Be a copy cat

"Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children. 2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, and offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma."                                                                   Ephesians 5:1-2    NKJV 

There are copy cats all over the world. Basically, they are made up of two kinds. Firstly, there are the imitators who model themselves on their favourite stars - of film, music or perhaps sport. Some even model themselves on someone they know and value and they go about their day attempting to act like they do. After a while, they can even begin to sound alike, especially if you speak to them on the telephone when they can sound very much like the other person. 

There are also copy-cat crimes where the crimes are based exactly on a crime from way back. There are many ways that people can be copied or imitated. The problem is, when we do this, we are demonstrating that we have no style of our own, we are being the other person. Remember one thing, you were created an original don't turn yourself into and die a copy.

The second example of a copy cat is more sensible and realistic. It is being an imitator of Jesus, who lives in our heart. When you consider it, He is our role model, the one who alone is God and who died in our place on the cross of Calvary. He is the one to follow and imitate. The world needs Him and, you have Him, so share Him around by people seeing that you are different somehow.

Imitating Jesus is, walking in love, reflecting God's nature to a hurting world. That is what an imitator does. The Greek word for imitator describes a repetition of a pattern already established by another. That 'another' is Jesus. He set the standard and expects us to uphold it. 

When we read the Guidance Manual - the bible, we find out just how wonderful Jesus Christ is. It is amazing when we realise that, He was there before creation and He is still with us today. Following Jesus, we are backing a winner. As you read your Guidance Manual, you will begin to take on His character, the Holy Spirit will envelope you and before you know it, people will see in you what they have been searching for all of their lives.

So be a copy cat of Jesus.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Be immovable

 "Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable , always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord."      

                                                                                            1 Corinthians 15:58     NKJV

Whatever you do for Jesus, is never in vain, it is never wasted. He sees what you do and He is pleased with your loyalty and hard work. This is what steadfast means: firmly loyal and constant in all you do. You may not feel that your work, or your intentions to work, are noticed by God. You may not accomplish what you have started but, He says, 'Thank you for trying'. 

You see with God, you don't have to be a highly qualified scholar to gain His attention; whatever you are, you have His attention and you have had it since the moment you were born. Now that your are 'born again', He sits eagerly watching your efforts, encouraging you and urging you along. He is your greatest fan; He adores you.

He knows what you have been going through of late. He knows your loyalty and is impressed by your determination. You may think you have failed to achieve what you set out to do for Him; He sits there in heaven and shouts, 'Hey, did you see that, did you see my child the way He handled that situation?' You see, He evaluates things so differently to how we do, At times, we aim for perfection or close to it. God is grateful that we have tried. He is happy when we have set out to achieve something for Him and it hasn't been successful, He sees it as if it has been.

The big guns of Christianity may bring thousand of people to know Jesus in one evening. You may never achieve that; but, He never wanted you to in the first place. He is just pleased when you just smile at someone, because it is Jesus who is smiling at them. He is pleased when you do something for another person, because it is Jesus doing it. He is pleased when you tell someone that you are a Christian, even though they may reject what you say; Jesus looks and feels, 'we have an evangelist here'. 

Whatever you do, never think that your efforts are in vain; they are not. Be immovable, be steadfast abound in His richness because, you are His workmanship Ephesians 2:10. You were created in Christ Jesus for good works, and what you are doing is good.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Do not live in haste

"The plans of the diligent lead surely to plenty, but those of everyone who is hasty, surely to poverty."

                                                                                                    Proverbs 21:5    NKJV

Each morning, as I get dressed, our dog rushes up the stairs and sits on the landing looking at me. If I move, he moves. If I sit down, so does he. After a short time, he will start walking around me as if he is trying to round me up. It can be quite frustrating as he continues to do this. What he is after, is for me to take him for a walk. He has very little patience and will soon begin to grumble, moan and whine because I am taking too long, until I am ready, when he will bark excitedly, non stop. The dog has an agenda, he wants to get out on his walk - NOW!

After watching his actions today, it reminded me of people who their lives in haste. There is the person who sits waiting for his partner to put a coat on and walk to the car. When it is not happening as quickly as they think it should, they go and wait in the the car. After two-seconds they start the car and continue to sit there. They may move the car a few inches backwards and forwards or, they may decide to do a three point turn ready to drive the other way. After what seems to them - 24 hours, the other person gets into the car and they race off before the door is closed. (This seems familiar to me)

Then there are the supermarkets. They do not like being behind another trolly and will overtake them when they get the chance, only to find that they still have to wait for their partner. At the till, they always take the shortest queue but, reserve the right to swap to another till if it appears to be moving faster. Then to their horror, they notice that the queue that they have just left is moving faster and they would have been through now. For them, this is torture.

Back in the car, they have to pull up for traffic lights but because they are taking a while to change, they keep flashing their lights to get the sensor to change the sequence. On the move again, there is a JCB in the front of them moving at 3 mph. The horror for them continues.

Do you know anyone like this? Is that anyone, you? Being hasty is not good. It's not good for the person who has to witness all of this behaviour i.e. a partner; and it is not good enough for you either. It is not doing your health any good at all but, it's hard to change all of this though. A person such as this, lives in the fast lane of life. Their speed is 70mph or faster if they can get away with it. There is a need to drop down a gear, moving to a lower speed lane. It is walking slower than you normally do; refusing to become stressed out and doing things one at a time, not all at once.

To change to this lifestyle seems impossible for the fast lane person, but with God's help you can do it. It means asking Him to order your steps and to help you see things in a more laid back sequence. It is not easy to negotiate but, it is easy, with Jesus' help. He has the ability to help you be totally at peace. Being hasty promotes disruption, arguments and stressed out lives, but the peace Jesus gives us - Shalom, Shalom, surpasses all understanding  and it guards our hearts and minds.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

His mercy endures forever

"Who remembers us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever; 24 and rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; 25 who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever, 26 Oh give thanks to the God of heaven, for His mercy endures forever."                                                                                        Psalm 136:23-26    NKJV 

Note the words, 'Lowly state'. We were all in this condition before we came to know Jesus. Some were worse than others. Take for instance the woman who had an issue of blood. She had suffered for 12 or so years and because of her condition, was considered an outcast. She had also spent all of her money on doctors who had not helped at all. Just one touch of the gown of Jesus as He walked by, gave her all she needed. She was no longer in a 'lowly state'.

Then of course, in the same passage, was Jairus, whose daughter was near to death. Jesus went with Jairus to his home and because the little girl had by now died, raised her to life. You couldn't really have a lower state than this.  (Luke 8:40-56).

Then there was Bartimaeus - a blind beggar. He called out to Jesus as He walked by in such an urgent manner, that Jesus stopped, and asked for him to come to Him. 'What do you want me to do for you?' He asked, in his lowly state, to have his sight restored. It was.

There are many of these examples throughout the bible. It's hard to imagine it with all of the suffering around, but God cares. As we give Him charge of our lives, He lifts us from our lowly state, because, His mercy endures forever.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

God was and will be there, if you ask Him

"'If it had not been the LORD who was on our side', let Israel now say - 2 'If it had not been the LORD  who was on our side, when men rose up against us, 3 then they would have swallowed us alive when their wrath was kindled against us.'"    

                                                                                                    Psalm 124:1 - 3      NKJV

From David's word's here, there are three statements that we can paraphrase:

'If you hadn't'

David was quite simply saying that, he wouldn't have made it if God hadn't intervened. It was a similar statement that he made in Psalm 27:13. Here, paraphrased, he is saying, 'You were there Lord, You took me through a way that I hadn't seen before, there was no way that I could see. No one could have helped me through this; it was like, You looked at me, put out Your hand and pulled me to safety.'

Think about such times that you have been through, where there appeared no way out. You were trapped and sinking. Suddenly God was there and made a way through the mess. 

'If you would'

David had called upon His God and His God - His Father God had helped Him, and He will you too if you ask Him to. Just think about it, there are angels all around you, just watching and waiting - ready to help. However, they can't intervene until you call on God and He gives the command, 'ANGEL'S GO'. And no one wants to get in the way of angels on a mission from God. 

But, you must call on Him, 'For whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.' Romans 10:13. If you don't call on Him, He cannot help you.

If only you would ask'

Finally, we come to the third statement - 'If only you would ask'. You may have seen God's hand at work and you may have been amazed at what He does and has done. However, up to now, you have avoided asking Him to be your Lord and Saviour. 'It's a private thing,' you may say, or, 'I'll ask when I'm older.' The answer to these statements are, it is not a private thing, it is a matter life or death thing - eternal life or eternal damnation. It is a choice. The thing is, it is not so much about where you will eventually end up - Heaven or hell; but what Jesus can do in your life right now. He wants to fill your life with happiness and joy and He wants to bless you. You need to try it for yourself to get the picture. Be warned, it is not an easy life because all of a sudden, the devil, who hasn't had to worry about you, becomes worried because you now belong to Jesus and he is not happy about that. He will do all he can to get you to change your mind.

However, there is no better life; Jesus can be trusted and He is longing for you to come to Him right now.

Lord Jesus, I ask You to forgive me for the sin in my life. I am sorry Lord. Please come and live in my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and be, my Lord, Saviour and my friend today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Abounding Grace

"But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more"       Romans 5:20      NKJV

David Guzik comments:

We might have expected that where sin abounded, God’s anger or judgment would have abounded much more. But God’s love is so amazing that grace abounded much more where we might have expected wrath.

ii. If grace super-abounds over sin, then we know that it is impossible to out-sin the grace of God. We can’t sin more than God can forgive, but we can reject His grace and forgiveness.

                                                        Copyright David Guzik  Enduring Word

Many of us find ourselves in positions where, we have let ourselves down and have outwardly sinned. The shame of it all can be overbearing and we feel like God has turned His back on us, even though we have said that we are sorry to Him. You feel like a condemned man or woman and no matter what you do, you just can't shake it off. Wrong, you are listening to a lie of the enemy. he loves to keep us bound in captivity, but, take a look at Romans 8:1 'There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.'

God made provision for our sin in Jesus Christ and in 1 John 1:9, it states, 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.'

God has given us His grace and it is abounding, sin is abounding too but God's tops the bill, it is outrageous grace. The more we sin and let ourselves and God down, He pours on us more of His abounding grace - as we confess our sin to Him. 

Please realise, grace does not give us a passport to freely sin because we know God will forgive us. Not at all, as it says above, we can't sin more than God can forgive, but we can reject His grace and forgiveness. God knows our hearts; He knows what we're going to say and do before we even begin. If we deliberately plot to commit sin, without any care for the consequences, we can't honestly believe that God will forgive us on a regular basis. If He did, there would have been no need for Jesus to die on the cross. We will continue to make mistakes, that goes without saying and, God will provide grace. But the one who is an out and out sinner without any care for Jesus at all, is of the evil one; and there is no place in the Kingdom of Heaven for that person.

However, for you who believe in Jesus, please realise fully that there is an abounding amount of grace for you.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Wasted words Part 2

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit."     

                                                                                                    Proverbs 18:21     NKJV 

There are so many words and phrases that we use on a daily basis, that we need to avoid and use alternatives and warn others, here are a few more that may make you smile but ones that you need to consider:

'I wouldn't like to be in your shoes'. To me, this phrase always carried a threat and when 

heard whilst you were young, petrified you. Another one was, 'You're for the high jump" again meaning, you were in deep trouble, so watch out. 'Your feet won't touch the ground'. These three phrases, I heard regularly when I was growing up and, they are still being used today, in certain areas. 'I'll box your ears.' This was a popular saying in the 50's. Anyone who heard this phrase, knew they were in for a good hiding when they arrived home. 

Then there are the everyday phrases that we are all tempted to say, 'My back's killing me.' 'I feel like death' and 'I nearly died of embarrassment.' If you sit and think about it, there are many more that would come to mind and are equally as bad as each other. You see, it is like a self-fulfilled prophecy that we're speaking over ourselves, 'This car is useless, it never starts when I want it to.' Well, if it doesn't start properly, get the garage to check it out or trade it in for another; don't just curse it, like you are doing. 'I'll never be able to do that job, it's far too difficult.' If you are saying that, then you never will be able to do it because it is too difficult. We need to wise up on what we say.

These are all wasted words - wasted phrases, and we need to re-group; we need to take a deep look at ourselves and ask God to help us to be more aware of what we speak. It is down to us. God doesn't speak for us; we have to stop what we are saying and even thinking; it is all negative. To confess sickness on yourself when the Word of God says that you are healed by the stripes of Jesus is, contradictory. I know several people who say such things as, 'I'm sure I've got the flu coming on.' They go about believing that they have this sickness or 'it's in the family, you know'.  Don't even go there.

Start speaking wholesome words. Start thanking and praising God that you are well, that you are blessed and that your name is written in the Lamb's book. You are a special person, born for a particular reason. God's counting on you, this is why you are here. Don't let anything be wasted any longer.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Wasted words

 "But he denied with an oath, 'I do not know the man.'      Matthew 26:72     NKJV

We have been looking at words that we speak - sometimes in haste, and the effect they have on others. Let us look a little closer at some more.

Much of the words we speak are just wasted words. Many times we  can hear the phrase, 'You're speaking a load of rubbish,' and there may be an element of truth to this. Take for instance the way various regional accents say things. For example, in Sheffield an expression of astonishment may be phrased, 'Well, I'll ga t'foot of ah stairs'. Whereas, in Nottingham, the phrase would be, 'Well, I'll ga t'ta ah'rouse. (our house). When I was a youngster, it wasn't unusual to hear a mother who was exasperated with her child, to shout, 'If ya fall off that wall, our Jimmy, and brek ya leg, don't come running ta me'.Phrases that make us smile but when you consider it, all are wasted words.

I like the one that Woody Allen said, 'I'm not afraid of dying, I just don't want to be there when it happens.' Again, comical but also full of denial. Peter used denial when he was accused of being with Jesus. Jesus had been arrested and Peter was not far away, in a court yard. Jesus had predicted that before the cock crows, Peter would have denied him three times; and it happened that way. Now here he is still denying that he had been with Jesus just to save his own skin. Be honest, wouldn't we have done the same? 

We can often deny Jesus, especially at school or in your place of work. It isn't that we out and out deny Jesus, but we can hide the fact that we are a Christian until we have sussed the place and the people out. On the other hand, we can come straight out with our faith and that is usually a conversation stopper. Everyone is different, It's helpful to let people see that there is something different with you, something that draws them to you. If you stand there with the biggest bible you can find and start preaching a lengthy sermon about the sins of the world, it may not go down too well. They'll just be wasted words and you may have ruined your reputation. On the other hand, if you gently allow people to see Jesus in you and, when they ask, answer their questions openly and honestly, the words you speak will not be wasted. If they don't make an impact straightaway, they will certainly be retained for future reference.

Therefore, make it your business to use your words wisely and to make them count. We can't afford to speak wasted words. People need life, and you can offer it.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Be careful what comes out of your mouth

"Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 17 And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."    Colossians 3:16-17     NKJV 

What we say is very important; what comes out of our mouths can be a blessing or a curse. It can bless or do damage to the listener. Be careful. I remember someone telling me a story some time ago. Where I live, is near to the Jurassic Coast, famous for fossils, dinosaurs and other such historical and geological bits and pieces. The story goes that this chap was standing right on the very edge of one of these, very high and dangerous cliffs. A crowd were calling to him to come back but he wouldn't. Suddenly, a Christian chap ran over to him and they spent a long while in deep conversation, the result being they both jumped off.

You may be shocked or even smile at this story but, take on board, that in our haste to speak with someone in such a position, the wrong things can be said. We need wisdom. You may not come up against such a situation as this, but the very ordinary day to day things are equally as important and words of wisdom need to be uttered so that a major fall-out doesn't take place.

Our words are important and we need to be careful what we say. However, on the other hand, we need to listen carefully to what is being said. When we visit a friend's house, they may say something such as, 'make your self comfortable'. This doesn't mean that we can shoot upstairs, get in their bed and have a snooze or watch some TV. Do you know what I mean? By saying this, they just want us to be comfortable and at ease.

We really need to be in control of what we say and what comes out of our mouths. Proverbs 15:1 says, 'A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.' It is very true. Check out some more: 

'A fool's lips enter into contention' and his mouth calls for blows. A fool's mouth is his destruction' and his lips are the snare of his soul' Proverbs 18:6-7.

'He who answers a matter before he hears it, it is folly and shame to him.' Proverbs 18:13.

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

Whatever we do or say, should be in direct line with the Holy Spirit. He is our guide and He always leads us into the truth. Therefore, let us re-channel our words to fit into His plans for our lives. 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.' Ephesians 4:29

The bible is God's word to us and carries many regulations and guidelines. This last verse is one of the guidelines. Practice this and you will not go wrong, because you will be imparting grace to the hearer.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

It will surprise you, what the Lord has done

"Bless the LORD, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless His holy name. 2 Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits; 3 who forgives all your iniquities, who heals all your diseases, 4 who redeems your life from destruction, who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, 5 who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagles."                                     Psalm 103:1-5    NKJV

I've looked at this Psalm many times over the years, yet there is always something new to see and learn about. This is because the Word of God is living, exciting and always worth delving into. This is how gems come out. 

King David here, encourages us to bless the Lord with all that we have. Everything within us and all we have externally. And when we bless Him, this includes being grateful for everything He has bestowed on us, not just material things but, our health and the ability to live our lives safely each day,

It helps to spend a while writing down all He has blessed you with. It is important to do this. This is why the writer wrote this song"

'Count your blessings name them one by one, count your blessings see what God hath done.

Count your blessings, name them one by one, and it will surprise you what the Lord hath done'

                                                                                                       Johnson Oatman Jnr.

Once we write down all that we can remember about all God has done for us, it will surprise. After a while, it is so easy to take things for granted. Take for instance, air. We need this to be able to breathe and yet, it can so easily be taken for granted. It doesn't hurt to say thank you to God for this vital thing He has done for us. Try and think of other things.

He has forgiven us for all of the things that we were once involved in, what's more He will never again mention it because He chooses to forget. He thinks the best of us. You may have been healed of something. What a joy to have you heath restored in such a way. Then of course, He has redeemed us from a place called hell. We are now en route to Heaven. We are crowned Kings and Priests to our God Revelation 1:6 and we are satisfied and every part of us is renewed.

Try and spend a little time thinking about all that God has done for you. Write it down and use it as a tool to give Him thanks and praise. Count your blessings, It will surprise you when you realise all that Jesus has done for you. 

Bless His Name

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

I will not fear

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear, What can flesh do to me?"   Psalm 56:3-4     NKJV

Fear is a big problem in our lives today. We lie awake at night, worrying about this and being fearful about that. If we allow it, it takes over our complete lives. Bob Gass used a brilliant acronym for the word fear, FALSE - EVIDENCE - APPEARING - REAL. I love this. Just stop and think for a moment; there is a lot of truth in this acronym. Most things we fear or worry about, never happen and we have wasted all of that time in turmoil. It is just false evidence but there is a part that tries to appear real, the one that causes the doubt.

Of course, some fear is real and we have to learn how to manage it better. If we can do something about it, then do it. If we can't, then there really is no use in worrying about it. This is not denial that I am talking about here, not at all. It is having the ability to say, 'I will not fear' and then giving it over to God; rather like yesterday's reading, 'Roll it over'.

At the time of writing this Psalm, David was consumed with fear. However, he decided to think it through properly instead of reacting in haste. He compared the size of the problem (in his case, the enemies all around), to the size of his trustworthy God. When we compare the size of what we are fearful about against how big Jesus is, then we are able to cope. "I will not fear'.

Doing this, changed David's focus and it will yours too. Adopting such a perspective transforms how we face negative circumstances. Those four words, I WILL NOT FEAR, pack a punch. It is a declaration. The devil may think he has penned you in but, with Jesus, he never can. If he killed you, you will still meet up with Jesus in Heaven. Our insurance contributions are paid up - fully.

We will get afraid, it is a certainty. However, when we do, we need to say out loud, 'In God I have put my trust, I will not fear.' I'm not saying that if you do this, everything will be hunky dory. It probably won't. But you will have someone very special at your side, fighting on your behalf. Jesus Christ. In fact, you will have God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, all on your side.

Now that is good enough to say, 'I will not fear'.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

Roll your baggage over

"Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established."    

                                                                                                        Proverbs 16:3    NKJV

I remember back in 1970 when I was being posted overseas. As a young soldier, I struggled with all of my baggage from Euston Railway Station to Euston Air Terminal  Anyone, who remembers their first posting will sympathise; I had all of my baggage. All my army kit and my own suitcase too. I had to keep stopping because of the weight of it all. I couldn't afford a taxi, even though a couple stopped to see if I needed a fare.It was a nightmare. Recently, I thought about my plight in Euston, London, I wondered how it would have felt if Jesus had turned up and asked me to give Him the bags. It would have been wonderful.

I now realise, to a degree, how a camel feels in the early morning sun, worn out and thirsty with a massive weight on it's back. Proverbs 16:3 says, 'Commit your works to the LORD, and your thoughts will be established.' The Hebrew word for 'commit' is to roll, roll down, roll away or remove. The picture is of a camel burdened with a heavy load; when the burden is to be removed, the camel kneels down and tilts to one side and the load rolls off. This scripture encourages the reader to roll his care over to God's care. Do you get the picture.

We carry many burdens each day that could so easily be 'rolled' over to God. Psalm 55:22 tells us to "Cast your burden on the LORD, and He shall sustain you." Again in Matthew 11:28, 'Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.'  Why did Jesus say such a thing? Simple, because He knows us through and through. He knows how we take on too much, our loads and sometimes other people's too. He knows how we worry and fret because we are trying so hard to balance all we have to do and how it would be so easy, to just give up and walk away at times. He wants us to use His strength. Don't forget, on our own we can do nothing, but with Jesus we can do all things, Philippians 4:13.

Ask yourself, 'Isn't it about time that I stopped trying to do everything? Isn't it time that I only take on what I can manage? The thing to do, is roll it over to Jesus and allow Him to break all you have got to do into equal parts - important ones first - and then proceed through the agenda until you have achieved it. Then take a break with Jesus, before you start the next. He knows what He is doing; at times, we don't. Roll it all over to Him and refuse to be heavy laden again.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

  

The Joy of Your Salvation

"Restore to me the joy of Your salvation"                        Psalm 51:12      NKJV 

I think back to when I was first saved in October 1980. It was sheer bliss. Can you remember when you first came to know Jesus? There is no feeling like it. Nothing else mattered, it was like living in a bubble of joy and excitement. Nothing could come close to this feeling, it was a part of Heaven.

But then, 'Nevertheless I have this against you, that you have left your first love'  Revelation 2:4. What has happened? Well, after a time - the honeymoon period - we can tend to take things as they come and allow the busyness of life to take over. All of a sudden we may lose our job and we have bills to pay, or illness may strike. This all takes the wind out of us. Instead of taking the problem to Jesus, we try to work it out ourselves and the pressures really begin to form.

There is nothing like that introductory period with Jesus but, it doesn't have to stop there. He wants it to carry on. He doesn't want you to leave your first love, He wants you to carry on as you started and build upon it. He is Your Rock and Your Foundation, without Him you are nothing John 15:5. He is still the same Jesus that you met in the beginning. He still loves you and He is still exciting.

Nothing that you are going through at this time is a problem to Him. He can find that needle in the haystack, believe me. Nothing is worth leaving Him or putting Him in second place.

Why don't you come back to Him right now and find that excitement and contentment once again. You haven't lost your first love. You know where He is. Come to Him now:

Lord Jesus

I realise that I have left my first love and that wonderful place of excitement and joy. I can't live without You, Jesus. I need You every day, in my life. Therefore, I choose to return to You and give You the first place in my life from today. Please help me to realise that You are with me in the honeymoon periods and the times of pressure. Please forgive me for leaving You out of my life so much. I now ask that You will take my life and use it to Your Glory.

In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Confession and a new start Part 2

"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 

Yesterday, we had a look at adultery and the devastation and betrayal of it all and how it can completely destroy relationships and family life. Today, let's focus in more on forgiveness and how God really can promote a brand new start.

1 John 1:9 states: 'If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' That is it in a nutshell. This is how God operates, once we confess all that we have done wrong, He forgives and chooses to forget about it all. The sad thing about sin is that, it cannot be erased from a person's mind. If someone has been betrayed by adultery, it can be total torment that plays on the mind every day. It ruins relationships because the injured party becomes paranoid believing that their partner is committing adultery again. Many marriages break down because of this, but they don't have to.

If the adulterer confesses their sin and repents, the wounded party, if they want the relationship to continue, must forgive otherwise, they too will not be forgiven their sins when they ask Mark 11:25-26. Some marriages can't survive this and the offended party, chooses not to forgive because, they did nothing wrong in the first place. But they will still be held by this statement when they eventually meet Jesus.

If a marriage is worth saving then, something has to happen and that is forgiveness. It's a wonderful thing to forgive someone and receive forgiveness yourself. The world may not forgive but God will and He expects us to as well. Just think for a moment, where would we be if Jesus told us that He would not forgive us for something. It would be awful. Thankfully, through the blood shed at the cross, we are forgiven.

You know, none of us are perfect and, we make mistakes, some of them are very costly. You may be one of those people. You may have made the biggest mistake of your life. All you can do is ask for forgiveness and trust that God will bring you through this. If you truly mean it, He will, but it may not be the way you would have wanted it to. You just have to trust Him. 

If you are the injured party, just think for a moment; do you love your partner or are you willing to lose them. The decision has got to be yours. If there is a tiny speck of love left, then if you wish to give that speck to Jesus, He can perform something wonderful and turn that speck into an atom of love and security. He truly can. 

You need to seriously think things through - the both of you and if, there is a chance, take it.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Confession and a new start Part 1

"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 by Your generous Spirit."    

                                                                                                Psalm 51:10 - 12     NKJV 

This is a Psalm of David's confession to God after his adultery with Bathsheba and having her husband murdered. He had spent a year of misery trying to hide his sin of adultery, betrayal and murder; but, he couldn't hide it from God, who saw it all and after a time, sent the prophet Nathan to expose him 2 Samuel 12:7. We cannot hide from our sin, if we do, God has a way of bringing it to the light.

Adultery shatters families and marriages and, yet, some people commit this act living two lives. It betrays the innocent partner and displays to children that they are not really important. In some cases, acts such as this, can lead to murder as we often see in the media. The awful thing about it, is the adulterer's schemes at hiding the sin, with lies and manipulation. It may be exciting for some, to live in such a way but, it is devastating to be on the end of it all.

As we've seen, David tried a cover up for about a year and never repented. God would have given him every opportunity, like He would one of us; but David ignored all of this. Therefore, God sent Nathan who exposed him.

David eventually repented and wrote this Psalm about his sin and confession. He was ready to start again and had learnt his lesson. He asked God to give him a clean heart and a renewed, totally for God, Spirit. 

It can often feel like God has left us when we are in sin. He doesn't, it just feels that way. He never leave us but, the Holy Spirit will convictt us and we may feel like we are a million miles away from God, until we repent. With adultery, we need to confess and ask God to forgive us and - wait for it - also the partner who we have betrayed. Not many people want to do this but, if we don't, we are still hiding it and it could come back and bite us one day. We need to be free.

At times such as these, we need to feel the joy of God's salvation. That wonderful, elated time when we were first saved - the honeymoon. It will come but, firstly we need to confess and put things right and leave the rest to God. 

For the betrayed partner, it may take some time for healing and forgiveness to sink in and, this is where our faith comes in, What we are dealing with here, is the terrible cost of adultery and betrayal.

However, there is good news here. When we repent God makes a way forward. We’ll look at this tomorrow.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Dealing with depression

"Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls."     Psalm 42:7     NKJV 

Many people today suffer with depression. It can disable a person's mind, robbing them of all motivation and faith. At times it strikes when a person is not expecting it, such as a personal crisis, where the wind is taken out of the person's sails and they have a feeling that they just cannot cope or take anymore.

Many bible leaders from the past suffered depression, including King David, Elijah and Jonah. There were others. This Psalm is very interesting because it shows the Psalmist suffering a fluctuating  mood - hope and despair, confidence and then collapse and fear and bouts of faith. The writer was almost undergoing seesaw faith, one minute up and the next down in despair. 

He does something interesting, he challenges his soul - his mind, will and emotions and he says:

'Why are you cast down, O my soul? And why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God, for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His countenance'   Psalm 42:5.

He preached to himself, challenging his thoughts and feelings and then he paraphrased, 'I don't feel like praising Him now, but He is worthy of my hope - and I shall yet praise Him.' He is saying 'My soul is cast down within me, therefore, I will remember You' v6.

As he focuses on his feelings, he describes a waterfall. As the power of the water plunges into the body of water, it surges downward. If anyone is in the way of this, they may be taken down with the sudden power of it all. He mentions, 'Deep calls unto deep at the noise of Your waterfalls' v7. He realises that the more he focuses on the problem he is dragged down further and the depression becomes worse and can set up home within.

This is very important, when a person is depressed, it is very genuine and they find it difficult to make choices or think positive about anything at all. We know that God is the healer and He will and has healed people of this condition. But, everyone is different. Psalm 103:5 NIV describes God redeeming our life from the pit, that pit of despair that describes depression. Some people receive their healing instantly. Sadly for others, it takes a little longer for healing to fully kick in because the person may be further down in the 'deep calls unto deep' than the other.

You may have or be suffering depression at this time. It will pass but there are things that we can put into place to help speed the process. Like the Psalmist here, think of something that God has done in your life that gave you hope. Focus on that and each day build upon it until you can begin to thank and praise Him for this. It may take time, but it is a worthwhile exercise. Try and avoid the 'Deep things' the things that paint a darkness in your mind, and taking one day at a time with Your friend, Jesus, walk out of this captivity into freedom.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

 

Things will get better

"I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined to me, and heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, , out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God; many will see it and fear, and will trust in the LORD."                   Psalm 40:1-3     NKJV

Once again, we see David waiting. But, note, he is waiting patiently. This is something that will only come with practice. I am quite impatient and find it very difficult to wait for things to happen. I can often be seen pacing around the room as I wait. I am sure that I am not the only one. Being patient while we wait for something to happen, is a sign of great integrity and one that takes a long while to perfect. Everyone becomes a little itchy after waiting for a long time for something to develop. It would appear though that David had acquired the gift of patience. 

Notice in verse 1 where God 'inclined to me.' This show us that God bent down and leaned into David to hear his requests and fears. If He did this for David, then be reassured, He does it for you as well. He has no favourites  and demonstrates His love and care for us in such ways. This also confirms to us that He hears our pleas.

In verse 2, David mentions that God brought him up, or rescued him, from a horrible pit and out of the miry clay. The 'horrible pit' that David mentions, could be described as a dungeon or a cistern. This reminds me of a place where Joseph was in Genesis. However, sooner than it being an actual place, it was more likely to have been an area of distress in his life, one where he felt completely alone and trapped. To add to this, he felt like he was in a miry clay. Now, this is similar to a swampy place with mushing, sticky mud that sucks at the feet and threatens to suck a person under or keep them there, again trapped. I am sure that you have been in a similar position where life is holding you to ransom and you can't seem to find a way out of the mess. But note this, God heard his cry and set his feet on a rock.

A rock is a firm piece of land which normally has a solid foundation. This was where God placed David when He rescued him. But this was a metaphor, the rock was Jesus Himself and is not unlike Moses experience when God told him to use his staff to draw water from the rock by hitting it with his staff. Unfortunately for Moses, the second time he had to do something like this, he didn't listen properly to God when He told him to 'speak' to the rock, not hit it with his staff. His disobedience cost him entering the promised land  Exodus 17:5 - 7, Numbers 20:7. The Apostle Paul described this in 1 Corinthians 10:1 - 4 and describes Jesus as being the rock.

God rescued David, as He will you when you are in peril and cry out to Him. He 'established his steps' v2. This means that He led David to a place of safety and set him on the right road. This put a new song in David's heart and, for us He will do similar by putting a new skip in our walk. 

You will become trapped in similar ways as you go through your Christian life, but, realise the rock, Jesus Christ, is with you wherever you go and if you begin to sink, like a heavenly lifeguard, He will rush to save you.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Rest and do not fret

"Rest in the LORD, and wait patiently for Him; do not fret because of him who prospers in his way, because of the man who brings wicked schemes to pass. 8 Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not fret - it only causes harm."       Psalm 37:7-8     NKJV 

God wants His people to be at peace - in complete rest. He doesn't wish for us to be fretful about things but, to be patient. People do appear to get away with their schemes and wicked ways but, is it worth getting all steamed up about it all. If we can do something directly about this, then go ahead. However, if we can't there is no use in fretting about it.

There are a lot of plotters about; they's mostly known as con men. It's hard to spot them mostly, so be wise in all you do. They may rip you off but, they'll never be able to rip God off. Whatever has happened, if you leave it to Him, He will avenge. Because God has promised to take care of us, as we put our trust in Him, we can rest in the Lord. 

Resting in the Lord is a particular kind of rest; it s the rest of silence. We do not have to defend ourselves in retaliation. If we refuse to speak back to someone who has done us a wrong, then God will protect us. Remember how Jesus handled things. Often, He remained quiet - silent. If He did, then we need to do the same. 

We need to watch our anger level; when we surrender to this, we handle things badly. Therefore, cease from anger. When we are angry, we allow ourselves to lose a certain amount of control. We are no longer in the driving seat, the devil is and he loves to drive. In anger, words and behaviours get out of hand. When we calm down, we are left with guilt and regret, even shame. Don't allow yourself to get this way.

Check out the last part of verse 8, 'Do not fret - it only causes harm.' It causes harm to the people that we become angry with or who witness our behaviour; and it can cause us harm. Becoming so angry that we become out of control, can force our blood pressure to boil and may even cause a heart attack or a stroke. It is far better to stay out of harms way and be at rest.

Have you found that place of rest that we are discussing? It's not as difficult as it seems. It is giving our all to Jesus - our cares, concerns, troubles, fears and worries, and allowing ourselves to step into the place of security and peace. Literally, it is heaven on earth and it is achievable. Jesus said in Matthew 11:28, 'Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.' Ask yourself, what part of that is difficult to understand? Jesus offered it and we need to accept it. Why punish your soul - your mind, will and emotions, when you have such a great offer?

Let us enter His rest!

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE