What category do you fit into?

"18 Therefore, hear the parable of the sower: 
19 When anyone hears the Word of the kingdom and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the Word and immediately receives it with joy; 21 yet he has no root in himself but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the Word, immediately he stumbles. 22 Now he who received seed among the thorns, is he who hears the Word and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the Word and he becomes unfruitful. 23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the Word and understands it'. Matthew 13:18-23.  NKJV

Many times Jesus spoke in parables and He had to explain them to His disciples. Let's look at His explanation to The Parable of the Sower:

1 Snatched away
Oftentimes, the Word that we hear is scattered away like seed along the wayside. We hear it okay but fail to understand it. While we're struggling with this, the evil one snatches it away. We need to spend more time in the Word, so that the Holy Spirit can open our minds to it, making it easy to understand what God is teaching us.
2 Stony with no root
We often hear the Word and it fills us with joy and understanding. Yet, when tensions come our way, possibly through an argument with a loved one, a large bill that you was not expecting or sudden crisis, we forget this teaching and stumble. God's Word is sent to us so that we can prepare for occasions such as this and be prepared for them. However, the root of the Word does not go deep enough. Again, we need to train ourselves to be able to stand and look after ourselves. Otherwise, we show that we have no staying power.
3 Cares of the world
God's Word can become choked when we find ourselves placing God in second place in our lives. The desire for riches and materialism can tend to take over as does the temptations that come our way. We can so easily lose our focus and leave God out of things. We cannot take a day off. When we try, we leave ourselves vulnerable and then hang our head in shame when reality kicks back in. 
4 Bears good fruit
When we hear God's Word and act on it in every detail, we can guarantee a good harvest. God loves to bless us and we open ourselves up to many of them. Let me ask you again. What category do you fit into? Ensure that you are a category 4 Christian. Get you bible out; write in it; underline things so that you can find them again easily; get the pages worn. Remember, the devil's not amused when a bible's well used!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Have you Joy in your life?

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly."   John 10:10.  NKJV

Jesus is the joy bringer. Satan is the joy robber.
Have you lost your joy? If so, you've been hacked. Satan is trying to take your identity away by throwing darts at you. He has punctured your joy tank. Let us remember that joy is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10.) He knows how to push the buttons that wind you up!

Let's look at three important words that Jesus mention in today's text:

Steal the devil will steal your joy if you let him. You know, that wonderful feeling of God in your life. 
Kill he kills your feelings and your trust. He also kills your faith
Destroy before you know it, he destroys your whole walk with God. You really must do something about this, by calling on God's help.

Jesus said, 'I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly.'
This is what He offers us, the fulness of His joy - His strength. He offers us an abundance of it. The devil tries to steal it because he knows you'll be a threat to him. He will steal it, kill it and destroy everything God has to offer.

I like the version of this text in the New Living Translation: Jesus says,'My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.' Is that what you have, or is it just a dream? If it's not what you have at the moment, then claim it. Don't let the devil rob you any longer. He'll steal your wealth, your health, your family and whatever else he can get his hands on. Don't let him.

Call on God now:

'Lord Jesus, I want that rich and satisfying life that you mention. I ask you for this in abundance, together with the joy, because this is my strength. In your Name, I take authority over the devil now and serve him with an eviction order. Satan, I rebuke you in the Name of Jesus and command you to get out of my life in every way. Jesus, please fill me with the abundance that you mention together with Your Holy Spirit. I ask you for protection from the evil on, on me and my family, on my life and on everything in my life.
In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Now go and have a joy-filled day in abundance.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Stone throwing

"10 Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?' 11 She replied, 'No one  Lord.' And Jesus said to her, 'Nether do I condemn you; go and sin no more.' "  John 8:10-11.  NKJV

A woman had been caught in the very act of adultery, which carried the sentence of death by stoning. However, Jesus spoke with the Pharisees about what they planned and said whoever has not sinned at all, let him throw the first stone. This obviously, cleared the place straightaway. 

We have all sinned and let God down very badly at times. This woman's sin, was of the flesh - a weakness in her life that we are all susceptible to at times, whatever the sin may be. However, the Pharisees sin was different. They were pointing the finger and throwing out accusations when they had all sinned themselves. They were hypocrites and Jesus knew this. Sin is sin, and there is no particular different levels of it. However, the Pharisees' sin was deliberate and they knew it. They were being bigoted and hypocritical. The woman's sin, was still wrong, but was out of the weakness of her flesh and Jesus dealt with it.

At times, we will be tempted to throw a stone at someone. We may have done it already by criticising someone and passing the gossip around, that may not be strictly true by the time we've heard it. Jesus takes a very serous view about this. Be honest with yourself today. Have you ever thrown a stone at someone in this manner? Have you condemned someone and gossiped about them? If you have, you need to confess this to Jesus right now, because if you don't, you can go no further in your walk with Him. Things may not be going too well in your life at the moment. If this is so, check yourself over and search your heart. Are you guilty of throwing a stone at someone? If you are, confess and feel God's forgiveness.

There are many stone throwers in life. We meet them all the time. The biggest is the devil himself. He will take great delight in spreading malicious gossip around about you, if he gets the opportunity. He is the chief stone thrower. He will stack loads of condemnation on you, if you let him. So much so, that you will find it difficult to do anything. You will feel like a condemned person. If this is you at the moment, get your bible out and read:

'There is therefore, no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.'   (Romans 8:1)

If you belong to Jesus, you have been forgiven and are no longer under condemnation. Therefore do not let the evil one, or anyone else, for that matter, put condemnation on you. And, don't you allow yourself to put it on to other people by throwing stones.
You know that it isn't right to do that.

God Bless

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Do you believe what you believe Part Two

"Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them."    Mark 11:24.  NKJV

Yesterday, we ended our study with, 'Here am I, send me' Isaiah 6:8. Let's carry this a little further.

We need to be careful of making this declaration if we're unsure of what it will cost us in our lives. What I mean is, if you're not fully committed to making such a statement, then don't make it, at least not until you're really sure. It's no use to God if we agree to go and then when we get there, do nothing but moan and groan about it. 

One lady told me that she had done just that. Both her and her husband and children, had moved home to where they believed God wanted them and for the first five years or so, she hated every minute of it. She even blamed God for putting them into the situation.
You see, if we're going to act this way, it is far better to say no. God wants people with a vision, not whingers.

Let's take a look at what Jesus said about this:

'61 Lord, I will follow You, but let me first go and bid them farewell who are at my house. 62 But Jesus said to him, 'No one having put his hand to the plough and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.'   (Luke 9:61-62)

These two verses should not be mis-understood. Jesus is focusing on the fact that serving Him demands a person's undivided attention. Half-heartedness eliminates us from God's maximum use. Jesus is after people who are willing to stand up and take the flak, to bite the bullet and get on with His work. He wants those who are willing to spearhead forward and further His kingdom. If you feel you can't do this, then don't say you will.

It really is time to get serious with God. We're not playing a game here. We're in a battle - a battle between life and death and Heaven and hell. Time is limited. One day Jesus is going to return for Christians everywhere. Notice that I said Christians. There will be those who get left behind. Some maybe from our own family, or perhaps friends. If we don't tell them, it may be too late, and they will get left behind. 

We have a job to do. There's a world of people out there. God's looking for workers who have the backbone to get on with the job.

Is that you?

Copyright 2019 Hazel & Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Do you believe what you believe

"Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them and you will have them."    Mark 11:24.  NKJV

What you receive is directly connected to how you believe and what you expect. Do you really believe that God wants to use you for mighty works? If you pray for someone who is sick, do you really believe that they will get well? These are serious questions and they determine where you stand in the case of faith. 

Some people are scared of faith prayers. They find them offensive and when a person who flows in this type of ministry comes to their church, they become suspicious of them and feel that something is not right about them. They thought that about Jesus but it never stopped Him. He knew what the Father had sent Him to do and got on with it. What about you? Where do you stand in this area? Are you willing to believe that? If you're a Christian, filled with God's Holy Spirit, then God expects you to be available to Him. 

Look what Jesus commissioned:

'15 Go into all the world and preach the Gospel to every creature. 16 He who believes and is baptised will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. 17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My Name they will cast out demons, they will speak with new tongues; 18 They will take up serpents  and if they drink anything deadly it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover.'     (Mark 16:15-18)

Are you doing this? Is your church doing this? If not, why not? This was commissioned by Jesus and He expects us to obey His commands. Do you have opportunities to tell people about Jesus, but don't through embarrassment or whatever? What if you are the only person they will ever see again. If you don't tell them about salvation, they will spend eternity out of Heaven. How would you feel if they said to you, 'What didn't you tell me, that day we spoke?'

This is serious business that we're in. The church is not a pleasure boat, it's a lifeboat and people need saving. They also may need healing. Jesus said to lay hands on the sick and they will recover. He didn't lie, but we have to believe that they will be healed. If you don't, they won't - be healed.

The church needs to take the commission of Jesus seriously. Yes, it's great to praise and worship Him when we attend church, and we should do that. But what about the other bits. While we are praising and worshipping, people are going to hell. We need to get the balance right. Belonging to Jesus is not an exclusive club and He wants others to enjoy what He has to offer too.

Isaiah wrote: 'Whom shall I send, and who will go for us', then I said, 'Here am I. Send me.'
                                                                                                         Isaiah 6:8

Would your response be, 'Here am I, send me.' If God asked you this question?

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Shake it off

"3 But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. 4 So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live.' 5 But he shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm. 6 However, they were expecting that he would swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had looked for a long time and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds and said that  he was a god."                                         Acts 28: 3-6.  KKJV

Paul had been on his way to Rome when the ship was wrecked during a severe storm. Despite, Paul's warning about this, they had to run the ship aground on an island, and allow the raging sea to break it to pieces. The seamen didn't recognise that the island was Malta because they had come to the other side of the island, which they had never seen before.

It must have been difficult for the apostle Paul. He had been arrested for preaching the Gospel, sent on a ship to Rome, had been shipwrecked and now was on an island in the middle of the ocean. Just look at Paul's servant heart. He gathered wood for the fire. There were plenty of others who would no doubt have done this, but Paul volunteered. He had a heart after Jesus. 

As he gathered the wood and placed it on the fire, a viper - a vicious snake - latched itself onto Paul's hand. It would have been very scary if it had happened to us, don't you agree? But Paul, remained quiet, didn't scream or panic, just shook it off into the fire. The natives had watched all of this and made an assumption that he was a murderer and this was his payment. Therefore, they watched him, waiting for him to fall to the ground and die. Much to their shock, he didn't, he was perfectly ok. They therefore, called him a god.

Whenever, we are faced with the fire of God - a mighty awakening of the Holy Spirit, the snakes will come and attack. This is in the form of people who may be demonised and do all they can to stop God's work, by calling it fake, a work from satan, or whatever else. When this happens, we need to shake it off and go on. Don't let it stop you from fulfilling what God has given you to do.

People will criticise you and spread malicious lies around about you. Shake them off and move on. They're attacking God, not you and I wouldn't like to be in their shoes when God deals with them.

People may upset you, don't retaliate. It is so easy to get home and think over what someone has said to you and then text them with a mouth load of verbals. DON'T SEND THE TEXT! Wait until the morning when you're rested and have thought things through properly; then, shake it all off.

When you're on Kingdom business, you'll never please everybody, so stop trying. Please God instead and shake the others off.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard 

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

God will supply your need

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"33 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

We really must seek the Kingdom of God first in our lives. This includes, our jobs, our business, our homes, wife, husband, children and our marriage, just to mention a few of the important ones. Surely too, our health must be in there, without good health, we are very limited.

Jesus says to, 'Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.' Can you see what sticks out and hits us on the nose? Jesus said to, 'Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness.' If we want an enriched life, we must place God first. He must be number one; the all important person in our lives. Yes, even more important than our wives, husbands, or our family. Let's face it, He gave them to us in the first place. He placed us at the right place, at the right time, for us to meet the love of our lives; and He wants us to cherish each other, but He must come first. There's no other way around it.

He doesn't want us to worry about things. We may lose our jobs and not be able to pay the bills. We may be facing bankruptcy. Yes, it is a fearful place to be at. But, He says for us to put God first and He'll take care of the rest. If you've never done anything like this, it can be a scary position to be in. However, that's where God wants us - totally dependant on Him. If we are prepared to live like this, He is committed to taking care of us - that's a promise.

I like what James Hudson-Taylor said in his book of ministry. He said about Matthew 6.33:

'If we can only wait right up to the time, God cannot lie; God cannot forget. He is pledged to supply all our need.'

Mr Taylor, wrote this many years ago when he had his ministry to China running. He lived totally by faith and God never let him down. He did though, have to wait until the last minute at times, before God came up with the goods, but God supplied for him.
Then there was George Mueller, who had orphanages around the Bristol area. many is the day when the children sat around the breakfast table, with no food. Mr Mueller would thank God for the food that was on its way. He was never let down; suddenly the door would knock and someone had delivered fresh food. This is unbelievable to read, I know; but it is true. These men, and many others, put God first and God was committed to supplying their need. 

I'm not suggesting that we all start to live by faith; although me and my wife did this for quite a few years and God supplied food, clothes and even a car. However, what I am suggesting is that we put God first in our lives. Read the text today, study it and take it to your heart. God does not want you worrying about anything. He wants you to trust Him with your life and whatever you may need.

Put Him first. You'll never regret it.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com