Ed Christian's World

The City and The Dead…

In Israel, you’ll notice that graves are outside the city. The dead were placed outside the camp in the wilderness and outside the cities in the promised land.

In Mark 5, you read about the demoniac; the man who was possessed. He hung out by the graves, the dead and the unclean. But when God delivered him, he moved away from the graves to the living.

Before you knew the Lord, you hung out with the dead, lived in dead places, handled dead things, talked and thought about dead things. But once you’re saved, you have to leave the dead things and get into life.

One of the signs of being saved is that you can distinguish between the living and the dead. When you get saved, you leave dead things. So if you’re saved, stop handling dead things. Gossip, old sin, old indulgences, old lust, envy, addiction, idolatry, and selfishness are all dead.

You’re not dead. You’re a child of God and alive. So put away that dead habit, whatever it is. Because God has called you out of the tomb and into the land of the living, into life.

Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever. 1 John 2:15-17

Put away any dead habit today and declare that you are alive in Jesus.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Caterpillar Lipstick…

Imagine a caterpillar that spends its life trying to be the prettiest most popular caterpillar around, or trying to be the most successful by gaining money and caterpillar riches? The point of the caterpillar’s existence isn’t to become beautiful, popular or successful as a caterpillar. It’s to die as a caterpillar and be born as a butterfly.

So with us. You’re not on this planet to look the prettiest, become the most popular, successful, or wealthy. This whole life is a caterpillar life. You’re here to exchange it for a butterfly’s life; to die to the old life so that you can live the greater life.

That means letting go of this caterpillar life, dying to self, the flesh, to ego, dying to the caterpillar life, giving instead of taking, letting go, decreasing.

Don’t lose sight of why you’re here. This is what it’s all about. Don’t get caught up in caterpillar stuff. Look beyond, press beyond, let go of that caterpillar life.

Enter the realm of the butterfly so that you can become that beautiful, heavenly creature that God calls you to become in Jesus.

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. Colossians 3:2

Ask the Lord to show you an area of your life that you need to die to. Let Him transform you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Wise Old Ant Leaders…

In an ant colony, the work is initiated by servant leaders who lead by example so the younger ants imitate them. By the time a worker reaches the age of five or six, it’s considered to be a wise servant leader. The greatest of them is the servant of all.

Proverbs 6 says, “Go to the ant and learn.” This can change your life. Do you want your spouse, your children, your employees, your congregation, your pastors, or your other brothers and sisters in the Lord to change? Well, go to the ants. They want the younger ones to do a lot. So they are examples. That’s the secret.

How about you? Do you want others to change, to be more loving, more spiritual? Then, you be more loving and spiritual. Parents, do you want your children to be godly? Set your heart on being godly.

Ministers, do you want your congregants to be more like apostles? You be more like Jesus. Be more like whatever you want from others. Become that person first. Because it all starts when we start learning how to be as wise as an ant.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways, submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. Proverbs 3:5-6

Set today to be an example of Jesus to all those around you.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Life In The Sun…

The sun is far out in space; yet its rays of light touch us. Energy that comes from the sun goes into our skin and becomes vitamins. We get energy from our food, the plants and animals that grow from the sun.

It’s all stored sunlight. We move, think, eat, worship, and repent by sunlight. It’s amazing. We live on sunlight in one way or another. Jesus is the light of the world. Malachi 4:2 refers to Jesus as a sunrise rising. Jesus is the sunrise.

Even though He’s in heaven, He actually touches us. His light touches you, and so from Jesus’s light, we’re to find energy. His radiance is to change us and transform us. We’re to move, walk, and be filled by His light. It’s not just something nice to look at and see.

He’s the awesome one who is to transform every part of your life. Get your whole life into His light, every part of it. Not only will it be lit up, but it will also be energized. Because He is the giver of sunlight that moves and changes our life.

Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. James 1:17

Dwell in the presence of the Lord today, in the Sunlight. Let His radiance touch your heart – and in the energy of His love, move forward to victory.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

The Devine Good Night…

The Hebrew holy days hold a mystery that has to do with your life. Passover, Yom Kippur, The Feast of Trumpets, Sabbath, and every holy day begins at night, at sundown. Every Hebrew day begins at sundown.

When you look at the creation, notice what comes first; not day, but night. In our lives, night comes first; then Jesus comes as the rising sun, as the dawn, and we’re born again.

A mystery that goes all the way back to the beginning that we need to move away from the darkness of night, let go of the old life and move to the light of His Word, of His presence.

It’s the story of the entire universe. Jesus died as the sun was going down. He’s the light of the world that went down that we might say goodbye to the old and rise to the new.

So, learn from the creation itself. You were from the night, but you’re not any longer. Let go of the darkness and move to the dawn in Jesus. Because in Jesus, the sun has risen, and it’s a new day.

When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness but will have the light of life.” John 8:12

Move away from any darkness in your life today and press forward. Step into His light.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

To Go Before Kings…

Scripture often shows God’s people appearing before kings and rulers; Moses before Pharaoh, David before Goliath, Esther before King Ahasuerus, Peter before the Sanhedrin and Paul going to Caesar.

God’s people are called to walk into throne rooms, approach kings, generals, and powerful mighty men. Ephesians says, “We war not against flesh and blood but against rulers and against principalities.” Rulers in the Greek is arche, which means high ranking.

Jesus said that all authority was given Him; therefore, we’re to go in the authority of the great commission. Authority in Greek is exousia, which means all ability, force, capacity, competency, mastery, jurisdiction, liberty, power, and strength have been given to you.

You can go before kings because now you have greater authority than that of kings. If you’re in Him and His will, you can do anything according to His will.

So live strong, confidently, powerfully, and authoritatively. Overcome that sin, bondage, and hindrance, whatever it is. In Jesus, you have the power to stand before kings.

What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? Romans 8:31

Today, take authority over that hindrance, that obstacle, or that ungodly thing in your life, and overcome in Jesus’s power.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

Lots For The Promised Land…

Joshua 14:1-2 says the promised land was apportioned to each one by the lot of their inheritance. Joshua 18 describes Joshua casting the lots. Lots were used on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur.

The Feast of Purim means the feast of lots. Lots are a picture of something happening by chance, as with the rolling of dice. Sometimes, the way things happen in the world and in your life seems like it’s just happening by chance, and you don’t see God’s purpose moving ahead.

Remember the lots of the promised land. It was through the casting of lots that they received their inheritance. If you’re following God, everything in your life, even things that look like they don’t make any sense, will be moving and working together in God to bring about God’s promises in your life.

You don’t have to understand everything. Just keep moving forward, loving God, being faithful and know that everything in your life, even like the casting of lots, in God’s love, as you follow, He will lead you to your inheritance as a child of God in the land of milk and honey.

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. 1 Thessalonians 5:18

Move forward today and give thanks for all the events, circumstances, and things in your life being orchestrated by God.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed

You Can’t Go Overboard Enough…

Peter saw the Lord from the boat and went overboard, literally. He was perfectly in God’s will, stepping out in faith with his eyes on the Lord. Often, when you’re about to step out in faith for God, friends and family say, “you’re going overboard.”

But are you? You can go overboard for what you think is God’s will but it isn’t, for a doctrinal bandwagon, an idea, a movement, or a cause; but you can never go overboard enough for God. Rather, it’s when we put things or idols above God, and our passion isn’t on Him first that we’re overboard.

God, by definition, is the One you go all out for. People go crazy at rock concerts, jump up and down at sporting events, and the world thinks it’s fine, but start going crazy for God, and they think you’re going overboard.

Scripture says, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind, soul, and strength.” In other words, go crazy for God. Step out of the boat and go all out. Because in God, the only way to go overboard is to not go overboard enough.

On the contrary, we speak as those approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel. We are not trying to please people but God, who tests our hearts. 1 Thessalonians 2:4

Step out in faith today, step out of your routine – into the new – and follow the Lord’s leading. Go all out for Him.

Walk daily with God at your side!

Love always,

Ed