Tag: Heart of God

Our Reactions to Evil Matter (Pursuing Authentic Christianity)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I am not stating we condone sin.

I am not stating we condone immorality.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Bottom line-we overcome evil with good.

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

Love,

Erin Lamb

Godly Pursuit vs. Selfish Pursuit

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Every Pursuit is Not Rooted in God Love

I have encountered numerous women in my lifetime who felt so special for being pursued. Yet the man pursued them as a game, out of loneliness, selfishness, lust, greed, to check a box, to cause harm. Women can pursue too…women are sometimes taught in culture that having a man increases their value or not being married or having children is a sign of life failure. It’s untrue, yet culture contains many things that simply aren’t true. Stalkers are pursuers too…they simply don’t possess the right motivations.

God tells us to pursue wisdom. God tells us to investigate fruit (Matthew 7:15-20). I have been pursued by people, not just men, for their selfish gain. They were not interested in what God was speaking to me or calling me to do. They saw something they thought they wanted and saught to convince me to go along with the agenda. God tells us not to pursue selfish agendas.

Instead of being motivated by selfish ambition or vanity, each of you should, in humility, be moved to treat one another as more important than yourself,~Phil 2:3.

God is not selfish. When God pursues us, our best interests are taken into consideration. When God presents a plan or His agenda, our best interests and the best interests of others are taken into consideration. I am going to throw out a radical statement. God does not need our worship or devotion. Angels surround the throne of God and worship God continually (Revelation 7:11, Isaiah 6). God invites us into worship not just because He alone is worthy of it, but because worship impacts us in a powerful way. We become like the gods we worship. God alone is good. Even prayer benefits us more than it does God. God is not ego driven; love is God’s persistent motivation.

It can be affirming to be pursued. Yet ask the question, why is this person pursuing me? What is the fruit of their life? Or why am I pursuing this person? God what are my true intentions? Help me to pursue to love as you love.

This is not just for dating. Think about business relationships, ministry relationships, friendships. Is the person coming to the table to add value or with containers to take away? We love tupperware people, we do not allow them to be consistent consumers in our lives. There needs to be balance. Ministering to people is pouring out expecting nothing in return. Godly love involves some reciprocation. God does expect us to love Him in return. It is a lie God desires nothing from us. You may read this in the following verses: Matthew 22:37, 1 Corinthians 6:19, Luke 6:46, John 14:15.

I am inclined to tell you the story of an old hoarder colleague. She loved to go to buffets. The main purpose was to load up her purse. I kid you not she would have a purse full of egg rolls, and chicken wings. She did not frequent buffets because she liked the restaurant per say. She went to load up her purse, what she considered free food. She was not poor in reality. She suffered from scarcity mentality, hoarding, and greed. The restaurant may think, “Oh she loves this place.” Nope, she loves benefiting from this place. If she truly loved the restaurant and the owners, she would abide by their guidelines of not carry out from the buffet. She would not fill her purse full of items. She would think about what is best for the owners not just herself.

God encourages us and invites us into a lifestyle of love. Love thinks of what is best for everyone, not just one person. Love is not selfish, greedy, one sided, nor pursues under false pretenses. God also commits to who He pursues. There is loyalty there. God is not simply pursuing to ditch you later.

Love in Christ,

Erin Lamb

Monday Encouragement

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Revelation of God’s Heart Regarding Relationships (Encouraging Word).

Have you ever wondered how God feels about relationships, conflict, betrayal, loss, mistreatment? I have. I was taught that God loves the sinner (He does). There was far less focus on God loving the one sinned against. I was told to forgive (we should), keep giving, keep pouring out, keep investing because love never fails. What I found was a string of bad or one sided relationships. Yes I was loving. Yes I wad attempting lay my life down. Yes I was giving, giving, giving. I was also in a cycle of feeling unloved, used, abused, mistreated, and had no joy in those relationships. Mostly I wanted to escape those people yet felt obligated to stick with them because God is love.

I failed to realize God wants me to be loved in return. God created relationships to be mutually beneficial. He designed family, community, and what we call the church. It was never intended to be one sided, abusive, harmful, nor for people to be consumers. Love gives.

One of the issues present in our culture is things are being loved, and people are being used. God expects us to steward our lives and hearts. We, not God, must set boundaries. Boundaries are healthy and demonstrate love for ourselves. We love our neighbor AS we love ourselves. Below are the words I sensed from God yesterday. Certainly weigh and test them. God wants you loved well!

The Lord spoke some profound things to my heart that I hope bless someone else.

“I will never bring someone into your life to abuse you, use you, manipulate you, or hurt you. People have free will and they do not always make the right choices. I desire that you are loved well! I desire that you are treated well, honored, celebrated, and cared for the way My Son loves you.

Gosh we love you and we are so honored to know you and call you beloved. I desire for your dreams to be fulfilled and EXCEEDED. I do not delight when people mistreat you. It brings great sorrow to My heart. People think because I can turn bad situations into good ones that I am the source of the bad things. Some believe I am an unloving Father, that I want the very least for them, that I enjoy struggle, pain, betrayal and loss. They do not understand My heart.

I LOVE My children MORE than anyone could love them. I want the VERY BEST for them. I want them to have JOY. I want them to see My heart for them through others whether that is through a spouse or friend or family.

I am deeply grieved when My children hurt each other, out of their brokenness, pride, insecurity, and lack of receiving My love. It is not My will that My children are abused, wounded, put down, rejected, abandoned, or left to suffer. I run towards the brokenhearted and bind up their wounds.

Understand that I am for you. I will expose and move people away from you who seek to destroy your heart or life. I love them the same as I love you. I am also a protective Dad. I come to stand as an Advocate and the Lover of your soul.

I will remove you from people and situations where I gave you as a gift and they trampled that gift under foot. Just as I took the one talent from the unwise servant and gave it to the one with ten, I will remove you from unwise stewards of your heart and plant you in fertile, healthy soil. I will connect you with those who see your value, know their value, and will steward you as I intend.

I love you! I love you! I am for you!! You are a gift, My gift. You were carved out of My heart and bear the seal of My Son. You are our workmanship, created by Love, to be loved and then to love!

I want you to thrive in EVERY area of life! Love Dad.”

I believe this applies to each of us. God is a really good Father! God loves His children MORE than we could ever love ours. If we ask for bread, He will not give us a stone. If we who are sinful know how to give good gifts to our children, how much MORE will our heavenly Father who is perfect in love give us.

Love,

Erin Lamb

Are You Carrying A Load Meant For Jesus?

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Natural Lessons That Can Be Spiritual (Example From Boxing/Krav Maga): Why Rest (Conserving Energy) & Focus Are So Important. The Donkey In This Photo Broke Down Because His Owners Overloaded Him.

One of the easiest ways to defeat someone stronger than you is to overload them, have them use all their energy on things that do not matter, and keep them distracted. Another way is to convince them they are less than who they are, for as a man or woman thinketh in their heart-so are they. You see this in boxing; wear out your opponent or keep them distracted or insult them to try to get in their head.

I had a sparing training match with a primarily left handed fighter. I watched them carefully. They could not execute with the right arm well. I allowed them to swing at me on their left side and blocked every blow. I went after wearing out and disabling their left side. They lost. My intent was not cruelty and this was training, not a fight fight. I told the person. “You are weak on your right side and it’s obvious. You also expend too much energy right off the bat trying to fight me. Conserve your energy, make me work. Make your opponent expend energy and get tired. When your opponent is stronger than you, you let them wear themselves out trying to defeat you. You conserve energy and when they are weaker, you have an even fight. I am ambidextrous and have an advantage over you, instead of wearing yourself out, you should have focused on trying to get me to fight you, not block you.” I took her down quickly because she was so eager to fight she forget that there is a strategy to battle.

The devil is not stupid as people claim. He pays attention to what bothers people, what get’s people worked up and upset, and he loves crisis, fighting, debate, confusion. He wears people out with worry, stress, strain, or fighting battles that are not theirs to fight. Pretty soon the stronger person (Greater is He who is in you, than in the world) is in the corner exhausted. Why? They are overloaded.

I love what my dad does, where he documents a prayer then does not worry God again. He simply touches the paper when He thinks about it and says, “God you know.”

The other tactic of the enemy is to convince humanity that they are not who God says they are. He excels in put downs, mean sarcasm, harassment, mistreatment, in inserting doubt about who God says a person is. He did it with Jesus in the wilderness-“If you are the Son of God.” Well, Satan Jesus is the Son of God. How many times has someone spoken something over you and it was not of God, it was intended to create doubt so you would come into agreement with the liar Satan. Why? What we agree with, we empower. Jesus was wise enough to say, “It is written.” When someone comes at you with identity and confidence killers, you can say, “Oh no, it is written that I am who God says I am, and can do ALL He empowers me to do.”

God did not intend for us to be overloaded. Jesus stated plainly to come to Him all who are weary and heavy laden and He would give us rest. We are not supposed to be in war 24/7 and if we are in war, then we fight from the victory of the risen Christ.

One tool I see used in my own life is when my life is okay, for people to come out of no where with their own crisis, whether it’s family, associate, person from my past, or random ministry person. The person needs help. Yet I had to learn to assess what God wants me to do. Otherwise, I can end up absolutely exhausted. I rarely have a small storm, it’s normally multiple storms or trials at a time and storms around me. Yes we speak peace during storms. We also need to learn to lay down and take a nap. Jesus slept through storms.

I say often, “We cannot do everything, we can do something.” Sometimes that something is laying the situation or person on the alter of God and leaving them there. Sometimes it is offering the person another resource that’s not you. It’s not cruel to assess the energy you have and use wisdom on how to carry the load. Every load is not our load.

I carry quite a bit and 2018 gave me load after load. I triage the loads and try to put as much as possible on the alter of God. Why? I cannot carry everything. I am not a super hero. I am a human being. Too much crisis, too much trauma, too much tragedy, too much loss, too much conflict is bad. There must be times of refreshing. There must be times to truly rest from heavy loads.

Are you loaded down? Are you carrying loads that need placed on the alter of Jesus? Are you expending energy on things that are not supposed to be your focus?

Photo: Business Insider (REUTERS/Ahmad Masood)

Warmly,

Erin Lamb

The Beauty of Honor

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Morning Notes: When Familiarity Leads to Dishonor and Disrespect. Pride Breeds Dishonor, Disrespect, Rebellion, and Lack of Genuine Appreciation.

I believe every person is worthy of honor because they were created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). Honor does not mean complete agreement, nor worship. It is the ability to see the worth of a human being and treat them as though they matter. Honor is also seeing through the lenses of God and having the ability to assess someone by the spirit.

There is a proverb that states familiarity can breed contempt. I believe familiarity can breed dishonor, or lack of value for someone or something. When Jesus began ministry, some of the people around him stated, “Isn’t that Joseph’s son?” They had no grid for Jesus as Messiah. So they treated him with dishonor, disrespect, and disdain. They could not see who Jesus was because they had their own ideas and concepts.

Pride breeds dishonor. Why? Because pride is an elevation of our opinions above God’s. Pride is not just puffing our chest out and being cocky. Pride is an exaltation of self above of God. Dishonor says, “I know who this person is and I will treat them according to my assessment.” The problem with this thinking is that God values everyone and often has a different opinion that we do. Jesus stated, “Whatever you have done to the least of them, you have done unto me.”

Dishonor can also be a manifestation of an inward lack of value for self. We can only give away what we possess. If I view myself as royalty in the eyes of God, then I will honor others as deeply cherished by God. If I view myself as a bottom feeder, possess insecurity, then I may struggle with seeing the value of others because I do not value myself.

Pride pretends to be a friend, yet it is our greatest foe. God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble. God works on behalf of the yielded and surrendered to bring forth even greater honor. It is the person who elevates God’s opinion above theirs who receives more honor.

We see in part and know in part. God sees everything fully. God knows our end from our beginning. God knows who we really are. God knows who our neighbor is and the gifts/talents He placed inside of them. God sees clearly.

It can also be quite easy to not value what is familiar. Oh that is just Susie, she will always be here. It is possible to lose value for someone or something that is steady, constant, and available. Sometimes the best way to appreciate something or someone is to go without it for awhile. Sometimes our greatest appreciation comes in hindsight.

Regardless of how we feel, a Kingdom principle is honor. The bible says the following.

Be devoted to tenderly loving your fellow believers as members of one family. Try to outdo yourselves in respect and honor of one another,~Romans 12:10.

The key to honor is abiding (remaining) in Jesus and receiving the love and honor God has for us. We give away what we possess. If we have not received the honor God gives us, we cannot give that away. May we know how much God loves us and then honor/love others.

Warmly,

Erin Lamb

Hidden in Jesus

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Love,

Erin Lamb

We Can Change the World!

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

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

Freedom is Here! 🕊🗝🔑

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Hey blog buddies

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Let’s end modern day slavery!

Rescued Woman Wearing a Gold Freedom Key

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

Limited Edition Key Collection

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

You can snag yours today at Empowered & Free Shop.

Warmly,

Erin Lamb

Founder and CEO of Lamb Enterprises LLC

Becoming Like Jesus

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Happy Transformed Through Worship Sunday!

Worship is more than singing songs, it is a heart posture of yieldedness to God. It is a surrender in intimacy of all that we are to all that He is. Worship is not about us and what we like. It’s about loving a King! He is worthy of the worship that causes His heart to dance. Lord may we love you, who you really are, not a “god” made in our own image-created in our imagination to suit our needs and wants.

We become like the gods or God we worship.

We will imitate the God we know. It is quite simple to worship a “god” created in our own image instead of the God of Abraham, Issac, and Jacob. Traditions of men, our own ideals, and things we have been taught can replace intimacy/abiding relationship with God. The gods we worship write their names on our faces, and our rhetoric will sound like the one or ones we worship. Our mouths speak what our hearts are full of and only unity with God’s heart produces agape (sacrificial, unselfish, compassionate love). We will smell like where we have been. The aroma of heaven invades true worship. Only the true worship of God for who He is will reproduce disciples who love, live, and behave like Jesus (John 15:4-5).

Love,

Erin Lamb

Empowered-free.com

Facebook.com/erinlambauthor

OperationGodisLove.org

The Ministry of Jesus

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Morning Thoughts: The Ministry of Jesus & Heart of God (Isaiah 61 Reflection). Comforting those who mourn is just as important to God as physical healing.

Certainly still on Cambodia time. That’s okay, I will get back to my time zone eventually.

Awakened an hour ago thinking about the example of Jesus. Jesus only did what He saw the Father doing and only said what He heard Him speaking. Jesus did not feel the need to prove His diety. “Come watch how many miracles I can perform to show you how great I am!” Yes His ministry demonstrated the great love and power of God, yet His motivation was not to gain the applause of people nor boost His ego. His motivation was to honor the Father, bring glory to the Father, and demonstrate compassion. Jesus was moved with compassion and healed the sick.

Jesus did more than heal the sick in body. Jesus healed the souls of people, comforted those who mourned, gave hope to the hopeless, ministered to the outcasts and displaced of society, spoke life, delivered the oppressed, spoke truth in love, and everything else aligned with Isaiah 61.

Our culture can be hyper focused on one aspect of God’s nature, and ignore equally as important parts of His attributes.

I love the ministry of Jesus was and is focused on loving people in whatever capacity is needed at the moment. He comes in with love to heal the body, love to heal the soul, love to comfort those who mourn, love to wipe tears, love to give the perfect gift, love to provide family and blessings, love to demonstrate radical generosity, love to hold a hurting person, love to befriend a lonely person, love to impart courage, love to sacrifice even when we have a need, love to get low instead of position ourselves high, love to work behind the scenes, love to elevate instead of diminish, love to pursue what is best for another.

I love that Jesus lived out of this place of extreme security in His identity. He knew when to be bold and when to be quiet. He knew when to lead and when to submit and follow. He knew when to be with the crowds and when to steal away with the Father. He knew when to step forward and when to pull back. Jesus, beautiful Jesus, operated out of radical confidence. He knew His true identity was approval already given by the Father. He walked in boldness and great humility. He could speak with great authority and profound gentleness.

Jesus is my role model and best friend. If I am to emulate anyone, may it be Jesus. I see through Isaiah 61 the multifaceted heart of God. Comforting those who mourn was and is just as important as sharing the Gospel.

Isaiah 61:1-9

The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed and qualified me to preach the Gospel of good tidings to the meek, the poor, and afflicted; He has sent me to bind up and heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the [physical and spiritual] captives and the opening of the prison and of the eyes to those who are bound,

To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord [the year of His favor] and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all who mourn,

To grant [consolation and joy] to those who mourn in Zion—to give them an ornament (a garland or diadem) of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, the garment [expressive] of praise instead of a heavy, burdened, and failing spirit—that they may be called oaks of righteousness [lofty, strong, and magnificent, distinguished for uprightness, justice, and right standing with God], the planting of the Lord, that He may be glorified.

And they shall rebuild the ancient ruins; they shall raise up the former desolations and renew the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

Aliens shall stand [ready] and feed your flocks, and foreigners shall be your plowmen and your vinedressers.

But you shall be called the priests of the Lord; people will speak of you as the ministers of our God. You shall eat the wealth of the nations, and the glory [once that of your captors] shall be yours.

Instead of your [former] shame you shall have a twofold recompense; instead of dishonor and reproach [your people] shall rejoice in their portion. Therefore in their land they shall possess double [what they had forfeited]; everlasting joy shall be theirs.

For I the Lord love justice; I hate robbery and wrong with violence or a burnt offering. And I will faithfully give them their recompense in truth, and I will make an everlasting covenant or league with them.

And their offspring shall be known among the nations and their descendants among the peoples. All who see them [in their prosperity] will recognize and acknowledge that they are the people whom the Lord has blessed.

God cares about every detail of a person’s life, it all matters. I love that Jesus knew and understands love is the highest aim of the Kingdom!

Once I gain my bearings, I will share with you some of the amazing things God did in Cambodia. God is so good!

Love,

Erin Lamb

Founder of Operation God is Love

Owner and CEO of Lamb Enterprises LLC

Love God; Love People!

The mission is love. The mission is Jesus.