Keep your eyes on God

"My son, give attention to My words, incline your ear to my sayings,"   Proverbs 4:20-27  NKJV

Jesus gives us the Words of Life throughout the bible. It's our road map to show us the way. It's our survival kit and compass, our book of wisdom and truth.

When we read God's Word or when we feel Him speaking to us, He wants us to incline our ear to what He is showing us; what He is telling us. This means, He wants us to lean into Him so that we don't miss what He is saying. When we hear His word, He wants us to meditate on it and if required, confess it to whom He directs. No matter what we read or what He tells us, we need to agree with the word. There is no room for doubt where Jesus is concerned. People around you may disregard His word and even make fun of it. Even believers may scoff at the idea of healing or any other faith issue. 'God doesn't heal people today,' they may say, 'that was back in bible times.' No it wasn't, so don't believe them. Healing is for now!

If God says that we were healed by the stripes of Jesus, (1 Peter 2:24), then that's the truth. We are healed, we just need to believe and accept it. ''Yes, but,' they may say. But nothing. Leave that word out of your thinking; it's a negative word. Get into God's words. They are positive and full of life. Read Proverbs 4:20-27. It gives us directions in the way we should go on a daily basis.

Verse 21 tells us to keep hold of His word and not let go of it. We need to internalise it. In other words, eat it, swallow it and digest it. Why? because they are words of life and bring health to our body (v22). 

Be careful though, there are conditions. If you want to walk with Jesus it has to be clean up time. Words that come out of your mouth need to be pure, not full of death and negativity. Words determine where we will be tomorrow. Words determine whether we are healed or not. You can't be healed if you're confessing that you won't be, 'Oh, I'll give it a chance. Yes pray for me but I doubt if there'll be any change.' If that's what you confess, that's what you'll get.

Verse 25 tells us not to become distracted. We need to focus on Jesus and look straight ahead. In other words, stop looking at the things that you know you shouldn't be looking at. Stop saying the things that you know you shouldn't be saying.

Be careful where you go and who you associate with. (v26). Ponder the path of your feet. We need to walk wisely; be careful where we go - the places where you know you could be tempted to get involved in things that would be wrong. Wherever we go, we need to be establishing righteousness.

We need to have good decision-making skills (v27) and stop being indecisive - stop saying one thing and doing another. Stick to God's plan. This is not a game - it is survival. We get one crack at life and Jesus has given us that second chance. He gave us His all, let's give Him ours.

Healing is not over. Faith is not over. They are not just things that happened in the bible. They are for now. Yes there are things that we can't explain, why someone appears not to be healed or dies young. They're the things we'll find out when we get to Heaven. Until then, we carry on believing and not doubting.
 If you want to move in the power of the Holy Spirit and see Jesus at work in a mighty way, get into the word. Meditate on Proverbs 4:20-27. Read it daily if possible. Believe that God can do whatever He chooses to do. God wants us well. God wants us prosperous and not settling for second best. 

If you receive this today, say Amen and watch God move in your life!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

You're a soldier - Be on Guard

"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."                                         1 Peter 5:8-9.  NKJV

Let's break down these verses:

BE SOBER -  We need to be fully alert and fully aware of what is around us. If we're on guard, we have to have our wits about us and a clear head in order to determine if everything is safe and secure. There's so much at stake.
VIGILANT - We must have our eyes and ears open so that we can learn to read the signs about us and act accordingly. We're on active service, if you don't feel you are, you need to re-think this. The devil will not take any time off, neither should we. We should position ourselves in such a way, and be prepared to use God's words whenever it is necessary. This is why you need to read and study it. If you don't know it, you can't use it and then you have a problem.
OUR ADVERSARY - our enemy prowls around. Note here that he doesn't run; he doesn't want to miss any opportunity by getting involved with panic. He's a planner and a schemer and he is very good at it. He will set traps for us - trip flares that will show him where we are. He is sneaky. This is why he prowls/walks around instead of rushing.
RESIST HIM - You need to test your defence mechanisms to ensure that they're working properly (if this happens, how will I handle it etc). Preparation and the ability to be fixed and immovable is the way forward. You also need determination and an unwavering spirit that says, 'Whatever come my way, in Jesus' Name, I'll handle this. Again, the ability to know God's word so that you can speak this out to the evil one when he attacks - because he will, you can bet on it. As Jesus did in the desert whilst he was undergoing temptation from the devil, He said, 'It is written'. If you don't know what is written you can't use this to defend yourself and resist him. 

Attacks from the devil are not unique. He attacks all Christians in various ways. It's common to man and no matter how well you know your bible, he'll try and catch you out. This is why you need to be alert- on guard, because he will try and catch you out when you least expect it. Your welfare and the welfare of your family is at stake so you need to make sure that you pray daily and take authority. There's no need to walk around in fear. Him that lives within you is greater than him who lives in the world ( 1 John 4:4 )
Get into the habit of speaking to God as soon as you wake up, 'Good Morning Jesus,' is a great place to start. May it be the first thing you do each morning. This way, you're starting off a dialogue with Jesus instead of looking out of the window, seeing the rain and saying, 'It's an awful day today'. It's not an awful day, the weather may not be nice but it's another day of you life. Get into this positive way of living.

And remember beyond anything else, that your friend Jesus, adores you.

Have a great day!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Our Place of safety

"The LORD also will be a refuge for the oppressed, a refuge in times of trouble. And those who know Your name will put their trust in You; for You LORD, have not forsaken those who seek You."                                                                                                Psalm 9:9-10.  NKJV

The word 'Refuge,' can also be interpreted as, being a safe place, a shelter, protection and a place of relief. In other words, it can be known as a hiding place. At times through our lives, we have all needed a place to hide. For some this may be from different kinds of abuse. For others it may be a hiding place from being bullied.  A refuge is usually a safe place where one can take time out from the rest of society for a while, until there has been some kind of change to circumstances. A study of Psalm 46 gives us a very good insight of God's care and protection of His people.

We do not always need to go running into a hiding place for protection. If we need this, God provides it. Oftentimes, we just need some space, a time to get away from the cares of the world and take some time out. Where better than to allow God to take us to this place. Psalm 91:1-2 give us a more deeper understanding of God's care and protection for us:

"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, 'He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust."
                                                                                                                Psalm 91:1-2.  NKJV

Where is the secret place? Basically, it's where God is. It is the place where you go to seek Him in your quiet time, that place where you feel safe and encouraged. This can be anywhere but it must be a place where you can be alone with Him and seek some friendship, love and encouragement from Him. Note that when we are with Him, we abide under the shadow of His wing. (Psalm 91:4). Psalm 31:20 says, 'You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence, from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.'
At times, life can be hard. People may become far too demanding of us; and may also say unkind words about us - words that are not true but are said in such a way that people believe them. These are the times that when we need to seek God in His secret place - His sanctuary and pavilion.

Psalm 91 gives a great insight into the safety of abiding in the presence of God. May I encourage you to take some time out and study and meditate on this Psalm. There is so much to be gained by going through it and it will most certainly give you an understanding of just how much God wants to protect and take care of you. It is also a Psalm of warfare as it gives you promises that you can stand on and oppose any evil that may come your way. Take a look at these three verses from the Psalm:

"Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your way - "    Psalm 91:9-11   NKJV

Whether you're battered and bruised from what life has given you or you're just needing some time out - in need of refuge - let me encourage you to call out to Jesus; determine to spend quality time with Him on your own. Get into the secret place and let Him build you back up, piece by piece until you're ready to go out again and fulfill the commission that He has placed upon you.

Every Blessing

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Does your mouth need a service?

"But I say to you that, for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgement.'                                                                                                    Matthew 12:36.  NKJV

Our words matter. They either do good or do a lot of damage. Proverbs 18:21 says, 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.' We will reap what we sow. If we sow bad words, word that cause hurt and upset, we will be judged at the end of the day. But actually, things will not go well for us before that, because we will be in a place of unrest, a place where God cannot bless us fully until we repent, if at all. A closer look at this verse shows that, when we speak life, we're speaking about God's perspective on the issue. When we speak death, we're declaring defeat and constant complaint. We need to make our words productive.

Many people speak what they want to without considering what they're about to say first. Once it's out in the open, it's too late. We may see the news as it discusses the latest case of violence or theft and look at the people involved in a judgemental way. 'They need to get a job instead of filling their minds with violence from watching endless videos. This is where they get all this violence from,' we may say. There may be some truth in this but we are not called to judge. Actually, we don't know the circumstances; where they've come from and judging a person before they've been declared guilty is not the way forward. Racial hate is on the increase and God is not pleased. There is enough violence in this world without Christians standing on a soap box, until they have the facts. Yes, we need to make a stand for justice, but firstly, God would want us to find out the whole story before we rush in saying all the wrong things,

'Therefore, be imitators of God as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.'
                                                                                                         Ephesians 5:1-2

We do well when we consider what Jesus would do in any given situation. Oftentimes, things come at us so quickly that we hardly have the time to process what is happening. To shoot our mouths off in an example such as this, without at least giving the matter a thought, let alone prayer, is the wrong thing to do. This is why we need to be in charge of our mouth. We also need to root out what is happening in our heart, because this fills our mind and our mind feeds the mouth with words. If the heart is not right, it is feeding the wrong stuff to our minds and our thought-life becomes a volatile tool. This volatile tool, if not serviced well can run out of tune with what the Holy Spirit wants us to say. When this happens, words of death are spoken - words that kill and destroy and damage any type of chance of introducing Jesus into the matter. 

Ask yourself this question: 'Am I in control of my mouth - what I say?' Don't just brush over the question. Put it before God, meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to give you an MOT. If you pass, you can drive on. If you fail, you need some type of repair and Jesus is a great mechanic. As you submit to Him and allow Him to carry out some work on you, in no time at all, you'll be back on the road.

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Nothing is impossible

"being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was able to perform."   
                                                                                                                       Romans 4:21.  NKJV

When you look at some issue that is massive, it can look so immovable; so impossible to negotiate that we can be tempted to give it up as a bad job. Don't do that!

God told Abraham that he would father a child (Issac) in his old age. Sarah just laughed at the idea. Let's face it, Abraham was getting on for a 100 years old and Sarah nearly 90; it must have seemed an impossibility for this happen at their age. But Abraham believed.

Just a look at Romans 4:17-22, we see Abraham get into a position where, 'Contrary to hope, in hope believed.' (V18), 'And not being weak in faith,' (V19), 'He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God,' (V20), 'but was fully convinced that what He had promised, He was able to perform.' V21).

You may say, 'Yes, but Abraham was a friend of God, it was different for him.' No, it wasn't, he was the same as you and believe it or not, you are a friend of God's too. 'No longer do I call you servants for a servant does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends..' (John 15:15). You are a friend of God as well so believe it.

Supernatural hope (biblical hope) overcame natural hope. We serve a God who gives life to the dead and calls the things that don't exist as though they do! (V17) And He expects us to operate in this same kind of faith; to see things differently; to speak out things differently. 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, 'For we walk by faith not by sight.' Again, 2 Corinthians 4:18 comments, 'while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' We look at things through the eyes of faith because the natural things are subject to change. In other words, we call things that do not exist as though they did. (V17). And that is faith and this is the way God expects us to live.

We should never consider our limitations or what people may say to negate our faith or what is around us trying to intimidate us. We should press on keeping our eyes on God and speaking the Word of God - the Words of faith. Where sickness is concerned, we need to speak to that sickness and make it get in line with God's Word that says by the stripes of Jesus we were healed. (1 Peter 2:24). Speak to the problems and mountains that you will face in the same manner too, all of course, in the Name of Jesus. 

Receive your healing; receive your blessing; receive that promise that God has given, that dream that God placed on your heart some time ago. Be careful though of the dream-killers; the ones who will try to convince you that God doesn't work this way; that you have heard wrong. Keep pressing on in belief. Be careful though, if you get involved in sin - you come out of God's presence - you may lose what you have achieved. Stay in the presence of the Holy Spirit and get you bible out' seek Him; pray to Him, praise Him. Focus on Him, not the problem. Tell God how big and wonderful He is, that is praise.

Don't forget your angels. They are around waiting for you to get into position, when you are and speak the Word of God, POW! - they will step in and help you as you praise God. Remember Paul and Silas in Acts 16. They were in stocks in a filthy dungeon. But instead of moaning and groaning, they sang and praised God. The result was, their chains fell off. God had spoken - the angels had obeyed and they were set free. And so will you be too.

God has given you all you need to get on and do the job, so position yourself for victory!

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Lord's Prayer Part 8

"For Yours is the kingdom, and the power and the glory, forever. Amen."
                                                                                                                    Matthew 6:13.  NKJV

This is the final major topic in our prayer outline:

DIVINE PARTNERSHIP - Praise God for sharing His Kingdom, Power and Glory with you.

God is willing to give His children the best and wants us to share our lives with Him. In John 14 we read:

'Let not you heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions, if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you. I will come again and receive you to Myself, that where I am, there you may be also'.  John 14:1-3

Jesus is actually preparing a place for us to live in Heaven. It must be a magnificent place because He has been preparing this for over 2000 years. Note the word, 'Mansions'. Have you ever thought that you would live in one of these? Well you will! When He has finished the preparations, He will return to us and take us there. This will be in the End Times - the end of the age. People have been talking about this for many years but it is getting close. One only has to look at the state of the world right now - terrorism, wars, abuse, floods, earthquakes, people stabbing people and beheading them. Total evil, bloodshed and hurt. There will have to be the rise of the anti-christ firstly, but with all of this chaos and pain, even that may be just around the corner. Kenneth Copeland said very recently that, 'We are in the end of the end times,' and I believe it.

But, Jesus will take care of all bible-believing, born again, Spirit-Filled Christians wherever they are. He is sharing His Kingdom with us. He has also shared with us His Power - 'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you’. Acts 1:8, then, ‘Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy and nothing shall by any means hurt you.'  Luke 10:19. He is also sharing with us, His Glory: 'So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord - who is the Spirit - makes us more and more like Him as we are changed into His glorious image.'  2 Corinthians 3:18 NLT. Wow, look in the mirror and you'll be looking at Jesus. You are a mirror-image.

There is some question as to whether this doxology is in the original manuscript. Some theologians believe Matthew wrote it; others believe that it was added by a scribe at a later date.  There will always be debates about whether this is right or the other. The way forward, I believe, is that it should be accepted that it was in the original text and believed to be what Matthew meant to say. Until God says different, that is what I believe is the right route to take here. Don't forget that there is a thief about (John 10:10). He will rob us of every gem that God gives us if we allow him to. Don't let him. Stand on the Word of God.

We have now come to the end of our study of the Lord's Prayer. There is so much more to reap from this text and I encourage you to meditate on it and expound the scripture until you feel that you have squeezed the life out of it. When you feel this, you'll be wrong, because it is a Living Word and there is no end to it.

Be very Blessed

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

The Lord's Prayer Part 7

"And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one."   Matthew 6:13.  NKJV

Our sixth major topic in our prayer outline is:

POWER OVER SATAN: Pray a hedge of protection about yourselves and your loved ones as in Job 1:9-10 and Psalm 91, and verbally put on the armour of God (Ephesians 6:13-18)

The term, 'And do not lead us into temptation,' has been misinterpreted a few times by people who are unaware of what it really means. Let's set the record straight, God will never tempt us or lead us into temptation:

'Let no man say when he is tempted, "I am tempted by God", for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone". 

God will never lead us into temptation, neither will He tempt us. However, He will allow us to be tested. Trials come our way and God provides every way for us to overcome them. Let us not forget, that Jesus was actually led into the wilderness to be tempted (Read Matthew 4:1-22). Actually, in the New Testament, the word for 'temptation,' was often meant to be 'tested,' However, from the devil's standpoint, this was an enticement to sin. From Jesus' standpoint, it was a challenge from Satan to test God's sovereignty and plan. The devil probably felt that he could excel over Jesus in His weakness. He offered Him things that could well have seemed quite intriguing. However, Jesus passed this test.

It is the same with each one of us, trials will come our way and oftentimes, God will allow this. As Jesus did, we need to overcome these trials or tests with the Word of God - 'It is written', before they turn into temptations, We have great comfort in God's Word at this time, because He will not allow us to be tested or tempted beyond what we can stand:

'No temptation has overtaken you except, such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.'  (1 Corinthians 10:13'

An Amen is called for here, I feel! God is faithful and watches over us, cheering us on to overcome but if things get too tough, He has a rescue plan. Isn't that good? Each and everyday, we need to ask God to protect us and our family and all that we have and will be doing. Psalm 91 is a great place to start. Place a hedge of protection around yourself and your family. Also, remember to put on the armour of God. Some may say there is no need to do this as it is already on. Forget that, and get dressed properly, each day. Read Ephesians 6:13-18 every day and ensure that you are protected. It's no use going out to your day, getting into problems and then realising that you are not protected with the armour. Put it on!

Don't forget that the devil will continue to fire his fiery darts at you, wherever you are and whatever you're doing. Stand up man or woman of God and go out in the power of the Holy Spirit and get the day's job done. 

Copyright 2019 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com