Three main areas of worry Part 1

"25 Therefore, I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?"                                     Matthew 6:25-34.  NKJV

Jesus told us not to worry, in fact, it was more of a command than a request because He is well aware of the devastation that worry and anxiety can cause. People all over the globe are suffering the consequences of worry. Depression and other areas of mental health are leading factors, together with cancers and heart disease. Ask yourself, is worry really worth it? You may answer me, 'It's ok for you to say, but you don't know what is happening in my life.' That's very true, I don't. But what I do know is, that worry is a choice. We can choose to worry about something, or we can choose to give things to Our Father because He says in His Word, 'Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you.' 1 Peter 5:7. Again, 'Cast your burden on the Lord, and He shall sustain you.' Psalm 55:22. 
It is difficult, I know, when you are going through the deepest of worrying times, to choose not to fear, but this is the most sensible. God tells us to cast our cares over to Him because he can carry us through the situation - sustain us through it.

There are three main areas that we all are tempted to worry about: Finance, Family and Health. Let us look at these over the next few days:

FINANCE
We need food and drink and clothes to wear. These are the most essential of our basic needs. We also need to be able to meet the ever increasing bills that mount up over the month, the rent or the mortgage payments, medical supplies and prescription costs, children's costs for school trips and uniforms and the other bills such as electricity, gas, water, car, petrol etc. It is never ending. 

Verse 26 in our text is an amazing one: 'Look at the birds of the air, for they neither sow nor reap, nor gather into barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them.'
We can learn a lot from birds. They are not capable of earning a living for their needs but there is a great analogy here, of how God supplies all of their needs. God created trees, bushes, plants and small bug life so that they could be fed. He also uses many of us to supply them with seeds, nuts, fat balls and other tasty morsels so that in winter, they're catered for. In the summer they have berries and such from the plant life. God also supplies them with a home, completely free. This is how much He cares for them. So why do we fret at the lack of finance? We are of much more value to God than the birds are. V26. 
So what makes us fret when we're getting low on stuff, or when that large bill comes through the post? God knows that we need these things, do we consider that He will actually let us down? We really must trust in God more. Just think, you are a Kingdom person and God wants His Kingdom people to have faith and be blessed. There is absolutely no room for doubt. V32. But one important thing here is, don't forget to honour God with your finance - by tithing. "What, I can't tithe, I don't have enough for myself, let alone to give away.' Let me tell you something, you can't afford not to tithe:

'Honour the LORD with your wealth and with the best part of everything you produce. Then He will fill your barns with grain, and your vats will overflow with good wine.'
                                                                             Proverbs 3:9-10.  NLT

'Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house, and try Me now in this, says the LORD of hosts, if it will not open for you the windows of Heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it.'  Malachi 3:10.  NKJV

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

God's Mercy Towards Us

"23 Who remembered us in our lowly state, for His mercy endures forever, 24 And rescued us from our enemies, for His mercy endures forever; 25 Who gives food to all flesh, for His mercy endures forever.
26 Oh give thanks to the God of Heaven! For His mercy endures forever."
                                                                                     Psalm 136:23-26.  NKJV

God not only shows us His constant, daily love, but He also gives us His Favour, His Mercy and His Grace. Someone once said that a breakdown of these three areas shows us that, Favour is God's unusual liking to us. Grace is free and unmerited blessings of God and Mercy is God not punishing us as we deserve.

In the above Psalm, we see all three of these areas being demonstrated. Note the phrase in v23, 'Who remembered us in our lowly state - ' God cannot forget us, we are imprinted on His heart. Even if we walk away from Him, He remembers us and waits for our return (Luke 15:11-32). There are many who have abandoned God for one thing and another, but He stands there waiting for their return. He will never give up on anyone and this is where His mercy kicks in. We just don't deserve His love. He's a Holy God but through Jesus Christ we receive God's mercy and we are forgiven and made His son. When that happens, He chooses to forget all of the bad things that we have ever done. Grace enters the discussion here as it is God's freely unmerited blessing upon us, in other words, His unmerited favour. We've done nothing to deserve it but we get it anyway because He loves and cherish us.

God's favour in the Hebrew is a word called Chen. It means to bend or stoop in kindness to another, as a superior to an inferior. God wraps favour around us:

'For You O LORD, will bless the righteous. With favour You will surround him as with a shield.' Psalm 5:12. The word favour offers us, pleasure, delight, desire and grace and when you consider this, mercy just has to be included here too. We need to keep living 'favour-minded', and God will deliver blessing after blessing. God loves you so much that He will even help you find a parking space in a very busy car park when you need it. You have the favour of God on you. Just think, if He'll find you a place to park, what else would He like to provide you with as well.

His Mercy, Grace and Favour last forever. We have them because Jesus made it possible for this. Stop and think for a moment, how many times has God rescued you from hazards and dangerous and risky things? How many times has He fought for you when you were in a dodgy position? How many times has He turned up to help when there has been no one else who seems to care or know about you? Jesus' love is immeasurable! and infinite. It will never end. He has provided for each one of us and will continue to do so. He gives us food to eat both spiritually and physically; clothes to wear; house to live in; family and friends, finance. What He gives us is unlimited! How can we not give thanks to the God of Heaven, for His mercy endures forever?

At the end of the day, He is there when we sleep and He is with us when we awake. He is there for us during our day; when we are busy and when we are having a rest; when we are happy and when we are sad. When we have problems and when all is well.

In Jesus, you have a rock solid friend. He is faithful and kind and great company too. Have you ever heard Him laugh? If not, then get really close to Him and you will. Really get to know him, He is great fun.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com




























Difference Between Favour Grace and Mercy. Favouris God's unusual liking to us. Grace is free and unmerited blessings of the God. Mercy is God not punishing us as we deserve.

Peace

"Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nether let it be afraid."    John 14:27.  NKJV

The two kinds of peace that we look at today are, Worldly Peace and the Peace of Jesus:
WORLDLY PEACE
The world give us peace and then takes it back again. It involves unrest and demands, the kind that leads to anxiety and fear. People may come along and show us two fingers as they declare, 'Peace Brother or Sister', to us. They may be genuine but the whole practise has a feeling of uncertainty about it. People may say to each other, 'I'm going to get some fresh air and a little peace and quiet'. They may do, but it is still uncertain, worldly peace. William Barclay comments on worldly peace by stating, 'The world's peace is a peace of escape, the avoidance of trouble and a refusal to face up to things.' In other words, it can be a kind of denial.
We may say at the end of some worldly conflict that we now have a time of peace. That may be so, but there is still a feeling of uncertainty about it all. Worldly peace is very shallow. This can be seen on annual events such as New Years celebrations. People are happy as the clock strikes twelve, indicating another New Year. However, shortly afterwards, they may be seen fighting, possibly because they have consumed too much alcohol to be in control of themselves. It is just world peace - temporary.

In the Amplified version, part of our text reads:

"Stop allowing yourself to be agitated and disturbed and do not permit yourselves to be fearful and intimidated and cowardly and unsettled.' 

In the NLT, the text reads:

'I AM leaving you with a gift - peace of mind and heart. And the peace I give is a gift the world cannot give'

Note the words, 'the world cannot give.' The world cannot give the peace that we all yearn for. Only Jesus can offer us the free gift of this peace.

THE PEACE OF JESUS
The peace that Jesus speaks about here is, Shalom peace - everything that is for our highest good. 
It was a common thing and still is in many places, for Jews to say to each other Shalom when they met with people and when they left. What they were saying was, 'Peace be with you - Peace (Shalom) be with you.' It became a regular thing for Jews to greet and say goodbye with these words, rather like we may say, 'God Bless,' to some people. At times, it can feel like a casual and empty phrase to say. Jesus, however, was saying, 'My Peace.' He was letting them know that His Peace is untroubled and never fearful, in fact genuine. Jesus could say this although the road ahead for Him led to a lot of suffering.

We can have a life that is untroubled and free from worry and fear if we allow Jesus to sow this peace within our hearts. It is free and we just need to receive it without cost. Jesus is saying to each one of us, 'Stop being afraid; stop being fearful and anxious, worried and agitated by the things of life. It serves no purpose except to upset you and others as they hear you. Acting in such a way can also injure your health. Worry is a killer and also a sin, Because Jesus told us not to do it. (Matthew 6:25)

Don't you think that it is time that you received the Peace of God and stopped worrying and being anxious about everything? You know it is, and so does God. That's why He is telling you now.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Be careful with the seed

"Listen! Behold a sower went out to sow."                      Mark 4:3 & 13-20

The farmer has to sow his seed carefully; otherwise it may be snatched by the birds, it can be sown into ground where there is no root or choked because it is thrown into ground that is choked with thorns and all sorts of debris. Here, in verses 13-20, we see different variations of seed sowing:

HARD GROUND
In Galilee at the time, there were many strips of land with hard paths through them where people walked.This was so regular that the paths would become very compact and hard. As seed was sown, birds would swoop down before it even had time to root. Farmers, at times used donkeys that carried large bags of seed with a hole cut out at the bottom corner. As the donkey was led on, the seed would flow out on the paths and land. However, birds would still swoop down and snatch the seed. You've probably seen examples of this with tractors in a field. As the tractor goes along, hundreds of birds can be seen trying to take the seed away. The difference being, here the soil has been well dug and fertilised.

The analogy here is, many people hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ but the words don't take root. Many people are indifferent to the Word of God and feel that they don't need 'Religion,' in their lives. They're ok as they are. Sadly, one day, they may wish that they had done something about it.
STONY GROUND
Much of Galilee at the time, was covered with a shelf of limestone rock with just a shallow level of soil covering this. It wasn't deep enough for seeds to make root and when the hot sun rose, they would shrivel up with the heat.
Many people are drawn to Christianity but they don't give it their all. Living for Jesus, is an all or nothing exercise. We have to give Jesus our all. If there is no depth to our walk with Him, the world will shrivel us up with the heat of its temptations. 
CHOKED SEED
Farmers would hack large thorn bushes down but leave the roots still in the ground. Consequently, the thorns would quickly grow back, fresh and strong, and choke the freshly sowed seedlings. 
It's great to have hobbies and belong tp various clubs, such as a gym, sports club, art classes ad also church activities. But in our busy lives, we must leave room for Jesus. You may be an avid reader and plough through thrillers at a fast pace, but where is the value if you spend hours reading these books and minutes in your bible - if at all. Doing too much, chokes your Christian walk.

WE MUST HEAR THE WORD OF GOD
This happens by listening. Sometimes, we can be so busy talking that we fail to hear what God is saying. 
WE MUST RECEIVE THE WORD OF GOD
We must take it into our minds. At times, we may hear what we don't wish to hear. This is not the time to discard it, but learn from it. We all need guidance and teaching. The truth can hurt at the time but it can mend, the same way as a prescribed injection of medicine can hurt but we know that it will benefit us.
WE MUST PUT THE WORD OF GOD INTO ACTION
Faith doesn't call us to speculate but to act. If you don't act on your faith, very little will happen.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

Strong and Courageous

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."                              Joshua 1:9.  NKJV

We can meditate on fear and accept it, as we saw yesterday. When we do, we're listening to the wrong source - we are listening to a lie from the devil. Moses had died and Joshua took over from him. God told him to take the Israelites with him and cross over the River Jordan, into Canaan - the Promised Land. 

Joshua had been there forty years earlier, with Caleb and the other spies that Moses had sent out. They had encountered giants and even though Joshua and Caleb gave a good report, that it was safe to go over there, the others gave a bad report, so the journey had been cancelled. 
Now forty years later, Joshua was to head back with a new generation of Israelites. 

This brought up several concerns for Joshua. What would it be like? Would it have changed much? Would the giants be even bigger than they were before - even more threatening? Would he and Caleb see good in the land once again? Questions needing answers.

Joshua was apprehensive about all of this and the thought of leading such a massive load of people. He was the leader; could he do it? Would it just be a repeat of last time, where the people refused to go? 
God sensed Joshua's apprehension and began to encourage him, telling him that he was well able to carry out this task and that, He Himself, would be right beside him. He would be able to achieve this.

"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."                              Joshua 1:9.  NKJV

He then told him the most important bit:

"This book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night, that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it, for then you will make your way prosperous and then you will have good success."    Joshua 1:8

Regarding this verse, Hazel Howard says, 'By sticking to the criteria, 'You will make your way prosperous and you will have good success. ' It doesn't say God will do it for us. It is down to us; we determine our future'.       Hazel Howard 2002

We are the ones that must put our feet down and tread the water. When we do, God will be right there to accompany us and help in all we do. However, the important part is that we MUST, read the Word of God - the bible. We must devour it, expound it and meditate on it. How can we know what to do unless we look at the book of rules - the blue print of Heaven. It is our atlas, our road map and without it we will fall by the wayside pretty quickly. With it, we will make our way prosperous and be successful. Now this doesn't mean walking round with a nice, new leather bible that cost a fortune and occasionally having a glance at it. No, it means reading it every day, sometimes all of the day; seeking God's wisdom on what He has just shown you in His Word and acting on it. 

You need to speak God's words, not your own, otherwise you can negate what God has said to you by speaking out or listening to negative words. Be careful what you tell people. If they're not full of God's Spirit, chances are, they won't understand what you're doing. Stick with the ones who will pray for you and support you. 

What is going on in your life today? Whatever it is, you can do this. I'll say it again, you can do this. But you need the prosperity and success; the strength and courage that comes only from God. Meditate on God's Word today and then go out and take what God is giving you. Just be strong and courageous!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

Don't be a slave to fear

"For God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power, and of love and of a sound mind"                                                                                      2 Timothy 1:7.  NKJV

The enemy uses a powerful weapon against us, and this is fear. Fear can stop us in our tracks. John talks about this in 1 John 4:18: 'There is no fear in love but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves torment.' Torment is the root of fear, it's a kind of torture that attaches itself to our minds and feeds it with all kinds of lies and negativity. Once it sets in, it is very hard to get rid of it. It disarms us. It is then difficult for us to go forward because we feel immobilised in our walk.

The fear can come from anywhere in our day and at varying levels. A seed of fear is planted in our minds by the devil and as we begin to focus on it, it becomes bigger and bigger. The sad thing is that, we are allowing this. At the first sign of fear, we need to recognise it for what it is and deal with it in the Name of Jesus. Otherwise, as it catches us unawares and fully takes up residence, it can be hard to take action. We begin to believe the lie that the spirit of fear is telling us, it seduces us and we are fully convinced by it all.

When an attack like this comes - a fiery dart from the wicked one( Ephesians 6:16), we need to call on God, in fact shout to Him and order our angels to take care of the situation. As soon as we call to Him, He will discharge the angels to fight on our behalf. They can do nothing unless we call on God. 

When no action is taken; when you put up with the situation and live with the fear, it robs you of all the joy that you once had. You become bitter and irritable; suspicious and bad-tempered, in fact, you become totally disabled by it all and a slave to the fear that has attached itself to you. 

The Greek word for Fear is Phobos. It translates to fear, terror and dread. In the New Testament, it relates to a fear of terror and also a fear of reverence to God. The English word translated from the Greek is Phobia and this means, fearless confidence towards God and love for the brethren. The one who knows this love - which is God (1 John 4:16) has no fear of facing God at the judgement. The other side of the fear coin is, terror, dread, lies, torment and total horror. Fear is also known as timidity in spiritual or secular settings and makes a person reluctant to take on responsibilities. 

You may be struggling with fear. It may be tormenting you and ruining your spiritual walk and it may be preventing you from taking a step forward in your ministry or your spiritual walk. It needs to be evicted and evicted now!

Say this prayer with me now:

'I speak to you spirit of fear and I tell you that you have no place in my life. I belong to Jesus; I AM a child of God, not a slave to fear. Therefore I AM evicting you now in the powerful Name of Jesus. Get out of my life now.
Amen.

Reflect on these words from the worship song below by Jonathan & Melissa Helser 

I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God

I am surrounded
By the arms of the father
I am surrounded
By songs of deliverance
We've been liberated
From our bondage
Were the sons and the daughters
Let us sing our freedom

You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
My fears were drowned in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am the child of God
You split the sea
So I could walk right through it
You drowned my fears in perfect love
You rescued me
And I will stand and sing
I am the child of God (yes I am)

I am a Child of God
I am a Child of God (yes I am)
I am a Child of God (full of faith yes)
I am a Child of God
I am a Child of God

I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God
I'm no longer a slave to fear
I am a child of God                         Copyright 2019  Jonathan & Melissa Helser. Bethel Music


Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

What or Who, takes God's Place?

"But as for me, I trust in You O LORD. I say, 'You are my God.' My times are in Your hand."                                                                                  Psalm 3114-15.  NKJV

The New Living Translation quotes the last part of this verse as, 'My future is in Your hand.' This makes it more clearer that, we have a future, and our future is in God, if we seek Him. (Jeremiah 29:11-13).

Some folk worship their football team or their current Pop or Movie Star. Many put one of these people in the place of idols - they copy them, their hair style, clothes and even the way they talk, sing or walk. They stand in front of a mirror with a hairbrush imagining they are the star. They play football or other sport, as if they are the champion. Let's face it, we've all probably done it when we were much younger. However, it shouldn't carry over into adulthood. Our future is in God, not some Pop or Movie Star who is here today and gone tomorrow.

Avid readers may base themselves on the hero of books that they read. They become totally transfixed by the person and act like them. Other people may drift into a dream world, where they fantasise about a different life style - one maybe of riches, living in a mansion type house in the countryside. Or they play a CD and pretend that they are the star singing and they imagine themselves on the stage with crowds applauding them. As they do this, for a few moments they can actually believe that this is a reality. However, it isn't and coming round from the fantasy can be disappointing as they have to face their real world.

Again, some people can be so engrossed watching soaps or dramas on TV, that they actually believe they are true and they find themselves thinking bad thoughts about the person who has wronged someone in the presentation. They really believe it.

Many times, all of this is about getting release and winding down - a place where we can hide or take our minds off the real world. But as we model ourselves on these people, we can become so much like them, that our whole attitude in life can change. It can affect our values and lead us off the rails. This may be the reason why so many young people become involved in violence and street crime, they live out what they have seen in films and videos.

Jesus really is our only true role model and mentor. As be base ourselves on Him, our life becomes much better. Spending time with Him, we become like Him and do and say the things that He would want us to. Actually, when you think about it, He's the only one we can trust! He's the only one that won't lead us astray. Imitating Him will not lead us into crime, it will lead us into Blessing and Glory. 

Our worldly héros may be good for a season but they will not lead us into Heaven. They will not heal our sick bodies or mend our broken hearts. We may be high at a concert or game, and that's good. However, that is just for the duration of the time spent there. Jesus is for life and He offers each one of us a future.

If you are searching for fulfilment in life; for peace, love and happiness, why not turn to the one that can help you achieve this - Jesus:

Lord Jesus, my life is a mess and I'm hurting, bruised and beaten up. I need you, I need a future, I need life. Please come and live in my heart, forgive me my sins, fill me with Your Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour. I ask in Jesus' Name. Amen

Let me know that you've done this. I would love to pray for you.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com