Ed Christian's World

Illusion vs Truth…

Eastern religions and new age philosophies hold to a concept called maya. Maya means that everything is an illusion. But that creates a problem because if everything’s an illusion, how could you ever know it – that too would be an illusion. Without truth, how would you determine an illusion, and if everything is an illusion, a lie, then what choice does anyone have? Eastern religion is ultimately hopeless.

On the other hand, the Bible never says that reality is an illusion. Rather, it declares that Truth is real. Thus, where there is truth, there is also falsehood. And where there is truth and falsehood, there is a choice. Therefore in biblical faith, everyone has a choice. God says, “Choose life.”

Every moment of your life, every moment of your day, there are choices; choices between good and evil, truth and falsehood, the spirit and the flesh, and God’s best and everything else. Make the right choice, and every choice will propel you up to the next level. For Jesus is the Truth – and it’s for us to choose Him, every day, every moment.

These are the things you shall do:
Speak each man the truth to his neighbor; Give judgment in your gates for truth, justice, and peace. Zechariah 8:16

Make the right choices by choosing what the Word of God says over everything else.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

He’ll Meet Your Needs…

One of the key strategies of salesmanship is to locate an unmet need and seek to connect that unmet need with the product or thing you’re trying to sell. If they can do that – they’ve got the customer hooked.

Satan, too, wants to sell you something. He wants to sell you sin and evil. And he does it the same way. He looks for an unmet need in your life. A need for recognition, love, praise, a relationship, financial security, vindication, comfort. Then he seeks to convince you that the only way you can get it is his way, by finding it illegitimately – in immorality, cheating, substance abuse, or just anything that isn’t the way of God. And if he can convince you of that, then you’re hooked.

So what’s the key? Don’t give Satan anything to work with. It’s the unmet need that is your weak spot. Close up the gap. Give your unmet need to God. Bring it to Him. And get it filled by Him. For when you remove the need – the salesman is out of business.

And my God will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Ezekiel’s Vision…

The prophet Ezekiel saw a vision of a valley of dry bones. In the vision, the Wind or Spirit came upon the bones and the bones came together to form an army. The army represents the nation of Israel.

Notice something, it all starts with just two ingredients, bones and the Spirit. Bones by themselves, are not known for being strong. Even if you assemble them into skeletons, you still end up with something that has no strength. And yet these bones become something mighty, a mighty army for God.

It doesn’t matter how weak you are in righteousness or self-control. What matters is the Spirit. It doesn’t matter how weak you are in the flesh or in your own strength. The key is don’t go by your own strength – go by the Spirit. The more you move by the Spirit and not by the flesh – the more powerful you’ll become in the Lord.

It was the Spirit that made Samson strong. And it’s the Spirit that will make you mighty – For in the power of the Spirit, even skeletons become mighty.

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord to Zerubbabel: ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty. Zechariah 4:6

Move by the Spirit and not your own strength. Flex your spiritual muscles and become mighty.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Like the Moon…

It was one of those bright nights. Grandfather took me out and we gazed at the Moon. It was a full moon, and it’s light illuminated us to the point where I could have taken notes right there if I choose to.

Do you remember what the Song of Solomon is about?, he asked

I quickly responded, it’s a love song between a bride and groom.

And in its deepest realms?

An allegory of God and His people, the Lord and Israel, Jesus and His bride, God and us.

We are the bride, Grandfather said. In one of the verses of the Song of Solomon the bride is described as beautiful as the moon. Do you find the moon to be beautiful?

I guess if you look at its surface, it’s not very beautiful.

No, it’s filled with imperfections, markings, irregularities, patches of darkness and creators. Yet it is called beautiful and connected to the beauty of the bride. It’s really fitting. For as the Moon is filled with imperfections, irregularities, and darkness, so too is the bride. Also, as the Moon is filled with scars of past wounds, so too are we.

Then, I asked, how can then it be called beautiful?

Her beauty is the beauty of the moon. The moon isn’t beautiful in itself. Neither are we. The moon’s beauty is in something other than itself. It’s beauty is in its light. And it’s light is not it’s own, but the light of the sun. The moon is beautiful inasmuch as it reflects the light of the sun. If it were able to look at itself in a mirror, it would only see imperfection, scars, and darkness. But if it forgets about itself and looks into the face of the sun, then it will shine with the radiance of the sun. This too is the secret of the bride’s beauty.

That we aren’t beautiful in ourselves, but that our beauty is in that which is other than ourselves.

Think about it, we are as the moon and He is as the sun. So as the moon’s light and beauty comes from the sun, so our light and beauty comes from God. So if you focus on yourself, you’ll only see the imperfections, the scars, and the darkness. But if you forget about yourself and turn your focus on the beauty of His radiance, then you will shine with His light. That light will overcome your imperfections. Then you’ll become beautiful. Don’t make the mistake of living a life focused on yourself. Forget yourself. Turn to Him. Dwell in the beauty of His presence and your life will become a reflection of His… and you’ll shine with the light of His radiance.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Shadow…

It was a dark night. There was no moon and only a few stars could be seen in the desert sky, just darkness and the howling of the cold night winds. A typical October night in the desert.

Are you afraid of the dark?, Grandfather asked

Sometimes, I replied.

In the Scriptures, Grandfather said, darkness is a symbol of evil. Darkness is an absence, the absence of light. So too is evil…

Evil is an absence?, I replied.

Then Grandfather continued. Evil is not so much a reality as the absence of a reality. It is not the creation, but a denial of creation, a negation of what is, the negation of God. So it can’t exist on its own, but only in opposition to existence.

What does that mean?

Truth exists of itself. It is that which is. But a lie cannot exist without truth. A lie is the twisting of the truth, and so it can only exist by the truth and in the denial of it. So too life exists without death. But death cannot exist without life. Death exists as a negation of life. So too the good can exist without evil. But evil cannot exist without good. Evil is the denial of the good.

It’s the force of opposition, I said.

Yes, he replied, in Hebrew that which opposes, that which goes against, is called sahtan.

Sahtan, I repeated, and paused until it hit me. Satan! You can have God without Satan, but you can’t have Satan without God.

Yes, he replied. So we can only discern darkness because of the existence of the light and what is false by the true, and what is wrong, by the right. So then evil is actually…

A witness, I said, a hostile witness, that, despite itself, testifies of the truth.

Yes, Grandfather said, the witness of a shadow. The darkness of falsehood bears witness that Truth exists. The darkness of hatred bears witness that Love exists. The darkness of evil bears witness that God exists. So never let your heart lose its focus by dwelling on evil, on a shadow, on that which is not, to obscure that which is. Seek always beyond the shadow, and above it, to the Good, which is always there upon the throne, and to which even the darkness must ultimately bear witness and bow it’s knee.

Today, practice seeing through the darkness of every problem or evil that confronts you – to the good that lies beyond it.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Big Picture…

It was early morning, the sun had just begun to rise. Grandfather took me on a journey to the city through the desert riding on horses. The purpose of the trip was to pick up supplies for the school. But, as usual, he had more than one purpose in mind.

One thing I want you do today, he said, is to keep watch over the sun.

It was a strange directive, even for a nine year old, but I did my best, noting from time to time it’s position in the sky. At journeys end, upon our return, he questioned me.

What did you see? He asked

Nothing out of the ordinary, I replied, nothing of note. The sun was just the sun.

I imagine, Grandfather said, that at times it was obscured by the mountains, the trees, and the buildings of the city. But otherwise, I imagine it stayed the same, certainly the same size. I would also imagine that the landscape was continually changing, everything was changing around us except for the sun.

That’s true, I said, but isn’t that the way the sun works?

Yes, but why is that the way the sun works? Then he added, It’s because although a mountain or a house or even a hand can appear bigger than the sun and can, for a time obscure it, the reality is that the sun’s true magnitude, it’s actual size, is so enormous, so colossal, that the highest mountain on earth is as nothing in comparison. It doesn’t appear so in the short run, but it becomes clear over the long run. Even in our little journey, everything we saw completely changed, the hills, the mountains, everything but the sun. If we had traveled thousands of miles, it wouldn’t have made a difference. The sun’s colossal magnitude is manifested by it’s changelessness.

What does that reveal? I asked.

Then Grandfather smiled and said two thousand years ago, Jesus said, ‘ I am the Light of the World.’ Since that time, ages have begun and ended, continents and civilizations have been discovered, kingdoms and empires have risen and fallen, kings and luminaries have appeared and passed away. And some of these have, for a moment, seemed larger. For a time they obscured the figure of the Nazarene. But in the long run, over the course of the long journey, they’ve all passed away. Everything has changed… except Him. All the rest lies in ruins and rubble or in the pages of history… but He remains, unchanged, undiminished.. as central, as pivotal and as colossal as He has ever been. Everything changes but Him. He is the sun. And the immensity of His magnitude is manifested by His changelessness.

Today, see all things in view of the big picture. Whatever problems or issues you have are small in comparison to Him and will pass away in the magnitude of the Son.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Intimate With God…

Saul, the apostle Paul, was one of the most influential people who ever walked the earth. He changed the world. He changed history. He lived a practical life, a strategic life, and an effective life.

But notice something else about him. He also was a man of the Spirit. He would pray and fall into a trance. He would receive supernatural words and dreams.

Paul treasured being intimate with God. That’s why he was able to do such great things. That’s why he was unstoppable and why he changed the world. Prayer is not often seen as something practical, but prayer is the most practical of things. Without prayer, everything else you do, every plan, every effort, every work, will be hindered. It will be like walking against the wind.

But with prayer, everything else will fall into place. So if you want to do great things. If you want to live an effective and powerful life… then be practical – get into God’s presence. Become a person of prayer and the Spirit. Yes, it’s supernatural – but it’s the most practical thing you can do!

Pray without ceasing. 1 Thess 5:17

Today, get into God’s presence. Practice being a person of prayer and the Spirit.

Walk daily with God at your side.

Love always,

Ed

The Founding Of America…

Jamestown was the first permanent English settlement in the New World. From its planting grew American civilization. So what was America founded on? What was its founding purpose? You can find it in the founding document of Jamestown – the Virginian Charter.

It says this: “… to the glory of His Divine Majesty in propagating of Christian religion to such people as yet live in darkness and miserable ignorance of the true knowledge and worship of God…” So why was America established according to its earliest founding document? America was founded for the glory of God, the spreading of the faith of the Gospel, and to be a light to bring those in darkness to salvation.

Today, more and more, we are seeing America fall farther and farther away from its founding vision. What should we do? Pray. Pray for this nation. And now more than ever, you be that light.

Live your life all the more for the glory of God and to be a light to the darkness. For the darker it gets, the more the light must shine.

You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16

Today, pray for this nation. Live your life all the more for the glory of God and to be a light to the darkness.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Power Of The Firstfruits…

Jesus rose as the firstfruits of the dead during the season of Passover. The timing is amazingly perfect since Passover is also the season of the firstfruits. It was in the Exodus from Egypt that God gave to Israel the law of the firstfruits.

In Exodus 13:1, He says, “Sanctify to me all the firstborn – whatever opens the womb among the children of Israel…”

So the law of the firstborn takes place at the very time that Israel is being “born” out of the womb of Egypt. In Hebrew, the word for the firstfruit is “Bikor.” “Bikor” literally means, “the one who breaks forth,” “the one who opens the womb.”

So it’s no accident that at the season of “the opening” and “breaking forth,” Jesus opened the tomb and broke forth! And for you who are in Him, you too have the power of the Bikor. No matter what you’re going through, no matter what the problem, what the obstacle, what the situation, no matter what, you’ve got the power to break forth and break through.

Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. John 15:2

Today, whatever situation you find yourself in, use the power of the Bikor to break forth and break through.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Power Of The Spirit…

In Luke 10:19, Jesus says this: “I give you power to tread on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy.” But in the original Greek of the New Testament, it’s not the power of the enemy – it’s the dunamis.

Dunamis is the same word used of the Holy Spirit. So what does it reveal to us? The enemy has a dunamis; a power of his own, and he uses his dunamis to attack you, hinder you, frustrate you, make you fall, defeat you, and destroy you. So how do you overcome his dunamis? You can only overcome the dunamis of the enemy by the Dunamis of God.

The Dunamis of God is only found and given in the Holy Spirit. How do you overcome the enemy’s power, his schemes against you, the temptation and pull of sin? You do it by the Dunamis of the Holy Spirit. Fight your fight a new way, overcome the power of sin, by going on the offense – practice moving in the Spirit, and you won’t fulfill the lusts of the flesh – and you’ll overcome the dunamis of the enemy.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9

Today, fight your fight a new way, overcome the power of sin, by going on the offense in the dunamis of God’s Spirit.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed