Sunday 31 October 2021

Defence Mechanisms final part

"let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathise with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 16 Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace , that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."                                            Hebrews 4:15-16   NKJV 

When we have built defence mechanisms around us, how then, do we remove them so that we can move forward? As Christians, the best way is to involve Jesus in this complexed area. Lawrence J Crabb Jnr, a Christian Psychologist, said 'The basic personal need of each person is to regard himself as a worthwhile human being'. This means knowing that God will give you the confidence that you need. And William Glasser comments, 'Everyone aspires to have a happy, successful, pleasurable belief in himself.' Robert S McGee, author of The Search for Significance writes: 'Our hunger for self worth is God given and can only be satisfied by Him.' There we have it in a nutshell, we must turn to God in our time of need.

A very basic model to help with defence mechanisms is The ABC Theory. Quite simply this consists of a:               
 Situation.     A Reaction      A Response
The situation is what you are faced with. The reaction is how you handle this and how you attempt to resolve it. You are then left with the response and result. To every situation there will always be a reaction and it follows that this reaction will determine the response and result. Therefore, it is taking what your are struggling with and analysing what reaction you come up with. From there, as you know what the problem is you are struggling with, it is necessary to give this to God and ask Him to bring about a Godly response that will provide a satisfactory result.

You see, God cares very much for you. It matters to Him when you are struggling with issues and not flowing at the level He wants for you. Life has dealt you a bad hand but there is a way out and, forgetting the past and reaching forward to the things that are ahead, is the answer (Philippians 3:13). There is no other way if you want freedom. The past is the past, you cannot change it. However, there is life out there for living and God wants you to enjoy every moment of it.

We all have to start somewhere and, for you, perhaps the best place to start is with what the reason is for blocking things. The simple test above may help or if you know already, cast it over to Jesus and let go of it all.

Pray this: 
Lord Jesus, You know the struggle that I have and the pain it has caused me over the years. I am ready to give it all to You, Lord. Please receive this and help me to make a brand new, problem free life with You. I ask in Jesus' name . Amen.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Saturday 30 October 2021

Defence Mechanisms. (2)

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"                                         Psalm 27:1     NKJV 

Children and Marital Breakdown.  As human beings, we develop defence mechanisms in order to block pain. Many people have deep-rooted scars that have been caused by living in a dysfunctional family. They may have been subjected to alcoholism, drug abuse, divorce, absent father or mother, excessive anger or abuse in various manners. As a child, you may have been taken into care and the fear of this, together with the loss of familiar surroundings, no matter how bad they may have been, have caused an anger and bitterness that still rules today. This can affect forming new relationships. It may be very difficult to fully trust anyone and there may be suspicion and lack of trust that can be a prominent block to forming friendships. A person such as this, is a survivor, they have had to learn the art of this to get through the life that has been forced upon them. However, this type of survival tactic carries with it mistrust - this person will not allow anyone to get that close to them just in case people are out to hurt them. Therefore, they manage on their own and only give to people a piece of themselves. Does this sound familiar?
Divorce and Relationships.  Anyone who has suffered the pain of divorce or breakdown of a relationship, may carry around with them memories that they do not want to re-live again. Many may re-marry after a time but can be reluctant to fully trust their new partner again just in case they hurt them as well. Therefore, they only give about 85% and keep the rest locked behind their protective wall. When this happens, trust is limited and before too long disagreements may begin because the other partner feels left out in the cold. It takes time to build a relationship and the only true way for this to survive is to have God right in the middle of the marriage. Without Him there, the marriage can become very shaky and full of suspicion, mistrust and argument. The partner who was hurt in their first marriage may refuse to give all of themselves and the future of this relationship looks bleak. 
Memories.  We all have memories, some good and some bad. However, if they affect us in a painful way, the only way round these is to remember that they were in the past. We can never bring back what happened yesterday, however hard we try. The person who has built a defensive wall  around themselves may well live in the past, re-living what happened, what might have happened or what should have happened. However, it is futile to keep living in the past, especially if it contains pain. All you are doing is trying to live a life that could never have been and one in which only leads to further heartache. Memories affect us all; a particular piece of music can catapult us back to a special or painful time. We can re-live that memory as the music's playing. but it is only torture to do so. That part of life is over and it is time to move on.

Tomorrow, in our final part of this small series, we will look at ways to be able to move forward and leave the past behind for good.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Friday 29 October 2021

Defence Mechanisms. (1)

"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?"                                         Psalm 27:1     NKJV 

David here, affirms God as our source of confidence. As a light, He illuminates all of the darkness that is around. God delivers you physically and spiritually in spite of enemies that creep around. There is nothing to fear because you are in God. However, you may be carrying old baggage around that has long needed throwing away. Let's look at a few of these:

When something is thrown at you, you naturally put your hands out to block the item from hitting you. This is an automatic response in order to protect yourself. The mind reacts against against anything you believe to be harmful. Things such as:

A verbal assault. This may be from someone you care about or from another person. The words spoken can pierce your heart like an arrow and may remind you of earlier verbal abuse that you had to suffer. At that time, you may have made a vow that you would never allow anyone to talk to you in such a way, again. Therefore, when you speak with someone who does, that inner vow is activated and you put up that guard, refusing to allow the words to penetrate. When this is happening, you may also let rip with words to match and a battle is started. This could be with family, friends or even a boss at work, who speaks harshly. I know of several service personal who after leaving the services, declared that no one would ever boss them around again. They would accept requests but never orders. This may have caused them problems later in life. There is a balance that needs to be found.
A Negative statement. Some words spoken by parents, guardians or other people may have left scars that are still open. Just being told that you are useless and will never make anything has been said to many young people. Also, when you have done something for someone and they pull it apart as if it is rubbish. You may have said, 'I did my best'. In return, they have have said, 'Well your best isn't good enough.' Where do you go when you are told that your best is not good enough.

The above issues cause a person to react very negatively and they learn to build defence mechanisms. These are ways that help them to cope with what is thrown at them. This may be where you are at this time. Your past is catching up on you and causing you some distress as you try and people are recognising this. Using a defence mechanism means that you are building a wall around yourself and not allowing people to get too close to you. Jesus wants to heal this if you will let Him.

Tomorrow we will look at three more areas that cause reactions and then we look at ways to counteract this.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Thursday 28 October 2021

Stop worrying and be happy

 "A merry heart does good, like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."    
                                                                                                     Proverbs 17:22     NKJV

When we are happy it shows in all we do. People notice and are infected by the smile that we give. It has a warming effect. Furthermore, a good belly laugh is so beneficial to our health; it brings us a healthy release. When did you last have one?
Alternatively, those who are defeated  and broken see the effect in their health and attitude. When a person has nothing to look forward to or be happy about, their life dries up.

Bob Marley wrote a brilliant song called called Three Little Birds and the words of the chorus were:
'Don't worry about a thing ' cause every little thing is gonna be all right'  

You are probably humming this catchy little song in your head right now. The song made people happy, that's what it was intended to do. God also has happy words for us which are life-giving.

'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. 34 Therefore, do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.'     Matthew 6:33-34.   NKJV

Worry is a tormentor, it rules our lives if we allow it to. But Jesus tells us not to worry, in fact, it is a command. He does not want us wasting one moment fretting about the things of the world. There is always a solution, and Jesus has it. 
Be honest, just lately, has your life been filled with so much worry that it is impossible to smile or even feel that there is a way through the mess. There is a way, God will show you if you ask Him. 

The song above says, 'Don't worry about a thing, 'cause every little thing is gonna be all right'. 
Don't you think it is time that you believe that if you belong to Jesus, it will be all right? Don't you think that it is about time that you spoke life to those dried up bones of yours and put a smile on your face? You belong to the King of kings. He will never let you down. Stand up and shout, 'AMEN'.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Wednesday 27 October 2021

Self - Examination

"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life." v23 
                                                                                                  Proverbs 4:20-27   NKJV 

The Word of God is life and health to our flesh. Our heart is our source of life - without it life is over. So take care of it by exercising and eating sensibly and worry less. The heart is also our store. Good and evil are produced from what it contains (Luke 6:45). Again, extreme care should be taken. Keep it with all diligence otherwise, the store can control how we speak, what we look at and where we go v26-27.
There is a need for parents to advise and train up their children about issues such as this. Solomon was a good example of this and he didn't care if he was being repetitious. He felt it was of great importance. However, when we are teaching our children in this way, we have to live up to what we say. Children watch how we handle things. Therefore, if we want to show them the way to go, we must also be sure that we are going the same way too. Otherwise, it will all go wrong and they will rebel.
One of the big ways that we let ourselves down is with what we say - what comes out of our mouths. If we are not in control and something comes along that really winds us up, we can let rip with some colourful language. Once those words are out we can't erase them. They have been spoken and someone may have witnessed this, which can make us feel awful and condemned. We are only human, this is true, however we should really be in control of this area and if not, we need to work on it.
We need every now and then, to do a self examination of our inner self. Asking ourselves questions such as:
Have I a deceitful mouth?                                    
Do I use perverse language?
Do my eyes wander to the opposite sex?            
Do I go to places that are unwise areas?
Am I easily led?

These questions if answered honestly will give you a spiritual self assessment of the condition of your heart. You will then be able to offer these areas up to God, asking Him to help you work on them. It may take a while to tackle these but it will be well worth it.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 
Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Tuesday 26 October 2021

Giving to God

"Honour the LORD with your possessions, and with the first fruits of all your increase; 10 so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine."       
                                                                                                      Proverbs 3:9-10    NKJV 

A most contentious subject, one that has caused many a heated conversation throughout the years of church life is the practice of giving our money to God and to His work. Some give much, others do not give at all and God does not hold a gun against a person's head to comply. He does though, promise blessings to those who do give.

Giving to God is a demonstration of how much we trust and value Him. He is the source of all that we have and He will continue to provide our needs. It really is an act of worship towards Him. We hold Him so dearly and are so grateful for all He does for us and it becomes a matter of gratitude and thankfulness. As we begin to feel this, we cannot fail to worship Him.

Here Solomon is saying we need to honour God with the first fruits of all our increase. Note the words, 'first fruits', this is our income before we have spent anything. It is the first thing we need to do, not giving whatever we have left. We expect God to give us the best, in return we should do the same. Also note, 'all of your increase'. This reinforces that we should give Him the best, not just what we can afford. Worship gives all.

The work of God covers a multitude of areas. Of course, there is the upkeep of the church and pastor and the many resources that are needed to provide the Word of God. But also, there is the mission field. In parts of our world, people are starving; others are terribly abused; others need schooling. This all costs money. There are many organisations who cater for these areas and need financial support to be able to provide this care. Did you know that you can provide a child with food and schooling and all the other things that they need, just by paying a certain sum to the organisation each month. Then of course there are people with disabilities, even our own soldiers who have been terribly injured in their work. Many of these need finance to provide their care.

This is all part of honouring God with our wealth. He gives to us, we give back to Him and He gives us more so this can continue. It is not a 'get rich quick' exercise, it is demonstration of honouring God, of worshiping Him with all He has given us.

Why not give this some thought and prayer.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Monday 25 October 2021

The Blue Print of Life

"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."     Proverbs 3:5-6    NKJV 


These two verses say it all. They are our blue print to live by and we need to study and expound every word in order to get the best out of them.

Trust  The Hebrew meaning of this word is to lie down - to put your entire weight on something. Think, when we lie down in bed, we trust that the bed will hold our weight so that we can enjoy a good rest. This is the same type of trust. As we trust in Him, he takes the weight of our problems.
All your heart  He tells us to trust Him completely; He can sustain us, our own understanding can't. He is our rock, our foundation and he has years of practice in guiding His people forward, safely.
Lean  We are to lean on Jesus, not on our own understanding. Lean means to incline towards. So therefore, we lean into Jesus so that we can concentrate on Him and fully grasp what he is saying without the outwards distractions of life. 
Acknowledge Him  We need to consult Him and acknowledge Him in all that we do and are planning to, in fact, everything. We should never turn to and rely on other sources for life's problems. It can be helpful to seek advice from people, but they may be wrong and coming from another direction. Jesus is our source and the first point of call in all we do.
He will direct you  Let us not lean on our own understanding. We are governed by emotions and many times we feel that what we are planning is the right thing to do. Then after a few more moments of thought, we may feel guilty about this decision and begin to change our thinking. Before too long we are so confused that we really do not know what to do. Seek Jesus, He is the only one that is committed and qualified to make the right decisions for us. 

You may be in the place where a decision needs to be made and you may be struggling with this. Others may have given you advice which they felt may be helpful. However some others may have offered conflicting advice, which is never helpful. Really, the best place to start is your blue print. This is a statement of truth, a divine guidance in life. Lay the decision before Jesus and allow Him to show you the way - because, He is the way.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Sunday 24 October 2021

Be careful of the company you keep!

"My son, if sinners entice you, do not consent."                   Proverbs 1:10     NKJV 


Tony Evans says, 'Bad company corrupts good morals.'   (Tony Evans Bible Commentary)
And this is very true. We have to be careful about the company we keep. When we associate with people of an impure character, they are going to rub off on us, because we often become like those we associate with on a regular basis.

The wrong type of person can persuade us to fall to the use of drugs, wild parties, alcohol abuse, adultery, perversion etc. Even gossip and criticism can fall into this category. We can be swayed by the wrong company that we keep. Be honest, have you not been in a fellowship circle where prayer all of a sudden can turn into a discussion including criticism, judging and gossip about someone? It is something that we need to be aware of. The wrong type of company can do us no harm unless, we join in with them. Not even the devil can lead a person into sin unless they consent. 

The dangerous area to be wary of is mentioned in Proverbs 1:11, 'Come with us'. This is where we need to have our wits about us because, if we agree to go with the wrong type of person, we are hooked. Solomon here, warns his son about the error of keeping the wrong type of company. Let's face it, a person with a history of alcohol abuse would be rather unwise to go on a pub crawl with a gang of other people. Or if a happily married person let their guard down, falling to the sweet tongue of another person, end up committing adultery. It happens all the time and the danger of these three words, 'Come with us', need to be taken on board, seriously.

'That'll never happen to me,' you may say and I hope it doesn't. However, many have said this and gone on to become enticed into any of the areas that we have discussed. We may think that adultery is far worse that gossiping about someone. However, it is still sin and how do we measure sin, it is impossible?

Let us be wise in the company that we keep and the places that we go; the things we watch on TV or the internet and the books and magazines that we read. Remember bad company corrupts good morals; and then we only have ourselves to blame.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Saturday 23 October 2021

'I will never abandon you, no, never'

"Because he set his love on Me, therefore I will save him; I will set him [securely] on high, because he knows My name [he confidently trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never abandon him, no, never]. 15 He will call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honour him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him and I will let him see My salvation."                      Psalm 91:14-16   The Amplified Study Bible 


Sometimes we can wander around in a daze wondering if the troubles we may face will ever cease. Things seem to pile up and as soon as you address or resolve one, another comes your way. You may be feeling this way at the moment. Further to this, it doesn't matter what you do, how well you do it or how faithful you have been, you can end up feeling dishonoured and left out of things by certain people. This can leave you with the feeling, 'Why should I bother?'

Life can be this way at times. It doesn't matter what we do to resolve issues or even make amends with someone; we always appear to be cast aside. This can make us feel surplus to requirements - no longer needed. No longer classed as important.

There is a degree of truth in these feelings. Life is busy and people are intent on meeting targets and multi-tasking. There doesn't appear to be a place left to show someone dignity or respect. It is work, work, work. It can lead to people trying to outdo someone, so they get noticed and take all of the glory, or have better homes, cars and bank balance. There seems to be a lot of competition around, and you may not feel like competing; and you don't have to. 

Take a look at today's reading. The Amplified Bible, brings out the true meaning of the text. This is how God - your Father, feels about you. In His eyes you are special and very loved. He values all you do and knows that you always try to do it well. You may let Him down occasionally, but we all do, and He still adores you. He knows how you feel but, sometimes it helps to sit with Him and tell Him all about what bothers you. You will never find anyone more trustworthy and helpful. He is the one that truly listens, doesn't pick up the 'phone when it rings or keeps looking at His watch while you're speaking, which all shows you, He doesn't have the time. No, He is not like that. He has time for you and what's more, will help you through any crisis or problem that you are facing. 

This morning, Jesus wants to tell you that He loves you more than words could ever say. He is your forever-friend, your bestest buddy, your life. 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Friday 22 October 2021

Risk-takers and careful types

 "And Peter answered Him and said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' 29 So He said, 'Come'. v28-29                           Matthew 14:22-33    NKJV


Peter was a man who acted on impulse. Many times he acted without counting the cost and thinking things through throughly. Here we see him shouting to Jesus as He walked on the raging sea during a storm, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' This was a courageous thing to consider but one where he had no idea if it was the right thing to do or not. He just acted on impulse, and then sank under the water.

Peter often acted on impulse but his heart was in the right place. Don't forget that he affirmed unshakable loyalty to Jesus (Matthew 26:33-35) and then denied His name. Jesus however, knew Peter's heart was genuine. Peter fell many times but, he always got back up again. He never gave up. His failures brought him closer to Jesus. Do yours?

Many people act on the emotion of the moment and without counting the cost, rush into the unknown. It is always a risky thing to act on impulse. It can though be exciting as well. It all depends on the type of person you are. There are risk-takers and there are the more careful type. Which are you? The risk-taker will dash into an opportunity and may make a great success out of it all. However, it may also be a great disaster. The risk-taker however, shrugs it off and looks for further opportunities.

The careful types, are the thinkers. They want to count the cost of it firstly before they make a commitment. This is sensible but, they can also lose out, if they think about something too long. Their procrastinating may lead them to miss the opportunity all together. 
Peter was a risk-taker, where Thomas was the careful type. We are all different and there is no right or wrong way. Successful business people take risks, whereas many others only talk about it.

We do though, need to find a balance and counting the cost is a sensible place to start. When these times come upon us, it is always helpful to place Jesus right in the middle of the situation. He will guide us what to do. But the final decision is very much up to us and that can be a difficult one. We have to live with the decision we make.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard


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Thursday 21 October 2021

The window into your heart

"Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" v34             
                                                                                               Matthew 12:33-37    NKJV

When we open our mouths and speak, we reveal what's deep inside - whether good or evil. This needs to be watched. It is almost like God has a tape recorder, recording all that we say. We will have to account to Him, for every idle and careless word that we have uttered v36. We will be justified by them or condemned.

Just for a moment, let us imaging that God does have a tape recorder. What does He hear when we speak, what comes out of our mouth? Through the window of our heart, what does he hear and see? It is concerning that we will have to give an account for what we have said - judgemental words; critical words, angry words and the bad-mouthing that we can become involved in from time to time. 

If this is the case, and it most certainly is, then we need to take control now before it is too late. The process calls for addressing the heart by devoting it to God business v33. We need to make our tree of fruit good and not evil. We need to place treasure into our hearts. We can so easily let our guard down. I call it, the 'Behind Closed Door Syndrome'. When we are out and about in influential  company, we would probably be on our guard ensuring that the words we speak are suitable. However, when we arrive home, we seem to let our guard down and say what we really mean, regardless of whether we are criticising or judging another. This should not be.

We should be the same at home as we are in public; God sees us wherever we are and He knows what we are really like. It is time to roll our sleeves up and do the job properly. We need to allow the window to our heart be spotlessly clean. It is clean up time because it is a daunting thought to have to stand before Jesus and give an account of all that we have said and done wrong.

Psalm 19:14 says:

'Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart
be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my Redeemer.'

It is never too late to change, to repent of all we have said and done wrong. God is a loving God and He daily gives us grace. It's a learning process and some of us take longer to learn things than other people do. However, don't leave it too long.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

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Wednesday 20 October 2021

Jesus may bring division

"Do not think that I come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword."  v34                                                                             Matthew 10:34-39    NKJV


These words from Jesus are very strong and almost carry a contradiction; after all, Jesus says in John 14:27 'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.' What then is He saying here? Jesus is showing us that to follow Him is costly. There will undoubtably be division between family and friends; workmates and neighbours. We all have choices, we may choose Jesus but others, decide not to, and this is where the hostility can begin.

Families have suffered separation because of one member becoming a Christian. Couples have separated from their marriage and workers have been and still are, persecuted for their faith. It is  division and can therefore become a warfare situation. David Jeremiah says:
'Christ ultimately came to earth to bring peace, but when people choose to follow Jesus, they will often face division and conflict, even within their own households. To choose loyalty to family over loyalty to Christ disqualifies  a person from being one of His disciples' Luke 14:25-27.

We all have choices and the choice to follow Jesus must be a commitment, nothing short of that. People may try to change the choice that we make by using convincing conversations but we must not be swayed by all of this. Jesus looks for dedication. This is why He said that He did not come to earth to bring peace but a sword. A sword slices things apart; it separates and divides and this is what the Word of God actually does. This doesn't mean that we have to be hostile to unbelievers, definitely not. We are to show them the love of Jesus whenever and wherever we can. Jesus would expect us to love them, forgive them but never argue or fight with them.

Bur we have to bear our cross, and the is what it means. The world around us - friends, family and neighbours etc may be hostile towards us; they may disregard us but this is all about us carrying the cross of Jesus Christ. Jesus carried His cross to Calvary where He died a terrible death for each one of us. He had commitment and dedication and He looks for this in each one of us. The price of following Jesus can be costly - Jesus demonstrated this. However, we should never consider giving up or renouncing our faith - never! We belong to the King of kings.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard


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Tuesday 19 October 2021

The lesson in the storm

"And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves. But He was a sleep." v24.                                       Matthew 8:23-27     NKJV 


Storms on the Sea of Galilee are quite common and often very severe. One minute there can be calm, the next it can be tempest level. It was no different here. Jesus and the disciples had climbed into a boat to go to the other side - possibly between an 8 to13 mile long journey. Jesus fell asleep and the tempest struck threatening to capsize the boat.

Wherever Jesus is, the storms of life become calm and it was similar here. The disciples panicked and woke Jesus. He remained calm and spoke to the storm and there was peace. William Barclay says, 'When the storms of life shake our souls, Jesus Christ is there and in His presence the raging of the storm turns to the peace that no storm can ever take away.'

Storms come to us in various types, there are sorrows, doubts, fears, heartaches and many more. However, when these storms hit us, just a call to Jesus helps bring a calming effect. There is a lesson here. Jesus demonstrated that in His humanity, He needed to rest and so do we. Jesus' desire was to sleep regardless of any storm that was around and, His desire is for us to do the same. We are stronger when we have rested and there is rest in the presence of Jesus. The natural thing to do during these storms is to panic and try to find a solution. However, many times one cannot be found and fretting does not help. We need to practice that, handing the crisis over to Jesus is the only answer. Jesus slept through part of the storm, so can we, as difficult as it may sound. Obviously this is easier said than done, but when we cannot do anything about the situation, it is far better to get some rest. Without rest we are of no help to ourselves or anyone.

What are you going through at this time? Can you do anything about it immediately? If not, try and get a little sleep, even catnapping can alleviate stress. Cast it over to Jesus and take a little time out for yourself.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard



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Monday 18 October 2021

Attracting Jesus' attention

"Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."               Matthew 8:1-4     NKJV 


This leper, in his sickness and pain, heard that Jesus was about and, with confidence approached Him with his request, 'If You are willing, You can make me clean.' He said this from his heart, he knew that Jesus was capable of healing him and he had nothing to lose. As a leper should never come close to another person, Jesus could have, and as people expected, should have thrown stones at him to keep him away from them, through fear of infection. However, He did the opposite and stretched out His hand, touched him and said, 'I am willing; be cleansed.'
This was totally contrary to what should have happened and could have caused an uproar from the people. However, Jesus did the right thing and sent him to a priest to have him checked over and receive a certificate of healing.

This piece of scripture shows us three things that attract Jesus' attention:

Confidence  The leper would have been unsure about Jesus' feelings about him approaching. He didn't know if he would have been cast aside because of this disease. However, deep in his heart, he knew that there was something different about Jesus; he felt that he could trust Him and so, went to Him with confidence. Hebrews 4:16 tells us to go boldly to the throne of grace that we may find help in times of need.' And this is what this man did. He went to Jesus in his need. And so should we. Jesus wants us to have this confidence in Him.
Humility  James 4:6 says, 'God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble.' Again in James 4:10, he say's 'Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He will lift you up.' God will always resist the pompous and arrogant attitude but, will always receive the person who humbles himself before Him. 
Reverence  The leper came to Jesus worshiping Him and this, is how we should approach the King of kings. He loves us and is our friend but, we should never take things for granted with Him. He deserves our respect and we should always be prepared to give Him this.

These are three areas that will get His attention, there are obviously more, but carrying out these three is a good place to start. Be confident in His presence, be humble and treat Him with respect and you will receive His full attention.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard



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Sunday 17 October 2021

Hearing and doing = obedience

"Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock; 25 and the rain descended, the floods came and the wind blew on that house and it did not fall for it was founded on the rock."    
                                                                                               Matthew 7:24-25   NKJV

Jesus spoke about building construction by experience, He was a carpenter and knew all about the necessity for building strong foundations. This was no mere illustration but one in which Jesus would have been aware of. In Palestine at the time, the builder had to think ahead. There were many gullies which in summer were pleasant sandy hollows which the novice would have thought pleasant to live in. However, in winter, the land would have raging torrents of rushing water, and the novice, having built their house on a dried out river bed, would see his house washed away.

Therefore, Jesus emphasised the importance of listening properly to what is being said. If a person doesn't hear the clear instructions in life, then calamities can happen. Many people do not listen properly because of busyness and multi-tasking; and when problems come because of this, they wonder why. Life has to have firm foundations and Jesus offers this. There are so many distractions in the world and getting a 'quick-fix' for them may seem to be the right way to go but, in the end there is a price to pay.

So we have to hear properly and then take action by doing what we have been directed to do. This is how we attain strong foundations. Our lives are able to stand the test when troubles come our way. Whatever may be thrown at us and no matter how hard it may be, we are able to keep standing because our foundation is firm. The bottom line is, if Jesus speaks to us and we do the opposite, then really, we only have ourselves to blame. We should have listened properly and done what He told us to do. Sometimes, we learn the hard way.

We need a strong foundation to rely on and the good news is, Jesus provides this for us. He is an expert in this area. If your world has begun to crash down around you just lately, check your foundation. What have you built on; what have you relied upon? A few adjustments may have to be made to get you re-built and equipped.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
 

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Saturday 16 October 2021

The narrow road can be difficult but, well worth it

"Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad and easy to travel is the path that leads the way to destruction and eternal loss, and there are many who enter through it. 14 But small is the gate and narrow and difficult to travel is the path that leads the way to [everlasting] life and there are few who find it."    
                                                          Matthew 7:13-14     The Amplified Study Bible

We always have choices to make in life and we have to live by these choices. Many choose to enter the wide gate where the road is wide and straight and, it looks by far, the easiest choice. Sadly, this is a bad choice. It may look easy and pleasurable but we read, it leads to disaster and loss in the end. Without Jesus, we are lost. The narrow gate, in contrast, leads to life but it comes with a cost because the road is full of potholes and obstacles that can cause great problems.

The majority of people choose the easy route - the wide gate. They may go to church once a week because this is what they have always done. However, there has been no encounter with Jesus in their hearts. In fact, some don't bother with Jesus and still feel He is a baby in the manger, not God. When they speak with a spirit-filled Christian, they feel that the other is 'religious' or even strange, especially when they speak in tongues. They are not willing to accept the way to eternal life through Jesus. They may even find it all offensive.

But the narrow gate is the one to enter but it takes all that we have to stay on it. Jesus never said it would be easy, but will pay dividends in the end - eternal life. This is one of the reasons why we suffer persecution and hatred. Our faith can embarrass people or even challenge them. Many when challenged, refuse to accept it and may become argumentative when we discuss Jesus. This may come from people in the street, at work or even in our own family. But we need to stick with it. A concert pianist didn't just happen, this person studied and practised for many years, giving up much of the outside world to become who they are today. A top athlete is the same. They use discipline to get their body into shape for hours on end. But when they pick up that gold medal, the feeling is awesome and it was well worth the struggle.

You may be struggling because you chose to follow Jesus. So did the early disciples and so do many pastors, evangelists and missionaries today. However, they have one thing in common. They have commitment and this is what it takes to walk along this narrow road.

It may not be easy for you but one day, when you are face to face with Jesus in heaven, you will realise that it was all worth it. Keep on going!
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
 



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Friday 15 October 2021

Do you need to forgive somebody?

"For if you forgive others their trespasses [their reckless and wilful sins], your Heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others [nurturing your hurt and anger with the result that it interferes with your relationship with God], then your Father will not forgive your trespasses."         
                                                     Matthew 6:14-15    The Amplified Study Bible  

When reading The Lord's Prayer in the Amplified, it reads, 'And forgive us our debts, as we have forgiven our debtors, [letting go of both the wrong and the resentment]  Matthew 6:12. When we pray The Lord's Prayer, as directed by Jesus, we need to realise that He takes this very seriously indeed. In this part of the prayer, we are actually asking God to forgive us our sin and confessing that we will forgive people who have sinned against us. This means forgiving and forgetting!

When other people have hurt and offended us, it is so easy to hang onto this hurt, nurture it and allow our anger and frustration to interfere with our relationship with Jesus. We quite simply are saying, 'Lord, please forgive me as I have forgiven so and so etc. But if we have not forgiven them, God knows and He will not forgive us either. We cannot pray this prayer if we are not willing to forgive and forget what someone else has done to us. It is not possible. Therefore, Jesus gave us verses 14 & 15 above and quite clearly establishes His position on this matter.

When we fail to forgive someone, it can become like a root of bitterness that will begin to build up until, we are riddled with the thought of it all. Every time we see or think about the person, we may avoid them or make it apparent that we do not wish to speak with them. We may also have mental conversations with them when we are alone. How can we fellowship with someone when we feel this way? Furthermore, how can we love them as Jesus clearly tells us to do in John 15:9-17? 

Don't become trapped into saying this prayer if you are holding a grudge against someone. If you can approach them and openly forgive them, do so. However, this is not always possible, especially if the person lives away, or if they believe that they are not guilty of offending you. At times like this, speak to God and tell Him that you forgive them and choose to forget about the matter. Then leave them to Him. Then get on and enjoy your relationship with Jesus.
Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
 


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