Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

Saturday, 14 March 2026

Are you a perfectionist?

"Therefore, you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect."

Matthew 5:48 NKJV

In many areas of life, a great amount of people struggle to be better at everything they do, even to the extent of outdoing anyone they feel in competition with. They have a strong competitive spirit and must win at all times. This can be in the area of work, where they will strive to shine in their work, always trying to be better than the other workers. We can see it in sport, such as football or tennis to name a couple. Football can be hard going when players are trying to score goals, leading their team to win and themselves to be a hero. If they don't shine or win the match they can tend to sulk, being a bad loser.

These people are possibly perfectionists and although it is a positive thing to be, it has its negative side too. The main thing is, the root of perfectionism is failure. The perfectionist will strive to bring about the finest piece of work that is possible. However, when they can't bring this about., they class themselves as a failure and allow this to go deep within their very soul. An article I came across says this:

"A perfectionist is an individual who relentlessly strives for flawlessness, setting high standards for themselves and others. Driven by fear of failure or judgement, they are highly self-critical, often leading to procrastination, anxiety, burnout and difficulty delegating. While producing high-quality work, they often struggle to feel satisfied.'

Google Literature

Be honest, do you see yourself in the above statement? Over the years I have had to work hard to allow God to free me from this stronghold - and it is a stronghold, believe me. Like many others in the same position, I have used the above scripture as a defence of how Jesus appears to be saying His Father wants us to be this way. He does, yes of course He does but for another reason. As we read from William MacDonald:

'The word perfect must be understood in the light of the context. It does not mean sinless or flawless. The previous verses explain that to be perfect means to love those who hate us, to pray for those who persecute us, and to show kindness to both friend or foe. Perfection here is that spiritual maturity which enables a Christian to imitate God in dispensing blessing to everybody without partiality'

William MacDonald Believers Bible Commentary second edition

The meaning of our verse today, that Jesus was explaining, is not about being a perfectionist in the human form but, displaying maturity, wholeness and growing in love like Jesus.

Perhaps you may consider the negative side of perfection that you may be displaying. It is not easy to change this behaviour but, with God's help and some discipline from yourself, you will be able to manage this.

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.

Friday, 13 March 2026

An Attitude of Gratitude

"Rejoice always, 17pray without ceasing, 18in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 NKJV

Let your minds take this in:

(1) REJOICE ALWAYS Now this means in the good times and, in the bad ones too. Pretty easy for the first one but, not so for the second. But we know that joy is our strength and this can be promoted by laughter. Laughter is linked to rejoicing so this gives us our joy. So whenever we are able to rejoice at whatever is happening at any given time, our strength should be strong enough to help us cope with what we are facing.

(2) PRAY WITHOUT CEASING This means we don't give up when no answer is imminent, we press on. When we pray in the Spirit, our prayers have an energetic power about them, and we become even more bolder. As we adopt our prayer language - (Speaking in tongues), we are given words that we could never dream of; words that fit the occasion much more than our ordinary language can. No matter what, we are seeking the answer and praising Jesus until He shows us to stop. If you don't speak in the Spirit, seek out your pastor or someone who is able to pray and guide you through this process. It is a heavenly language and, not everyone knows how to speak it and some even frown at it.

(3) GIVE THANKS We have so much to thank Jesus for. Some times we may think, 'Why does He still bother with me - I let Him down so much.' But this is His love for us, it really does have no end to it. These are the times when we need to cultivate an Attitude of Gratitude, to Him. He is so faithful; so loving, in fact, it is hard to put into words how kind and loyal He is to each of us.

Joel Osteen, an American pastor of a huge church in Houston Texas says this, 'Choose to live your life in enjoyment, despite the circumstances, every day and every moment. Every day, choose to be happy' This guy knows what he is talking about, he has one of the largest churches in the world and it is growing by the week. These words are typical of what Jesus wants us to be - happy, contented and enjoying life. You know, life is too short for petty arguments, bad feelings and stress. We need to strip off every inch of criticism and hand it over to Jesus. It robs us of happiness. We are all subject to moaning and groaning, criticising, judging and finding fault. LIFE IS TOO SHORT TO BE THIS WAY.

We were not created to be this way. Therefore, why not adopt the plan that God gave us above. It makes so much sense.

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

Thursday, 12 March 2026

Let Your Father speak to you

"As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. 10If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love." John 15:9-10. NKJV

Just for a moment forget all about what has been troubling you just lately and focus on Jesus. Don't speak a word. Just close your eyes and think about Him because He loves you more than I could ever tell you.

He knows what problems you may have. He knows who has hurt you. He knows the people who have been bad-mouthing you and spreading vicious rumours, and He knows how this has affected you. But He wants you to just sit and think about Him, nothing else.

Just because He hasn't waved a magic wand over you, rescuing you from all the worry and pain, doesn't mean He doesn't love you. He's not a magician anyway, He is Jesus. He doesn't use fancy tricks to prove His might; He just whispers in your ear, 'I love you.'

And the love that He has for you, knows no end; He is always there, even when you're laying wide awake in bed, worrying. In fact, He probably sits on the bed right next to you taking your hand and just reassures you. You may not know this, but He is there. Why? Because He can't resist you, that's why.

The more you speak with Him, the more He loves to listen. The more you tell Him that you love him. His heart fills with joy. One day He will take you in His arms and hug you but, until then He is still there beside you.

But sometimes He doesn't want you to speak; He just wants to look at His beautiful created child, like the loving father of a new baby does. When you don't speak, you can concentrate much more on Him and allow Him to do the talking. We all miss so much when we forget to remain quiet.

There are moments to praise Him, that is essential but, there are also many times when you are alone, to just be quiet and allow Him to refresh with His Spirit. We all need this.

Why don't you try it now. Try not to answer the door; don't answer the telephone, just sit or lie down and listen

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

Wednesday, 11 March 2026

What's in your storeroom?

33“Either make the tree good and its fruit will be good, or make the tree bad and its fruit will be bad; for a tree is known by its fruit 34Brood of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil? For the mouth speaks from the overflow of the heart. 35A good person produces good things from his storeroom of good, and an evil person produces evil things from his storeroom of evil 36I tell you that on the day of judgment people will have to account for every careless word they speak.37For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned.”

Matthew 12:33-37 CSB

Today, I want to look at the words that come out of our mouths on a daily basis. You may have been a Christian for a very long time but, every now and again, our words come from the storeroom of evil. Notice that the CSB uses the word 'storeroom' instead of the heart. I like this because it paints a picture very clearly. So, this is why I ask the question, 'What is in your storeroom?' Evil or good?

When we open our mouth, we reveal what's deep down inside - good or evil. It's almost as if God has a tape recorder and records what we say for future purposes, therefore, we have to be careful. For every idle word we speak we will have to give an account to God on judgement day, unless we have repented. However, should those words be in our storeroom in the first place? What you will have in your life tomorrow, will be determined by what is in your storeroom (heart) today. (Proverbs 4:23). Basically, to a degree, you're the prophet of your own destiny.

We need to recognise that when we are overworking, tired or totally stressed out, these are the times when we are at risk. These are the times when our storeroom is so filled that it overflows through the mouth and, this overflow tells us the real condition of the heart.

But, even then, as I said a moment earlier, we shouldn't have them in the storeroom anyway. But, let's agree, we're not perfect yet but, we can come a close second. But how?

We need to bring discipline into our life by taming the tongue, and this is not easy as you know. But it is achievable. We need to examine the storeroom, find out what is overcrowding it and recycle the drab bits to the refuse bin. We do this by devoting our hearts to Jesus and His agenda, not our own.

Because we belong to Jesus, the penalty for careless speech has been paid through the death of Jesus. However, our careless speech will result in loss of reward at Jesus' Judgement Seat, unless we have confessed this to Jesus and received His forgiveness.

So this is where we stand. There may be stuff in our storeroom that needs clearing out. If we ask Jesus, He will help us to deal with all of this. Also, if we ask Him each day, He will help us to be in control of our mouths, thoughts and behaviour. Tall order? Not at all if you trust Jesus. He'll play His part if you, play yours.

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

Tuesday, 10 March 2026

Temptation is all around

Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance.7And it came to pass after these things that his master’s wife cast longing eyes on Joseph, and she said, “Lie with me.”

Genesis 39:6-7 NKJV

At times our hardwork, honesty and faithfulness are not enough and we still are treated with injustice. Through no fault of his own, Joseph was targeted by his master's wife and had to pay the price. She had no doubt noticed that he was a good looking young man and she lusted after him - 'Lie with me'.

Now Joseph had been accepted in Potiphar's house and had worked his way up to be the top man. He was well thought of and trusted. This showed when Potiphar's wife made a play for him - he flatly refused her attempts to lure him into a sexual relationship. But most days she tried this on until one day, she made a play for him, grabbing his garment. Joseph ran out of the house. She shouted rape to her staff and Joseph was thrown into prison. He had done nothing wrong!

Many people today are falsely accused of doing a wrong, and whether or not people believe the accusation, mud sticks and they are labelled. This may have happened to you at some time. It was difficult for Joseph because, if he had told Potiphar what she was doing, he may not have been believed and may have suffered the same consequences. It's similar today but, we should always be alert to the fact that sin is all around and it may well attack us.

Adultery is a regular sin where people cannot control their urges and think that, 'no one will know anyway'. They will and it will be costly. But, many temptations can grab our attention, such as, stealing, fraud, gossip, judging people and many others. Do you realise that something as small as a pen, note pad or other stationery can be classed as stealing if you take it home and use it for your own means. Yes, I know you may feel it's splitting hairs and very extreme, but, ask God what He thinks about it; you may be surprised, because, they are all the same in God's eyes.

What do people see in you? Do they see integrity? We can easily say that it doesn't matter what people think but, if you want to honour God in your life, then it does matter. God wants you to carry the fragrance of Jesus wherever you go. When you are like this, people notice and may even ask why you handle things much better than they do. I call this, impact evangelism; you don't have to say a thing, just carrying Jesus around with you will be the biggest witness here.

But this can't happen if you are falling to the same old temptations. Really, only Jesus can break this bondage from you, you are not able to do this alone. So, ask Him to make you clean in every area of your body, soul and spirit.

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

Monday, 9 March 2026

Who was this 'Certain man?'

"Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?”16So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”17And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’ ” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan." Genesis 37:15-17 NKJV

Jacob had sent Joseph out to find and check on his brothers, who had gone to feed the flock at Shechem. On the way, he met a 'certain man' who began to speak to him.

Who was this 'Certain man' that is mentioned in our text? He found Joseph wandering around in the middle of nowhere. What we do know, is that he knew about Joseph's brothers and where they had gone. He also appeared to know that Joseph was related to them. It was almost as if he had been waiting for him. Now, he could have been a local traveler wandering around from town to town but, that doesn't explain the knowledge he had about Joseph's brothers. He may also have lived somewhere near to where he found Joseph, or there may have been another reason. Many scholars, theologians and well-known preachers feel that he was more than likely an angel. Some go as far as to say he was the Angel Gabriel. Of course we can't be certain of this. Personally, I believe that he was an angel, sent by God to direct him towards his brothers.

Now this gives witness to what I was saying yesterday regarding angels. They minister to us and seem to come upon us in an instant. Hebrews 13:1-2 says:

'1Let brotherly love continue. 2Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels.'

Now this gives us pause for thought. Have you ever considered that you may have helped someone who was angel and you never realised it? It is very possible that you may have. It could have been that person you gave some money to buy a coffee. It may have been that time when you gave some warm clothing to someone. On the opposite side of the coin, you may have received help from an angel and you never knew it. What about that near crash on the motorway? It was certain that it was going to happen but in the last second, all was well. This has happened to us time and time again. Probably you are the same.

We are not citizens of this world, we belong to heaven and therefore, we walk in the supernatural. God is looking after us; protecting us and keeping us safe. Try and think back to a moment that something happened to you that was amazing, and then thank God for His wonderful care and love. He is everywhere, and so are His angels. Keep your eyes open 👀

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

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Renew your Anointing every day

"But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil."

Psalm 92:10 NKJV

Each day, we need a fresh anointing from Jesus and, this verse is a great place to start. The 'Horn' is a symbol for strength and positions of prominence and security. It is also a position of social standing, stately grace and favour. So, this is why it is wise to renew this anointing every morning. This reminds us of who we are in Jesus.

We do tend to neglect these important parts of our relationship with Jesus and one of the biggest is getting on with our day before we have had breakfast with the King. When you consider this, it is foolish to do it and quite rude to leave Jesus out. It is foolish because we don't know what we will be facing over the next few hours, we may need His protection, guidance and direction. Secondly, we invited Jesus into our life so, this means our home, family and everything. To forget or neglect to spend time with Him is hurtful. He longs to talk with us and tell us what's on His mind. Some people think that Jesus is some historical person from years ago who performed wonderful things and we celebrate this each Christmas. He is so much more than this. He's a living person wanting a living relationship with you and I.

I don't think we leave Jesus out deliberately, it's probably lack of discipline. Perhaps we need to take a look at our daily routine and tweak it a little to accommodate these wonderful times with Jesus. There have been numerous occasions when something tragic has happened and, could possibly have been avoided if the people had spent time with Jesus before they set off to wherever. Remember, He knows the way and what we will meet in our day. He may want us to do something differently and if we don't hear Him we stand the chance of missing this message.

We are very special to Jesus and as His child, have a good reputation in heaven. Have you ever considered that? If Satan can notice us and try and plead with God that he can be allowed to hurt us, as with Job; don't you think that the angels witness what we do? Of course they do. They probably cheer when they see us bring someone into Jesus' fold or when we pray that someone will be healed. They become excited about what we do. They also become hurt when they see us hurting and shout to us, 'Just ask for us and we'll come and rescue you.' The angels are ministering angels: Psalm 91:11-13."For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.'

Each of us has our own private guardian angels. Dr Billy Graham observing the plural in this text, concluded that each believer must have at least two angels whose assigned duty it is to protect us. So we have Jesus watching over us, we have our own angels watching us and waiting for us to shout to Jesus that we need help, and a host of others observing our progress, or lack of it.

Therefore, Jesus has provided more than enough for us so, it costs us nothing to spend a little time with Him each day in praise and fellowship. 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.

Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

Saturday, 14 March 2026

Are you a perfectionist?

Friday, 13 March 2026

An Attitude of Gratitude

Thursday, 12 March 2026

Let Your Father speak to you

Wednesday, 11 March 2026

What's in your storeroom?

Tuesday, 10 March 2026

Temptation is all around

Monday, 9 March 2026

Who was this 'Certain man?'

Sunday, 8 March 2026

Renew your Anointing every day

Are you a perfectionist?

Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

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