You can't do it in the flesh

"Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,' says the LORD of hosts."

                                                                                 Zechariah 4:6.  NKJV

'What are souls without His grace? They're as dead as the branch in which the sap does not circulate. What is the church without Him? It's as parched and barren as the fields without the dew and rain of heaven.' Anon quote from Secret Power Dwight L Moody

To do things in our own strength is not enough. It achieves nothing in Spiritual terms. Preaching the Word or teaching God's principles without the power of the Holy Spirit, will achieve very little. It's rather like pumping water at a well with no water in it, or trying to drive a car with no petrol in the tank. It's pointless.

  And yet, week after week, many ministers preach a sermon and there is no fruit from it at all. Now this can be because there has been no altar call to offer prayer for people touched by the Spirit; there has been no time for a sermon or because the Word was given in the flesh; there was no room for the Holy Spirit.

  This happens all over the world. The Word is preached and yet, there is no response. God said in Isaiah:

'For as the rain comes down and the snow from heaven, and do not return there, but water the earth, and make it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.'                     Isaiah 55:10-11

When God speaks, there will be a response. If not, we have to question if it was done in the flesh. However, this is not just a pulpit thing, it is in our everyday lives. Do we live our lives in the Spirit or struggle on in the flesh? We may not all be pastors, but whatever we do, we are all called by God and many of us are in danger of burning ourselves out because we are living in the flesh instead of allowing God to work through us. Also, we are trying to do too much. We need to rest at times.

  Jesus said, 'Without Me, you can do nothing.' John 15:5. So stop what you're doing for a moment and ask God to fill you with His Spirit; and then determine, from this day, you will only walk in the Spirit.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139 - Final part

"(23)Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; (24) and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting."

                                                                                 Psalm 139:23-24.  NKJV

Check out Psalm 139:17-18; David writes: 'How precious also are Your thoughts to Me, O God! How great is the sum of them! (18) If I should count them, they would be more in number than the sand; when I awake, I am still with You.' God thinks about us - always. Have you ever picked up a handful of sand and as it flows through your hand, tried to count the grains of sand. It's impossible. Imagine how many grains of sand there are to a beach. Impossible to count, yet David says that God's thoughts towards us outnumber these. That's a lot of thoughts. He therefore, thinks about you and I continually. Amazing. This is how He knows us so well. He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. He knows when we're happy and when we're sad; when we're afraid  and when we're anxious. So why don't we go to Him sooner when we have problems  that are weighing us down?

David was a soldier, probably the equivalent of today's Special Forces. He was a true veteran. Therefore, he struggled with people at times; people who were rude about God. He wanted to wipe them out. He was a king, but also a human being who had been through the hardest of battles. Ex-soldiers often need de-programming when they finish their service. However, God was gracious to David, as He is with us. David had rough edges and so do we, and they take time to be healed and changed.

This is probably why David wrote our text verses V23 & 24; 'Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.' Many people over the years have used these verses as a prayer, asking God to reveal to them areas that need changing. However, be warned, this is a very risky prayer to pray, God will take you up on it, so you need to be prepared for the fact that He may reveal things He is not happy with; there may be painful areas to repent of and there may be much heart-searching.

I say this, as we can so easily rush into praying things before we have considered that there may be a cost to what we pray. With this prayer, I can assure you, there will be; but it will be a positive step. God will be gentle, as the Holy Spirit reveals issues that we need to address. But it will be worth it.

Are you ready and willing to pray this? If you are, fasten your seat belt, put on your armour and let's go:

'Lord Jesus, search me, O God, and know my heart; try me and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Amen

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139 Part 4

'(13) For You formed my inward parts ; You covered me in my mother's womb. (14) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skilfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

                                                                                          Psalm 139:13-16.  NKJV

God saw David at conception. He was forming David little by little the same as he did us and other people. Here David is saying that God formed his inner organs by knitting him or weaving him together in the womb.

Each of us began life this way where at conception, God began the process of weaving us into human beings by the formation of human cells over an eight week period, which is called an embryo. God Himself maintains the development of human life from the very beginning. This is why, no one has the right to take a human life, by way of an abortion. It is wrong.

However, there may be a time when it seems the right way forward to abort because to continue with the birth, it could lead to loss of life or serious damage to the mother. There may be other medical reasons. However, it should be to a minimum. We are not here to judge one way or another, but we must honour life as precious, especially to God who has been there all the way through. It really is a contentious subject but really, life is life.

Life must be the greatest of gifts because without it, we have nothing. That is obvious. But to some, life means little as can be seen in world events such as terrorism, murder and other such terrible atrocities. Adding abortion to this list adds to the heartache that God feels. 

Here in this Psalm, David praises God for the miracle of life and lets him know how grateful he is. Once life has ended here on earth, we can do no more. We can take nothing with us. While we're here, we need to leave a legacy of love - a witness of a life lived for Jesus.

It's worth asking yourself, 'What have I achieved in my life? Has my life been beneficial to others? Have I pleased God? Could I do more? It's always helpful to do an appraisal of yourself - a self analysis, because there is aways room for improvement. God's not finished with you yet so why not ask Him if He is pleased with you? You may be pleasantly surprised. Then again, you may receive the encouragement to change a few things.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139. Part 3

(7) "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (8) If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, (10) even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. (11) If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; (12) indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You."

                                                                                        Psalm 139:7-12.  NKJV

God is everywhere. He's in heaven, David also made mention that he is in hell, but he would have been referring to Sheol, which normally has the sense of the grave. However, let's not forget Jesus rose from the dead; He blasted out of hell; it couldn't hold Him, and He overpowered it, defeating sin.

Mason discussing Spurgeon, commented:

'The presence of God's glory is in heaven; the presence of His power on earth; the presence of His justice in hell and the presence of His grace, with His people.'

                                                                               (Mason citing Spurgeon)

So God is everywhere. There's nowhere He hasn't been or is at. We're forever watched over like He has a gigantic CCTV system. He keeps His eyes upon us. There's no hiding place from Him too. Jonah found that out when God told him to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. Instead of obeying God, Jonah took a ship to Tarshish. But God saw this. Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a whale. Even in the body of a whale, God was there. Jonah Chapters 1 & 2. God sees and knows all.

God asked, 'Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?' Jeremiah 23:24. There is no hiding place from God at all. Space officials tell us there is no life on the Moon, Mars or elsewhere in the galaxy. You know what? I bet God's presence is there.

We are always in His thoughts and forever watched over, His hands of grace reaching out to us. And no one can ever prevent you seeking His love and grace. His arms are always open just waiting for that time when you decide to run up to Him for a heavenly hug. 

Probably you need that today. Jonah didn't get out of the belly of the whale until he repented and began to praise God. As soon as he did, God spoke to the fish and it vomited him up onto dry land. Jonah 2:10. That is food for thought!

Why not go to Him for that heavenly hug today? You'll feel better for it.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139. Part 2

"You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it."

                                                                                              Psalm 139:5-6.  NKJV

There is no protection like the protection that God gives us. His love surrounds us everywhere we go. If we could see into the spiritual world, we would discover that there are angels around us keeping us safe. In fact, from this scripture, it appears to be stating that His protection goes before us and behind us and all around us. We are hedged in, or perhaps a better term would be, we are enclosed by God. Psalm 91:2 says, 'I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress."

Now a refuge is a place where people go for safety purposes. It's a place where no one can get to us to cause us harm. We are protected all around. With a fortress, we are surrounded by high walls. It is difficult to get to a person who is fortified - who is strengthened and placed in security.

Do you get the idea? When we walk with God, clothed in His armour (Ephesians 6:10-18), He places a hedge of protection completely around us. There are demons around wherever we go, but they cannot penetrate the armour, unless God allows it for one reason or another. This would be by way of allowing us to be tested and God wants us to pass these tests.

David knew that nothing could get through this hedge of protection unless, it first passed through God's permission; and this is the same for us. Are you grasping this? God has placed such protection around you that the devil has to ask permission from God, if he wants to attack us for some reason. A read of Job 1:6-12, will give you an idea of what I am saying here.

God can allows things to happen in our lives that test us. At times they can be very hurtful and we wonder why. Alternatively, if we step out of this hedge of protection that we have around us, then we open ourselves up for an attack from the enemy. God wants us to survive the tests that He allows us to go through; and He has given us all we need to achieve this. However, if we are foolish enough to step out of His will and become involved with sin, we have to deal with things ourselves, until we repent.

David was completely overwhelmed by this (V6) and so should we be. It's amazing!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139 Part 1

"O LORD,You have searched me and known me. (2) You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. (3) You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether."

                                                                                      Psalm 139:1-4.  NKJV

You may ask, why would God want to speak and spend time with me? Well, let's address that right now. The reason is, He loves you so much that He can't help Himself. He just wants more of you each and everyday.

You may say, 'What me, why is that?' The thing is, you really must begin to see yourself the way God does. Because of Jesus, your sin has been washed away and He sees no stain upon you. You can have a pauper-like attitude and image of yourself quite often, but it is vitally important that you lose this bad image and see yourself the way God does.

Let's be honest, we all try and hide the 'real us' away from people. We want them to only see the 'nice side' of us. We may fool others - for a time, but we can't fool God. He sees all; He sees us as transparent. He knows everything - yes everything - about us, but loves us anyway. God knows our weaknesses, He knows our sinful desires and our transgressions are never hidden from Him. He also knows our innermost thoughts before we even think them. He knows what has happened in the past. He knows the hurts we have undergone. He also knows our fears and frustrations. And yet, despite all of this, He longs to have intimacy with us.

Imagine if you will, an old garden plant pot, broken, dirty and totally unusable. To the world it is useless and just requires throwing away. You may feel a little like this - broken - dirty and unwanted; but because you have asked Him, Jesus feels at home there - in your heart. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19). He has permanently accepted you, even with your undesirable baggage.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Strongholds

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
                                                                                           2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV

A stronghold is anything that opposes God's will. It is warfare of the mind, with our thoughts feeding us lies, so convincing, that we believe them. This can cause rebellious conduct within ourselves leading to bad attitudes, pride and arrogant ideas, where our brain and our spirit convince us that we are right and everyone else is wrong.

Segun Aiyebusi, known to everyone as Shegz, is the American/Nigerian Pastor of Grace Church, New Jersey writes:

"HOW DOES THE ENEMY CONSTRUCT A SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLD IN OUR LIVES? It often starts with a wound we experience, a hurt or disappointment that makes our heart fertile ground for seeds of lies to be planted. On this foundation, the enemy then begins to build brick by brick, a wall of lies, inaccurate ideas about the person of God, erroneous interpretations of Scripture, prideful thoughts, and distorted perceptions of how God sees us and feels about us when we sin. For example, someone you trusted, who should have played a father-figure role in your life deeply betrayed your trust and hurt you). As a result, the enemy lied to you that no one could be trusted and you are on your own. You in turn then become fiercely independent, so much so that you have trust issues, which has then resulted in your struggling to trust God’s promises in your life! See how that works? When we buy into these lies and agree with the enemy, thereby conceding control, that area of our life becomes a stronghold, which the enemy vigorously defends and retains control of. Ridding yourself of these strongholds not only requires great intentionality, but also an understanding of its root cause and how it got constructed in the first place, and how God’s word empowers you to break free from it. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."identifyingstronghold  Segun Aiyebusi

So many things can cause a stronghold within us. Here are a few:
UNCONFESSED OR UNREPENTANT SIN
God will not forgive what you won't own up to. The enemy will establish a stronghold of unexposed sin - the sin that you cling on to knowingly or unknowingly.
OCCULT ACTIVITY
If you've dabbled or been exposed to the occult, it's possible that a stronghold may have been established.
LIES THAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED
The enemy will feed us with lies. believing them can cause strongholds.
UNFORGIVENESS
Bitterness towards someone who may have hurt or wronged you
GENERATIONAL
Things that have been passed down from parent to parent, family to family.

Perhaps you may identify with some of the above. If so, lay it all before Jesus. get help from a pastor or trusted friend if need be. Whatever you do, call on God, renounce the past and declare that today, this ends.

Lord, I confess that I have been involved with...........................................
I renounce this now and declare that in Jesus' Name, this ends today. Amen.

This may take a little time, after all it may have been within you for an age, but keep praying and don't give up.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

The Benefits of God Part Four

"(4) Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, (5) who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's"                                                                        Psalm 103:4-5.  NKJV

Jesus, has given us much more than sparing us from our sin, disease and trouble. He has crowned us with His lovingkindness and tender mercy. In fact, He has made us kings and priests to God, His Father:

'To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.'    Revelation 1:6

What an honour! Did you ever think that you would be a king or a priest? Well, you are in Jesus' eyes. The full meaning of this blessing will be revealed to us when we meet Him in heaven.

God's love is amazing! He satisfies us with good things. Just think for a moment about all the good things you have: life, a home, family, friends, a job or business or perhaps a good pension. These are just a few of the main things. Now think of all the materialistic possessions you have been blessed with: laptops, TV systems, Hi Fi, nice house, clothes, car, and that's just for starters. You may even have to think hard what you would like for your birthday or a Christmas present, when you're asked, because you have so much. He has satisfied you with so many things. All of this makes you feel renewed - happy and blessed and your strength becomes revitalised like the eagle's. 

Incidentally, an eagle is a very large bird and in order to be ables to launch into flight, it waits for the right, gentle breeze. It then mounts up with a slight jump and it heads skyward. And this is how Jesus makes each one of us feel. He gives us the ability, the willpower and the motivation, to face each day with Him.

You may have been through a difficult time just lately, especially with the Coronavirus and Lockdown. It may have drained your health and your wealth. But don't be disheartened. God renews and strengthens those who are weak. He is the one who lifts and revitalises us, empowering us to persevere when everything inside of us is telling us we can't go on. Surrendering our problems to Him, helps us to gain the ability and power to keep going; to never give up.

Take heed, you will once again be successful. This is only a temporary hitch. God's benefits will never cease. He's got your back. So let your soul - your mind, will and emotions, bless and praise His faithful name!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

The Benefits of God Part Three

"(3) Who heals all your diseases, (4) who redeems your life from destruction."

                                                                                              Psalm 103:3-4   NKJV

God heals us both naturally and supernaturally. He can use the surgeon, giving spiritual guidance, direction and skill to save a life; or He may miraculously heal someone - something that happens quite often. Alternatively, He may not heal the person in the way that we would have hoped and prayed for, leaving the question, 'Why?' There can be many reasons why someone doesn't receive their healing. Some have claimed the reason was because of, unconfessed sin or even doubt. We will know the answer one day when we're face to face with Him in Heaven. But, until then, never, ever believe that God doesn't heal today, because He does, so hang on to that.

Consider the many times when you have been close to certain death. This could have been through serious illness, a near fatal accident or possible drowning. There may be many incidents to consider. The thing is, God pulled you through; He redeemed you from destruction; angels were around you doing their job. I remember a few years ago, being washed out to sea during a storm. I was walking along the beach one moment, the next, a monstrous wave swept me off my feet and I was was swept out to very deep water. Time and again, I wrestled with the raging waves but all to no avail, they were just too strong. Suddenly, a hand appeared and a woman pulled me out to safety. An angel? It could have been. What I do know, is what I couldn't do, God could and He redeemed me from destruction. Maybe, you have a similar testimony. It's at times like these, that we know, without doubt, that God is there, watching over us and redeeming us. 

Maybe today, you need a healing touch from Jesus. Or you may need redeeming from a certain loss of job or business owing to the Coronavirus Lockdown. This may have left you in serious financial debt. Don't give up! God knows your need; He knows it is a drastic situation. Sit quietly and pour out your heart to Jesus. Remember the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years and still wasn't well. Think of her as she saw Jesus in the crowd and said to herself, 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.'  (Mark 5:28). Reach out your hand in prayer and touch Him by faith, and receive your healing and relief to your situation.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

The Benefits of God Part Two

"Who forgives all your iniquities."                                    Psalm 103:3.  NKJV

Can you remember all the things that are classed as sin, that you have committed in your life? There will be quite a lot, no doubt. You still remember most of them, but God chose not to. When you asked Him to forgive you, He wiped the slate clean and chose not to remember them:

'And you being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against you, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.'   Colossians 2:13-14

All the things you had done wrong and qualified as sin, the devil wrote down on a record of wrongs and started spouting off, accusing you of it all. When you asked Jesus to forgive you, He took the record of wrongs and nailed it to the cross and died for your sin.

This is why David could say, 'Who forgives all your iniquities.' Note the small word 'all'. Small word with a massive meaning. All of your sin was forgiven, every bit of it. Now that you are saved, you'll still commit sin, most days. But confessing this to Jesus and asking Him to forgive you will again, wipe it all away. Totally amazing.

So why are you still remembering what you have done wrong? Why do you still feel under condemnation? And why do you feel guilty about something you have confessed to Jesus? It is a ploy by the devil sent to cause you discouragement. The devil wants you feeling ashamed of yourself and not being able to enjoy the abundant life Jesus has given you. (John 10:10). You must believe and remember that once you have asked Jesus to forgive you, He has. There's no need to keep asking Him a dozen times or so. Once is enough.

When we hurt people, many will not forgive us, or they may say that old cliche', 'I'll forgive you but I can't forget'. Jesus is not like that at all. He forgives immediately and there are no repercussions from this. It is forgotten, because He chooses it this way.

Let me leave you with a question, Do you need to forgive someone? Has someone said to you, 'Please forgive me for.......', and you're still burning with anger and upset? Don't you think that if Jesus forgives you when you ask Him to, that you should forgive the person who has wronged you and asked forgiveness?

Give it some thought.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

The Benefits of God Part one

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name! Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits."     

                                                                                                Psalm 103:1-2.  NKJV

God wants every part of us - body, soul and spirit, to grow close to Him and to enter into a joyful relationship with Him. He seeks worshipers who will gladly give everything they have to Him.

Notice the 'all,' in verse 1. This means everything you've got. He has the best benefit system ever and it isn't subject to assessments and investigations whilst your benefit is frozen. His benefits, which are not means-tested, are free, secure and given daily. He has more to offer than the world could ever give,

The 'Bless the Lord,' that David wrote here, relates to the fact that man could never give a blessing to God; but rather David meant this in a sense that it blesses and honours God, when His people, (we) praise and thank Him for all He does for us, and as our soul is made up of our, mind, will and emotions, this is done with our thoughts (mind), our actions (will), and our reactions (emotions). 

We should worship Him with all we have - with our very being. When we worship Him, the actual Greek word for worship is, Proskuneo, Pros meaning come towards, Kuneo kiss the hand and bow or be prostrate:

"The twenty four elders fall down before Him who sits on the throne and worship (Proskuneo) Him, who lives forever and ever.'     Revelation 4:10

We should never be so distracted by anything. Jesus deserves all we've got and we should give Him the best - always! Otherwise, we can end up going to church with things on our minds that distract us and rob the moment of worshiping Him.

Think back over your life and remember all of the things that you know, if it hadn't have been for Jesus, you'd have never made it. There is so much that He has done for you, and furthermore, there is so much He wants to do for you in the future.

Think good thoughts; only do what Jesus would do and react the way that he would. It takes practice, that is true, but it's achievable. When you worship Jesus - truly worship Him, shut everything out that could distract you. You have to 'come towards Him,' so that takes action on your part. You also have to 'kiss and bow down,' again an action on your part. You need to discipline yourself to do this. When you do, the benefits are amazing!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

His door is always open

"Seek the LORD while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near."
                                                                                           Isaiah 55:6.  NKJV

When I was a social worker, I remember a manager whose motto was, 'My door is always open.' Yet it wasn't; whenever there was an urgent need, this particular manager had one too.

Thank goodness that Jesus isn't like that. His door is always open - wide, 24/7. He actually invites us to come to Him with confidence, any time of day or night. On those long nights, where we have nagging problems, sleep can evade us. Yet, He is only a quick 'Hello,' away from us. He longs to spend time with us and is the best point of reference where a problem is concerned.

Where else could you get this immediate response? Try calling in a bank and asking to see the manager and all you'll receive, is your name in the appointment book. There is not much chance of an instant response. 

There are many times in our lives when we need to unload - to get things off our chest and seek direction. The thing is, where to go? In this day and age, everyone seems to be busy. But Jesus is never too busy to see His children.

You may have a breakdown in your car. You can call the emergency services, but more than likely, it will be a two hour wait. Yet, if you have a breakdown in your life, the throne room is always open and with confidence, you can walk straight up to the King of kings:

'Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession, (15) for we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. (16) Let us, therefore, come boldly to the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in our time of need.'                                      Hebrews 4:14-16

Jesus knows the struggles that we have and He's ready to help. He's been there. He didn't sin though, but He got the T shirt covered in His Blood with the slogan written on it, 'I did this for you.'

All it takes is to call on Him, 'Seek the Lord while he may be found, call upon Him while He is near.' For those who don't know Jesus as their Lord, I appeal to you. There'll be a time when it is too late to call on Him. Do it now, while He is available!

'Lord Jesus, My life is a mess. Please help me. Come and live in my heart, forgive my sins, fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour. Amen.

If you've just said this, please email me so that I can help you. Email me at dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

What do you think about?

"Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth"
                                                                                                 Colossians 3:2.  NKJV

Your mind is working all the time, continually processing all types of thoughts. We see and hear things throughout our day, and some of them enter our minds, and we begin to dwell on them.

For example, someone rings us with information about someone who we have difficulty in liking, let alone loving. It may be something that does not directly involve yourself but it completely winds you up, and initially you pray for the situation. However, if you're not careful, for the rest of the day, your prayers turn into criticism and you begin having psychological conversations with yourself about the situation. This has the ability to make you feel worse because these kind of  conversations serve no purpose, except to strangle your peace.

The Apostle Paul, tells us to, 'Set our minds on things above, not on things on the earth.' Now that's a hard one to adhere to when you have got yourself in such a state that the only thing on your mind is this problem.
But, stop there. That is the problem. You have allowed yourself to become like this, not the other person. You are the one that chose to become upset about what someone else has done and it is you, who has spent the best part of the day in criticism and bad feeling about something that possibly is none of your business.

What has happened is, you have lost your focus. Your focus should be on Jesus Christ - on Heaven, not on things that are sent to rob you of your joy. Who is the joy stealer? Yes, that's right. He comes to steal, kill and destroy (John 10:10). But Jesus comes to bring you life in abundance. Are you living the abundant life, or have you lost your focus? 

If you are allowing your focus to become distracted by things such as this, do something about now. Think, what would Jesus say about this? How would He handle the situation? I think you know the answer to these two questions. His Word to us this morning, is:

Turn your eyes upon Jesus

Look full in His wonderful face,

And the things on earth will grow strangely dim

In the light of His glory and grace.

                                            Copyright Helen Howarth Lemmel

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

You reap what you sow

"Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap."                                                                             Galatians 6:7.  NKJV

We bear the consequences of our choices for a long time, either for good or for bad. The choices we make today, will affect what happens tomorrow. For example, we decide to emigrate to Australia but years later, regret that we didn't spend time with our parents who have since died. We may also turn down a life-changing job that could have given us a very good lifestyle and then wish that we had said yes. Our choices affect our future. What we sow, we will reap in our lives.

Esau sold his birthright to his brother Jacob because he was hungry and couldn't resist the smell of the goat stew that Jacob had cooked. The red meat was so appealing to his hunger base. Whether he was saying it just to gain a quick, delicious meal we'll never know; but he sold it and then began to despise it as Jacob received the blessing, after lying to his father, Issac, pretending to be Esau.

Years later, Jacob's sons went out to look for their sheep and Jacob sent his favourite son, Joseph to find them. Jacob had given him an expensive coat of many colours, made of goat skin. The brothers being extremely jealous of Joseph, eventually sold him into slavery. They then took his special coat and saturated it in goat's blood and gave it Jacob on their return. He obviously believed that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. The interesting thing here is, Jacob had used a goat for his stew to take Esau's birthright. Now, he received Joseph's goat skin coat, covered in goat's blood. He had sown 'goat' stew and reaped 'goat's blood'. What you sow you reap regardless of the time limit.

Jacob had lied to his father - a sin. Numbers 32:33 says, 'You have sinned against the LORD, and be sure, your sin will find you out.' If you lie, it's a sin and you will be found out even if it is ages before you do. Some marital partners, commit adultery, betraying their marriage covenant. They may think that are getting away with it, but one day, it will come to the light. What you reap you will sow and it can be very costly.

Sowing and reaping is much more than giving a tithe and offering, it is a vast area and we need to be wary of what we do and say. We can sow bad words against someone but we cannot get away with any of it:

'A man's stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; from the produce of his lips he shall be filled. Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.'                Proverbs 18:20-21

Let us be careful what we do and what we say because, it can come back and bite us, extremely hard.


Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

HAVE YOU A COPY OF MY BOOK? 

IT WILL REFRESH YOU EACH DAY WITH GOD'S WORD!     

Paperback  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Life-Jesus-Bible-Commentary/dp/B084DFYKHD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Daily+Life+with+Jesus&qid=1581852824&sr=8-1

Kindle

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Examine yourself

"But let a man examine himself and so let him eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For he who eats and drinks in an unworthy manner, eats and drinks judgement to himself, not discerning the Lord's body."
                                                                                         1 Corinthians 11:28-29.  NKJV

Taking communion is a beautiful thing. We share in the Lord's supper, remembering all that Jesus did for us on the cross. It should never be taken lightly or in a disrespectful way. It may be possible, that some do this out of a weekly ritual, just going through the motions but not really giving it much thought or devotion.

Charles F Stanley says:
'The Lord's Supper not only looks back at Christ's sacrifice and gives Him praise for His great gift of salvation to us, but it also looks ahead to that day when we will see Him again and enjoy our heavenly home with Him forever.'
                                                                  Life Principles Bible, p1798. Charles F Stanley

Our walk with Jesus should never be a ritualistic practice but one of excitement and anticipation. After all, when we're in step with Him, one never knows what is going to turn up - blessing or the need to exercise spiritual warfare.
Therefore, we need to be ready and alert because we are on active service. A soldier who falls asleep whilst on duty, can bring defeat to his whole regiment. In the same way, a soldier of Christ needs to be alert 24/7.

Neglect to duty, is something we need to be mindful of. As Christians, we cannot afford to take a day off to do our own thing. We should involve Jesus in all we do. We need to be careful about our thoughts, practices and our feelings. The devil is the master of deception. If he can take your mind off God, he will do. If he can cause you to neglect God's commands, he loves it. Remember Adam and Eve in Genesis 3? He caused them to neglect what God had told them and the result was, they had to hide from him in the garden when He called them. Through their neglect, they had brought evil into the world.

Neglect causes deception. We need to examine ourselves and all we do, so that we can partake of The Lord's Supper with a pure heart and live each day as a Child of the King!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

HAVE YOU A COPY OF MY BOOK? 

IT WILL REFRESH YOU EACH DAY WITH GOD'S WORD!     

Paperback  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Life-Jesus-Bible-Commentary/dp/B084DFYKHD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Daily+Life+with+Jesus&qid=1581852824&sr=8-1

Kindle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Life-Jesus-Bible-Commentary-ebook/dp/B084G9S4FD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Daily+Life+with+Jesus&qi

Your First Love

"(3) you have persevered and have patience, and have laboured for My name's sake and have not become weary. (4) Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love. (5) Remember therefore from where you have fallen; repent and do the first works, or else I will come to you quickly and remove your lamp stand from its place - unless you repent.
                                                                                         Revelation 2:3-5   NKJV

We can be busy for Jesus, but not obedient to Him. God created us for an intimate relationship with Him and working towards that relationship must be our priority. Serving Jesus must be out of obedience, not ritualistic or traditional. It must never replace loving Him. He is our first love.

The believers at the Church of Ephesus had laboured well, with patience and endurance. But it was not enough, they had left Jesus out of it all. In serving Jesus, they had left their first love and got on with the work in hand - working in their own strength, which achieves nothing.

We can be so busy going to this meeting and then another afterwards, followed by many telephone calls requesting prayer, that we leave Jesus out of it all. A few hurried prayers is all we give Him before we leap into the day, doing our own thing with little thought about Him, unless we get into trouble. It shouldn't be this way. The Ephesians were doing this and Jesus spoke very strongly to them and he does to us, too. Give Him first place in your life!

King David, left God out of his life. He sent his men out to battle, but he remained in Jerusalem and this led him into adultery with Bathsheba. (2 Samuel 11) She was a married woman and when she found out she was pregnant, David tried to rig it, that the baby was her husband's. When this didn't work, David sent her husband - Uriah,  out onto the front line to have him killed. So adultery and murder. All because, he was not in the place where God had wanted him to be - at war, deciding to leave God out of things - his first love.

Later when the prophet Nathan confronted him with this, he repented and wrote this:

'Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me'

                                                                                          Psalm 51:10   

David was not just asking for God to clean up his heart but to create a new one for him. It was a miracle that only God could have done. He felt so crestfallen that he had let God down - that he had left his first love. God did forgive him and David accepted this forgiveness. But, at a cost. He had learned a strong lesson. Never leave God out of things, because they will always go wrong and you'll always be found out, and it could be painful.

Perhaps this is speaking to you. Perhaps you have left your first love, being busy working for God instead of loving and walking with Him. Change that today. Repent and ask God to create in you a clean heart and renew a right spirit within you. 

"Cultivate sincerity and uprightness of heart at all times and it will save you an abundance of sorrow'.     Dwight L Moody

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

HAVE YOU A COPY OF MY BOOK? 

IT WILL REFRESH YOU EACH DAY WITH GOD'S WORD!     

Paperback  https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Life-Jesus-Bible-Commentary/dp/B084DFYKHD/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Daily+Life+with+Jesus&qid=1581852824&sr=8-1

Kindle

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Life-Jesus-Bible-Commentary-ebook/dp/B084G9S4FD/ref=sr_1_4?keywords=Daily+Life+with+Jesus&qi