Tag: Intimacy with God

Solitude and Conversations with God (Intimacy with God Part VI)

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Jesus often retreated from the people to pray. Passage from Luke 5:12-16.

Jesus Heals a Man With Leprosy

While Jesus was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. When he saw Jesus, he fell with his face to the ground and begged him, “Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean.”

Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” And immediately the leprosy left him.

Then Jesus ordered him, “Don’t tell anyone, but go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them.”

Yet the news about him spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear him and to be healed of their sicknesses. But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.

The passage from Luke does not tell us that Jesus sometimes withdrew to lonely places and prayed. It says He did it often. I truly believe if we read of Jesus doing something, we should pay attention because He only did what was in alignment with the Father.

Prayer is simply communication with God. If you’re in a relationship with someone, that relationship requires communication. The foundation for intimacy (into-me-see) is built on fellowship, experience, and communication. Without communication, the other pillars of the relationship begin to crumble. They tumble to the ground.

God invites us to know Him. He offers the invitation for intimacy.

Why do we talk to God?

Because we want to build a relationship with Him. He already knows us. Do we know Him?

Because we love God. We talk to people we love.

Because God enters situations He’s invited into. If we don’t pray, He’s not invited.

Because we need God. He said apart from Him we can do nothing (John 15:5).

Why do we retreat to lonely places to pray?

So we can hear God more clearly and be free of distractions. Alone time together is more intimate. You can give the other person your undivided attention. Hopefully, they also have yours.

We talk to God and listen to God because we love Him, respect Him, value Him, cherish Him, and we want to know His thoughts.

When was the last time you asked God, “What is your perspective on this situation? God will you give me heaven’s vantage point? God will you show me how to love this person? Will you give me insight into solutions to this world problem? God how do you view me? ”

When we don’t pray (talk to God), we are often leaning on our own understanding. We are worrying and fretting, filled with fear. We are powerless in areas of our lives because we have not yielded to the wisdom of God. We are anxious and insecure. We are not abiding, we are striving.

Effective ways to pray:

Talk to God. He’s listening. You have His undivided attention. The Creator of the Universe has given you His undivided attention. Whoah! That’s enough to pause and say, ” Wow.” He’s more important than any earthly president, King or Queen, or celebrity. He’s our loving Father. You don’t have to have a long, rehearsed prayer. Talk to your Papa.

Listen. One of the ways God speaks is through His word. A verse may pop into your mind or a portion of a sermon. Don’t dismiss it. Ask God for wisdom, insight, and to speak to your heart. Then listen.

Pray God’s word. I’ve been doing this a very long time and was encouraged at a conference last weekend when both teachers encouraged praying God’s word. You can find scripture prayers at the top of this website. God’s word does not return void. It accomplishes all it’s sent out to do (Isaiah 55:11). Seeds of His word are spread to the world as you pray His word. They are watered by Him and bring forth a harvest.

Thank God. Have you ever had a relationship with an ungrateful person? They just continually have their hand out and complain to you with their problems. If so, you know it doesn’t feel good. God likes to be thanked. Yes He does. He is not fond of complaining. Yes, we can air our concerns to God…yet the Bible tells us to continually give thanks.

Intercession. Pray (ask God to help) for other believers all over the world. Talk to God about things outside your realm of influence. Talk to Him about everything.

Jesus told the disciples how to pray with the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6). It’s a great prayer. We are invited into relationship. My prayers may sound different than yours. One of my frequent prayers is, “God what are you saying? Who do you want to bless today? What’s on your heart ?” Another one is “Thank you Papa.”

May we seek God for He is glorious! He is outstanding. And He loves to be with His children. He adores you. He wants the best for you.

Papa God, may we know our inheritance in Christ and come boldly before you. Fill us to overflowing with your wisdom and give us an unquenchable desire for Jesus. May we steal away and grow to know you even more. In Jesus powerful name, amen.

Hearing God’s Voice (Intimacy With God Part V)

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Then came the Festival of Dedication at Jerusalem. It was winter, and Jesus was in the temple courts walking in Solomon’s Colonnade. The Jews who were there gathered around him, saying, “How long will you keep us in suspense? If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly.”

Jesus answered, “I did tell you, but you do not believe. The works I do in my Father’s name testify about me, but you do not believe because you are not my sheep. My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all ; no one can snatch them out of my Father’s hand. I and the Father are one,~John 10:22-30.

I recommend reading John 10 in it’s entirety. Jesus repeats that His sheep know His voice and the voice of another they will not follow. Sheep are not smart animals. They will follow each other off cliffs. They need a shepherd. Through close proximity, relationship, and time there’s a knowing of the shepherd to his sheep.

It’s challenging to know someone we’ve only read about or we only have second hand knowledge.

God speaks. I’ve heard some teach He does not speak, which is opposite to many scriptures. Such as:

Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying,~1 Corinthians 14:5.

It will come about after this that I will pour out My Spirit on all mankind; And your sons and daughters will prophesy, Your old men will dream dreams, Your young men will see visions,~Joel 2:28.

See also 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

God has spoken to His children since the beginning of time. He spoke to Moses through a burning bush. He sent an angel to speak to Mary. He spoke to Abraham and Sarah. He spoke to Saul, the later to be Apostle Paul on the way to Damascus. Jesus retreated often to be with the Father. People in the old and New Testament prophesied, had dreams, visions, and encounters with God.

We too, through relationship with God have the opportunity to know His voice and communicate with Him.

I had a pastor friend who believed we could not hear from God outside of reading the Bible. God continued to place people in his life who would regularly prophesy over him things he’d only told God. He grew to believe God speaks, though he cautioned we shouldn’t just believe every person who says they are speaking for God or saying, “God told me this.”

The Bible is clear that what we believe we are hearing from God or what others believe they are hearing from God is to be tested against the word of God. God doesn’t violate His Word. He will expand our understanding, yet He won’t violate His Word.

Examples:

God won’t tell you to leave your spouse for that cute person at work who’s nicer to you.

God won’t tell you to gossip or slander people.

God won’t tell you to steal.

God won’t tell you to sleep with that person who’s not your spouse.

God does speak and listening to Him increases our intimacy with Him. I told a friend this story.

Suppose a father narrates stories for his son or daughter to help them through life. He places many words of wisdom in the book. He appoints several people to help his child along and represent him. The child gets the book and the father says, “I’m not going to talk to you anymore. You must find what you need in this book. I no longer want to deal with you, please go find someone I appointed to help you.” We’d call that parent cruel and unloving. Yet we say God is that father.

There are doctrines that make God out to be a deadbeat, lazy, and uninvolved parent. He wants us to memorize the Bible and never speak to us or engage with us outside of the book. Or some believe only “special people” can hear from God. There’s a doctrine that essentially silences the Holy Spirit and anyone’s ability to hear from God themselves.

You will find if you read the Bible God is more eager to speak to His children than they are to listen. I could write an entirely new series on the ways God speaks. I will say spending time in God’s word is essential for knowing if what we think we are hearing or sensing or seeing (dreams and visions) are from God.

Sweet friends, Jesus died for relationship. God wants to dwell with mankind, hence sending His Son and Holy Spirit. He’s after relationship. Relationship involves intimacy (knowing and being known). Intimacy involves communication. God wants to be known by you. He wants to be the closest One to you and for your relationship to grow. He longs to communicate with you. Prayer isn’t simply talking to God, it’s listening to Him as well.

Father, please reveal to us how much you long to speak to us. Reveal how your love for us surpasses that of an earthly parent. Help us to see you as you really are. Help us to hear clearly from you. Remove any deception, doubt, unbelief, and anything hindering us from hearing from you. May we know clearly your voice, check it against your word and character, and grow in intimacy with you. In Jesus powerful name, amen.

Abiding (Intimacy with God Part IV)

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Dwell in Me, and I will dwell in you. [Live in Me, and I will live in you.] Just as no branch can bear fruit of itself without abiding in (being vitally united to) the vine, neither can you bear fruit unless you abide in Me.

I am the Vine; you are the branches. Whoever lives in Me and I in him bears much (abundant) fruit. However, apart from Me [cut off from vital union with Me] you can do nothing.

John 15:4-5 (Amplified Bible).

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Jesus gave us the key to knowing the Father, through relationship with Him (John 14:6). He gave us the key to eternal life, repentance and faith in Him. He gave us the key to victorious life from sin, the deposit of His Holy Spirit. He also gave us the key to fruitful living, abiding in Him.

One set of my life verses are found in John 15. Intimacy with God produces fruit. The remaining, union, connection, covenant, and relationship with God produces the fruit of His likeness and divine revelation.

Have you ever noticed that best friends and especially married couples will begin to know each other so well that they can finish the other’s sentences or they begin to act in similar ways.

Intimacy (abiding) produces oneness.

God created every human being with the desire to be known and unconditionally loved. He created humans to require intimacy. He’s the only One who can fulfill this need without any flaws, perversion, or creating codependency.

When we are disconnected (not abiding) in God we are relying on our own strength, power, intellect, wisdom, and resources. Or we are relying on someone else’s. Both will fail. Human wisdom is not perfect. Humans are not perfect-infallible. According to Romans 3:23 all (but Jesus) have sinned and fallen short of God’s glory.

I’ve heard many people state Christians don’t behave like Jesus. Is this because they aren’t saved? I can say the following.

Sanctification (becoming like Jesus) is a process. The Holy Spirit works in us to reveal righteousness, the person of Jesus, to teach, equip, comfort, love, and empower. It’s a journey. Just as a baby learns and grows over time, so do we. Spiritual growth is a process. We learn. We make mistakes. We grow. We rely on God’s grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

Christlikeness or bearing fruit results from connection to God. His Holy Spirit produces fruit. If you don’t have the Holy Spirit, there’s no Source to draw from. If you do have the Holy Spirit, you have the ability to quench or grieve Him (1 Thessalonians 5:19 and Ephesians 4:30).

God is in control in the sense nothing happens without Him knowing. He’s Sovereign. God did not make humans robots. He will not force us to obey Him, spend time with Him, love Him, love others, do what’s right, or anything else. We can say no to God. Adam and Eve are prime examples of our ability to choose what’s wrong. We can be believers who choose to sin. Yet those who choose to live independent of Him will face consequences for their actions.

Abiding is about relationship. Jesus repeated Himself: Abide in Me! Remain in Me! Stay connected to Me! We cannot abide or remain in someone we do not talk to unless it’s Sunday morning, or in times of trouble, or when we need something.

Relationships are built on quality time, communication, mutual investment, love, commitment, appreciation, and with God (doing what He asks). He said our love for Him is manifested through obedience.

Note: Many have used the word legalism to promote lawlessness. Legalism is trying to obtain righteousness or God’s love through rule keeping. Obedience to God is an act of love. We don’t obey to gain favor, love, or righteousness. Righteousness comes by faith. Favor and love are gifts from God. Obedience is a fruit of our love for Him.

So how do we abide?

1. Salvation. If you are not saved (in relationship with God through repentance and faith) you cannot abide in Him. No one comes to the Father unless they come through the Son.

2. Make God the highest priority. This doesn’t necessarily mean lock yourself on a room with a Bible 24/7. It means God is invited to be the central focus of life.

3. Cultivate relationship. Think of God as the closest family member. Talk to Him. Listen. Spend time with Him. Get to know Him. Rely on Him. Be with Him. Thank Him. Focus on Him. Worship (love, adore) Him. Ask Him to deepen your awareness of His Presence. Meditate on His word and goodness. Invite the Holy Spirit to help you.

I’m a list person, yet my relationship with God isn’t a formula. He’s my best friend. I wake up thinking about Him. I spend the day talking and listening to Him. I end the day with Him. He’s the closest to me. I take time to steal away with Him. In trouble, I look to Him. In good times, I look to Him. He has my attention and focus.

Sweet friends, there’s always more with God. God invites us into the secret places of His heart. He unites us to Himself. He doesn’t need us. He wants us. The Creator of the Universe and galaxies calls us by name. He wants to know us and be with us. He doesn’t need anything. Even the angels worship around His throne. Yet He delights in our love for Him.

May we grow in intimacy with God! He loves and adores us.

You’re continually in my thoughts and prayers.

In Jesus powerful name, amen.

Love in Christ,

Erin Lamb

Image Bearers (Intimacy with God Part III)

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…you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit,~Ephesians 2:19-22.

God invites us into relationship with Him. It is a covenant relationship. His connection with us is Spirit to spirit. He imparts Himself to us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. It’s not simply a visitation with God on Sunday mornings. It’s intended to be a habitation.

What is a habitation? (Source Dictionary.com)

1. The act of inhabiting or the state of being inhabited.
2. A natural environment or locality.
3. A residence.

God abides in born again believers. The purpose of habitation is not simply to get us into heaven. It’s so we are transformed into the image of His Son, Jesus. The Holy Spirit resides in us and continually points to truth, righteousness, and reveals Jesus. Day by day, moment by moment, He’s revealing the Son and we (if we are submitted to God) are being transformed into His likeness. This is a powerful work of the Holy Spirit. We cannot strive to be like God. Our attempts will fail.

Our outward expressions will always manifest our internal reality. Just as an apple tree continues to produce apples. You can chop off the fruit, but it will continue to produce fruit.

We are called to have the fruit of God’s Spirit and be His image bearers in the earth. It brings Him glory when we act like Him, that is the truest form of who we are. Genesis 1 states in His image God created them. We were created by Him, in His image, to represent Him.

How do we become like Jesus?

1. It starts with relationship (see previous post Intimacy with God Part II). If you’re not saved, you will not become like Jesus because the Holy Spirit is not in you. Human efforts are futile.

2. We abide.

I will talk more about abiding in the next post.

Jesus stated in John 15:5, “I am the Vine and you are the branches. Those who remain in Me will bear much fruit. Apart from Me, you can do nothing.”

3. We submit.

Submission sounds horrible when we are self willed and do not understand how much God loves us.

Submission is beautiful when you realize the One you are saying yes to has your best interests at heart. God wants the best for us. So when He says, “Don’t go there. Don’t do this. This is a bad idea. You should go this way,” it’s because He can see all things and knows that the penalty for doing things sinful is death.

We do not become like Jesus by being rebellious, stubborn, disobedient, and living life our own way.

Jesus was obedient even to the cross. What if He decided He was not going to do the Father’s will? You and I would be in a bad place as He’s the atoning sacrifice for our sins.

Lastly, God didn’t just save us so we could ride off into the sunset just as broken and messed up as He found us. He saved us out of love. He restores broken things and makes them brand new. He loves us as we are, yet out of that great love-never intends to leave us the way He found us. No parent would want their adult child wearing diapers. He loves us as is, yet the Holy Spirit works in us to grow us up in love, truth, maturity, and wisdom.

Our response to that great love is submission. We are transformed into our true identity.

As we become like Him in character, we become the greatest blessing to the world. We are salt and light. We reflect Him and bring His beautiful fragrance to the world. We will not impact the world by acting like the world. Our lives are meant to be beacons of light!

We reflect the nature, character, and goodness of God. We represent Him and heaven.

I want to stay connected to God and submitted to Him so when people encounter me, they encounter Him. I desire the pure essence of Jesus to be manifest in my life, for His glory.

Will you join me on this quest to know Him intimately?

I hope so!

Praying you are overwhelmed by His goodness, grace, love, and mercy! You are deeply loved.

Love,

Erin Lamb

Believe, Know, Listen, & Follow-Intimacy with God (Part II)

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John 10:25-30.

Jesus answered them, “I told you, and you do not believe. The works that I do in My Father’s name, they bear witness of Me. But you do not believe, because you are not of My sheep, as I said to you. My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me. And I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand. My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of My Father’s hand. I and My Father are one.”

I recommend reading all of John 10. In this passage Jesus refers to Himself as the good Shepherd. Shepherds were overseers of flocks. Sheep are not the brightest animals. They will fall into ditches, see another sheep in a ditch and fall in…they can wonder off and be destroyed because they are not wise. Shepherds protected their sheep. They were invested in keeping them safe. They’d lay at the gate to prevent them from escaping. They spent time with the sheep. They rescued wayward sheep.

Jesus is the good Shepherd. We are like the sheep. He’s responsible to care for us, reveal who He is to us, and we are to know and follow Him. We are not an obligation to God. We are His dearly loved children.

In the verses above Jesus is responding to the questions of the Pharisees about who He is. Is He the Christ? I love His responses. He stated, “You do not believe, therefore you are not my sheep. My sheep know and follow me.”

Intimacy with God starts with faith. It starts with belief.

Do you believe God is who He says He is and will do what He says He will do?
It is not enough to simply believe there is a God or Jesus is the Son of God. Even the demons believe and tremble. (James 2:19), yet they are not saved. There’s no salvation for them. There is for humanity.

If you’re reading this and you’ve never confessed your sins before God, repented (made a decision to turn from sinning and turn to God), asked God to cleanse you of your sins, placed your faith in Jesus Christ as the appropriation for your sins, and asked Him to be your Lord and Savior, I invite you do so. There’s no salvation apart from Him. There’s no entrance to heaven without going through the Son. We can’t do enough good works to earn holiness or righteousness. Jesus did it for us. We by faith, receive what He’s done and accept His righteousness as our own.

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me,” John 14:6.

For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith,~Romans 3:23-25a.

If you invited God into your life, I would love to hear from you and provide more information to you.

The second step in intimacy with God is being with Him.

Sheep spent their time with the shepherd. They learned his voice, his smell, his mannerisms. It’s impossible to have intimacy (knowing) with someone and you never spend any time. If Sunday morning is the only time you spend with God, well your level of intimacy is not going to be high.

I am not stating you attend worship services all week, lock yourself in a room to pray and read the Bible all day. I am saying we can commune with God every day, as much as we’d like. One of my morning activities is to start the day with worship and thanksgiving. “Good morning God! I love you. Thank you for who you are and all you’ve done. I invite you to be a part of my day. What do you want to do? Who do you want to bless?” And there are days where I’m just listening. What is God doing? What is He saying? It’s not a ritual, it’s relationship.

Intimacy with God involves listening and knowing His voice.

The Bible says God speaks. There are some who teach He doesn’t and that does not align with scripture. God speaks to His children. If you had children and wrote an instruction manual for them, would you then say, “I refuse to speak to you. Go read the book I gave you.” That would seem insane. Yet some teach God only speaks to us through the Bible. God spoke to people in the Bible through dreams, visions, directly, through prophets, even through a donkey. Before you get too excited, let’s lay down some ground rules.

1. When God speaks He will not tell you to sin or violate His already written word.

I had someone tell me once the Holy Spirit told her not to read the Bible ever and only to listen to the voice she was hearing. That’s wrong and violates scripture.

I heard someone say God told them to leave their spouse for someone else. That’s wrong. It violates many scriptures.

Our culture says do whatever feels good for you and if it’s “love” or feels good, God must approve of it. That’s wrong. If there’s no place in scripture where God is condoning a behavior, you can’t condone it either and claim it’s God. There are some verses that seem to contradict each other which is why God gave His Holy Spirit to teach us.

We can’t toss out the Bible and rely on feelings, human wisdom, angelic visitations, or voices we believe are God.

2. All prophecy (speaking God’s word) is to be tested. Meaning the following:

Does it align with God’s word? Example, there are many false prophecies about when the world will end. Well, the Bible states the following:

“No one knows the day or hour when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son himself. Only the Father knows,”~Matthew 24:36.

Does the prophecy fit the character of God?

I’ve had destructive words spoken over me. There was no life in them. God does give warnings. He also provides redemption. Those who repent can find hope and life in Him. Jesus came to save, not destroy. If people are destroyed, it will be because they refused the gift He offered and refused repentance.

Finally intimacy with God involves following Him.

We are called to obey God. It’s not a popular teaching, yet Jesus taught it often. Christianity is not simply praying a prayer, it’s following a person. That person is Jesus. We cannot claim to love God and live a life where we refuse to do what He says. He gives us grace and His Spirit to enable us to do His will. If we cease to obey, we will eventually cease to hear from Him. If He continues to speak, we are held accountable for what we know. So if you feel super disconnected from God, one thing to ask is , “Has He told me to do something I have not done?”

I will continue this series because I truly believe we perish for lack of knowledge of who God is. We are called to know Him, to be loved by Him, to love Him, and enjoy Him. God is not boring, cold, stern, a kill joy, or mean spirited. He is good, holy, exciting, adventurous, overflowing with love and joy. He’s beyond amazing. He’s generous, faithful, merciful, and forgiving. The evil one doesn’t want the world to know who God is and how good He is. Once you know Him, it’s almost impossible to resist Him.

Will you join me on this relentless pursuit of God’s heart? I hope so.

You’re continually in my thoughts, prayers, and you are deeply loved (John 3:16).

Love,

Erin

Intimacy with God

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Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light,~Matthew 11:28-30.

God invites us to know Him. It’s the most beautiful and glorious invitation. The Creator of the Universe, who calls all the stars by name, invites us to enter into the deep places of His heart. Jesus paid the highest price so we could have unhindered fellowship with the Father.

In the old covenant only the priests could enter the holy of holies. People died if they approached God the wrong way. He’s holy and there’s no sin in Him. In the new covenant, through Christ, we can go boldly before the throne of God!

So, why do so many linger outside the gate?

Why are there so many who don’t know God personally?

Why are there many who have no personal relationship with God, yet attend church Sunday after Sunday?

Why has God been reduced to an enforcer of the rules instead of a loving Father who wants the best for His children?

Why are some of our church services void of love, passion, joy, and excitement?

I truly believe it’s because we don’t seek God for who He is. We seek God made in our own image, shaped by our worldview, and what we’ve been taught.

I am a firm believer and advocate of reading the Bible. It’s a blueprint. God does not violate His Word. I’m also an advocate of knowing the Author and knowing the Holy Spirit. I know many people who know the Bible like a text book and they know about God, yet they have no experiences with God.

The Bible is meant to lead us into an encounter with God. It’s not a text book to simply memorize to show others how much we know. The goal is relationship. It’s quite helpful to have relationship when you run across passages that seem to contradict each other.

I truly believe some pray a prayer instead of responding to an invitation for relationship. Following Jesus is making Him Lord over every part of our lives. We are not just praying a prayer and then living like the devil for the rest of our lives. That’s not true repentance or conversion. Jesus invited people to follow Him. Demons believe and tremble. They do not have a personal relationship with God, they are not saved, nor following Jesus.

I truly believe many come to God for fire insurance. If we are only with God to bypass hell, we are missing the point. God wants to be known and loved. He’s not boring. He’s not cruel. He’s not controlling. He’s the best thing in this world.

I truly believe many people don’t know how much God loves them. I know I didn’t. I’m still experiencing as Paul stated, “the height, depths, width, and vast expanse of God’s great love!” I don’t have Him or His love all figured out. It’s a journey to the deepest parts of His heart.

Until we receive and know His love, we will struggle with identity, lack of peace, fear, insecurity, lack of joy, lack of love for others…you see, we can’t even love God well until we first receive His love for us. We will obey Him out of obligation and fear instead of love. The more I experience His love, the more love I have for Him, for others, and my concern isn’t breaking “the rules” it’s breaking His heart. He’s the love of my life.

We need to know the God we are worshipping. It’s more than a Sunday morning worship experience. It’s a daily communion with God. It’s living life loving God.

Will you join me on this journey into His heart?

Sweet friends, He longs for us to know Him!

I didn’t want to write a book. As an introvert, I’m quite comfy with people not knowing who I am. God prompted me saying, “My children don’t know how much I love them. Teach them My ways.” So, when people say I talk about God’s love too much…well it’s needed.

Loved people show you their best. Scared people show you their worst,~Danny Silk.

Yes, there will be those who are loved deeply and still reject God. We are not responsible for those people. We are to receive and freely give. We are called to love.

Let’s go deeper!

Deeper into God’s magnificent heart!

How He loves us so.

Love,

Erin

Intimacy…Closeness to God

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When you say the word intimacy in our culture people normally relate it to only a relationship between a couple in a romantic relationship. Our culture defines intimacy in terms of physical affection. Intimacy is far more than physical touch. Intimacy can be defined as closeness, knowing (being known). The most intimate (close) relationship we can have is with God.

A friend, spouse, child, person cannot know everything there is to know about us. They cannot meet all our needs. God created us to need Him first, then people. Adam had a personal relationship with God before He had a relationship with Eve. While Eve was being created, Adam was asleep. They both knew God before they ever knew each other.

We were born with a deep-rooted desire for intimacy. God created us with the desire and need to be known, accepted, and unconditionally loved. He gave us a desire and need that He can fill. I’ve heard people say we have a God sized void, I believe it’s true. We can try to fill it with so many things, but none of them will completely fill us. People try food to fill emptiness, it leads to food addictions and obesity. People try relationships and sex to fill emptiness, and find they need more and more and aren’t completely satisfied. People try activities and busyness, and they end up discontent. Our need for intimacy must first be met by God in order for there to be balance in our lives.

Our world puts God somewhere towards the bottom on the list of relationships. He’s someone to seek out when we’re bored, hurting, need something, or not at all. The One who created all things, pursues our hearts with pure love. He longs for us to have an intimate (close) relationship with Him. He does not need our love. He wants our love. He knows that His love transforms who we are into who we were created to be.

Covenant Love:

God invites us into a covenant with Him. A covenant is an agreement, usually formal, between two or more persons. Covenant love is binding, it’s intended to be for life and in the case of God, for eternity. We have to refuse Him and walk away from Him; He is always faithful to us.

Old vs. New Covenant:

Under the old covenant, people could not come boldly into God’s presence. Priests performed rituals in order to be able to enter His presence. Under the new covenant, Jesus paid the price so all who have faith in Him can come boldly into the presence of God. He paid for our sins, so we could have unhindered access to the Father and the deposit of His Holy Spirit. God extends an invitation to intimacy. God has always longed to be with His children. He has always desired relationship with us.

The fundamental basis of this new covenant relationship is the conversion process, whereby each day the believer draws closer to God:

“Therefore we do not lose heart.  Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” (2 Corinthians 4:16)

“ . . . for it is God who works in you both to WILL and to DO for His good pleasure.” (Philippians 2:13)

This change of nature results in an intimate relationship with God.

We all have the opportunity to have a flourishing, close, and intimate relationship with God. Nothing on earth can fill the void in us; it’s where He belongs. He loves us more than we can imagine, and His love fills us to overflow. When we receive God’s love and love Him in return, we have overflowing love for others. All areas of our lives flourish when we put God first. When God is first, addictions diminish. When God is first, insecurities diminish. God always wanted and planned to be first in our lives…

You are deeply loved friends. Have a great week. Praying your relationship with God goes even deeper…

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Joy! God is filled with joy

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Joy in His Presence
By Erin Lamb

You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand, Psalm 16:11.

You have endowed him with eternal blessings and given him the joy of your presence, Psalm 21:6.

But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law, Galatians 5:22.

Joy definition: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation.

Have you ever had a friend that you couldn’t wait to spend time with? You just knew you were going to have a good time. You knew there would be laughter, fun, and you hated leaving because being with them was so pleasant. Well, being with God is a million times better than that.

God fills us with joy. You may say, “I spend time with God and I don’t feel joyful.” Yep, been there. Been in that place where quiet time was more like nap time. You knock on heaven’s door, eyes heavy with sleep, and leave just as tired as when you came. Ever been there? Well, follow me on this navigation to finding joy in God.

∙How are we meeting with Him?

In our time with God are we seeking to get to know Him or meeting with Him out of obligation? Anything done out of obligation is not fun. It’s like, “Let me get this over with so I can do something else.”

∙Are we trying to control what happens?

Okay God we are going to meet up and I will do this and then you will do that…Mostly God wants the ability to radically change our agenda. If we are seeking to control what happens, where we go, when we go, and all the details, it will be boring. When we show up and say, “God let’s enjoy today?” that’s when it gets really fun.

∙Are we too serious?

I have found that God laughs and enjoys our laughter. We become so regimented in our worship and time with God. We treat Him like a stranger or boss or dictator. He is not stern or cold. God is a lot of fun! Did you hear me! FUN! God likes to do fun things. He longs to do fun things with us. Whatever we like to do, He longs to do those things with us (unless it’s illegal or immoral). So if you like nature, He wants to go on nature walks with you. If you like spending time with kids, He wants to do that with you. If you like painting, dancing, playing an instrument, even cleaning the house, He longs to be with you. He is not restricted to our Bible reading time and worship gatherings. We are the temple where His Spirit dwells. Therefore, we don’t just commune with Him on the weekend and at small group. He wants 24/7 access to our lives; to be invited into every day activities! That’s where the joy comes in. Knowing that no matter what we are doing, He is there. The Creator of the Universe is with us and His Spirit is filled with love, joy, peace….We have a built in best friend and built in Advocate/Helper.

I can honestly say I never want to go back to life without Him, not just for the sake of missing out on heaven, but for losing the best thing that’s ever happened to me. He’s more fun than anything I have ever done without Him.

∙Are we cultivating relationship?

God wants to be know by us and at first the journey is awkward. I used to feel like I was talking to myself or dead air. But that’s when you keep talking to Him and open your ears to listen. He never intended for us to have a one sided relationship with Him. God wants to be wanted by us. He wants us to seek Him out and keep seeking. He wants a friendship. He wants to be first in our lives. The more time we meet with Him, inquire of Him, ask Him what He is like, open our hearts and lives to Him, the more we get to know Him. And knowing Him is the greatest joy!

∙Have we decided we need God + something else to be happy?

If we are going to God with the idea that we must have something other than Him to be happy we will not find lasting joy. It’s sort of like being invited to a banquet that is filled with delicious treats and delicacies and we decide that we will not be content unless they have a certain dish. We cannot fully enjoy the feast if we are determined to not enjoy what is there. So if in our hearts it’s, “God I will only be happy when I get a better job, or better car, more money, or my spouse changes, or I get a spouse, or have a kid….,” then we will never be satisfied. We must come to Him seeking to enjoy Him and whatever He has to offer, trusting that He keeps nothing good from His kids. He longs to bless us and give us great things. So we ask and enjoy Him as well.

Final Notes:

Life will present challenges that come to rob us of joy. The good thing about God is that He knows He is the storehouse of joy. He is not asking us to pretend to be happy or manufacture joy. He says, “Come to Me those who are weary and heavy laden and I will give you rest.” He says, “Come to Me those who have numerous troubles and sorrows and I will give you joy.” We don’t have to make joy happen. We simply have to go to Jesus. How awesome is that. Sometimes you have to stay in His presence for a long time until the sorrow turns to joy. He does some healing, mending, restoring, and internal work. I promise that anything we give to God He will make it better than before. He always keeps His promises. So let’s trade our burdens for His peace. Trade our sorrows for His joy. Let’s upgrade to life abundantly and enjoy a blessed life.

“Abba I ask that You would increase the fruit of joy in our lives. Help us to laugh, to play, and to enjoy life. We want and need more joy. There are so many mysterious You hide for us, not from us. Fuel our desire to seek them out. Help us to have heaven on earth and not simply exist for heaven to come. Help us to be instruments of joy wherever we go, so people can see how joyful You are. Remove any obstacles to knowing You, being with You, and enjoying You. You are awesome. Thank You for Jesus. Thank You for Your Holy Spirit. We love You. In Jesus name. Amen”

The Journey Into God’s Heart

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Good morning beautiful people!

It’s one of those days where I am looking back and reflecting on the path that led to the publishing of this book, I Thought I Knew What Love Was. As stated in the book’s introduction, I did not set out to write a book. I simply sat down one day and began writing about my experiences with God. I wrote. I listened. I wrote some more. I listened some more! God is always speaking and the more time I made available to Him, the more He spoke. I felt like David, pouring out my heart to God during the good times and the times of great sorrow. I opened up my heart and God opened up His heart. The journey to intimacy with God began. I captured some of it via pen and paper.

Some days I wrote with tears of joy streaming down my face. I thought, “How great is our God.” Other days my heart was broken and fractured, but I still heard His voice saying, “I have loved you with an everlasting love.”

Friends, family, and God encouraged the publishing of this book. I was told by several people that no one reads poetry or verses anymore. Some literary agents won’t even talk to you. However, when God tells you to do something, it does not matter how many doors slam on you. You listen to God and take risks! Faith is spelled risk.

So, after years of encouragement and prodding from God this book was birthed. It contains over 7 years worth of reflections, prayers, and verses. They are responses to His love like the Psalms. Like David, worshiping God consumes my heart. I hope you grab this book and it takes you deeper into His heart! How He loves us. His love has changed my view of love. I hope it does the same for you.

You can pick up a copy at http://www.westbowpress.com

Book title: I Thought I Knew What Love Was

You’re in my thoughts and prayers friends! May you have a deeper revelation of God’s love this year.

Love in Him,

Erin Lamb