We could so easily have given up

8We don’t want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed — beyond our strength — so that we even despaired of life itself. 9Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God who raises the dead. 10He has delivered us from such a terrible death, and he will deliver us. We have put our hope in him that he will deliver us again 11while you join in helping us by your prayers. Then many will give thanks on our behalf for the gift that came to us through the prayers of many.

                                                                          2 Corinthians 1:8-11   CSB

We can allow ourselves to become so involved  with things going wrong that, we can begin to feel like everything is against us and that we haven't a friend in the world. Sometimes God allows situations in our life to appear hopeless because, He is trying to direct your focus onto Him. You may feel like giving up because you can't seem to  fix the situation you are in and no one you know is capable of fixing it either.

All of our Human Resources have been depleted. But Paul offers a key principal in this next statement: 'We felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but, in God who raise the dead. We have put our trust in Him.' 2 Cor 1:9-10.

So basically, when you feel that the chips are down, don't give up. There is always a solution, you just have to find it. So don't give up too early, the solution may be just around the corner, so be patient.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Don't allow yourself to become distracted

38Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word.  40But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.”    Luke 10:38-40  NKJV

Mary was a worshipper; Martha was a worker. Martha had this intense desire to work and prove herself worthy to Jesus. Mary just sat at His feet and gave Him all of her attention. Martha was serving two masters - work and her busy relationship with Jesus and, like everything else, Jesus was becoming a side line to her.

In addition to all of this, it was causing tensions between her and her sister and Jesus was noticing this. 'And Jesus answered and said to her, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things 42 But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken from her.'  Jesus recognised what was happening but, He was not prepared to take away Mary's choice to sit at His feet and worship Him. Martha had the same choice and it was up to her.

There will always be tensions when one is seen to be doing all the work and the other is spending time with Jesus. Like Mary, she had a choice but, she was driven by distraction and jealousy - busy but never blessed.

Is it time that you make a few changes in your walk with Jesus?

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Show us the Glory Lord, and we'll believe

48Then Jesus said to him, “Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe.”    John 4:48  NKJV

We touched on this verse yesterday, but there is much more to it. We can see from scriptures around the cross, that Jesus was watched for every move He made or word He spoke. They divided His clothes, took His possessions and totally humiliated Him. Of course, they wanted Him to perform a miracle and come down from the cross, they would then believe in Him. But Jesus, never acted in such a way. He had nothing to prove then and still has nothing to prove now.

Many today, are tempted to treat Jesus similar. 'Give us more Lord, send your fire upon us.' A word of caution here, be careful what you ask for. I know of at least two or three churches that have burnt down because of such requests. Always be choosey with your words, God may take you up on what you ask.

We cannot trade with God; He is not a God who we can convince of the way forward. He knows the way; He is the way and that is it. Many came to Jesus wanting to see Him and witness His great miracles. Some treated Him as if he was a side show in a circus. Listen, Jesus will have no part of this type of thing. As I've mentioned, He has a mission and will do all He can to fulfil this mission. There are many deceivers about, probably one we like to watch is 'Dynamo'. He has an amazing skill but it is only magic and deceit. Yes it is exciting to watch what he does but, he is only a showman, don't get misled or drawn in. Enjoy the shows but don't believe that any of it is the truth. Only Jesus is the truth.

Enjoy Jesus for who He is and what He wants to gives us - and that is a lot. Enjoy Him, honour Him and give him the first place on your life. You won't regret it.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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I believe in healing so, why do I feel terrible?

"Now He arose from the synagogue and entered Simon’s house. But Simon’s wife’s mother was sick with a high fever, and they made request of Him concerning her. 39So He stood over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. And immediately she arose and served them".                           Luke 4:38-39   NKJV

Many of us read this passage and wonder why things such as this don't happen to us. Hazel and I have had the flu for over 3 weeks now; tried very drug we can and are still suffering. People can say, it's because of our lack of faith but, I know it's not. Then of course, there are scriptures such as John 4:49-51: "The nobleman said to Him, “Sir, come down before my child dies!”

50Jesus said to him, “Go your way; your son lives.” So the man believed the word that Jesus spoke to him, and he went his way.  51And as he was now going down, his servants met him and told him, saying, “Your son lives!"

Again, this can all lead to lack of faith on our part; but, we know this is not the case. 

We're called to walk by faith, not by sight 2 Cor 5:7. This means believing what we hear and see without the slightest of doubts in our minds. Perhaps the people above, needed to believe in Jesus without being tested and this is why they received miracles. We shouldn't only believe, we should expect such things from Jesus because, this is how He wants us to be; to be any different means we have to go without.

Don't be frightened to expect from Jesus. If He has said it, He expects us to receive it. This could be the reason He said 'Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will by no means believe' John 4:48. Therefore, begin taking Jesus at His word and watch the difference.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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Things come on us very suddenly

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting".   Acts 2:2   NKJV

The devastating fire that has raged through the state of LA, this past week or so, has been devastating. It has taken practically everything within its sight and has been heartbreaking to watch on the news channels. The speed of the devastation and the loss of properties, homes and people's lives, together with the pain and humiliation of not being able to prevent this, is beginning to take its toll, and the fire still rages. Lives will be affected for many years to come.

Words fail at such times because we have no answers. Some don't wish to speak about it, others don't know what to say. People have lost everything - they had everything, more than anyone could ever imagine, now, in just a puff of smoke, it has all gone. Of course, many of this loss will be met with insurance claims but, in my experience one only receives a proportion of what they were expecting because of some small print somewhere. And let's face it, with a devastating incident such as this, many insurance companies may not be able to cope with the sheer pressures of it all.

What can we do to help these people? We can pray. This is the weapon that God has given us for changing lives and it works. I believe God has given us this scripture to spread over the people of LA, and so I ask that we can all hold them up as we spread this scripture over them.

17Though the fig tree may not blossom,

Nor fruit be on the vines;

Though the labor of the olive may fail,

And the fields yield no food;

Though the flock may be cut off from the fold,

And there be no herd in the stalls—

18Yet I will rejoice in the Lord,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

Habakkuk 3:17-18

'Father, we bring the people of LA to you this morning and we ask for your help, peace and your support at this time. Lord, we spread the Word of Habakkuk over the people of LA and, knowing Your Word will not return void (Isaiah 55:11). In fact, we believed it will achieve what it is sent for. We lift them up to You for comfort. Please be with them. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

News Update

 Back on Monday

Still have ‘the cough’ but

Feeling much better.

Thanks so much for your prayers 

Doc update

 Been checked over

All good, just need to

Let flu work through system

Doc thinks it could take a month but we’ll see

Flu update

 Getting there

See the doc today

Get some meds

Hoping to be back on

Weds/Thurs?

Still sick

 Still sick I’m afraid 

It’ll be a few more days

Before I’m back on the road

SORRY 

Ill with the Flu

I AM SO SORRY, BUT I HAVE COME DOWN WITH A MAJOR DOSE OF FLU.

I WLL BE BACK SOON👇

Epilogue to 'The Happy's'

"14Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse."   Romans 12:14   NKJV

It would be an injustice, if I didn't offer an epilogue to our recent study of 'The Happy's' So I want to concentrate on Matthew 5:11-12 and Romans 12:14-19, just to reinforce a few issues.

Jesus made it very clear that, He had come, not to make life easy, but to make us great. He said in Matt 5:11-12, 'Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake. Rejoice and be exceedingly glad, for great is your reward in heaven.' Do you know something? It is so difficult to be able to do this, especially when you have been treated like a doormat and walked all over; or been made a laughing stock in front of people you know and thought, supported you. It is so hard to brush aside hurt such as this. But Jesus says, 'great is your reward in heaven.' Think about it, Jesus is telling us that it is possible to rejoice and be exceedingly glad, so it has to be possible, but, only in God's strength. The more you try to do this on your own, the more likely it is to fall flat on your face. Therefore, we need God's help and this means, staying connected to Him through prayer and His word.

Moving on to Romans 12, we see in verse 14 'Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse'. Again, let us be honest, when we have been wronged badly, it is difficult not to

curse someone, either by colourful language or saying something bad about them. If we curse someone, it is not necessarly the type of words that could do them harm; it may just be detrimental about them - which is bad enough. Verse 17 tells us to 'Repay no one evil for evil' This was Jesus redefining the OT standard of. 'an eye for an eye' to turning the other cheek. But, watch this, v18 says 'If it is possible, as much as it depends on you, live peaceably with all men.' One person may want reconciliation but the other one doesn't. God does not hold us responsible for this but, expects us to at least try to put things right. If we try and it fails, we have done our best in God's eyes; so, don't beat yourself up.

Finally, do not try to avenge yourself, you will never be successful, and may even make it worse. No, leave it to God. He is the one who will avenge. As Paul writes in 12:19 ' Vengeance is mine, I will repay.' God has said this so, leave things to Him. You have done your best.

So there we have it, there is much more as I wrote yesterday so, try and dig into this study and let me know by email, how you get one. I'd love to hear from you grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

The Happy's Part 7

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. "  Matthew 5:9. NKJV

THE HELPERS   Dr David Jeremiah says: 'The word translated "Peacemakers," comes from a verb meaning to 'join together.' It pictures two opposing forces that are now being reconciled (Mt 5:44-45). Peacemakers experience joy and excitement as they help others reconcile with God and one another.'

The peacemaker is a mediator who resolves conflicts between estranged parties. Identifying the truth and addressing the sin, and then constructing a bridge between those who are at odds with one another. It's a difficult ministry as I found out both in my social work career and pastoring a church. However, it is one in which we will be called sons of God because we resemble our Father - our Daddy.

When you are around people who are at loggerheads with each other, do you make a quick getaway to let them get on with it, or do you listen and attempt to bring peace into their situation? 

This will show you whether or not you are a peacemaker or not. Don't worry if you are of the former and make a quick getaway. We are not all called to have the same gifts and ministry. If we were, we would either have too many plumbers and not enough electricians, or we would have a painter and decorator working as a car mechanic. It wouldn't work very well.

So, if you feel that you fit into the mould of the peacemaker, tell God this. He already knows but, He likes you to acknowledge things. Don't be frightened to put yourself forward; if you don't fit the bill, Jesus will soon tell you and lead you into your own ministry. 

The world needs peacemakers; just look at the state of the world at this time. It is chaos because each leader wants to do things their way and won't negotiate. We could be on the brink of WW3 if they don't find a peacemaker to speak wisdom to them. Obviously, this may not be you, but, the world around you needs a peacemaker. Therefore talk to God and seek His wishes for you life. You could be of so much help!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

The Happy's. Part 6

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God."   Matthew 5:8   NKJV

THE HOLY   These people have extremely good motives, holy thoughts and a clear conscience. In Christian circles. They are highly thought of because of the lives that they live- with holiness and joy. The Greek word for Pure is cathartic. A cathartic moment cleanses the soul.

Jesus focused much more on the hearts of His listeners, instead of their ability to maintain the rituals of the law. He preached against obeying the law in action only, rather than out of true love for God. In other words, He wanted us all to have heart knowledge and not just head knowledge. 

Senior Pastor Tony Evans comments on this: 

'Purity of heart involves being authentic before God, so come clean with Him about the good, the bad and the ugly, and you'll see Him operating powerfully in your life,'

                                                      (The Tony Evans Study Bible, Matthew 5:8 p1099 footnote)

Tony Evans mentions being authentic and he is spot on with this. However, I believe we need to go one step further and be, transparent, Being transparent, means that people wherever we go will be able to see our heart - where we are coming from and what's on our mind. Jesus has already adopted this for each of us; He can see the 'real us'. 

This is essential if we want to live our lives in purity and holiness. May I offer a challenge to us all?? When we speak to other Christians, whether it be via the pulpit, home group or whatever; we are on our best behaviour, right? We want to do this right so act accordingly. However, what is really happening in your heart at the time you are delivering this to people? If you were transparent, they would see this but, we can choose to hide this away. Now, this is where the challenge kicks in, Prior to you delivering this message, preaching, teaching etc, you may have had an upset with your partner, a family quarrel or an altercation with another motorist. Therefore, you are not at your best, so what you are about to say, may be of an hypocritical manner.  So, why not share this with whoever you are about to speak to. There is nothing wrong with being honest, and let's face it, it happens to us all. There may be others there, who through your testimony receive freedom as they share theirs too. This is called being transparent. As you share this with the people, they may pray for you and then, you will deliver something that could never have come from you earlier. Your purity will flow from your heart into theirs.

Think about it.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out