Pay attention - Part one

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"And fixing his eyes on him, with John, Peter said, 'Look at us.' So he gave them his attention, expecting to receive something from them."  Acts 3:4 - 5 NKJV (Read the whole chapter)

This man had been lame from birth and daily was laid at the gate Beautiful to beg for money. He knew nothing else. When Peter spoke to him, he gave them every bit of his attention because he thought he was going to receive some cash. But what he did receive was his healing and a life changing experience.

In verse 5 there are some very important points to consider:

HE GAVE THEM HIS ATTENTION. This is what Jesus wants us to do - to fully give him our attention without the distractions of the world around us, taking away our focus. We must find a time and a place to spend time alone with Him - for our own preservation. God has so much He wants to show us. He's our friend. If we have a friend and don't speak to him or her and you don't meet together, how long is that friendship going to last. Friendships don't usually survive this type of behaviour. With God, He wants to spend time with us, listening to our problems and receiving our praise and adoration.

EXPECT TO RECEIVE FROM HIM. God has so much to give us and tell us and we need to get into a place where we can receive this from Him. He wants us to receive His love and friendship, after all, He created us and we are his children. You want to spend time with your children, don't you? You want to give them all your love and attention too. Well, God is the same. He's our Father and longs to be with us everyday. Tony Campolo says it's almost like God carries a photo around of us and can't wait to show someone a pic of His children. I can't back that up, but I feel God is very much like this.

GET INTO POSITION. God has so much that He wants us to know and He wants to share it with us. However, we need to get into position in order to hear from Him. Quite simply, how we do that is to determine a set time (if this is possible) to read your bible and pray. Don't just rush in and bombard Him with, 'I want, I need, NOW!' He'll listen and probably answer you. But it is far better to grab a cup of coffee and spend a 'Quiet time', with Jesus. Praise Him, play a worship CD and sing along with it or just listen - praising Him. Laying flat out on the floor may seem alien to you or someone else if they see you. But it's a wonderful way of showing God that we submit to Him.
After you've praised and worshipped him for a while, read the bible. It helps if you read it in conjunction with a daily reading - such as this, or one that suits you better. Allow God to speak to you; speak back to Him. Let Him love you and take the burdens from your heart and shoulders. Pray, pray and pray some more. But, listen, listen and listen also. He doesn't speak in a loud audible voice but one in which you feel inside your heart that He is speaking to you. He may speak to you through a bible reading and you'll know without doubt that this is for you.

Give it a try. Tomorrow in part two, we'll look at this a little deeper. Have a great day and be blessed.


If you would like to contact me, email dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com or leave a comment

Hang in there

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"The armed men went before the priests who blew the trumpets, and the rear guard came after the ark, while the priests continued blowing the trumpets . Now Joshua had commanded the people saying, 'You shall not shout or make any noise with your voice, nor shall a word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I say to you, 'Shout!' Then you shall shout' " Joshua 6:9 - 10 NKJV.

The people of Israel must have felt they were facing an impossible task. They, together with the priests were to march around the city of Jericho once each day, for six days. Then on the seventh day, they were told they would march around the city seven times and on on the seventh journey they were to shout - loudly and the walls of the city would fall down.

Now let's look at this carefully. The city perimeter was 600 metres long. Around the city there were two walls, 15 foot apart and between 12 and 17 feet high. The walls were over 6 feet in thickness. On the outside of the walls was a ditch 27 feet wide and 9 foot in depth which was cut through solid bedrock. Adding to this, there were armed guards around the top of the walls. The very idea of it was quite absurd to them.
Then Joshua told the men that as they marched they were not to speak - at all. There was to be complete silence, not a word was to be spoken out of their mouths.

Why did they have to remain silent until the last walk around the city? Quite simply, because Joshua would have remembered the moanings, groaning and complaints of the former generation who had been led out of Egypt by Moses. They never stopped moaning and paid the price of not getting to the promised land because of their insolence and disobedience. Joshua didn't want a repeat of this. He didn't want faithless talk being spoken. He wanted faith not doubt. If they had been allowed to speak they would probably have been speaking doubt and failure to the task ahead. Therefore, he told them to be silent until he gave the command to shout. And it happened this way, on the seventh day and the seventh march around the city, Joshua gave the command and the walls came tumbling down.

Unbelievable? Not really. Not when we have a God who can take the impossible and bring victory. Joshua had been given a strategy by God. He followed it totally - obedience. The people did what Joshua commanded - obedience. Joshua believed God totally and he carried out God's Word of being bold and courageous, meditating on His Word and God gave him success.

He was patient. He didn't give up. Many of us may have given up on the sixth time of marching around Jericho. We would then have lost the blessing. Don't give up in your own lives. You don't know how close you are to receiving what God has promised. If you give up now - before you get there, you'll miss out on what God wants to give you.

Your time is coming. be patent and do all that God is telling you to do. It may be taking forever, but it will come if you don't give up. Stay close to God; be obedient to His Word and the walls will come tumbling down on your own, personal Jericho.

If you want to contact me, put a comment below, or email me at dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

You need the Power

'Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, says the LORD of hosts.'   Zechariah 4:6 NKJV

We can have the greatest army of soldiers around us, the best pastor in the world and a church full of friendly Christians backing us, but at the end of the day, without the Spirit of God they are to no avail.
Don't get me wrong, we need people praying for us; people who are discerning and full of God, but without the Power of God inside us, handling the situation it is like a giant before us and we are going nowhere.

The word 'Might', which in Hebrew is chayil, is interpreted as strength, power, force, might (especially an army) valour, substance and wealth and gives us an idea of what I am saying. Notice the word 'Might' in our reading above. We can have all these characteristics but they will not perform what God can perform. The very best of human effort is incapable of doing what God's Spirit can do.

Therefore, what are you facing today? Whatever it is, God can handle it but you and others can't, not without Him. Just think of all the great things that have happened to great men and women of God in the bible. They were all accomplished by the Spirit of God. So how do we go about getting this help. Unlike the world, where one has to make telephone calls requesting help from various organisations and then have to undergo the terrible monotony of pressing this number followed by the hash key and then facing another set of recorded messages, God's office is not like that. In fact, His door is always open 24/7 and He is always pleased to hear from us and offer His help. Even if a million people are requesting his help at the same time.

God is there for you. You know what you're facing today. It's worrying you. You know it's important and you may not be able to share it with anyone else either. You may have tried all you can to solve this issue but nothing has worked. Call out to God, NOW! Ask Him to help you. He is the God of the impossible. He knows what you're going through and He's been waiting for you to recognise your limitations and ask him for help.

You may need healing. You may need help with finance. You may be in a threatening position and need urgent assistance. Your marriage may be crumbling. You may need employment, re-housing, someone to understand your position. God has all the answers and what's more He cares and wants to help you.

Call on Him now, ask His Holy Spirit to come with His power to knock this giant; this mountain out of the way. It may be instant or you may have to wait. Be patient. He's heard you and is working out all the nitty - gritty elements. Say this prayer with me:

'Lord Jesus, I need You. Please come and help me to sort out this....................................................
I give my life to You today, please fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I know I may have said this before but it's important to me today, to say it again.
Lord I ask in Jesus' name. Amen'

Why not leave me a comment below or send me an email if you need prayer or just need to comment in private. I'd love to hear from you.   Mail me at dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Don't rush around

'Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.'
                                                                                                                  Luke 10:40 NKJV

Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, both loved Jesus but acted in different ways before Him. Martha was a servant, and had to 'be doing,' all the time - cooking this, cleaning that, making sure everything was spick and span for when Jesus visited. Mary, on the other hand, was the learned kind and wanted to spend time around Jesus' feet as he spoke. She wanted to learn as much about Him as she could and didn't want to miss out on God's Word. Martha was easily distracted in her efforts and tended to miss out on His teaching.

Jesus replied to Martha, 'Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. But one thing is needed and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.' Jesus was not telling Martha off - not at all. He was concerned that all of her worries and troubles and wanting everything to be perfect for Him, was taking her away from the main thing - spending time with Jesus.

We all rush around in our everyday lives, going to work, doing the shopping, ironing, cleaning the house, car and garden. And that is ok. But not if it is taking us away from spending time with Jesus. He's the main part of a Christian's life and time must be spent with Him. It's getting our priorities right, and Mary had done this. Martha, was a good lady but she was easily distracted and felt that 'this had to be done, before I do that,' type of thing.

What about you? Do you rush around like a headless chicken at times? Feeling you have got to do this and then that and it must be done yesterday? Do you realise that you're stressing yourself out by this behaviour. Life is not stressing you - you are! Why not step off the fast train and settle for one that takes you on a slower, relaxing and fulfilling journey. You know it makes sense. You also know that God is speaking to you, right now. But what will you do? Will you be a Martha - rushing around making sure everything is ship-shape. Or will you be like Mary - more composed and relaxed in all you do? Yes, jobs need doing but there's a time and a place for everything and it's allowing Jesus to help you to do these important things.


Let me have your comments please. dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Remember the Victories

'Cross over before the ark of the LORD Your God into the midst of the Jordan and each one of you take up a stone on his shoulder according to the number of tribes of the children of Israel, that this may be a sign among you when your children ask in time to come, saying, 'What do these stones mean to you.' " Joshua 4:5 - 6. NKJV

The crossing of the Jordan had taken place and the Israelites would be in the Promised Land. God told Joshua to build a Memorial both in the river, even though it would be covered with water very soon, and then on dry land where the priests had stood. These would represent the twelve tribes.

Memorials are witnesses and reminders of things we should remember, like heroic battles and heroic people. Here, people of the future would ask what are the stones there for and they would learn about the way, God performed mighty miracles, parting the Red Sea and then the flooded River Jordan. They would learn that, even though things may look impossible, we have a God who can make things happen in a most victorious way. (Nothing is too hard for Him - Jeremiah 32:17)

From thereon, whenever people saw these stones they would remember that, God is with them and that He is to be trusted to and He is a way though the dark and frightening path.
Just think for a moment, a raging, flooded river being piled up to allow the Israelites to pass through and that's not to mention the mighty Red Sea being parted. Amazing. That is Your God. God had promised them that they would enter the Promised Land and He kept that promise.

Many times when God is leading us to do a particular thing, we need encouragement. The information we want is:

*  We need to know God is in this. If He's in it, we'll win it!
*  Reassurance  -  If God can stop a flooded river, He can do things for us. We need to know this.

The Memorial stones would be a reminder to all who saw them and as we read the bible, to us too as we remember all He has done for us in the past and realise that He won't stop there. Things like this make us grateful to Him for being so faithful.

What are you facing? Read about all God has done for the people of the bible and for others around the world in this present age. He keeps His promises; He'll lead you to victory (although the road may be a tough one along the way). If you need healing, ask Him and wait patiently, thanking Him for His love and kindness. If you don't know Him, ask Him to introduce Himself to you. He will. Why? Because He is madly in love with you!

The Peter Principle

"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord, it came to pass that the Lord spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant saying, 'Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all the people, to the land which I am giving to them - the children of Israel.'
                                                                                                       Joshua 1:1 - 2 NKJV

Things can be very busy for people who are second in charge. Imagine if you're an assistant manager in a company. You probably work very hard and carry a lot of responsibility. However, at the end of the day, the person over you - the manager - is the boss. That person is in charge and has the full responsibility. To a degree, that can be quite satisfying, although, you may have been doing most of the work.
Then the day comes when you are offered the job of manager - to be in charge of this company that you have served for some time. The buzz that comes can be amazing as you wallow in the success of it all. After all, you've earned it. However, can you do it? There is a great difference in being the assistant and the manager. Much stress and pressure, backbiting, stabbings in the back and endless meetings with bosses over you. One only has to look at the life of a football manager. When the club is winning, the manager is the 'bees knees'. When they have a losing spell with relegation, that manager is no more and someone replaces him.

The Peter principle, was a concept of Laurence J Peter in 1969. It observes that people in  hierarchy tend to rise to their level of incompetence. In other words, an individual is promoted based on their success in previous jobs until they reach a level in which they re no longer competent in. In layman's terms, a person may be excellent at being an assistant but being a manager may be just that little too much for them and they struggle and are clearly out of their depth. They were in a safe place as assistant, but now things mat crash around them.

It all boils down to counting the cost, knowing yourself and what you are capable of. God knew that Joshua was the man to replace Moses, but did Joshua himself. How would he have felt about this sudden promotion - fearful, apprehensive, dismayed? It may have been a scary time for Joshua. Maybe, that is why God offered him words of encouragement -'As I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. Be strong and of good courage.' Joshua 1: 5-6.

God knew he could do it, and if He has an assignment for you, He knows you can do it too. A word of warning; don't be a copy of the person you're replacing, be yourself - your own person. God is choosing you, not someone else. If He had wanted them, they would still be there.

All kinds of voices may be ringing in your head; words of negativity, saying you can't do this. Ignore them. You can do it because God says you can. 'Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.' Verse 9


Let me know your thoughts on this word  dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Scarlet Cord

Read Joshua 2

Rahab lived in a house built into the wall at Jericho. She was a harlot and the house she lived in was more an Inn where men paid for a bed for the night and this included the favours of Rahab. However, her life was about to change.
Joshua, acting on direct orders from God, sent two men out to spy the land and gain the information they would need for taking the land. The men came to Rahab's house and booked a room overnight. However, this was not to receive her pleasures but for their rest. Rahab knew there was something different about them and because she lived in an Inn where gossip was freely spoken, she had an idea that these men were warriors and were here on military business.
The King of Jericho also heard the gossip and believed the men had come to spy out the land. He sent men to arrest them. However, Rahab acted earlier than this and hid the men on her roof, telling the king's men that they had already left. She sent them away on a wild goose chase. She told the two men to go to the mountains and stay there 3 days and then go on in another direction, it would be safe then.
Before she let them down the wall by a rope, she asked them to honour her and her family by sparing their lives when a battle came. They agreed to this and told her to hang a scarlet cord from her bedroom window so that the house would be recognised and the people inside spared.

The scarlet cord is a reminder of our salvation. For the Israelites, it would be rather like the blood of the Passover lamb and the blood on the doorposts for protection. It is also a reminder of the blood of Jesus on the cross in payment for our sins. Importantly here, it was a covenant between Rahab and Joshua. The men had agreed to tell him how she had saved them and as long as the scarlet cord was in place, her and her family would be spared. And this happened - see Joshua 6:25.

Joshua's men showed Rahab respect, possibly more than she had ever seen before. Instead of the abuse that she had suffered at the hands of other men, these two affected her; she was drawn to them. She knew they were different and I believe that she saw God in them. Impact evangelism is powerful. One doesn't need to say anything about God, people just see Him in you. This is what happened here.
Rahab, would never be the same again. Her life of prostitution would be over. She trusted these men and they didn't let her down. Impact evangelism is a reward of spending lots of time with Jesus- meditating on Him, listening to Him, submitting to Him and putting Him first place in your life. People can't fail to see that there is something about you that they like and want. A word does not need to be spoken.

In this account, we see the power of covenant - living by a person's word and offering the same back. We also see honour and trust and we see the beauty of a life changed. Changed by the power of God.

God may have changed your life or He may want to. He is the only one that we can fully trust; the only one who will never let us down; the only one who has provided a way into Heaven one day and the only one who loves you so much He can't get enough of you.

Rahab saw it for herself that day and she would never be the same again.

If this has spoken to you, please let me know  dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com