Psalm 139 Part 4

'(13) For You formed my inward parts ; You covered me in my mother's womb. (14) I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; marvellous are Your works, and that my soul knows very well. (15) My frame was not hidden from You, when I was made in secret, and skilfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. (16) Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they were all written, the days fashioned for me, when as yet there were none of them."

                                                                                          Psalm 139:13-16.  NKJV

God saw David at conception. He was forming David little by little the same as he did us and other people. Here David is saying that God formed his inner organs by knitting him or weaving him together in the womb.

Each of us began life this way where at conception, God began the process of weaving us into human beings by the formation of human cells over an eight week period, which is called an embryo. God Himself maintains the development of human life from the very beginning. This is why, no one has the right to take a human life, by way of an abortion. It is wrong.

However, there may be a time when it seems the right way forward to abort because to continue with the birth, it could lead to loss of life or serious damage to the mother. There may be other medical reasons. However, it should be to a minimum. We are not here to judge one way or another, but we must honour life as precious, especially to God who has been there all the way through. It really is a contentious subject but really, life is life.

Life must be the greatest of gifts because without it, we have nothing. That is obvious. But to some, life means little as can be seen in world events such as terrorism, murder and other such terrible atrocities. Adding abortion to this list adds to the heartache that God feels. 

Here in this Psalm, David praises God for the miracle of life and lets him know how grateful he is. Once life has ended here on earth, we can do no more. We can take nothing with us. While we're here, we need to leave a legacy of love - a witness of a life lived for Jesus.

It's worth asking yourself, 'What have I achieved in my life? Has my life been beneficial to others? Have I pleased God? Could I do more? It's always helpful to do an appraisal of yourself - a self analysis, because there is aways room for improvement. God's not finished with you yet so why not ask Him if He is pleased with you? You may be pleasantly surprised. Then again, you may receive the encouragement to change a few things.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139. Part 3

(7) "Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your presence? (8) If I ascend into heaven, You are there; If I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. (9) If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, (10) even there Your hand shall lead me, and Your right hand shall hold me. (11) If I say, "Surely the darkness shall fall on me," even the night shall be light about me; (12) indeed, the darkness shall not hide from You, but the night shines as the day; the darkness and the light are both alike to You."

                                                                                        Psalm 139:7-12.  NKJV

God is everywhere. He's in heaven, David also made mention that he is in hell, but he would have been referring to Sheol, which normally has the sense of the grave. However, let's not forget Jesus rose from the dead; He blasted out of hell; it couldn't hold Him, and He overpowered it, defeating sin.

Mason discussing Spurgeon, commented:

'The presence of God's glory is in heaven; the presence of His power on earth; the presence of His justice in hell and the presence of His grace, with His people.'

                                                                               (Mason citing Spurgeon)

So God is everywhere. There's nowhere He hasn't been or is at. We're forever watched over like He has a gigantic CCTV system. He keeps His eyes upon us. There's no hiding place from Him too. Jonah found that out when God told him to go and preach to the people of Nineveh. Instead of obeying God, Jonah took a ship to Tarshish. But God saw this. Jonah was cast into the sea and swallowed by a whale. Even in the body of a whale, God was there. Jonah Chapters 1 & 2. God sees and knows all.

God asked, 'Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?' Jeremiah 23:24. There is no hiding place from God at all. Space officials tell us there is no life on the Moon, Mars or elsewhere in the galaxy. You know what? I bet God's presence is there.

We are always in His thoughts and forever watched over, His hands of grace reaching out to us. And no one can ever prevent you seeking His love and grace. His arms are always open just waiting for that time when you decide to run up to Him for a heavenly hug. 

Probably you need that today. Jonah didn't get out of the belly of the whale until he repented and began to praise God. As soon as he did, God spoke to the fish and it vomited him up onto dry land. Jonah 2:10. That is food for thought!

Why not go to Him for that heavenly hug today? You'll feel better for it.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139. Part 2

"You have hedged me behind and before, and laid Your hand upon me. (6) Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; It is high, I cannot attain it."

                                                                                              Psalm 139:5-6.  NKJV

There is no protection like the protection that God gives us. His love surrounds us everywhere we go. If we could see into the spiritual world, we would discover that there are angels around us keeping us safe. In fact, from this scripture, it appears to be stating that His protection goes before us and behind us and all around us. We are hedged in, or perhaps a better term would be, we are enclosed by God. Psalm 91:2 says, 'I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress."

Now a refuge is a place where people go for safety purposes. It's a place where no one can get to us to cause us harm. We are protected all around. With a fortress, we are surrounded by high walls. It is difficult to get to a person who is fortified - who is strengthened and placed in security.

Do you get the idea? When we walk with God, clothed in His armour (Ephesians 6:10-18), He places a hedge of protection completely around us. There are demons around wherever we go, but they cannot penetrate the armour, unless God allows it for one reason or another. This would be by way of allowing us to be tested and God wants us to pass these tests.

David knew that nothing could get through this hedge of protection unless, it first passed through God's permission; and this is the same for us. Are you grasping this? God has placed such protection around you that the devil has to ask permission from God, if he wants to attack us for some reason. A read of Job 1:6-12, will give you an idea of what I am saying here.

God can allows things to happen in our lives that test us. At times they can be very hurtful and we wonder why. Alternatively, if we step out of this hedge of protection that we have around us, then we open ourselves up for an attack from the enemy. God wants us to survive the tests that He allows us to go through; and He has given us all we need to achieve this. However, if we are foolish enough to step out of His will and become involved with sin, we have to deal with things ourselves, until we repent.

David was completely overwhelmed by this (V6) and so should we be. It's amazing!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Psalm 139 Part 1

"O LORD,You have searched me and known me. (2) You know my sitting down and my rising up; You understand my thought afar off. (3) You comprehend my path and my lying down, and are acquainted with all my ways. (4) For there is not a word on my tongue, but behold, O LORD, You know it altogether."

                                                                                      Psalm 139:1-4.  NKJV

You may ask, why would God want to speak and spend time with me? Well, let's address that right now. The reason is, He loves you so much that He can't help Himself. He just wants more of you each and everyday.

You may say, 'What me, why is that?' The thing is, you really must begin to see yourself the way God does. Because of Jesus, your sin has been washed away and He sees no stain upon you. You can have a pauper-like attitude and image of yourself quite often, but it is vitally important that you lose this bad image and see yourself the way God does.

Let's be honest, we all try and hide the 'real us' away from people. We want them to only see the 'nice side' of us. We may fool others - for a time, but we can't fool God. He sees all; He sees us as transparent. He knows everything - yes everything - about us, but loves us anyway. God knows our weaknesses, He knows our sinful desires and our transgressions are never hidden from Him. He also knows our innermost thoughts before we even think them. He knows what has happened in the past. He knows the hurts we have undergone. He also knows our fears and frustrations. And yet, despite all of this, He longs to have intimacy with us.

Imagine if you will, an old garden plant pot, broken, dirty and totally unusable. To the world it is useless and just requires throwing away. You may feel a little like this - broken - dirty and unwanted; but because you have asked Him, Jesus feels at home there - in your heart. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19). He has permanently accepted you, even with your undesirable baggage.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

Strongholds

"For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ."
                                                                                           2 Corinthians 10:4-5 NKJV

A stronghold is anything that opposes God's will. It is warfare of the mind, with our thoughts feeding us lies, so convincing, that we believe them. This can cause rebellious conduct within ourselves leading to bad attitudes, pride and arrogant ideas, where our brain and our spirit convince us that we are right and everyone else is wrong.

Segun Aiyebusi, known to everyone as Shegz, is the American/Nigerian Pastor of Grace Church, New Jersey writes:

"HOW DOES THE ENEMY CONSTRUCT A SPIRITUAL STRONGHOLD IN OUR LIVES? It often starts with a wound we experience, a hurt or disappointment that makes our heart fertile ground for seeds of lies to be planted. On this foundation, the enemy then begins to build brick by brick, a wall of lies, inaccurate ideas about the person of God, erroneous interpretations of Scripture, prideful thoughts, and distorted perceptions of how God sees us and feels about us when we sin. For example, someone you trusted, who should have played a father-figure role in your life deeply betrayed your trust and hurt you). As a result, the enemy lied to you that no one could be trusted and you are on your own. You in turn then become fiercely independent, so much so that you have trust issues, which has then resulted in your struggling to trust God’s promises in your life! See how that works? When we buy into these lies and agree with the enemy, thereby conceding control, that area of our life becomes a stronghold, which the enemy vigorously defends and retains control of. Ridding yourself of these strongholds not only requires great intentionality, but also an understanding of its root cause and how it got constructed in the first place, and how God’s word empowers you to break free from it. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says, “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. 5 We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ."identifyingstronghold  Segun Aiyebusi

So many things can cause a stronghold within us. Here are a few:
UNCONFESSED OR UNREPENTANT SIN
God will not forgive what you won't own up to. The enemy will establish a stronghold of unexposed sin - the sin that you cling on to knowingly or unknowingly.
OCCULT ACTIVITY
If you've dabbled or been exposed to the occult, it's possible that a stronghold may have been established.
LIES THAT YOU HAVE BELIEVED
The enemy will feed us with lies. believing them can cause strongholds.
UNFORGIVENESS
Bitterness towards someone who may have hurt or wronged you
GENERATIONAL
Things that have been passed down from parent to parent, family to family.

Perhaps you may identify with some of the above. If so, lay it all before Jesus. get help from a pastor or trusted friend if need be. Whatever you do, call on God, renounce the past and declare that today, this ends.

Lord, I confess that I have been involved with...........................................
I renounce this now and declare that in Jesus' Name, this ends today. Amen.

This may take a little time, after all it may have been within you for an age, but keep praying and don't give up.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

The Benefits of God Part Four

"(4) Who crowns you with lovingkindness and tender mercies, (5) who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's"                                                                        Psalm 103:4-5.  NKJV

Jesus, has given us much more than sparing us from our sin, disease and trouble. He has crowned us with His lovingkindness and tender mercy. In fact, He has made us kings and priests to God, His Father:

'To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.'    Revelation 1:6

What an honour! Did you ever think that you would be a king or a priest? Well, you are in Jesus' eyes. The full meaning of this blessing will be revealed to us when we meet Him in heaven.

God's love is amazing! He satisfies us with good things. Just think for a moment about all the good things you have: life, a home, family, friends, a job or business or perhaps a good pension. These are just a few of the main things. Now think of all the materialistic possessions you have been blessed with: laptops, TV systems, Hi Fi, nice house, clothes, car, and that's just for starters. You may even have to think hard what you would like for your birthday or a Christmas present, when you're asked, because you have so much. He has satisfied you with so many things. All of this makes you feel renewed - happy and blessed and your strength becomes revitalised like the eagle's. 

Incidentally, an eagle is a very large bird and in order to be ables to launch into flight, it waits for the right, gentle breeze. It then mounts up with a slight jump and it heads skyward. And this is how Jesus makes each one of us feel. He gives us the ability, the willpower and the motivation, to face each day with Him.

You may have been through a difficult time just lately, especially with the Coronavirus and Lockdown. It may have drained your health and your wealth. But don't be disheartened. God renews and strengthens those who are weak. He is the one who lifts and revitalises us, empowering us to persevere when everything inside of us is telling us we can't go on. Surrendering our problems to Him, helps us to gain the ability and power to keep going; to never give up.

Take heed, you will once again be successful. This is only a temporary hitch. God's benefits will never cease. He's got your back. So let your soul - your mind, will and emotions, bless and praise His faithful name!

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com

The Benefits of God Part Three

"(3) Who heals all your diseases, (4) who redeems your life from destruction."

                                                                                              Psalm 103:3-4   NKJV

God heals us both naturally and supernaturally. He can use the surgeon, giving spiritual guidance, direction and skill to save a life; or He may miraculously heal someone - something that happens quite often. Alternatively, He may not heal the person in the way that we would have hoped and prayed for, leaving the question, 'Why?' There can be many reasons why someone doesn't receive their healing. Some have claimed the reason was because of, unconfessed sin or even doubt. We will know the answer one day when we're face to face with Him in Heaven. But, until then, never, ever believe that God doesn't heal today, because He does, so hang on to that.

Consider the many times when you have been close to certain death. This could have been through serious illness, a near fatal accident or possible drowning. There may be many incidents to consider. The thing is, God pulled you through; He redeemed you from destruction; angels were around you doing their job. I remember a few years ago, being washed out to sea during a storm. I was walking along the beach one moment, the next, a monstrous wave swept me off my feet and I was was swept out to very deep water. Time and again, I wrestled with the raging waves but all to no avail, they were just too strong. Suddenly, a hand appeared and a woman pulled me out to safety. An angel? It could have been. What I do know, is what I couldn't do, God could and He redeemed me from destruction. Maybe, you have a similar testimony. It's at times like these, that we know, without doubt, that God is there, watching over us and redeeming us. 

Maybe today, you need a healing touch from Jesus. Or you may need redeeming from a certain loss of job or business owing to the Coronavirus Lockdown. This may have left you in serious financial debt. Don't give up! God knows your need; He knows it is a drastic situation. Sit quietly and pour out your heart to Jesus. Remember the woman who had an issue of blood for twelve years and still wasn't well. Think of her as she saw Jesus in the crowd and said to herself, 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.'  (Mark 5:28). Reach out your hand in prayer and touch Him by faith, and receive your healing and relief to your situation.

Copyright 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com