Tag: Intimacy with God

Divine Knowledge, Insight, & Wisdom (Miracle Series)

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What does God know? Everything. God knows everything about everything. He’s beyond genius. He’s not limited by time or space. He knows the heart of mankind. He knows every hair on your head. He knows the coding of your DNA. He knows every thought that’s ever been birthed in every human being that’s ever lived. His memory is unlimited. Check out Psalm 139. He’s SO awesome. Don’t you agree? 

Can we take a pause to celebrate Him? 👏🏼

Today I wanted to talk to you about revelation from God. It’s all through the Bible and ministry of Jesus. 

I love what Pastor Bill Johnson said, “No one counterfeits what’s fake.” Our world is filled with “spiritual gurus, people who claim they can read your life or future.” If information and knowledge does not come from God it is from the flesh, or is counterfeit for the Holy Spirit; gifts of prophecy, and divine insight from Him. If the orgin is not God, it’s from our flesh or a demonic source. 

The spiritual world is real. We are spirits taking up residence in a body. 

The Bible tells us: 

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places,~Ephesians 6:12. 

A born again believer with the Holy Spirit has access to the wisdom, insight, and knowledge of God. 

Real Life Stories: 

Recognizing wolves in sheep’s clothing

When I was a little kid there were certain people I immediately took a liking to and others that made the hair on my neck stand up. My mum said I just knew people. I truly believe the Holy Spirit gave me supernatural insight into the hearts of people. Not to judge them, but I’d learn later so I’d be an intercessor for them. The priority is love even if the revelation is, “This person’s intentions are not good.” You set boundaries, love, and pray. 

There was a man who lived down the street from our farm who always tried to talk to us and be friendly. I didn’t know him well, yet I sensed evil in his heart. This man later shot and killed my dog. He did plenty of other evil things. We will leave it at that. He’s loved, yet I knew to stay out of his yard no matter how friendly he was. 

Almost every betrayal I’ve faced in life God has warned me. I didn’t stop praying or loving people. I just knew a blow was coming. Since I keep record of what I believe is from God, I can go back and say, “Yes, you told me this would happen.” It did not lessen the pain, it did help me grow in trusting God. 

God is especially good at warnings with friendships or potential mates. One of the only times I’ve heard the audible voice of God was in relation to marriage. There was this man pursuing me for marriage. I prayed. I had others championing the relationship. Yet God knows everything. I remember so vividly, I said, “God is this is a good idea? Should I marry this person?” And as clear as someone in the room speaking I heard “NO!” I looked around. No one was in my bedroom with me. I was freaked out actually. So I kept praying. Needless to say, that relationship did not end in marriage. Thank God. He became quite hostile when I ended it. If I had listened to Holy Spirit early on, it could’ve been avoided altogether. There’s plenty of pressure on young people to be married. If you’re single, please…please…pray and ask God to show you who the person really is. Do they love God? Are they truly following Jesus? The wheat and tare grow up together. Can anyone vouch for their walk with God? Is this God’s best for you and your destiny with God? I’m unmarried because I want God more than anyone else and refuse to join my life to someone He wouldn’t join it to. So prayer and divine insight are a priority. My destiny with God is too important to be forfeited. So is yours.

I have known several people who chose mates that God illuminated it would be a bad idea up front. In all those cases they are now divorced. One woman resented me greatly for telling her. So now I just pray unless God tells me to say something. 

Inner Promptings 

Before that horrible day of September 11th we had planned a trip to Disney World. There was this hesitation inside me to leave that day. Everyone else wanted to fly on that day. I didn’t. I was adamant about leaving days earlier. The people who didn’t change their flights ended up stranded. I just couldn’t fly that day.

Two of three car accidents I’ve had I had an inner prompting to stay home. I didn’t. I don’t live in fear. I just know to pray when I feel this way.

Warning Dreams

Before the school shooting in Conneticut I had this dream that I was in a school with sister and mom and this young man came in and shot up the school. Days before the school shooting I kept waking up at 4 am disturbed. I’ve learned to pray when this happens. 

I had a friend’s sister who moved across country to be with this guy. I kept hearing their names and the word, “split.” I didn’t think much of it. Then I had a dream she was in a funeral home putting up wedding flowers. Felt the Lord saying, “This is not the right relationship.” I prayed. They kept dating. Six months later they were engaged. I thought, “must not have been God.” Then, after a few more months, they were calling it quits. He married someone else. 

Words on people

I see words on or over people sometimes. I’m a word person. Can’t you tell? My blog posts are long, hope to shorten them one day. 🙂 

There are too many stories to post on this topic. So here’s one. 

There was a lady at church who was super happy. She was standing behind me at church. There’s a point where they asked us to greet each other. I turned to greet her and saw the word HOPE across her chest. I thought, “she’s happy. Happy people don’t need hope.” After church I asked if I could pray for her. I told her the word I saw. I spoke to her the things God imprinted on my heart for her. She started crying. The words from God cut right into her heart. I didn’t know this woman, God did. There’s no way I could’ve known her life story or heart condition. 

I felt led to give her a set of pearls one Sunday. I like giving gifts, yet get nervous giving gifts where people know it’s coming from me. I found out later she had told God that she wanted a sign from Him that involved pearls. She had confirmation that she should give her heart even more fully to Jesus. 

Visions of the future 

When I was in college there was a point I was beyond overwhelmed. I had three jobs and a double engineering major. Life seemed so heavy. While driving one day I had an open vision of me with the Father. He picked me up and sat me on His knee. He then lit up all these movie screens in front of us. On them were scenes from my life. I watched my birth, parts of my childhood, some painful things, and the last three screens I recall most vividly. One was my graduation from college (which seemed impossible at the time. I was so tired), the other a white coffin with a single red rose on top (my mum died the year I graduated college), and the last scene…well you just have to wait and see…;)

God imparted hope through that vision. A confirmation of His word, “Never will I leave or forsake you!”

Light more powerful than darkness

A friend invited me to go to a New Age convention to pray for people. In walking around I stopped to talk to a fortune teller. She asked if she could read my palm. I said, “No that’s okay. You’ve been having trouble sleeping at night.” She looked startled. Her outward appearance did not indicate fatigue. She responded, “Yes, the spirits keep me up at night.” I told her she could be free of all those tormenting spirits. Jesus came to set the captives free. 

Some people are afraid of darkness. Yet if you light a candle, darkness scatters. Many people were healed that day, one man gave his life to Christ, and many said their encounters with the Holy Spirit that day surpassed any experiences with drugs, fortune tellers, etc…God knows the heart and how to reach people. There’s no parallel to His wisdom or power. 

So what’s the purpose of divine revelation, insight, and wisdom? 

1. Reveal Jesus and the heart of the Father. 

2. Deepen intimacy (knowing God) with God.

3. Prayer/intercession (standing in the gap, preventing harm, distaster).

4. To build up, edify, encourage, help, love people. Sometimes to warn people too…

5. Bring God glory!

The Source of revelation is God, anything else is from the flesh or demonic sources. If we want to know His voice, we must feast on God’s word and walk in humility. He’s the Vine, we are the branches. Apart from God, we can do nothing. And it’s not about our wisdom, it’s about His. 

Testing what you see, hear, sense…

Words, impressions, visions, pictures, revelations need tested. Is it in line with God’s character and nature? Is is modeled in the Bible? Does it violate scripture?

I’ve heard many teach peace and confirmation are the best tests for knowing if something is from God. Yet God spoke to many people in the Bible and their immediate response was not peace.  When God spoke to Moses it brought fear. Angels were often sent to reassure people, “Do not be afraid.” Joseph didn’t have peace when he found out Mary was pregnant. God sent an angel to confirm His word. Sometimes what God says does not bring immediate peace. There’s also false peace when we are not aligned with the will of God. So we pray and seek wise counsel. I’ve met many people who had peace about cheating on a spouse or abandoning a spouse, etc…the word of God trumps our sense of peace. If the Bible says do not steal, God is not going to tell you to steal. 

As for confirmation, demons know the word of God and have ears too. When Paul met the woman with the spirit of divination, she was speaking the truth…yet her source was not God. So there are various things to consider and evaluate when receiving divine revelation. 

Write it down…

Holy Spirit started speaking scriptures to me. I started prayer and prophecy journals. I document dreams and visions. I date and document all I think is from God. Some journals are 16 years old. I pray over them. I learned to practice in safe places speaking into people’s lives and sharing. Still learning! Wow, so much to learn. Never stop learning. Pray about what to share. Some things God reveals just for you to pray about not share with others. I’d have saved plenty of heartache if I’d learned this earlier. Yet I encourage you not to live in fear. There’s so much grace in God! God loves you and longs to speak to you and through you. It’s all about building relationship and His Kingdom. Listen. Document. Build rapport with God. 

God is the Source of true wisdom, knowledge, and insight. if we ask for wisdom, He provides. He doesn’t tell me everything. He tells me what I need to know. He also answers prayers for wisdom. 

God is longing to speak to you! 

Closing prayer…

Father I ask for Your Spirit of wisdom and revelation to flood those reading the miracle series. Holy Spirit let Your love remove all fear. You said Your sheep know Your voice. Fine tune our hearing. Help us to know Your voice. Use us to bring light, healing, hope, encouragement, and the love of Jesus to others. In Jesus powerful name, amen. 

Love, 

Erin 

God is Powerful (Blessing for You)

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Photo Credit: Pinterest 

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth,~Jesus (Acts 1:8). 

Beautiful friends, I hope you enjoyed Resurrection Sunday. God is not dead. He’s surely alive and His Spirit is at work in the earth. After this post I will go back to the weekly posts to keep your inbox uncluttered. We will continue the miracle series.😊

I did want to encourage you today and pray blessing over your week. You are so deeply loved and continually prayed for. 

The verse chosen for you today is from the book of Acts. Jesus told the disciples before He was crucified that He would die and rise again. He told them not to worry for the Comforter would come. He told them of this gift, a powerhouse named the Holy Spirit. He’s fully God! If He abides in you, greater is He who’s in you than in the entire world. 

If you have God’s Presence, you have favor,~Heidi Baker. 

God can accomplish more in a moment than we can in a lifetime. His power is unparalleled. His wisdom and intellect is beyond human comprehension. God has a solution for every problem. 

Jesus told the disciples, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit falls on you.” If He is not with or for what we are trying to do it produces stress and striving. We can also have false peace outside God’s will. When we are in His will and empowered by His Spirit there’s grace to climb the steepest mountains, stand in the lion’s den, endure Gethsemane moments, because God is with us. 

What are you facing today or this week? What problems linger in your heart and mind? Have you surrendered it all to Jesus? Have you invited the Holy Spirit to have His way? If He is with you, there’s no need to fear, fret, or worry. His Presence is enough. God speaks and the earth responds. God does not fail. No word from Him ever fails. He may not do all we think He should, when we think He should, yet He’s at work behind the scenes working ALL things together for the eventual GOOD of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes. So, be encouraged today that God loves you. He has the best intentions towards you. 

Abba Pai, I thank You for who You are. Thank you God! You’re beyond amazing and the greatest reward. I praise You! You are excellent and outstanding. Heaven is Your throne and the earth Your footstool. Nothing is too big or challenging for You. Holy Spirit I ask You’d hover over each person reading this. Let Your perfect love saturate the broken, hurting, worried, and fear filled places. Drive out fear. Allow faith to rise up within them. Hope to flood their hearts, wisdom and divine solutions to invade their minds. Overshadow them this week! I ask for revelation of Your fullness and so much MORE! May they have the deepest awareness of Your power to save, heal, and deliver. I declare life, abundant life. I declare peace, Shalom. I declare healing of mind, body, and soul. I declare freedom from all fear, strongholds, and bondages. May they be wrecked with JOY!!! In the powerful name of Jesus, amen! 

May God bless you and your families, keep you, and His face shine brilliantly on you. Big HUG! 

He is RISEN!

Love in Christ, 

Erin 

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

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

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

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

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

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


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

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

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

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

Love, 

Erin 

Photo credit: Pinterest

Divine Appointments (Miracle Series)

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God accomplishes quite a bit of His will through people. You and I have the opportunity to partner with Him to change the lives of others. 

These are a few stories on God setting up divine appointments. If you don’t believe in them, check out the story of Ruth and Boaz, Saul on the road to Demascus, Jesus and the woman with the issue of blood, Jesus and the woman at the well, Mary (the mother of Jesus) and the Angel…

Suicide Prevention

Operation God is Love is a ministry started Spring 2014 to reach people on the street and spiritually dark areas of our city. We pray before we go out for divine appointments, for God to put people on our path that need His love, healing, and delivering power. 

One of the ladies on the team suggested one afternoon we wait to hear if God would give us clues on who He wanted to minister to. I had the word “blue sweatshirt,” pop up in my head during prayer. I wrote it down, yet thought…”that was so random.” 

When we went out there was one older man riding a bike in a blue sweatshirt. We didn’t stop for him, yet told him we’d catch up with him later. We were attending to another homeless man. 

When we found him, let’s call him Rodney, he was sitting on a ledge looking somber. We stopped, chatted for awhile, and asked what he’d like Jesus to do for him. He stated he wanted to die. He had planned out his death already, the exact details of how he’d end his life. We prayed for him, for the spirit of suicide to lift off him. He said he felt lighter and promised us suicide was no longer an option. We actually got him to smile.😊

I know God wanted us to pray for Rodney. So that random thought during prayer wasn’t random at all. 

Restored Hope

Another girl we will call Susie was selling newspapers on the street. We stopped and asked if we could pray for her. She agreed. I told her I had a vision of our Heavenly Father handing her presents. They were gift wrapped especially for her. Her desires mattered to God. She began to weep. After hearing her story, it was apparent that God was the originator of that vision. I did not know this woman. God did. She was praying God would give her the gift of being with her son on Christmas. She lost him when she became homeless yet God had provided a place for her now and employment. 

Prophetic Utterances, Healing, and Deliverance

Once while on missions in Brazil the leader asked us to come up and ask God to speak to us for the people they called forward. I was terrified. It was a large conference and well introverts don’t love focused attention. The lady they placed in front of me seemed like an average teenage girl. Yet as I repeated what I sensed God was saying, she began to come undone. Weeping went to sobbing to wailing. I wasn’t prophesying negativity. Whatever I said, I don’t recall any of it, it cut right into her heart. She encountered Holy Spirit in a profound way, He encountered her. She was healed and delivered of several tormenting spirits that day. Yeah God! Once God was done she just beemed with joy. Her face was different, she just radiated.

Connections, Prophetic Intercession, God’s Incredible Timing

One of the longest strings of divine appointments started several years ago at a conference in my state. I took my young adult group. That Sunday we went to a local church near the conference. I met a group of young revivalist attending ministry school in California. They prayed for us and we made Facebook connections. 

No big deal right? A year later there’s another conference and I meet up with one of the people from that group, let’s call her Anna. Anna pulls us out of a session to meet some of her fellow ministry school friends. They spoke so many prophetic and destiny words over us. We did the same. Went home. No big deal right? 

Well a year or so passes and God begins to give me words, pictures, impressions, visions, for one of the gentlemen from that group. I told God, “I’m not sharing these things with a stranger, especially not a man. Please don’t ask me to do this.” 

So, I held onto them for awhile, yet God repeated Himself. When I finally got the courage the person receiving stated the timing was perfect and the words fit his life. We’d met once on the lawn of a conference. 

Fast forward and for two years when this person needed prayer, encouragement, etcetera…God would stir me. It was facing hurdle after hurdle of overcoming fear, and fear of man. I’d rather be anonymous especially when ministering this way. Yet God was persistent in do it again. Send again…and again with no mention of a stop date! Oh Lord! I mistakenly told him he was the only gentleman I had ever been called to do this for and the longest most detailed one. It was truth, yet I should’ve kept that to myself. The words for him were the most detailed of information I had ever received from God except for His words into my own life. 

This past year I had the opportunity to return to the city where this conference occurred. God asked me to tell this person, let’s call him Jim I was in town. I fought with God for awhile. Yes, I don’t always jump on an assignment. 🙂 After getting prayer, I told him. During that trip several divine appointments occurred. A lady from his church offered me a job, I met his sister in law who I adore, and was able minister to one of his friends. 

The string of divine appointments connected to this situation are too long to write about. Yet in summary, there were healings of bodies, healing of emotions, restoration of my ministering prophetically to other believers-my focus was marketplace ministry (felt safer than with Christians), freedom from fear of man, ministry connections, people encouraged and prophesied over, new prophetic intercession assignments established, and I can honestly say God knows what He’s doing. Even when I was not desiring to put myself out there again and again and again, God had already planned ahead for each hesitation and each time it was perfect timing. His timing is perfect. 

Months before connecting  with Jim’s sister in law I dreamed of sitting at a table with Jim and his friends/family. In the dream God brought me in and sat me at the table. This dream occurred exactly as I dreamed it would happen (including where people were seated) and I dreamed it before I even met the people who invited me to dinner with them. 

Financial Provision 

I failed to mention Anna ended up being a prayer assignment for a season. One day Holy Spirit prompted me to contact her and to declare blessing over her connections, finances, etc…the next day or so she was awarded a full scholarship for an internship. 

Listen and Obey 

If we listen and obey God, we can partner with Him to change a life. It’s not about us, it’s about being available. It’s God’s insight, love, wisdom, knowledge, healing, and goodness. I don’t know most of the people God sets up these connections with, God does. 

Who does God want to bless through you? I challenge you as I challenge my discipleship group to start the day asking, “Who do you want to bless through me today? Use me Lord!” Watch God wow you with His goodness. 

Love, 

Erin 

P.S You are SO deeply (John 3:16). 

Miracles (Intimacy with God Series Part XII)

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Heal the sick, raise the dead, cure those with leprosy, and cast out demons. Give as freely as you have received!~Jesus (Matthew 10:8).

Jesus felt sorry for them and touched their eyes. Instantly they could see! Then they followed him,~Matthew 20:34. 

I believe in miracles. Mainly because I believe in Jesus. He was and is a miracle worker. 

One of the greatest miracles is salvation. That God could and would take a sinful person and change their life completely, washing them white as snow, and that He would send His Spirit to abide in mankind.

A miracle is defined as: 

  • 1. An event that appears inexplicable by the laws of nature and so is held to be supernatural in origin or an act of God. 
    • 2. One that excites admiring awe; a wonderful or amazing event, act, person, or thing.

    When people say God doesn’t perform miracles today, I smile and laugh. If they are talking to me, they are looking at a miracle. Before I was conceived my mother was diagnosed with cancer. She was also told she wouldn’t have any children, she could not have children. But God had another plan. My mother was completely healed of cancer and not by drugs, by the power of God. She also gave birth to other children. 

    There was great trauma before my birth and my grandmother told the doctors if they didn’t get me out I’d probably die. There was tons of prayer around my birth. I’m here today because of the power of God and prayer. I was born early and without any defects. 

    Since my birth I’ve cheated death over a half dozen times including an incident in childhood where a cousin slammed a glass door on me and the glass went through my arm. I still have the scar. The nearest hospital to our farm was over an hour away. Yet my family believes in the power of God and prayer. My father was able to find a clinic doctor to get the glass shard out of my arm without me bleeding to death. 

    I experienced a near death experience during a routine tonsillectomy. I had an allergic reaction to anesthesia and they didn’t stop the operation. I came out of surgery unable to breath. I woke up hooked up to machines and in a special care unit. My lungs filled with fluid, my resting heartbeat 150 beats per minute, and I was on oxygen. After days in the hospital and seeing so many doctors, they decided to send me home…loaded with meds and tons of appointments to go to. The day they decided to take me off oxygen my mother said, “Do a pulse ox on her.” When they did, I was nowhere near normal. I would’ve died in my sleep. I wasn’t getting enough oxygen. 

    Fast forward…I grew tired of the Beta Blockers (heart pills) and all the pills I had to take. You never expect to go in for a routine surgery at 19 and come out sick. I had issues with my heart, my hair begin to fall out, I was exhausted, I would lay awake exhausted from an overworked heart and adrenal system. I cried out to God one day in my car driving away from the doctor. “God I know you’re the Healer. I know you can fix me. I know you can!” With tears streaming down my face, hurt in my heart, and faith bubbling out of my spirit I said to my Father, “If you don’t heal me, I’m going to die, but I refuse to take any more of these pills.” I stopped taking my medication. I don’t recommend anyone doing what I did. I was so desperate and filled with faith.

    I’m delighted to say my heart is great! My doctors say my health is great. There’s only one residual effect of that surgery that I continue to pray for yet it does not negatively impact my life.😊 Thanks Papa God for what Jesus paid for. 

    I told you in a previous post about God saving my life from being trapped in my car under water. 911 never came for me, but Jesus did. My mother prayed for me before the water got up over my head. She prayed the engine would turn over. My engine had already flooded. There was no way it would start under water and already flooded. The pressure of the water kept me from opening the doors. My windows wouldn’t roll down without the car starting. She prayed and said, “Try again.” My car turned over for 60 seconds. Just long enough for me to get out. 

    After that incident I struggled with overwhelming fear whenever I was surrounded by other cars in traffic. I would shake. I would be filled with dread. I went to my pastor for help. He wanted me to go to counseling. I left church feeling defeated. I then went to my Papa. I offered myself before Him. I said, “God I know you’re the Healer, and I’m asking you to free me from this fear.” As I was driving and praying there was an intense warmth that moved the top of my head to the bottom of my feet. I never had that sense of overwhelming dread again. 

    I’ve seen Him heal the worst cases including my uncle who was dead…pronounced dead….called dead…without oxygen for a long time and God raised him to life. His doctors were astonished. He’s still alive and calls me to chat. A brain without oxygen for that long should not function. He was pronounced dead. No heartbeat, no brain activity, nothing. 

    I will end with this story. I was in worship one night. Having an amazing time. I’m normally that person having a great time during worship. I get excited! I was doing my thing when I just starting weeping. Weeping went to excessive crying, grief, sorrow, life seemed so pointless. I left worship and entered the women’s room. I began to pray. I didn’t know what else to do. I prayed for about a half hour before the sorrow lifted. I went back to church thinking, “What was that?” 

    Later that week I connected with an old friend. We hadn’t talked in awhile. I asked how she was doing. She told me that Sunday night she was going to commit suicide. She was so overwhelmed with grief and sorrow and life seemed so pointless. I’m not always the sharpest pencil in the box. I did not put two and two together. She said she was overwhelmed by the love of God and couldn’t do it. It was the exact same time I was praying in the bathroom. God saved her life! 

    I could go on for days with the miracles God has performed in my life. Everything from physical healing, emotional healing, financial miracles, divine appointments, and so much more. I could spend even more time talking about the miracles I’ve seen Him perform in others lives; blind eyes opening, deaf ears healed, cancers healed, dead raised, deformities healed, ADHD healed , tumors gone, spines aligned, addictions healed, sexual deviants/preditors delivered, paralyzed healed, fear and anxiety healed, degenerative joints healed . God can do more in a moment than we can in a lifetime. 

    I’ve found that the more I know Him and abide in Him, the more miracles I see. For knowing Him leads to an increase in faith. Faith increases our risk. When we believe God we are bold in prayer. 

    I don’t care how bad it looks. I care what God says about the situation. One word from God changes everything! 

    Father, for every person reading this I ask for an increase in faith. I ask they would listen for Your voice and pray bold prayers. I ask for an uprooting of unbelief and saturation of  truth. Nothing is impossible for You! You are limitless. In the powerful name of Jesus, amen. 


    Transformation (Intimacy with God Part XI)

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

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

    Transformation as defined by Webster’s dictionary: 

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

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

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

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

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

    Photo above: My butterfly paintings…

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Life experiences….

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Love in Christ, 

    Erin Lamb

    

    

    Building History with God (Intimacy with God Part X)

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    I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with unfailing kindness,~Jeremiah 31:3. 

    I love reading the stories of people’s relationships with God in His word. One of my favorite passages is actually Hebrews 11. It is called the hall of faith. The passage is long so I won’t post it, yet you can read it here:  Hebrews 11. 

    The people listed in Hebrews 11 have incredible stories with God. They overcame seemingly insurmountable obstacles with God. God delivered some from and others through. He drew His people with loving kindness. He established a covenant with His people; one He upheld by His power, love, and provision. 

    I’ve said this many times and will state again, there are things we can only learn about God through experience. 

    Have you ever done missions? Or a team building exercise? Or gone through a struggle with someone? It knits you together. You learn things about them you would not learn by just reading their bio or even meeting with them for an hour or so once a week. 

    God longs to be known by us. 

    I was in a Bible study fellowship for a few years with a group of passionate young adults. Many of us ended up on a mission in the Amazon Jungle together in Brazil. I thought I knew the people on the team. We met weekly for Bible study. 

    I learned so much about my team and myself those few weeks of traveling in a truck, hiking in 100F weather, handling heat stress, living under banana leaf huts, sleeping in hammocks, bathing in the Amazon River, and being in close proximity. Stories were written down, stories told, intimacy built, laughs had, tears shed, prayers offered, and bonding occurred. 

    

    I learned new things about God on that trip. He wrote some great things into my story…

    One that I could preach. I could hear from God in an instant for a perfect stranger. I could survive flying home with a partially dislocated hip. I could lead worship in Portguese. Spanish is my second language, Portuguese is my third (so much to learn). I grew in sharing deep parts of my heart with people on my team. It grew me. I had to rely on God fully. It’s a part of my story with God that’s marked with miracles and wonder. 

    God is writing our story with Him.

    He longs for the closest promximity and highest priority in our lives. You see, in heaven it’s all about the Kingdom. There’s no marriage, kids to be had, PTA meetings, bills to pay, singles events…it’s His Kingdom. This life, though it’s not marketed as such, is preparation for what’s to come. The relationship built with God on earth will continue on into eternity. Time on earth is the shortest time we will ever live. The greatest covenant and relationship is with God. 

    What will be the theme of your story? 

    Will it be faith? 

    Will it be love? 

    Will it be overcoming? 

    Will it be the power of Jesus? 

    Will you be known as one who walked closely with God like Enoch? Will you get to heaven and realize many people came to know Jesus because of your faithfulness on earth?

    Will you encounter God not only as Father as a best friend?

    We can learn from others stories and history with God, yet we build our own history with God.  

    I love the way God communicated with Moses. I love God. I love who He is. I love being with Him more than anyone else. I desired greatly as a youth to have continual communication with God. At one point in my walk I told Him, “I want to be like Moses. He met with you face to face (intimately)-Exodus 33:11. Your glory passed over him. You spoke to him through a burning bush.” God’s reply to me was, “I meet with you heart to heart.” 

    We each have our own story with God.

    You see, I am not Moses. We certainly have a better covenant than Moses and the indwelling of the Spirit. My story is my story with God. We meet heart to heart. I’m not a feeler. I’m a thinker. I’m prone to logical/analytical thought patterns and do not rely on feelings for processing. Yet God supernaturally deposits His heart for people into mine. I feel what they feel. I feel what He feels. He moves me through my heart, though my personality is driven to be led by my brain. 

    He’s writing a story marked with His radical, passionate, compassionate, and profound love. It’s also a story marked with His power. I’m alive because of His great power to heal, protect, and perform miracles.

    We each have a unique and divine purpose. We are carved out of the heart and imagination of God. The good times matter, the challenges matter, the struggles matter, the joy matters. We are a part of a greater story, His story. We join the story of God and champion our King! 

    We learn the Book (His word) and allow it to lead us into an encounter with Him. Our greatest need is to know the Author. 

    Every situation an opportunity to deepen intimacy with God. What is He doing? What is He saying? Who in His word has experienced something similar? What is God teaching us? How can we cling to Him and grow to know Him better? 

    Sweet friends, you are so loved, valued, appreciated, significant, and your story matters! You matter to God.  Don’t worry about anything. Pray about everything (talk to and listen to God). One day you’ll look back and smile. Your heart will say, “What a testimony of God’s love, power, and provision.” 

    Whether we believe it or not, God is always working things together for the eventual good of those who love Him and are called according to His purposes (Romans 8:28). 

    Praying for you! 

    Love in Christ, 

    Erin 

    Receiving and Abiding in Love (Intimacy with God Part IX)

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    Our greatest strength comes from abiding (remaining) in God.

    John 15: 1, 4-17.

    “I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener…Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

    “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

    “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. You are my friends if you do what I command. I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. This is my command: Love each other.

    Culture vs. the Kingdom of Heaven

    Our culture promotes self. If you want something, you go for it in your own strength. You make it happen. You persist. You press harder or push harder. The central character is us, the created ones. Our culture celebrates the “self-made” person.

    The Bible teaches us that we can do nothing apart from God. Nothing means no thing. He is the Source of human life, even for the wicked and unbelieving. We exist because of Him. The central character of God’s story is God. The Kingdom of heaven celebrates the person dependent on God.

    It hurts the pride and bruises the ego to realize that God is above all. He is above us. We are not God or demigods, though some teach this. God doesn’t force us to obey Him or comply, He’s still God and there are consequences for our choices. We are never truly independent from His Sovereignty.

    If we are in Christ, then it’s good to recall that we are to rely on His strength. Our striving produces stress. Abiding produces abundant fruit. He is the Source of love, peace, joy, hope, faith, goodness, life, patience, meekness, gentleness, and self control. He’s the Vine. If we remain in Him, there’s flourishing life.

    Example from Gardening…

    I had a plant with vines. I noticed it would grow towards the light. Any parts of the vine that fell off, died. It was disconnected from its life source. The root system of that plant was supplying nutrients. The branches produced no life on their own. If I forgot to water or fertilize the soil, it died.

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    We need intimacy (relationship) with God more than anything else. We need the Light (God). We need water (His Spirit). We need fertilizer and food (His Word). When we place other things in front of Him, we suffer. God doesn’t cease loving us, we cease producing fruit.

    Fruit is the result of fellowship and intimacy (abiding, remaining). We will always see fruit of our fellowship. If we fellowship with fear, the fruits are worry, anxiety, insecurity, suspicion, unhealthy stress, people pleasing, jealousy…

    God knew and knows that we will suffer if He’s not first. We can’t produce Light and His Love without Him. He is Light; He is love.

    Our first step in intimacy with God is salvation. The second is abiding. We receive first, then we give.

    The highest priority isn’t doing for God, it’s being with God.

    So beautiful friends, may we seek Him first. May we meet with Him, talk with Him, listen to Him…

    What is God doing? What is He saying? What does His word say? What is God teaching us at this moment?

    May we soak in His Presence and allow God to heal, restore, saturate us, and minister to us. God can do more in a moment than we can in a lifetime. He contains solutions to all the world’s problems.

    Father, Abba Pai, help us to first receive from You and abide in You as Jesus did. Teach us to rest in Your love and the finished work of the Cross. May we have a deeper revelation of what’s already been paid for in Your Son. May we know heart, mind, and spirit the height, depth, and vast expanse of Your love for us. May we rely on Your strength and Your Spirit. In Jesus powerful name, Amen.

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

    Erin

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    Photo credit: Pinterest

    The Fire, Den of Lions, & Deep Waters (Intimacy with God Series Part VIII)

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    Photo Credit: Pinterest

    Isaiah 43:2 Amplified Bible (AMP)

    When you pass through the waters, I will be with you, and through the rivers, they will not overwhelm you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned or scorched, nor will the flame kindle upon you.

    I’ve met people who believe that if you live Godly then nothing bad will ever happen. This isn’t what Jesus taught. It’s not what we read in our Bibles. Jesus said, “In the world you will have trouble, but take heart I have overcome the world.”

    Sometimes God delivers us from and other times He delivers us through.

    Lion’s Den:

    Daniel was delivered through. He stood in the lion’s den and God didn’t allow him to be consumed (Daniel 6). He sent angels to shut the mouths of the lions. It was a said of Daniel, “They could find no corruption in him, because he was trustworthy and neither corrupt nor negligent,”~Daniel 6:4b. Daniel was obedient to God, yet he was still thrown into the lion’s den. God did not prevent the incident, He showed Himself strong in the midst of Daniel’s circumstances.

    The Fire:

    “Is it true . . . that you do not serve my gods or worship the image of gold I have set up?” Nebuchadnezzar asked Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego (Daniel 3:14). Shadrach, Mechech, and Abednego were thrown into the fiery furnace for refusing to worship an idol. They were thrown in bound. The fire was so hot it consumed the guards who took them into the fire. Yet when they looked at the men in the fire, they saw another man in the fire and they were not consumed. They were unbound and walking around. When they came out they did not even smell like smoke (Daniel 3).

    Deep Waters:

    When the Israelites where fleeing Egypt with Moses the Lord parted the Red Sea for them. The power of God parted the deep waters. Once His people were on dry ground, the Lord then allowed those waters to drown Pharaoh’s army (Exodus 14). The Lord said to Moses, “My people will know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten the glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and horseman,”~Exodus 3:18.

    These are just three stories in the Bible where God delivered His people through the challenge or obstacle. He didn’t remove the obstacle, the challenge, or adversity. He stood in the fire. He closed the mouth of the lion. He parted the Red Sea. Sometimes God will allow you to be challenged so He can show Himself strong on your behalf. Without a problem, there’s no need for a miracle. The Spirit of God is one of an overcomer.

    There are things we can only learn about God when He’s the only One who can help us. There’s an intimacy (knowing) that occurs in the challenging seasons of life. You learn to pray. You learn the intensity of God’s love. The power of His healing and comfort. You learn the very heartbeat of God as you cry out to Him in the midnight hours. The closeness of God forged in those seasons cannot be snatched from you.

    I walked through a 10 year season of what I would call the 7 levels of hell. But God! In my life I’ve had 7 near death experiences, including being trapped in my car under water. 911 never came for me, yet God performed such a miracle to allow an already flooded engine to turn over for 60 seconds to get me out. Others left me to die, but God didn’t. I watched my mum suffer for 7 years; surgery after surgery…we lost the house, car, so much. But God made a way out of no way. Not one day was spent hungry. I watched both my parents battle cancer. One healed. One died. I endured 4 years under intense persecution from my manager. Human resources did not help me. God stepped in and she eventually gave her life to Jesus. I’ve been sick and healed by God. Lost friends, been lied on, gossiped about, betrayed, but God intensified my friendship with Him. He fortified my identity as His daughter and friend. I’ve been placed in many situations where no human could or would help. Been left to die, but God!

    You see, I’d never know His power without those encounters. You learn the comfort of God in the seasons where your heart is wrenched with grief and no human is willing to wipe a tear. People are great yet they do not trump God. You learn to lean. You learn His voice. You learn the power of God to sustain you and keep your mind. God becomes your best friend. He is my best friend.

    Sweet friends, no matter what you’re facing…I want you to insert the words, “But God.” He makes a way out of no way. He is the resurrection and the life. He is the alpha and the omega! He is the everlasting God. He speaks and the world must respond to Him. Heaven is His throne and the earth His footstool. He can do more in a moment than we can in a lifetime. Is anything too hard for Him? The answer is no.

    So, I say to you what He says to me, “Come to Me all who are heavy and laden and I will give you rest. You can trust Me. I will work this for good. Abide in Me. My strength is made perfect in your weakness.” And sometimes all He says is, “I love you.” His love is like no other. He longs to be known by us in every season; to be our source.

    God loves you more than anyone ever could. If you’re in the fire, the lion’s den, the deep waters, God will not forsake you. This too shall pass. He gave Job double for his trouble. God is a restorer of ruins. He takes ashes and makes them beautiful.

    Praying for you. May your intimacy (knowing) of God go deeper than it ever has before! You are deeply loved (John 3:16).

    Love in Christ,

    Erin

    The Wilderness (Intimacy with God Part VII)

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    Moses and the Burning Bush (Exodus 3:3-12)

    Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.”

    When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!”

    And Moses said, “Here I am.”

    “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” Then he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God.

    The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

    But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

    And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

    I love the story of Moses for many reasons. If you have not read it, it’s worth the time to invest in reading and studying the life of this man who encountered God in the wilderness and then led God’s people out of the grips of slavery. It’s simply one of the most miraculous stories aside from the birth and life of Jesus.

    Moses had fled his place of nobility after killing a man for his mistreatment of his people. We find him tending flocks. No one was looking for Moses. He was an outcast.

    Have you ever felt like an outcast? Unseen, unheard, unloved by peers, or that you’ve been stranded on the back side of the desert? If so you’re in a good place to encounter God.

    You may be thinking, “That’s ludicrous!” But it’s not. God encounters us in the mundane, the hidden seasons, our brokenness, our pain and suffering, and in our wilderness experiences.

    We normally ask the questions:
    Why am I here? When will this be over?

    The great questions to ask are…what is God attempting to do in me? What can I learn from God in this situation? What is God teaching me? Isn’t this just a setup for a miracle? How can I listen for and learn the voice of God in this hard place, the hidden place, the wilderness? How can I go deeper with God in this place?

    I dare not glorify suffering and I’m not talking about sickness or disease or poverty. I’m talking about those hard situations in relationships and family, being abandoned by those who said they’d always be there, finding yourself as an outcast in society, etc…

    I want you to know that God knows where to find you and He wastes nothing. You are not hidden or forsaken by God.

    If you allow it, the wilderness can be a place of deep intimacy with God. Since He is the only support system, there is a daily learning to trust Him for manna. There is more time to be with God and converse with Him.

    There’s sanctification and strengthening of the inward man in the wilderness. Our pride is exposed in the wilderness. The sense of entitlement rises up within us, “Why me God? This isn’t fair!!! You’re blessing everyone but me. Why are they being promoted? What about me?”

    Trust me as one who’s had long seasons on the back side of the desert, it’s worth it…though it’s painful. There were days I felt forsaken or I could not take another step forward. God didn’t deliver me from, He delivered me through. I learned and am learning to lean. He placed me in many situations that required miracles, and He provided.

    God longs to be known and loved. The wilderness exposes who and what we are worshipping and who or what we love.

    We become humble or bitter in the wilderness.

    If we seek God in the wilderness, we find the sweetest encounters with the Living God.

    One of the greatest thing about this story with Moses is that when the angel of the Lord appeared in the burning bush, he turned to see what was happening.

    We can miss God in the wilderness if we are busy trying to get out of the wilderness or hosting pity parties. God is always up to something good. He says, “I want you to know me in this place. The hidden place, the place of complete dependence on me, so you can know me.” God is speaking in your wilderness. God is showing up every day to meet with you. Don’t mistake His silence for absence. Sometimes He wants to be pursued, or He’s silent during a test. Yet He never leaves or forsakes.

    Intimacy is fueled by desire…

    I’ve found people who have never had to depend on God know less about Him and aren’t as hungry for Him. I know it’s a generalization, those are not good…here me out. When I go to Brazil on missions, people will get in canoes and travel hours even at night for a church service. They are so hungry for God and prayer for the sick. They have no healthcare. In the USA, we have worship services and sometimes people don’t come at all or they are on their iPhones or talking or looking at their watches. If it’s not a big name worship leader, prophet, teacher, healer, evangelists…then there’s no packing the church or venue. It’s not my place to judge. Yet I’ve not seen any worship in the USA that compares to the worship in the villages on the interior of the Amazon Jungle. People so hungry, one night we had worship by lanterns and we’re all most eaten alive by mosquitoes (slight exaggeration, yet it was a bug fest)…people came by the canoe full and never complained.

    May you and I seek God in the hard places, the hidden places, the wilderness experiences. May we abide in Him and grow to know His miraculous love and provision. May we choose knowing and loving Him above all…

    God bless you! You are deeply loved and prayed for.

    Erin