How Do You Use God's Name?

"You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain."                                                    Exodus 20:7   NKJV

Many people use the name of God or Jesus as a swear word. In many circles you can hear this every day. Furthermore, at extreme times of pressure and stress in our own lives, we may be tempted use His name this way too. But is this taking His name in vain? In one way yes, it is disrespectful and dishonourable. But I believe this goes much deeper.

Just what is His name, anyway? Is it God? Is it Jesus? In Exodus we get a clearer picture:

"13 Then Moses said to God, 'Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, the God of your fathers has sent me to you, and they say, 'What is His name?' What shall I say to them?'
14 And God said to Moses, 'I AM WHO I AM.' And He said, 'Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, I AM has sent me to you."   Exodus 3:13-14   NKJV

This really is Yahweh  and means 'God is.' He has no equal! Moses would have been familiar with this term because, his mother was called Jochabed, which is Yahweh my glory. 
David Guzik comments, 'I AM means 'God is', there was never a time when He did not exist, or a time when He will cease to be.'

Therefore, if God is I AM, why then do we say things like, 'I AM ILL - I AM DEPRESSED, I AM FED UP etc. etc.' Saying things such as this is contrary to the Word of God that says, 'by whose stripes you were healed,' 1 Peter 2:24 or 'I AM the LORD who heals you,' Exodus 15:26, or 'who heals all your diseases,' Psalm 103:3. So, if God says His name is I AM, then we are taking His name in vain. We are not only disagreeing with His Word but we're being disrespectful about His name too. 

God (I AM) says 'I AM the LORD,' Jesus used this term as well:

'I AM the Light.'   John 8:12
'I AM the Bread of Life'. John 6:48
'I AM the Good Shepherd'  John 10:11

Therefore, if Jesus recognises this name, then shouldn't we be careful when we use it? Shouldn't we be confessing, 'I AM a well man/woman,' 'I AM healed.' I AM filled with the Blessing of God?' 

We need to watch the words that come out of our mouths. They are death or life Proverbs 18:21. Say things like, 'I AM a Christian and I AM carrying Jesus' Name.

So as we enter into a New Year, change what you say. Instead of saying that you're sick, say that you're well. Instead of saying you are broke, say that you are blessed. Start walking into 2020 as a Blessed woman or man of God and filled with the Spirit of Jesus.

Say I AM going to have a Blessed New Year.

Happy New Year everyone

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

You're never Too Old!

"13 Those who are planted in the house of the LORD, shall flourish in the courts of our God. 
14 They shall still bear fruit in old age; they shall be fresh and flourishing."
                                                                                                                     Psalm 92:13-14.  NKJV

It's never too late, in fact, it's never over until it's over. If God has planted you - which He has, He's not going to uproot and tell you that you are too old. No matter what other people may say or think. It's what God says and thinks that matters. 

You have been rooted and grounded by God Himself. He is the one that saved you. He is the one that called you to do a particular piece of work. It doesn't matter how old you are; you may have grey or even white hair but God has called you to bear fruit and that fruit isn't old. It's has fresh as the day God gave it to you. 

He has called you to flourish, in other words to thrive, prosper and be in peak condition for the work He has given you. To flourish means that you have excellence, influence and the ability to qualify in all you do. Your work for God is still fresh. Proverbs 16:31 says, 'Gray hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a Godly life.' NLT. 

'Ancient cultures were sensible enough to honour and value the wisdom and experience of old age. They saw the white (or grey) hair of the elderly as a crown of glory.''  David Guzik.

In verse 13 above, the text reads, 'shall flourish in the courts of our God.' This is referring to our ministry,  in the church which would be preaching, teaching, evangelism and worship. It would also include writing songs, books, poetry and being fresh in mentoring, teaching and advising, whatever age you are.

Theirs a host of things still available to the white or grey-headed person. Check out your bible and just see what some of the great-headed people got up to - how they took the lead in some circumstances; how they established righteousness wherever they went.

Be encouraged, there's plenty of scope for the person who has reached a senior age. Don't give up and sit about in an armchair for the rest of your life. Get close to God, get your bibles out, refuse to be labelled - 'Grey-headed,' which really means too old. There is no ageism in the Kingdom of God. You are still very much of value to God and to people, so press on.

Grey-headed people rule, Yeah!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

High Speed with Jesus

"And you will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart."
                                                                                                                Jeremiah 29:13.  NKJV

Over Christmas, I received a small present from a family member - a book - and it was entitled, 'Finding Jesus' by Winston Rowntree.  It was a real howl because it is based on the 'Where's Wally' books. Instead of looking for Wally, people search for Jesus.

Now the family member who gave me this was a Christian but through one thing and another, fell away. It was amazing seeing him and other members of the family, eagerly searching for Jesus throughout the pages. I am sure it was something that Blessed Jesus, as it certainly blessed me.

This made me think of the above verse from Jeremiah. As we seek Jesus from our hearts, we will find Him. You see, I believe that the time is right for giving Jesus all that we have. You may have been a Christian for years but do you really know Jesus? Could you say, honestly that you are His friend? I ask these two questions not to point a finger at anyone but to ask you to look deep inside yourself and decide. 

The reason being, when we know who we are and where we stand with Jesus, we can stand on this and rely totally upon His Word. If we look at the two previous verses, they read:

"For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me and I will listen to you."  Jeremiah 29:11-12.

If we know Jesus, we have a future; we have a hope, however, this is based on searching for Him with all our hearts - with everything that we have. As we do this, we will feel His blessing upon us, real time. We will not be fearful when things come against us, when evil strikes, we will squash it in its tracks in the mighty Name of Jesus; we will feel the hope and peace that He offers us.

There is far more to life with Jesus than just asking Him into our lives. Yes, if you do that, you are saved and have a place reserved for you in Heaven. However, God has so much more that He wants to give us and as we dare to get into top gear with him, we'll feel the benefit of going high speed with Jesus. There is excitement to be had living this way. Want to sign up?

'Jesus, I want to get into top gear with You and travel at high speed each and every day. I commit myself to You; I've searched for You with all of my heart and now, I have found you.
So Lord, let's fasten our seat belts and hit the road. In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Loveliness of God

"14 And the Word became Flesh and dwelt among us and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth."                                     John 1:1-14.  NKJV

Some people find it difficult to believe that God came down to earth in human form - as a person. It was no different then. John writes in John 1:11 'He came to His own and His own did not receive Him.' The Jews had been waiting for a Messiah but when He came to them, they refused to accept Him. He didn't fit into the mould that they were expecting; so they missed out on this blessing.

John writes that He came among us and we beheld His grace and truth. Let us check out these two words:

GRACE - this has two components to it:
Firstly, it means unmerited or undeserved favour. 
Secondly, in the Greek, the word grace means 'Charm,' it describes the idea of beauty - the loveliness of God. Many thought at the time and some still do, that God is mighty in power - which He is, but they interpreted it that He is unapproachable. Jesus came to us, as God in human form, to show us the sheer loveliness of God. If you haven't found this out yet, spend more time with Him, totally trusting Him for everything.

TRUTH - unlike most preachers and evangelists today, Jesus didn't come to 'talk about God;' He came to show us what God is like and there is a difference. The world needs preachers and evangelists, this is true: 

 '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?'   Romans 10:14

People need to hear about Jesus and accept Him as their Lord and Saviour so that they can have eternal life; but more importantly to them, they need to know what He can do in their lives NOW! Many are totally desperate and are yearning for love and someone who can help them in their circumstances today; and this is why Jesus concentrated on showing them what God is like.
The truth makes us free John 8:32; but also, the truth can be disbelieved John 1:5. He came as a light shining in the darkness but people wouldn't accept Him but for all that did and still do, He gave them the right to be Children of God John 1:12.

One thing is for sure, we need to be filled with gratitude to Jesus for giving us this second chance in our lives. Life without Him would be unbearable. He has done it all for us - provided love, hope, provision, health, life, blessing, families and friends, homes, security and much more; and what's more, He has even more to give us; much more to offer us and much more to show us. 

Why not join me in this prayer:

'Jesus, what can I say except thank you. Words fail me as I consider your love and faithfulness; as I think of all you have done for me and given me. I just want to praise and thank you for everything in my life because I know that You are in control of everything, whatever that may be. Jesus help me to get to know You much more as I yield to You right now. I come to You and give You my life, my love and all that I have. I confess anything that remains unforgiven in my life and I accept You as my Friend, my Lord and my Saviour.
In Jesus' Name, Amen.'

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Watch Out for Foxes

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

This is an extract from a love story penned by the lover to his beloved clearly written from the heart. Now this piece has been interpreted as such - love between man and woman and the misery of someone entering into this Godly relationship ready to spoil things - a little fox.
It has also been interpreted as man and woman's relationship with Our Father - God and how distractions and attacks from the enemy - Satan - can damage things terribly.

David Guzik in his commentary on this passage highlights:

'The little foxes that spoil the vines: Clearly the maiden speaks poetically here, using the little foxes as emblems of that which would damage the love relationship she shares with her beloved. The idea is that their relationship is like a fruitful vineyard and the little foxes will damage the vineyard unless they are stopped and caught.

i. Glickman lists several “little foxes” that may trouble couples:

· Uncontrolled desire that drives a wedge of guilt and mistrust between the couple.

· Mistrust and jealousy that strains or breaks the bond of love.

· Selfishness and pride that refuses to acknowledge wrong and fault to one another.

· An unforgiving attitude that will not accept an apology.

ii. It is helpful to remember the wording of the verse: catch us the foxes. The job of catching foxes is teamwork. One partner in the relationship can’t expect the other do it all.

iii. 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!”

                                                                    Copyright David Guzik Enduring Word

Both the above examples are extremely damaging to our relationships, especially with Jesus. A fox is very crafty. I remember when I was young how a fox 'Charms' a rabbit. The rabbit is in the field and knows the fox is near. If the fox tries to pounce on its prey, the rabbit will scuttle off at high speed and disappear down a hole. Therefore, the fox uses its Gold Card. It starts jumping around, chasing its tail, rolling over and over and generally acting like its crazy. The rabbit is transfixed and stares at this spectacle. All the time, the fox is getting closer and closer, until it can grab the poor rabbit and run off with its prize. This act is called charming. It has charmed or tricked the rabbit until it has been caught.

Put this into what we're discussing here. Don't let anyone enter your relationship with your loved one or with Jesus who is intent on bringing disaster to it. A fox is crafty but Jesus tells us to be wise as a serpent Matthew 10:16 - in other words, be alert and always on the lookout for anything that is a threat.

Let us remember, we are precious people, made in God's image. If he came and tricked Adam in the garden (Genesis 3) he will try and trick you too. Look at the devastation that caused. He is on the prowl daily ready to attack us 1 Peter 5:8. Yes we are protected but only if we put on our spiritual armour and remain under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91.

Let us be careful not to become complacent. We're on active service. We're in God's Army. He has made us Righteous in Jesus Christ and His Ambassador. Therefore, let us be grateful for His constant love and protection; thankful that we are the Blessed and let's head towards a prosperous and Happy New Year.

Bless you all

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

                        

Gone Fishing

"4 Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch."   Luke 5:1-11   NKJV

Picture this scene and try to place yourself in Peter's position. The best time for this type of fishing, is at night and he and his partners had been out all of the night and caught nothing. They were businessmen with families and depended on catching fish so that they could survive. Yet here, they had had a very bad night and exhausted, they sit on the beach washing out their nets before heading off home for a well-earned rest. 

However, Jesus has different ideas and walks up to them, climbs into Peter's boat and asks him to put out a little from the land, so that He can preach to the multitudes that had followed Him. Peter now had to contend with the massive crowds that were converging on his space and wait until Jesus had finished preaching, before he could go home. The time is not recorded but it must have been quite a time.

When Jesus had finished His sermon, He said to Peter, 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' V4. How would you have responded to this after all you had been through? Peter would have had doubts about this. I mean, Jesus was a preacher not a fisherman and the best time for fishing was at night and they had already been out there all of the night and caught nothing. It must have been difficult for Peter and his reply can be examined as such: 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your Word I will let down the net.' v5.

We don't know what was in Peter's heart at this moment. He may have been totally willing to do as Jesus had said; especially with Jesus' track record. But, Peter was also very tired, down in the dumps and possibly a little irritated by everything. Whatever, he obeyed Jesus and he was rewarded with so great a catch that he had to call for help from the other boat and even then, they nearly sank with the weight of the fish. In this one fishing trip alone, they must have caught enough fish to finance themselves for quite a time.

In Jesus' eyes, Peter had been faithful and despite being exhausted and despondent, Jesus wanted to bless him. Peter dropped to his knees at Jesus' feet when he saw the blessing and said, 'Depart from me, for I am a sinful man.' v8. Why would he have said this? Peter knew what had been in his heart when he agreed to launch out into the deep, again. He knew that he had been reluctant to do this. He knew that his attitude, although not voiced, was wrong and he felt so unworthy of the blessing that Jesus had given him. But Jesus knew his heart and He knows yours too.

We are like this at times. We know that Jesus wants us to do a particular thing but we wrestle with this. We try every excuse in the book, before we go off, reluctantly and possibly a little irate, to where He has sent us. One example could be someone may have rung us, needing help and the last thing we want to do is to go out, especially 'to them'. We may not voice it, but it can be seen in our body language that we don't want to do this. However, as we obey, albeit reluctantly, a blessing is coming our way.

If we want to be like Jesus, we must be prepared to do all that He wants of us, however inconvenient it may be. He knows our hearts; He knows our qualities; He knows that even though we may moan and groan at times, we'll still do what He asks. He knows that He can rely on us - on you! You may disagree with this. If so, why then, did He choose you?

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Don't lose Your Joy

"Go and celebrate with a feast of rich foods and sweet drinks and share gifts of food with people who have nothing prepared. This is a sacred day before Our Lord. Don't be dejected and sad for the joy of the Lord is your strength."                                                    Nehemiah 8:10.   NLT

The wall around Jerusalem had been completed and there was a great feast where Ezra read the Law of Moses to the people. As he spoke, there was much weeping among the crowd. Nehemiah stood and encouraged them with this verse. He told them that if people had no food prepared or drink, to bless them with some. The day was sacred to the Lord and they should be joyful, praising him for His kindness to them. 

It had been a difficult task but now the wall was completed. It was a time to regain their strength and celebrate. Perhaps you do too. Perhaps the year may have been difficult to find a way through and your spiritual and physical strength had been used up. 

Sarah Pearsons says: 'When your strength goes, your joy goes too.' How very true this statement is. Life events exhaust us at times and we can end up stagnant and lifeless; totally burnt out.  This is when you need to get into God's Word.

In the Gospel of John, Chapter four, Jesus had set out on a journey to Galilee but it would have meant that He needed to pass through Samaria to save much time. Now the Jews and Samaritans hated each other and Jesus wanted to do something to relieve the tension there. It was a compulsion for Him to go through there. He had souls to win.
On the way, as He was weary from the journey, He stopped for a rest at Jacob's Well in Sychar. He desperately needed some water for His thirst. He saw a Samaritan woman drawing water from the well and asked her for a drink and after a short conversation with her, He said, 'If you knew the gift of God and who it is who says to you, 'give Me a drink,' you would have asked Him and He would have given you living water.' John 4:10

After her comments, He further said to her, 'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him, will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.' John 4:13-14

She ran back to the city and shouted to all she could see, 'Come see a man who told me all things I ever did. Could this be the Christ?' v29-30 Many people were saved and transformed that day and many received the living water.

In ancient times, they called spring water, living water because it seemed alive as it bubbled up from the ground. Jesus meant spiritual water that quenches spiritual thirsts and gives life. And life is strength and strength is joy. You may need this spiritual, living water; this life in abundance; this tremendous joy that gives you the ability to get through all situations. 
Jesus wants to place within you this joy; this life; this living water. Come to the fountain right now and be filled:

Lord Jesus, here I am, Your servant. It's been a tough year Lord and My strength has been tested. I admit that I am weary so I come to Your fountain right now and ask that You may fill me to overflowing. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO EVERYONE

MAY YOUR DAY BE FILLED WITH JESUS

It's Clear Out Time

"Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us , looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the Throne of God."                                                                       Hebrews 12:1-2.  NKJV


The witnesses here are the heroes of faith from the past, but they are not spectators watching our progress from Heaven. No, they are witnesses to us because they successfully overcame. Therefore, they are our encouragement.
We are to lay aside anything that hinders our walk with Jesus. This may be sin but can also be the company that we keep which we know is wrong; the places we go and our interests. If anything is taking God's place and/or leading us away from our walk with Him, it is wrong and should be discarded. Nothing should take the place of Jesus in our lives.
We are called to run with endurance the race that is set before us looking to Jesus. The word endurance brings to mind hard work and takes me back to my military days. The dictionary definition of endurance is:
The act or quality of withstanding hardship or stress. It is the state of persevering and duration
                                                                                             The Free Dictionary

We are to run with endurance, which includes hardship, stress, exhaustion, frustration and anything that being a dedicated follower of Jesus may be thrown at us. We are to never give up. Never surrender or buckle under the strain. As we run with endurance, we are to continue looking unto Jesus. The Greek interpretation of the word 'looking,'aphorao means undivided attention, looking away from distractions in order to fix one's gaze on one thing - in this case Jesus and no one else!

Jesus is the Author - the originator or champion of our faith. Through Him, we are saved and have a place reserved for us in Heaven - a mansion (John 14:2). It is because of Jesus that we are who we are - the Blessed and favoured..
Jesus the Finisher - the perfecter of our faith. Through Jesus we will be perfected when we stand before Our Father in Heaven. We will have no spots or blemishes; everything is washed in the powerful Name of Jesus. We've started with Him and we will finish with Him.

Let us pray:

'Lord, strengthened in faith by the great cloud of witnesses who surround me, I lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares me, so I may run with endurance the race set before me. Jesus, You are the author and finisher of my faith. I pray for the same joy You demonstrated as You endured the cross, despised the shame, and now sit at the right hand of the throne of God. Amen'
                                                                Adapted from Hebrews 12:1-2 Spirit Filled Life Bible

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com




                                                                                                

God's Benefits

"Bless the LORD of my soul and forget not all His benefits."                  Psalm 103:2.  NKJV

Mac Hammond says, 'We are not dependent on the government for our needs, but God is our source.' King David penned the above Psalm telling us that God supplies our needs, 'forget not all His benefits.' Note the word 'All.' God doesn't just give us one benefit and that is the end of that. He continues to give to us, as we need as we seek Him as Our Lord (Matthew 6:33.

In fact, Psalm 68:19 tells us that: 'Blessed be the Lord, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation.' Many of today's versions of this Psalm say, 'Blessed be the Lord who daily bears our burdens.' Basically, when you study and expound the verse, it is saying the same thing, God daily loads us with His benefits. Why? Because He can't help it. He just loves to bless His children, as they seek Him.

A study of the word 'Salvation' gives us a deeper insight into this. In the Greek, the word salvation is soteria and means deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. Salvation is a present possession with a fuller realisation in the future. Salvation is a benefit. This is a benefit of believing in and accepting Jesus as Our Lord and Saviour. The benefit is eternal life and forgiveness of our sins but also all of the above. We have soteria. We are blessed beyond our wildest dreams.

When you look at things this way, what the world has to offer, is nothing in comparison. If we are out of work, we may qualify for benefits from the government but what they give is basic, they don't offer all of the above and they definitely do not offer eternal life. The world may offer us the ability to be a millionaire, have a great job, flashy car and beautiful country house but it can be taken away from us in the blink of an eye. I read the other day about a young multi-millionaire who was killed in a car crash. he had everything the world could offer but it was taken away from him very quickly and if he didn't know Jesus, he probably lost out on salvation too.

This Christmas, millions of people will be celebrating the Festive season. They'll be singing Christmas carols but will the words be just that, words? 'O Come let us Adore Him,' they'll sing and God will be just hoping that they may realise that he adores them and all they have to do is realise the fuller meaning of Christmas. Probably you may know someone who doesn't know this fuller meaning. You may be sitting next to them eating lunch. What a great Christmas they can have if you share the message of Jesus with them, and what a benefit they will receive from the King of kings.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Staying Faithful to God

"17 If that is the case, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace and He will deliver us from your hand O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up."
                                                                                                  Daniel 3.  (Read the chapter)  NKJV

Four young men, Daniel, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-Nego, had been commissioned to serve King Nebuchadnezzar and his court, and after three years vigorous training, they were set to work in his palace.

After a time, Nebuchadnezzar, set up a very large gold image as a figure of worship. It may have been a statue of himself, or his chief idol - Bel, or some demon god. Whatever, he demanded that everyone bow down to this atrocity. Daniel seems to be away at this time, possibly on important business, the other three flatly refuse to bow down to this figure and this infuriates the king. In an act that is indicative of someone who cannot get his own way and because he was a dictator who used bully tactics, Nebuchadnezzar, orders Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego to be thrown into the fiery furnace, which has been hotted up.

It is interesting how they spoke to the king when they put their refusal forward:

17 If that is the case, Our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace and He will deliver us from your hand O king. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up." V 17-18

In other words, you can do what you wish sir, but God is our protector and He will come to our aid. But even if He doesn't, we will still praise and serve Him, and Him only. What a stand and a scary one too, However, many people today are making similar stands for God, refusing to give up on their faith and the cost is often death.

But God was with the men and accompanied them into the furnace. Nebuchadnezzar couldn't believe his eyes when he saw a forth person and actually thought that it was like a Son of God and later mentioned it could have been an angel. It is more likely to have been a Christophany - a preincarnate appearance of the Messiah and was probably in angel form; but it gives us a wonderful example of God, willing to go with us through trial and tribulation. Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego were not burnt, their hair and clothes were intact and they didn't even smell of fire. Amazing. 

Wherever we go and whatever we go through, God is always with us. Remember, David wrote, 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil.' Psalm 23:4. God is faithful to us but we must also be faithful to Him. At times, although not so dangerous as this one, we may have to make a stand for our faith. We must not compromise. We have the Blessing; we have the Favour of God; we have the Protection of God and He is right beside us whatever we are doing.

Today, you may need to remember this. Things may not have been the way you would have wanted them to be this year. It may have been a taxing one; one of great anxiety, pain and loss. All you can do is to decide to move forward with God. We have a New Year ahead of us; a new beginning for some. But until then, we have a time when we can celebrate the birth of Jesus and thank Him for all He does for us each and every day. 

Let me encourage you to take His hand, allow Him to wrap His arms around you and tell you, that everything is going to be alright. 

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Faith in Action Part 2

"Son of David, have mercy on me."   v 48.                                          Mark 10:46-52    NKJV

Let's take a further look at faith in action. Here Bartimaeus was sitting at the side of the road, when he heard that Jesus was passing by. He had heard of Jesus and this was obvious by the way he shouted to Jesus, 'Son of David - '. He acknowledged the Messiahship of Jesus in his use of this term.

No matter what the crowd said to him about being quiet, Bartimaeus was persistent. Rather like the woman with the issue of blood, this may have been his last chance to receive his sight and nothing was going to stand in his way. 

The persistence worked and Jesus stopped and called him over. 'What do you want Me to do for you?' Jesus asked. Bartimaeus replied, 'Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.' Jesus told him, 'Go your way; your faith has made you well.' This was exactly what Jesus had said to the woman with the issue of blood, 'Your faith has made you well.' These two people had one main thing in common; they had persistence. Nothing was going to stop them from seeking their healing. They believed and that was all Jesus needed.

This is explained more clearly in Mark 11:5-8:

"Which of you shall have a friend and go to him at midnight and say to him, 'Friend, lend me three loaves, for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey and I have nothing to set before him,' and he will answer from within and say, 'Do not trouble me, the door is now shut and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give to you?' I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence he will rise and give him as many as he needs.'

Persistence can also be translated, 'Importunity,' which means insistent demands or requests. This is not an act of over boldness towards God but rather a determination of faith that we'll never give up and show lack of faith. Winston Churchill visited his old school to give what the staff and students thought would be and encouraging but lengthy talk. He got up and said six words, 'Never, never, never, never - give up.' It was quiet at first as he sat down but soon the realisation of these words rippled through the crowd and caused a sensation. 

And this is how Jesus wants us to be. When we are praying for something, we should never give up and think it is not God's will because the answer isn't coming. This is especially true of healing. God's Word tells us we're healed already 1 Peter 2:24. Mark 11:22-24 tells us to have faith and ask God for what we need and then believe and receive and we will have it. It is the believing and receiving in the face of everything that tells you that is the way forward. Yes, we have questions that require answers but God will tell us these on that day that we meet Him face to face. 
Until then, never, never, never, never - give up!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Faith in Action

"28 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.' 29 Immediately, the fountain of her blood was dried up and she felt in her body that she was healed of the affliction."
                                                                                                                   Mark 5:28-29.  NKJV

Notice what happened here. This poor lady had been seriously ill for twelve years and had spent all she had on doctors who took her money but couldn't make her well. She was desperate but she had something deep within her - Faith. She had heard of Jesus and believing this was her last opportunity, she determined to get to Him and even if she couldn't speak with Him, at least touch His garment, because 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.' Note she didn't say, 'I might be made well.' No she said, 'I shall be made well.' There was positivity there; she was certain; in other words, she had faith!

Many people miss out on their healing because they use the wrong words or have a negative attitude towards healing. We can be so tempted to say things like, 'I have a crashing headache,' instead of taking the authority we have and telling that headache to cease in the name of Jesus. If we are Christians then we have faith within us. However, if we don't use it, we're lost. It's rather like going to Uni, gaining a great qualification and then, never using it. What is the point of that? What is the point of gaining a first class degree and instead of using the qualification to get a decent job, just carrying out basic jobs with no certainty attached to them?

When Jesus realised that someone had touched Him, He turned round and spoke to the woman. When she explained, He replied, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affliction.'
'Yes, but that was back in bible times. Jesus doesn't heal people like that today, does he?' Not if you have that attitude, no. 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it, will eat its fruit.' Proverbs 18:21. In other words, we get what we confess. If we confess that it's doubtful that we'll be healed, you'll get this. If, however, we confess the way that this lady confessed, we will be made well.

When God created the world, He blessed Adam and told him, 'be fruitful and multiply' Genesis 1:28-29. After the fall of man in the Garden of Eden, when the flood was over, we see, 'So God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, 'be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.' Genesis 9:1. The devil thought he had won the battle in the garden but God was not affected by this.

We have the Blessing and this includes, salvation, healing, prosperity, joy, peace, eternity and lots more. God has given us His Blessing. He has told us to go and make disciples, lay hands on the sick and they will get well, speak in new tongues, etc Mark 16:15-18. His word to us in 1 Peter 2:24 says, 'who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we having died to sins might live for righteousness - by whose stripes you WERE healed.' You're healed already you just need to receive it, rather like the woman who touched Jesus was. 
Now, you may not see or feel the manifestation of it at first but by faith, keep confessing your healing - it will come.

Headache cures are ok but it's far better to receive healing. A word of caution here though. If you have a serious complaint, don't stop taking medication until a doctor tells you that you don't need the drugs. This is not lack of faith but sensible and commonsense. Let the doctor's check you over first. This is what I did when I was healed (Scroll back through the blogs to my testimony). The doc told me that I didn't need to have any more treatment - I was healed.

You have the Blessing within you. You have favour. The Greater One lives in you 1 John 4:4, so start living a faith-filled life from today.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Greater One is within you

"You are of God, little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world"                                                                                       1 John 4:4   NKJV

There are many false prophets in this world who appear genuine but do not give the glory to Jesus Christ. Here John is saying, that if Jesus Christ is not the central part of their teaching or discussions; if they do not give Him the deity, then they are false prophets and are there to lead us astray if we allow them to. 

We have the Spirit of God dwelling in us who will guide us every inch of the way, if we remain in tune with Him. We need to study the Word and live it every day. We will then be able to discern what is of God and what isn't.

Have you ever stopped and considered that the Creator of mankind dwells within you? Many powerful people  who we meet each day, may have more human power and authority than we have - outwardly. However, inwardly, we have the Holy Spirit who was hovering over the face of the waters prior to creation (Genesis 1:1-2). We have Jesus Christ who was with God and was God in the beginning (John 1:1-5). And we have the Creator - God Our Father. Together, this is the Trinity; three divine Persons - Father, Son and Holy Spirit - each fully God. The Father is the fountainhead of the Trinity, the Creator. The Son is the 'Logos - the Word,' the expression of God. Jesus is both the agent of creation and mankind's only Redeemer. The Holy Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity who proceeds from the Father and is worshiped and glorified together with the Father and the Son. All three Persons of the Godhead are Eternal. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. (Sourced from The Spirit Filled Life Bible)

And they dwell within us! Isn't that amazing? We need to get a full realisation of this fact. We read it but we need to fully realise it and flow in this knowledge and truth. There is no mountain or problem that can stand in our way as long as we walk with them. They're all one, so we can say we walk with God, with Jesus or we walk in the Spirit. There's no difference; they're all within us and we need never feel weak, frightened or alone again. Philippians 4:13 says, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

We walk in the Blessing. We walk in Favour. We walk in Righteousness through Jesus Christ. We really are loved and cherished and destined to spend eternity in Heaven one day. Until then, we have have an exciting walk ahead of us, each and every day. We have a mission to fulfil; a calling that no one else has. God has chosen you because you are so special!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

He gives Hope

"He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first."     John 8:1-11.  NKJV

Try and picture the scene here. A woman was caught in the very act of adultery and was publicly humiliated by the religious leaders as they brought her out to stand before Jesus. Now, adultery usually includes two people, so where was the man? Why wasn't he brought out as well? It seems a strong case here of discrimination. An act full of injustice. Now, I am not supporting the woman here. She would have known it was wrong to commit adultery and so would the man. There could be excuses - yes; perhaps she had been divorced or been made a widow. She may have been trying to gain future security for herself. Who knows. But adultery was wrong in the eyes of God and the Law of Moses, but the act of stoning seemed quite barbaric too. She was desperate possibly for love, companionship, security and a better life. She needed to hope in something good happening. This is not unlike some of the many people in our  present times, when they become involved in things that they shouldn't out of desperation and lack of hope.

Jesus was being set up here. The religious leaders were not really bothered about this case of adultery. They wanted to entrap Jesus and wanted to hear what His comments were on the subject. If He were to say, 'Let her go,' that could be seen as breaking the Law of Moses. If He said, 'Stone her,' they could have accused Him of being hypocritical - after all He had been telling people about love and forgiveness. It really was a tricky situation for Him.

When He said to them, 'He who is without sin among you, let Him throw a stone at her first.' v7. That cleared the place straightaway. It's interesting here because, Jesus would have qualified to have thrown the first stone because He had not sinned - ever. He was the only one who was sin-free, but He was the only one who was giving her hope as well.

After the place had been cleared because of the conviction that the religious leaders felt, He looked at her and said these important words, 'Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' 
Jesus had stooped down to her level and then brought her up to His level. He had given her the hope that she was searching for. She had met with Jesus; she would never get involved in this type of sinfulness anymore. She had seen Jesus - face to face. She had felt the compassion and care that He offered her. She had seen that there is a love in this world after all, that wasn't just take, take. 

There are many people in this world today who are desperate for this type of love. They are lonely, hungry and hurting and long for something to brighten their lives. Jesus is the Light of the world. (John 8:12). He can brighten this for them. You may be one of them. You may need some type of miracle in your life today. Or you may know of someone, who is desperate and down on their luck. Christmas is almost upon us; a time when we celebrate Jesus and the hope that He offers. Why not make this the best Christmas that you have ever known and receive the best Christmas present too:

Lord Jesus, I give my life to You. Please forgive My sins and come and live in my heart. Fill me with You Holy Spirit and be My Lord and Saviour. I desperately need Your love today. Please come Lord. In Jesus' Name. Amen

If you've said this prayer, you are now born again. Get yourself a bible, read it and join a caring church. Email me to let me know as well.
If you already know Jesus, why not brighten someone else's life this Christmas by introducing them to Jesus.

Be Blessed

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Consider your ways

"5 Now therefore, thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Consider your ways'. 6 You have sown much and bring in little, you eat, but do not have enough; you drink, but are not filled with drink; you clothe yourselves, but no one is warm; and he who earns wages, earns wages to put into a bag with holes. 7 Thus says the LORD of hosts, 'Consider your ways.'                               Haggai 1:5-7.  NKJV

This is a classic example of a self-seeking person. A person who lives for their own enjoyment and doesn't allow God into the place that he wants to be. Actually, this is quite a scary place to be with God. God expects to be in first place, not an after-thought. Your life may demonstrate the life of an after- thought, a person who just sits on the subs bench, never having the opportunity to use what they have - that hidden talent. This may be where you are, but God should never be in second place. He needs to be No 1. So be careful that you honour God. You can't receive blessing and favour if you live your life neglecting Him and/or living in sin.

The Psalmist says in Psalm 119:59, 'I thought about my ways and turned my feet to Your testimonies.' The writer suddenly became aware that he was leaving out the most important person in his life - God, and therefore set out to get his life back on track, remembering all the great things that God had done for him in the past. 

This may be you. Somehow you may have drifted away from God's direction; or you may have been distracted because of one thing or another. God wants to bless you. He wants to put a shield of favour around you. Jerry Savelle offers a useful prayer to confess each and every morning:

"I walk in divine favour. The favour of God goes before me today,

changing rules, regulations and policies."

"This is another day that the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad

therein. The favour of God goes before me and surrounds me.

                                             Copyright Jerry Savelle 1997 Walking in Divine favour

The Greek word for Favour is Ratson which means pleasure, desire, favour and delight. 

Ratson describes to be pleased with or to be favourable towards something. It refers especially to what is pleasing and desirable to God. 

If you were to study the 39th chapter of Genesis, you would see an example of God's favour on Joseph. After Joseph's terrible treatment by his brothers, he was sold to some travellers and ended in Egypt where he became a worker in the house of Potiphar, one of Pharaoh's officers. He was so diligent that he soon found favour in his master's eyes. The problem was, he became favourable in Potiphar's wife's eyes too, for the wrong reasons. After many advances from her, he finally fled form the house and she accused him of attempted rape. He was imprisoned. 

He soon found favour with the keeper of the prison and was placed in charge. He eventually was sent for by Pharaoh because of his reputation of interpreting dreams. Pharaoh had had some dreams that had concerned him. Joseph was able to interpret these dreams and impressed Pharaoh and found favour with him, so much that he was placed in charge - second to Pharaoh, of the whole of Egypt.

Now this is favour and if you walk closely with Jesus each and every day, He will give you favour too, in all you do:

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen"

                                                                                                           Ephesians 3:20.  NKJV

Note the part of this verse that says, 'according to the power that works in us.' If we don't move in the Holy Spirit and in the Blessing of God, we will miss out on all that God has for us and that includes favour. 

Lord Jesus Christ, thank you for dwelling in my heart through faith.

Keep me rooted and grounded in Love, that I may be able to comprehend

with all Your people the width and length and depth and height of that Love

 - to grasp and experience Your Love, which surpasses knowledge, that I may be 

filled with all the fullness of God. Amen"

Prayer from The Spirit Filled Life Bible Ed 3 Ephesians 3:17-19

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

A Firm Planting

"14 For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, 15 from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, 17 that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, 18 may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height - 19 to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God."
                                                                                                          Ephesians 3:14-19.  NKJV

The scripture here means to be rooted as a tree and grounded means like a building on a strong foundation. Many trees grow very tall so it is essential that their roots go deep into the ground. There are two reasons for this: (1) that the tree will be firmly established in order to protect it from storm force winds. (2) that the roots reach water which the tree will need so that it can flourish. The foundation must be a strong one; again, that it doesn't crumble under storm damage. (See Matthew 7:25-27).

We need to be rooted and grounded also - in Love, which is God, (1 John 4:8) God is Love; Love is God. We need to be rooted and grounded in this Love  - God, in fullness v19. The Greek word for fullness is Pieroma which means full measure, plenitude. Pieroma strongly empathises fullness and completion. 

Genesis 1:26 tells us that God created man in His own image - in the image of God. As we spend more and more time with Jesus, we become like a mirror-image of Him. We are transformed:

'But we all, with unveiled faces, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord.'
                                                                                                        2 Corinthians 3:18.  NKJV 

We are like Him, transformed by the Holy Spirit. And if we are like Him - made in His image, then as we walk with Him - rooted and grounded in His love, we are able to do what He is asking us to do - be just like Jesus to the world we live in. But it takes discipline on our parts. It doesn't just happen. We have to position ourselves to receive from Him; to serve Him and to place Him first place in our lives. He must have the first call on our lives, and we must get our lives right so that we are walking in the Spirit - walking in Love.

A lot depends on what we confess - what comes out of our mouths. Proverbs 18:21 says, 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.' We can confess death or life; victory or defeat or success or failure. We need to stop speaking about failure in our lives and how sick we feel today - 'My back is killing me,' 'I'll never be able to do that,' etc etc. You are highly favoured. Psalm 5:12 says, 'For You O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield.' Favour is recognised as grace, pleasure, favour, goodwill, delight and even fun; and God has placed this as a shield around us. His blessing and favour envelope us.

You may ask a trusted friend if they'll do you a favour and they probably will. God, has given us the best favour of all. He did us the greatest favour by giving us Jesus as our friend and Saviour. He is all we need to be rooted and grounded in. He is all we need to walk in this world, firmly planted in His love.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Get Exercising Part 2

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamour and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another even as God in Christ, forgave you."                                                                                                         Ephesians 4:31-32.  NKJV

Yesterday, we looked at exercising joy and love in order to be able to master these areas. They take time to get on top of and only thorough exercise will we achieve this. Today let us look at rudeness and how we may respond or react to this and whether or not, we are rude to people, ourselves.

Are you rude? Do a little self-evaluation and ask yourself, 'Am I rude to people?' Do you show disrespect to those you meet up with, including family? Are you intolerant with them? Does your patience run out with certain people and when you see them, do you feel like avoiding them because of this. This behaviour fits under the heading of rudeness. 

It takes exercise to be able to overcome this; again, it doesn't come easily. Jesus is never rude with us and boy, must we have tested His patience since we accepted Him as our Lord and Saviour. However, He is tolerant towards us and reacts in a royal manner. Thank goodness!

What about people who are rude and disrespectful to us? Do you react or do you respond? There is a difference here. To react, is to be on guard and ready for action. Someone says something bad to us or really winds us up and, if we're not careful we react in a volatile way.
Yet to respond is different. We are still reacting but it is done with self-control. We are in charge of the situation and thus, act accordingly.

Galatians 2:20 says:

"I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live but Christ lives in me; and the life that I now live in the flesh, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me."

In other words we have died to Christ. We have surrendered our life to Him in such a way that we live our lives through Him. We are dead and DEAD MEN DON'T REACT. Did you get that? DEAD MEN (OR WOMEN) DON'T REACT. We are dead to reaction, we only respond to things.

Now this is not easy. It takes practise but we do it by faith - we exercise this area until it becomes a natural thing to do. We're in training. We are still under construction and will be until we stand before Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote: 'being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of of Jesus Christ.'  (Philippians 1:6). We are in training and God is going to get us there; but it will take exercise on our parts. We have to do our bit. If we don't exercise, we seize up.

We need to exercise ourselves until we are able to read situations better and respond accordingly. Take for instance s person who is incredibly shy and in company is almost introvert, hiding away in the crowd to avoid having to talk. We may class this as being rude but it is not the case, the person is struggling. We need to train ourselves to understand people and situations better. This however, will only come by spending time with our trainer - the Holy Spirit - and exercising our faith.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Get Exercising Part 1

"Do not sorrow, for the joy of the Lord is you strength."                Nehemiah 8:10     NKJV

When we want to get fit we may go to the gym and start exercising. The fitness doesn't happen overnight, it takes time and practise. We have to undergo a program of regular exercise and discipline our bodies in order to achieve the results we are aiming for. The exercise can be difficult and hard going as we strive to overcome the pain and reject the words in our head that are saying, 'give up, it's useless to believe that you can do this.'

It's the same with most things. In order to succeed, we have to press on, work hard and grit our teeth. Nothing comes easily. When we go to Uni, we don't receive a diploma or degree without doing anything. We have to be committed and work hard to gain the prize.

In the above verse, we see that the joy of the Lord is our strength and this is very true. But we can't just quote this verse and then expect to receive this joy immediately. Again, it takes practise. Joy is a mighty weapon to have and it's essential that we grab hold of it. However, it only comes and remains in us with diligence and commitment to God's Word. It takes practise.  It only comes to us and remains with us when we exercise His Word, and condition ourselves to receive this. It will then become a part of us - our daily routine. 

Exercising God's joy comes by praising Him and living our lives in such a way that we receive the victory. The opposite of joy is despair. This includes misery, depression, anger, moaning and groaning, criticism, judging and aggression, to name just a few. All of these equate to weakness, failure and spiritual decay.

As with joy, love also needs to be exercised. We need to train ourselves to walk in love. It doesn't just happen. It needs time to develop. Love and joy are Spiritual weapons that we can use to oppose spiritual attack from our enemy, the devil. We need to train ourselves in these areas by reading our bible, studying it, spending time with Our Father and putting God's (or Love's 1 John 4:8) Word into action.

Tomorrow, we will look at these and other areas that will help our walk with Jesus.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Opportunities

"I know your works. See I have set before you an open door and no one can shut it, for you have a little strength, have kept My word and have not denied My name."      Revelation 3:8.  NKJV

Charles Haddon Spurgeon, was an imminent Baptist preacher in the 1800's. It is said of him, that: 

'A man once came to Spurgeon and asked how he could win others to Jesus. Spurgeon asked him, "What are you? What do you do?" The man said, "I'm an engine driver on a train." "Then," said Spurgeon, "is the man who shovels coal on your train a Christian?" "I don't know," said the man." "Go back," said Spurgeon, "and find out and start on him."
                                                                                                          Source Unknown

Often, many Christians feel the urge to go out and do great things for God and yet neglect what is on their own doorstep - our families, our neighbours and our friends. This may be due to embarrassment or the fact that familiarity is difficult for us to overcome. People have wanted to go out knocking on doors to tell people about Jesus but have avoided going around their own area, possibly for similar reasons.

Thomas Edison said, 'Opportunity is missed by most people because it comes dressed up in overalls and looks like work.' This may also be true to some of us. We want to be involved in church planting and street evangelism until we are asked if we would join the team. We can then come up with all the excuses in the world why we can't do this.

Another area where we may struggle is when we have an opportunity to do something we have dreamt about. In our dreams, it seemed marvellous but now we are faced with it, it puts great fear on us. "What if this happens?" or "What if I cannot do this?" Someone said, 'For of all the sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest of these is It might have been."
Think about this for a moment. Picture all the times when opportunity has knocked and nobody answered. Let me ask you, "Are you standing before a door of opportunity today? Are you afraid to walk through it? Don't be; God is with you.

Many people reach the end of their lives with regrets. Many wish that they had taken that risk; gone to this place or started that business. Memories and wishes that never came to fruition. Don't be like that. God may have opened a door for you. It may be wide open, the opportunity may be there. God won't push you through this door. He provides the opportunities but the choice is yours. If you share this opportunity with other people, they may try to talk you out of it - in other words, close the door. They can't, because if it's from God, it will burn away within you. Only you can say yes or no. But the door is open and you know it, so why not go for it. If you do, God will not let you down. If you don't, He will still love you and take care of you. He just loves you so much and gives each of us opportunities because He can see the potential in us.

You may have felt God speaking with you today and you may need to shut yourself away and ponder on this. Don't rush things but on the other hand, don't leave it too late. You know in your heart that God is faithful and you know that He will never let you down.

Today is your day. Your day of opportunities!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Beatitudes Part 8

"(10) Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sakes, for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven. (11) Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. (12) Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in Heaven, for they persecuted the prophets who were before you."                Matthew 5:10-12.  NKJV 

We come to our last study of the Beatitudes today and these last three verses are extremely important to us. The cause of persecution is loyalty to righteousness. It is the price that we pay for Love and the Love I speak about here is God. Let's take a look at 1 John 4:7-8 for more detail:

'Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God; and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. He who does not love does not know God, for God is Love.'

Do you see it? It says God is Love. He can be known as Love because that is what He is. He operates in Love, He creates in Love, He walks in Love and He is Love. God is Love. Because of our love for Him, we present ourselves to the enemy and all who do not know God, as fanatics, religious and pious people who live hypocritical lives and all the other stuff that is loaded upon Christians. It all comes in the form of persecution.

Why is this? Quite simply it is because we make stands. There are things that we will not accept. Jesus didn't accept it so neither do we and this causes divisions and hatred towards us. Some of the major topics are:
HOMOSEXUALITY
The bible says that it is an abomination for a man to lie with a man as with a woman, or a woman to lie with woman as with a man. Leviticus 18:22; 20:13. In the New Testament, the apostle Paul called it 'shameful,' the result of being given up by God to 'vile passions,' Romans 1:24-27. God loves the homosexual but not the act of homosexuality. He created man in His image and declared that a man should leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife and the two shall become one flesh. Ephesians 5:31.There is no compromise here, even though the world may say that - today, it is ok, we've moved on. We have not, not in God's eyes. He holds us accountable.
SAME SEX MARRIAGE
Another major topic today is same sex marriages. Modern churches today may say that it is acceptable, but as the above states, God does not accept this type of thing.
ABORTION
The murder of a child is not acceptable unless there are very strong reasons, medically, why this should take place. If it means that the child has died in the womb or that the mother will die giving birth, then this may be deemed as acceptable. Children are a gift from God and every effort should be made to preserve the child's life.

These are just a very few of the topics that are contentious and where a Christian will be persecuted if they make stands against them. However, persecution can take place in the home, where families are divided, because one of the members become a Christian and the remaining family members refrain from this. It can bring heated arguments, in fact, some families throughout the world can evict family members who have been born again and in extreme circumstances, murder them. Christianity will always bring division, it can be a never-ending battle.

Our work life can suffer too as a believer. Many times we may be asked, or even ordered to do something that is totally against our faith. To make a stand, can bring problems, even dismissal; to compromise means that we are being disloyal to our faith and to Jesus.
As Christians, the road can be difficult and as we've seen, the price of love - of following Jesus, can be very costly. People can rebel against us and even tell lies so that we will be disciplined. When you look at things, we are in a war. We're on active service and our Commanding Officer- Jesus trusts us to do battle for Him when it is required. He hung on a cross for us. That is the price that He paid. Is it too much to ask that we, as His chosen people, can make a stand for Him when we need to?

The world when you look at it is in chaos. The ever-rising violence and murder, accelerated drug use, child trafficking, abuse, lawlessness and so on. Isn't it about time that we, as Ambassadors of Jesus make a stand for Him, refusing to compromise? Times running out, we're possibly the last days of decay. Jesus may be returning soon. Let us be ready. God has promised that a great reward for us is in Heaven and we have His Spirit and the protection of our angels too. Let us get the job done.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Beatitudes Part 7

"Blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called sons of God."   Matthew 5:9.  NKJV

God is the supreme peacemaker and as His sons and daughters, we need to follow in His example. There's a lot of unrest about, therefore we need to establish peace wherever we are.

David Guzik says: 'This verse does not describe those who live in peace but those who actually bring about peace, overcoming evil with good.'

One way that we can do this is through evangelism - the ministry of reconciliation - 
(2 Corinthians 5:18). We help bring peace between people who have never known God and of whom they have hurt and rejected. The Hebrew word for peace is shalom. The meaning is that peace always means everything which makes for a person's highest good.

When you're out and about, take a look around you and note the unrest; the lack of peace and the aggression and violence that is on the increase around every corner. It may be unwise for us to stand up in the middle of all this and try to bring about reconciliation, unless God tells you to do this. We need to be wise. However, we can be on the lookout for people who want to offload and are willing to speak with us. We may not be counsellors but we have the Counsellor within us - The Holy Spirit, and He will guide us and give us the words to say. Often, people just want to pour out their frustration and it is helpful to allow them to do this - to vent their pent up frustration and unwind a little.  As we just sit and listen to them, hopefully they will notice that there is something different about us - and that is Jesus. 

Many people ridicule Jesus and openly curse Him but when the chips are down - when they have hit rock bottom and are in a situation they cannot get out of easily, who is that many call on in prayer? The same one they have persecuted - Jesus. He is the main peacemaker and has lots of experience in bringing people's lives back together and He wants to use YOU to let this happen. YOU are His chosen vessel. YOU are His peacemaker. YOU carry the words of Eternal life and can bring salvation to the desolate and hurting crowd. 

So that is what He is calling you to do, each and every day. Are you willing?

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com