Jesus is alive, not dead

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?"                          Luke 24:5.  NKJV

At times, I believe that we act like Jesus is not alive; He can't do this and He can't do that. We believe deep down that He is alive, but our actions don't always bear witness to this. Non-believers don't believe that Jesus is alive at all, many refuse to consider that He ever existed.

Andrew Murray ( not the tennis player) in his book, 'Jesus Himself,' writes: 

'A dead Christ, I must do everything for, a living Christ does everything for me. This is the difference between a dead Christ, who women went to anoint and a living Christ'

Once a person has met with the living Christ, they know about it. They will never forget it. When Jesus had been crucified and laid in the tomb, women went to prepare His body with spices and such, but the tombs was empty. Two angels spoke with Mary and asked, 'Why do you seek the living among the dead?' It's recorded in John 20 that she said to the angels, 'they have taken away my Lord and I do not know where they have laid Him.' v13. As she turned around, there was another man there but she didn't know who He was; not until He spoke. She then realised that it was Jesus. v14-16.

It was a similar thing on the road to Emmaus. Two men were walking along discussing what had been happening, when Jesus joined them. They didn't recognise Him at first because, 'their eyes were restrained so they did not know Him' Luke 24:16.

Jesus is very much alive and there are possibly many times that He comes amongst us and we never recognise this fact. We need to recognise, that wherever we go, whatever we do and whatever situation we find ourselves in, He is right there beside us. When we say the wrong thing, the Holy Spirit gives a feeling of remorse. When we sense His presence, we can feel an amazing excitement, so intense, that it can be very difficult to speak.  He never leaves us.

There are many days when we feel inadequate; when we have a feeling of woe, doubting anything could take place. But we serve a living Christ, not a dead one. His Word tells us, 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Philippians 4:13. If we doubt, we may go without. We need to keep ourselves focused on Him. He is exciting; He has plans for us and can certainly change a situation for you.

Don't ever believe that Jesus is not around. He is, in fact, He is reading this with you at this moment. There are things He wants to do in your life; there are things He wants to say. Allow Him to. Grab hold of the excitement, relish in it, fly high in it. Your Jesus is alive and well - very much so.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Heavenly Bodyguards

"What are you seeking?                                                            Genesis 37:15-17.  NKJV

Israel called Joseph to himself one day and asked him to go and check on his brothers and the flocks of sheep they were tending. Joseph agreed and set off on the journey. Now this sounds like a normal and reasonable request for Joseph to do, after all, being Israel's favourite son, he did little else. However, there was one problem, the brothers were in Shechem and that was an 85 mile walk. It didn't appear a problem to Joseph, but how would you have felt, having to walk that distance?

On reaching Shechem there was no sign of his brothers but a certain man came up to him and asked, 'What are you seeking?' (v15). Quite a strange thing to happen don't you think, a certain man meeting him in the middle of nowhere. Where did he come from? Joseph wasn't phased though and replied, 'I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.'(v16). The certain man replied, 'They have departed from here, for I heard them say, "Let's go to Dothan".(17).

Now Dothan was a further 15 miles away, making the trip 100 miles each way. Rather like a marathon but again, it didn't seem to bother Joseph. He set off finally meeting them there.

Now the amazing thing in this passage is, who was the certain man? Where had he come from? How did he know about the whereabouts of Joseph's brothers. Joseph had spoken to him as if it was perfectly normal, he didn't appear to wonder about all of this. But when you study the situation, it doesn't appear to be a normal thing to have happened. many believe it was an angel and I tend to agree. 'Are not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?' (Hebrews 1:14). In addition to this, Psalm 91:11 says, 'For he shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.' 

Think, how many times have you been in situations where angels have turned up and all seems ok? Many times I would think, but you never realised it. And according to Psalm 91:11, we have at least two angels assigned to each of us. Amazing! A recent example for me was on 21st October 2017 when I was rescued from drowning in the sea during Storm Brian. I was walking on the beach one moment and wrestling in deep water the next. I was unable to get out because of the surge which kept dragging me back out to sea. All of a sudden, a lady appeared from nowhere and pulled me out. I didn't know her and have never seen her since. I believe that she was an angel.

I am sure that you have similar testimonies but one thing that I want to reinforce, is that you are surrounded by angels. You can't see them but they're there. There's no need to ever be fearful again; during problems, God will release these angels as you call on Him. Don't call on the angels, the route is through Jesus.

They are around us in every situation and I do mean, every situation. You have Heavenly bodyguards.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Get ready for a comeback!

"Let me hear You say, 'I will give you victory."                      Psalm 35:3.  NLT

Once you may have been a high-flier within the church, responsible for worship, preaching or running a group. Now, you're on the sidelines and it feels like God has forgotten you. You may feel that you're surplus to requirements, a reject. But you're not a reject and never surplus to requirements.

You may have had a disagreement with your pastor, you may even have left the church. If you're still within the church, week after week, you may sit there and watch, while others do what you used to do, and it is difficult to contend with.

It may be that you have done nothing wrong - you're just not used anymore because of younger people with new spiritual energy to offer. It may be that someone may have hurt you badly within the church and it has devastated you, and it shows through your body language or attitude. There may be many reasons why you're not being used at present and it may be a good idea to talk it through with some leader in the church, preferably the pastor if you can.

Take a look through your bible. There are several examples where certain people were a 'somebody', and all of a sudden it ended. Take for instance Moses. Pharaoh's daughter had been bathing one day in nearby water, when she found a basket with a young baby inside. She took him into Pharaoh's house and named him Moses. He grew up as royalty. However, one day he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and he killed him and hid his body in the sand. (Exodus 2:12) The next day, Moses separated two Hebrew men as they fought each other. One of then asked if he was going to kill them as he had done the Egyptian the day before. This panicked Moses, and he fled and eventually ended up tending sheep in the desert surrounding Mount Horeb (Exodus 3:1). What a comedown. However, God hadn't finished with him yet and Moses ended up a mighty man of God, leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Then there was Peter. He denied Jesus and ran away in shame looking at Jesus' crucifixion from a distance. However later, Jesus after His resurrection, forgave Peter and re-commissioned him. 

Then, what about Paul? He had believers imprisoned and some murdered, yet he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and he had a complete turnaround, becoming one of the leading Apostles.

Of course, there was Jesus Himself. People thought they had seen the back of Him when He died on the cross. They had a shock when He rose again in victory!

No, it's not over for you. It's a temporary setback. Speak with God and put things right if you need to; then get ready for a comeback. Remember Samson? He could do nothing when his hair had been cut. But then, the hairs on his head began to grow back, and POW! (Judges 16:22).

In the same way, get ready, you are coming back! The victory is coming.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you belong to Jesus, you're anointed

"(18) The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."           Luke 4 18-19.  NKJV 

Using the words from Isaiah 61, Jesus having entered the synagogue, spoke to the people. When He had finished quoting our text above, He closed the book and said, 'Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' (v21). This caused mayhem as you can well imagine. He was declaring that He was the Anointed One - the Messiah, sent by the God the Father. 

What does 'anointed', actually mean in this context? Well literally it is, to rub with oil, especially in order to consecrate someone or something. The Hebrew word for anointed is, mashach and refers to the rubbing or smearing of sacred oil. The most important derivative of mashach is mashiyach which means Messiah - Anointed One. Jesus is the promised Anointed One; His title was Jesus the Messiah, but was translated into Greek, meaning Christos - hence the designated Jesus Christ.

It is important to realise, that as His children, we too are anointed. In a way, the Holy Spirit has rubbed anointing oil on each one of us so that, we can flow in what He has called us to do. Psalm 92:10 is a good example, 'But my horn, You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil'. The horn is a symbol of strength and gives us prominence and security. It offers us social standing, stately grace and favour. Each day, we would be wise to ask for a fresh anointing - to renew the anointing for all that we have to do through the day. 

You may not feel anointed but you are because Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Anointed One has declared it. 'His compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness' Lamentations 3:23-24. 

 He has given you strength by exalting you like a wild ox. Picture that for a moment. You have amazing strength, but only in Him. Without Him you are nothing. (John 15:5). 

Jesus made a declaration that day in the synagogue; He made a stand. In a paraphrase, He said something like, 'Well, this is how it is boys, I am the Messiah, the Anointed One. You didn't recognise Me and still don't. But I am here now and I am going to fulfil My Father's work.

Can you stand and say that? Can you join with Jesus - the Anointed One, and fulfil the work for the Father?

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Watch the Flirtation

(18) "Come let's drink our fill of love until morning. Let's enjoy each other's caresses, (19) for my husband is not home. He's away on a long trip."   Proverbs 7:18-19.  NLT

How many Christian men and women have fell to the flirtatious temptations of the adulterer? He or she, is just around the corner if we go looking. Many people have taken this risk, including clergy; and now have lost everything. Think, is it really worth it?

Joseph was in a very similar situation with Potiphar's wife. She had noticed that he was quite a catch - 'Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, (7) and Potiphar's wife soon began to look at him lustfully. 'Come and sleep with me,' she demanded.' (Genesis 39:6-7 NLT).

Potiphar's wife was possibly quite desirable too, and Joseph being young, virile, lonely and miles away from home, could so easily have fell to her charms. After-all, who would know? Answer - God would. The blessing of the Lord was on Joseph, (Genesis 39:5). God had rescued him from his brutal brothers; kept him safe as he was transported as a slave to Egypt, and had given him favour by promoting him as head of Potiphar's house. Why would he want to ruin all of this?

The difference between Joseph and the many Christian people who fall into adultery, is that he was totally committed to his God. He knew that God's hand was upon him, and he wasn't going to blow it all now. He was sold-out to God. He worshiped Him and walked with Him daily. Don't forget that, at first, there would have been a language barrier. Therefore, the only one he could talk to properly, was God, until he quickly learned their language. Joseph had also learned how to deal with rejection; he knew the pain it had caused him and he was grateful to the Father for watching over him.

Joseph ran out of the house leaving his cloak in her hands, so she had some evidence to show the others in the household, and her husband when she accused him of attempted rape. 

False allegations. Joseph had no defence ; no one believed him and he was sent to prison. Even though, this was again an awful thing for the innocent Joseph to go through, God knew and quickly promoted him to the head of the prison, just under the head jailer. God gave him much more favour and Joseph eventually became the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Don't fall to flirtation; don't fall to adultery, not even in your thought life. It's not easy when the flesh is so weak; but if you follow Joseph's example, it is achievable.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

 

Stop being a copycat

"But by by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace towards me was not in vain." 

                                                                                                        1 Corinthians 15:10.  NKJV

The New Living Translation of this verse reads: 'But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favour on me - and not without results.' I like this. It reminds me of a comment I read, years ago, by a chap called John Mason, 'You were born an original - don't die a copy.'

All over the world people try to copy other people. We see young people modelling themselves on the latest pop sensation. Others model themselves on film heroes or football legends. We've all done it at some time in our life. In a way, they become like role models to us, but that is not always a good idea.

But the thing is, you're not who you've modelled yourself on, you are you. God knows you that way. He finds it difficult to get to know whom you're not, and let's face it, you even become confused after a while.

The copycat style mostly begins in pre-adolescence and dependant on your life, can continue for many years. Some preachers model themselves on other preachers instead of finding their own style. Young budding pop stars copy their favourite stars and wonder why they don't get the breaks they were hoping for.

Ask yourself a question. 'Do I copy someone else?' Be honest with this answer, look inside of yourself. God wants you to be yourself not a copy of someone else. 'Yes, but as myself, I don't have much to offer, but when I model myself on.................I'm successful'. That is not true and is a lie from the devil. You are whom God created and He was pleased when He created you: 'Then God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.'  (Genesis 1:31). You belong in this verse. He created you and He was very pleased.

Simon Lawton, Pastor of Elim Church, Newcastle writes in his book, Imagine:

 'God thought you were worth creating. Isn't it time, you simply enjoyed being you?'

                                                                       Copyright Simon Lawton 2018 Imagine

God thought you were worth creating; not the person you copy, but little old you. So isn't it time  you stopped trying to be someone else? Isn't it time that you became you? You may think that is boring and that you have nothing to offer. But with Jesus, you have lots to offer and God thinks you are amazing. He thinks that you are so amazing that He took your place, paid for your sin in full and gave up His life. 

Now that He is the resurrected King of kings, He wants you to understand that there has never been a time - ever, when He didn't think about you with the loving heart of a Father. If you want to copy someone, copy Jesus!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Difficult days? - Keep praising Him

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."   

                                                                                                    Habakkuk 3:17-18.  NKJV

There are times when everything seems to be going wrong. Money is tight but bills keep piling up. Things all of a sudden begin to break down, either at the same time or one after another. We think we're over the hurdle when something else crops up. Pressure, pressure and more pressure.

When you begin to feel that you can't take much more, the washing machine floods the kitchen out, the car breaks down and your mobile has died on you; high winds blow the aerial off your roof and the dog has an ailment requiring urgent medical attention. AAARGH.

This may sound a little exaggerated but it can happen. You see, we don't plan that the washing machine is about to flood the kitchen, or that the car will break down and you have to walk miles because the battery is dead in your mobile. No, things happen and somehow we have to cope with it all.

It's easy to think, 'Where is God in all of this? I thought He loved me.' He does love you but these things happen to believers and unbelievers alike. No one is exempt bad days, or even weeks such as these.

The thing is, we have to face adversity. We do this by focusing on God and finding out what is happening here. He may be teaching us and trying to take us to another level. Two things that we need to learn out of this type of thing is, Patience and perseverance. Not easy I know.

When we are in similar situations, we have to be careful what we say, because in times like this the devil may suggest that we blame it all on God for allowing this to happen. This can be like a curse when we do it. There's is also temptation to blame other people. It can be quite therapeutic to have a good old, 'Point the finger and blame someone else' party. But it does no good whatsoever. We have to watch the curse - that self-fulfilling prophecy. When we use negative words they have a habit of happening, so be careful.

Today's scripture, gives us some good advice:

(17) 'Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flocking be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls - (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.'      Habakkuk 3:17-18.  NKJV

This is the answer for each one of us. Troubles may come upon us, all at once, but God wants us to stand tall and praise Him, reaching the deeper level in Him. It makes sense!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

 

Temptation

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."                                                                                 James 1:14-15.  NKJV

We need to be in charge of our desires, otherwise, there may be a time when we are enticed and commit sin. Things may tempt us, but our choice is to walk away or fall into the trap, 

Back in the Garden, the serpent knew all of this when he began his lies, deceit and flattery with Eve. He confused her so much that she fell, and so did mankind. And yet, Adam, who was in charge of the Garden and Eve, stood by and allowed it to happen, even eating some of the fruit himself. He should have shouted to the serpent, 'Get out of my Garden.'

There are three aspects of temptation that can be seen in Genesis 3:6. Firstly they saw that the tree was good for food. Yet, they were not allowed to eat from this tree, only tend it. Sin always leads us to want what we are not allowed to have. Secondly, it was pleasant to the eye. Now this is one of the main reasons why people commit adultery, watch porn or possibly steal from others. It's the pull of the forbidden that creates the excitement and challenge.

Finally, it can be desirable to make one wise. Within most people, there is a desire to be wise and respected. It gives us power to have the ability to create and run a thriving business or to get that degree at Uni and land that once in a lifetime job. The ability to be successful, respected and rich can pull like a magnet.

The name of 'serpent' fits well here. Satan acts like a snake. He's cunning, crafty and shrewd. He has had a lot of practice and is only too pleased to oblige, given the chance. A serpent has four characteristics:

HE HAS A DEADLY TONGUE. It is full of flattery, lies deceit and disrespect - you name it. He can twist your words around and make them feel very convincing.

CRAWLS INTO SITUATIONS. He's never far away and ready to crawl into each and every situation, if he gets the chance to. Be aware, he will attack you if he can.

HE LIES IN WAIT. Like a snake lies and waits for the opportune moment, Satan does the same. He will bide his time until he can - 

STRIKE AND BITE YOU. People who have been bitten, know how painful this can be. One of our dogs was bitten by an adder and he lost the use of his back legs within a very short time and had to go to the vet.

This is why we really need to watch and pray. The devil will attack you, especially when you're at your lowest. Stay alert; stay in the Word; stay away from his lies.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Crisis or Peace?

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you, not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid."                            John 14:27   NKJV

At this present time, because of the increase in the Covid 19 pandemic, much of the world is in panic. However, those who are in Jesus Christ - who belong to Him wholeheartedly, are at peace.

The increased spread of the virus is indeed, worrying and very serious. But if we are in Jesus, He is the author and finisher of our faith, the future is very much in His hands. (Hebrews 12:2). As Christians Jesus tells us not to be afraid, or in fact, to worry. Bob Gass writes, 'Worry is something you permit, peace is something you pursue.'

Therefore, we need to take control of what is going on in our minds; we need to place ourselves into His hands, where we will receive His peace. This is the peace which surpasses all understanding and guards our hearts and our minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7).

Note in our text today, the words, 'not as the world gives do I give to you.' The world may offer peace to each one of us but it comes with a price and is short lasting. With this type of peace, we have to watch our backs as there may be something else creeping up on us. 

Not so with God's peace. It is Shalom peace - 'nothing missing, nothing broken.' God's peace is eternal, as long as we continue to walk with Him. 

Charles F Stanley writes, 'We know that no matter what our circumstances, the Lord Jesus will sustain us, strengthen us and enable us to walk through it victoriously.' Did you get that? Jesus will, sustain us, strengthen us and enable us to get through whatever is going to happen, through the pandemic or anything else that may come our way.

It's good practice to pray such words as this, 'No matter what may come my way, I have God's peace. He has given it to me; not as the world gives, as He given it to me, but directly from the Throne Room of God Almighty.'

We, as people of God; as Children of the King of kings, are not in crisis, no, we are in Jesus, the risen Prince of Peace, the author and the finisher of our faith.

'Father, we pray for all people who don't know Jesus as Lord and Saviour. Please allow them to feel Your peace today and Your salvation. We also pray for a demolition of the Covid 19 virus throughout the world. In Jesus' name, Amen.'

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

 

Get your attitude right

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, (15) that you may become blameless and harmless children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation among whom you shine as lights in the world, (16) holding fast the Word of life."                                                                                               Philippians 2:14-16.  NKJV

Our attitude says it all. If we're not careful, we can begin finding fault in most things we come across in our life. We can dispute what someone says, especially if we're listening to a preacher who we find difficult at the best of times. 

Our remit here, is to be blameless which means to the best of our ability, living without fault. Difficult I know but with Jesus in our lives, achievable. Our text above, also says that we need to be 'harmless children of God.' In other words, we need to live innocent lives wherever we go. 

We live in a world that is perverse and wicked; a world that is full of people who practice, one-up-man ship. This means it's competitive and people want to appear better than the other - at everything. The world is full of sin - adultery, pornography, theft, child and elder abuse, murder, drugs and terrorism, just to name a few. There is attitude wherever we look, so the world doesn't need us to add our bad attitudes to this as well. 

At times, our attitude can be awful. With our mouth we praise God and with our mouth we berate people who we don't particularly like. This has got to change. We are already in a world full of darkness. If we are children of Light (Matthew 5:14), then we need to shine like a beacon; we need to be that light in the tunnel of darkness. 'Yes, but what difference will it make? We're only one person, they won't take any notice anyway.' We don't know what difference it'll make and its up to the people whether they take notice or not. We're called to shine in this dark world, and that's what matters.

One of the things that we can change is our attitude. When we whinge, moan and complain, honestly, we're no different than the world. When people see us this way, there really is nothing to recommend. They'll think, 'If that's Christianity, I'll stay the way I am.'

Do you get the point? We need to be above reproach. We need, to the best of our ability, to live so that people don't have ammunition to point the finger at us. Think, if a light is not working properly, pretty soon the light will fail and the place will be plunged into darkness. In the same way, we need to ensure that our light does not malfunction, by letting our guard down and becoming involved in worldly issues and things that are no good for us.

A good place to start is by changing our attitude. Why not read and pray Phillipians 4:8:

'Whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy - meditate on these things.'

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

         

Robbers of your faith Part 2

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

Today, we'll look at another example of robbers of your faith. Jesus was on His way to the Passover and this meant walking through Jericho. At this time of year, many gathered on the side of the road as it was the custom that a distinguished Rabbi or Teacher, on making this trip, would preach as they walked along. Everyone was expected to attend the Passover but it was not always possible for this to happen. Therefore, they would wait at the side of the road to try and hear what God was saying through the preacher.

Bartimaeus was probably one of the first to find a place. He had done this many times as it was a good place to do his begging. This time though, he had been told that Jesus would be walking through, someone he desperately wanted to see. What Bartimaeus had was not just a vague desire to see Jesus but a desperate desire. He knew that this urgent desire would be noticed by Jesus. It is this type of desire for Jesus that gets God's attention.

He started calling out repeatedly to Jesus as He walked past, 'Son of David, have mercy on me.' v47. He became so vocal in using this acknowledgement of the Messiahship of Jesus, by calling Him the Son of David, that people near to him, warned him not to do this and to be quiet. The people were berating his faith in Jesus so much, that it became intimidation along with threats. Bartimaeus was adamant, he would not be robbed of this once in a life time chance of meeting with Jesus. Nothing was going to stop him.

It worked; Jesus heard him and called him over. Despite being blind, Bartimaeus shot up and made his way over to Jesus. He knew what he wanted and that Jesus could provide it. Jesus said to him, 'What do you want Me to do for you?' He replied, 'Rabboni, that I may receive my sight.' Jesus replied, 'Go your way, your faith has made you well.' Bartimaeus was instantly healed, and the only way he was going to go now, was to follow Jesus.

Notice once again how the robbers of faith used their intimidation to stop Batimaeus from receiving his healing. He was in faith, but they considered him, just a reject. The fact is, Bartimaeus could now see. He wasn't a reject to Jesus, he was special, the same as you and I. He could easily have been pushed over, beaten or even trod on, before he went over to see Jesus. But he gave that no thought. He knew Jesus had the answer to his predicament and he was not going to lose the opportunity that was there for the taking.

In church services, many hold back from going forward when there has been a prophetic word concerning a certain condition or a call for salvation. They know that they should go forward, and they want to, but they're frightened. Someone may laugh at them, or point the finger. The enemy may have mentioned to them, this is all a con. 

We should always take the chances that God gives us. One day we may run out of chances. Bartimaeus knew that this was probably his only chance, it may be yours. Take that step towards Jesus, despite what others may say or think. Receive your healing, let Jesus commission you to preach that Word, or even make that step towards working for Jesus. You'll never know if you allow people to hold you back.

 Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Robbers of your faith

"(39) Why make this commotion and weep? The child is not dead, but sleeping. (40) And they ridiculed Him "       

                                                                                                           Mark 5:21-43.  NKJV

Wherever you go, there will always be at least one person who will ridicule your display of faith. You see, the devil is the author of lies, deceit and ridicule. He has come as a thief to try to, steal, kill and destroy whatever God is doing. (John 10:10). So it is understandable that he will use who he can to cast doubt, humiliation and intimidation on what God is leading you to do. Just stop and think for a moment, you will have met at least one of these people. The devil uses them to rob people of their faith.

In this passage, we see three examples of this in action. Firstly, in verse 31, we read, 'But His disciples said to Him, "You see the multitudes thronging You and You say, Who touched me?' Now this brings it home to us, even the ones we trust and associate with, may bring doubt to what you're doing. The disciples were not deliberately trying to rob Jesus of His faith, not at all; but through their logical reasoning, they were doubting Jesus had read the situation properly. People that we're close to may do this to you. They may be genuinely in covenant with you, but they still try to convince you that you have it wrong. Take Jesus' example. He ignored the doubt and did what He had to do; and the woman was healed.

Again in verse 35, we see Jairus waiting for Jesus to come to heal his daughter. Suddenly, some people from his house, come telling him not to bother Jesus any longer, his daughter had died. This had the power to totally destroy Jairus. Jesus seeing this, said to him, 'Do not be afraid, only believe.' In other words, don't listen to the robbers of faith - trust Me.

Finally in verses 39-40, we see the professional mourners outside of Jairus' house, ridiculing Jesus because He had told them that the young girl was sleeping, not dead. One can almost hear them laughing and sniggering at such a statement. However, this didn't stop Jesus, He went into the house after clearing out all of the doubters, and raised the young girl back to life. Note that Jesus would not have doubters around Him as He performed this miracle. They were already laughing at Him; to attempt to do ministry in such circumstances, would have been difficult.

You too, if not already, will come up against the doubters - the robbers of your faith. Do not let them intimidate you. They use very convincing words and if you're not careful, they will make you feel inadequate and you'll lose all of your confidence. Don't let them do this. You have a ministry. You may not be a leader in a church but Jesus has given you a commission. Fulfill it, despite the comments that come against you. Refuse the intimidation; you do not need their approval because you have God's. That's all you need, so do what he has called you to do.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Walk in the Spirit

"I say then, 'Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.'   

                                                                                                       Galatians 5:16-17.  NKJV

We try so hard not to let God down but, despite all our efforts, we end up letting Him down anyway. What can we do? Answer, keep on trying, never give up. Don't lose sight of what God is doing within you, He wants to bless you every way He can.

When we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), we'll be the first to know, and that is fact. We have an overwhelming feeling of guilt and sadness - a strong heaviness. From one point of view it's good to know this as it confirms we belong to Jesus; if we didn't belong to Him, we wouldn't care. However, from the other side of the coin, it is not good to know that we have grieved the Holy Spirit and hurt Him deeply, because then, we have a feeling of being alone, like the Dove - the Holy Spirit, has flown away, as I mentioned in my commentary entitled The Dove on 6th September 2020. 

https://dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-dove.html

We need to start developing a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, so that we will do nothing knowingly to grieve Him or bring Him displeasure. First of all, let us try to:

(1) ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A BATTLE GOING ON. In other words, be mindful at all times, that as a Christian you are a target of the enemy - the devil. He will do all he can to rattle your cage.

(2) ADMIT YOU'RE POWERLESS AND SUBMIT TO GOD. We are powerless without Jesus (John 15:5) and it is God's desire that we walk in the Spirit; but we need to be tuned in to Jesus.

(3) EXERCISE SELF-DISCIPLINE. Be honest with yourself, you know the difference between right or wrong. You know it is dangerous to become involved with things that are unwholesome. Therefore, stamp it out of your lives.

(4) REMEMBER, IGNORING THE CONSEQUENCES BRINGS DISASTER. Denial is the wrong route to take. Telling yourself that, 'it'll be all right, no one will know,' is a recipe for disaster. Many people have done this and lost everything. It comes down to living for self. 

Just like Regular Soldiers need to exercise to keep up their fitness, we too, as Soldiers of Jesus, have to do the same. Living for self has to be exterminated. I rather like what Bob Gass writes about self:

S.E.L.F

(S)  Surrender to Christ daily

(E)  Empty yourself of anything that hinders you from doing His will.

(L)  Lift up your heart to Him

(F)  Feed on His Word                           Copyright 2010 Bob Gass The Word for Today

Jesus knows it's a struggle, so He is with us every step of the way. Thank God for that!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Don't leave it until tomorrow

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." 

                                                                                                              Proverbs 27:1   NKJV 

"Leave it until tomorrow. I'll do it then." How many times have we heard this; or how many times have we said this, or similar? Procrastination rules at times. We tend to put off doing something, because it doesn't appear important to us at the time.We can be prone to delay a task because of lots of reasons. I was brought up with the rule, 'Never put off until tomorrow, what can or should be done today.'

It can be something small, rather like a gardening job or it may be something quite important. With the gardening job, if it is raining 'tomorrow', it is then delayed further, until it becomes quite urgent. With the more important issues, delaying something until tomorrow could mean the job never gets done. You see, we never know what tomorrow may bring. Sadly, for some, they may not have a tomorrow, so delaying something important such as vital paperwork, including preparing or signing a will, may promote big issues for those left behind.

Stop and think for a moment, hasn't Lockdown taught us anything? The Coronavirus Pandemic, spread so rapidly and Lockdown came basically overnight, that there wasn't much time to prepare or contemplate the predicament. One moment it was a daily forecast of what had and would be happening, the next, panic as everyone was forced to comply with the guidelines and the legal restraints. We're still not out of this awful problem as the virus looks like causing further deaths and greater restraints on what we had taken for granted as our normal way of life.

It's time to wise up; we don't know what tomorrow will bring for any of us. Many people are gambling with their salvation. Some believe that they will be going to Heaven when they die -'everyone does' they say. How wrong they are, and what a shock it will be for those who defer until tomorrow, their chance of eternal life.. Putting this off until tomorrow may be too late.

Unless we ask Jesus Christ to come into our lives, repent of our sins and live for Him from that moment, we are livng on a chance - it's like spinning a coin. The gamble is too risky; much too costly as it will be too late to change our minds when we die. Today is the day, not tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come because we do not know what each day may bring. 

Are you certain of salvation. If you were to die today, would you have a place in Heaven? It would be guaranteed if you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If not, you will not make it. Hard words I know, but I didn't write them, the Holy Spirit did. (John 3:16-18). To be certain of your place in Heaven and an amazing time prior to that with Jesus, pray this with me:

'Lord Jesus, I ask You into my life. Please forgive all of my sins, I'm sorry Lord. Would You please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour from this day forth. Amen.

Now determine to live for today - one day at a time!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Don't let the praises stop

"Therefore, by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."                                Hebrews 13:15.  NKJV

When things are going well for us, we can praise God fully from our hearts. It is no hardship, it just flows from within us. However, when things are not so good, it can be like wading through mud, we just do not feel like praising. Thoughts such as, 'I don't want to praise God, I'm not in the mood; in fact, I don't even want to go to church today, or ever again’

Praise should never be governed by our emotions. God is worthy of our praise whether we feel like praising Him or not. This is where the term 'sacrifice' comes in.

The Greek word for sacrifice is thusia which comes from the root thuo, a verb meaning to kill or slaughter for a purpose. Praise often requires that we 'kill' our pride or fear or anything else that threatens to interfere with our worship of the Lord. However we may feel on any given moment, we should never allow outside distractions or upsets to prevent us giving God what He deserves - our praise, respect and worship, in fact, ourselves. If we don't re-direct our focus, the problem will consume us.

You probably know that it is easier to do things for God when all is going well in our lives. We feel good about it all. But it is when things are not going so well, but we still do them that the sacrifice is made. We don't feel like praying, but we still pray. We don't feel like praising and worshiping God, but we still do it anyway. When we do the things that we really don't want to do, it pleases God and honours Him and we receive blessings.

Don't forget that we are subject to attacks from the evil one. I like what RT Kendall suggests about times such as these:

RECOGNISE.  Are the thoughts we have from God, the devil or are they our own?

RESIST.  Stand up to the devil

REFUSE  to think what he accuses you of. Quote scripture, sing hymns or chorus'. When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.             Copyright RT Kendall

So we are to recognise where the thoughts are coming from. If they are preventing you from prayer or praise, they're not from God. Are they your own thoughts? This may be due to tiredness, stress or any particular worries. If so, give them to God. Ignore any thoughts that come from the devil, you'll know the difference. We follow a winner - Jesus Christ, not a loser. Offer your sacrifice of praise to God wherever and whenever you can. Don't let anything or anyone stop you!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

You need to put in, in order to take out

"Then the devil left Him and behold, angels came and ministered to Him" V11  

                                                                                                    Matthew 4:1-11.  NKJV

Jesus had won a battle; He had resisted the devil's temptations and the devil had run off. James tells us clearly, 'Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.' (James 4:7). And this is what had happened.

We can either surrender to Christ or we can surrender to chaos. As we surrender to Jesus and resist all of the evil one's schemings, he will turn away from us and run. Be careful to note though what Luke 4:13 says, 'Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him, until AN OPPORTUNE TIME!

We need to be aware that the devil will not give up; he will come back at an opportune time - a time when we're not expecting him to come; a time when everything seems to be going wrong and we are at our weakest. Be aware and ready (1 Peter 5:8). Learn from the meerkat's behaviour and be watchful and very alert.

As I mentioned earlier, Jesus had won this part of the battle but note how He had done this. He recognised Satan's mode of attack - lies and deception, and He counteracted all of his comments with, 'It is written.'. Jesus disarmed these tactics, triumphing over the situation (Colossians 2:15). 

Let's not forget though, that Jesus was in the flesh, He was just like you and I. Let's face it, when we have had a bad time with attack after attack from the evil one using someone or something to wear us down, we feel shattered. How was Jesus feeling after this encounter? He had been face to face with Satan; He was tired, hungry and possibly cold. And then he had to undergo such an onslaught as this. It's no wonder that angels came and ministered to Him.

Note though, the angels didn't come until after the event. It was something that Jesus had to do - alone, the same as suffering the pain and humiliation of the cross. Let's be aware, on both of these occasions, He could have called for their help, they were there, ready.

Angels are invisibly present around Christians and are appointed by God to minister to believers (Psalm 91:11-12). As we call on God, He releases His angels to come to our aid.

However, the concluding factor here, is that Jesus used God's Word to combat all the devil threw at Him. I make no apology to say again that we have to read and know God's Word. We need to learn and study because you can't give out what you haven't put in. No deposit - No return. Rather like a bank account, if money is not deposited in, you can't make a withdrawal when you need it. Do you get the idea?

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com