Live Victoriously

"I am the Alpha and Omega - the beginning and the end', says the Lord, 'who is, and who was and who is to come, the Almighty.'                                      Revelation 1:8    NKJV  

Here, Jesus used the first and last letter of the Greek alphabet - Alpha = beginning, Omega = End. The beginning included the creation - the very start of our world as we know it. There was nothing created that He didn't create in union with God and the Holy Spirit. He even created you. When you consider that, it is mind-blowing to hear that the Almighty created each of us. Just think, when we are doing a task and create something - such as a model, a painting or a special meal, we know everything about what we have made - the weaknesses and the strengths, but we are still pleased with our efforts and delight in the kind comments we may receive. This is how God was and is about, His creation of us.

Jesus was in charge of all history - before, during and the future. He has got us this far and there is nothing to indicate that he will stop now. 

The terms, 'Who is', shows us His existing power. He's still on the Throne and will remain there no matter what happens. The term 'Who was', demonstrates He was continually existing in the past, whereas, 'Who is to come', - He is the Almighty, the Omnipotent, the ruler of all.

His word is final. What He says remains. His word reaches out and fulfils what He declares. He never wastes words and neither should we. We serve the Almighty God and subsequently, we have access to His power through the Holy Spirit. 

If you only realised just how important and powerful you are. When you are walking in step with Jesus Christ, demons actually tremble because they recognise the power you have in Him. James 2:19. This is why they have their meeting to discuss tactics and what can be done to stop you. When you have your eyes on Jesus, they cannot function properly; take your eyes off Him, even for a second, and they will pounce. However, you still have the power to stop them. Check Ephesians 6:14-18. Luke 10:17.

You are important; you are powerful and you are anointed, but only when you are walking with Jesus. Don't ever try to do Spiritual Warfare without the anointing of Jesus upon you. You will not have the victory.

The beginning for you, was that lovely time when you started your journey with Jesus. Can you remember it? The ending will be, when He takes you into glory with Him.

Until then, live victoriously.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Imbalance

"(7) You ran so well. Who hindered you from obeying the truth? (8) This persuasion does not come from Him who calls you. (9) A little leaven, leavens the whole lump."

                                                                                              Galatians 5:7-9    NKJV

You were doing well; studying your bible, going to church and generally flowing in the Holy Spirit. Suddenly, you have hit a block. What has happened? Well it could be a number of things:

*  You could have been enticed away by something or someone new in your life. This can happen when you become staid in your life's walk, lacking excitement. Suddenly, something takes your interest and your life becomes imbalanced.

*  You could be tired because you have over-stretched yourself, leaving no time for recreation and your walk with Jesus. Again, there is an imbalance.

*  You could be listening, reading or watching things that bring a division between your spirit and the Holy Spirit. Thus, a further imbalance.

You may remember the Equilateral triangle - a geometrical term describing a triangle with equal lengths. In Christian terms, it was often used in Christian Counselling, where God was placed at the top of the triangle, with husband and wife at each of the other points. The idea being, it could be seen how each partner works towards God - one rising pretty well white the other lagged behind. Discussion could then take place.

This triangle can easily be used to check how an individual is coping. Again, God is placed at the top, the person at one point and whatever may compete, at the other. Different things can cause an imbalance between our walk with God so a fresh interest, tiredness or becoming involved with somethings that are not doing you so much good, may need a slight re-tune.

Remembering the triangle and checking it from time to time, can be a way that we can monitor any imbalance; such as distraction, hindrance our general walk with God. Don't forget that everything we do in God is rubber-stamped with love, because He is love as Gloria Copeland mentions:

"The minute love is disrupted, your faith stops working too, because faith works by love"

                                                      Copyright Gloria Copeland - Believer's Voice of Victory

It may be useful to draw a triangle out so that you can analyse just where you are with God each day.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

  

'I can do this'

"My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness'. Therefore, most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 

                                                                                                              2 Corinthians 12:9    NKJV

Reuben Morgan wrote and sang:

'Let the weak say I am strong, Let the poor I am rich.

Let the blind say I can see, it's what the Lord has done for me.

Hosanna, Hosanna, to the Lamb who was slain

Hosanna, Hosanna Jesus died and rose again'

                                                                  Copyright Rueben Morgan Hillsongs Music.

There is not a thing that we need to be anxious about when you come to think about it. Jesus has paved the way for every conceivable thing that we will need; every situation that we will be in and for every danger that may come up against us. This is why Paul was able to write these words in 2 Corinthians, 'My grace is sufficient for you.' Paul knew what it was like to suffer and he knew the cost of following Jesus but when Jesus spoke these words to him, he was able to make the declaration that he would rather boast about his infirmities so that the power and the peace of God rested upon him.

Can you say that this morning? Some of you are going through quite a difficult time at the moment and may be at your wits end. I can hear the phrase, 'When is this all going to end, I don't know how much more I can take'? Money problems, employment issues, sickness, marital pressure and add to this Lockdown; it really is a hard time and there doesn't appear to be a way though at the moment. But this is not the time to give up. It is not the time to stop praying, reading your bible or allowing things to drag you down. There is hope and you need to grasp hold of that nugget. Don't be tempted to say things such as, 'Yes, hopefully, things will get better.'  

That statement is so negative and very close to a wish. Put the phrase into a biblical fashion  and say, 'Hope-fully; I will hope-fully in the Lord. I will trust in Him even if things get worse. My hope is fully in Him. This is turning the negative 'hopefully', into a powerful word. You are declaring that you will hope-fully in the Lord, that He will deliver you.

2 Corinthians 12:10 says, 'Therefore, I take pleasure in infirmities; in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ's sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.' The Message version states, 'The weaker I get, the stronger I become.' The secret is taking your eyes off what is around you and what is happening and looking to Jesus. He is the one who can change this. I'll go a step further, He is the one who will rescue you and turn things around. But you must turn and ask Him to help. He has angels all around you and they are just waiting to be set free to deliver His word. You have the power to set them free by calling on Jesus.

'Lord, I pray a blessing on my brothers and my sisters who are reading this today. Whatever is happening in their lives, I ask You to comfort and bless them and give them the knowledge to know, without doubt, that Your grace is sufficient for all of us.  Amen.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

FURTHER UPDATE

The Daily Life with Jesus Blog, is now up and running again and today's copy, Three Aspects of Temptation as now been re-published.

Sorry for this and I hope it hasn't caused any disruption to your day.

Every Blessing

Grahame

 

 

Three Aspects of Temptation

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food; that it was pleasant to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate." 

                                                                                                                Genesis 3:6    NKJV  

Disaster struck that day in the garden. The devil convinced Eve that it was ok to eat the forbidden fruit. One can just hear his words, 'It's ok, you won't die, God didn't mean that. And anyway, who will know?' I am sure we have all heard the latter part of this statement, 'Who will know?' Bottom line? God will; if you become involved in something you know is wrong, sooner or later, it will be revealed. You will be caught out!

That day, God's Word was fulfilled. Adam died; but not physically as one would think, but spiritually. He no longer had that special relationship with God. He had let sin into the world and therefore, the whole human race would suffer because of it.

Man fell by choice. There was no one to blame except man. Not even the devil could be blamed. There was a choice to be made and Eve made this choice and subsequently Adam. We all like to blame others for wrong decisions and mess ups. However, we have choices and they may be good or bad choices that we make. What we choose determines our outcome. The choices we make today will determine - to a degree - what will happen tomorrow.  This is why Proverbs 3:5-6 says, '(5) Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. (6) In all your ways acknowledge Him and he shall direct your paths.'

We really have nothing to complain about when we make a bad choice. We've all done it. However, it is accepting this and learning from our mistakes. We can easily be distracted and hoodwinked into wrong decisions. The devil is only too pleased to fool us. There are three aspects of temptation he may use:

IT WAS GOOD FOR FOOD

Eve looked at the tree and saw that it was good for food. Actually, she would have been familiar with this tree because her and Adam tended it but were never tempted by the fruit at all. But this day, she fell for a smooth talker. Be careful.

IT WAS PLEASANT TO THE EYE

Whatever we can't have can have the habit of letting us feel that we can. 'It'll be ok, no one's going to find out.' God knows and if that doesn't worry you, it should.

DESIRABLE TO MAKE ONE WISE

Many people want to be a 'Somebody'; a film star, pop star or famous author to name a few things. However, it is not possible for us all. We have our limitations and we need to accept them.

That day in the garden, the devil impregnated Eve with a carnal appetite and visual enticement. She fell for it. Make sure that you don't.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

 BLOG UPDATE

It would appear that something has gone wrong with today's issue of my blog - Three Aspects of Temptation. Some of you may been able to read the blog today 28 January, but since then it has ceased to display. I can't re-load it again, as my copy was wiped too.

I am so sorry that this has happened but promise that normal service will be resumed tomorrow morning. I will publish Three Aspects of Love at a later date, possibly February.

Once again, many apologies. These things happen but we still praise Jesus!

God Bless

Grahame

PS. If anyone was able to open today's blog, is it possible to make a copy and send it to me. It would save having to re-type and reset a new one.

Thank you.        grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk 

The Transfiguration - Jesus in His Glorified State

"as He was transfigured before them, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light."  v2                                                                   Matthew 17:1-13    NKJV

Transfiguration may denote spiritual transformation. However here, it indicates a visible transformation affirming the essential glory of Jesus the Messiah.

Jesus took Peter, John and James up the mountain - geographically more than likely Mount Hermon so that He could show them in His gloried state. As He did, His face shone like the sun and His clothes became as white as the light. The three disciples were witnessing this incredible transformation. This really clarifies His time in Gethsemane, where the arresting officers met with Jesus, drew back and fell over. (John 18:6). They were seeing Jesus in His visible state, not as a man but as the Son of God, the King of kings. 

The appearance of Moses and Elijah signifies that the Law (Moses) and the Prophets (Elijah) were there to discuss Jesus' impending death and support Him in His redemptive mission.

Peter - the one who was always the first to defend Jesus and offer his advice, once again let his words come out of his mouth without considering them said, 'Lord, it is good for us to be here; if You wish' let us make three tabernacles, one for You, one for Moses and one for Elijah' v4. Peter may have been suggesting a desire to prolong this visit. In a way, he had taken charge of things and quite selfishly he was guilty of making Jesus an equal with Moses and Elijah by suggesting three tents for them. This brought a rebuke from the Father, 'This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. Hear Him.' v5. The disciples on hearing this, fell to the ground in fear, but Jesus touched them and told them to get back up and not be afraid. When they did, Jesus was on His own.

Then in v9, we see Jesus telling the disciples to suspend talking about what happened until after the Resurrection. The others would understand much better then about all they had witnessed. To tell them now would lead to them being overwhelmed and bewildered.

Conclusion

(1)  Jesus revealed to them His glorified state. An amazing privilege to the three He probably trusted the most.

(2)  Moses, was a representative of the Old Covenant and a promise of salvation which was soon to be fulfilled in the death of Jesus.

(3)  Elijah, was the appointed restorer of all things and essential in the discussion of Jesus' death.

(4)  Be slow to speak and think things through fully before speaking out. Don't try to organise Jesus in your plans. He's a far better organiser than we can ever be and knows what He is doing.

(5)  When someone tells you something in confidence, keep it that way. Don't go telling others in the guise of praying for them. In the same way, if God shares something to you about someone, honour this by keeping it secret unless He tells you otherwise.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Be ready - demons will attack!

"But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out, because of the heat, and fastened on his hand." 

                                                                                                             Acts 28:3    NKJV

Paul having survived being shipwrecked, found himself on the island of Malta. They were drenched because of being in the sea and because it was raining too. Islanders had laid a fire for them and so Paul began gathering some firewood. 

Paul gathered the sticks and was immediately bitten by a viper as he laid them on the fire. This snake had probably been hiding or sleeping within the undergrowth and Paul hadn't noticed it. This is characteristic of a snake, they are very crafty and wriggle into situations and because of their small size and colouring, it can be difficult to notice them before it is too late. This snake, alarmed by the heat of the fire, fastened itself on to Paul's hand and wouldn't let go. However, Paul shook it off and threw it back into the fire. He wasn't harmed at all.

Let us look at this more closely. Wherever God is, the devil and his demons are present to try and counteract everything He is doing. Think for a moment, if this viper had succeeded in killing Paul, it may have been a totally different story. But Paul was filled with the power of God and living this way, he let nothing get in his way. That is food for thought for a start.

The snake could be described as a serpent and, as we assume in Genesis 3, that the serpent was the devil, then we can see that a demon was out to put a stop to Paul's work. Be aware, that wherever God is working 'big time', the heat is on and demons (snakes), will come out and attempt to attack. Note that they can't remain in the heat, this is impossible, because this is where God is. Therefore, they crawl around in the darkness ready to strike and bite whenever they can. Notice also, that they can only crawl so a foot can easily be placed on their neck. More food for thought.

Keep your eyes open and be alert. If things are going well in your Christian walk, you are a candidate for attack. This is not said to make anyone panic but to emphasise the necessity of being ready and alert. The attack can come from anywhere. When things are becoming heated in a Godly manner, make sure that you tread carefully and be at full strength in God. This way, when it comes, like Paul, you can shake it off.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

A Simple Yet Determined Faith

"O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." 

                                                                                                     Matthew 15:28    NKJV

If you read the whole of this section, Matthew 15:21-28 & Mark 7:24-30, you will see how Jesus appears to speak quite harshly to this Gentile woman, who had come begging Jesus to drive a demon out of her daughter. The woman was actually a Syro-Phoenician, a Gentile from Syria. Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs. To the Jew 'dog' was a term of contempt. To the Gentile, 'dog' meant shameless and audacious.To a Jew, the term 'dog' was utter contempt for a Gentile.

The word 'dog' that the Jews used, referred to the wild and scavenging type. Jesus here, took the sting out of the word and instead of using it as an insult, he used the term known as 'household pets - lap dogs'. Jesus' words appear quite harsh but He would be overcoming the prejudice  by using this kinder term so that He could draw out a confession of faith from her. In other words, he was testing her. His tone of voice would have determined how she received what He said too. It could have been said and received as an insult - as many people who have not studied this piece deeply, have felt. Or it could have been said and received as an affectionate address. My understanding is that it was the latter. Jesus could never be accused of being so rude to anyone who came for help. We therefore, need to be careful how we speak to people. At times, what we say can be received as harsh although it probably wasn't intended this way. It is a thought that we need to ponder.

There was a metaphor used here; in Mark 7:27 Jesus said, 'Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.' He actually said to let the children be fed first because there will be food left over for the household pets (Little dogs). Israel had the first offer of the gospel, but only the first, there were others to come - the Gentiles.

In those days, knives, forks and napkins didn't exist; people ate with the hands and then wiped the excess from this on chunks of bread and threw it under the table for their pets. The woman said that she knew this and asked if she could have the scraps the children threw away. Jesus loved this statement and her daughter was delivered that day. He saw her simple, yet determined faith and His heart melted the way it does when He sees you as well. 

This woman was tested to the hilt. She didn't back down; she knew what she wanted, in fact needed, and she went for it. He faith and determination set her daughter free that day and she found her newly found faith to be real.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Servanthood

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there, My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour" 

                                                                                                            John 12:26    NKJV

Pay particular attention to the phrase, 'where I am, there, My servant will be also'. If we are truly wanting to follow Jesus then we must be willing to do what He wants and go where He goes, no matter what the road may be ahead. Jesus was pointing out here that, faithful servants follow without hesitation. This means continuing to follow wholeheartedly wherever, whenever, day or night, thus conforming to Jesus' example. This may indeed mean suffering for our faith or even dying. Jesus suffered and died for us, Is it too much to ask to do the same for Him if we have to. We can see many examples of this in Labour Camps in North Korea and parts of China just to name two places. In these countries, it is not only illegal to be a Christian, but is unthinkable to possess or read a bible. The allegiance should be to the leader of the nation, not God. To disregard this law and live as a Christian could lead a person into brutal Labour Camps and even execution. And yet, many are willing to serve Jesus and die rather than give up their faith.

God honours our wholehearted servanthood. When we serve this way we can be identified as servant-spirited. Service is a part of love. We do it because we have a deep-rooted desire to place someone, especially Jesus. It's not just a calling, it is our whole commitment to Him. If we have a job, we serve our employer at our place of work too. When we do this, we should be working at our job as if, we are working for Jesus, regardless of what their attitude may be towards us. This is called serving and the world does not understand this type of behaviour. It is more concerned with, 'me, me, me'. But, as we continue to serve someone such as this, we are serving God to the best of our ability. After-all, not everyone is called into church type ministry but we all have a ministry in our own everyday workplace and home.

Sociologically speaking, a servant is one who accepts and acknowledges a place beneath those whom he serves. However, every servant of Jesus will be honoured by the Father in Heaven and this may be in their lifetime, not later when they go to Heaven. Blessings are due to many servants of God and many are going to be receiving these blessings when they least expect them. Why, Because Jesus had a servant's heart and He loves this type ministry.

Someone once said, 'The way to the Throne Room is through the servant's quarters' (Source unknown). What an amazing statement. Understand, the things that you are doing at this moment, may go unnoticed, but God sees all. We really don't need a 'thank you' from anyone, for He is the one that we serve and He is the one who will reward us.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

How would you have handled this situation?

(22) "And behold one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him he fell at His feet, (23) and begged Him earnestly saying, 'My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her that she may be healed, and she will live.'"                                                                                              Mark 5:22-43    NKJV

Jesus had just completed one mission and crossing over the sea, walked straight into another - crowds wanting His attention. A ruler of the synagogue - Jairus, came begging Him to go with him and heal his daughter, who was close to death. Jesus did this.

As they went on their way, a woman who had been suffering a serious blood issue, came up to Him. She also had a need but came up from behind Him and touched His gown and she was totally healed. Jesus wanted to know how power had gone out of His body and looked around. After a short time, the woman came forward and  bowed down, telling Him her story. Jesus was touched and told her that her faith had made her well.

Now, this would have taken a little time and Jairus must have felt like he wanted to get home where Jesus could heal his daughter. However, he remained quiet and didn't even show any impatience. 

Just then, some people came from Jairus' house (v35) telling him not to bother Jesus anymore as his daughter had died. It is hard to imagine what Jairus must have felt at this time - deep-rooted pain, anxiety and total bewilderment - 'This is not happening', type of thing. But it had. 

Jairus could have become so overwhelmed with the pain, and shouted and screamed at Jesus, and especially the woman, who had held them up. But he remained quiet. He never said a word. Let me ask you, How would you have handled this situation if you had been Jairus? Would you have said some words to the woman, blaming her for holding you up? Would you have blamed Jesus for becoming distracted on the way? Jairus was human, he knew pain, he would have had his feelings shattered. But something was happening to him. Somehow, he felt strength and total trust in Jesus. He knew in his heart that Jesus could change this situation, so he didn't panic. This was further reinforced into his thinking when Jesus straightaway, after hearing this bad news, told Jairus, 'Do not be afraid, only believe'.

Those words to Jairus were like healing balm, they were like a bolt af living power and strength that helped him in this situation. He knew that he had nothing to fear. And neither do you, in anything. Jesus is well and truly in charge, if you remain quiet and give Him the reins.

We know the result of all of this, the little girl was raised and healed. (v43).

Let's conclude with this: Whatever is happening in your life, don't lose your faith, don't negate it by panicking and saying doubt and unbelief. Keep a guard over your mouth. The devil will try to block your faith but don't even give him a chance. Stand firm and confess and believe what you know is the truth. You will then have the victory.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

                                                                          

Dealing with Frustration

"Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in."

                                                                                      Galatians 6:9  Amplified Study Bible

Time and again we are faced with things that frustrate us. It may be caused by attempting to do a certain task that doesn't seem to go the way we had planned. At other times, we take on much too much and we find it difficult in balancing things, keeping the plates spinning and, sadly every now and then, one or two of the plates fall and things become a mess. Frustration can also be caused by certain people who claim to know best and bend our ear, trying to get us to listen or change our minds.

This frustration can cause us to do certain things such as, lose our temper, letting rip with a lot of words that we bitterly regret later on. We can also be tempted to give it up and walk away and then sink into feeling sorry for ourselves, refusing to be talked round by those close to us. Discouragement can kick in and this can lead to depression where we can fall into a black hole, unable to care about anything at the time.

How can you deal with this? Well first of all:

Make sure that you can do the task in the first place.

As an example, you may be able to wire an electrical plug, but this doesn't mean that you can re-wire the whole house. Some may be competent to do this and the job goes well. Others may feel they can and make a complete mess of it all, ending up with sparks flying out of every socket. If you don't measure up to the job, say so. Buy a book that may be able to guide you through the process or ask someone for advice or even help. Don't be so full of pride that you attempt to do something that you are not qualified for. It will only cause you frustration  and others too.

Stop spinning all of the plates

The human body was designed with two hands, not four. You cannot take on jobs that require the use of three or four hands and expect it all to go right. Look at the example of the old plate-spinner. He would have a dozen or so canes standing up and he would begin to spin plates from each one of these. At first, it would all go well. However, after a short time, he would begin to run out of steam and one plate would wobble and he would dash to it, Just as he reached this, two or three others would wobble and he would try to rescue these too. Eventually, they would begin to crash to the floor, and he would end up, frustrated by it all.

Don't take on too much.

Don't allow other people to frustrate you

Other people may well have some good advice to offer and it is sensible to consider this. However, others may want you to do what they want, not what you want. They will say that you are not doing it the right way, you should do this and that. Pretty soon, you can end up so confused that you don't know which way to go. Be polite to them but also be firm, letting them know that you value their input but you want to try it this way first. Let them know that you will bear it in mind and will let them know if you need them.

Becoming angry with people or even yourself, is a recipe for disaster; you're not in control of yourself. When things are not going very well, take some time out. Make some coffee or go out for a walk, trying to incorporate a hobby that fits this time such as taking a camera with you. Time outs can be life-saving, it saves all of the frustration. All frustration does is rob you of your joy, your focus and sometimes, your friends.

We all become frustrated in many ways but it can be dealt with efficiently. Refuse it in your life from this moment. Easier said that done? No not really, you are able to deal with frustration if you determine to, with God's help.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

                                        

He leads us in victory and triumph

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us, diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."    

                                                                                                 2 Corinthians 2:14-16   NKJV

Note the three highlighted words, 'always, through and every'. God always leads us in triumph and victory in Jesus Christ. Through us, He diffuses - or manifests - the fragrance of His knowledge. And this is done in every place that we go. The Gospel message gives life to those who choose to accept it. However, it represents death and judgement to those who reject it. We carry with us an awesome responsibility. God trusts you and I. That statement alone is mind-blowing. He trusts us. We let Him down most days but he still trusts us. He leads us in victory and triumph wherever we go.

Charles F Stanley comments:

'Paul does not mean that things always turn out the way we want but that in Christ we are always on the road to victory. Setbacks happen, but they are never final or fatal because the Lord will assuredly triumph in the end'.

                                                                        Copyright Life Principal Bible, Charles F Stanley

We are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Jesus has and does, show us His love and has given Himself as a sweet-smelling aroma. He has demonstrated how we should do this by walking in love, His love on a daily basis.  As we do this, we are testifying to all - those who are saved or unsaved, that we belong to Jesus. We are walking in a victorious, triumphal procession with Him and others can choose to join in with us. They have the opportunity.

He continues to lead us along this triumphal procession, spreading the knowledge and aroma of Christ wherever we go - a sweet-smelling sacrifice. Sadly to some, we are a dreadful smell of doom. The thought of death and judgement scares them. It is something that they refuse to consider. Death happens to others not them. Most are not bad people, they just do not want to believe that there may well be a Heaven, and if there is, they used to go to Sunday school and have never harmed anyone, surely that's enough, isn't it? The thought of there being a devil and a hell is unheard of in their thinking, surely God wouldn't allow such a thing. All of this type of thing, stops them from joining in the procession of victory and very sadly, many die without Jesus and they are lost. 'Who says so?' God does in His book. John 3:16-20.

Please ensure that you join the victory procession and live in triumph and do all you can to convince others, family, friends, neighbours and strangers, that Jesus is alive and He wants them to join the victory procession to Heaven, as well.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

"I've blown it Lord, please help me to get back to You'

" (10) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (11) Do not cast me away from Your presence , and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (12) Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit." 

                                                                                                        Psalm 51:10-12    NKJV

David wrote this Psalm following being caught out in his adultery with Bathsheba. Nathan the prophet confronted him and David was full of remorse. It was not only adultery, that led to the birth of a child, but also manslaughter or possible murder as David had plotted to have Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, placed on the front line of an awesome battle in which he was killed.

Just one incident where King David decided he was going to have a lazy time instead of going into battle. This led to him noticing Bathsheba who was sunbathing, sending for her and committing adultery with her. Just this act of laziness caused all of this heartache. Many have been caught out in this act and have paid dearly for it, losing practically everything.

David was in emotional distress and eventually called on the Lord and repented. Let us break down the above verses:

V10  A clean heart. David knew that his heart had been full of lust for Bathsheba and he felt he was covered in sin because of it. Therefore, he asked if God would take his heart and help him to purify it so that he could once again worship and hold his head up high. He also asked for a steadfast spirit which, is a Spirit of Loyalty so that his relationship with God could be restored.

V11  David asked that God would not cast him away from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from him. This is alway uppermost in our minds when we have blown our walk with God. We have committed sin and automatically think that we will be sent to hell instantly, never having the chance to be freed ever again. God's not like this. He is loving and forgiving. He may discipline us in some way but, He will never leave us, or take His Spirit from us. Hebrews 13:5. The thing is, we feel that He has, because of the awful burden of sin that we have committed. This was how David felt. The thing is though, as soon as we confess our sin, He forgives us and purifies us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.

V12  Can you remember those early days when you were first saved, Nothing mattered except your relationship with Jesus. This is what David meant when he asked God to restore to him the joy of Your salvation. It is a joy that can be found nowhere else in the whole universe. No amount of money, alcohol or drug could ever replace this feeling. This was what David was asking for together with having a willingness to serve God.

We will blow it from time to time, we shouldn't but, sadly we do. However, we can be reassured that we have Jesus, who will forgive us all that we have done wrong; reassure us that we still belong to Him and that he hasn't left us and restore to us the joy of His salvation.

In fact, Jesus will make us presentable to God, again.

Have you ever asked Jesus into your life; or do you need to renew your commitment to Him?

Why not say this prayer:

Lord, I realise that without You, I am nothing. Therefore, please come and live in my heart, forgive my all of my sin, and fill me with You Spirit. I choose to live for You, this day.

In Jesus' Name. Amen

If you've said this prayer, please let me know. My email is below

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

You need to read this!

 "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me. And what I dreaded, has happened to me."                                                                                                  Job 3:25    NKJV

We have to be so careful about how we think of things. If they make us fearful and full of dread, we need to call out to Jesus and receive His help, quickly. When we enter the realm of self-fulfilled prophecy, what we confess we tend to get back.

Job was a very upright man of God who had been richly blessed and protected. Satan did not like this, at all and set his sights on attacking him. At a meeting in Heaven between God and the sons of God, Satan was allowed to attend. The subject of Job came up and Satan mentioned the fact that he had a hedge of protection around him, allow this to be moved and you will see a different person when he has nothing. He will never worship you then. God agreed for this to happen but forbid Satan to harm Job at all. This went ahead and Job's sons and daughters, together with the servants, were all killed and his property was taken - everything that he had. And yet, Job refused to blame God for this and knelt down and worshipped Him. Job 1:20-21.

It is plain by our text verse that Job had been in fear about losing his family and riches and had been speaking this way for some time. He actually said, 'the thing I greatly feared - what I dreaded has happened to me,' past tense. This gave the devil the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Let's be honest here, we're no different at times. What about the times that our children go away and we worry and pray that nothing will happen to them? What about when we feel ill, have tests at the surgery and then wait in dread for the results? This is exacerbated if the GP calls us in to see him. We automatically start to fear the worse.

This fear or dread - that often we don't realise is there - follows us around and pops up on occasions where doubt begins to kick in. We speak negatively such as, 'I'm dreading speaking to them, I've been worrying all night'. Fear begins to overpower our faith and we begin to get ourselves into a state of anxiety - 'Oh, I wish I'd never mentioned it, I'm dreading seeing him/her'.

All the time that this is happening, the devil is rubbing his hands with glee. He loves to see us fearful. Why? Because he knows that he has us cornered and that we have no power to overcome him. Therefore, he can continue to torment us so that we end up climbing the walls.

Stop right there! Have you forgotten to put your armour on? Don't you remember that it contains a shield of faith which quenches all the fiery darts that Satan fires at you?  Ephesians 6:14-18. Put that armour on now and stand and keep standing, Ephesians 6:13. Warriors of God never lie down unless they are knocked over. The difference is, they get up again - immediately, not in a few days or so. Do you get the idea?

Stop the fear; quench the dread and stand tall as a Soldier in the Army of the Living God.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Spiritual Growth

"(1)Therefore, laying aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking, (2) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby." 

                                                                                                       I Peter 2:1-2    NKJV

Here, Peter is addressing new Christians - babes. However, it does us all good to re-evaluate our walk with God so that we can check how we are doing; rather like we may visit the surgery for a health check, we often need a spiritual check too. You see, we belong to Jesus, we were Made in Heaven and we carry Jesus' DNA. We no longer belong to this world. Therefore, we need to act in such a way that demonstrates this. 

Let's take a look at Peter's check list:

MALICE  This is a desire to harm others. We may feel that we don't have this in our thinking; but what about when someone has seriously hurt us; are we tempted to enjoy their suffering? 'They got what was coming to them', type of thing. Where is the forgiveness in this?

DECEIT  This misleads and tricks people. It is pseudo, in other words false. It should never be in us. But have there been times when we have led people to think what we are not?

ENVY  Wanting what others have, even to the point of feeling jealous about this. Many marriages can be at risk by meeting up with someone who falls into this category.

HYPOCRISY  Again, this is false, making out you do when you don't. It has a form of godliness but misses the mark so much and has the ability to hoodwink people and draw them away.

EVIL SPEAKING  This consists of slander, gossip, criticising, judging and generally speaking what a Christian should never speak. Praising God one moment and cursing the next.

All of us can be accused of being this way every now and again, whether a baby Christian or a seasoned one. Therefore, we should all desire that pure milk of the Word. We would never take a very young baby out for a steak dinner, so likewise, we should never try to run before we can walk. We need to learn to grow in the Lord.

One way that we can do this is to look at three ways that can help us:

ATTITUDE  We need to train our attitudes to come in line with Jesus' attitude. He was never rude to people, firm yes, but He was never aggressive. Some people can be very difficult; but think, so can we.

APPETITE  What do we feed on - TV, Films or Reality shows? Or do we read our bibles or a good Christian book. There is nothing wrong with watching TV or Films, although we do need to be selective. However, we need to get the balance right. Feed on what will encourage and help growth.

AIM  So decide what your target for 2021 is. Despite the Lockdown you can still be productive. You are a unique person, chosen by God to shake the part of the world where you reside. 

Let your motto be: GROW, GO AND SOW

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Make your way prosperous

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,  and then you will have good success." 

                                                                                                          Joshua 1:8    NKJV

Joshua had taken over from Moses, who had died. Therefore, God wanted to train him up into the man of God He needed. He gave him encouragement every step of the way and assured him that He would be with him wherever he went. He would never leave Joshua. God promises the same to us as well. He will encourage us in what we do and say and will always be by our side.

God also encouraged Joshua to be bold and of good courage (1:6-7) and be sure he did all that the Book of Law - the Instruction Manual - commanded. He was not to water it down at all but to carry it out to the letter. He would then be blessed and prosper. God told Joshua that by doing this, he would make his way prosperous and successful.

Hazel Howard comments on Joshua 1:8:

"Joshua 1:8 says by sticking to the criteria, 'You' will make your way prosperous and 'You' will have good success. It doesn't say God will do it for us. It's down to us. We determine our future."

                                                                                                Copyright 2002 Hazel Howard

We make ourselves prosperous and successful, not God. He has written the Word for us, He's not going to read it to us as well. It's down to each one of us to do that by reading our Instruction Manual - The Bible. As we do, we will gain wisdom and understanding and God will speak to us about our day and what He has planned for us.

This is not a request - it was not just a command to Joshua; it is God's direction to us too. We make ourselves prosperous and successful by reading about Our Father, Jesus and of course, the Holy Spirit. As His people, we need this Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - three separate persons as one God, in our lives each day.

And He wants us prosperous and successful in all things.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

                                                                                               

                                                                                                       

Shine your Light on me Lord

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."                                                                                     John 12:36    NKJV

The Greek word for darkness is Scotia, which means darkness, gloom, evil, sin, obscurity, night, ignorance and moral depravity. There is an absence of light in this word. Where light equals happiness, Scotia equals unhappiness, so therefore, one can see that darkness is not a nice position to be in.

We all know what it is like in the winter when there is a power cut. Lights go out and panic begins as there is a frantic search to find some candles. We then sit around in the darkness staring at the shadows on the wall as we wait for the electricity to be turned back on.

Darkness can be described as a place of hopelessness; a place or situation where we cannot see what is happening. When this happens, we often remark that we are in the dark about what is happening. It can be a state of uncertainty, which for some people, can lead to suspicion or fear about what is happening in their lives. What they don't know can cause fear which then tortures them with all kinds of imaginations or false accusations about something or other. If we are not careful, darkness sticks like a gooey mess and it spreads all over our life. We need the light to fix it. Think, what do moths do when they see a light? Thats right, they are drawn to it and that is what we need to do, draw near to God and He will draw near to us. James 4:8. 

We often say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Well, Jesus is that light but the thing to remember is that He is in the tunnel with us. That is the difference. What may appear hopeless or fearful at this time is only temporary. Do you hear me? As you trust Him to help you, He will be only too pleased to help and offer His assistance. This is what today's text promises. Your world may be difficult at this moment and it may seem that you are stumbling around in the dark. But take courage, it's almost like Jesus has a torch. He will come along and shine it into the darkness and reveal the ground ahead. All you have to do believe His promise above and call on Him. When you do, He will be there.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk