. God chose us in love before we ever said yes to Him. Therefore His love isn’t based on our performance. He loves us because He loves us. 
  • He chose us individually, therefore His love is not a cookie cutter love. 
  • We are not without family, purpose, or a divine destiny. When your Daddy is God you can dream big and bigger! He’s unlimited. Each person has a divine destiny and purpose. Your life matters. 
  • God likes you! He likes me! No one chooses something they don’t like or value. The value of something is determined by how much someone will pay for it. The Father gave His Son. Jesus gave His life. 

I will end by saying God longs to be with us. He’s not a cruel dictator or tyrant. He longs to be with us to love us. He actually enjoys our company. I struggled with this concept until my niece came along. I love her with my life and she makes messes, has mini tantrums, destroys flowers, and can’t communicate fully yet. I love being with her and doing what she likes to do. 

One day I asked God, “Why do You like being with me? I haven’t said anything remotely intelligent all day and even if I tried, I can’t match You.”

He responded, “I love you. I love you more than you love Naomi. You simply enjoy being with her. I enjoy being with you. You’re my daughter and if you do nothing I’m right here loving you.”

May you and I believe, accept, and bask in our identity as God’s child. If you’re not in Christ, have not repented and asked Him to be Lord over your life, He’s longing for you. Check out How to Know Jesus.

Papa God thank You for choosing us. I ask every lie about identity would be uprooted and replaced with Your truth. May we know the height, depth, width, & vast expanse of Your amazing love. Show us what it means to be Royal, and model Kingdom Royalty like Jesus-a humble servant. In Jesus mighty name, amen. 

Love,

Erin Lamb