Walk in the Spirit

"I say then, 'Walk in the Spirit and you shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. (17) For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.'   

                                                                                                       Galatians 5:16-17.  NKJV

We try so hard not to let God down but, despite all our efforts, we end up letting Him down anyway. What can we do? Answer, keep on trying, never give up. Don't lose sight of what God is doing within you, He wants to bless you every way He can.

When we grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4:30), we'll be the first to know, and that is fact. We have an overwhelming feeling of guilt and sadness - a strong heaviness. From one point of view it's good to know this as it confirms we belong to Jesus; if we didn't belong to Him, we wouldn't care. However, from the other side of the coin, it is not good to know that we have grieved the Holy Spirit and hurt Him deeply, because then, we have a feeling of being alone, like the Dove - the Holy Spirit, has flown away, as I mentioned in my commentary entitled The Dove on 6th September 2020. 

https://dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com/2020/09/the-dove.html

We need to start developing a sensitivity to the Holy Spirit, so that we will do nothing knowingly to grieve Him or bring Him displeasure. First of all, let us try to:

(1) ACKNOWLEDGE THERE'S A BATTLE GOING ON. In other words, be mindful at all times, that as a Christian you are a target of the enemy - the devil. He will do all he can to rattle your cage.

(2) ADMIT YOU'RE POWERLESS AND SUBMIT TO GOD. We are powerless without Jesus (John 15:5) and it is God's desire that we walk in the Spirit; but we need to be tuned in to Jesus.

(3) EXERCISE SELF-DISCIPLINE. Be honest with yourself, you know the difference between right or wrong. You know it is dangerous to become involved with things that are unwholesome. Therefore, stamp it out of your lives.

(4) REMEMBER, IGNORING THE CONSEQUENCES BRINGS DISASTER. Denial is the wrong route to take. Telling yourself that, 'it'll be all right, no one will know,' is a recipe for disaster. Many people have done this and lost everything. It comes down to living for self. 

Just like Regular Soldiers need to exercise to keep up their fitness, we too, as Soldiers of Jesus, have to do the same. Living for self has to be exterminated. I rather like what Bob Gass writes about self:

S.E.L.F

(S)  Surrender to Christ daily

(E)  Empty yourself of anything that hinders you from doing His will.

(L)  Lift up your heart to Him

(F)  Feed on His Word                           Copyright 2010 Bob Gass The Word for Today

Jesus knows it's a struggle, so He is with us every step of the way. Thank God for that!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Don't leave it until tomorrow

"Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth." 

                                                                                                              Proverbs 27:1   NKJV 

"Leave it until tomorrow. I'll do it then." How many times have we heard this; or how many times have we said this, or similar? Procrastination rules at times. We tend to put off doing something, because it doesn't appear important to us at the time.We can be prone to delay a task because of lots of reasons. I was brought up with the rule, 'Never put off until tomorrow, what can or should be done today.'

It can be something small, rather like a gardening job or it may be something quite important. With the gardening job, if it is raining 'tomorrow', it is then delayed further, until it becomes quite urgent. With the more important issues, delaying something until tomorrow could mean the job never gets done. You see, we never know what tomorrow may bring. Sadly, for some, they may not have a tomorrow, so delaying something important such as vital paperwork, including preparing or signing a will, may promote big issues for those left behind.

Stop and think for a moment, hasn't Lockdown taught us anything? The Coronavirus Pandemic, spread so rapidly and Lockdown came basically overnight, that there wasn't much time to prepare or contemplate the predicament. One moment it was a daily forecast of what had and would be happening, the next, panic as everyone was forced to comply with the guidelines and the legal restraints. We're still not out of this awful problem as the virus looks like causing further deaths and greater restraints on what we had taken for granted as our normal way of life.

It's time to wise up; we don't know what tomorrow will bring for any of us. Many people are gambling with their salvation. Some believe that they will be going to Heaven when they die -'everyone does' they say. How wrong they are, and what a shock it will be for those who defer until tomorrow, their chance of eternal life.. Putting this off until tomorrow may be too late.

Unless we ask Jesus Christ to come into our lives, repent of our sins and live for Him from that moment, we are livng on a chance - it's like spinning a coin. The gamble is too risky; much too costly as it will be too late to change our minds when we die. Today is the day, not tomorrow. Tomorrow may never come because we do not know what each day may bring. 

Are you certain of salvation. If you were to die today, would you have a place in Heaven? It would be guaranteed if you know Jesus as your Lord and Saviour. If not, you will not make it. Hard words I know, but I didn't write them, the Holy Spirit did. (John 3:16-18). To be certain of your place in Heaven and an amazing time prior to that with Jesus, pray this with me:

'Lord Jesus, I ask You into my life. Please forgive all of my sins, I'm sorry Lord. Would You please fill me with Your Holy Spirit and be my Lord and Saviour from this day forth. Amen.

Now determine to live for today - one day at a time!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Don't let the praises stop

"Therefore, by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name."                                Hebrews 13:15.  NKJV

When things are going well for us, we can praise God fully from our hearts. It is no hardship, it just flows from within us. However, when things are not so good, it can be like wading through mud, we just do not feel like praising. Thoughts such as, 'I don't want to praise God, I'm not in the mood; in fact, I don't even want to go to church today, or ever again’

Praise should never be governed by our emotions. God is worthy of our praise whether we feel like praising Him or not. This is where the term 'sacrifice' comes in.

The Greek word for sacrifice is thusia which comes from the root thuo, a verb meaning to kill or slaughter for a purpose. Praise often requires that we 'kill' our pride or fear or anything else that threatens to interfere with our worship of the Lord. However we may feel on any given moment, we should never allow outside distractions or upsets to prevent us giving God what He deserves - our praise, respect and worship, in fact, ourselves. If we don't re-direct our focus, the problem will consume us.

You probably know that it is easier to do things for God when all is going well in our lives. We feel good about it all. But it is when things are not going so well, but we still do them that the sacrifice is made. We don't feel like praying, but we still pray. We don't feel like praising and worshiping God, but we still do it anyway. When we do the things that we really don't want to do, it pleases God and honours Him and we receive blessings.

Don't forget that we are subject to attacks from the evil one. I like what RT Kendall suggests about times such as these:

RECOGNISE.  Are the thoughts we have from God, the devil or are they our own?

RESIST.  Stand up to the devil

REFUSE  to think what he accuses you of. Quote scripture, sing hymns or chorus'. When the devil reminds you of your past, remind him of his future.             Copyright RT Kendall

So we are to recognise where the thoughts are coming from. If they are preventing you from prayer or praise, they're not from God. Are they your own thoughts? This may be due to tiredness, stress or any particular worries. If so, give them to God. Ignore any thoughts that come from the devil, you'll know the difference. We follow a winner - Jesus Christ, not a loser. Offer your sacrifice of praise to God wherever and whenever you can. Don't let anything or anyone stop you!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

You need to put in, in order to take out

"Then the devil left Him and behold, angels came and ministered to Him" V11  

                                                                                                    Matthew 4:1-11.  NKJV

Jesus had won a battle; He had resisted the devil's temptations and the devil had run off. James tells us clearly, 'Submit to God, resist the devil and he will flee from you.' (James 4:7). And this is what had happened.

We can either surrender to Christ or we can surrender to chaos. As we surrender to Jesus and resist all of the evil one's schemings, he will turn away from us and run. Be careful to note though what Luke 4:13 says, 'Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him, until AN OPPORTUNE TIME!

We need to be aware that the devil will not give up; he will come back at an opportune time - a time when we're not expecting him to come; a time when everything seems to be going wrong and we are at our weakest. Be aware and ready (1 Peter 5:8). Learn from the meerkat's behaviour and be watchful and very alert.

As I mentioned earlier, Jesus had won this part of the battle but note how He had done this. He recognised Satan's mode of attack - lies and deception, and He counteracted all of his comments with, 'It is written.'. Jesus disarmed these tactics, triumphing over the situation (Colossians 2:15). 

Let's not forget though, that Jesus was in the flesh, He was just like you and I. Let's face it, when we have had a bad time with attack after attack from the evil one using someone or something to wear us down, we feel shattered. How was Jesus feeling after this encounter? He had been face to face with Satan; He was tired, hungry and possibly cold. And then he had to undergo such an onslaught as this. It's no wonder that angels came and ministered to Him.

Note though, the angels didn't come until after the event. It was something that Jesus had to do - alone, the same as suffering the pain and humiliation of the cross. Let's be aware, on both of these occasions, He could have called for their help, they were there, ready.

Angels are invisibly present around Christians and are appointed by God to minister to believers (Psalm 91:11-12). As we call on God, He releases His angels to come to our aid.

However, the concluding factor here, is that Jesus used God's Word to combat all the devil threw at Him. I make no apology to say again that we have to read and know God's Word. We need to learn and study because you can't give out what you haven't put in. No deposit - No return. Rather like a bank account, if money is not deposited in, you can't make a withdrawal when you need it. Do you get the idea?

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Wash your own car!

"Peter seeing him, said to Jesus, 'But Lord, what about this man?' (22) Jesus said to him, 'If I will that he remain til I come, what is that to you? You follow Me.'   

                                                                                                               John 21:21-22.  NKJV

Many times we become concerned about what other people are doing or not doing. If we're not careful, we can become fixated on it. Here, it is almost as if Jesus is saying, 'Never mind about him, what about you? You do what I've told you to do, I'll take care of him.' In other words, keep your nose out of their business.

We can become so wrapped up in other people's business, that we neglect the things that we do. Just think, the person we've been talking to God about. may well be doing the same about us. Let's wash our own car, the other person's car may well be dirty, but they will wash theirs when they're ready.

Jesus will not take sides, we need to realise that. He'll always point us back to what we're  doing or not doing. Bob Gass says, 'The only thing you can change about another person, is your attitude towards them.' 

If we concentrated on God, as much as we concentrate on other people, we would be flowing high in the Holy Spirit. He is the most important person in our lives, not the other person who we feel is neglecting to live up to our standards. Think about that for a moment; the person may not be living up to the standards we expect them to, but they may well be living up to God's. This is easy to figure out - it's us who has the problem with the person, not God. Let's wash our own car, they'll wash theirs when they're ready.

Some people may well be living in error and we may have recognised this. If God directs us to become involved, that is ok. If not, leave it alone. God is far more able and qualified than we are. We need to get wisdom on it and act on His Word.

Do you know something? We're not loved because we deserve it; we're loved because God has made us worthy. Really as human beings on our own, we're weaklings; but with God, we're champions. Now champions don't always keep their title, they can sometimes lose their crowns, but they still fight on to regain their title. They may well have weaknesses that they're working on in order to get back into tip-top shape. It all comes by practice.

In our Christian life, people may not measure up to how we think they should be; but we don't know the struggles that they have. Possibly they're doing the best they can do at this time. They're a work in progress, so let's cut them some slack. Their car may appear dirty to us, but  they may prefer it that way at this moment.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

                                                                                                   

The Two-Faced Person

"The words of his mouth were smoother than butter, but war was in his heart; his words were softer than oil, yet they were drawn swords."                   Psalm 55:21   NKJV

Sadly at times, we will come up against people who are two-faced; we all meet them. They are people who listen to your closely-guarded secrets or concerns and then go away talking about them to others that they meet. Amazingly, it can be in the guise of praying, 'Could I just pray for......... I'm concerned because....' They may then go on to tell your story but with greater exaggeration.

A two-faced person can be attention seeking and manipulative, knowing how to play with a person's mind and feelings. David came up against this realising the treachery of his friends. Yet it's interesting to note that, even though they were dishonourable to him, David remained honourable to them and didn't name them. And this is the difference.

There are times when we must challenge such behaviour, gossiping is a dangerous tactic, it spreads like wildfire. However, there is never a time when we should be accusatory towards a person. The devil is the one who accuses; but if such a time is necessary, confrontation may be the only way.

If confrontation is the only way to try and resolve this problem, it would be helpful to ensure that the person confronted will not gossip and falsely accuse you about this; one has to be careful. It may be necessary to have a witness at the confrontation - someone who is extremely trustworthy, as this may alleviate any twisting of the conversation that takes place.

It would be easy to just ignore what has happened, being careful to avoid the person in the future. However, this could mean that the person may go to others repeating what they did to you and it could really get out of control. Love must over-rule every action that is taken; it must be handled the way Jesus would do it. The thing to ask yourself is, would he allow two-faced gossiping to be rampant in His church. The answer is no. Therefore, a plan of action will need to be put into place. This may include running it by the pastor, but it would need to be done properly, otherwise, you could end up on a gossiping charge.

At the end of the day, we have to come to the conclusion that, as human beings, we all have our sinful ways and there are occasions when we may be in error ourselves. No one likes discipline, but it is necessary if the church is to be victorious. Remember the devil is always ready to attack. If he sees a way in, he'll take it. So, it's wise to make sure that things are snuffed out before they ruin all the fruit.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

The Act of Covetousness

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have." 

                                                                                                 Hebrews 13:5.  NKJV

There is a fear attached to covetousness. At times, to covet is to pursue, urgently, what another person has with a strong need that it must be attained at all costs, even if it means getting into debt. It can be a love of money or belongings - a desire to be better than others. It includes seeking personal recognition and wanting power over other people. A need to be the centre of attention can be an indicator, together with a craving for what other people possess.

God wants us to be content with what He has provided, but jealousy and envy can often take over our urgency, causing us to want more. When this happens, God is not pleased as we can see from Psalm 106:13-15:

'They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel,

(14) but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness; and tested God in the desert,

(15) and He gave them their request, but sent leaness into their soul.'

God had rescued the Israelites from captivity and was leading them to a bright new future. However, they moaned and groaned and wanted things now! They were never satisfied; so consequently they paid the price and didn't receive their blessing.

Some people covet people's houses, wealth, wife or husband, car, job and their success. When they see what others have in comparison to what they possess, they become ungrateful, and then are never satisfied. Some have said that covetousness is akin to ambition - wanting to succeed and be happy; and some of this may well be true. But God knows whether it is ambition or greed; there is a major difference. We really should have a strong need to be content with what we have. It could so easily be taken away from us in the blink of an eye.

If our goals in life are God-centred, He will help us to achieve them. But if we're asking Him for something just because a neighbour or relative have it, we will be disappointed. Covetousness is the total opposite of contentment and there is a need to check ourselves to ascertain which one we lean towards. He will not smite us from the face of the earth, if we lean towards covetousness. He knows we're only human and have many weaknesses. However, He will expect us to monitor this and make some changes. If we do, He will keep sending us blessings. If we don't receive many blessings, we will have an idea that we still have some tweaking to do.

Where do you stand on this? Are you content with what you have but have the ambition to want to make some positive changes? If so, you will be blessed. If you lean towards covetousness, lay it before Jesus and ask Him to help you get things right. God has so much for each of us and therefore, we have no need to want what others have.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com