"Give us this day our daily bread" Matthew 6:11. NKJV
Our fourth major topic in the prayer outline is"
GOD'S PROVISION - 'GIVE US' Jesus the need meeter, told us to pray daily, asking Him to supply all our needs.
Jesus encourages us, to daily ask for our needs to be met, not our 'greeds'. Therefore, this reinforces the need to pray The Lord's Prayer on a daily basis, but not as a ritualistic prayer but as an offering of worship to Him, an intimate moment in His presence. He will then make sure that we are looked after.
This part of the verse has been misinterpreted in several ways over the years. One of the most common was that it was associated with Holy Communion. There may be a certain truth to this but in general, it is a request where we ask our Lord to supply the food and other such things that we need for the day. This is a prayer that God will answer.
It shows that Jesus is anxious to take care of us in every way. It is a personal thing but covers every believer in general. It shows His heart. Remember how concerned He was when a massive crowd were following both Him and the disciples and He was wanting to ensure that they had enough food so that they would not go hungry: 'And when Jesus went out, He saw a great multitude , and He was moved with compassion for them' Matthew 14:13-21.
His compassion never fails and He is interested in each and every one of us. Let us not forget that He tells us not to worry about what we will eat or wear (Matthew 6:25-34). He takes delight in supplying all we need. He encourages us to put Him in such a place in our lives that we will know, without a shadow of doubt, that what He tells us, He means and He will fulfil His words.
Get into the daily habit of bringing The Lord's Prayer into your daily routine. Further, get into the habit of trusting Him like you never have before. You can work for 20 hours a day, every day, but never achieve what God wants to give you each and every day. You see, He gives us peace, whether we receive it is up to us, but it's on offer all the same, everyday. He offers us protection. We can't earn peace and protection, Jesus gives it to us freely every day.
The term 'Give us', is not some greedy request. It is our request to Jesus to give us what He has promised. And he loves to do so.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
This is a blog that centres on Jesus Christ - my Lord and Saviour. My aim is to describe how He has helped over the years, together with offering daily teaching and encouragement
Sunday 24 November 2019
Saturday 23 November 2019
The Lord's Prayer Part 4
"Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven."
Matthew 6:10 NKJV
The third major topic in our prayer outline is:
GENERAL PRIORITIES - Your Kingdom come. Declare that His Kingdom priorities shall be
established, in yourself, your loved ones, your church and your nation.
This part of the prayer asks for the establishment of God's rule in our lives, our situation and in the age to come. God's will on the earth today.
RT Kendall wrote in an email:
'There is no rebellion in Heaven; likewise there will be no rebellion in us when we say, 'Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.'
There is much rebellion, hurt bad feeling, abuse and whatever else in this world today. However, as Christians God wants us to establish righteousness wherever we are. A good starting point is in this prayer. If we declare that God's Kingdom priorities are the way forward for us, then this is what will be established. We are declaring that we are living for God. There is no rebellion, hurt, bad feeling, abuse or whatever else in Heaven, so when we say, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, this is our decree.
There is no swearing or cursing in Heaven so there won't be in our life as we say, 'Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven'. It is the same with other things that are in our lives, such as anger, criticising and judging people. Then of course, the things that can so easily trip people up, like porn, adultery, homosexuality and any other things that the Holy Spirit flashes up. Getting into this part of the prayer and deciding that we mean business with God, has got to be a positive step in our walk with Him.
So, let us determine that whatever happens, we will endeavour to establish God's righteousness in all we do, say and think. It's like the old cliché, 'Would Jesus do this or say that?' That used to make us pull up in our tracks. Therefore, as this is totally from the mouth of Jesus, make it count for Him and your walk.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Matthew 6:10 NKJV
The third major topic in our prayer outline is:
GENERAL PRIORITIES - Your Kingdom come. Declare that His Kingdom priorities shall be
established, in yourself, your loved ones, your church and your nation.
This part of the prayer asks for the establishment of God's rule in our lives, our situation and in the age to come. God's will on the earth today.
RT Kendall wrote in an email:
'There is no rebellion in Heaven; likewise there will be no rebellion in us when we say, 'Your will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven.'
There is much rebellion, hurt bad feeling, abuse and whatever else in this world today. However, as Christians God wants us to establish righteousness wherever we are. A good starting point is in this prayer. If we declare that God's Kingdom priorities are the way forward for us, then this is what will be established. We are declaring that we are living for God. There is no rebellion, hurt, bad feeling, abuse or whatever else in Heaven, so when we say, Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven, this is our decree.
There is no swearing or cursing in Heaven so there won't be in our life as we say, 'Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven'. It is the same with other things that are in our lives, such as anger, criticising and judging people. Then of course, the things that can so easily trip people up, like porn, adultery, homosexuality and any other things that the Holy Spirit flashes up. Getting into this part of the prayer and deciding that we mean business with God, has got to be a positive step in our walk with Him.
So, let us determine that whatever happens, we will endeavour to establish God's righteousness in all we do, say and think. It's like the old cliché, 'Would Jesus do this or say that?' That used to make us pull up in our tracks. Therefore, as this is totally from the mouth of Jesus, make it count for Him and your walk.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Friday 22 November 2019
The Lord's Prayer Part 3
"Hallowed be Your name." Matthew 6:9. NKJV
The second major topic of our prayer outline is:
GOD'S PRESENCE - 'HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME'
Enter His presence through praise and call Him Father because of Christ's atoning blood.
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and Bless His name.' Psalm 100:4-5
We should always enter into God's presence with a sound mind, not with an arrogant intrusion.
Hebrews 10:22, tells us, 'let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.' In other words, we need to continuously draw near to God with a blameless heart and faith.
Hallowed be Your name, is like saying, 'Let Your name be held holy.' This enables us to give to God the unique place which His nature and character deserve and demand. The Greek word for Hallowed is hagios which is usually translated as holy. But the basic meaning is 'different,' or 'separated'. Something that is hagios is different from other things, Therefore, the petition, 'Hallowed be Your name,' means Let God's name be treated differently from other names. In other words, let God's name be above all other names.
The English word for this is reverence. God deserves to be reverenced. Martin Luther asked, 'How is God's name Hallowed among us?' His answer to this was, 'When both our life and doctrine are truly Christian’. Therefore, this means when our all is submitted to God. When we pray, 'Hallowed be Your name,' we need to mean it, otherwise it just becomes another ritualistic phrase of repetition, which is based on following others, not Our Father. We need to pray The Lord's Prayer daily if possible and allow it to be a fresh, thoughtful commitment to the Almighty God. After all, this is a sacred devotion of our feelings to God.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
The second major topic of our prayer outline is:
GOD'S PRESENCE - 'HALLOWED BE YOUR NAME'
Enter His presence through praise and call Him Father because of Christ's atoning blood.
"Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him and Bless His name.' Psalm 100:4-5
We should always enter into God's presence with a sound mind, not with an arrogant intrusion.
Hebrews 10:22, tells us, 'let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.' In other words, we need to continuously draw near to God with a blameless heart and faith.
Hallowed be Your name, is like saying, 'Let Your name be held holy.' This enables us to give to God the unique place which His nature and character deserve and demand. The Greek word for Hallowed is hagios which is usually translated as holy. But the basic meaning is 'different,' or 'separated'. Something that is hagios is different from other things, Therefore, the petition, 'Hallowed be Your name,' means Let God's name be treated differently from other names. In other words, let God's name be above all other names.
The English word for this is reverence. God deserves to be reverenced. Martin Luther asked, 'How is God's name Hallowed among us?' His answer to this was, 'When both our life and doctrine are truly Christian’. Therefore, this means when our all is submitted to God. When we pray, 'Hallowed be Your name,' we need to mean it, otherwise it just becomes another ritualistic phrase of repetition, which is based on following others, not Our Father. We need to pray The Lord's Prayer daily if possible and allow it to be a fresh, thoughtful commitment to the Almighty God. After all, this is a sacred devotion of our feelings to God.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Thursday 21 November 2019
The Lord's Prayer Part 2
"Our Father in Heaven'. Matthew 6:9. NKJV
To emphasise the strong, intimate meaning of the term, 'Our Father,' William Barclay gives a wonderful example set in Roman times:
'There is an old Roman story which tells how a Roman emperor was enjoying a triumph. He had the privilege, which Rome gave to her great victors, of marching his troops through the streets of Rome with all his captured trophies and his prisoners in his train. So the emperor was on the march with his troops. The streets were lined with cheering people. The tall legionaries lined the streets' edges to keep people in their places. At one point on the triumphal route, there was a little platform where the empress and her family were sitting to watch the emperor go by in all the pride of his triumph. On the platform with his mother, was the emperor's youngest son, a little boy. As the emperor came near, the little boy jumped off the platform, burrowed through the crowd and tried to dodge between the legs of a legionnaire and to run out on the road to meet his father's chariot. The legionnaire stooped down and stopped him. He swung him up in his arms, 'You can't do that boy,' he said 'don't you know who that is in the chariot? That's the emperor. You can't run to his chariot.' And the little boy laughed down, 'He may be your emperor,' he said, 'but he's my father.' That's exactly the way the Christian feels towards God.' Copyright William Barclay.
Instead of, 'My Father,' God made this prayer personal to each one of us. The words, 'I, me or mine,' are not in the prayer. Jesus in life replaced these type of words with, 'We, us and ours'.
Even if we matter to no one else, we matter to God. He has given us back our self-respect. Did you get that? No matter what you have done, or been involved with; no matter how badly you may have messed something up or made a fool of yourself, Our Father in Heaven, has given you back your self-respect. You haven't had to earn it, He's given it to you, freely.
Tomorrow, we'll look a little closer at The Lord's Prayer. Have a great day!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
To emphasise the strong, intimate meaning of the term, 'Our Father,' William Barclay gives a wonderful example set in Roman times:
'There is an old Roman story which tells how a Roman emperor was enjoying a triumph. He had the privilege, which Rome gave to her great victors, of marching his troops through the streets of Rome with all his captured trophies and his prisoners in his train. So the emperor was on the march with his troops. The streets were lined with cheering people. The tall legionaries lined the streets' edges to keep people in their places. At one point on the triumphal route, there was a little platform where the empress and her family were sitting to watch the emperor go by in all the pride of his triumph. On the platform with his mother, was the emperor's youngest son, a little boy. As the emperor came near, the little boy jumped off the platform, burrowed through the crowd and tried to dodge between the legs of a legionnaire and to run out on the road to meet his father's chariot. The legionnaire stooped down and stopped him. He swung him up in his arms, 'You can't do that boy,' he said 'don't you know who that is in the chariot? That's the emperor. You can't run to his chariot.' And the little boy laughed down, 'He may be your emperor,' he said, 'but he's my father.' That's exactly the way the Christian feels towards God.' Copyright William Barclay.
Instead of, 'My Father,' God made this prayer personal to each one of us. The words, 'I, me or mine,' are not in the prayer. Jesus in life replaced these type of words with, 'We, us and ours'.
Even if we matter to no one else, we matter to God. He has given us back our self-respect. Did you get that? No matter what you have done, or been involved with; no matter how badly you may have messed something up or made a fool of yourself, Our Father in Heaven, has given you back your self-respect. You haven't had to earn it, He's given it to you, freely.
Tomorrow, we'll look a little closer at The Lord's Prayer. Have a great day!
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Wednesday 20 November 2019
The Lord's Prayer Part 1
"Our Father in Heaven," Matthew 6:9. NKJV
Note here, that Jesus didn't say, 'My', but 'Our.' The title of Father is much more intimate than the original name of Yahweh or Jehovah, which the Jews recognised God as. The Jews felt that 'Father', was too intimate, but not Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote:
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying 'Abba Father'. Galatians 4:6
We have been adopted into God's family and we are His sons and He is Our Father. God provided our son ship through Jesus and assures us of it through the Spirit. Abba is the intimate Aramaic term of Father. Jesus used this Himself. Therefore, we can recognise God - Our Father as Our Daddy.
The Lord's Prayer is recognised as a prayer outline and has seven major topics. The first one is:
THE PATERNAL NEED - 'OUR FATHER'.
When we pray this, we can expect all of our needs to be met by the loving kindness of Our Father.
When we stop and consider this - just who God is, the creator of the universe and yet through His Son Jesus, He is Our Father - Our Daddy. It also shows us the heart of Jesus. He had every right to say, 'My Father', but He chose to share this privilege with each one of us.
And there is no need to feel insecure that Our Father is in Heaven and Jesus, the Son of God is at His right hand. We're not alone because Jesus sent the Comforter, the Helper:
'Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.'
John 16:7. NKJV
It's never God's intention that we be alone. The Holy Spirit was sent to us, to dwell within us and be our helper; our power and our joy until we go to be with Our Father in Heaven, one day.
Until then, draw on His love, His Power, His joy, His comfort and His direction each and every day.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Note here, that Jesus didn't say, 'My', but 'Our.' The title of Father is much more intimate than the original name of Yahweh or Jehovah, which the Jews recognised God as. The Jews felt that 'Father', was too intimate, but not Jesus. The Apostle Paul wrote:
And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into your hearts, crying 'Abba Father'. Galatians 4:6
We have been adopted into God's family and we are His sons and He is Our Father. God provided our son ship through Jesus and assures us of it through the Spirit. Abba is the intimate Aramaic term of Father. Jesus used this Himself. Therefore, we can recognise God - Our Father as Our Daddy.
The Lord's Prayer is recognised as a prayer outline and has seven major topics. The first one is:
THE PATERNAL NEED - 'OUR FATHER'.
When we pray this, we can expect all of our needs to be met by the loving kindness of Our Father.
When we stop and consider this - just who God is, the creator of the universe and yet through His Son Jesus, He is Our Father - Our Daddy. It also shows us the heart of Jesus. He had every right to say, 'My Father', but He chose to share this privilege with each one of us.
And there is no need to feel insecure that Our Father is in Heaven and Jesus, the Son of God is at His right hand. We're not alone because Jesus sent the Comforter, the Helper:
'Nevertheless, I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the helper (the Holy Spirit) will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.'
John 16:7. NKJV
It's never God's intention that we be alone. The Holy Spirit was sent to us, to dwell within us and be our helper; our power and our joy until we go to be with Our Father in Heaven, one day.
Until then, draw on His love, His Power, His joy, His comfort and His direction each and every day.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com
Tuesday 19 November 2019
It's time for healing
"they will lay hands on the sick and they will recover." Mark 16:18. NKJV
People are being healed all over the world at this very moment. Someone, somewhere has taken Jesus' words and laid their hands on some sick person and they have been healed. Hallelujah, that is amazing. This is what the scripture means, to lay on hands on the sick and pray that they will be well. It was not a time-limited thing. It was not meant just for the disciples and apostles, but for every bible-believing person throughout the world.
Then if that is the case, why are some healed and some not? Many times, we have all prayed for someone and they have not been healed. This may have led some people to shy away from this type of ministry, to avoid disappointment or embarrassment; and that is very understandable. From time to time, we have all received prayer for healing and not really felt that any, significant thing has happened. We don't have the answers for some of these occasions, but we should never, shy away from praying for people.
A closer look at this scripture, reveals some interesting facts. If we look at the King James text - old and new, we read: 'they will recover.' Now this brings a whole new meaning to being healed. Where some versions read that the person will be healed, this is not always at the very time that prayer takes place. Many people have felt - pray-er and sick person, that as soon as hands are laid upon them, then a miracle will take place and they will be instantly healed. Yes, that can be the case, many times. However, not all the time. When it feels like nothing has happened, don't give up - again, pray-er or sick person, there may be a delay because of a recovery time. When a person goes into hospital for surgery, before returning to their ward, they go to the recovery section until they wake up. When they have been checked over, that is the time when they return to the ward. However, there is still a recovery time to undergo, before they are well and back on their feet. The NIV says something similar, this reads: 'they will get well,' again, this is not instant. They will have to undergo a recovery time.
So therefore, this may explain, on occasions, why there is no visible, instant healing. A person may have to go through a recovery time, but as each day goes by, they become stronger and stronger, until they are healed, totally.
Never fear, or become disillusioned when you receive prayer and nothing seems to happen; give it time and something will. My own healing was not instant, it took place overnight while I was asleep, and even then, I was not totally well. However, over the course of the next few hours, total healing came. I had to go through the recover time. And it may be the same for you, too.
Again, if you pray for someone to be healed, refuse to become discouraged. You've done nothing wrong. There is no particular formula except, 'In the Name of Jesus.' Wait for the recovery period:
People are being healed all over the world at this very moment. Someone, somewhere has taken Jesus' words and laid their hands on some sick person and they have been healed. Hallelujah, that is amazing. This is what the scripture means, to lay on hands on the sick and pray that they will be well. It was not a time-limited thing. It was not meant just for the disciples and apostles, but for every bible-believing person throughout the world.
Then if that is the case, why are some healed and some not? Many times, we have all prayed for someone and they have not been healed. This may have led some people to shy away from this type of ministry, to avoid disappointment or embarrassment; and that is very understandable. From time to time, we have all received prayer for healing and not really felt that any, significant thing has happened. We don't have the answers for some of these occasions, but we should never, shy away from praying for people.
A closer look at this scripture, reveals some interesting facts. If we look at the King James text - old and new, we read: 'they will recover.' Now this brings a whole new meaning to being healed. Where some versions read that the person will be healed, this is not always at the very time that prayer takes place. Many people have felt - pray-er and sick person, that as soon as hands are laid upon them, then a miracle will take place and they will be instantly healed. Yes, that can be the case, many times. However, not all the time. When it feels like nothing has happened, don't give up - again, pray-er or sick person, there may be a delay because of a recovery time. When a person goes into hospital for surgery, before returning to their ward, they go to the recovery section until they wake up. When they have been checked over, that is the time when they return to the ward. However, there is still a recovery time to undergo, before they are well and back on their feet. The NIV says something similar, this reads: 'they will get well,' again, this is not instant. They will have to undergo a recovery time.
So therefore, this may explain, on occasions, why there is no visible, instant healing. A person may have to go through a recovery time, but as each day goes by, they become stronger and stronger, until they are healed, totally.
Never fear, or become disillusioned when you receive prayer and nothing seems to happen; give it time and something will. My own healing was not instant, it took place overnight while I was asleep, and even then, I was not totally well. However, over the course of the next few hours, total healing came. I had to go through the recover time. And it may be the same for you, too.
Again, if you pray for someone to be healed, refuse to become discouraged. You've done nothing wrong. There is no particular formula except, 'In the Name of Jesus.' Wait for the recovery period:
"So let's not get tired of doing good. At just the right
time, we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don't give up.'
Galatians 6:9. NLT
Keep on praying for the sick and hurting
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
Monday 18 November 2019
Don't forget to pray
"(16) Rejoice always, (17) pray without ceasing, (18) in everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18. NKJV
Prayer is communication with Our Heavenly Father. With prayer, we praise and worship Him and speak intimately to Him. We also ask Him for protection from evil forces.
Psalm 91:2-4 says, (2)'I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust. (3) Surely, He shall deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the perilous pestilence, (4) He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings, you shall take refuge.'
Hence, as we ask Him, He places a hedge of protection around us to protect us from enemy attack. But for this to happen, we have to ask Him, we have to pray. William Barclay quotes a Rabbi as saying, 'He who prays within his house, surrounds it with a wall that is stronger than iron.'
The Jews were committed to prayer and had regular times for this. Many of the prayers could be repetitive and of a ritualistic nature quoting rigid prayers over and over again. Some may have just gone through this ritual because of an obligation. William Barclay further comments, 'As Christians there are many occasions when we do precisely the same with the prayer which Christ taught us to pray.'
The Lord's Prayer should always be prayed from the heart, never as a formality that we first learnt at school.
Even our quiet times with God may fall into a kind of formalism, where we pray from a list in a rigid and ritualistic manner. We need to pray in the Spirit and avoid the risk of repetition. Don't forget that prayer is a two-way conversation - us and God. We need to wait and give time for Him to speak to us.
On your next quiet time, why not just sit in the quietness of your prayer-cupboard, before God and just listen for His voice and leading. It may take practise and be difficult to leave the prayer list out for a time. But it may lead you to a deeper place with your Father.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail
Prayer is communication with Our Heavenly Father. With prayer, we praise and worship Him and speak intimately to Him. We also ask Him for protection from evil forces.
Psalm 91:2-4 says, (2)'I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in Him I will trust. (3) Surely, He shall deliver you from the snare of the Fowler and from the perilous pestilence, (4) He shall cover you with His feathers and under His wings, you shall take refuge.'
Hence, as we ask Him, He places a hedge of protection around us to protect us from enemy attack. But for this to happen, we have to ask Him, we have to pray. William Barclay quotes a Rabbi as saying, 'He who prays within his house, surrounds it with a wall that is stronger than iron.'
The Jews were committed to prayer and had regular times for this. Many of the prayers could be repetitive and of a ritualistic nature quoting rigid prayers over and over again. Some may have just gone through this ritual because of an obligation. William Barclay further comments, 'As Christians there are many occasions when we do precisely the same with the prayer which Christ taught us to pray.'
The Lord's Prayer should always be prayed from the heart, never as a formality that we first learnt at school.
Even our quiet times with God may fall into a kind of formalism, where we pray from a list in a rigid and ritualistic manner. We need to pray in the Spirit and avoid the risk of repetition. Don't forget that prayer is a two-way conversation - us and God. We need to wait and give time for Him to speak to us.
On your next quiet time, why not just sit in the quietness of your prayer-cupboard, before God and just listen for His voice and leading. It may take practise and be difficult to leave the prayer list out for a time. But it may lead you to a deeper place with your Father.
Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard
dailylifewithjesus@protonmail
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