Ed Christian's World

Achilles…

Have you ever heard of the expression “Achilles heel”? It comes from an ancient Greek epic concerning the city of Troy and a warrior named Achilles.

According to legend, when Achilles was a child his mother dipped him in the River Styx to make him invulnerable. But one part of his body couldn’t be dipped, and therefore remained vulnerable, the heel by which his mother held him.

Achilles went on to become a fierce and seemingly immortal soldier. But he was killed when an arrow struck him in the heel. So the phrase “Achilles heel” describes an area of weakness or vulnerability.

Like Achilles, no matter how strong you are, you will still have areas of weakness. Do you want to stand and not fall? Then you must operate in strength, yet recognize your weakness through the Lord’s grace.

Be humble, acknowledge your weakness, and commit it to God. Keep watch, close the gaps, and establish hedges in your life so you will never be caught exposed or subject to the enemy’s arrows.

Remember, God’s strength is stronger than your weakness, and His grace will be your armor to cover your Achilles heel.

But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness. Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Look at your life and find those places where the enemy could creep in. Repair weakened defenses and commit your fight in God’s hands. Do all you can to stand.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Pile of Dung…

The enemy is called Baal-zebub or Baal-sebul. In Hebrew, Baal means “lord” or “master” and “baal-zebul” bluntly means dung; lord of the dung heap. Satan means “master of the pile of waste.” What’s more derogatory than that?

The Hebrews spoke with contempt when it came to the gods, the devil, sin, or evil. We need to do the same. We are to love others, but hate the sin. The more we hate sin, the less we’ll be ensnared by it.

The enemy is the lord of the dung heap, and all his ways are as dung. They might look good at first, but they end up being a dung heap. When you indulge in sin, you end up in a pile of dung.

So don’t respect sin or the enemy. See that temptation for what it really is, not a pleasure, not a thrill, not a joy, but something filthy, base, disgusting and defiling. Hate sin, adultery, lust, selfishness, pride.

Have nothing to do with it. When you see the enemy’s temptations as they really are, you will spurn him and turn them down. You will avoid that sin like a pile of dung.

By faith Moses, when he had grown up, refused to be known as the son of Pharaoh’s daughter. He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. Hebrews 11:24-25

You will be tempted today; see it for what it really is, as a trap to separate you from God. Don’t even go near it but avoid sin just like that stinking pile of dung.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Feelings of Zeus…

Hannukah is the war between God and Zeus, a Greek god, whose statue defiled the temple. There’s a difference between Zeus and Jehovah. Zeus was an idol. The Lord is not an idol.

His worship is spiritual, of the Spirit. Hannukah is uniquely linked to the end times, a war between the carnal and the spiritual; the way of Zeus versus the way of Jehovah.

Zeus is of feeling, so the end time culture focuses on the sensual. If it feels good, do it. Unfortunately, this has seeped into God’s people and God’s house.

Believers are told to go by feeling, but it’s not the way of God, it’s the way of Zeus. Feelings aren’t bad, but they must never lead faith, only follow. We don’t go by feeling.

We follow God who is beyond the sensual. We are called to know God, not to feel God. God’s people live by faith, not by sight. They know Him, whether they feel Him or not.

They praise Him when they don’t feel like it; stand strong when they don’t feel it. Know it, believe it, stand in it. You are not of Zeus; you are of Jehovah.

God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. John 4:24

There is a war going on for your soul today. Live by faith, not by feeling or sight. Stand in the fight and pray without ceasing. Know the sound of the Master’s voice.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Tempster or The Tester…

Jesus was tempted of the devil, (Matt. 4) In Greek, tempter is translated “tester.” Getting tested isn’t a bad thing but getting tempted is. Testing happens to us in school so we could graduate.

The same word that describes the tempter is used in Hebrews 11:17 and says, “Abraham was tested.” Testing Abraham was a good thing, but it didn’t seem good at the time. Whenever you go through a trial, it’s a test; for a purpose. The enemy means it for bad, but God means it for good.

When you are tempted, it’s not just temptation. The enemy means it for bad, but God will use it for your good. Just pass it. When you go through your next problem, see it as a test to be passed to show God, to graduate; pass your test.

Next time you are tempted, see it as a test to be passed, because a test is filled with good purposes. Embrace it. You will move ahead because in the Bible, every temptation, every attack of the enemy that he means for bad; God will use for good. So don’t be tempted, but pass your test.

Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

Deny the enemy the advantage during your temptation today. See it for what it really is, as a test that you must pass and stand proved.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Deborah and The Bees…

Go to the ant, O sluggard,” (Prov. 6:6). Wisdom is learned from the ant and also a similar insect, the bee. In Hebrew, bee is devorah or Deborah. Deborah was named after the bee.

We have an expression, “busy as a bee.” You never see bees goofing off, or leaving the hive to hang out at the bowling alley. They are always busy. Many believers aren’t always busy like bees.

They may be lazy in reading the Bible or their prayer life, serving or ministering, or spreading the gospel. When it comes to the things of God, we are called to be diligent, always abounding in love and in the service of God.

Blessed is the servant whom the Master finds doing His will at his return investing the talent the Master gave him. Jesus said, “I must be about My Father’s business.” Laziness in the things of God is not a blessing.

Learn to be as wise as a bee. Get busy with your prayer life; with the Word; with service and ministry and fulfilling God’s purpose in your life. For the sweet honey of the Lord will flow when you start getting busy as a bee.

Worship the Lord your God, and his blessing will be on your food and water. I will take away sickness from among you, Exodus 23:25

Busy yourself with heavenly things. Seek the joy in ministering to others and be active in ways to spread this joy of His love today.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Sailboat Princical…

The first time my father and I tried sailing a sailboat, the instructor gave us directions. He said that we couldn’t keep the sail in just one position; we’d have to adjust it continuously.

We didn’t so we ended up in the water with a turned-over sailboat. When sailing, even if you are only 5 degrees to the right or left, you will be soon completely off course and eventually totally lost.

So it is in life and with the Lord. The Bible says to examine yourself to see if you are in the faith. You can’t just commit your life to the Lord yet never check to see if your life and your heart are still on course.

It’s easy to go off a few degrees to the right or left. Are you off a few degrees from prayer, from the Word, from the joy of the Lord, or from your first love in God? Then it’s time to adjust and correct your course.

Renew your love and your devotion to Him every day. Continually refocus and concentrate your journey on Him. Then you’ll stay the course and not become lost or shipwrecked.

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:13

Check your bearings today. Are you on course or off course. Adjust whatever needs to be adjusted and sail ahead.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Spirit Graduates…

On the day of Pentecost, the Holy Spirit came. Why then? One reason is because the disciples were at a crossroads. Their discipleship was over, they finished the course, their teacher was gone, and it was time to go forth and disciple.

They had been taught; now they were to become teachers. They watched Jesus perform miracles; now they were to perform miracles by His power.

They listened as Jesus spoke and operated as the representative of God; now they were to speak and represent God by His power. They watched Jesus minister; now they were to become ministers.

But how were they to do all this? Through His Spirit. The Spirit came so they could graduate from observing to doing. Do you want to walk in the power of the Spirit in your life?

Stop expecting others to minister to you, and start ministering. Stop waiting on others to bless you and become a blessing. Take the reins of your calling and set your heart on attaining maturity in Jesus.

Be ready to graduate and do the work of Jesus. Then He will send His Spirit, anoint you, and give you His power.

Until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. Ephesians 4:13

Start your day by being in the presence of the Lord and walk in the power of the Holy Spirit. Minister to others, find the need where He leads you and be the blessing.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Unsharpened Pencil…

As I started working on this devotional this morning I was reminded of a story about Albert Einstein, the great physicist who in 1999 was honored by Time Magazine as the Man of the Century.

Einstein was once traveling from Princeton on a train, when the conductor came down the aisle, punching the tickets of every passenger.

When he came to Einstein, Einstein reached in his vest pocket. He couldn’t find his ticket, so he reached in his trouser pockets. It wasn’t there. He looked in his briefcase but couldn’t find it. Then he looked in the seat beside him. He still couldn’t find it.

The conductor said, Dr. Einstein, I know who you are. We all know who you are. I’m sure you bought a ticket. Don’t worry about it. Einstein nodded appreciatively. The conductor continued down the aisle punching tickets.

As he was ready to move to the next car, he turned around and saw the great physicist down on his hands and knees looking under his seat for his ticket.

The conductor rushed back and said, Dr. Einstein, Dr. Einstein, don’t worry, I know who you are; no problem. You don’t need a ticket. I’m sure you bought one. Einstein looked at him and said, Young man, I too, know who I am. What I don’t know is where I’m going.

Now you are probably wondering where this leading to. The question to ask is do you know where you’re going? If you’re a Christian, yes, you can say I’m going to be with Jesus. But, are you really sure? Have you followed His commandments to go out and shine your light to lead others to Him?

Have you loved your neighbors as yourself and as He has loved you? Last month we talked about why He said love your neighbors as yourself. How many of you paid attention to that and adjusted your path in life? How many now realize how important it is to have God in your life?

We all have excuses for wandering off the path He has set out for us and we know He will guide us back if we confess our sin and ask Him for help. He is always there to turn us back in the right direction.

So now, some of you are wondering what is the point of all this? The point today is God! He gave His son to redeem us from our sins and to give us eternal life. Without him we are an Unsharpened Pencil.

Life without God is like an unsharpened pencil – it has no point.

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

My prayer is each of us have lived our lives so that when our ticket is punched we don’t have to worry about where we are going.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Satan’s Fear…

The devil, satan, is real. This was the hardest thing to believe when I first came to the Lord. Yet when you consider Nazi Germany, Adolf Hitler, the Holocaust, and Hitler’s obsession with destroying the Jewish people, no words less than satanic can describe it.

Hitler was a man possessed and used by satan; one who spoke the enemy’s words. The truth is, that Hitler was afraid of the Jewish people.

Though the enemy goes about as a roaring lion to destroy God’s ancient people Israel, he is actually scared of them because from them came Jesus, and from them will come the Kingdom.

He is scared of you too if you are a born-again child of God who walks according to God’s will. The enemy is afraid of you because you have the power to defeat him and to undo his work.

So if you are receiving special opposition from the enemy and going through tough times, praise God! Take all that opposition and all the troubles you are going through as encouragement to press ahead in the will and the power of Jesus. And give the devil even more to fear.

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 1 John 4:4

Persevere through your struggles today, punch through, push through and be encouraged that the battle is the Lord’s and the victory has already been won!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Power Of Up…

No matter where you are or what you are doing, you have to deal with gravity every moment of your life. Gravity has a job and that is to hold you down.

Just look at your body. As you age, your body becomes a graphic display of the laws of gravity. You look in the mirror and everything is a few inches lower than it used to be. Your face, your stomach, it’s all heading south of the border and you can’t even see the border any more.

Jesus is the opposite. Jesus rose! And the power of Jesus and of salvation is the power to rise. In Jesus, you have the power to rise and to go against the way the flesh pulls. In Jesus, you no longer have to be oppressed, suppressed or depressed.

So stop being dragged down, pulled down, pushed down, knocked down and kept down. Jesus rose and you can do the same. The law of gravity and of the flesh cannot stand against the power of Jesus. Nor can anything or anyone hold you down if you will live in the power of His rising.

He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’ Luke 24:6-7

Declare victory over your problems and temptations. You are free to rise in the power and love of Jesus.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed