Ed Christian's World

Heavenly Nostalgia…

In heaven we’re going to see and do beautiful things, but one thing we won’t be able to do, is overcome. Here we have the joy, honor and glory of overcoming. We hate having problems, trouble, crisis and setbacks; so we complain, but in heaven you won’t have the opportunity to overcome again.

Scripture says we’re to overcome the world. It never says we’re to overcome heaven; there’s nothing in heaven to overcome. So this life is for overcoming. That’s why we have problems. Without challenges or troubles you can’t have victory. To overcome is glorious.

Only here, can you run the good race or fight the good fight and win. Stop complaining about what’s glorious about this life. Paul said, “Momentary light affliction is producing an eternal weight of glory.”

Your crisis is for glory. So stop complaining at the very thing that’s going to bring glory. Rejoice, dig in your heels, run head on like David against Goliath, because you have been called to have the joy, honor and the glory of overcoming this world.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Today, see any negative situations as an opportunity to overcome. Give God the glory and run your race to win.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Listening For Answers…

I can’t tell you how many times Grandfather would have me go to the canyon and listen to the wind for the answers I was seeking. Many times we forget the answers God whispers in our ears require we sit in a quiet place and just listen. Many times He reminds me He gave me two ears for a reason.

How many roads must a man walk down
Before you call him a man?
How many seas must a white dove sail
Before she sleeps in the sand?
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly
Before they’re forever banned?

The song ‘Blowing In The Wind’ by Bob Dylan sort of points this out. Though he wrote it about all the cruelty and war in the world, it still points out our human tendency not to want to listen. Believe it or not we don’t have all the answers.

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind.

In today’s world, with a Country so divided, our desire for answers is all the more prevalent, yet still fail to go to God with our concerns. Some still think they have all the answers and tend to believe what Satan is telling them.

Yes, and how many years must a mountain exist
Before it is washed to the sea?
And how many years can some people exist
Before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head
And pretend that he just doesn’t see?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him. 1 John 5:14-15

Yes, and how many times must a man look up
Before he can see the sky?
And how many ears must one man have
Before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take ’til he knows
That too many people have died?

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind

A few years later when grandfather passed his words came back to me as a reminder that I should be in constant conversation with God and always listening for His response as He whispers in my ear. I am, for the most part, in continuous prayer or conversation with God and lean on Him for just about everything.

Saying that brings back another favorite phrase of grandfathers. “Don’t trust to hold God’s hand; let Him hold yours. Let Him do the holding, and you the trusting.” He always reminded me to turn things over to God and to let Him handle it. We often find ourselves turning things over to God, just to take them back to try a different approach. How much easier it is to trust Him to handle things while He is holding our hand.

As for myself, I am one who prays unceasingly. Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1Thessalonians 5:16-18

In the silence of the heart God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are as one with Him. Empty yourself for it is only when you realize you are empty, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.

The answer, my friend, is blowin’ in the wind
The answer is blowin’ in the wind. All you have to do is listen!!

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Make Way For The Lord…

Isaiah 40 says, “Prepare the way of the Lord; let every valley be exalted, every mountain made low, the crooked places made straight, and the rough places smooth.” The highway of God, like it or not, is coming through. Everything is going to change, to make way for God.

Those who walk in the way of God have to do likewise. You don’t bend the way of God because of circumstance. You bend the circumstance to the way of God. You don’t change the Word of God for the world, you change the world with the Word. God doesn’t conform to your life, your life conforms to His way.

The way of God is straight.Don’t bend, manipulate, wiggle, or worm your way. Walk, live, think and talk straight, despite mountains, valleys, rough ways, crooked ways, despite rejection or acceptance, hard times or easy times, prosperity or lack.

Keep going and your mountains will be cast down, your valleys will be lifted up, your crooked ways will be made straight and your rough ways will become smooth. Prepare the way of the Lord, and you will change the world.

For the Lord God is a sun and shield; the Lord bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. Psalm 84:11

Make way for the presence and power of God in your life. Clear away everything that is not in His will. Confirm everything to His way.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Starting With Heaven…

Here’s an incredible truth from the Lord’s prayer. “On earth as it is in heaven,” in the original language reads differently. It doesn’t say on earth as it is in heaven. It says “as it is in heaven, so on the earth.” The point isn’t about getting earth to heaven, the point is about getting heaven to earth. It starts with heaven.

There’s nothing before that, no problem, no issue, no concern, no enemies, no dangers. That’s where salvation starts. That’s where Jesus came from. That’s where every good and perfect gift comes from. That’s where the answers you’re looking for start. That’s where your peace begins. That’s where your blessing starts. That’s where your victorious life begins.

The gospel starts in heaven. The Lord’s prayer starts in heaven. So learn to start your day, your prayer, your solutions, your plans, your heart, dealing with a problem, your needs, your love, your future, everything from heaven.

Learn the secret of starting with nothing else, nothing more, no problem, no agenda, just God, just heaven. Because heaven is where it’s at, and that’s where all blessings begin.

This, then, is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matthew 6: 9-13

Lift up your open hands in prayer today, as a gesture of coming to Him with no earthly agenda and receive your heavenly impartation and mission.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Peter At The End…

Cephas-Peter, messed up a lot, in pride and in fear, in caring what people thought about him. He had enough notable lapses to finish up other walks. But what was great about him, was that he kept persevering. Peter never let the past hold him down. He finished the race in a blaze of glory.

In the life of Cephas, Jesus said, “It’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.” It doesn’t matter how many times you’ve failed God, it’s how you finish that counts. You may have started your walk great, but then fell off, lost valuable time, compromised and became distant from God.

What matters now, is how you finish. As long as you’ve time left on earth, you’ve time to live victoriously and finish gloriously. So be like Peter, or Paul who said, “One thing I do: forgetting what lies behind… I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call…”

Stop focusing on the start and start focusing on the finish. In the end, it’s the end that matters. And as did Peter, you’ll cross the finish line in a blaze of glory.

 Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Confess your failures, ask His forgiveness, and live today with a renewed zeal, passion, and focus on fulfilling your calling.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Being Where He Is…

The Lord’s prayer begins with, “Our Father who ‘art’ in heaven.” Our prayers often start with our problems, predicaments, situations, wants or needs. But it’s not supposed to be like that.

Prayer should start with focusing on where He ‘art.’ In other words, focus on where God is. What you’re dealing with or upset about, is where you ‘art.’ It has a place, but it is not the most important place of prayer.

Lay down your ‘art’ and focus on God and His ‘art,’ and your problems aren’t going to be such a problem. That’s when you’ll start dwelling in heavenly places. But you can only do that when you start from where He ‘art.’

When your ‘art’ is right, your heart will be right also. Then, you’ll end up dwelling in, what you dwell on. Where your treasure ‘art,’ there your heart will be also.

The point is, “Our Father who ‘art’ in heaven” forget where you ‘art’ and focus on where He ‘art.’ Most of your problems will be solved right there and you’ll be dwelling in heavenly places. But it all starts where He ‘art.’

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. Psalm 121:1-2

Today let go of your concerns, problems, and issues. And focus instead on how amazing He is. Worship Him in the beauty of His Holiness in heavenly places.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Calling His Bluff…

In Acts 4, the Sanhedrin commanded the apostles to stop preaching. But the Sanhedrin didn’t have the power politically or spiritually to stop them. If the apostles had listened to them or believed that they had the power, they would have, in effect, given them their power by their agreement.

Instead they said, “We can’t stop speaking about what we’ve seen and heard,” which resulted in the spreading of the gospel of Jesus. The enemy tries to stop you with the same strategy. He says, “You can’t do God’s will; you can’t open your mouth and share; you can’t overcome; you can’t defeat that sin; you can’t live victoriously. But it’s all a bluff.

If you believe the lies, you won’t live free, you’ll stay in bondage. The enemy has no power unless you let him. Be like the disciples, tell the enemy “I’m obeying God! You’re a liar, and all the more I’m going to follow God.”

Fight the bluff. Live victoriously. You can if you follow God. You can’t be stopped, because He that’s within you is far greater than he that’s in the world.

When they saw the courage of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they were astonished and they took note that these men had been with Jesus. But since they could see the man who had been healed standing there with them, there was nothing they could say. So they ordered them to withdraw from the Sanhedrin and then conferred together. “What are we going to do with these men?” they asked. “Everyone living in Jerusalem knows they have performed a notable sign, and we cannot deny it. But to stop this thing from spreading any further among the people, we must warn them to speak no longer to anyone in this name.” Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus. But Peter and John replied, “Which is right in God’s eyes: to listen to you, or to him? You be the judges! As for us, we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard.” Acts 4:13-20

What is the enemy using to hinder you, intimidate you, panic you, and stop you from stepping out in God’s will? Call his bluff – and do it.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Nameless Gospels…

Almost every book you read has the name of the author on it, who worked long and hard to create it. But not with the gospels. We put names on them according to whom we believe wrote them. But they didn’t put their name on them.

The fact is, the gospels are nameless. The point is whom they’re written about, not who wrote them. The point is Messiah, Yeshua, Jesus. The gospels glorify Him, communicate Him and reveal Him.

So you are called to glorify the Lord and reveal Him to the world. But to do that, you need to be like the writers of the gospels. You need to take yourself out of the picture. Take your glory out of the scene and become more selfless and anonymous.

Get into the joy of losing yourself, doing things only for God to see them. Then He will be revealed, as in the gospels. Then His glory will shine through your life as in the gospels, and your life will become a gospel, good news, everywhere. Because the gospel is nameless, except for God’s name. You be likewise.

I will praise you, Lord my God, with all my heart; I will glorify your name forever. Psalm 86:12

Today seek to be as the gospel writers. Put away all concern for recognition, and make it your aim to only lift up the Lord and His name.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Chained Ambassador…

In Ephesians, Paul calls himself, “an ambassador in chains.” There were chains on his hands even as he wrote or dictated. But notice, he doesn’t call himself an ambassador of chains. He doesn’t even call himself a chained ambassador.

Someone who is chained is defined by their limitations, they can’t move. But an ambassador is someone on the move, sent on a mission. Paul isn’t defined by his situation. He might be in chains, but he’s not of them. He’s an ambassador for God no matter what. He’s going to share the gospel and fulfill the mission.

Learn from Paul. Don’t be defined by your circumstance. You might have problems, but you’re not a problem person. You’re a child of the Most High. You’re free, unlimited. God is un-limiting you. Forget the chains. You’re an ambassador.

Nothing can stop you from doing God’s will and fulfilling your calling, no problem, no person, no trouble, no situation, no prison, nothing. You can say like Paul, “I can do all things through Messiah who strengthens me.” I’m an ambassador who happens to have some chains.

I can do all this through him who gives me strength. Philippians 4:13

What have you seen as a hindrance or obstacle in you fully doing God’s will? These are only chains. Follow Paul’s example, and do God’s will anyway.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

To Every Wilderness…

Are you going through a wilderness period in your life? The Hebrews went through the wilderness to get to the promised land. We think of the wilderness as just a place, when actually it’s a journey. It’s what leads to the promised land, the land of milk and honey and blessings.

Stop looking at it as simply a thing that you’re in, it’s a path that’s leading you somewhere else. For every wilderness in God, there’s a promised land at the end. Every hard time has a blessing at the end. For every problem, there’s milk and honey at the other side.

At the end of every trial, is a promise. You must pass through the wilderness to get the inheritance, the land of blessing. Every sorrow, obstacle, challenge, hindrance, hardship in God, leads to the land of promise.

So are you in the wilderness? Praise God, and rejoice! You can rejoice when you realize it means you’re going through it. Go with faith and confidence and joy that it’s going to lead you to the fulfillment of your calling. For every wilderness in God, there’s a promised land.

The Lord your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He has watched over your journey through this vast wilderness. These forty years the Lord your God has been with you, and you have not lacked anything. Deuteronomy 2:7

Think back on the wildernesses you’ve gone through in life – and the blessings, the promised lands God led you to, through them. Take encouragement in that for the present.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed