Tag: God is Love

Come Up Higher (Manifesting Sonship Series Intro)

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Photo Credit: Pinterest 

Beautiful friends, I am starting a new series on manifesting sonship. What does this mean? Glad you inquired. 🙂  It will be a series devoted to dissecting God’s words on identity, praying, and activations in identity. 

What does it mean to be a son or daughter of God? Who are you in Christ? What were you created to do? How does God see you? What do you have access to in the Son? How do you appropriate and activate (walk in) what’s already given? What is Kingdom authority? How do you win spiritual battles?

Once we know who God is, we find out who we are. Once we find out who we are, we begin to manifest the likeness of God in the earth. All of creation is groaning for the sons and daughters of God to arise, come up higher, and take their rightful place in the earth. 

We were created for dominion. We were created to bring heaven down. We were created to bring God glory and manifest what He’s like. 

The disciples did more than learn the teachings of Jesus. They did what they saw Him doing; preach the Gospel, heal the sick, cleanse lepers, deliver the oppressed, feed the poor…we can and are called to do those things as well. 

I wanted to start this series with some tools. 

One of the enemy’s greatest tools/objectives is to pull you and I down to his level. He’s on the ground under the feet of Jesus. He’s defeated. Don’t let him fool you. He has authority surrendered to him by humans. He’s not God’s equal. He’s not even on the same playing field as God. It simply looks that way if you don’t know God or have been pulled down to the evil one’s level. 

Intimidation is powerful. If you can convince someone they are powerless or weaker than you, you can beat them every time. 

Important note: the evil one is not bigger or more powerful than God. He’s not more powerful than the Holy Spirit in you! 

Come Up Higher:

Life from God’s perspective is SO much sweeter. 

I learned in Krav Maga (Israeli Street Fighting/Self Defense) you never want to fight on the ground. Ground fighting gives your enemy an advantage over you. Don’t fight on his level. Come up higher, keep him on the ground. 

God tells us we are seated in heavenly places in Christ, that’s far above principalities and powers. He says we have authority in His name and power in the Holy Spirit. He says we are above and not beneath. Need scriptural references, check out  Ephesians 1 and Ephesians 2.

We don’t ground fight with a defeated enemy. We rise above him and stomp on his head. How? 

  • Intimacy with God (stay connected to the Vine in every season). Apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). 
  • Through worship & praise (true worship opens the heavens and attracts the glory of God)
  • Through declaring God’s words (Heaven responds to declarations aligned with God’s will). The power of life and death is in your tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Say what He’s saying. Words are seeds that once you plant them they are growing something for heaven (good) or hell (death, discouragement, evil). Toss the gossip, back biting, complaining.
  • With joy (joy is a weapon).The Bible says, “Rejoice, again I say rejoice!” (Phil 4:4).
  • By maintaining peace (peace and patience are mighty). Be still and know He is God. He will be exalted in the earth (Psalm 46:10)
  • Through forgiving others & releasing offense (harboring unforgiveness and offense gives the evil one prime access to your life.)
  • Through rest (abiding in God is powerful). 
  • By walking in agape love (God’s love is the most powerful force in the Universe!)
  • By obeying God and doing what we see Jesus doing. Jesus listened and watched for what the Father was saying and doing. He maintained alignment with heaven. 
  • Release what you carry. Pity parties don’t bring breakthrough-focusing on the problem or solely inward. Found when my life is blowing up one of the best things to do is go be a blessing. Nothing angers hell more than you being like Jesus: share the gospel, pray for the sick, share God’s love. I send a message, “If you attack me, I’m simply going to keep releasing what God has deposited. I give more!” 

Sweet friends, I hope you’re excited about this new series. I am. I am cheering for you. I am praying for you! Leave a comment if you have specific prayer needs. You are deeply loved! You are God’s workmanship, created for glory. 

Papa God I ask You’d bless each of us with a deeper revelation of who You are, how much You love us, who we are in You, Your plans for the earth, and show us life from heaven’s perspective. Everything is infinitely small compared to You. Take us higher and deeper in Your love. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Love in Christ, 

Erin Lamb 

  

 

I AM Here (Love Poem from Papa God)

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

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

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

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

Here I Am 

Standing

Overflowing with passionate love

Reaching out for you 

The one I love 

While you slumber

I’m wide awake 

Eagerly anticipating 

Meeting with you face to face 

I’m singing you love songs 

The sweetest melodies 

My Son has been praying for you 

He loves to intercede 

Here I Am 

In your storms 

In your trials 

In your fears 

In the midst of your uncertainties

And I’m reaching out 

For you to cast your cares on Me 

You see I’m stronger 

I can handle it all 

I’m strong enough 

And here when you call 

I’m never too busy 

My heart is soft towards you 

Trust if you move a millimeter in My direction

I’m running miles in yours 

I AM here 

Today

Every day 

Loving you 

Wanting you 

Seeking you 

Pursuing you 

Desiring the closest space in your heart 

It’s Me 

Your loving Father

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

Other loves make promises they cannot fulfill 

They promise you love and pleasure 

Leaving you emptier still 

I AM here 

My love will not disappoint you 

Or leave you with regrets 

Oh for you to know Me…

To know My loves’ great width and depth

You cannot exhaust the magnitude of My love

It existed before you 

It’s who I AM 

I AM love 

I’ve seen the end from the beginning

And you cannot change who I AM 

I AM here standing 

Standing in love for you 

Wanting what’s best for you 

Cheering My heart out for you 

Singing my song over you 

Collecting those tears for you

Moving mountains in love for you 

Setting up divine appointments to bless you 

Setting up opportunities to grow you 

I AM here 

And if the entire world turns on you 

If they walk away 

If they refuse to see the gift

The treasure I’ve created in you 

Know you are not alone or abandoned

I AM here 

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

Love, 

Erin Lamb♥️💯

Closing Open Doors (The Spiritual House Series Part III)

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

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

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

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

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

Open doors list: 

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

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

Door number 1: Unforgiveness and Offense. 

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

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

So let’s close some doors in our lives! 

Prayer: 

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Prayer: 

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

Eviction notice prayer for those in Christ:

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

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

Door 4: Gross Sin/Sexual Sin 

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

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

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

Prayer: 

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

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

Eviction notice prayer for those in Christ:

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

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

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

Resources: 

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

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

Love in Christ, 

Erin 

House Cleaning (Spiritual House Series Part I)

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

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

We are body, soul, spirit:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I like how C.S Lewis put it. 

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

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

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

Here’s a testimony from my life. 

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

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

Holy Spirit is all powerful: 

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

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

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

Unbelief 

Coming into agreement with lies 

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

Unforgiveness 

Bitterness 

Jealousy 

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

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

Gossip/slander/hate speech/complaining 

Rebellion (against God or those in authority)

Unchecked Anger

Idolatry (worshipping anything or anyone other than God).

Gross sin

Occult Practices 

Drug use

Negative vows 

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

What’s the solution: God! 

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

Rescources I recommend: 

The Bondage Breaker by Neil T. Anderson 

When the Enemy Strikes by Dr. Charles Stanley

Battlefield of the Mind by Joyce Meyer

The teaching series Breaking Free by Beth Moore

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

You are deeply loved!

Erin 

Know the Author (God)

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Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near,~Jeremiah 55:6.

The platform and foundation of my life is intimacy with God. Intimacy with God is so crucial to understanding the Word of God and living an abundant life. 

One of my life verses is John 15:5. Jesus said, “I am the Vine and you are the branches. Apart from Me, you can do nothing.” The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are one, in perfect communion, unity. If we are to know God, we must abide in Him. 

Over the years I’ve met so many people who can quote me verses of the Bible and miss the heart of God. Even some who can defend their prejudice or sexism based on passages of the Bible. People defended slavery with the Bible. People still defend sexism with the Bible or the oppression of women. I began to investigate why so many people had an image of God that did not match up with the whole of scripture or the heart of God. 

We are trained to memorize the Bible instead of allow the Bible to lead us into an encounter with the One who inspired it. 

I grew up in church. We went several times a week. My dad is a pastor and evangelist. My mum was my Sunday school teacher. I heard the Bible over and over and over. I watched my parents live it. Yet it wasn’t until later in life that I truly began to get to know God on an intimate level. What changed? This burning desire grew inside of me to know His voice and know Him on a deeper level. I read in the Bible that God showed up and revealed Himself to His people. He wanted relationship. 

The foundation for growing relationship is communication and it is also built on experience. 

God longs to connect with us. Talking to God is great. Hearing His voice and listening to Jesus pray, that’s life giving. Living life with God instead of Him being a Sunday morning activity is the best. 

I wrote a book. I write Standard Operating Procedures. If you simply read what I write, talk to me about your problems, visit me once a week, and never inquire of me or listen to me, you will not know me. If you only spend time with me in the same setting, you won’t truly know me. The people who have camped in the jungle with me on missions know more about me than those who meet with me for coffee every so often. We forged intimacy through proximity and life experiences, some of them quite challenging. Those who have done missions with me don’t know me like those who have been roommates. I’m not extroverted. I spend lots of time reading and being alone with God. Those who live with me know I’m not a social butterfly. I’ve learned and by the help of the Holy Spirit how to engage with large groups, be outgoing. He’s teaching and helping me continually. Also intimacy (knowing, oneness) with God leads me to want to love and connect with people. 

The Bible is to lead us into an encounter with God, not replace relationship with God. 

His word reveals Him, it does not contain Him,~Kris Vallotton. 

There’s also a level of intimacy that is forged in challenging seasons. Those who attempt to bypass all challenges in life forgo the opportunity to know the power, sustaining power, comfort, healing, and miraculous works of God. During the hardest seasons of my life, a best friendship was forged with God. I learned He’d sing me to sleep when I was crying tears no one saw but me and Him. I learned He’d feed me when I was working three jobs trying to complete two degrees. I learned God would defend me when I suffered under 7 years of persecution (some at work and some through Christians). I learned God was stronger than death as I faced near death experience after another! 7 of those too…if I count right. I learned the sustaining comfort of God when I had to bury my mum. I learned the provision of God as He sent people to send checks in the mail during times of crisis. I learned the love of God (still learning) through all the peaks and valleys we’ve been through together! Don’t bypass the process of getting to know God in every season.

So, for you and I…I pray we seek God and have continual dialogue with Him. One associate joked that all I do is pray (like I’m locked in a closet somewhere all day). Nope. I have continual dialogue with God (that’s prayer). At the grocery, at the park, at work, in the car, working out, playing guitar…all day my heart and spirit is open to His. 

I leave you with these keys that have been deposited along this journey.

1. God wants an intimate (knowing, oneness) relationship, to be the closest person to us. 

2. God speaks. 

3. God will not violate His Word, He will challenge and expand our understanding of His Word. To truly understand His Word, we need to know the Author and be led by the Holy Spirit. 

4. God is love and He is holy. There’s a love movement that forsakes holiness and it’s not of God, nor is it grace. God will never condone sin because He is holy and Jesus died to free us from slavery to sin. 

5. God is good. If what I’m experiencing now isn’t good, I can trust God will work it for eventual good. My definition of good may not match God’s. He never ceases to be good. 

6. Asking God for wisdom is wisdom. 

7. Humility leads to greater understanding. He is God. I am not.

8. God is infinite. He continues to reveal another aspect of who He is. He doesn’t fit or belong in a box. The beauty is getting to know Him over time. He’s an abounding treasure! 

9. God wants to be known by us. More than we want Him, He wants us. 

10. When we seek Him, we find Him. Intimacy with God is worth pursuing. 

Love you dear ones. Lifting you up! Have a blessed week. May it overflow with God encounters and intimacy with God. You are SO deeply loved (John 3:16). 

Love in Christ, 

Erin 

Keep Sowing

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A little mid week encouragement since I won’t be blogging this weekend. God bless you sweet friends… 

Do you ever feel like love is a waste of time? Or you’ve invested in something for Jesus and there appeared to be no fruit.
I admit I have thought at times, “Jesus, there appears to be no fruit here, what was that about?”
He’s super fun. His response, “It’s not about what you see. Are you willing to continue on out of love for Me?” Yep I am! 

Love is costly (our human nature yields to God to put others first). 

When love flows from God to us and through us, it’s a tremendous blessing. 

It’s all for HIS glory, not our own. 

Those who abide in God, love. Those who do not love, do not know God (1 John 4:8). 

It’s so much easier to only look out for ourselves. Sometimes it seems being selfish gets you further in this life. Yet, it isn’t the life God calls us to. 

Why not live for yourself? Because every seed sown will reap an eventual harvest. And this life is temporary. Eternity is forever. God calls us to look for opportunities to do good for others (Gal 6:10); not for our personal gain, to look good, or to win friends, but to demonstrate what He’s like to the world. He blesses us to be a blessing. He’s a good, loving, and generous God. He’s beyond generous. Also blessed doesn’t always speak to the immediate.

Some harvests for Jesus you won’t see until heaven. Some are storing up treasures in heaven where they do not decay and others on earth which will fade away. Some things that seemed insignificant to you may have changed a life or the course of history. If it brings God glory, we pursue it. Being with Him leads to a life of love, reckless abandon to love, radical generosity, and looking out for others. His heart becomes our heart. What matters to Him, matters to us. The people He loves, we begin to love like Him. 

I leave you with these verses. 

“…let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not,”~Galatians 6:9. 

“So then, let’s work for the good of all whenever we have an opportunity, and especially for those in the household of faith,”~Gal 6:10.

“Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself,”~Phil 2:3. 

You are loved and continually prayed for! 


Love, 

Erin
Sent from my iPhone

Supernatural Love (Miracle Series)

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Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends,~John 15:13. 

A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,~John 13:34-35. 
 
If you assessed my life story or fully understood my personality, I’d be one of the most unlikely to be used by God to love His kids. I’m highly introverted. As a kid my mum said I spent most of my time under the dining room table with my notes, tools, and sketch pad. I can spend days to weeks with just God. I get lost in thoughts, theories, and creating. I’m also, according to Myers Briggs, INTJ (introverted, intuition, thinking, judging). We are not known as the sentimental types. We are primarily thinkers, not feelers. We ask, “Does this work?” We get lost in logic. We solve problems, hence my pursuit of a career in engineering and science. 
 
I tell you this because God is able to love through anyone who’s willing. I prayed long ago for God to teach me to love like Him. I had no clue what it would cost. I had no clue how deep, vast, profound, rich, generous, compassionate, and sacrificial God’s love truly was. I am still learning.
One person other than Jesus I could pinpoint as an example of supernatural love is Apostle Paul. He was, before His encounter with Jesus, a persecutor of Christians. After His encounter with Jesus, Paul became one of the most radical lovers of God, the Gospel, and wrote Corinthians 13 the chapter on love.
The love of God is supernatural, it’s beyond human ability. Humans naturally want to put themselves first. Agape love is sacrificial, selfless, pure, unconditional, holy, honoring, and out of this world. It’s the love Jesus has for us and tells us to have for others.
How do we get this love, God’s love in us? It starts with relationship, intimacy with God. We must first receive before we can ever give. We also abide in Him (John 15:5). The more I’m with God, the more I love people. This love is still challenged. Trust me! Yet with the passing moments of oneness…His heart invades mine. He has imprinted His great love on my heart.
Supernatural Love Stories: 
I’ve pondered how to share stories while honoring others, so there’s a summarizing and exclusion of names. I’m in the process of writing three more books, they will include more life stories as there’s space for them. Here are a few brief stories that may fuel your faith.
I have a person that caused great pain in my life. More pain than anyone else. They treated me poorly in so many ways. When I went through my health crisis, they were not supportive or compassionate. They would say things like, “You’re not really sick. If you were stronger, you’d get up from there…” Well, I was sick. My hair fell out in places, I was on beta blockers for my heart, seeing specialists,…I was a mini train wreck. Yet God has healed me. Praise pause 🙌. Thank YOU Jesus! 👏.
This person later begin to face their own life challenges, health problems,  and God gave me the opportunity to love. Love wasn’t met with appreciation. It was met with excessive complaining, ingratitude, sometimes anger or hostility, and there were many days I’d sit with God thinking, “Why am I being punished? Why am I in this situation? I’m too young for this! Why do I have to love? This person doesn’t even appreciate love.” 
I’d love to tell you prayer led to warm, fuzzy, and loving feelings. I didn’t. There were days where I’d just sob and call out to God for help. Days I wished I could join the witness protection program and run away from my life. Crisis after crisis wore me down emotionally, mentally, physically, etc…I was really young and overwhelmed. While other kids were enjoying their lives, I was trying to juggle chaos. Yet God is stronger. He didn’t deliver me from. He delivered me through. That person grew to slowly change. I didn’t change them, God did something. It was the most painful and challenging season of my life. Yet God’s love is a sustaining power.
Fast forward and my first real opportunity to do discipleship ministry. Like Jesus there were 12 women and me. I gave my life, heart, time, energy, home, and all for those I was leading/discipling. I gave my all for 3 years. I helped people move, opened my home, cooked meals, hosted parties, wiped tears, prayed, played/sang at weddings, was a friend…I’m a 100% type of person. If I commit to someone or something, I’m giving it my all. The people I gave my life to, well several of them turned on me, gossiped about me, lied on me, one even cursed me out in public, one created so much drama people from out of the state were emailing me at work about it, and well…God never gave me permission to walk in unforgiveness or try to avenge myself. I sat in silence while being cussed out (He supernaturally closed my mouth. My natural bend would’ve been to rebuke that woman). It was so painful. It was challenging. There are absolutely no words to express the level of grief it caused. If I had sinned, I’d accept it as my consequences. Yet my issues came from teaching the Gospel as it’s written, pointing to Jesus, being who God created me to be, and not promoting people to leadership roles because God had not released me to do so. Some of those relationships were never fully repaired, yet a few were. There’s forgiveness for everyone, yet not everyone repented or even acknowledged their sin. And God gave me the opportunity again to forgive and love. Supernatural love when I only felt numb inside. Supernatural love to try again with ministry, though I didn’t want to love again sacrificially after those experiences. Christians became my frenemies so it took God to get me back into ministering to other believers. Some may say, that’s no big deal, grow up. Yet until you’ve laid down your life for people who betray you, there’s no place to reference from. Only Jesus knows fully what it’s like and even He experienced great grief facing the cross.
I found through those years of heart wrenching how much love cost Jesus. I was not nailed to a rugged cross, but my heart was. And “I’m sorry,” never healed nor took away any of the pain. Only God can and does.
I sometimes think we (humans) think our sin, rebellion, or rejection of God doesn’t affect Him. It does. And though we say sorry and repent, our behavior does impact His heart. God has feelings…He loves more than we can comprehend. I can’t imagine since He loves more than me how deep it cuts His heart to see His children destroy themselves and others.
If I loved others by experiences with loving people, I would only love a few people or not love at all. This area of my life has been hit with the most opposition and pain. Yet God doesn’t call us to love a few people. He calls us to love everyone, even our enemies. 
Challenging love situations, they teach you so much about God. I don’t love perfectly, God does. Even though He loves perfectly, He’s rejected, used, verbally abused, neglected, hated, ignored, forgotten about, sought after only in crisis, sinned against, and much more.
I used to think going through challenging experiences with love was some form of punishment. Yet God was answering my prayer, “Teach me to love like You.” God teaches by giving us opportunities.
As of the past few years we have moved from love boot camp, to God supernaturally downloading His heart for people into mine. It makes it a bit easier, yet doesn’t change the response of others to me. I still meet rejection, people who attempt to attach themselves to me for their benefit, misunderstandings (why is she being so nice to me?), and I have a few that are oh so challenging to love. I rely fully on God for love, another lesson learned from these experiences. People can’t fill your love tank.
God’s love for you is beyond describable, yet I will try…
God thinks of you continually. He cares about EVERY single detail of your life. He wants you to maintain your freedom to choose (He’s no control freak or manipulator), He’s not absent minded (He keeps log of all your desires and dreams), He celebrates you, He knows all your flaws and still longs to be with you, He sets up opportunities to bless you, Jesus lives to intercede for you, He moves mountains for you, He corrects to restore you, He enjoys every moment you spend with Him, and He desires so much to be with you!!! This love, His love, is life changing. If you want to see your life changed or change the world, receive this love…God’s unfailing & radical love!
You see one of the greatest miracles of all is the Creator of the Universe loving humanity. 
God bless you! Next time we will talk about divine intelligence, when God gives you His wisdom and intelligence. Praying for you! You are SO deeply loved.
Erin

I See the Cross (Beautiful Jesus! Wonderful Savior!)

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Photo Credit: Pinterest

I normally post weekly to give people space to read and not be overwhelmed by multiple messages a week. My heart was so stirred yesterday to recall what love cost God. You see, genuine love is costly. Anyone can say, “I love you,” yet our actions demonstrate whether those words are true. Only the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob offered up His only begotten Son to take away the sins of the world. Our sin was no shock to God. He already knew we’d choose our way over His. It was in the plan all along that Jesus would die for humanity and rise again with all power. 

Only Jesus (God in the flesh) allowed Himself to be humiliated, beaten, mocked, shamed, hurt, rejected, and nailed to a rugged cross to fulfill the Father’s divine plan of redemption. He loved the Father and out of that perfect love and obedience, He went to the cross. He also loves and loved us enough to give His life. 

God is love. He knew by no other means could mankind be truly be saved. So, He offered Himself. He took the penalty for us, for the wages of sin is death. God’s wrath was poured out on that cross so we would not have to face eternal damnation. 

Have you celebrated His sacrifice today? Thanked Him? Worshipped Him? Will you join me today in celebrating the greatest love anyone will ever know? He’s worthy of continual praise! Thank you Papa God. Thank you Jesus. Thank you Holy Spirit. 

Here’s an excerpt from I Thought I Knew What Love Was…hope it leads you to worship. You are SO deeply loved. 


I See the Cross
written by Erin Lamb October 25, 2007 
Copyright© 2011 may not be reproduced without permission

I see the cross,
so vividly in front of me;
one nail pierced hand on the left
and another on the right.
I see His head hanging there
with the thorns positioned, oh, so tight.
I see the blood
dripping from the pure, spotless Lamb.
I kneel before Him
laying my sins,
all of them,
there.
I see the cross.
I see the beauty of God’s unmerited favor
and His forgiveness.
I see love in the eyes of the One who took my place.
For no greater love lies within a person,
than to surrender His life for His friend.
I see the cross,
that rugged cross;
my freedom was purchased with His blood.
He has been and always will be,
the One who paid the greatest price.
I was purchased by His life’s offering.
I am forever seated with Him in the heavenlies,
and my name is written in His heart.
His children are seated next to Him in heavenly places,
for on the cross He did not remain.
He rose again with all power in His hands.
The same power that raised Him from the dead,
now lives inside of me.
It lives inside of you.
It is that great power at work in us
that changes us from the person we are,
into the person that He chose us to be.
It is that same power that transforms a wicked man
into a righteous man.
I see the cross;
my Deliverer
is hanging there.
He purchased my freedom,
my healing,
and every blessing in the heavenly realm.
Some blessings I see now,
and some are yet to be seen.
I see the cross.
Do you see Him?
Do you celebrate here;
the place where tattered rags of our wretchedness
are exchanged for a robe of righteousness?
This place, the place,
is where scarlet sins are washed white as snow.
This is the place we must go.
The cross is where miracles occur.
The greatest miracle of all
is that God would seek to be reconciled with a sinful world.
I see my Father’s love here.
He cared enough
to send His only Son to save the least, the last, and the lost.
I see the cross,
a reflection of what real love is.
Selfishness died on the cross
when He said, “Father not my desires, but all Your purposes be
accomplished.”
Death was triumphed over on the cross
when He spoke, “It is finished.”
We know that we will see Him again,
and this life here is not the end.
We know that when the trumpet sounds,
the dead in Christ will rise
again.
We know that we will have eternity to worship Him
and eternity to love Him.
I see the cross,
and it is all I must see.
Even if the world around me fades away,
I know that through my Savior I am
reconciled,
restored,
and made complete.
This body may fade and wither,
friends and family may come and go.
I have knelt before that rugged cross enough times to know
that my days are in His hands;
so are His purposes and His plan.
He is the reason I live.
He is the reason I rejoice.
No man would sacrifice his life,
put his very life in jeopardy, for someone who was guilty.
He gave His life,
so we may stand before Him completely unashamed.
Take a moment and look to the cross.
Ponder the wonderful cross.
I hope I find you there,
basking in the love of the Father.
He is the One who deeply loves you
and cares for you.
He is there
carrying your infirmities,
collecting every tear,
rejoicing when you rejoice,
and weeping when your soul has had its wear and tear.
You are never alone
and never abandoned.
I see the cross,
engrained forever in my memory.
The cross is a picture of the greatest love.
He is a love so true
and a love so dear.
He is a love that will never end.

All rights reserved. No part of the material may be used or reproduced by any means, graphic, electronic, or mechanical, without the written permission of the Publisher, Westbow Press (www.westbowpress.com), or Author, Erin Lamb. The only exception is in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

If you’d like to read more psalms, poems, love letters to and from God, you can purchase right here on the site there’s a link entitled Get Your Copy or you may purchase through: http://www.westbowpress.com, http://www.barnesandnoble.com. and http://www.amazon.com or iTunes store.

Love, 

Erin 

Photo credit: Pinterest

The Awesome Power of God (Miracle Series)

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“Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him,~Matthew 7:9-11. 

The Bible says we overcome the evil one by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. There’s a fuel that’s poured on our faith when we hear the stories of others overcoming! 

The Bible is filled with stories of God’s awesome power; creating the world and every living creature from His imagination, speaking through a burning bush, providing manna from heaven and quail for His people, sending His Son through a virgin, raising the dead, cleansing lepers, multiplying fish and loaves, multiplying oil, leading by a pillar of fire, parting the Red Sea, defeating armies and giants, delivering His people from the grips of slavery and death…from Genesis to Revelation there’s story after story of miracles. 

All you need is to pick up the Word of God. God is not limited. If He doesn’t do something, it’s not because He can’t. 

I wanted to post more stories of miracles because I believe in God’s power to move mountains. I also believe if people saw and heard of more miracles today, it would fuel theif faith. God hasn’t ceased being powerful! 

If you ever spend time with me, you’d probably be surprised. I laugh quite a bit. I have a child like giggle. I love to play, especially with my heavenly Papa. I’m such a child with Him. I’m part 5 year old, part 100 year old. I am a young adult who feels I’ve been with God for eternity. Why do I tell you this?  Because when you read these stories I want you to understand that I am not super impressive. God is! 

I listed last post some of the physical healings I’ve encountered and seen. What about other miracles…today I share some of those. 

Financial Breakthroughs…

I had a double major in college. I studied chemical engineering for three years, then switched to civil/environmental. Even with scholarships I came out of college with debt. I told the Lord I wanted to be debt free to help more people. The mountain in front of me was quite large. 

Here’s what God did. He provided a job that allowed overtime and a boss who liked to give bonuses. I worked 3 jobs my last year, had a full course load, and still managed to graduate with a B average. That’s a miracle. He sent someone to pay a third of my student loan debt. The list goes on and on…that massive mountain is now a hill. Because nothing is impossible for God. He has unlimited resources. Money is not an issue for God. 

There’s someone I know who’s a business owner and had tons of taxes to pay and the business was sinking and she was praying for help or someone to buy her out. She texted me. I prayed a prayer of breakthrough. God’s able. An hour later a client called and gave her enough for the taxes plus extra. The same week more people called to use her business. She’s rebounding.

Sometimes we are used to bring breakthrough to others because we’ve gotten breakthrough. 

Marriages restored…. 

I’ve never been married. I can only speak of the people I know and have prayed for. Names not used to protect privacy. 

One couple was in despair due to his addiction and their inability to have children. It was a very bad situation. We prayed…and prayed…the husband eventually gave himself fully to God and gave up his pornography addiction. He was healed and delivered. A year or so later, they had their first child. We call her the miracle baby! 😊

Another couple was headed for divorce due to his verbal abuse and mistreatment of his wife. The entire marriage was filled with abuse and control. We prayed…prayed…prayed…I gave the wife a book on love written by a well known Christian author. She gave it to her husband to read. He broke down in tears and confessed his sins to God and his wife. Their marriage has been completely restored. God turned a heart of stone into a soft one. Yeah God!

Salvations…

I want everyone to go to heaven…don’t you? I spent a long time praying for my family. I spent many years being rejected by certain people because I talked about Jesus too much, I was preachy….this past year in a period of a few months ALL my siblings came to know Jesus. Even the one who was super opposed to Jesus. He found himself facedown on New Year’s Eve praying in the Spirit. A radical conversion. 

We sow the seeds, we trust God to bring the plow. No word from Him fails or returns void. 

Protection….

I told you I’ve cheated death about 7 times. Yet one of the greatest stories is God protecting me from coworkers. My first job in my field out of college I was met with persecution. My program manager hated me. A girl on my team tried to turn everyone against me. They’d sabatoge trials, lie, gossip, bully, try to get me fired, talk down to me….it was a hostile work environment. I went to HR….they were not super helpful. My bosses at the time were the opposite of helpful. I wanted to quit many times. So, my family and I went to God in prayer. Fasting and praying. After 4 years of being bullied, God moved me from under her and those teams. I lost many programs…it was hard. I’d go in the bathroom and cry. I am not a big crier (unless it’s with God). Yet the hell I was walking through was unbearable some days. Yet through grace, God never allowed me to retaliate. After I left those program that woman walked up to me and said, “I know the Spirit of God is in you.” She gave her life to Jesus. I lost years, yet God allowed me to be promoted twice since then and now I oversee the largest test team in our unit. It was my Saul and David, Joseph experience. Yet through it all God protected and promoted. 

There are more stories of God’s protection yet I will save those for later…

What’s your mountain? God is so much bigger! What are you afraid of? God is so much stronger. He’s really good. Just like He gave Job double for his trouble, King David a kingdom, Jospeh prominance, Jesus a seat at His right hand….you can trust that linking your life to God will be good. It may not be until heaven until you see the good that’s accomplished. Or it may be this side of heaven. Hang on. I know it’s hard. Been there. Walked through some steep valleys I never thought I’d make it through. I have cried myself to sleep at night. I know sweet friends….but God! He’s 100% faithful! 

Father I ask for every person reading this to cast their burdens on You. I ask for miracles in their lives. I decree and declare breakthrough in every area held up or bound up by the evil one. I release peace, joy, love, and hope! Fan the flame of their faith. In Jesus powerful name. Amen. 

Transformation (Intimacy with God Part XI)

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I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me,~Galatians 2:20 NIV

…if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!~2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ NIV.

Transformation as defined by Webster’s dictionary: 

a complete or major change in someone’s or something’s appearance, form, etc.

I’m sure if you’re a Christian you’ve heard the phrases, “What would Jesus do in this situation?” or “Act like Jesus.” These are great statements to consider. Yet unless we are born again (saved through faith in Christ) and empowered by the Holy Spirit, we have zero chance of effectively and consistently imitating Jesus. 

You see we (humans) are powerless in and of ourselves to lead sinless lives. If we could, there would be no need for a Savior. Jesus came to deliver us from the bondage of sin and death.  

The Holy Spirit comes to empower righteous living and character transformation.

The old man, pre Christ, is gone…dead…dead…dead. The new creation has come. I’ve heard people say, “Oh, I’m such a wretched sinner…just barely making it by grace.” That’s like a butterfly saying, “I’m just a ugly, belly crawling caterpillar.” Transformation occurred and is occurring.

Photo above: My butterfly paintings…

After conversion we are in the process of transformation (santification), being changed into the character likeness of Jesus Christ. Just as infants grow into maturity, the Holy Spirit works in us to continually reveal Jesus and righteousness. 

I’ve lead discipleship groups for about 5 years now. When people say, “God feels so distant. I don’t have any direction, transformation, peace, love, or joy in my life,” I ask…

“How much time are you spending with God? Not doing things for Him, being with Him.”

The answer is normally, “I don’t have time to be with God.” 

My response, “You can’t afford not to.“

Though I’ve heard people teach it, God will not do everything for us. Nope. He said, “I set before you life and death, choose life. Seek first the Kingdom of God. Put Me first and you will find life.”  

We have the ability to quench the Holy Spirit, to reject God, to choose sin, and choose to not spend time with God. 

Life experiences….

I gave my life to Jesus at age 7. From 7 until 16, I just went to church and tried not to sin. God was good, yet distant (so I thought). I didn’t see radical transformation in my life. I just had the cruise ship Christian mentality…”I’m not going to hell. I will give money and be nice and help some people here and there. Yeah!” I think I led one person to Christ. 

Age 16 to now. There were so many life changes that really shook me. Something in me wanted to hear God’s voice. When I began to pursue God’s face and His voice, a deeper transformation began to occur. Couple that with years of wilderness experiences and you find yourself enrolled in the school of the Holy Spirit. 

The more time I spent with God and spend with God, the more His desires and heart become my own. He’s my best friend. I talk to Him and spend more time with Him than anyone else.

We don’t pick God, He chooses us…oh, to be chosen…

If I were going to choose someone for ministry, it wouldn’t be me; very introverted, highly analytical, not interested in platforms or being seen, can be overloaded by too much people interaction. I’m a scientist/engineer who’s never been to bible college (just been with God and studying Him for most of my life). 

God said, “I pick you. Go tell them about My love and demonstrate My love.” I like Moses responded, “Are you serious?” My focus was on who I thought I was, not who He called me to be. I didn’t want to be seen or heard by anyone but God. 

Out of deep love for God and the deposit of His love into my heart for others, off I went to be a living vessel fully surrendered to His will. 

God is transforming my character into His likeness. Since 16 there have been so many miracles, God stories, changes, an increase in peace, joy, courage, passion, love, generosity, kindness, even patience and self control…

As a young person, I rely on Him for wisdom. His thoughts becoming my thoughts.

As a thinker, I rely on Him for love and compassion. His heart for people becoming my heart for people. 

God transforms our character through relationship. It’s not about striving to be like Him. It’s about a covenant relationship founded on commitment, love, and intimacy. Just as married people grow to know each other and can represent the other. As we grow through intimacy (knowing) with God, we will represent Him well in the earth. We are transformed into the likeness of His Son. 

Praying for you! Cheering for you!!! You are so deeply loved (John 3:16). 

Love in Christ, 

Erin Lamb