Tag: God loves you

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.

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Warmly,

Erin Lamb

Miracles Are to Flow From Love

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Morning Notes on Power, Miracles, Signs, and Wonders. Jesus Performed Miracles Through Love. He Did Not Flow Through Pride, Ego, Show, or Selfish Gain.

Power without love is not God. Yes the gifts of God are irrevocable. The fruit of the Spirit manifests the fruit of God; love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). Apostle Paul stated without love we are making noise, we are nothing, and have nothing (1 Corinthians 13). The Bible also states that between faith, hope, and love, the greatest is love. God is love (1 John 4:8).

It is so easy to look at the outward things and gifts and neglect character and fruit. Jesus said the world would know His disciples by their agape love (sacrificial, unselfish love)-John 13:35. The gifts of the Spirit were not meant to operate outside the work of the Holy Spirit. All the gifts are to flow through the beautiful Holy Spirit who is pure love. Apostle Paul placed the chapter on love 1 Corinthians 13 in between two chapters on the gifts of the Spirit. He did not write in chapters, he wrote letters.

Mankind is impressed by miracles, signs, and wonders. God is impressed by the hearts of man. God looks right past the outward to the inward parts of mankind. Jesus even states in Matthew 25 His great attention on the love of humanity.

“I was hungry and you did not feed Me.”

“I was naked and you did not clothe Me.”

“I was in sick and prison and you did not visit Me.”

“I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink.”

“I was a stranger and you did not invite Me into your home.”

“I tell you the truth, when you refused to help the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were refusing to help Me,” Jesus (from Matthew 25).

There is no part of His statement that focuses on demonstrations of power. Yes, we want to walk in God’s power. Jesus operated in love and the manifestation of love was the miraculous. He was moved with compassion and healed the sick. The root source of His miraculous power was love. His life source was love. His motivation was love.

Sometimes the very act of loving people brings about a miracle. I have held people, hugged them and just loved them and seen the overflow of love produce a miracle in their lives. It was not me. It was His love flowing through me to them. The reception of the love of God brought about transformation.

Mama Heidi Baker tells the story of a demonized girl she just held and loved. She rocked the girl and loved her. Those spirits could not stand in the love. They vacated the little girl.

My point is this. Love, God love, is our superpower. All of the gifts of the Spirit are to flow through the fruit of the Spirit. If we get the love part right, we will see Jesus. The world needs Jesus. The world needs fruit of His Spirit. The world needs to know and feel the heartbeat of God.

Papa God, help us to live out of the overflow of your great love. Take us deeper than we have ever been before. Take us deeper into the corridor of your heart and help us dwell there. Remove everything blocking us from receiving your great love. Soak us in your love today. More than the soul can hold. Push out any darkness. Infuse us with your light.

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Image: Art of Kleyn

Love in Christ,

Erin Lamb

We Become Like The Gods We Worship

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Morning Devotion: Knowing God is the Key to Thriving. We Can Be Stuck Worshipping The God Made in Our Own Image. We Become Like the gods We Worship. Let’s Know The God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob for Who He truly Is.

I strongly desire for every person to know God intimately for themselves, and not the “God” they think they know. There are things over the years I thought I knew about God yet the more time I spent with Him the greater the revelation. I am still learning.

My first book is entitled I Thought I Knew What Love Was. It is so easy to gather thoughts about God from other people, from skimming the Bible, and not dive into personal intimacy. It is also possible to allow the things we have been taught about God to keep us from learning more. I want to know God for myself, not second hand knowledge.

This journey to intimacy with God moves us being being poly parrots to living out of the very heartbeat of God. Our understanding of God will determine who we become. We become like the gods we worship, they write their names on our faces.

If I do not believe God is good, I will be less inclined to be good to people. If I believe God is harsh, hyper critical, unmerciful or cruel, then I would be more prone to be that way. The grid or lenses by which we view God determine what we become.

Some worship a god of religion, some traditions of men, some a god of their denomination, some a racist god, some a sexist god, some a greedy god, some an unloving god, some an indifferent god, some a god that only lives to serve them.

Over the years I have met hundreds of people who claim to speak for God or know God with some quite backwards ideas, unloving speech, and questionable behavior.

God is not rude. Rudeness is a weak person’s attempt at strength and power. God is all powerful and all knowing. Knowing all our faults, God chooses to move in love and compassion. He could blast all of us to dust with one word, yet instead chooses to send His Son to wash feet and serve humanity.

God is not racist or sexist. I get the most feedback when I talk about equality. Humans desire a hierarchy system due to insecurity, pride, misunderstanding how God works, religious spirits, and misunderstanding the bible. Jesus is supposed to be the standard and we do not see racism or sexism in Jesus. Some misunderstand Paul’s letters and refuse to change their mind about his true meaning.

God is after relationship, not religion. The goal was never to just fill buildings with people who do not engage with God outside of those meetings. The goal was and is to cultivate family with humanity. He said, “I have grafted you into my family through my Son. You have been adopted.” He did not say, “I have signed you up for a program or network.” Family functions differently than an organization. A body functions differently than an organization. The place God longs to gather is in our hearts. God longs for daily communing and a habitation-not visitation. God cultivates family, interdependent community.

God does not live in the land of speaking death and limitations of our abilities. When Moses told God he did not speak well, God replied to Moses, “Who made the mouth?” God did not say to Moses, “Well you suck, I can’t do anything with you…what on earth am I to do. Let me replace you with someone better.” God sees our weakness or perceived limitations as an opportunity to showcase His strength. God has no weakness. I have had loads of people try to word curse me with their death words. God does not speak death over me nor limitations. God speaks life and endless possibilities to His children. Those who ultimately suffer are those not in union with Jesus.

God is not into celebrity status and political agendas. God thinks highly of every human being and demonstrated this on the cross. In heaven there are no elections, no Christian celebrity sections, roped off areas for the VIP, etc…God looks at the heart. God examines fruit. A person can gain all the applause on earth and miss the applause of heaven. God pursues all of humanity for good, not just popular people or those on a certain side of a political fence. I have seen people grossly mistreat those who are not platform ministers or popular and think it’s okay. It’s not okay. It’s sin and ungodly. Jesus stated, “What you have done to the least of them, you have done to me.”

God actually cares how we treat people and talk about them or to them. “I’m just telling it like it is,” that damages people is not the heart of God. Jesus spoke truth in love. If we don’t want it said to us, or about us, it may be a good thing to refrain from doing or saying. When God reveals someone in my sphere is struggling, I pray. I do not use the information to beat them to death with it. Discernment is a key to intercession not a springboard for embarrassing people or humiliating them.

God does not seek to humiliate people or publicly embarrass them. I have seen ministers do this and say God led them to, well no! God tells us to go privately to a brother or sister if we have an issue with them. Only if necessary do we need to involve other people.

God is not double minded, confused, nor crazy. “God told me to go left,” then “God changed His mind and told me turn around He did not mean what He said the first time.” Well, often when people are wishy washy and claim “God said,” they have yet to distinguish the voice of God from a demon, or their flesh or soul. God is accurate and not double minded. Sometimes when people want something they will say, “God told me.” And if they no longer want something, “God told me.” The voice that guides is not Holy Spirit. Yet God’s name gets attached to their desires or feelings.

God is not mean, cruel, or hateful. If we are, we either don’t know God or have stepped out of abiding in God.

God is not selfish nor lustful. Lust is seeking pleasure outside God’s design or boundaries for our selfish means. God loves. Love seeks to give and operate inside of the boundaries of God. Heaven does not have a “you are not accountable” pass for “boys will be boys,” or “raging hormones.” Heaven has the same standard, holiness and purity. Grace empowers righteousness not lawlessness. The bible also states where you have jealousy and selfish ambition you find every evil work. Selfishness is sin. It is using people just to meet our needs. Only caring about ourselves. We are told to not just look out for our own best interests, but the interests of others.

God is good. Every good and perfect gift comes from above from the Father of lights. God continually pursues our good. There is no evil in God. God dod not create evil. God created angelic and human beings with an ability to choose. Some choose to operate outside of God’s will. Evil is the abuse of free will.

God is not insecure. God is bold, confident, courageous, and full of hope. God is aware that He is God.

God is a Spirit and those who worship God must worship Him in Spirit and truth. God is not like a human male. God made both male and female in His image. Females are not some sub creature that has nothing in common with God. Some of the attributes we call feminine exist in God; compassion, deep love, nurturing, mothering, cultivating, wiping tears, teaching, move mountains to help their kids, etc…when God is only viewed through a human male lens, so much is missed about God’s heart and nature.

My encouragement is we daily pursue God. God is worth knowing. It is a journey worth pursuing.

You may pick up your copy of I Thought I Knew What Love Was; The Journey to Intimacy with God and Confident & Free (30 Day Devotional; Grow in Godly Confidence Through Intimacy with God) at Empowered & Free Store (USA & Canada). Or stop by Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble to grab copies.

God invites is to know Him. Join the journey with me into His heart.

Warmly,

Erin Lamb

When Prayer is An Excuse Not to Love

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Morning Short Devotion: When Prayer is An Excuse Not to Love.

I am pro action. I believe our actions tell a greater story than our words. If I speak with the tongues of men and angels, yet have not God love, I am only making noise. I love that Jesus did not just talk about loving people, the love of Jesus was demonstrated through His actions, even to death on a cross.

Love came down and pierced through the darkness, not by ego or eloquent sermons. Love extended a hand, washed feet, mentored, discipled, and met with people outside the Temple walls. Love engaged on a personal level with the least, last, and the lost.

He stated:

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is upon me, for the LORD has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to proclaim that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed,~Isaiah 61:1.

Love is verb and moves us beyond talking about the goodness of God to manifesting the goodness of God. The love of God, as Mama Heidi says, looks like something. I say, the love of God looks like someone, Jesus. All of His life centered around this one pivotal thing, “The Father’s love.”

I can see a person eating from a garbage can and offer them prayer. Or I can run to the store, if possible, and get them a sandwich.

There have been people around me who suffered great loss and I could have just offered prayer, or offered groceries, a listening ear, a connection with someone else who could help them, help them with their resume or send them job alerts, check in, go sit in hospitals/hospice with them, send gift cards, offer to hang out to take their mind off their troubles. Why? Love is demonstrative.

We cannot do everything, we can do something. There are some people I have said no to before. They sought to take advantage of kindness or I simply could not offer any assistance. I try to point people to someone who may be able to assist them. I did not have the capability to offer anything and it was not helpful. Codependency is not what I am advocating, where we think it’s our job to save people. I am advocating thinking of what is the most loving thing to do? What would we want done for us? Most importantly what would God want done for the person?

I love the story of the good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37) because he refused to leave someone in a painful and vulnerable state. When others walked on by, the good Samaritan saw an opportunity to love.

Recent studies have shown people are more prone to take photos or video of someone suffering or a bad accident than help. Please call 911. Don’t just watch someone drown hoping your video goes viral. Seriously.

We do not have unlimited resources. God does. I do not have the time nor energy to help everyone. I do have the ability many times to do more than pray. There are blessing bags in my car. I have helped people look for jobs. I have helped distract kids at the checkout so their mom has a break. I have baby sat for free so parents could get a break. I have offered odd jobs to people out of work. I have helped people clean houses when they were sick. I have given people free business start up advice. I have mentored for free. I have been a friend to the lonely. I have gone to hospitals and nursing homes and just sat with the hurting or taken my guitar. I have listened to people download their issues for hours when I needed someone to be there for me. Love is so very costly. It costs us something to love well. Yet love moves us beyond just sticking bandaids on broken bones.

God love will transform the world, not sermons, politics, religious programs, nor meetings. The world needs genuine love and concern. God so loved the world He gave His Son. The Son so loved the world He gave His life. If we so love the world, what evidence of love is present? If prayer is removed, what evidence is there of love?

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Love,

Erin Lamb

What is Love?

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Morning Notes & Stories: What is Love?

When we truly love someone or something, we take care of it. This is why I have struggled in life with people who rant and rave about how much they love something then treat it poorly. If we don’t water our plants, they die. If we don’t feed our pets, they die. If we invest nothing in our relationships, they die. Yes, there are times where we are not as connected or people grow apart. If we mistreat people, most likely, they will not wish to stay connected to mistreatment.

I do know the people I love, I think about them, I try to reach out sometimes. I cannot do that with thousands of people. I can do that with several dozen. Hey, how are you? I don’t want anything, just checking in or saying I was thinking about you. I try not to harm people. If we can not be a mega blessing, we can at least not harm people.

Love is not just a pretty word. It is a lifestyle of stewarding people, resources, time like it has significant value and impact. When we truly value something or someone, we do not put ourselves in a position to lose them. When we truly value ourselves, then we can love our neighbor AS ourselves.

Beloved children, our love can’t be an abstract theory we only talk about, but a way of life demonstrated through our loving deeds,~1 John 3:18 (The Passion Translation).

Over the course of my life I have met numerous people who say boldly, “I love this person so very much,” yet there is no evidence. Their actions do not demonstrate love, genuine concern, value. I asked God about this. He said, “People can only give away the love they have received. If they have not received My love for them, they will have nothing to give to you or anyone else. People who do not love themselves cannot love anyone else. The way they love Me and receive love from Me will be the way they love you.”

I have stated again and again that the order of love is not God first, others second, and us last. It’s not in the Bible. The Bible says, “We love because God first loves us.” It then says, “Love God, then love your neighbor AS you love yourself.” So the order of love is as follows:

God loves us first

We receive God’s love for ourselves

We love God

We love ourselves

We love our neighbor AS we love ourselves

God invites us to abide in this overflow of His love and I tell you we then are not forced, it comes naturally to love Him and others. I used to try the love God, love others, and put myself last. I mean that was humility right? I will tell you I mostly felt used, was grossly mistreated. Why? If we do not demonstrate love and value for ourselves, others will not either. The martyr becomes the doormat people wipe their feet on with no remorse. Give until it hurts is not wisdom. Wisdom says, “What is proper in this situation? Healthy self esteem and boundaries says, “I will love you the way I love me. I will talk to you the way I talk to myself. I will invest wisely.”

I had a lady I was helping get to church once. She was rude, slammed my car door-even when asked not to, called to dump her issues on me. I thought because Christianity can sometimes condition people to put up with crap Jesus would not put up with that I was just to turn the other cheek. Well I grew tired of her mistreatment and rudeness. She was treating me the way I let her. I will tell you I was far more fiesty before stepping into leadership. She would have slammed my door one time and had an instant come to Jesus moment. I eventually told this woman I was not going to subject myself to her poor treatment. I drove miles out of the way to get her each Sunday. Having a ride was a gift, not an obligation. She eventually stopped riding with me.

Love as stated before, does not position itself to lose what it values. She did not value being picked up and not paying gas. She did not value the situation so she lost it.

My last point is value yourself. It’s not pride. The bible says, “Do not think more highly of yourself than you ought to.” It does not say, “Be a doormat. Treat yourself like garbage. Think you are nothing and not worthy of being treated well.” To insult God’s handiwork is to insult God. God doesn’t create junk.

After college I was going through a phase where I was quite unhappy with the relationships I had. I did not feel valued by most of those people. I was never petty and did not understand why people acted in such a way. God posed the question of why I was choosing to be connected to those people. I thought it was the Christian thing to do. Befriend everyone. I learned I am to love people, and be friendly/kind, yet close friendship was reserved for certain people.

When we value ourselves, we value what we have to offer as well. We see that time wasted is not returned. If people choose to mistreat us, we set boundaries and for some people put distance. We do not owe anyone best friendship or a close relationship.

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Love,

Erin Lamb

Racism is Cured by God Love

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Morning Story: How My Racist Neighbor Became My Friend. God Love Overcomes Hatred.

When I moved into my house, they warned me of the old grumpy man who lived across the street. He was old, cranky, a former cop, racist. I was told to avoid him because he hated everyone especially middle eastern people, blacks, and hispanics. He would frequently call the cops on our Saudi Arabian neighbor (I loved Raja. He was the sweetest guy).

I saw my cranky racist neighbor as an opportunity to share God’s love. The only thing he could do was call me names. I only respond to my name. It’s not what people call you, it’s what you answer to that matters.

So when I saw him, I would smile big and say, “Good morning neighbor, how are you?” At first he was grumpy and grumbled under his breath. I kept waving, smiling, and saying hello.

One day I saw him hobbling to get to the mailbox. I asked him, “Hey are you okay? Are you hurt? Can I help you?” He looked stunned. He proceeded to tell me how he was sick, he could not drive, and needed to get groceries and his medicine. I said, “I can take you or go get those things for you! I would be honored to help you.” He looked at me with sad blue eyes. I saw a person God loved; a person Jesus died for. I felt zero animosity. I felt this deep well of God’s love and compassion.

Something broke in my neighbor’s heart that day. He let me help him. And I spent the next 3-6 months serving. Picking up groceries, checking on him, praying for him, and being a friend. We had fun chats. I even got him to laugh!! 🤣🤣🤣

He would stop by and say hello. One day he showed up with a dozen red roses and a gift. He said, “Thank you for helping me.”

When he could drive again he went and purchased a car just like mine. He stated, “I hope you don’t mind. I really like your car.” I laughed and replied, “We are car twins. I love it!!” He smiled so big.

I watched God transform a heart by His love. Hatred melted away with love. Fear melted away with love. Bigotry melted away with love. Pride melted away with love. I even asked a guy friend of mine to do home repairs for him and they became buddies.

He did not want to talk about Jesus and my agenda was not to shove Jesus down His throat. My agenda was to love him. Jesus said love even your enemies. If we only love those who love us, what credit is that to us? Even the pagans do that. God loves the entire world, even those who hate Him. Why? Because God is love.

Legislation does not cure hatred, pride, insecurity, and fear-God love does.

If we want to see the world transformed, it starts with God’s love! For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son. When we position ourselves to love no matter who it is, we release heaven on earth. God love is our superpower! Choose love! ❤️

Love in Christ,

Erin Lamb

P.S join us tomorrow morning at facebook.com/erinlambauthor for the live webcast teaching on hearing the voice of God.

Honor Flows From Humility and Agape Love

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Morning Devotion: Honor is a Pillar of God’s Character. Jesus Walked in Honor of All. Dishonor Does Not Flow From God, It Flows From Pride and Unbelief. The Purpose of Honor and How Dishonor or Lack of Honor are Great Learning Tools.

Honor is something we give because of who we are, it is not to be demanded. We stand in honor as heirs of the King. We represent a King and His Kingdom. Jesus honored even the least of them and those society deemed less than, outcasts, and misfits. He modeled the heart of the Father for all, not some of humanity.

Honor is choosing to see as God sees. Everyone has tremendous value and worth to God. There is no hierarchy in heaven, no group more valued. There is no racism, sexism, or bigotry. The Kingdom of God functions on honor. Honor is rooted in agape love (sacrificial, unselfish, lavish love).

Honor is not agreeement with what is wicked. It is choosing to treat people with respect, dignity, and like they have value because Jesus died for them. It is seeing the potential of people. It is choosing to speak to a person’s identity and call them higher. It is choosing to speak life instead of death. It is choosing to bless instead of curse. It is choosing to pray instead of slander. It is choosing to serve instead of demanding to be served. It is choosing to recognize God values everyone.

I heard a minister say, “It is good a prophet is honored everywhere but their hometown and with their friend/family. It keeps them humble.” I disagree. Humility is a right assessment of oneself in relation to God. Being treated as inferior, less than, or insignificant does not match God. I believe pride and improper understanding of how the Kingdom works is what fuels dishonor. It is a pride issue, not something God applauds. They said of Jesus, “Oh that is just Joseph’s son.” They could not see Jesus as the Son of God and their pride blocked them from receiving the blessing God wanted to give them through Jesus.

Jesus said to them, “A prophet is treated with honor everywhere except in his own hometown, among his relatives, and in his own house.” He was unable to do any great miracle in Nazareth,[a] except to heal a few sick people by laying his hands upon them. He was amazed at the depth of their unbelief![b] Then Jesus went out into the different villages and taught the people,~Mark 6:4-6 (The Passion Translation).

[a] Mark 6:5 Nazareth was the only place recorded in the Gospels that Jesus was unable (because of their unbelief) to do miracles.

[b] Mark 6:6 This is one of two instances where Jesus was amazed. The other is found in Matt. 8:10. Both refer to the response of faith. Here it is the great unbelief of those who knew Jesus and lived in his hometown of Nazareth (Jews). The other is the great faith of the Roman military captain (a gentile). We have no record of Jesus ever returning to Nazareth. He made Capernaum his base of ministry while in the province of Galilee.

Lack of honor blocks us from receiving from God. God does extraordinary things through every day people. Some miss their blessing because they are chasing after who they think God should work through instead of who God sent. Jesus did not fit the mold the people wanted so they rejected Him. Those who rejected Him missed out on everlasting life. Maybe the greatest mentor for you is right in front of your face. I thank God for the people right near me who are full of the treasures of God. I see greatness in them and learn from them.

When we refuse to honor the people right in front of us, we are not honoring or loving God. He stated what we did to the least of them, we did unto Him (Matthew 25:40-45). The Bible states that the least visible parts of the body deserve more honor (1 Corinthians 12:23).

Think about your own child or someone you love. Think about if the people closest to them were the least supportive, the least honoring, the least respectful, and treated them as insignificant. Would that make you happy? Would you say, “Oh God is just teaching them to be humble by this disrespect.” It sounds a bit crazy when we relate it to someone we love. God LOVES us more than we could love anyone. God loves His children significantly more than we can love ours. He does not delight in people mistreating us or refusing to honor who He loves.

God bestowed on Jesus the highest honor. He gave Him the name above all names. God raised us up in Christ and seated us in heavenly places. God turned wretched sinners into a royal priesthood. God chooses to pursue honor. We were enemies of God and dishonorable. Yet while we were yet sinners, Jesus died for us. God offered us salvation through repentance and faith. He then lavished on us every spiritual gift in heavenly places. God is honorable. God invites us to pursue honor.

Lessons From Being Dishonored and Unsupported:

1. Even in Christianity there is idolatry. Some clamor for the celebrity Christian to pray for them or honor only those they deem important. It is pride. The Holy Spirit, Jesus, and Papa God are the only ones needed for breakthrough. When people make people their god, or set certain people on pedestal to be worshipped it is dishonoring of God. It is idolatry.

2. Being dishonored shows you what not to do to other people.

3. Being dishonored shows you how to pray for other people. Only a person abiding/soaking/living out of God’s love can give that away. So you pray for everyone, including yourself, to know the height, depth, width, and vast expanse of God’s love.

4. Being dishonored while you have little influence keeps you from being blown away by the same people who run back with honor when they see God promoting you. I am amazed how people shift their actions when they see someone they admire honor you. They offered you zero honor until someone else came along that was higher in their eyes than you and offered you honor.

5. Being dishonored shows you inner circle versus outer circle friends. We treat everyone with love, respect, dignity. Trust is another ball game. Access to the deep parts of our hearts is best reserved for those who will honor our hearts.

6. Being dishonored not being honored teaches you to rely primarily on God for love, support, encouragement, and friendship. You live for an audience of One. If no one claps, you get it done with God. If they boo or try to sabatoge your efforts, you keep your head high and walk with God. If they say you can’t do it, you get it done with God. If they refuse support, you get it done with God. God is the One you look to for identity and support.

7. Your motives are tried in seasons of dishonor or lack of honor. Will you continue to do what God said even if you are called to serve a wicked king, to serve ungrateful or unsupportive people? Will you stand on your assignment and choose honor even if dishonored? The assignment is not primarily about us. It is about glory to God. God does not delight in our mistreatment. I am not advising anyone to stay in abusive situations. I am saying when they go low, we go high. We choose to function with a royalty mindset and lead by example. Our motive is to love God, and honor God. Out of love for God flows love and honor for people-even the worst of sinners.

May you and stand as royalty in Christ and treat others the way Jesus would treat them. Jesus touched the lepers, sat with the tax collectors and worst of sinners, spoke to those others deemed worthless, ministered to the least, last, and lost. Jesus is our role model for life. There was no ego or celebrity about Jesus. He came and served. He came and washed feet. He came and showed the world how wonderful the Father is.

When we say we are followers of Jesus and then dishonor people, we are stating God does not love them. Why? Our actions are supposed to demonstrate who Jesus is. This is why dishonor, Christian celebrity worship, racism, sexism, and lack of honor need to be driven out of the church. It is antichrist. It says, “God is not love. He is selective in who He loves.” This is a huge lie. May we pursue honor.

Join us August 15th 2018 on the author Facebook page for our next speak life teaching. I will be covering discernment, hearing from God, what to do if you miss it in hearing from God, and how intimacy with God builds confidence.

Love,

Erin Lamb

Upcoming Webcast August 7th 2018

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Let’s connect!

Join me next week for a live webcast. It is lesson 2 in the 30 Day Speak Life Challenge.

This past Wednesday I spoke about Genesis 1 and our new identity in Christ. Let’s live on the right side of the cross!! We are not who we used to be if we are united to Jesus.

You may find that teaching here: Author Page Videos.

Tuesday for the Speak Life Lesson 2 (you can join us at facebook.com/erinlambauthor), I will be talking about navigating through hard seasons with God.

It’s easy to think positive and be confident when life is roses. What about when all hell is breaking loose, you are being persecuted, the bottom fell out of your plans, you are facing death or given a bad diagnosis, or life has sucker punched you? I will share some biblical insights from overcomings and part of my story of overcoming these things.

Tune in August 7th, at 9am EST, 6am Pacific, on the FB author page, and let’s chat.

See ya next week. God loves you. Enjoy Him today. He loves you with an everlasting love. ❤️

Love,

Erin Lamb

New Courses & Teaching Materials Coming

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New classes and educational courses are coming!

Mobile Masterclasses: You can invite the soul health Masterclasses to your area. This course is designed to give you tools to help abuse victims, those who suffer from deep soul wounds, Post Traumatic Stress, and dissociation. Many of the people who go through the class get personal breakthrough during the 3 day course, such an added bonus.

We received a 5 star rating from those who attended the course in June 2018. We continue to receive reports of people freed of symptoms of Post Traumatic Stress and dissociation.

Masterclass Student Binder

Masterclass Clinical Time

What are some of the reports from Masterclass? Glad you asked. 😉

“This course was so amazing! I feel that I received both breakthrough and healing of so many wounds that have totally been life changing!”-Survey Monkey Response

“Yes set free from fear, anxiety, worry, from lies that I wasn’t loved. Seeing Jesus during worship hugging my parents was huge for me, very freeing how much he loves them.”-Survey Monkey Response

“During the time of worship and self inner healing I had a memory healed that I’ve revisited for over 10 years. Finally the ground where it happened was worked up and the place no longer exists!”-Survey Monkey Response

“Yes, my relationship with my husband has majorly improved. I am more aware of my own soul wounds and now I have tools for healing. Thank you Erin!!”-Survey Monkey Response

“Through the weekend, Holt Spirit showed me several traumas resulting in disassociation and sickness.”-Survey Monkey Response

“Ok I have another report…I wrapped up a second session around 8pm tonight. This client is the reason I enrolled in the masterclass. She has suffered PTSD for a very long time and we had hit a wall with standard Sozo. Today was our first opportunity to use the new tools I learned in MasterClass. She was completely set free from PTSD today! We identified the root and everything fell into place! By the time we finished the Deliverance portion of the session, that evil spirit was begging to get out of her! I am on Cloud 9! This has been an amazing day!!!”-LS (Masterclass Student)

Basics Online Course: You will be able to take the courses online at your pace! No need to even leave your home. The basic class is a prerequisite to the Masterclass for those not already involved in inner healing. I cover what the soul is, how the soul operates, how the soul is wounded, the basics of soul healing.

Teaching Series: You will be able to purchase and download the Confident & Free teaching series and other teachings. I cover topics such as identity & authority, the confidence of Jesus, how insecurity limits, overcoming rejection and trauma, and so much more.

Check out Empowered & Free for details on upcoming events, courses, and teaching tools.

We want you to live confident, empowered, and free!

Courses cover topics such as: identity, recovering from abuse/rejection/trauma/post traumatic stress, building godly confidence, thriving instead of surviving, overcoming insecurity, and more.

You may also stay up to date on the next books! I hope to finish

Killing Insecurity next. Insecurity is limiting; Jesus is the cure.

Love,

Erin Lamb

Setting Healthy Boundaries

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Morning Devotion: Setting Healthy Boundaries. God Sets Limits and Boundaries. Loving Ourselves Involves Setting Limits With People.

One of the areas of my life God has been infusing with wisdom the past years is boundaries. They are so vital. I learned people treat us the way we let them. What we tolerate continues. I learned people wanted me to be available to drop whatever was happening in my life for them with zero investment because I was too open, too helpful, overgave, over invested, and treated everyone like they were VIP. It appeared I did not value my time or resources so why should they? We must learn to demonstrate value for ourselves. It is not arrogance to value yourself. It is expected from God. Love your neighbor AS you love yourself.

I believe everyone is worthy of love, respect, dignity, and should be treated well. Everyone is not to have the same levels of access to us. Some people have general seating. Some have VIP. Some have no access at all. They are loved, they do not have access to the inner world, classified information, nor access to all my time.

I also learned kindness is telling people that their behavior is inappropriate. Some float through life destructive because they have never been corrected nor had any godly consequences.

My lack of wisdom nor strong boundaries caused numerous issues. The funny thing is, I had quite strong boundaries until I started doing ministry things. Then I was told to love, turn the other cheek, just keep being nice to Susie. Susie on the other hand was destructive, divisive, and creating strife in the church. Kindness was telling Susie, “We love you, God loves you. Your identity is not what you do. We would love to have you stay, yet this behavior is ungodly. What is going on in your heart that you behave this way? If you keep harassing people without repentance, we need you to leave.”

It is imperative that we:

1. Value ourselves the way God does.

2. Value the time and resources given by God and not waste them (everyone and everything is not our assignment-ask God for His assignments and to know when they are over/what the limits should be).

3. Address mistreatment when it occurs.

4. Set limits with people (no you may not call me at 2 am to download your problems, you may not pop in and out of my life and expect me to drop everything for you, no I am not your therapist, and no you may not treat me that way).

5. Assess who has and who should have access to us; what level of access is appropriate.

Access Level 1 (New Person/Toxic Behaving Person):

If it is someone we just met and do not know well, they do not need to know everything about us. People who gossip, are abusive, critical, or cruel also do not need to know everything. General information is appropriate. The amount of time we spend with them may be limited. The amount of info we share may be limited. They are on a need to know basis. In this level, we love the person without giving them full access to the house (our lives).

Access Level 2 (Associate):

This person has a bit more access. They may have more information and trust has been built over time. Associates are like branches on the tree. They do not hold much weight. They can break off and blow away like the wind.

Access Level 3 (Friend):

This person has demonstrated that they love, care, support, and want the best for you. Their actions are loving. They have more access to your time and life. This is a MUTUAL relationship. It is not one sided. Friends are invested on both sides. There is a level of trust on both sides. They have demonstrated with their actions, not just their words, that they are trustworthy and have your best interests at heart. These people can be stronger branches or like the trunk of a tree. They are helpful, supportive.

Access Level 4 (Close Friend/VIP):

This person you could trust with your life, deep inner world, and has more access to you. They are tried and true. They are fiercely loyal, supportive, truthful, loving, hopeful, and willing to sacrifice for you. Their actions are supportive of their words. You could leave your kids or bank account information with them, knowing no harm would come to you. I only have 2 of these people aside from my dad. These people are the roots of the tree. They may not be visible to everyone, yet they are to us. They are strong, supportive, reliable, not going anywhere.

We get into trouble when everyone is given the same access. My heart is just to LOVE people, for everyone to feel included. Yet love without wisdom is not God love. God loves us all; He still sets limits. I think one of the issues is the belief God just accepts anything from us so people should too. This is a lie!! The Old Testament gives us a great picture of what God requires. Jesus fulfilled the law. He did not abolish God’s requirements for access to Him nor His standard of holiness. Jesus gave us a new way, the only way to approach God and fulfill the requirements. Those who treat God loosely, without true respect and honor, will do the same to you. Those who believe God just accepts whatever they offer, will treat you the same way. Misunderstanding grace has produced some abusive people in churches.

Are we setting healthy boundaries? Are we tolerating unhealthy boundaries?

God expects us to love ourselves and set healthy boundaries. Boundaries are like a fence around our lives. People can see the beauty of our heart or lives, yet only invited guests are allowed inside. If they come inside to repeadily burn down the yard, they are escorted outside the fence. Their level of access changes.

May you and I not only love others, may we love ourselves.

Image: Sharon Martin Counseling

Love,

Erin Lamb

Upcoming Events:

I will be on the radio this Saturday night July 28, 2018 with Pastor Mike Zachman out of Seattle, WA. You may tune in from wherever you are. Call in, we would love to chat with you and pray for you.

I will be in Columbus, Ohio next month and would love to connect with you. See the info below. The event is free, just seeking a headcount for refreshments. Go to Empowered & Free and click on Upcoming Events.