Covenant People

"But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off, have been brought near by the Blood of Christ."                                                                            Ephesians 2:13.  NKJV

We were purchased by the Blood of Jesus. We have a contract with God - a Covenant.
A Covenant is a binding agreement and we have this with Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour - if you are born again.

George Pearsons says:

'A Covenant is a solemn, binding, unbreakable agreement of total devotion between two parties that have joined together to support, defend, protect and provide for each other.'

When we asked Jesus into our hearts, we gave Him all of ourselves and we became one with Him, made in His image. We belong to Him - totally and He belongs to us. He is our brother but also our God, He is our friend but also King of kings and Lord of lords.

God is serious about our Covenant with us. He tells us in Psalm 89:34, 'My Covenant, I will not break, nor alter the word that has gone out of my lips.' He will not break this Covenant and expects that we won't either. He is committed to us and expects us to be committed to Him. It is a two-way contract.

It all sounds very official and in a way it is. However, it is a Covenant in which we have many blessings. His sole intonation is to bless us because that is what we were born into. 

Christian marriage is a Covenant between two people who both have Jesus residing in their heart. If one partner is not a Christian then it is possible that at times, one is pulling in another direction to the other. One grows in Christ, the other grows in a different area. When the two partners are both believers, they walk together with Jesus in the central part of their marriage. In fact, they are one, joined together in Jesus. When they are not, there will always be that dis-jointedness. After all, they both entered into a Covenant of marriage and this means, with Jesus at the central part. Something then, is missing.

As believers, we are Covenant people purchased by Jesus' Blood. We can rely on His faithfulness and we need to endeavour to allow Him to see that He can rely on us too. When He asks us to do something for Him, He expects us to carry this out. When He tells us something while we are in prayer, if it is a private issue about someone, He wants to know that we can be trusted to keep it to ourselves for as long as is needed.

A Covenant relationship is sacred. As believers, we are all joined together by the Blood of Jesus. Yes we have our differences; there may be people we find difficult to get on with. However, as Covenant people, we love them all the same; we forgive wherever that is needed. We hold no grudges; keep no records of wrongs and watch the words that come out of our mouths, in other words, we only speak the way Jesus would speak. 

How do we do all of this? By faith in Jesus. By staying very close to Him and thinking the best of people no matter what we may hear about them. Covenant people do not judge or point the finger they just know there is a better way - the Royal way.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

You can rely on God

"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."                 Proverbs 3:5-6.  NKJV

TRUST
In this context, to trust, means to lie helpless, facedown. It pictures a servant waiting for the master's command in readiness to obey. To break it down further, trust means to, have faith in, to rely upon, to depend; to be sold-out for God and to realise as one does, it is safe to do so.
WITH ALL YOUR HEART
Note the word 'all.' Sometimes the temptation is to trust God a little but to keep back some trust so that we can rely on ourselves too. This is not the way. We have to surrender 'all,' there is no other way when we walk with God. He requires everything - all we have, in fact, to be committed and completely signed up to His will. When we are, He will take care of everything. This is where He wants us to be - totally dependant and reliant on Him.
LEAN NOT
Don't doubt or rush in to things hastily. We need to ensure that what we are doing; where we are going is the right thing for us. Leaning into God, is seeking God-inspired direction, not self-reliance
ACKNOWLEDGE
'The Hebrew word for acknowledge is Yada and means, direct, intimate contact. It refers to life-giving intimacy as in a marriage. It suggests an intimacy with God in prayer that conceives and births blessings and victories' (sourced from The Spirit Filled Life Bible).

Again in verse 6, we're told to acknowledge God in 'all' our ways. We do this with prayer - seeking Him, asking Him and seeking His advice for all we have to do. We have to check the way head, rather like we do when going on a long journey - we need to know the way.
DIRECTION
We need God to direct our paths. Rather like me in the past, you may have made a few blunders which were caused by dashing in and not asking God first. We need to learn by our mistakes and put Him in the driving seat. He has given us the Instruction Manual (the bible) so read it, seek God's view and don't do any more until He shows you what to do. 

The bottom line is, we either believe and trust God or we don't. He has given us His Heavenly compass - the Holy Spirit, so we need to check out what's on the road, what lies ahead and what to avoid.

The devil is around every corner trying to trip us up. When we trust God in everything, to protect and show us the way forward, the angels are all around us.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Superabundance

"My cup runs over."                                                                                Psalm 23:5.  NKJV

Have you ever been filling a cup, taken your eyes off the cup for just one second, and had the contents pouring over the edge of the cup onto the work surface it's standing on? It happens, especially when we are busy and multi-tasking in order to get things done, all at once.

This is a similar example of how God blesses each one of His people who trust and rely on Him on a daily basis. We are the cup and He fills us with blessings that overflow out of us. He can't help it. When we're walking with Him obediently and sin-free, He just wants to smother us with  His love and blessing.

Psalm 23:1 says a similar thing, 'I shall not want.' As we seek God first in our lives and His righteousness, He will give us what we need and lots more too. Matthew 6:33.

Let us take a look at John 10:10 for a moment:

'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.'

If you remember in Genesis 3, we see the devil, dressed in a serpent's skin, leading Adam and Eve astray by convincing Eve that it was ok to eat the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, thus causing them to sin and by this, allowing sin to enter into the world. He is a thief, a killer and will destroy all you have if you allow him to.

On the other hand, God wants to abundantly bless each one of us and fill our lives with love and contentment. The Greek word for Abundant is perissos which means, superabundance, excessive, overflowing, surplus, over and above, more than enough, profuse, extraordinary, above the ordinary and more that sufficient (source Word Wealth Spirit Filled Life Bible).

Our Father is Our Excessive God. Satan is the joy robber and Jesus is the joy bringer - the God of too much. The New Living Translation reads, 'My purpose is to give them a rich, satisfying life.' John 10:10.

We can begin to see how David could write, 'My cup runs over.' When God gives, it is to overflowing. It overflows giving us superabundance. This is the blessing that was given initially to Adam and Eve in the garden and caused Abraham to be fully convinced that what God had promised he was also able to perform. Romans 4:21. The blessing hasn't stopped. God wants us to live in it each and every day. He will bless us with all that we need to serve Him and carry out His Will for our lives. He will give us all we need - over and above - for us to live and enjoy.

It is the most wonderful feeling when God turns up with financial blessing when your pot is becoming empty. Do you know something. As long as you give to God, your pot will never be empty. He will pour into your cup until it is overflowing whenever you need it. Why? Because He loves you, enjoys your company and loves you honouring Him with all you have. Whatever you give Him, He will pour back to you abundantly!

Now that's good news

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Your Good Shepherd

"The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want."                                              Psalm 23:1.  NKJV

This Psalm is probably the most read and most well known of all the Psalms. Because it is well-known, it is easy to skim over it when reading because it is so familiar. Most of us can quote it off by heart. However, there is still so much to learn from it because it is a Living Word. This is the beauty of the bible. Each time we look at various verses, they mean something different. There is always something new to glean from it.

Here David is worshipping God and he gives Him the title of shepherd. This was a title that David knew everything about; he had tendered his father's sheep for years, protecting and guiding them. Now David sees the analogy.

A shepherd provides for his sheep and guides them and protects them wherever they go. The sheep become so familiar with their shepherd that a trust is established that will never be broken. They will follow their shepherd and know that if they get into any difficulties their shepherd will protect and in most cases, save them. This is where the rod and staff come in. The rod would be used to ward off any predators that was attacking the sheep and the staff or crook would guide them and lift them out of holes and ditches if required. 

If you happen to walk through some fields where sheep are grazing, see what happens if you walk up to them. They won't know you, so in order to be safe, they will run away. Yet if you happen to see their shepherd approach them, they will do the opposite and run up to him or her. You see, they know their shepherd and they trust their shepherd. Do you get the picture?

Jesus is our shepherd. In John 10:7-30, we see Jesus telling the people, 'I AM the Good Shepherd. The Good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep.' (V11). And, 'My sheep hear My voice and I know them and they follow Me.' (V27). If you're not in the mode of realising this, do it today. There is not a thing in your life that Jesus - your Shepherd - is not interested in. He is watching over you 24/7 and as you accept this and ask Him to place His protection all around you, your angels will be there to ensure that you are safe. This includes putting your armour on - daily, Ephesians 6:10-18. Pray in the Spirit (Tongues). If you don't know how to, ask God to help you. If you've been Baptised in the Holy Spirit, you can do this; but you must make the sound and then by faith, trust God that the rest, even though it may sound like gobbly-gook, is your heavenly language. Practise it now.

Wherever you are, whatever you're doing, your Good Shepherd is there with you. Enjoy His presence, talk to Him, listen to Him, study His Word. He's not religious, He is great fun, very faithful and He is your Friend for life.

If you've never been Baptised in the Holy Spirit pray this:

'Father, I ask You to fill me with the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit rise up within me as I praise God. I fully expect to speak with other tongues as You give me the utterance (Acts 2:4). 
In Jesus' Name. Amen

Now begin to praise God and use your Heavenly language. You must use your own voice, it won't happen any other way. It may sound very strange at first, but keep at it. It is powerful. You may not understand it but God does.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

Chosen, Adopted and ready for Thrills and Action

"3 All praise to God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ. 4 Even before He made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in His eyes. 5 God decided in advance to adopt us into His own family by bringing us to Himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do and it gave Him great pleasure." Ephesians 1:3-5. New Living Translation

Note the word in verse 3 'every'. He has blessed us with 'every spiritual blessing in the heavenly realms.' These are spiritual blessings from the Holy Spirit and they include, divine privileges and resources which are available to us now. Among these are, we are chosen and adopted; forgiven and filled with the Holy Spirit with access to the fruit of the Spirit and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Because of His great love for us, our Father also blesses us with material gifts. He bestows on us, our families, our homes, marriage, financial blessings and lots, lots more.

Words fail when we attempt to describe just how much God loves each one of us. Even before He created this world, He was thinking about us. How wonderful is that? Have you ever considered it? The creator God, who was preparing to bring this world into operation, had you and me on His mind. He chose us for Himself then. People get mixed up here when we speak about being predestined. Predestination does not suggest that some are chosen and some are not. No one is excluded from being God's child and having a place in Heaven with Him one day. No, we are all chosen to be a part of His family. The thing is, some accept His invitation and sadly some don't and God gets no pleasure from seeing someone He loves - dearly, refusing to accept Him.

The thing is, it all comes down to choice and when we accept His offer of adoption, He looks at us through eyes that see no fault in us at all. No spot and no blemish. He sees no stain upon us. Yes we let Him down daily, we are weak human beings. He knows that. But as we repent - say sorry for our sin, He wraps His loving arms around us and hugs us. Shall I tell you something? When you were so far away from Jesus, lost in your sin, He watched out for you every day. He watched and waited for you to return to Him, battered and torn, bruised and rejected. And when He saw you coming back to Him, He ran to you and hugged you, tears flowing from His eyes, so grateful that His son or daughter had returned to Him. (Please read Luke 15:11-32).

It is impossible to gauge how much Your Heavenly Father loves you. It is immeasurable. He has blessed you spiritually with all you need to stay focused on Him. He has also blessed you with goodies to make your life enjoyable but He has more - much more. You are part of the blessing and God takes care of those who are blessed. Each and every day, ensure that you involve Him fully in all you do. He's exciting to have around and He wants to show you lots more about His love and character. Embrace His love; praise Him, love Him, walk with Him and make Him the central-part of your life and believe me, you'll need seat belts as He takes you off down the road of blessing, hope and glory.

Copyright 2010 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

New Beginnings

"Behold, I will do a new thing"                                                                          Isaiah 43:19

In this passage - Isaiah 43:18-19, God says, 'Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. Behold, I will do a new thing.'
Things may not have gone too well in 2019. You may have messed things up or had the rough end of things forced into your life. However, 2020 - a new decade, can be seen as a new start for you, if you'll give it a chance.

God is doing some exciting things at this time. There is a sense of spiritual excitement around and God wants you on board so that you can feel alive again. Some leading Christian leaders believe that we are in the last stages - approaching the End Times, before Jesus returns. This may be so. Let's face it, there are many awful things happening around the world at this time - volcanoes erupting, major flooding, a massive rise in violence and terrorism on the increase. One could speculate that we're in the last days. However, until God says it's over, it's not over and we have things to do. People need Jesus, otherwise they could be left behind and this is where we all come in.

God wants each one of us to know Him better. He wants us to get into the position that wherever we are, Jesus is seen. Imagine that; you walk into a place and people feel the glory of God coming from you, to them. They feel Jesus shining out of you. How can this happen? When  we are so full of God's love the Holy Spirit just pours out of us and He will always, point to Jesus.

Do you want this? God wants it for you! There are a lot of mixed up and hurting people in our world today. We can be of help to them. But how? 
Firstly, you need regular, solid bible based teaching - solid food. If you don't put it in, you can't put it out. Read your bible; study it through and through; watch Spirit-filled teaching on Christian TV - Kenneth Copeland, RT Kendall and George Pearsons would all be excellent resources. Read Christian teaching books. Fill your life with God's Word. 

Secondly, put Jesus first in your life. Seek Him, believe His Word, live it and spread it around. People will then be affected by your presence. 

Make this year count for you. May this be your New Beginning for this New Year.

God Bless

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

I Am Not Ashamed of the Gospel

"For I Am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek."                                  Romans 1:16.  NKJV

Do you ever feel ashamed of your faith, or in other words, feel embarrassed when some people discover you're a Christian? This may be when you're with close family or friends who are not believers and you may feel that you don't want to offend them. Therefore, you remain quiet about your faith. This may be when you're at work or anywhere else where there may be a strong animosity about Christianity and religion.

Quite often certain jobs and places of training, such as universities can be hostile towards a person's faith and are discriminatory to them. There was one Christian chap who was at University with me, training to be a social worker specialising in child care. In a group discussion, the lecturer, who had a reputation for not liking Christians, asked him if he believed in smacking his children if they were in the wrong. He replied that he did as the scriptures say:

'He who spares his rod, hates his son, but he who loves him disciplines him promptly.'
                                                                                                            Proverbs 13:24

The lecturer then brought up scriptures such as Proverbs 23:13-14 which refers to correcting a child with a rod. The chap tried to explain that the passage was referring to spanking the child, not beating them as in physical abuse. However, he was on a hiding to nothing and very nearly got thrown off the course. The devil loves to stir up bad feeling.

The apostle Paul was determined that he would not be ashamed or embarrassed about doing what he had been called to do - spread the Word and plant churches. He would not let anything get in his way of doing this task. He knew the oppositions that he faced and was willing to take them on, no matter what, and this is the determination and attitude that we need to have as well.

There comes a time in our walk with God that we must make a stand concerning our faith. This happened to me when I was completing my social work training at Uni, all those years ago. I was on my final placement and a social worker there, who didn't like Christians - at all - stirred up a hornet's nest about my faith stating that I believed that homosexuality was an abomination and that I would be discriminatory in my practice.
This was a classic example of how our enemy, the devil twists the truth. A meeting was called to discuss this and my future. I challenged them quoting Leviticus 18:22 which says, 'You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination.' I made it clear that God finds the act of homosexuality an abomination, not the homosexual. He loves them and would expect me to do the same. I told them that I was not here to judge but to do my job and honour other workers and the people I see as clients. I did not have to agree with their lifestyle or have it forced on me, as I wouldn't expect them to agree with mine or have my Christianity forced upon them. The meeting ended and God honoured me because, I had honoured Him by making the stand. Why? Because I AM not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. 

If it wasn't for Jesus, we would have nothing, we would be lost. However, He found us, so never be ashamed or embarrassed of your faith.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com