God is your supplier Part 2

"But my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus"

                                                                                                             Philippians 4:19.  KJV

Let us take a closer look at this verse, breaking it down into relevant key words. Firstly:

MY  You and I belong to Jesus and Him to us. This happened when we accepted Him as our Lord. He is ours, the creator God; the Almighty God; God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, belongs to us. He is our God.

SHALL  Therefore, He shall - He will look after us . He promises that in this verse. We have no need to worry, He is on our side and has our backs covered. He is our daddy (Abba Father), therefore, He shall, not He might do, but He will do.

ALL  He will supply all we need - not everything we want. He doesn't want us to be greedy, He wants us to be blessed beyond our wildest dreams. (Ephesians 3:20) He has an abundance for us - more than enough, so when we think about it, He has a super-abundance, ear-marked for each one of us. 

NEED  He knows what we need, and He's responsible for us - if we let Him be by putting Him in first place in our lives. If not we then have to sort things out ourselves.

Christ Jesus  He has the Name above all names. (Philippians 2:8-11) There is no other name higher than Jesus' Name. Other names must bow the knee to Him - to His authority. There are so many names that are relevant to us and they must all come under His authority. Among them are:

DEBT  If we surrender our debt to Jesus, repent and say we will be more careful in the future, He will take the lead on this. The debt may not be cancelled out at once, but He will give us the opportunity to be free as time goes on.

SICKNESS  According to 1 Peter 2:24, we are already healed by the stripes of Jesus - by His death on the cross. We just need to exercise our faith and receive it. Jesus put sickness in the grave. We need to trust Him for this manifestation. This is what faith is.

UNEMPLOYMENT  We may need to humble ourselves and take a lower paid job to exercise our trust in Jesus. Benefits may pay more than this job, but they could never be higher than God's benefits. I've been there years ago and it's not easy. But when you show Him that you're willing to do your bit, He'll meet you halfway.

ABUSE, FEAR AND DEPRESSION  These are all delivered to us from the pit of hell. But Jesus is greater than your fear; He can lift that depression and He can and will, deal with the abuser in your life. But again, we need to trust Him; He is watching and waiting for your call. There is no name that is greater than the Name of Jesus. He will make any of these names bend the knee. Read and claim Philippians 2:8 - 11.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

 

God is your supplier

"My purpose is to give life in all its fullness"                              John 10:10.  Living Bible

A look  at the word 'Fullness', shows it is translated abundance. It is actually God's desire to give us life in abundance, in fact, more abundantly (John 10:10 NKJV). This means everything: life, health, happiness, prosperity - you name it. God's wish is to bless us as we walk in obedience to His Word.

The thing is, we need to trust Him; we need to believe that He wants the very best for us. This is where our faith Comes in. We see in 2 Corinthians 5:7, that we walk by faith, not by sight. This means we have to trust that, no matter what, He will meet our need from His riches in Glory (Philippians 4:19). We may not see it now, but as we look through the eyes of faith it becomes a reality. Our job is to reach out and take it by faith - to receive it.

However, if we want God to be a giver to us, we must be a giver to Him. This is where tithing comes in. Charles F Stanley writes, 'God has set forth very specific directives about what He expects us to give back to Him. Malachi 3:8-12 clearly teaches us that we are to give Him a tithe, which is 10% of what we produce or earn. ' The word 'tithe', is based on the number ten in Hebrew.

Sometimes believers fail to give what God calls them to because they feel they will not have enough to live on. The thing is, we cannot outgive God. Be confident that He will give to you and meet your need because you're following Him in obedience.

God longs for us to walk in faith with Him. Jesus explained it clearer in Mark 11:22-24 (read it for full understanding). Whenever we ask God for something in prayer, we are to believe that we receive them and we will have them. Oral Roberts used to say, 'Doubt and do without, with faith, believe and receive - expect a miracle.'

Notice those last three words - Expect a miracle. We pour doubt on things too much. We ask God for something and then cancel it out with doubt by confessing, 'I still feel unwell,' or 'We'll never get through this financial crisis.' Stop the 'I can't' and replace it with, 'I can, with God's help.'

Why not believe for a miracle today? Believe and receive; in other words ,'Take it'.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Lessons from Proverbs 4. - Part 3

"Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you. (25) Let you eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you. (26) Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established. (27) Do not turn to the right or left; remove your foot from evil."                                              Proverbs 4:24 - 27.  NKJV

The Living Bible translates v24 as: 'Spurn the careless kiss of a prostitute. Stay far from her.' This paraphrased verse offers the reader a warning to stay on the right path of the just and advises us, to give much attention to our lives. Deceitful and perverse words are used to cover up deceitful actions, as are what we look at and the feelings this may stir up. This is a warning to us all as it is so easy to take a wrong turn and be lost.

The paraphrase of this verse, paints a picture of how dangerous it is when we become sidetracked. Charles F Stanley writes: 'God calls us to stay spiritually alert at all times, and that includes taking regular inventory of our lives' directions. What you allow to affect your heart, influences everything in your life. If you are constantly occupied with wicked and worldly matters, that is what will flow forth from you.' The Spirit Filled Bible commenting on this says, 'How Solomon would have profited by following his own advice.' This is probably true of us all; we must live up to what we confess. This is what attracts people to Jesus, not hypocrisy.

We have to keep our eyes on the ball. If a goalkeeper keeps looking to the right and the left and not on where the ball is, this is where someone will score a goal. Do you get the picture? Our spiritual concentration needs to be constantly focused on Jesus. This helps us to keep on the path of the just. We need to keep checking and re-checking our words, our attitude and how we handle things each day. Deceipt and perverse talk are from the pit as are unwholesome thoughts. We have to regularly keep a watch on these areas, looking straight ahead. If we see something that is not what we should look at, keep going and don't look back. If we do, we can get hooked and reeled in. In other words, we need to be wise and never walk into potential evil situations.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Lessons from Proverbs 4 - Part 2

"Keep you heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."    
                                                                                                            Proverbs 4:23.  NKJV

Talking around Matthew 12:33-35, Derek Prince said, 'When the heart is filled it overflows through the mouth, and that overflow tells us the real condition of the heart.' It comes down to what particular fruit we are bearing - good fruit or bad fruit. There is so much temptation around that each of us has to make a concentrated effort to stay on the straight and narrow.

What we watch on TV, or what particular movies we favour play a part in how we operate in our lives. If we're not careful we can be easily influenced and encouraged to let our guard down and, 'take a night off Christianity'. After all, no-one will know, will they - will they? Well for one thing, we may be very careful but we'll never be able to hoodwink God. He sees and hears all.

This is why this verse tells us clearly to, 'Keep your heart with all diligence'. Actually, the word, 'Keep', can be translated 'Guard' - hence, 'Guard your heart with all diligence'. This makes it sound more serious and it is. When we guard something, we keep a watchful eye on it. This needs to be done on a regular basis so that the thief doesn't break in. If scripture tells us, 'the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour,' (1 Peter 5:8) we get the picture that this is very serious business indeed. Therefore, we need to be watchful.

If you've ever noticed the rituals of a Meerkat, you will see this in action. The one's on guard will stand and watch non-stop, looking in many directions. They know it's their responsibility to keep the others safe as there are many predators ready to attack them. Remember, someone once said, 'When the floods came, Noah wasn't in the dark, he was in the ark'. (Genesis 7). Be ready and alert.

We need to protect and guard our heart with all diligence. We know from experience that most unbelievers never read a bible, they read us instead and they're very diligent about it too. One small mistake on our part and it goes around the neighbourhood like a rocket out of a gun. This is why it is so damaging when a leading Christian is caught in some particular scandal. It causes the body of Christ much pain.  and the newspapers love to print these type of stories.

Each of us, have a responsibility to Jesus. He calls us His friends. This means He trusts us. Isn't that amazing? Jesus Christ of Nazareth, trusts us. May we always attempt to protect His Name and live up to our calling.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Lessons from Proverbs 4

"My son, give attention to my words; incline your ear to my sayings. (21) Do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; (22) for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh."                     Proverbs 4:20-22.  NKJV

One of the most important things during a counselling session, is for the counsellor to show they are actually listening properly. Looking out of the window or checking the time on a watch, just shows the person that they are not being listened to properly. Good attending skills are extremely important.

In the same way, we need to give attention to God's Word. We can so easily be distracted. In church, some may be more concerned that someone has sat in their regular seat than what is being taught. It is also, so easy to drift off, especially when there is a pressing schedule of things to be done at home. We need to focus on what is being said and what is happening. It is the same at church or at home, distractions happen.

Solomon mentions the words, 'Incline your ear.' Again, this is ensuring that we are listening properly. To incline the ear, means to slightly lean forward to show that people have your attention - that you're taking notice. This helps us to focus more and again, shows the listener that you are actually listening. You often see this on the TV, where a news reporter leans forward as they speak to who they're interviewing. 

We need God's Word! It's as important to our spiritual well-being as food and drink are to our physical bodies. Without it, we will die. God's Word contains power - power to change situations, to prosper us and to heal our bodies. Note in v23 that Solomon says, 'for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh.' God's Words are vitally important.
God gives us many promises in the bible but if we don't read it, we won't be able to find the relevant verses we need to confess and stand on, when we need them. The Word of God gives us life; it changes our outlook on things. It refreshes, empowers and edifies us. Life in this world can be so negative and violent. Politicians say one thing and then do another. It can be so daunting and unreliable. But God's Word is 100% reliable!

Let us all learn the art of giving attention to what God is telling us in His Word. One moment, you can be in a complete quandary, the next, POW - something wonderful has happened. What is it? God has given life to His Word and health to our flesh. However, it only comes by, 'Inclining the ear'.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Don't fall short

"Pursue peace with all people and holiness, without which no one will see the Lord. (15) looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble and by this many become defiled."   Hebrews 12:14-15.  NKJV

How do we fall short of the grace of God? We hold on to things such as:

UNFORGIVENESS. Someone hurts us and causes us much pain and heartache. In return we harbour unforgiveness towards them. At times such as this, we need to remember that, if we don't forgive, neither will God forgive us. (Mark 11:25-26). It's a dangerous place to be in.
RESENTMENT. We can tend to resent certain people, especially those who have hurt us, and we begin to hold a grudge. Every time we see them from thereon, the grudge gets bigger.
DESIRE TO GET EVEN. To be able to survive in this world, life has taught us to stand up for ourselves. If someone does us a wrong, then we need to get even with them. Many battles are fought over trying to get one back on someone who has hurt us.
BITTERNESS. If we're not careful, when all of the above are not addressed and dealt with, bitterness springs up. It begins small but eventually becomes unmanageable, the root is so deep.

We are all prone to these areas. As soon as something like this begins to take hold, we need to deal with it immediately. If we don't, it will take hold of us and taint our walk with Jesus. Thankfully, Jesus knows how difficult things can be, the difference being, He didn't fall into it. Every part of Jesus showed grace to all He met. Hebrews 12:3 says, 'Consider Him who endured such hostility lest you become weary and discouraged in your souls.'

Jesus took it all and still produced grace to all who hurt Him. We may be tempted to think, 'Yes, but He was different, He was God.' Yes that's true but He was still human at the time; He bled and He showed emotion. The difference was He demonstrated hesed -God's mercies, goodness and peace, wherever He went. He showered people with hesed, therefore, His Father honoured Him and gave Him the ability - the strength, to carry out His mission.

And He will do the same for us, but we need to deal with these four areas: (1) Unforgiveness, (2) Resentment, (3) Desire to get even, (4) Bitterness. It's not easy to shrug these areas off, but it is achievable with Jesus' help. Let's all give it a go!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Submission

"Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you."
                                                                                                                                    James 4:7. NKJV

Basically, submission can be classed as giving in, or accepting the situation, yielding or surrendering. From one point of view, it is rather like weakness - we can't do it without help - and that's it in a nutshell. As Christians, we daily need God's help because if we try to go it alone, we'll fall flat on our face. The enemy loves to tempt us to go it alone. He does it to make us have the, 'I don't need anyone' syndrome. This is why we need to resist him and we do this by submitting to God. When we do, the devil flees. When we trust God from a humble, surrendered heart it disarms the devil. He can't understand it.

CS Lewis in his book, The Screwtape Letters, is warning some of his junior demons and says, 'We are never in greater danger than when they look around and all traces of God have forsaken them, yet they still choose to obey Him'.

This is classic submission. We give our all, our everything to Him, and we are blessed and reassured that whatever happens in any day, He will take care of it. I like what E Stanley Jones says, 'Surrender to Christ or you surrender to chaos'. When you stop and consider this, it is very true. Many times we become involved with something and rush at it without even consulting God in prayer. And many times, it may go wrong. This may be something that you need to manage better.

Galatians 2:20 gives us a great example of being submitted to Jesus: 
'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.'

By accepting this, we confess that our old lives are dead and we are now alive in Jesus, submitted to Him in such a way that He takes control of everything and can be seen in us wherever we go.
Actually, it's a good verse to confess every morning. Confessing we are alive in Jesus and our old life is now dead. Do you know that dead men don't react? It is true and a great example of how we should be living for Jesus - No Attack - No Defence - No Reaction. We are in Jesus and He is all we need!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Zip the Lip

"Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."              Ephesians 4:29.  NKJV

Are you a grumbler? I think it is something that we are all susceptible to quite often.When things get on top of us and catch us unawares, we can turn into a whinger. We need to watch this area because, a glance in Exodus 16 & 18 shows us that grumblers died in the desert. A humbling thought. They were never satisfied with what God gave them. 'Well, that's different,' you may say. But it's not; our bodies are Temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and it is so easy to grieve Him (Ephesians 4:30). Therefore, we need to be aware of that.

A corrupt word is when something is decayed and rotten; so when we speak a word that isn't becoming of a person of God, we may be uttering decay. How do we do this? Well telling jokes is one way. We can be tempted to use graphic language to attempt to make  the joke funnier. When we're in certain company, it is so easy to drop our guard and allow ourselves to 'fit in' with the crowd. It isn't about 'fitting in' with the crowd, but 'standing out,' in the crowd; that should be our goal. 

We don't have to live such sanctimonious lives that we shut ourselves away from all but Christian people. If we did that, how would people get the opportunity to hear about Jesus? But we do need to be an example. This is when people see there is something different about us. One of the biggest problems are our words - what we say and how we say them. When we are not in control of our mouth, we can tend to criticise, moan or even say unkind words to people when they upset us. Take for example, when we're driving. Someone cuts us up, drives erratically near us or even honks at us. If we're not careful, a barrage of unedifying words can be spoken and once out, they can't be taken back.

Does what you say build people up? Do you bless them when you speak? Does what you say build you up? After all, you're a hearer of your words too. It's an area that perhaps we all need to work on. Oftentimes, we need to zip the lip until we can allow something good to come out. 
Let us be aware that, 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue and those who love it, will eat its fruit.' (Proverbs 18:21).
If you can say something good - then say it. If you can't, then zip your lip until you can!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

      

Stand Your Ground

"O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you."  V16  
                                                                                                     Daniel 3.  NLT/NKJV

Nebuchadnezzar had built a golden image that stood ninety foot high by ten feet wide and he had commanded everyone to bow down and worship it. Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego refused and the king was enraged. He threatened to throw them into the fiery furnace unless they obeyed him. "And then what god will be able to rescue you from my power.' V15.

The young men told him, 'God, whom we serve, is able to deliver us from the burning, fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand.' v17. Note that they said, God was able to deliver them but they added that He will deliver them from the king's hand. Basically, they were saying, 'God will deliver us, but if He doesn't save us from the fire, He'll save us from you, O king'. They knew that they may have to be thrown in the fire but they had the faith to know that, somehow they would be ok. They trusted God.

God is just as able to deliver you from whatever fire you may face. Trust Him - He is able and very willing to help. However, you might have to go through the ordeal. But, take heart, He'll be with you. Bob Gass wrote, 'When God doesn't deliver you immediately, he'll be your thermostat in the furnace.'

Notice that Jesus was with them. The king saw a fourth person in the fire (3:25). He said that He was like the Son of God. This was a Christophany - a preincarnate appearance of the Messiah. He was with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego in the fire and He will be with you too, in whatever situation you find yourself in or have to go through. 

As scary as some situations can appear, there really is no need to worry about anything at all. Things may get hot when you make a stand for Jesus. Some say, 'when you play with fire, you'll get burnt,' but when you make a stand for Jesus, He will recognise this and not one hair on your body will be singed and there will be no smell of smoke either.

You may be in a difficult situation at present, but don't compromise your faith. Don't let anyone make you do what you know you shouldn't do. Make a stand, whatever the cost and Jesus will be right beside you.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

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Take the right way

"But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the king's delicacies nor with the wine which he drank                 Daniel 1:8.  NKJV

Daniel refused to defile himself with the king's meats and wine. It was a forbidden act for a Jew. He therefore humbly requested that he and his three friends could have vegetables and water instead. After a ten day trial, it was accepted that this was an acceptable diet for them. (1:15-16).

Charles F Stanley says, 'We should never compromise. Godly obedience begins with absolute commitment to honouring God above all else. When we purpose in our hearts to put God first, then the particular temptation or challenge cannot control us.'

This was quite a dangerous thing for Daniel and his friends to do. They were captives in a hostile country with a domineering king. This could have been a fatal issue for them. However, God was with them and Daniel was trusting Him in his new governmental role as an advisor to the king. He knew that trusting God meant looking beyond what we can see, to what God sees, (Romans 4:17 and 2 Corinthians 5:7). For us to serve God properly, we too need to walk by faith and not by sight. Sometimes, the things we see are not very nice and can appear quite daunting. This is where our faith kicks in.

When we have an attitude such as, 'I can do this;, then nothing can stop us from fulfilling what we set out to do. We may not accomplish everything we hope for but we'll be that much further ahead than when we started. It's having that, 'get up and go', that counts.

We've probably all had times when we've been close to rock bottom - when things have not gone our way. But be thankful that you're still here and have another chance to get it right. God is right beside you, but you must determine that you will never compromise; you will never go against what you believe. Stand up and make a declaration - 'I'm going to conquer this. I have God beside me and nothing can stop me from trying to get back on my feet - I'm a winner!'

Don't go the way of the world; go the way of Jesus. He knows the road ahead and if you will only let Him, He will show you the way too!
Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

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Your Faith Part 2

"Do not be afraid, only believe,"                                                     Mark 5:36.  NKJV  

Why didn't Jesus comfort Jairus when people from his house came to tell him that his daughter had died? Because fear robs a person of faith. Jairus had come to Jesus fully assured that Jesus could and would, heal his daughter. Jesus didn't want him to lose that faith. Instead, He challenged Jairus to remain faith-filled.

Regardless of our circumstances, God will always urge us on to faith and away from fear. This can be seen in His comments to the woman with the issue of blood. 'Daughter, your faith has made you well. Go in peace and be healed of your affiction.' (v34). Also, in the example of the wind and the waves obeying Jesus, He said, 'Why are you so fearful?' (Mark 4:40).

Be aware, faith offends many people. When we talk about faith stuff, they look at us as if we're crazy and an alien from another planet. They have no concept about Jesus healing people today, let alone, raising them from the dead. But it happens. When they hear about this, they try and explain it away coming up with many reasons why a certain thing may have happened. These people will rob you of your faith. Avoid them, they're doubters and robbers of faith. We get an example of this in Genesis 3:1. The serpent said to Eve, 'Has God indeed said that?' This left Eve confused and these people will do the same to you. Keep a wide berth.

Faith and fear can never operate together, they're opposites and repel each other. Before we can really trust Jesus, we have to decide to put away fear. 

Jesus said:

'ONLY BELIEVE'
(1)  Don't try believing and being afraid at the same time. Doing this, fear will take over.
(2)  Don't try to believe and figure it out at the same time. You'll never do it, fear will take over.
(3)  We have to trust Jesus when everything around us seems hopeless. If we don't, fear is released.

Oftentimes, it all appears daunting. It's not easy hanging on to your faith when all around you is crashing down; but it really is the only way if we want victory.
Whatever is happening in your life, take Jesus' words to heart. 'Do not be afraid, only believe.'

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

 

Your Faith

"Daughter your faith has made you well - Do not be afraid, only believe' Verses 34 & 36

                                                                                                   Mark 5:21-43.  NKJV

I want us to look at two things that were happening here. The woman had been ill for twelve years or so and needed healing to survive. Jairus begged Jesus to come and heal his dying daughter. Both used faith statements. Jairus said, 'My daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay hands on her that she may be healed and she will live' v23. The woman said, 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.' v28. They didn't use phrases such as, 'Hopefully she will be healed and live,' or 'If I can touch His clothes, I might get well.' No, they were certain about their statements. They were in faith, so they went to Him.

There's a lesson here, we don't always have to go to a pastor or elder to receive healing, we can, and should, go straight to Jesus. Obviously, if we are at church and there is a call for people to come and be healed, then it may be appropriate to go forward. Other than that, if you're sick you don't have to ring for people to pray - although that is always helpful. But you can just speak to Jesus and tell Him what you need and receive it.

Check out what Jesus said here, 'Daughter your faith has made you well,' and 'Do not be afraid, only believe.' He didn't say, 'go to church and get the pastor to lay hands on you and you should be ok.'  You may say, it says in James 5:14-15, to call for the elders of the church to pray for anyone who is sick, and that is correct, but as I've mentioned earlier, that is usually in a church setting, although some may prefer to do this and that is ok.

What Jesus said here, complimented their faith and is very similar to what the Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3:20: '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'. Underline in your bible the 'According to the power that works in us'. It is kindling that power - Jesus - within us, reading His Word, praying, walking daily with Him in such a way that this power manifests a strong faith within us. This is why Paul said, According to'. It is up to us to live in such a way that the power of Jesus is manifest all the time within us, wherever we go. It is living the life, not just once a week but every moment of everyday.

When we can live in such a way as this, wherever we go, Jesus will be seen within us. Demons will tremble at our presence; people will be saved and healed, lives will be changed. The world needs a shake up, it needs Jesus. We have the power of Christ within us; don't let us ever hide that Light under a bushel. These are not pipe-dreamed words, they are the Words of God!
Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

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Lessons from the Prodigal Part 4

"But as soon as this son of yours came, who has devoured your livelihood with harlots, you killed the fatted calf for him."  v30                                         Luke 15:11-32.  NKJV

There is always someone who will burst the bubble. The older son displayed anger, resentment and bad feeling towards his father and his brother. He had a Pharisaical attitude - one of unforgiveness, judgementalism, hostility and a total lack of grace. Just by his words, 'this son of yours', it shows how he felt about the situation. There was no compassion, no respect, no joy that his younger brother was safe and now at home. Just a sulking hostility.

To a degree, one can understand how he felt. He had remained faithful to his father and the work and had witnessed his brother with a, 'want, want, want,' attitude, pressuring his father for the inheritance. However, he was totally out of line with his attitude, which must have put a dampener on the celebrations. One thing this whole example shows us, is the love of the Father. His joy and compassion know no end. . He lavishes us with good things - abundantly. (John 10:10b). Everything that He does for us we don't deserve but we get it anyway. Each new morning is a fresh start with Him. (Lamentations 3:22-23) In fact, as Jeremy Pearsons says, 'My mistakes may be great but His faithfulness is greater.'

God's mercies are never-ending. The Hebrew word for mercies is hesed and it can be translated as 'Covenant Love or Steadfast Love'. It is linked with compassion, truth, faithfulness and goodness. With God hesed will always remain and be available to us. 

Don't allow a bad attitude to ever enter your existence. Refuse to harbour a grudge against anyone. The devil may try to convince you that you are right to feel this way, but who do you follow - Jesus or him? Yes that's right, it's Jesus so act like Jesus would.

We're only human and God knows this and often we are tempted to have a good old moan and criticise session. But is it worth losing the joy, peace and hesed that God offers each day? Let God deal with the difficult person, He's pretty good at doing that. You just focus on the greatest thing that has ever happened to you. His Name is Jesus!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

 

Lessons from the Prodigal Part 3

"But when He was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him."  v20                     Luke 15:11-32.  NKJV

Just focus on this verse for a moment. While the Prodigal was deciding that he would go back home, his father was waiting and looking for him. He was not going to give up hope. He expected his son to return and was so excited about it. The Prodigal had come to his senses and had seen that the grass is not always greener on the other side. He had rehearsed what he wanted to say but, as his father ran up and kissed him, he didn't have the opportunity to say it all, because the father was busy arranging a celebratory party.

This is how it is when we return to Our Father. We may have drifted away for some reason, but He stands there watching and waiting, never for one moment doubting your return.
Think back to the days when you didn't walk with Jesus; those days when you lived for yourself. You may have been happy to a degree but there was always something missing. Whatever was happening in your life at that time, Our Father was watching. He saw the hurt and possible abuse. He saw that broken relationship and the way you were ripped off by society. He was watching when a drug dealer was trying to supply you with something. Some of you may have taken this offer - the Father saw this and His heart was breaking. 'COME BACK TO ME - COME TO ME,' He was shouting but through all your pain and problems you never heard, or if you did, ignored the voice.

But the Father still waited; He still watched in hope that you would return to Him. To you, God was very far away, but actually, He was standing right beside you. Can't you remember the times when you felt someone or something drawing  you in. It was a nice, warm feeling if you remember; a feeling of hope. It was God. Some of you said, 'Yes', to Him and Jesus flooded your heart - changed your lives, and even though the road has been a bumpy one at times, it has been so worth it. When you accepted Him, He showered you with His love and compassion and even threw a party. The whole of Heaven rejoiced.
There are still many others He is hoping will come to Him. He's watching and waiting. If that's you, come home, the Father is preparing a party for you. Just say, 'Yes Jesus, I return to You, forgive me. I am yours.'

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Lessons from the Prodigal Part 2

"I will arise and go to my father and will say, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you."  v18                                                             Luke 15:11-32   NKJV

The Prodigal had hit rock bottom. Nothing he did was right and he was penniless, broken, miserable and unloved. It's at times like this when we realise that we've done things wrong and we don't know what to do to put things right. The answer is staring us in the face - prayer - but sometimes it's the last resort because we don't want to admit that we got it wrong.

The Prodigal realised he had got it wrong and was fed up eating pig food. He was lonely and hungry and that day he made probably the wisest choice that he had ever made - he would return to his father, repent and ask him if he would allow him to be one of his servants. 

Admitting we got it wrong can be difficult. We have to face all of the, 'I told you so's' and 'If you had only listened, but no, you know best.' We have to humble ourselves; get rid of the pride and be ready to take all of the ridicule on the chin. It's not easy but it can be life-changing.

Elton John wrote a song entitled, 'Sorry, seems to be the hardest word,' and it's so true. It takes grit to admit when you're in the wrong. Married couples can struggle in this area quite a lot. One partner may be quick to admit they were wrong and say they are sorry. The other partner may not be so willing to give in for hours or possibly weeks, inwardly fuming until they calm down and accept the apology. The 'sorry' word seems to stick in our mouths.

When we accept someone's apology, we set two people free - the person and yourself. We daily ask God to forgive us for the wrongs we have committed and expect Him to forgive us. But why should He if we are holding a grudge against someone and won't forgive them. (Mark 11:25-26)

Perhaps things are not going well in your life at the moment. Do you think that you need to go to someone and say you're sorry or, 'I forgive you?' Until you do, things won't change. We have to come to the Father first, He will then do the rest. Until then, there is an impasse; things are going nowhere.

As we shall see tomorrow, things certainly began to improve for the Prodigal as soon as he returned home to his father and apologised. You know they'll change for the better for you as well!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Lessons from the Prodigal Part 1

"Father, give me the portion of goods that falls to me. So he divided to them his livelihood."  v12                                                               Luke 15:11-32.  NKJV 

At a father's death Jewish Law allotted one-third of the estate to the younger son and two-thirds to the elder. A Jewish father was allowed to put this into operation before his death.

This request by the younger son demonstrated his selfishness and a rebellious attitude. Unlike the elder son, he couldn't wait to leave home and be independent. This can be the hallmark of the young. Some just can't wait to leave and set up home on their own. They think they know best and refuse to listen to reason. However, many adults can fit into this category too. Some have fancy jobs and spend money like it is going out of fashion. Others don't have a job, but still live at a good level living on plastic, getting more and more into debt.

The younger son was no different. He had money which drew many false friends. However, as soon as the money had run out, they didn't want to know. He had joined himself to the wrong Covenant. (v15) He had left the Covenant he had lived with his father and their Godly environment, and had walked into the lion's den which was aimed at ruining his life.

Many people are doing this today! When we become born again, we entered into a blood Covenant with God the Father, God the Son and God the Spirit. We were all joined together under the protection and love of this relationship - this Covenant. When we walk away from the Covenant, we take upon ourselves the responsibility to care for ourselves. We become selfish, possibly because we want things NOW! When we do this, we're listening to and being guided by a counterfeit - Satan. He is only too pleased to take us off the narrow path. He'll feed us with lies and false promises that all lead to heartache. Many have left the safety and love of our Covenant relationship with Our Father and have lived in sin, sickness and total regret. Some have even died early.

Jesus said, 'I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.'  John 14:6. Have you walked away from Jesus? If not, have you been considering doing this? STOP RIGHT NOW! Is it really worth it? What can be gained by leaving God out of your life? Isn't it time you returned to Him and started living 100% for Him?

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

                                                          

Are you overcoming?

"For whoever is born of God, overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world - our faith. (5) Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."                             1 John 5:4-5.  NKJV

DL Moody writes:
'Every temptation you overcome makes you stronger to overcome others. And every temptation that defeats you, makes you weaker. You can become weaker and weaker or stronger and stronger. Sin takes the strength out of your vitality, but Godly character makes you stronger. If you're not overcoming temptations, the world is overcoming you.'  The Overcoming Life.

Note the phrase, 'Sin takes the strength out of your vitality.' It is true, sin drags a person down; it ages us and brings a fear that one day they may get caught out as God reveals it, whatever sin it may be. Sin is a robber, when we're tempted into this, it robs us of all of our joy, strength and our very integrity. If God was to reveal to the world what we're really like, we would hang our heads in shame. Thank goodness for Jesus who pleads for our very soul and stands in the gap.

This doesn't mean that it's ok. We have to stand up to temptation and say, 'No - never again,' and then by the faith God gave us at the new birth, live the life of an overcomer. It's not easy. We are all guilty of certain things that we do and say, and whatever that is, sin is sin. It can't be measured by thinking it was only a small sin. No, some sins are not worse that others. They are all measured the same.

Be honest, what sin are you falling to on a regular basis? What is robbing you of the blessing God wants to pour upon you? He has so much that He wants to give us but sin prevents Him. What have you been waiting on God for but it has been some time now, and it doesn't look like coming? Could sin be blocking this?

We know deep down when we have hurt God. We carry a never-ending burden of guilt and it won't go away until we have repented. But then, we do it again. God doesn't give up on us; He only sees the best in us. However, the rewards that He has for us are put on hold until we are in a position where the devil can no longer point an accusing finger at us. When we're in that position - and we can be - then the blessing will come zooming our way!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Spiritual Recognition Part 2

"She turned round and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus."

                                                                                                        John 20:14.  NKJV

Appearances change. When you haven't seen someone in a while, it can be hard to recognise them. Their hair may be different and their weight may have changed to what you remember. This can throw us at first. It was no different for Mary. She didn't recognise Jesus until He spoke to her. He had accomplished all He had been sent to do and was now ready to return to His Father.

Ezekiel 1:28 says: 'Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord.'

This refers to God in all His fullness, especially as He interacts with man. And this is how He appeared to Mary. She saw the Glory of the Lord that day, in all its fullness, and this was why she didn't recognise Him at first. He had changed. Gone was the agony of the cross and the sickness, death and sin He carried there. This was the Glory-Filled Jesus and He chose to speak with Mary to ease her devastation.
And He will choose to speak with you as well, as you call on Him. Why? You may ask. Because when you sent Him a friend request, He accepted it, and now you belong to Him and what's more, He sees you filled with the glory of God. To Jesus, you have the appearance of His glory all around you. You may not think this, but on the day you said, 'Yes', to Him, your appearance changed and you are now a mirror-image of the resurrected Jesus (2 Corinthians 3:18).

You may see yourself as a failure because you keep letting God down. He sees you as He does His Son and loves you as much too. (John 17:23). You may let Him down endlessly throughout the day, but He looks at you and sees the glory of God all around you. You may feel like turning away from Him, but He can't let you go. He'll watch over you and love you until you return to Him.
If He thinks you're great, then live like this. You have the appearance of Jesus, so see yourself as this. The devil doesn't like you because he knows your potential and threat you can cause. If he recognises this, stand up and recognise it yourself in the appearance of the Living God. You are His son; His daughter; His chosen vessel and precious friend. 
You can do no wrong in His eyes!
Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

                        

Spiritual Recognition

"Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and did not know that it was Jesus." v14

                                                                                                       John 20:11-16.  NKJV

Mary Magdalene was one of Jesus' closest friends. Many people in the Western Church believe she was the sister of Lazarus and Martha. However, this is not certain. What is certain is, she visited the tomb after Jesus' burial and found it empty. Devastated, she began to weep. She saw Jesus there but didn't recognise Him. He asked her why she was weeping and who she was looking for. At first, she thought that He may have taken Jesus' body away and asked where He was. As she looked back at the tomb, He said, 'Mary', which in Hebrew is 'Mariam' and Greek for 'Maria'. David Guzik comments: 'Jesus didn't reveal Himself to Mary by telling her who He was, but by telling her who she was to Him.' Mary instantly knew He was Jesus because no one else would have spoken her name with so much emotion.

The thing is, why didn't she recognise Him straightaway? He appeared different to her His appearance was different. Now there could have been two reasons for this:

(1)  Mary was so distressed that the tears in her eyes were blinding her. It's possible; stress patterns of grief can be so painful and intense.
(2). Others feel it was the release of all the sin and sickness that Jesus had carried for all of us. When Mary had last seen Jesus, He was on the cross. He had the pangs of death upon Him, together with the sin of the world and all of our sicknesses. It was a terrible burden to carry, as well as the pain He was undergoing. However, He had beaten all of it and when she first saw Him again, He looked totally different - radiant, stress and sin free - the Risen Son of God.

At this present stage in our lives, we live in a body that is subject to sin, sickness and pain. We get older and parts of our body wear out in the process. And when we meet with someone we haven't seen in a while, we notice the difference that life has enforced upon us. Sometimes, it is hard to recognise someone. Age cannot be avoided and when it's coupled with sin and sickness, it can be so noticeable. But take heed, we will have new bodies when we reach Heaven. They will not wear out or be subject to sin or sickness ever again. In fact, we'll be just like Jesus - liberated and sin free. 
That's a promise!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

                                                                                                         

Have Amazon got it?

"but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst." v14

                                                                                                         John 4:13-15.  NKJV

In the past four months or so, during Lockdown, it has been difficult to get essentials from stores. In fact, we have had to queue for ages to find, half of the things we require, are not on the shelves.So some of us have had to shop online and that too, has brought problems when the things we ordered, have not turned up. It's been a time of frustration but, hopefully, this is in the past now.

Quite often we have been tempted to buy essentials from Amazon, and I dare say many of us have done this. They have practically everything we need and can be relied on. Or can they? They may have most things that the average human being needs but not everything. What about peace? Amazon may well give us peace of mind in being able to fill the gap where other stores have failed to help us, but are we at peace? Is the peace of mind everlasting or short-lived until the next order?

Amazon may well have met our needs materially and we are very grateful for that. But it is not everlasting. It is not eternal. We have to keep on ordering if we want to keep the peace of mind. Do you remember the Samaritan Woman at the well? Jesus told her about the water - Living Water, that will never run out: 

'Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, (14) 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. (15) The woman said to Him, 'Sir, give me this water that I may not thirst, nor come here to draw.' John 4:13-15

This is the major difference, the world's way of looking after us is stunted, it can only serve us as long as we order. What Jesus offers us is far more permanent; far more reliable and far more beneficial. The Samaritan Woman realised this when she asked Him to give her the water so she wouldn't have to keep returning for more. 

We're still not completely out of Lockdown yet, but Jesus has all we need to survive this and whatever else may come against us.
He never runs out of things!
Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com