Tag: Freedom

We Are Revival (Love Revolutionaries)

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Happy We Are Revolutionaries Sunday!

I love that God is not a cloner, He is the Creator. Those of our time are not called to be cookie cutters of generals of old. We can learn from the past, yet press onward as Paul stated towards the prize which is Christ. Jesus is not stuck, stagnant, stale, trying to reproduce another Billy Graham, Kathryn Kulhman, Aimee Simple McPherson, or John G Lake. God is looking for a sold out generation reaching for Him and in turn, they will be cloaked with their own unique mantle. Our key is not imitation, it is intimacy!

I have this crazy belief that one person can positively impact the world. Some days I think I am crazy for pressing into areas and saying, “This is not functional anymore. What worked 20 years ago does not work today. God is doing a new thing! God is not stagnant, stale, or stuck. We must keep moving with the momentum of God,” or “This is actually not God at all, it’s man made interpretations of God that limit instead of empower and accelerate. Jesus stated we would do even greater, not live in perpetual defeat or oppression.”

Sometimes I am fatigued by blowing a trumpet…Tired of opposition. Tired of fighting religion because God invites us into relationship. There is power in relationship and intimacy with God. It is not by our power, might, or rituals-it is by God’s Spirit.

I don’t wish to die in the status quo, live in cruise ship Christianity, be lukewarm or complacent, watch the world sink into despair when Jesus provides solutions, abide by “this is how we have always done things”. There’s MORE! Heaven has more to offer and it’s on the other side of our comfort zones!

Revolutions are not birthed out of complacency! They are birthed out of passion, and a fire within that cannot be quenched. It burns bright and hotter for Jesus! He was revolutionary. Revival requires active participation, not just prayer and spectatorship. May the fire and passion of Jesus engulf us and we stand as walking pillars of His love, His light, His wisdom, and His innovation in the world. May the torch we carry light other hearts ablaze for His Kingdom come, His will be done. On earth as in heaven!!

Behold God is doing a new thing!

God show us the new thing!

God keep us linked to your heart.

God take us deeper than we have ever been before.

Pour holy gasoline on the fire in our hearts!

Fan that FLAME!!

Usher in the NEW!!

New Wine!

New Wineskins!

New winds of awakening and revival…let the winds blow, let the winds blow. Fill us up and pour us out. 🔥🍷🍇❤️💯

I want to see entire regions transformed by the great love and power of God. I am talking about helping people, serving people, and making our cities better. We can pray all day, I love prayer, yet we need some people willing to step up and step out to actually be the hands and feet of Jesus. There are solutions available in God and through God that have yet to be seen.

I hope to be part of the solution. I believe you are part of the solution. God created each person with a divine purpose! You, my friend, have a divine purpose. We, you and I, plus God equal transformation. We are needed to participate in some way.

I am praying for you! I pray the fire in your heart increases. We can leave the world better than how we found it.

I hope you join us in Columbus, Ohio in May 2019 for 2 days of activation and empowerment. Part of the proceeds will go towards the poor and efforts to end human trafficking.

I saw some things in Cambodia (trip with Extreme Love-human trafficking initiative), that I cannot forget and still need to process. I can still see the rows of child prostitutes waiting to be exploited. I cannot forget the faces of beautiful children who have had their innocence stolen. It is one thing to hear a statistic and quite another to see a face, hold a child, rock a person traumatized, and wipe the tears of a child prostitute.

I hope this event raises money for a great cause and awakens those attending to how important their role is in world transformation. We are pressing in for awakening, activation of world changers, and deployment of world changers!

I hope to see you May 17-18, 2019

1055 McNaughten Road, Columbus, Ohio 43213.

https://www.empowered-free.com/book-online.

Current discount: Winter5.

You were born to positively impact the world!

Love,

Erin Lamb

Follow Jesus Not Culture

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Happy Pursue God’s Kingdom! ❤️

I love the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus. I don’t always enjoy Christian culture. They don’t always match. Sometimes the focus in culture is not what Jesus focused on at all. Paul and the teachings of Paul are sometimes elevated above Jesus. Paul is the most misquoted and misunderstood author of the New Testament. Paul stated, “follow me as I follow Jesus”-not “follow me instead of Jesus.”

Things Jesus talked about and demonstrated the most: loving God & loving each other (including enemies), the Kingdom of heaven (seek first God’s kingdom), our heart conditions, helping people, discipleship (go make disciples), the nature of the Father, intimacy with the Father, eternity, how to know the Father, what it is like to be His family, and development of leaders who could duplicate what Jesus did.

Things I notice focused on in Christian culture: tithing, marriage, come to church more than be the church, men are the head/wives submit, supporting your local church/pastor, how to get God to bless you, only a few have opportunities to lead or use gifts, development of followers/spectators instead of leaders.

I highly prefer the focus of Jesus. His methods produced disciples who shifted Nations. They did not just fill buildings, they made an impact for generations.

When God is pursued first and most, the rest falls into place-we give because we love God, we support ministers because we love God, people are better spouses when they love God…our focus matters. Sometimes things whispered in the Bible are shouted in culture and they are the secondary thing. Sometimes culture and a misunderstanding of scripture is promoted above the teachings and lifestyle of Jesus…especially the teaching on submission.

The highest things are have no other gods besides God, love, and seek first God’s Kingdom.

May we grow to know Jesus and abide in Him! True Christianity is focused on knowing God and abiding in Him!

Love,

Erin Lamb

P.S all books and audio teachings are on sale today for Valentine’s Day. Go to https://www.empowered-free.com/shop. Use the coupon code: Love2019

Our Reactions to Evil Matter (Pursuing Authentic Christianity)

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Today I want to tackle reactions to evil in the world. When Jesus walked the earth there was evil, injustice, mistreatment of people groups, and he faced hatred/mockery/mistreatment.

We see Jesus responding in sternness to the self righteous (Pharisees) and the disciples. We see compassion for those who were lost and not claiming to be right with God.

Jesus also has a one up on us. He was sinless. Jesus was willing to die for the same people He rebuked sternly. He was willing to be mocked, beaten, and even killed for the UNGODLY! Jesus died for His enemies. If Jesus rebukes someone sternly, He is perfect in His assessment and without any sin.

We can sin in our attempts to deal with people and be puffed up in ourselves while doing so. “Oh, I think sister Susie is wrong, let me grab my bible and go point it out to her.” Is it wrong to try to help someone? No. Yet the bible tells us to make sure we don’t have a big mega plank in our eye before we go trying to pull a splinter out of someone’s eye. We are also told to be gentle. We can be gentle, direct, and not nasty. Is it wrong as a leader to address people? No. Yet if we do not love them, our words can be correct and in the wrong spirit.

It is a trap of the evil one to convince us that we are the Holy Spirit or Jesus. We point to God. We do not become God.

It is a trap of the evil one to respond in the same spirit as the evil of this age. We overcome evil with good. If someone comes at us crazy, it does not mean God gives us permission to act crazy.

God has tested this in my life over and over. It appears as weakness to some people. Yet I do not need to yell or act crazy because someone approaches me with ignorance, hatred, evil, or nonsense. We can rebuke and address in great love understanding that the spirits of this age blind people to the truth of who God is.

They do not believe, because their minds have been kept in the dark by the evil god of this world. He keeps them from seeing the light shining on them, the light that comes from the Good News about the glory of Christ, who is the exact likeness of God,~2 Corinthians 4:4 (GNT).

Imagine going into a house and the lights are off and everyone is blind. Your method to help is to scream at them, “You are blind. You are in the dark!!!” Guess what, your screaming will not make them see. You can scream all day and it adds no value.

Imagine going to a graveyard and everyone is dead. You walk around screaming the Gospel at them. They can’t hear you! Dead people do not hear or see. The only reason a believer in Jesus can see or hear is because God opened blind eyes, deaf ears, and revealed Himself.

You were dead because of your sins and because your sinful nature was not yet cut away. Then God made you alive with Christ, for he forgave all our sins,~Colossians 2:13 (NLT).

One of the ways we can help the world is by actually living a life that is a living testimony of the goodness, love, and power of God. I had several coworkers who were atheists, agnostic, or other faiths inquire about Jesus because of the way I acted at work. I did not bully them with the bible, point out everything they did that violated scripture, nor look down on them. I looked for ways to serve them, love them, and the topic of Jesus would just come up. One went to church because he said he could not figure out why I had so much joy. My Muslim neighbor said I was the only Christian he had encountered that did not mistreat him. One of my atheist coworkers hurt her back and because I did not mistreat her, she let me pray. God took all her pain away.

Imitate God, therefore, in everything you do, because you are his dear children,~Ephesians 5:1 (NLT).

The world has heard our sermons. Have they seen Jesus through us?

Do we respond to evil with the Spirit of Jesus? Do we see people God loves and desires to redeem? Or are we like the Pharisees, our hands are full of heavy stones and we are crying out to God to punish them? I will tell you sin alone is great punishment. Without Jesus, people will have ledgers marked with every sin. Do we care about their souls or just the way they treat us?

We also don’t need to beat people up with the bible. I saw this old movie years ago called Saved. It basically mocked Christians for hypocrisy and improper methods of evangelism. I have included a very short clip of the groups attempt to lead Mary back to Jesus. This involves beating her with an actual bible. The Gospel is Not A Weapon . It’s worth watching! It is about 5 minutes long.

I am not stating we condone sin.

I am not stating we condone immorality.

I am stating the way we deal with people can be part of the determining factors on whether they turn to Jesus or run from Him.

I am stating if we don’t live what we claim to believe it impacts the world. All of creation is groaning for sons and daughters of God to rise up and shine bright (Romans 8:19-23)!

We do have a small role to play. If we are hypocrites, hateful, only love people who are a certain way, then we demonstrate to the world that our God is that way. It misrepresents Jesus to the world.

Let’s look at what Jesus said (Luke 6:32-36 (AMP)

If you [only] love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. If you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. If you lend [money] to those from whom you expect to receive [it back], what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners expecting to receive back the same amount. But love [that is, unselfishly seek the best or higher good for] your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return; for your reward will be great (rich, abundant), and you will be sons of the Most High; because He Himself is kind and gracious and good to the ungrateful and the wicked. Be merciful (responsive, compassionate, tender) just as your[heavenly] Father is merciful.

Expecting people who don’t know Jesus to act like Jesus, is like asking a person who cannot swim to compete in Olympic swimming. They can not. We cannot. Unless we have the Spirit of God we will not manifest the likeness of His character.

Honestly, I have met numerous people in my lifetime in churches who claim Jesus and look and act nothing like Jesus. I have had some of them yell at me, leave my fellowships, act hateful and nasty because I actually taught them what Jesus said. I could write a mega book on mistreatment from professing believers. Shouting “Praise the Lord,” on Sunday and gossiping about you on Monday. I will not even unpack the prejudice, jealousy, competing, pettiness, sexism, sabotage, and racism that I have encountered with professing Christians.

My point is as follows, to expect the world or people who do not know Jesus to flow in tune with God is unreasonable. It is also unfair if we (Christians) are not willing to submit to God to act in ways that actually look like God and then tell others they need God. It confuses the world when the Gospel we teach is not the Gospel we live.

How we react to evil is important. We do not condone it. We do not agree with it. We also do not stoop to low levels of conduct and act in ways unbecoming of Jesus to deal with it. If we were committing evil or out of line, how would we want to be treated? Would we want to be cussed out and condemned? Or would we want someone to say, “I love you and there is a better way?”

I love that even the rebukes of Jesus come because He longs for us to be right with God. Sometimes I think in culture its about us being right and not about the person being right with God.

Love is who God is and how He operates. I appreciate every rebuke and correction of God. Mainly because when God corrects it is to restore. When people do it, sometimes (not always), it is simply a critical spirit or pride. It lacks love, lacks compassion, and lacks tact. A critical spirit can seem like discernment, yet it’s not. God reveals to heal and so we can intercede or help. A critical spirit is rooted in pride and loves pointing out the flaws of others while rarely seeing it’s own flaws.

I am praying I walk in authentic Christianity. Rather than pointing the finger at others, I am asking God to help me walk out authentic faith. When people encounter me, I hope they walk away saying, “I want to know the God you worship,” not “Oh my gosh, get this person away from me. Whoever they worship must be a flake or a freak.”

I actually had a conversation with God Sunday about the way the church represents Him. I put myself in the shoes of someone completely unchurched. Would I desire Jesus just based on my encounters with believers over the years? Other than my parents and a handful of people, well, probably not. Yes, I have met some amazing people, yet as a whole (the summary of my life in Christiandom) have seen a culture that loves those who are already on the path better than the sinner. I would not feel comfortable as a way out there sinner coming into a community of faith. I would not feel comfortable as someone who was labeled liberal or alternative. I would not feel safe. How can I say this? Because I have spent my life in churches and seen the way “outsiders” are treated by a good chunk of people. The person can be a “get them saved project” or “be nice to them only at worship gatherings-ignore otherwise.” Gosh, I have encountered people who withhold love from other Christians because they go to another church or align with another political party. I have seen some pretty amazing believers too, yet as a summary-just my thoughts, we can do better.

I think we (I) can do better by abiding in Jesus (John 15:4-5). We can pray for revival all day, yet if we are not revived internally and begin to actually manifest Jesus, I do not think we will positively impact the world. I hear people chant, “They just need to get saved and come to the church.” Yet, how are we going to treat them when they get there? Is anyone going to mentor or disciple them? Is anyone going to genuinely love, invest, and treat them like Jesus would? We want these millions of souls to come to know Jesus and join our churches, yet have we learned to love the people already right in front of us?

Love is the highest standard. God speaks truth in love. The devil will tell the truth in the wrong spirit to hurt people or inappropriate times to create issues. If you don’t believe demons and the devil can speak truth, read the passages where demons cried out Jesus was the Son of God and He silenced them because it was not His time (Luke 4:41), or the slave girl who followed Paul around speaking truth from the wrong source (Acts 16).

Bottom line-we overcome evil with good.

Do not be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good,~Romans 12:21 (CSB).

Love,

Erin Lamb

Insecurity is Not Humility

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Humility is a right assessment of oneself in relation to God. It is not self abasement nor “I am but a wretched worm.” It is not arrogance, “I am better than others.”

Jesus possessed humility and confidence. He could get low and wash feet. He could also stand in the synagogue and declare the words of Isaiah 61. He stated, “Today this scripture is fulfilled.” He stood bold and confident against the Pharisees. He did not shrink back and claim false humility.

The truth is, Jesus knew who He was in relation to the Father. When He prayed, it was with sincere confidence that God the Father heard His plea. Jesus is our model. Jesus is perfect theology.

I am pursuing doing a two day Confident & Free event because I believe God is raising up a company of believers who know who He is and know who they are in Him.

In Christ we are not less than nor better than; we are redeemed children of God. We are joint heirs. We are His workmanship created for His glory. Insecurity brings no glory to God! It is the flip side of pride.

False humility brings no glory to God, “Let’s pretend we are not who God says we are so others think we are humble.” God wants to free us of agreement with the devil. The devil approached Jesus and said, “If you are the Son of God.” Jesus knew who He was and responded in confidence, “It is written.”

Speakers for the Confident & Free Event will be announced this month! Whooohoooo! Instead of people coming to listen to me speak at 3-4 sessions a day for 2 days, I wanted to give others a chance to share their experiences with gaining godly confidence and freedom.

God has continued to press into my heart a need for people to see themselves as He does; not arrogant and not insecure. I sense and often see confusion over what it means to be confident and deal with numerous people in soul healing sessions who hate themselves, hide, feel bad about who they are, or a few have grandiose ideas about who they are. God intends we live in balance, and love ourselves in healthy ways. We love our neighbor AS we love ourselves.

We will have 7-8 speakers, 7 sessions, 2 panel discussions (you can ask questions), and a wonderful/intimate prophetic worship team.

The focus of day 1 is FREEDOM. Let’s break out of legalism, limiting mindsets, tear down religious strongholds, get the soul and body healed, dream BIGGER with God. I am carving out space for extended ministry time. Need healing, come! Our prayer teams would love to pray for your soul or body healing.

Day 2 is focused on confidence. What does it mean to be confident? Is confidence arrogance? What does it mean to be loving and bold? We want to talk about how to have an intimate relationship with God, hear and test His voice, step out of the boat with Jesus, properly understand and use authority, and share real testimonies of overcoming with Jesus.

The plan is to pour into those who attend. The mission is love. The mission is Jesus. The mission is getting people activated to move beyond just going to listen to someone else speak and do the works of Jesus. The works of Jesus are not just for some people or a select elite. It’s for every person who places their faith in Him!

In Christ you can see the sick healed!

In Christ you can share and preach the Gospel!

In Christ you can see people delivered from tormenting spirits!

In Christ you can love the broken!

In Christ you can make disciples!!

You can! You can! Oh yes you can!!

Jesus said, “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” We, those who follow and abide in Jesus, have empowerment by God to do even GREATER! If you don’t know Jesus, come, we would LOVE to share who He is and how much He loves you.

I hope you join us for two days of jam packed teaching, activations (you get to participate-not just watch us do the stuff), worship, laughter, giveaways, ministry time, prayer, equipping, mentoring, and hopefully answering some questions you may have!!

Come party with us for 2 full days and invite some friends. Right now tickets are discounted to $89. That is roughly $10-12 a session. We also don’t plan on taking up offerings-people can donate to a charity represented there or speaker, yet I won’t be passing the plate to cover event costs. You will also have an opportunity to hear about human trafficking and support being part of the solution.

  • When is it? May 17 and 18, 2019
    • Sessions: 9 am, 2 pm, and 7 pm (mid day sessions have more than one speaker)
    • Where is it? 1055 McNaughten Road, Columbus Ohio 43213
  • Use the coupon code: EarlyBird
    • When should you sign up: As soon as possible. Seats are limited and we are already at 18% capacity with registration opening January 1.
    • Who’s Invited: Everyone (yet we will not have childcare for this event). Come and bring your teenager or preteen.

    Godly confidence is for everyone!!

    Love,

    Erin Lamb

    Founder/Owner/CEO of Lamb Enterprises LLC

    (Authoring, Publishing, Events, Masterclasses, Mentoring, Soul Health, and Wellness)

    #Confidence #ConfidentandFree #JointheParty

    Hidden in Jesus

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    Enjoy being hidden. Find home in God’s heart. ❤️

    I love my cave. I actually prefer being in hidden seasons with Jesus. I never prayed to be seen nor to have a platform. My prayer was to be one of God’s very best friends. I think He is the greatest gift to humanity.

    In hidden seasons you can simply enjoy God. No one is looking at you nor looking for you. You have an intimacy no one asks about and often they don’t even see you. Yet God sees you.

    His eyes are the only ones that matter and He is the best thing.

    Oh my, I could go on for days about God. Don’t forget to ENJOY God. Don’t forget to find yourself lost in His gaze. There is more pleasure in God than anything He created. There is more joy in God than any human.

    He is worth knowing and pursuing…to say, “I want you God. I desire you. Here I am, laying all I am before your feet, to be swept up in love and intimacy. You are who my heart longs for…more of you.”

    May we pursue Him. If no one on earth is looking at you, God is. Look back into those eyes of fire and let the intensity of that love wreck you!!!

    Love,

    Erin Lamb

    Created for Wholeness!

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    Part of what I do, aside from write books, is help people get healed from wounds of gross trauma, abuse, abandonment, rejection, and deep soul wounding.

    I never thought I would be doing what I do. I simply could not understand why there were so many wounded people in churches and in the world who were not getting better from popping pills or cognitive (talk) therapy or just reciting the Bible. Mostly, I wondered why some people were physically healed and others were not.

    God invited me on a several year journey into studying the soul (mind, will, and emotions). The body, soul, and spirit are connected. An injury to one can impact the others. I saw there were people with deep emotional wounds from trauma, abuse, mistreatment who were suffering greatly in their bodies.

    After years of training with Dr. Kraft and Dr. Bitcon, I embarked on teaching, training, and facilitating sessions with people to help them step into greater freedom with God.

    I have worked with people who are highly dissociative (have multiple personalities) and those so traumatized parts of their lives have been limited. I love seeing God bring freedom.

    I also do a yearly MasterClass to train others to do what I do. There are loads of traumatized and wounded people in the world who need help, freedom, and hope. I have even used these methods with children.

    God loves to heal! We were created for wholeness, not fractured living.

    You may read more here: https://www.empowered-free.com/blog/created-for-wholeness.

    If you are struggling with PTSD, wounds of trauma/abuse/abandonment/rejection-I would love to invite you to join me December 1, 2018 at 11am EST for a webinar on Freedom from Trauma!

    God wants us free!

    Register here: Sign Me Up (Freedom From Trauma Class)

    You are profoundly loved, prayed for, and appreciated! Thanks for following the author blog!

    Warmly,

    Erin Lamb

    Founder & CEO of Lamb Enterprises LLC

    Founder of Operation God is Love

    Empowered-Free.com

    OperationGodisLove.org

    We Can Change the World!

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    When we look at the news we see people fighting, mass shootings, hate crimes, rumors of war, poverty, injustice, bullying, name calling, and so many things that are not loving our neighbor. We can blame mental illness or look at the real issue, insecurity. We will not love our neighbor if we do not love ourselves. At the root of all abuse, lack of value for life, racism, sexism, and mistreatment of others is insecurity! There is a cure that does not involve popping pills and years of therapy! Read more here!!

    https://www.empowered-free.com/blog

    Freedom is Here! 🕊🗝🔑

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    Hey blog buddies

    I  just returned from Cambodia doing missions with my not for profit initiative Operation God is Love. We saw so many amazing and beautiful women and children rescued from human trafficking.

    On each outreach I thought, “What can I do to make a difference in the lives of women and children deeply impacted by exploitation”?

    I cannot do everything, I can do something. So can you!

    Have you ever wondered what you could do to change a life?

    Maybe it seems the problems are too big and the solutions seem so lean. Where do we even start? I know I have had those thoughts. Let me tell you that you can change a life! You can partner with those helping others.

    I decided to take some of the proceeds from the sales of our Limited Edition collection and donate to the charity we worked with in Cambodia. They have educational programs for children and women, as well as job training for women.

    The literacy rate is only 37% in Cambodia; I met so many beautiful children at risk who simply want to go to school and learn to read. Education is a way to prevent exploitation. Without an education, children and women are more prone to be lured into human trafficking.

    I would love your help! Your purchase helps a child or woman get an education. Lamb Enterprises has already donated to Extreme Love’s education program and I long to do more.

    While in Cambodia, I took 6 gold freedom key necklaces and offered them to women rescued from trafficking. As these keys were placed on the ladies, there was a declaration spoken over their destiny! You should have seen the joy on their faces.

    Will you join me in doing something about the problem? I will donate 30% of profits to the Extreme Love Education Fund. You may also donate directly to them by going to ExtremeLove.com.

    Every time you purchase a Freedom Key you will be helping someone else!

    Let’s end modern day slavery!

    Rescued Woman Wearing a Gold Freedom Key

    Each woman received a unique gold key and chain to wear.

    Limited Edition Key Collection

    Our antique and gold freedom key collection will be around until we sell out.

    You can snag yours today at Empowered & Free Shop.

    Warmly,

    Erin Lamb

    Founder and CEO of Lamb Enterprises LLC

    Handling Unfulfilled Promises

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    Sarah & Unfulfilled Promises (Devotion)

    I am discouraged by people who make fun of Sarah. She laughed at God. So did Abraham, yet his issues are often overlooked. People who have not suffered in God’s waiting room, just from my experiences, are clueless the pain it brings. Imagine wanting a child and he shows up when you are 10 years away from death. It makes a great story, that’s because we are not the ones who must live the process. The same with the woman with the issue of blood. It’s great to celebrate the miracle, people can forget her 12 years of extreme suffering.

    There are the parades of Christians who quote Scripture to those suffering, tell them to just trust God, while they walk past them with the promises they did not have to wait long for nor contend for long. They have no experience in the waiting rooms of disappointment, no after no from physicians, the disdain and judgement of their peers for not possessing something society says makes you valuable. “If you just had enough faith and believed God, then everything in your life would be perfect.” Well, no. Jesus stated in this world there would be troubles, yet take heart, He overcame the world. The early disciples of Jesus suffered greatly. Many were martyred for their faith, some tortured. Jesus suffered greatly. I do not know of anyone with more faith than Jesus.

    My prayer is we cease telling people if they just believe enough, fast enough, pray enough, tithe enough that they will live in heaven on earth. Heaven is not simply a place. It is a person. God offers Himself to stand with us through the trials and disappointments of life.

    Some people have no grid for suffering over hope deferred, therefore their counsel lacks genuine God compassion.

    Some will tell you to settle and give up the dream! Some will grow tired of your waiting and avoid the topic or avoid you. Some will bombard you with every “Christian” phrase of God keeps His promises. You may even get a Jeremiah 29:11 sticker to put on your window. People quote to you, yet is rare to find one that will wrap their arms around you in compassion and weep with you.

    Everyone is okay talking negatively about Sarah and desperation, yet unless you have walked through painful waiting and seasons of profound disappointment, it is impossible to speak into the life of another waiting and being seemingly denied over and over.

    There is a compassion that is built during suffering that can not be simply imparted. It must be learned through experience. It is not a mantle for everyone. It is for some.

    A woman’s worth…

    It’s 2018 and I feel the pressure to be a wife and mom. It’s one of the first things Christian women ask other women. Then it’s, “Well don’t you want to be married? Don’t you want kids?” People feel at liberty to stick their nose in your business where it does not belong. I wonder if they ever think, “Maybe this person was married and their spouse died. Maybe they were told they can’t have children. Maybe me prying into their personal life is intrusive, rude, and unkind.” So I cannot even imagine what it must have been like for Sarah. She lived in a time and culture where barren women were seen as cursed, less than, shamed, and the inability to produce an heir was looked down upon by society. Oh Sarah!

    Desperation and despair can be bedfellows of prolonged waiting for a promise. You can fast, pray, decree, dance around the mountain and still hurt. You can worship, appreciate God, believe God can, and still hurt. You can hope and still hurt. Why? Prolonged waiting followed by repeated disappointment, can still bring heartache.

    I wish so very much in Christianity we could be like Jesus and Paul and be honest. Jesus was in anguish facing the cross. He knew the Father was good. He was still human and understood His flesh was about to be ripped from His body. He knew and believed the promise. He still felt the depths of agony of what He would walk through, and not be delivered from facing. Paul faced incredible challenges to which He responded with honest expression. He stated there were times they were almost pressed to the point of giving up.

    If you are like Sarah, it’s okay to process your pain, disappointment, and true heart condition with God. You don’t have to pretend to be a super hero for God. God knows it hurts and stings more than anyone. You may be watching others enjoy their promise and you have been waiting, waiting, waiting. Maybe you have endured the insensitive Christian or just slap a verse on it. Maybe you are beyond tired. Maybe your heart is breaking. Maybe you have been pushed to the point of utter desperation.

    I am not going to quote scripture to you. I am not going to tell you to trust God. I am not going to tell you to do the Christian things that are sometimes tools to try to manipulate God. I am going to tell you that God loves you and Jesus understands the depths of your sorrow. I am going to tell you it’s okay to gently tell people to mind their own business or you are not accepting their poor counsel. It is okay to rest. It’s okay to cry. Jesus wept. It’s okay to process the pain instead of stuffing it inside. It’s okay to be human. It’s okay to escape the mobs of people to just process with God. It’s okay!

    I hope this helps someone today process pain and step into greater freedom. Giving people permission to be human is powerful.

    Disclaimer:

    Also this post is NOT about me wanting a child or spouse. Please DO NOT try to set me up, email me about someone, etc…I wrote this post because I am examining the process of desperation and suffering. I have promises that are NOT related to marriage and family that are long standing. I add this disclosure because some people think unmarried means marriage is all you want or think about or view you as a project to marry off. No! No! No!! Just putting it out there to save myself some drama and people sticking their nose in my personal life. One of the biggest promises I am contending for is the salvation of my entire family.

    For more encouraging devotions, check out Confident & Free Devotional.

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    Warmly,

    Erin Lamb

    Why God Made Women (Addressing wrong ideas about female creation)

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    Weekend Devotion: God Created Women in His Image to Be a Source of Strength & Power Where Men Are Weak. Her Divine Design Was Not Maid, Slave, Blindly Obeying Man’s Desire, Nor Lust. Ezer Kenegdo is Poorly Translated As Helper.

    This weekend speaking on ending modern day slavery. 80% of the exploited are women; 50% under the age of 16. Part of the issue is women are viewed as objects to serve the pleasure whims of men, instead of people to be loved.

    Eve was NOT created to be Adam’s play toy or slave. Ezer Kegnedo which is poorly translated into English as helper, means an equal but opposite complement that is strong, provides power, where the other is weak.

    God did not tell Eve, “It is your job to please this man and serve him. Be sure to obey him and follow him.” He told both Adam and Eve both to have dominion on earth (see Genesis 1). Both were created in the image of God.

    The fall of mankind produces a fracture in the male female relationship. God did NOT say, “I want your husband to Lord over you.” He said, “Because of your choice (eating the fruit), your desire is going to be to please your husband (be a people pleaser essentially), and because of your choice he will seek to lord over you.” It was NEVER God’s design for men to dominate women nor treat them like sex objects or slaves or servants.

    Jesus stated the greatest among you will be your servant, when the disciples were fighting over who would be the greatest (Matthew 23:11). The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve (Matthew 20:28).

    God created relationships to flow from love! Love does not seek someone to meet it’s selfish whims. Love seeks to serve. Paul told husbands to love their wives the way Christ loves the church. Love comes to give, serve, invest, empower, help, celebrate….love is NOT a consumer that uses people like Kleenex. What is so radical about Ephesians is people ignore Ephesians 5:21 which says “Submit (be willing to yield to what honors God) to one another out of reverence for God,” and “Husbands love your wives the way Christ loves loves the church (Ephesians 5:25).

    The focus is wives submit to your husbands which in study I found is not in the orginal text as written. Wives submit was added based on what translators felt would fit. It was submit to one another, likewise for wives. Wives were already forced into submission in the culture.

    Paul emphasized husbands treating their wives the way Jesus loves the church. Jesus makes the church a coheir, serves the church, prepares a place for her, adds value, treats her as a part of Him, nourishes the church, takes care of the church. This was RADICAL because men in the culture treated their wives like property and walking reproductive organs. The guidance of Paul for men was radical. Women were not treated as coheirs the way Jesus treats the church. Yet thousands of years later you still see hyper focus on women be submissive and little on men submitting (Ephesians 5:21) and loving the way Jesus loves (Ephesians 5:25, John 13:34-35, 1 John 4:8). Paul said without love we are just making noise and we are nothing (1 Corinthians 13).

    I truly believe one of the ways we can end some of the horrible crimes against women is to stop teaching that women are just supposed to submit to the desires of men. Women are not children created to aimlessly follow men. Eve was created because it was not good for Adam to be alone. Adam had a need. Adam had a problem. God provided someone who was created to be a source of power and strength where he was weak. They were to complement each other.

    God even refers to Himself as an Ezer to mankind. He provides strength where we are weak.

    When women are viewed as people not walking reproductive organs created for man’s pleasure, I think things will radically shift.

    When lust is addressed as anti God and sin, and we help people get delivered, I think things will radically shift.

    When love enters the hearts of people, and people are seen as someone to love not an object to use-things will shift.

    When the adult film industry loses clients (it fuels human trafficking), things will shift.

    When young girls are taught they are not pleasure pods created to please men, but created to be loved as a person not a service-things will shift.

    When “boys will be boys” is removed from our vocabulary as excuses for poor behavior, things will shift.

    When we address the things God spoke about relationships instead of hyper focusing on women submit, things will change. God created women to be a source of strength and that had nothing to do with her ability to please him physically.

    Women were created different from men on purpose! Women have the ability to use both sides of their brains in ways men tend to be single focused/minded. Each gender is gifted and adds value to the other. The brain of a woman in complex and different. It is not inferior.

    My prayer is we (culture) get to know the heart and love of God. Love fulfills the law because love does no harm to it’s neighbor (Romans 13:10)! Love does not sell people or use them for their body or forced labor. Love does not treat people like servants. Jesus said, “I no longer call you servants; I call you friends (John 15:15).”

    Love comes to serve. Love is pure. Love comes to honor God.

    Having the desire for physical intimacy is not sin; desiring to use people, get those needs met outside God’s design, seeking to be pleased instead of love…that is selfish and sinful.

    People were created by love (God), to be loved, then to love. Without love, it’s not God. God is love (1 John 4:8). Those who do not love, do not know God.

    Lust is not love. It is selfish and greedy. It comes to be served, not serve. It comes to consume, not give. It comes with demands, not a heart to honor. Jesus came and took the lowest place. He did not boss the disciples around, “Serve Me peasants. I am the King. I am the Lord over you.” Nope. He washed feet. He gave the disciples an invitation into relationship and led them by love. Leader=servant of others in the eyes of God. The leader is the one who sacrificially loves. Jesus laid His life down for the church. Jesus did not boss people around. He loved them.

    May we see people the way God does. Women were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). I won’t even touch on how 50% of the victims of human trafficking are under 16 years old. Some are as young as 3 or 4 years old. Children are being sold for forced labor or illicit sexual acts. It is beyond disturbing. Men were not created for lust. Men were created to love like God. Love does NOT harm children.

    Here are some organizations you can support who are addressing human trafficking.

    International Justice Mission (ijm.org)

    Extreme Love (extremelove.com)

    A21 (A21.org)

    And there are so many more!

    I will be speaking this Sunday at 10:30am on Ending Modern Day Slavery.

    You may watch the live stream from Vineyard Christian Church Live Stream.

    May you and I be the change we wish to see in the world!

    Love,

    Erin Lamb

    https://www.empowered-free.com

    Facebook.com/erinlambauthor