Tag: God’s heart

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?

For more devotions, check out Confident & Free:

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

This weekend journals and books are on sale. I Thought I Knew What Love Was is already marked down. Use the Code Labor Day for Confident & Free and Journals.

Love,

Erin Lamb

The Power of Love

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Photo: Me & Mama Heidi Baker (Iris Ministries)

Morning Notes & Stories: The Power of Love and Honor.

Some people will only honor or recognize your value when someone they admire honors you. Yet honor is a pillar of God’s character, nature, and Kingdom.

Heaven flows on honor and there is no VIP section or segregation (the haves and have nots; the elite and the paupers). In heaven every person is considered royalty and a joint heir with Jesus. Every tribe, tongue, and Nation will be represented.

The orphan spirit desires that someone be inferior and a hierarchy system. Kings and queens understand their tremendous value and therefore bestow honor on everyone. They seek to honor, elevate, celebrate, and assist others to see their greatest potential.

Sons and daughters of God who truly see themselves as God does, can also see others as God does. They are not jealous, envious, competitive, nor do they operate in dishonor.

It is imperative to know who we are from the perspective of God. God has such deep and profound for ALL of humanity. This love moves Him to get low and serve, bless, encourage, help, empower, and propel others forward. Jesus said we (those who follow Him) would do even greater things because we would have His Spirit (John 14:12). Jesus is a champion for all of humanity. Jesus has no ego, no spirit of “be beneath me peasants.”

Loving people, honoring them, and asking God to show us their standing in His heart is so powerful!! When I started researching on the topic of insecurity, one of the top reasons people felt insecure was a lack of support/encouragement which could translate to lack of honor.

I truly believe there is a misconception that we are just to be loved by God, honored by Him, and that is enough. Yes, God+Nothing=Everything. God also designed us to connect with other human beings. We can survive and thrive with God’s love. We will suffer if other people do not love us. Why? We are surrounded by people all day and for the duration of our lives. God gave Adam and Eve each other so they could have a family. The bible says He places the lonely in families (Psalm 68:6). We are supposed to have some people in our lives who value us and want the best for us.

Actor Robin Williams stated, “Sometimes the lonliest feeling is being surrounded by people who do not care about you.” He took his own life. Some people have no one personally invested in their lives. No one checks in on them or asks how they are doing. No one supports them. No one hugs them. No one speaks life. No one loves them. We can tell those people to go find God. Yet what is better is if we walk in love and ask God to love others through us. We do not become God for the person, nor become codependent. We do listen to God and follow His prompting.

I will share a few short stories from my own life.

There was this happy lady at my church who always sat behind me. One day I turned and looked her in the eyes, I said, “Good morning. God loves you.” As I looked at her, I saw the word HOPE in white letters on her chest. I said, “Sometimes God speaks to me and I see words on people or over people. I see hope on you. God longs to infuse you with His hope.” I just spoke out encouragement and this woman began to break down. I mean she cried and cried. I thought, “Oh boy.” Yet our conversation ended with God healing some brokenheartedness.

I kept praying for this sweet lady. I wanted to give her a gift, something beautiful. I had these real pearls I felt led to give her. I packaged them for a queen and presented them to her the next Sunday. She read the card and opened the gift with great tears. She kept saying, “You don’t understand what you have done.” I was clueless. Oh so clueless. Later she told me that a non Christian clairvoyant person (she was not saved yet when this happened) told her she would marry the one who gave her pearls. I had told her in the card the pearls were from Jesus, not me. God was saying to her that the love she was looking for was found in Jesus.

This woman told so many people how Jesus gave her a set of real pearls. She held her head so much higher after that.

Love and honor are so powerful. We can pray all day for people to feel the love of God. Or we can participate and see God transform their life.

My primary love language is not physical touch. Yet on more than one occasion God has asked me to hug someone, place a gentle hand on their shoulder, and on one occasion to hold someone and just pray over them and love them. Why? God is love and ministers in the love language of the other person. We see with Mary and Martha when Lazarus died, Jesus responded to each of them differently. Why? Jesus met them where they were and ministered to them in ways they could understand His love.

With each person God told me to hug or hold, their primary language was touch. It meant something amazing to them. It ministered God’s love to them in a profound way. Ministry and love is supposed to be about what is best for the other person. Honor looks for what will best bless the other person.

Hugging also releases oxytocin which sends a message to the brain that says, “You are loved.” It is the bonding hormone. Babies and mommies release it during cuddling times. A deficit of this hormone creates incredible issues in the lives of infants and adults. It is also released in physical embrace/intimacy of adults. There is a such thing as holy affection. If there is a deficit of holy affection, people will seek it in unholy ways because God created us to be loved and holy affection and affirmation is part of the equation.

The people I hugged said they knew it was Jesus who told me to hug them. One lady, I felt grief leave her body during the embrace. One lady was propelled into her destiny as a full time missionary.

I truly believe people are suffering because they are not loved well by people. There is this push to have God do everything; “God you honor them. God you meet this need. God you love them. I am not going to do anything.” This is NOT a Kingdom mindset. A Kingdom mindest is love, honor, serve, partnership with God. If someone is starving, praying for them is great and give them a sandwich. It’s okay to hug someone if that makes them feel loved. It’s okay to send that note, ecard, gift-to ask God how they perceive love.

Instead of asking God to love people, we can ask God to flow through us to love others. He will set up divine appointments for us.

We cannot do everything, we can do something.

When we withhold love and honor, we may be withholding the key to propel another person into their destiny.

Lastly, I will tell you how momma Heidi Baker touched my life. I have shared this story, yet share it again because stopping for one person is more meaningful than we can imagine. I see this on the streets. Hugging the drug addict and watching God move them to repentance and restoration; God honors everyone. Everyone I meet means so much to God. I see kings and queens who just don’t know they are royalty yet.

When I went to see Heidi years ago, I had no clue who she was. I just did not know. I was asked to go hear this missionary lady speak and went along. It was a season of my life where I was being harassed and persecuted by people in the Christian circle and where I worked. At the time I was simply invisible to the people who should have stood up for me. I was also processing the death of someone I greatly loved. She was a mother, a friend, one of God’s best. I only had one friend at the time who knew the depths of pain I was carrying.

When Heidi walked in, I still did not know who she was. I was sitting cross legged down front, on the floor, in the crowd. I was, in my mind, hidden and pretty invisible. Yet I was not to her. We locked eyes for maybe 10 seconds, she said, “Hi” and then I looked away. The next thing I knew, this small petite blond woman was on the ground with her arms around me, hugging me, kissing me and saying “I said hi.” She hugged me tight like she had known me forever.

It wasn’t about Heidi in that moment. It was about Jesus. I felt the love of Jesus through a person. I knew what His love was like from our secret times together. Yet this was Jesus through a person, a stranger.

I love Heidi because she is not arrogant and Jesus flows through her. In the photo attached from two years ago I had the chance to tell her how one small moment impacted my life. Though I like hidden seasons, Jesus spoke through her actions that day, “In a large crowd I see you. Others may overlook you, but I never overlook you. Right where you are, I see you and I love you. I will get down on the floor where you are and bring love to you. Instead of giving love away, I am coming with great love, respect, and honor for you.”

I recall when I am on the streets what it is like to be that hurting person in the crowd. No one is looking for you, but Jesus. So I stop for one and keep stopping. If I am the only one who shows up for outreach, I load up as much as I can carry and go. I keep going-even when tired or disappointed. I stop for the dirty ones, the smelly ones, the drunk ones, the ones selling their bodies, the addicts, the ones who smell like vomit, the hurting ones, the ones carrying deep wounds and pain, and the invisible people. God give me your eyes so I do not gloss over someone you wish to see. They all matter greatly.

In one small act of genuine love, Jesus marked me through momma Heidi. In so many other instances as well. I highlight her because she stands on platforms all over the world yet gets low to kiss the face of a stranger. I had never had any pastor or leader show that level of concern or love for me other than my parents. It was such a small thing, yet so big to me. When we choose to love and honor, we can see God transform a life. I left that night marked by this message, “God sees me.”

So at conferences and church services you may see me looking for the one who came alone, moving away from the VIP section to touch the person no one else is looking for or loving. Why? I find Jesus there. God sees you! There are no invisible, dishonored, outcasts in His heart. He pursues us all to love us.

Who will you love today? Who will you honor? I highly encourage treating everyone as though they are so valued by God. We can ask God for His eyes, His heart. We can’t yield to every demand nor be everyone’s best friend. We can choose to treat others with respect, honor, and dignity. Love looks like someone, Jesus. 🙂

P.S Hope you join us Wednesday morning at 9am EST on the FB page for the live broadcast. I will be talking about getting your soul healed. Facebook.com/erinlambauthor.

Love,

Erin Lamb

Latest book Confident & Free. Available on Amazon.com, BarnesandNoble.com, and Empowered & Free.

Upcoming Events! (Book Signing Today & Live Webcast August 22, 2018)

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Hope you join us today in Columbus, Ohio for the Confident & Free book signing! There will be refreshments, a raffle, and the opportunity to chat.

Location & Time:

  • 1055 McNaughten Road, Columbus Ohio.
  • Noon until 2pm

Also join us on the author FB page August 22nd at 6am Pacific, 9 am Eastern for the Speak Life Challenge teaching.

I will teaching August 22 on healing soul wounds of rejection, trauma, abandonment, and walking in greater confidence with God.

I was trained under Dr. Charles Kraft and Dr. Scott Bitcon and have years of experience in seeing the soul healed.

Some people are seemingly stuck because they have unhealed soul wounds. I want us to be unstuck and thrive. Do you have lingering wounds of hurt, pain, shame, rejection, or trauma. God wants you healed!!

Stop by and check out previous teaching videos loaded. Author Teaching Videos.

Warmly,

Erin Lamb

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

Charity: operationGodisLove.org

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.

For more devotionals check out Confident & Free Devotional book. Purchase Confident & Free Book.

If you are in Columbus, Ohio, stop by the book signing this Sunday August 19, 2018 (noon until 2pm) at 1055 McNaughten Road, Columbus Ohio. You may register at http://www.empowered-free.com see the upcoming events tab.

Also follow the author page so you can stay up to date on events, see weekly live webcasts, and video teachings. http://www.Facebook.com/erinlambauthor.

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.

Get Wisdom!

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Morning Devotion: Gaining wisdom is vital to thriving. Let’s talk about relationships-great ones set you up to go further, draining ones sabotage efforts. God desires we have mutual and life giving relationships.

I had a very bad habit of giving people too much; too much access to me, too much availability, too much sacrificing for their benefit. They say you can never give too much-this is a lie.

Giving without wisdom is just as bad as not giving at all.

Giving in the wrong places, sowing into the wrong soil is just as bad as not sowing.

Let me break it down with examples. If I had a million dollars and gave it to someone who flushed it down the toilet, was that a good investment? No! They put the million dollars in the toilet and flushed it. They had no value for what was given to them. So they wasted it. Say they come back a few weeks later and asked for another million. It would be utter foolishness to give them another million. Yet let’s say you did and they flushed it down the toilet. They come back another time and ask for a million dollars. If you keep giving it to them, it’s pure foolishness.

How many times in Christian relationships is there a push to just give, give, and give with no wisdom? There is this push to give money, volunteer everywhere, give people-even toxic ones full access to your life, and just keep enduring abuse and mistreatment.

Jesus was not foolish. God is not foolish. God is a wise investor. Yes God allows His goodness to flow over the just and the unjust. God also invests wisely. God knows before He pursues us who we will become. God knew though Peter denied Jesus who he would become. God is purposeful, not aimless. There is a divine purpose behind everything God does and everything God allows. Even God has a boundary on who has full access to Him. Jesus said, “No one comes to the Father unless they come through the Son.” God also has an expectation on His love. God tells us He expects to be loved in return. He freely gives us love. Love given relationship with God IS expected to be returned.

“Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”

Jesus answered him, “‘Love the Lord your God with every passion of your heart, with all the energy of your being, and with every thought that is within you.’ This is the great and supreme commandment. And the second is like it in importance: ‘You must love your friend in the same way you love yourself.’ Contained within these commandments to love you will find all the meaning of the Law and the Prophets.”~Matthew 22:36-40.

We are actually told the greatest commandment is to love God. God anticipates mutual love. I know this is not always taught, yet it’s biblical. God loves without our love. He does not cease loving if we do. God still expects mutual love in relationship. I truly believe one of the reasons humans struggle with loving other people is due to a lack of understanding of how to love God. God is their Mr. Fix it, or trunk monkey. He is not someone they engage with just because they love Him. Therefore they do not know how to just love other people.

We are invited to be good to people, even our enemies. This does not mean we become unwise and foolish. Get wisdom the bible says.

A prudent person with insight foresees danger coming and prepares himself for it.

But the senseless rush blindly forward

and suffer the consequences,~Proverbs 22:3.

Say goodbye to a troublemaker and you’ll say goodbye to quarrels, strife, tension, and arguments, for a troublemaker traffics in shame,~Proverbs 22:10.

Walk away from an angry man or you’ll embrace a snare in your soul by becoming bad-tempered just like him,~Proverbs 22:24-25.

So stop fooling yourselves! Evil companions will corrupt good morals and character.[c]~1 Corinthians 15:32.

[c] 1 Corinthians 15:33 This is likely a quotation from the Athenian poet Menander (Thras. 218). Paul is using this quote to encourage the believers to stay away from those who deny the resurrection.

Some Examples:

If Suzie only calls you to download her issues and problems, when she is bored, and sucks up hours of your time needed elsewhere, why are you answering the phone? Suzie is responsible for her own life and you yours. Yes we pray for people. Yes we love people. We also set boundaries.

I have sent people to ministries that have 24/7 prayer support, told then to pursue a counselor or life coach or soul healing or told them I could no longer be their stand in crisis person. Why? I am not God. I don’t want to be Jehovah Jr. I have limited time, tons of obligations, my own issues, and limited emotional capacity. God has no limits. I can not do all things. I can do all things God purposes me to do. Everything and everyone is not my assignment, nor yours.

If we are not careful, people will put us into the God spot. We do not belong there. Only God can be God. We have some limitations.

If Lucy has a bad temper and goes off on you regularly, and you have addressed this behavior with her and she never apologies and continues to verbally abuse you, why are you hanging out with Lucy? Why? Lucy has demonstrated with her actions that she does not care about you. Continuing to pursue closeness with Lucy is not helping Lucy become a better person. Lucy knows no matter how poorly she treats you, you will be back for her to verbally beat up again.

I am going to say something that may be shocking. Love sets boundaries! I repeat, “Love sets boundaries.”

What are boundaries? This is where someone else’s freedom ends where ours begins. It is self care, not selfishness. It is saying, “I value myself and I value you.” It is also wise stewardship. God expects us to love ourselves. We are told to love our neighbor AS we love ourselves. Boundaries examine what God has placed inside us and around us that needs guarded from just anyone and everyone having access.

I love the phrase, “Build a fence, not a wall around your heart. People can see its beauty, yet not everyone has access.”

If we do not gain wisdom in relationships, we can end up in toxic, abusive, one sided, life sucking relationships. How can I say this? I have walked it out. I just wanted to love people and love lavishly gives without expectation of return (in my mind). Like Oprah’s giveaways, I was going around to any and everyone, “You get love, you get love, you get love.” I would befriend anyone and drop my priorities to help other people. I would take vacation to help other people. I learned the following:

1. Without boundaries people treat you like a doormat or worse; you are something to wipe their muddy feet on and they do not respect you. Lack of boundaries leads to mistreatment, being used, and sometimes even abuse.

2. God did not ask me or you to be the sacrificial lamb for everyone. We are to follow the leading and prompting of the Holy Spirit. Yes give, yes love people, and also LISTEN to the Holy Spirit. I had an instance with street ministry where the Holy Spirit told me not to stop for this man begging. I did anyway thinking, “This could not be God. This man is in need.” That man was super nasty squared! God was trying to save me from wasting time, I refused to listen.

3. Some people and things are a distraction! Hear me again. They are a distraction. They come and suck up time and resources when God has other things for us to do or other assignments. Put some prayer on it. God do you want me connected to this? Everything that sounds good or looks good is not God. Learning to set limits and say no is vital.

“Thank you for your offer, I am unable to do that at this time.”

“Thank you so much for thinking of me. I am not able to participate.”

We can lovingly say no.

4. Lack of boundaries is a lack of love for self. I have always hated the love God, love your neighbor, then love yourself last. It is wrong. The true order is receive love from God, love ourselves and God, then love our neighbor AS we love ourselves. God expects us to love ourselves. How do we want to be treated? Why are we tolerating less than that?

5. Lack of boundaries fuels entitlement. Entitlement says, “This is owed to me.” Believe it or not, I have had people demand I be in relationship with them. Or they were quite toxic in choices, behavior and expected close friendship or tried to manipulate me into friendship. Ummmm no. Friendship and relationships are gifts, not obligations. We give thanks for relationships and try to steward them with love. They do not owe us relationship. If we are a poor steward, we may lose relationships.

There are people I love and pray for that do not have full access to me; their access is limited. They have shown repeadily that they are mean spirited, unrepentant, some hostile, and grossly selfish. If they were hungry, I would feed them. Naked, try to get them an outfit. I pray for them. I do not invite them to hang out and talk about my deep inner world. Why? They are going to trample it under foot or go flush it down the toilet. I do not drop my schedule anymore to help others unless God tells me too. I have priorities, obligations, and assignments from God.

This does not mean if someone needs 911 I ignore it. It does mean if I have project work to do and someone needs a ride they can call Uber. It does mean some calls can go to voicemail. It does mean I give people tools to see their own personal breakthrough. It does mean I don’t drop what I am doing for everyone. If I did, I would be driven by people not the Holt Spirit. It does mean I now take a year or so to assess people before I share my inner world-call them a friend.

I have offered way too many people friendship who came into the garden of my heart, poured gasoline, and lit it on fire. They were destructive. I am not wounded nor jaded. I learned something.

I stopped initiating with people who never ever initiated with me or only contacted me if I first contacted them or gave them something or they need something. I learned. Oh baby did I learn.

When people show us who they are, I believe them. I believe what people show me. I am not criticizing nor putting them down. I am assessing a situation based on the evidence. I then set boundaries based on who they are, not what they say. People can chant, “I love you all day,” yet their actions scream indifferent, just here for what I can get, or hostile. Yes we look for the gold, we also gain wisdom! We also function with discernment. We learn to hear and follow the Holy Spirit.

Finally, God wants us connected to people who will steward our hearts, time, and resources like He would. God takes NO delight in toxic relationship. Would we want our children mistreated? Hopefully no. God’s heart is far bigger than ours. God loves His children FAR more than we do.

Activation:

1. If you have children or had a child, what kind of friends would you want them to have? Write it out. Do your friends match that list? Are you that type of friend?

2. Assess who gets most of your time or resources? How are they stewarding what is given? You can waste time with those who have no value for what you offer. How can you better steward the time and resources?

-I have pulled back from super investing as a mentor in people who do absolutely nothing with what is given to them. Why? There are other people who will steward it well.

Bless you! Have an amazing Saturday!

Love,

Erin Lamb

P.S Be sure to check out my latest book Confident & Free Paperback and Confident & Free ebook. If you wish for a signed copy and love in the USA or Canada, please stop by my business website Lamb Enterprises LLC (Live Empowered & Free).