Total peace

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"23 Now when He got into a boat, His disciples followed Him. 24 And suddenly a great tempest arose on the sea, so that the boat was covered with waves. But He was asleep."
                                                                                                  Matthew 8: 23-24   NKJV

The Sea of  Galilee is notorious for sudden storms, some very violent ones such as this. Here we see the disciples struggling with the wind and the waves and they were petrified. Now some of these were experienced fishermen. They were used to high waves going over their boat and battering them. But something about this incident really frightened them. 
Usually after great days of miracles and God's blessings, we can come under attack from the evil one. And these disciples had certainly seen the power of God at work, when they  had been out on the road with Jesus. However, they were panicking, and maybe the evil one was causing them to lose their focus.

Jesus was asleep in the boat at the time and they hurriedly woke Him, screaming that they needed His help as they felt the boat would sink and they would all die. Jesus looked at them and said, 'Why are you fearful. O you of little faith?' Jesus was not annoyed that He had been awoken. Not at all. But, He was probably disappointed that they had witnessed powerful miracles and now they had given in to fear, which is a partner of unbelief. 

Picture the scene. Scary, raging waves. Panicking disciples and a sleeping Jesus. I certainly would not have liked to be out there in this storm. It must have been horrendous. Just stop and picture what a storm can accomplish - total devastation. But the disciples had missed one very important piece of detail. Jesus was in the boat with them. At times like this, it is helpful to know this fact. 

Jesus was at peace, therefore, He slept. It reminds us of yesterday's scripture in Psalm 3. In verse 5, David said, 'I lay down and slept.' David was so confident in the fact that God was with him and would help him, that he was at peace, and fell asleep and was rested. Here, Jesus acts in a similar fashion. He was at complete peace too and so therefore He rested. Sadly, it was short-lived as the storm caused the disciples to be fearful. He would have liked the disciples to rebuke the wind and the waves. He had certainly taught them how to do this. They had even had full displays of Jesus in action, doing this.

How do you react in crisis? How do you handle sudden storms that come into your life with the intention of causing havoc? Like this situation, Jesus is with us. He has demonstrated His commitment to us but wants us to take the lead in certain situations. Yes, Jesus is always with us, but He has given us the power to handle daily issues; to take on the powers that will come against us. He's given us the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-18). He doesn't want us to be fearful, panicked or feeble. He wants us to stand tall, in the armour of His might, and deal with the issues that come against us, in His Name.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

My help comes from the LORD

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"1 LORD, how they have increased who trouble me! Many are they who rise up against me. 2 Many are they who say of me, 'There is no help for him in God.' 3 But You, O LORD, are a shield for me, my glory and the one who lifts up my head. 4 I cried to the LORD with my voice, and He heard me from His holy hill.:   Psalm 3:1-4.  NKJV

David was really up against things here. His son had become his enemy and was out to kill David and take over his kingdom. Many people believed it was poetic justice for the sin that David had been involved in with Bathsheba and then her husband, where he had arranged his death. People were saying, 'There is no help for him in God.' This really was a powerful statement and one that none of us would want to hear. However, David had repented and God had forgiven him. He was free from this sin.

Many non-believers find this hard to understand that God can and will forgive people who have committed such sin, but whoever asks God for forgiveness, receives it. This is what God is about - the God of the second chance. Thanks goodness for this for none of us would make it without His help.

David knew God. He knew that he had a shield of protection around him and he knew God would help him through this ordeal. David didn't pray about this predicament; he made a declaration. He said, 'But You, O LORD are a shield for me, my glory and the one who lifts up my head.' (Verse 3) David was completely confident in his God. As he called on Him, he knew God would answer him. David was able to lay down and sleep while God sustained him. That is difficult to do, if God is not with you in such problems. God lifted his head, took him to higher ground and a higher level in Him. 

Note that when David called out to God, He heard him. And He does the same with us. Whatever you have been through or are facing, you will find that calling on God is the recipe for our success. Whatever is happening in your life at this time, remember with confidence that your help comes from the LORD.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Study to Prosper

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"1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly. Nor stands in the path of sinners, Nor sits in the seat of the scornful. 2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law, he meditates day and night. 3 He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also shall not wither, and whatever he does shall prosper."   Psalm 1:1-3.   NKJV

To meditate means to ponder by talking to yourself. This is what the Jews in Jerusalem do at the Wailing Wall - they use the art of Davening, which again is meditation as they nod their heads and speak scripture to themselves over and over again.

This is how we can meditate on God's Word day and night. It would not, in our busy world, be possible to meditate or ponder on a 24/7 basis. However, we can take a piece of scripture or a Word that God has given us and think, pray and meditate on that. We can go about our daily business, whatever that may be, but still be in constant touch with God. We can also speak in tongues, just mumbling words of praise and prayer to Him as we walk along or perhaps drive.

Pondering, as I say, can be a form of thinking things through - mulling it over, or just plain considering whatever we need to. In fact, just delighting ourselves in the LORD. 
Psalm 37:4 says, 'Delight yourself also in the LORD, and He shall give you the desires of your heart.'. As we delight ourselves in God, He delights Himself in us. It's a two-way thing. As we do this, He takes us to a higher level, a place of refreshment, fruitfulness, prosperity and a place where we are spiritually full of life. We are happy and fulfilled and have an intensification of blessing, and abundance. (John 10:10b). We are completely fixed upon Jesus. Nothing can get in the way. Can we do this? Can we live in such a way? Yes, we can but it comes by being sold out for Jesus; giving Him all we've got and being in constant communication with Him by pondering day and night, as we go about the busy-ness of our lives. Basically, it is being in a position where we're thinking about Jesus and His Word; checking our behaviour so that it lives up to what we're meditating on and knowing and letting others know, who we belong to.

Take heart, it will happen if you want to be in a place where you are constantly in touch with the LORD. It takes dedication, tolerance, discipline, and determination to bring this about. But the benefits of God's blessing upon us, of Him giving us our heart's desire, far outweigh the price it costs us.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Be careful of the way ahead

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"26 Ponder the path of your feet and let all your ways be established. 27 Do not turn to the right or left; remove your foot from evil."                              Proverbs 4:26-27.  NKJV

The word 'established' could read as 'successful.' A look at Proverbs 16:3 in the New Living Translation says, 'Commit your actions to the LORD and your plans will succeed.' Here, being successful would be staying on a safe path; being careful where you go, what you do and what you say. As we give things to God, He will give us the success to enjoy and do His will properly.

Proverbs 3:5-6 tells us to, '5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths.' Note how it says, 'In all your ways.' God very much wants us to place things in His hands before we set out to do anything. Not just a few of the things we have to do each and everyday, but everything. It's the only way we will be successful in all we do. Don't forget, our enemy, the devil, is out to trip us up. He's not our friend.

Therefore, we have to be careful how we approach what we do and be careful that we don't become side-tracked. This usually happens when we've taken on too much for the day. Check your day's schedule and see if anything can wait for a later time. Watch the stress and definitely the burnout. Getting side-tracked and distracted can so easily cause us much distress.

Staying on the right path is not going where you shouldn't. It would be so unwise for a recovering alcoholic to go to a party or a bar where the booze is flowing freely. It would be a recipe for disaster. In the same way, watch where you are going and what you have got to do. Are you putting yourself in a risk-situation? The old Boy Scouts motto, is 'Be Prepared' and there is a lot of wisdom in this.
Ask yourself, 'Where am I going? What have I got to do? Is it worth it? Can I safeguard myself? This may sound rather dramatic, but it is foolish to safeguard yourself after the event. Be prepared now!

It is being wise that brings us the success, so plan your day with the wisdom that God gives us. He has given us all we need to get the job done, whatever that is for each of us. He will also go with us, so spend some time with Him before you set off for the day. It makes sense.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

What are you looking at?

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"Let your eyes look straight ahead, and your eyelids look right before you."  
                                                                                                                     Proverbs 4:25.  NKJV

I once heard a famous British athlete give an interview and during it, he was asked why he always opened his eyes, extremely wide as he looked ahead. He replied that when he did this, he had tunnel vision and he was focusing on the finishing line and not the other athletes who were either side of him at the starting line. To look at them would rob him of his focus and also give the other runners the opportunity to hassle him about how he was going to be beaten. Looking at the finishing line, prepared him for the race and he didn't take his eyes from it.

A horse that pulls a cart or carriage is fitted with blinkers mainly for the same reason. Without the blinkers they are easily distracted if they look around and this can be dangerous for what they are pulling along. If it is people and they turned over, they could be seriously injured; if it was goods, they could be scattered all over the road, and again this could be a danger to life. The horse could also be panicked by such a distraction, therefore, blinkers are used to eradicate this. Possibly, it may be an idea for us to wear blinkers too to help us to remain focused on what's ahead instead of looking at things that possibly we shouldn't be looking at in the first place.

Philippians 3:14 tells us: 'I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.' Paul is encouraging us to focus on the goal ahead - the prize. If we're distracted, we may miss it altogether. Jesus also told His disciples, 'No one, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'  (Luke 9:62)

It is so very important that we do not lose our focus. There are many distractions in our day. These can be at work or in the leisure of our evening. Temptation is around every corner. This may be adultery, but it can also be drugs, gambling, spending money that we don't have by using a credit card or anything that demands our attention and takes us away from Jesus. He wants us to enjoy our lives, yes. But not at the risk of adding extra pressures to what we may already have. 

May our eyes look ahead at Jesus, as He guides us through today and every day. Amen.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

What comes out of your mouth?

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"Put away from you a deceitful mouth, and put perverse lips far from you."  
                                                                                                                    Proverbs 4:24  NKJV 

Give attention to what you speak. May it only be to edify the hearer, and that includes you. Ephesians 4:29 says, 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers.'

At times when we're in the wrong company, we can be tempted to act like they do and perhaps, gossip and also criticise about what somebody should or should not have done. There is nothing wrong with having some alcohol, but in a measured way. Having too much to drink can result in conversations that you may regret the next day. Alcohol can relax us but too much can have a bad affect and can result in us saying or doing the wrong thing. Have you ever woken up the next day after drinking too much and thought, 'Oh no, what did I say. What did I do?' 

It's a similar thing when we're with a crowd of people at, for instance, a prayer meeting. Some people may be sharing about what a particular leader's done and this may lead to a full scale debate about, 'Who does he think he is? type of thing. We only have to read about the early Israelites when Moses led them out of Egypt, to get the idea of what we're looking at. They complained about God, about Moses and Aaron and anyone else who was about at the time. This type of behaviour is so displeasing to God. He is offended by it. 

Most things on the TV these days are hardly the type of thing we should be subjecting ourselves to, but many of us still sit there taking it all in. At best, we should have a rule within the household that if what we're about to watch is not wholesome to view then we won't watch it. It may be funny and popular but if it won't build us up spiritually, then it is not what we want to fill our mind with.

We only have to watch certain comedians on the TV these days to get the idea of changing patterns. To many people, a joke is not funny unless there is a swear word as the punchline. Why is that? We watch a comedian and if he doesn't say an expletive it's not funny. However, if he does, people scream and shout, laughing their heads off. 

Christian, we need to take stock of our lives and make a stand for Jesus. He didn't swear, gossip or criticise people and neither should we. We cannot live two lives. We're either a Christian or we're not. There's no in-between. It's time to stop living two lives. One must go. The choice is yours!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Watch your Heart

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"Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it spring the issues of life."  
                                                                                                Proverbs 4:23.  NKJV

What state is your heart in - spiritually? There is so much temptation around; so much that can distract us and lead us to make bad choices. The heart is a good monitor of good and bad and we should be guided by it more and more.

Some things are just not right; they hit us between the eyes. Therefore, this is when we need to stop and check things out. We need to place a guard around our heart because, if we are not careful, we can become drawn away - led astray, by certain things or people. We need to choose our friendships very carefully.

If we spend time looking at something when we know it is wrong, pretty soon we'll be hooked. This can include pornography on the internet or in magazines. If we continue to feast our eyes on such things, it will begin to affect our desires which can then develop into lust and before we know it, we can't stop looking (James 1:14-15). Check out Eve in Genesis 3. She had been tempted by the serpent to fasten her eyes on the forbidden fruit. Very soon after, she partook of this and disaster struck.

Take a look at the word, 'Forbidden.' Among other things, it means 'Not allowed, Prohibited, Not permitted by order or law, Forbidden fruit.' Forbidden means we are not allowed to do certain things. When we are in a marriage, we have taken certain vows so we should not be having extra marital affairs with someone. We have a covenant with each other and we should be keeping those promises.

When it is a Christian marriage, God is right in the middle of our relationship, or should be. He holds marriage very sacredly and requires each partner to abide by the vows they made. Adultery is a forbidden fruit and it should not even be considered by either partner. sadly, many people fall into the trap and lives, family and marriages suffer.

Adultery is only one forbidden fruit. There are many and when our heart sounds the alarm, we should be on alert. It can be anything that is unwholesome for us, such as:
stealing, excessive drinking, drug taking, breaking the law, gossip, lying and involvement with the wrong type of people. 

There are many and if we train and nurture our heart, it will guide us in the way we should go. 

YOU KNOW WHEN YOU'VE DONE WRONG!

COPYRIGHT 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailyifewithjesus@protonmail.com