Dig in deep

"Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some."  John 21:6   NKJV

When we are in a distressed and depressed state, we can tend to be unable to settle. Peter was like this and told the others that he was going out fishing. The others said they would go with him. Alas, they caught nothing. We can have so much influence on others that, they pick up our moods and will follow us, just like the disciples did. But, it was the wrong thing to do. Without Jesus, we can do nothing. It would have been better to just rest. Then Jesus came along asking for food, and finding they had none, instructed them to go out again and 'cast the net on the right side of the boat'. They did and they netted so many fish they thought they'd sink.

Now this is similar to the account in Luke 5:4-6. On this occasion, Jesus told them to 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.'  They did so and caught a massive load, again the net nearly breaking. Now it's a well-known fact that in Israel, fisherman do their job at night, and close to the shore because, this is where the fish will be. In daylight, they swim back into the deep. Hence, why Jesus sent them out into the deeper water.

Note here, that, it was quite unusual to cast a net on the right side of the boat; it was usually the opposite side. So what did Jesus mean by 'The right side?' It obviously worked, but opens up the theory that, things are not always rigid or set in stone. Jesus always has a way to meet our needs and tailor it to fit, very nicely.

These scriptures also explain the necessity to dig deeper. People can give us excellent advice but, it is not always helpful in solving our problems. It is far better to seek our friend Jesus for expert instruction. Things may have worked well for others but, this doesn't mean they'll work for us. What is right for one, may not be right for another. One can go on a degree course and receive flying colours. Another can fail miserably, we're 

all different. 

The disciples followed Peter to go fishing and received nothing. There is a lesson here, don't follow people, they may take you the wrong way. Always follow Jesus.

If you are not born again and want to be, below is a prayer of salvation. Also, you may have drifted off from your faith. Don't you think it's about time to return to the open arms of Jesus. There is safety and security there

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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The Virtuous Wife

"My beloved spoke, and said to me: “Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away. 11For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. 12The flowers appear on the earth;
The time of singing has come, And the voice of the turtledove Is heard in our land. 13The fig tree puts forth her green figs, And the vines with the tender grapes Give a good smell.
Rise up, my love, my fair one, And come away!"     Song of Solomon 2:10-14   NKJV

Here in the UK we've had weeks of bad weather - storms, heavy, practically non-stop rain, flooding and a lot of misery where people's homes have been ruined. And there doesn't appear to be any let up in it either. In fact, weather professionals are now predicting freezing conditions and heavy snow soon. But at least, we have weather, we'd be lost without it 😄

One day soon, rather like the beloved says here, 'For lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone'. The beloved is desperate to see this young lady and has been running and leaping over mountain tops in a bid to get to where she is. It is a wonderful vision of marriage, one in which many dream of.
In a lot of marriages today, the husband has to be aware of all that his wife does to make his home peaceful and loving. There are many chores such as washing clothes, ironing, cleaning house, cooking, shopping and many other things that crop up all the time; and we haven't even mentioned having children, coping with bringing them up, teaching them, taking them to school etc etc.

Most 'Today's men', are pretty good at helping out within the home when they are available. Sadly, some don't and still act as if they are in the 40's & 50's, where sociologically, the man went to work while the woman had children and then did everything else, without complaint. Today, some men don't have jobs but they still act this way. Husband, you are supposed to be the spring to your wife's winter, if not you can't complain if things don't sail peacefully throughout the home. Read this lengthy scripture prayerfully:

"Who can find a virtuous wife? For her worth is far above rubies.11The heart of her husband safely trusts her So he will have no lack of gain. 12She does him good and not evil All the days of her life. 13She seeks wool and flax, And willingly works with her hands.14She is like the merchant ships, She brings her food from afar. 15She also rises while it is yet night, And provides food for her household, And a portion for her maidservants. 16She considers a field and buys it; From her profits she plants a vineyard. 17She girds herself with strength, And strengthens her arms. 18She perceives that her merchandise is good And her lamp does not go out by night. 19She stretches out her hands to the distaff, And her hand holds the spindle. 20She extends her hand to the poor, Yes, she reaches out her hands to the needy. 21She is not afraid of snow for her household, For all her household is clothed with scarlet. 22She makes tapestry for herself; Her clothing is fine linen and purple. 23Her husband is known in the gates, When he sits among the elders of the land. 24She makes linen garments and sells them, And supplies sashes for the merchants. 25Strength and honor are her clothing; She shall rejoice in time to come. 26She opens her mouth with wisdom, And on her tongue is the law of kindness. 27She watches over the ways of her household, And does not eat the bread of idleness. 28Her children rise up and call her blessed; Her husband also, and he praises her: 29“Many daughters have done well, But you excel them all.” 30Charm is deceitful and beauty is passing, But a woman who fears the Lord, she shall be praised. 31Give her of the fruit of her hands, And let her own works praise her in the gates".

This is The Virtuous Wife (Proverbs 31:10-31). So husbands, if you want a summer wife who consistently bears good fruit, don't bring home winter weather. It's all down to you. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Watch those foxes

"Catch us the foxes, The little foxes that spoil the vines, For our vines have tender grapes".                                       Song of Solomon 2:15   NKJV

Many have tried to understand this verse; what was the gender of the person who wrote it? Why did they write it and to whom? 

Hudson Taylor thought of the “little foxes” that may ruin our relationship with Jesus Christ. “The enemies may be small, but the mischief done great… And how numerous the little foxes are! Little compromises with the world; disobedience to the still small voice in little things; little indulgences of the flesh to the neglect of duty; little strokes of policy; doing evil in little things that good may come; and the beauty, and the fruitfulness of the vine are sacrificed!”                     James Hudson-Taylor

I agree with the interpretation of this great man of faith and also add relationships between married couples to the discussion too. Little things can wreck a relationship. Marriages aren't usually destroyed by major events but the little things that go unaddressed. If these things are allowed to go on, after a time the marriage can reach a decay. Therefore, it is imperative that this is dealt with before that state is reached. 

Counselling can help but, I believe that finding the time and the space to discuss this with each other, laying the faults before them and prayerfully assessing how each one is damaging the other, can be a bonus. Allowing God to control the situation and being honest before Him and each other can be so rewarding. Take time to identify and resolve potential problems to your marriage. Face them honestly and candidly. Otherwise, the little foxes will run wild and ruin the crop - your marriage.

Little foxy problems can also crop up in Christian friendships. One of the key factors is gossip. God wants us to uphold the banner of trust but, if we dishonour this, the trust is broken and things that may not be true, may be seen as such, and friendships are broken down. Have you ever noticed too, that after periods of blessings, things may suddenly start going wrong - things breaking down, sickness and a host of other things that can be frustrating to say the least. Without becoming paranoid, one has to consider that a spiritual attack is taking place against you. Therefore, it is time to make that stand in the armour of God and squash any foxes, before they cause complete havoc. The devil loves to send his demons out to give us a bad time. But we are members of Team Jesus and belong to Jesus Christ, the Author and Finisher of our faith, and He will give us the victory over such as this.

Don't bow the knee to anyone or anything except, Jesus. He is our friend but He is also our King of kings and Lord of Lords. So when we stand with Him, we are standing in victory. Amen? Amen.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Don't get choked

"and the cares of this world, the deceitfulness of riches, and the desires for other things entering in choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful".     Mark 4:19   NKJV

We can very often become fired up as the Word of God envelopes us. This may be, listening to a sermon in church; watching a Christian video or reading a Christian book that we feel difficult to put down. We've all been there. The Holy Spirit can come upon us and fill us with His love and power and we feel that we are ready to go out and take the world for Jesus. Then, as quick as the feeling comes, it goes again and we are left feeling quite flat. 

What has happened? Satan has fired a SCUD missile at us - one of those fiery darts that the devil uses to stop us in our tracks. The acronym of the word Scud is: SATAN CONTINUALLY USES DISTRACTIONS. He does this to stop us worshipping God; and pushing forward to new ground. He fires one of these missiles to get us to take our attention/focus off God, making us feel other things are more important. Therefore, in other words, he chokes the Word of God and the moment is lost.

We need to be alert to these moments so, recognise your thoughts and state of mind. Our text today mentions: 

THE CARES OF THIS WORLD. What is going on in our lives can allow our minds to wander and become far more important than the Word that has just been implanted within us. Worry, stress and busy - ness, can become a stronghold to our thinking and this disrupts our faith. It is being choked out of us. 

THE DECEITFULNESS OF RICHES  Money problems can promote a stranglehold on us prompting us to place this fear in first place. We may worry about a bill that needs paying and it is a struggle. Why do this, when the King of kings has just given you a blessing and has the power to take control of your debt. If God can fire you up as He has done, surely He can figure a way forward for your bill to be paid?  Instead of worrying, ask Him for help.

THE DESIRE FOR OTHER THINGS  We live in a materialistic world where some people want to have a better car, better job, better holidays and a better bank balance than others have. To some, it can almost become a paranoid fantasy. It is nice to have the luxuries of life but, not at the cost of making ourselves ill in trying to achieve this. At the end of our life, no one will be able to take their riches with them. They will be passed to other people.

The most important thing is serving Jesus. He gave His all for us and, we need to do the same. When we were saved, we asked God to take charge of our lives and this includes doing what He asks. He wants the best for us so, He will begin to edify us and equip us with the tools for our trade - saving souls. This is why the devil will try to stop us. 

So savour moments of passion with Jesus and allow yourself to become even more closer to Him. He hasn't given you this wonderful feeling to be concerned with the devil. He has given you the ability to speak about the Blood of the Lamb. So relish these wonderful moments.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Sing a new song to the Lord. Part 2

"The Lord reigns; Let the earth rejoice; Let the multitude of isles be glad!"

                                                                           Psalm 97:1   NKJV

Let us carry on in the same spirit as we did yesterday - singing a new song to the Lord. 

The above three lines, are enough for any praise song; they cover it all: 

THE LORD REIGNS  In this Psalm, Jesus has ascended to His throne on high. He is majestic; He is King; He is Lord of all. People thought they could stop Him but, that is impossible. No one can stop the Lord Jesus.

LET THE EARTH REJOICE  This was the message that I gave you yesterday. Sing a new song to the Lord. As we do this. the angels join in with us because they just can't resist the opportunity to worship. It is something that we can begin to do in our quiet time with Jesus each morning - God loves to hear us singing. Even if you say 'I can't sing and it will sound out of tune'. To Jesus it is a beautiful piece of music - a symphony.

LET THE MULTITUDE OF ISLES BE GLAD  The isles mentioned here means the coastlands and this includes the whole of the earth which have never known such gladness. 

Jesus will come in clouds and darkness, with a fire before Him. This will burn up the evil and His enemies before Him. Scripture says that 'The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord.'  v5-6. But, for all believers, it will be like we're given the ability to walk through liquid walls, there will be no fear because, we belong to Jesus.

Obviously, liquid walls are symbolic of each one of us having an escape route by being transported to heaven - the Rapture. But it describes our hope that we will be rescued in the End Times, and this is really something to sing about.

As I've often said in the past, Praise stops Satan in His tracks. He can't bear the sound of it. Whereas, it is music to Jesus' ears, to Satan it becomes a taunt that he threw it all away when he attempted his take over bid with Jesus. Jesus will have no others try to do this. He is the one and only true and wise God.

Now that's something to sing about!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Sing a new song to the Lord

"Oh, sing to the Lord a new song! Sing to the Lord, all the earth. 2Sing to the Lord, bless His name; Proclaim the good news of His salvation from day to day".    Psalm 96:1-2.  NKJV

This piece of scripture suggests singing a new song to the Lord. However, the text emphasises proclaiming our salvation and the goodness of the Lord and His glorious deeds since time began. It promotes the idea of our giving our personal thanks to Him for all He has done in our lives, probably from day one. Our testimony is so important to speak out to unbelievers because it can demonstrate how much God has done for us and, could do for the listener too. Let us not forget though that, we are the listener as well.  As we speak out the scriptures and sing our new song to the Lord it can, trigger memories of how we used to live, what God has given us now and what we have to look forward to in the future.

God is all powerful; He can make the earth tremble at the sound of His voice, and one day, He will do this as He comes for His church in glory. Every person will then bow the knee to the Lord Jesus Christ and confess that He is Lord to the glory of God (Philippians 2:10-11. And then it will be judgement time.

Just peacefully read these words and allow them to fill your very soul with the love of God:

'Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; Let the sea roar, and all its fullness;

12Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it. Then all the trees of the woods will rejoice 

13 before the Lord. For He is coming, for He is coming to judge the earth. He shall judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with His truth'.   Psalm 96:11-13.

Jesus will return one day, only God knows the day that will take place. It may not happen for many, many years but, then again, it could be soon. It is time to get ready for Him; time to clear out all of the unnecessary things that we can live without - that lead us to sin. It's time to allow God to purify us but, this needs to begin with ourselves. We know there are places we go, things we watch on TV, books and magazines we are tempted to fix our attention on. Then of course there is the internet. It is so easy to fill our minds with things that we should never have in our lives. We all know this is true. How can we write a new song to the Lord if we are filling our minds from other sources.

The action should take place now because, even if Jesus doesn't return for another 1000 years or so, our lives will come to an end and we need to be ready to bow the knee before Jesus and confess Him as Lord. It will be too late then if we haven't cleared out all of the things that we know we should have done on 11th February 2026. 

Ponder this, check to see if what I say seems right and then make your decision.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now

Lord Jesus, I have sinned. I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today. In Jesus' Name. Amen
dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers
Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

If you would like to contact me email grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Copyright 2026 Grahame Howard.