Author: Ed Schultz

Learning to Trust

Taking one small step toward trust, even when I’m afraid.

When I am afraid, I will trust in You. Psalm 56:3

Growing up, I had no idea what trust was. I learned early on that people could say one thing and do another, that “I love you” didn’t always mean safety, and that promises were often broken. I learned to survive by relying on the only person I thought wouldn’t lie to me – me. But since I had never really known love or trust, I was relying on a skewed version of what my limited understanding could comprehend. I built walls to protect myself from being hurt again and called it strength. Even after I came to know God, I still kept control of the details, just in case He didn’t come through the way I hoped.

When I came into recovery, I brought that same lack of trust with me. I didn’t know how to open up or let anyone in. I told myself it was safer to keep my guard up and just listen. I didn’t trust people, and if I’m honest, I didn’t trust God either. I believed in Him, but I didn’t believe He would show up for me. Deep down, I was afraid that if I really depended on anyone, they would eventually let me down, just like before.

As I kept coming to meetings, I began to notice something different. People shared openly about their struggles and didn’t seem ashamed. They were honest about their pain, but they also had peace. That was new to me. Little by little, I started to believe that maybe it was safe to be real too. People seemed to listen without judgment and didn’t try to fix me. The more I shared, the more I began to feel accepted. Trust didn’t happen all at once, but each time I opened up, the walls I had built started to tumble down. I started to believe what was shared in the readings, that this was a safe place and what is shared here stays here.

As I learned to trust people, I began to realize that God was using them to teach me how to trust Him. Each time someone listened without judgment, encouraged me, or showed up when they said they would, I caught a glimpse of God’s character. I started to see that He had been faithful all along, even when I couldn’t recognize it. Through the consistency of others, I experienced the steady love of a God I once doubted. Trust was no longer an idea I tried to understand; it became something I was learning to live.

Today, I’m still learning to trust. It’s not something I’ve mastered; it’s something I practice every day. Each time I let someone in, each time I choose honesty over self-protection, my hope in people grows a little more. I’ve learned that trust doesn’t mean I won’t get hurt. It means that even if I do, I don’t have to stop trusting. I can’t stop, because it’s in trusting others that I feel loved, and love is always a risk. It’s a risk to love others, and it’s a risk to let them love you back. But it’s a risk worth taking.

Prayer

Father, thank You for being patient with me as I learn to trust again. Help me to lay down my fear and let others in. When I’m tempted to close off or pull back, remind me that You are safe, and that You often show Your love through people. Teach me to love courageously, to trust even when it feels risky, and to see Your faithfulness in every step I take.

I Can Be Compassionate

Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Ephesians 4:32

I love my qualifier, who struggles with alcoholism. For a long time, I confused control with love. I believed that if I could fix them, everything would finally be okay. I thought their happiness would bring me peace, but it only left me frustrated, anxious, and exhausted. I thought I was showing love, but what I was calling love was distorted. I was attempting to fix and control what only God could heal.

Today I am learning that the solution isn’t in fixing others but in trusting God and keeping the focus on changing myself. I do this by learning to forgive, making amends, serving, giving back, living one day at a time, consciously being present in each moment, and being grateful. Working the steps of recovery has introduced me to a loving, caring God. Because of that relationship, I can “let go and let God.” I can trust Him with my qualifier. My part is to focus on my own recovery and take only my own inventory.

I can have unconditional love for someone with a seemingly unlovable disease. I can separate the person I love from the disease I hate. Loving without conditions doesn’t mean loving without concern. I’ve learned that accepting doesn’t mean liking, and that by accepting them exactly as they are, I can stop expecting. I can have boundaries, and I don’t have to accept unacceptable behavior. Detaching with love allows me to care without control and to love without losing myself.

I can be compassionate, gentle, kind, and understanding. I can allow them to experience the consequences of their decisions, good or bad, without interfering. I can stop depending on them for my happiness and peace, and instead look within for both. I can treat them with the same respect and kindness I would offer anyone, with or without their disease. I can live in the present moment, without heartache for the past or fear of the future. Because of my ongoing recovery from the family disease of alcoholism, I have gifts I never would have known otherwise. I can be grateful for them today. I get to have a loving relationship with my qualifier, and they get to live their own life. I can express my spirituality by showing how merciful God is through my attitude and actions in all my relationships. I can actively and willingly practice these principles in all my affairs. Peace and serenity have come as a result of living a life of spiritual recovery and working the twelve steps of the program. Today I can be compassionate, gentle, and kind, not because my qualifier changed, but because I have.

Reflection
What does compassion look like for you today—especially toward someone you’ve tried to fix or control?

Muddy and Wet

It may not be my fault, but it is still my responsibility.

Each one should carry their own load. Galatians 6:5

The other day I was out for a walk after a heavy rain. As I came to a corner, I noticed a huge puddle where the drain must have been clogged. Just then, a car sped past and splashed me from head to toe. I was soaking wet and furious. My first thought was, what was that driver thinking? Did they not see me standing there? Did they not see the puddle?

Then I began to blame myself. Why didn’t I anticipate the car coming? Why didn’t I move out of the way? I was trying to decide whose fault it was. Was it mine for not reacting, or the driver’s for not noticing? The truth is it didn’t matter whose fault it was. I was still muddy and wet. And I had three choices: stay angry and stuck, keep going through the day miserable, or go home, clean up, and move forward. I chose the third.

In the shower, I had an aha moment. It’s not about finding fault. It’s about taking responsibility. Blame couldn’t change my situation, but responsibility could. Whether or not the driver even knew what they had done, it was still my responsibility to get cleaned up. Life will splash us with things we didn’t cause and don’t deserve. But blaming others never changes the fact that we are muddy and wet. Responsibility allows us to clean up, move forward, and keep walking with God.

Prayer
Lord, help me not to waste time in blame. Teach me to take responsibility for my response. Give me the grace to clean up, move forward, and continue walking with You. Amen.

Home Runs

Consistency Wins The Game

Do you not know that those who run in a race all run, but one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may obtain it (1 Corinthians 9:24)

I was umpiring a tournament this past weekend where there were many home runs in a single game. A home run is always exciting. It is a magnificent moment when a player sends the ball sailing over the fence and out of the park. The player who hit it is ecstatic, their team erupts with joy, while the other team is disappointed. The pitcher who gave it up may feel dejected, and sometimes the coach will even make a change. One swing of the bat can shift the emotions and even the momentum of a game.

I have seen teams that were far behind suddenly find new life after a single home run. That one big hit gave them hope, sparked a rally, and sometimes they came all the way back to win. Yet the truth about home runs is that as thrilling as they are, they usually do not decide the outcome of the game on their own.

I have seen teams hit several and still lose to another team that never hit one. How can that be? Because one spectacular event is rarely enough to carry the whole game. The teams that win are the ones that play together, stay consistent, and keep contributing inning by inning.

Life and recovery work the same way. We may have some amazing wins and big victories along the way, but one moment is not the whole story. Winning one battle or even losing one does not determine the outcome. We keep going. We keep competing. We stay in the game. We cannot give up, because the game is not over. The real victory comes by showing up faithfully, playing every play, and staying in it until the end.

Prayer

Lord, thank You for the victories You have given me. Help me not to rely on just one moment but to keep pressing forward with faithfulness. Give me the strength to stay in the game and finish well. Amen.

Weeds

The other day I was out in my yard pulling weeds. It seems that lately it takes up much more of my time. As I was pulling them up, I settled into my usual routine of contemplative meditation and prayer. I would think a bit, then pray about that thought, then ponder it and roll it over in my head, and then pray a little more. Then I would repeat the process. I think that is one of the reasons I enjoy yard work so much. The work itself is not especially enjoyable, but being able to tune everything else out and focus, to meditate and concentrate on what I am meditating about, is something I really enjoy. And it is usually acceptable to be a little antisocial in this way.

As I was going about pulling weeds, I had an awareness, and suddenly a rush of thought and understanding flooded my mind. I know this experience. It is familiar to me, and it is invigorating. This was revelation knowledge. Straight from heaven. Thank you, God.

It started with an observation as I was pulling up some very large weeds. When I say very large, I know that is a relative term, so I will define it. In this case, very large meant sagebrush over three feet tall. After clearing a section of the yard of this unwanted brush, I dragged it into a pile. That pile ended up being about six feet high, twelve feet long, and five feet deep. Looking at it, I was excited to go back and see how much better my yard would look without those obvious eyesores.

I looked back at the area I had just cleared, took a deep breath, and expected to feel good about the clean, bare ground. Instead, I was discouraged. I immediately noticed something I had not noticed before. There were still weeds everywhere.

These were not the very large ones. These were what I would call medium-sized weeds, anywhere from about a foot to three feet tall. So I started in on those. As I cleared the same area again, I noticed something else. Beneath those were even smaller weeds. These are the most pesky ones. They frustrate me the most. They are hard to grab, and even harder to get up by the roots.

As I worked on these other weeds, I stayed in that same pattern of contemplation, meditation, thought, and prayer. I found myself wondering where all of these weeds had come from and why I never noticed them before.

The answer was obvious. They had been there the whole time. I had not noticed them because the very large sagebrush had covered them up. They were underneath. I would not even have been able to get to them until the sagebrush was removed. Once it was gone, the smaller weeds were exposed, and only then could I deal with them.

Something else stood out to me. The very large sagebrush had to be hooked up to my truck and pulled out. They had deep, established roots, but once they were hooked up, they came out easily. Roots and all. Ker-plop. Done. Gone.

Those small weeds were different. Sometimes it was hard to even find the root. I had to get down on my hands and knees, focus, grab at it three, four, five, sometimes ten times before finally getting it out.

After pulling the small ones, the yard looked good. I was glad I had taken out the sagebrush, because without doing that first, I would never have seen or reached the other weeds that also needed to be removed. The yard looked clean, and the evidence of the work was sitting right there in front in that large pile. Anyone could see it. “Wow, your yard looks nice. Did all of that really come from here?”

That moment clarified something for me. This is how it works in our lives when we want to change. We tend to notice the most obvious things first. After those are dealt with, we become aware of others that were there all along. They are all weeds. The frustration that comes when we see more work to do does not mean nothing has changed. Many times, the smaller things take more time and are harder to root out. Even noticing them means progress has been made.

If we thought we had to see and deal with everything at once, we might give up. But the smaller things only become visible because the larger ones have already been removed. They often are far more difficult to root out. If you are in the middle of that fine-tuning and find yourself discouraged, stop for a moment and go look at the pile. Look how far you have come and what you have conquered so far. You would not even be able to reach what you are working on now if you had not already done the work you did to get here. You are making progress.

Thank God for the progress. It is there, even when it does not feel like it.

Believe For More

Jesus never corrected anyone for having too much faith or being too bold. He never said “you are believing for too much.” But we do see Jesus rebuke and correct the disciples for having little faith when they believed for small things. He did said to believe for more. Nothing is too much for Him or for God.
Believe for Big things. God is not intimidated or limited. Its our thinking that is limited and small.
Let’s expand our thinking and dare to believe that God WILL do more than you can ask or even think.

Check it out for yourself…
Matthew 6:30, Matthew 8:26, Matthew 14:31, Ephesians 3:20

Resist him

1 Peter 5:8 in the Ed Schultz version
Be calm and collected in your mind and thoughts. Be on the look out and aware that you do not open yourself up to some destructive calamity. For the opponent and enemy of your soul is looking for an opportunity to use the law against you to convict, accuse and slander you. And all of that falsely. The opponent and enemy is acting big and tough, just like a bully. He uses loud convincing words and brags of the law and how you don’t measure up. He does this to see if you will give in to his false accusations and trick you into believing them, and in so doing giving him an open door to try and take you down by his loud false accusations.
RESIST HIM!!!

He Cares For You

I love it when I read something and have a new thought that I have never seen before. it excites me so much. I feel full and energized and I just want to share it with somebody…anybody…everybody.
Well I had just such an experience again this evening.

1 Peter 5:7 (NKJV)
casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.

On the surface, I am like “Yeah great verse. Jesus cares about me”, but it is so much more than that. And It is tough in English to understand some of these things because this verse uses two different Greek words that are both translated in English as care, but mean two entirely different things.
The first word for care here means worries and anxieties and carries the idea that they are distractions. This is what we are to “cast” on Jesus. The second word means to make provision for what is necessary for the health, welfare, maintenance, and protection of someone or something.
WOW! Did you catch that? He wants us to cast our fear, worry, anxiety on Him because they are distractions, They are distractions because He is making provision for all our needs.
That is exciting.

My next question is how do I “cast” my care upon Him?
Just the same way David did and encouraged us… with our mouth.

Psalm 56:3 (NKJV)
Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You.

God does not rebuke us nor condemn us when we are afraid, even though He instructs us not to. He tells us to cast it over to Him. And we do that by telling Him we are afraid.
When we admit our fears to God we take away the power those fears have over us, and the distractions begin to disappear and our trust in God reassures us that He truly has taken care of us and made provision for everything we have need of and I so doing the fears then begin to dissipate.

The Great Exchange

The Great Exchange

I was pondering this thought….
(1) I did nothing to “earn” my old sin nature. My old sin nature was inherited by what the first Adam did. It was not any of MY sins that gave me that old sin nature. NONE! And in addition none of my righteous acts or good works could undue that inheritance.

(2) I did nothing to “earn” my new righteousness nature. My new righteousness natu…re is inherited by what the second Adam (Jesus) did. It was not any of MY righteousness that gave me this new righteousness nature. NONE! And in addition none of my sinful acts or wrongs can undue that inheritance.

Think about it… this is what I call the “Great Exchange”
Look it up for yourself. 🙂
Galatians 1:4
who gave Himself for our sins, that He might deliver us from this present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father,
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NKJV)
For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.

For inquiring minds check out the words “for” and “evil” in Galatians 1:4 in the Greek. it will bless you.

The Canvass

Vision of The Canvass

 

I see a blank white canvass on an easel. Paint of many different colors was being splattered onto it. The paint was all over the canvass except near the edges. The edges were still blank white.

 

Then the Painter, who is a master Artist, takes His brush and begins to add distinction, definition, shape and form to the paint that was just splattered on the canvass. He begins to add accents and highlights and shadow where he desires and where He sees that the painting needs it.

 

God is that Master Artist and He is making a masterpiece of you. You may only look and see a messy blob of paint on that canvass. But God is looking at the image He has in His mind. The image He had when He began to create this masterpiece. He is a Master Artist!

 

Remember; do not look at the paint on the canvass. For all the while the Artist is working with the paint; it is not the paint He is concerned about, but the canvass. It is the canvass that becomes His masterpiece, not the paint. You are that canvass and He is making a masterpiece out of you.

 

Don’t be discouraged by looking at the paint.

 

Philippians 1:6 (NKJV)
being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ;

Faith (part 1)

How Do We Get Faith?

 

One of the first questions we must ask when talking about faith is “How do I get it? Some think that God gives faith to someone special like Billy Graham, Oral Roberts or Bill Johnson. Some think that you get faith only when you need it. Unfortunately if you wait till then it might be too late. Still others think that if you pray and ask God for faith he will somehow give it too you.

 

Though these answers sound good and the people are very sincere who think them, they are not correct. They are based on ideas that come solely from man’s own understanding and intellect, not from God’s Word. Hebrews 12:2 tells us that God is the author and finisher of our faith, so let’s get the answers from Him.

 

You might ask, “If God is the author and finisher then why shouldn’t I pray for God to give me faith?” God has already given every person a measure of faith, you already have faith. How can God give you something He has already given you? It would be similar to asking God to send Jesus to die on a cross for your sins. This is something that God cannot do. Not because He doesn’t want to or because it is not His will either. He cannot do it for one reason… he already has.

 

Romans 12:3 (NKJV)
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.

 

Here the Apostle Paul says that God has distributed to each person a measure of faith. Thayer’s Lexicon points out that in the Greek here the word for measure has the idea of a device or container used to measure. Think of it like a measuring cup instead of the substance being measured. So you could say that God has given each of us a measuring cup for faith. We have a container that is specifically designed by God to hold faith and distribute faith. We will discuss this more in a later chapter.

 

Faith Is Not An Option

 

Check out this verse from the book of Hebrews.

 

Hebrews 11:6 (NKJV)
But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.

This verse tells us that God demands us to have faith. Without faith we cannot please Him. It is impossible! If He demands it of us, then we must be the one’s responsible to make sure we have it. It’s up to us to get faith. The writer here also says that we must believe two things…

  1. Believe that God is
  2. Believe that God is a rewarder

 

Wait a second here. How can God give me a measure of faith and yet say I must have faith to please Him. Well that my friend is the beauty of grace. God gives us a container for faith and then He gives us the means to acquire the faith that He requires of us. He truly is the author and finisher of our faith.

 

Faith Comes

 

Romans 10:17 (NKJV)
So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

I love this verse. It is one of my favorite verses in the whole bible. It may seem like an odd verse to be a favorite. It is not a common verse that some to have as a favorite memory verse. It is my favorite because in this one verse I see the awesomeness of God. I see His wisdom, His justice, His equity, His love, His grace and His mercy. You may ask “How do you see all that in those few simple words?” I am happy to share. In fact since it is one of my favorite verses I will spend just a little time here dissecting this one verse.

 

Faith comes by… It is that plain and simple. Faith does come. There is no ambiguity in this verse at all. There are no exclusions or caveats. There is no exception. Is simply says faith comes. I love that. Faith does come, faith ALWAYS comes. Now I am interested to see how does this faith always come? As we read on we see that it comes by hearing. So if I can only hear, this faith will come.  Can I hear just anything? NO! Faith does always come, no exceptions. There is however an exception to WHAT you hear. And Paul says that if you hear the word of God, faith will always come. I love that. I don’t have to be a “special” person or have a certain rank or title or position. All I have to do is hear the Word of God and faith will come.

 

Faith Follows The Word of God.

 

Some of you may notice that the word “comes” is italicized in this verse, indicating that it is not in the original Greek text, but was added by the translators for clarity of understanding and readability. And that is correct; however the Greek language has many nuances our English language does not. So we will focus on the word by. This little word has varied meanings to which are: comes, abundance, means, method, out of, exceeding, etc… so from this we get the meaning of faith coming out of what is to follow next in the sentence. So faith comes from or out of whatever is said next. In this case it is the Word of God. I like to say like this, “Faith follows the Word just as signs follow believers.” So in the truest sense faith does come by hearing God’s Word.

Faith (part 2)

Hearing Is Essential

 

This is a principle and key element in the spiritual life and a walk of faith. We must “hear” what God says about something first in order to believe and then subsequently receive those things we are believing for. Look with me in the book of Acts.

Acts 10:3-6 (NKJV)
3 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. 5 Now send men to Joppa, and send for Simon whose surname is Peter. 6 He is lodging with Simon, a tanner, whose house is by the sea. He will tell you what you must do.”

Acts 11:13-14 (NKJV)
13 And he told us how he had seen an angel standing in his house, who said to him, ‘Send men to Joppa, and call for Simon whose surname is Peter, 14 who will tell you words by which you and all your household will be saved.’

This angel appeared to Cornelius and told him what to do. Notice the detail that the angel gave to Cornelius…

  • Send-don’t go yourself
  • Men- not women, not boys
  • Simon-specific person
  • Surname Peter
  • Lodging – not a permanent residence
  • Simon-specific person
  • A tanner- not a blacksmith, or jeweler etc..
  • House is by the sea- not in the middle of town
  • He will tell you what to do-speak words to you

 

Here is a question for you…If the angel gave all this specific detail to Cornelius, why didn’t the angel just tell Cornelius himself what he must do. Simon was just going to tell Cornelius words. Why didn’t the angel tell him the words? The angel was already telling Cornelius words. Are some words different than other words?

When someone tells you something, they are using words to tell you. That may sound simplistic but it just the reality. When someone talks or says something, what they are doing is using words to communicate the ideas and thoughts that they have so that others can hear and understand. In order to understand one must first hear the words. This is what Paul said in Romans 10:14.

 

Romans 10:14 (NKJV)
How then shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in Him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?

He lays out the progression of faith here. First there is preaching or speaking words, then hearing- the words spoken, then believing- those same spoken words, and then calling on the Lord. How can anyone call on the Lord or use their faith, if they don’t first believe and how can they believe if they don’t first hear, and how can they hear if no one speaks. It all comes down to words, words, words. Words are important.

Spiritual Warfare 101

Spiritual Warfare 101
Ephesians 6:11-12 (NKJV)
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.

I recently has a close friend who really did something mean and hurtful to me. It hurt very much and I was angry as well as hurt. I was reminded of these verses in Ephesians, so I told myself “My battle is not with my friend but with spiritual forces”. “I need to come against and bind these wicked spirits that are influencing my friend and causing him to act this way”. As I began to pray, I suddenly had a new thought that came into my mind. I know it was Holy Spirit speaking to me, but this is how He spoke to me, a sudden and different change of thought. “Instead of binding the spirit governing him, why not bind the spirit governing you?” I asked “What do you mean?” He said to me, “You are the one hurt, you are the one offended, you are the one angry. This is a spirit influencing your thinking to cause you to be hurt, offended and angry.” All of a sudden a light went off inside me. I saw it. No wonder I have struggled so long doing spiritual warfare with intermittent success. I was trying to control someone else instead of using self-control. I decided I would begin to use this weapon that God has given me, also known as a fruit of the spirit.

I get it. Spiritual Warfare is about me using the weapons of the Word of God, fruit of the spirit and prayer to combat the forces that are trying to influence me. These forces or spirits try to influence me to get angry, hold grudges, be resentful, unforgiving, get hurt, feel lonely and hopeless. These are not God’s fruit but they affect me. Then I saw something I had not seen before in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians. In chapter 6 he begins summarizing and giving some ways to achieve what he just outlined in chapters 4 & 5. ““How to “put off the old man and put on the new””. And he follows that up with how to view things after you have done so. This is about me warring against the spirits that are trying to influence me, not everyone else. You will notice in verse 11, he says that YOU may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. Not as many of us have been taught that you can stand against the spirits influencing someone else.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NKJV)
10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.
11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 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.
13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
14 Stand therefore, having girded your waist with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness,
15 and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God;
18 praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints–

So now instead of praying that God will change someone else, or that the spirits will stop influencing someone else, I pray that God will help me see what I can do to change the way I am thinking. To help me forgive and walk in love so that I don’t hold grudges or resentments and bind the spirits that are trying to influence me to be hurtful, angry, resentful. When I bind them I am doing true biblical spiritual warfare and using self control.

Vision of Breakthrough

Vision of Breakthrough

As I was praying – for breakthrough for our church and over our people –
I saw in the Spirit a domed shaped object that was covering overhead, like and umbrella -I was on the ground looking up at it –
The object was translucent in color and had an elasticity and substance like a rubber glove –
As I prayed I began to be raised up to the domed object and started to be pressed into the object. As I was pressed in the object conformed around me and I felt pressure and resistance from the object. Then I heard a voice say “Press through for breakthrough!”

I had an understanding immediately. And the Lord said to me…

“This (object) will not be cut and opened as with a knife, nor will it be ripped or torn, but it will be burst open from the inside as you press through. The pressure will get greater and resistance will intensify, and you will be faced with a choice to continue to press on through for the resistance will be great as it reaches it’s peak, or you can back off and feel no pressure or resistance, but also no breakthrough.”
“As the resistance and pressure reaches it’s peak and at its greatest apex… Rejoice! – For it is about to burst open, and burst it will!”
Great breakthrough – with light, glory and joy…

Then I saw my closed right hand in a fist pushing into the object and continuing to press against the resistance. And I thought I could not push any more or any harder… Then I heard a voice say “Just continue slow and steady!”

The pressure was still resistant and increasing, but as I continued slowly to push forward and apply pressure, it was not so hard. I was tiring and thought about quitting or resting and then I heard “Press On! Press On!” So I continued to push.
Then I felt a sudden release – my fist burst through and the domed object burst wide open. It was as if a rush of wind and air gushed through the opening and rays of light shone through. There was a feeling of great peace and confidence.

At first I thought this was for the church I was praying for, and the Lord said to me “Yes, but it’s for you personally too!”
Then I remembered what the Apostle Peter said in his letter, that no prophecy of scripture is for private interpretation.
2 Peter 1:20 (NKJV)
knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation,

This is a word for our Church corporately and for each member individually.

This is for you too, if you will receive it.

Be Blessed
Ed

Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?

Would you rather be right, or would you rather be happy?

Now this is a hard question to answer sometimes. In fact, my answer used to be, “But I was right! He/she/they were wrong! It has nothing to do with being happy!” How wrong I was. And by clinging to my self righteous pride and ego, I fought a lot of people and a lot of things to maintain my right to be right.

And I paid a steep price for my stubbornness. Living in opposition to a lot of people, places and institutions takes a lot of energy and it constantly creates a lot of resentments. And resentments will kill me. In order to stay alive, I have to learn to forget about who’s right or wrong, and instead to focus on my part. Mine is the only part I can control, and if my side of the street is clean, then I become open to the only real solution to any situation: forgiveness, surrender and acceptance.

Today I know that while I rarely have the opportunity to be right, I always have the choice to be happy. By looking at my actions and ignoring my intentions each day, I am able to correct my part. I get to forget about who is right, and I get to choose to be happy and free instead.

And today I’d rather be happy than right.