Heavenly Bodyguards

"What are you seeking?                                                            Genesis 37:15-17.  NKJV

Israel called Joseph to himself one day and asked him to go and check on his brothers and the flocks of sheep they were tending. Joseph agreed and set off on the journey. Now this sounds like a normal and reasonable request for Joseph to do, after all, being Israel's favourite son, he did little else. However, there was one problem, the brothers were in Shechem and that was an 85 mile walk. It didn't appear a problem to Joseph, but how would you have felt, having to walk that distance?

On reaching Shechem there was no sign of his brothers but a certain man came up to him and asked, 'What are you seeking?' (v15). Quite a strange thing to happen don't you think, a certain man meeting him in the middle of nowhere. Where did he come from? Joseph wasn't phased though and replied, 'I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.'(v16). The certain man replied, 'They have departed from here, for I heard them say, "Let's go to Dothan".(17).

Now Dothan was a further 15 miles away, making the trip 100 miles each way. Rather like a marathon but again, it didn't seem to bother Joseph. He set off finally meeting them there.

Now the amazing thing in this passage is, who was the certain man? Where had he come from? How did he know about the whereabouts of Joseph's brothers. Joseph had spoken to him as if it was perfectly normal, he didn't appear to wonder about all of this. But when you study the situation, it doesn't appear to be a normal thing to have happened. many believe it was an angel and I tend to agree. 'Are not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister to those who will inherit salvation?' (Hebrews 1:14). In addition to this, Psalm 91:11 says, 'For he shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.' 

Think, how many times have you been in situations where angels have turned up and all seems ok? Many times I would think, but you never realised it. And according to Psalm 91:11, we have at least two angels assigned to each of us. Amazing! A recent example for me was on 21st October 2017 when I was rescued from drowning in the sea during Storm Brian. I was walking on the beach one moment and wrestling in deep water the next. I was unable to get out because of the surge which kept dragging me back out to sea. All of a sudden, a lady appeared from nowhere and pulled me out. I didn't know her and have never seen her since. I believe that she was an angel.

I am sure that you have similar testimonies but one thing that I want to reinforce, is that you are surrounded by angels. You can't see them but they're there. There's no need to ever be fearful again; during problems, God will release these angels as you call on Him. Don't call on the angels, the route is through Jesus.

They are around us in every situation and I do mean, every situation. You have Heavenly bodyguards.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Get ready for a comeback!

"Let me hear You say, 'I will give you victory."                      Psalm 35:3.  NLT

Once you may have been a high-flier within the church, responsible for worship, preaching or running a group. Now, you're on the sidelines and it feels like God has forgotten you. You may feel that you're surplus to requirements, a reject. But you're not a reject and never surplus to requirements.

You may have had a disagreement with your pastor, you may even have left the church. If you're still within the church, week after week, you may sit there and watch, while others do what you used to do, and it is difficult to contend with.

It may be that you have done nothing wrong - you're just not used anymore because of younger people with new spiritual energy to offer. It may be that someone may have hurt you badly within the church and it has devastated you, and it shows through your body language or attitude. There may be many reasons why you're not being used at present and it may be a good idea to talk it through with some leader in the church, preferably the pastor if you can.

Take a look through your bible. There are several examples where certain people were a 'somebody', and all of a sudden it ended. Take for instance Moses. Pharaoh's daughter had been bathing one day in nearby water, when she found a basket with a young baby inside. She took him into Pharaoh's house and named him Moses. He grew up as royalty. However, one day he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew and he killed him and hid his body in the sand. (Exodus 2:12) The next day, Moses separated two Hebrew men as they fought each other. One of then asked if he was going to kill them as he had done the Egyptian the day before. This panicked Moses, and he fled and eventually ended up tending sheep in the desert surrounding Mount Horeb (Exodus 3:1). What a comedown. However, God hadn't finished with him yet and Moses ended up a mighty man of God, leading the Israelites out of Egypt.

Then there was Peter. He denied Jesus and ran away in shame looking at Jesus' crucifixion from a distance. However later, Jesus after His resurrection, forgave Peter and re-commissioned him. 

Then, what about Paul? He had believers imprisoned and some murdered, yet he met Jesus on the road to Damascus and he had a complete turnaround, becoming one of the leading Apostles.

Of course, there was Jesus Himself. People thought they had seen the back of Him when He died on the cross. They had a shock when He rose again in victory!

No, it's not over for you. It's a temporary setback. Speak with God and put things right if you need to; then get ready for a comeback. Remember Samson? He could do nothing when his hair had been cut. But then, the hairs on his head began to grow back, and POW! (Judges 16:22).

In the same way, get ready, you are coming back! The victory is coming.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you belong to Jesus, you're anointed

"(18) The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me, because He has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed. (19) To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD."           Luke 4 18-19.  NKJV 

Using the words from Isaiah 61, Jesus having entered the synagogue, spoke to the people. When He had finished quoting our text above, He closed the book and said, 'Today, this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.' (v21). This caused mayhem as you can well imagine. He was declaring that He was the Anointed One - the Messiah, sent by the God the Father. 

What does 'anointed', actually mean in this context? Well literally it is, to rub with oil, especially in order to consecrate someone or something. The Hebrew word for anointed is, mashach and refers to the rubbing or smearing of sacred oil. The most important derivative of mashach is mashiyach which means Messiah - Anointed One. Jesus is the promised Anointed One; His title was Jesus the Messiah, but was translated into Greek, meaning Christos - hence the designated Jesus Christ.

It is important to realise, that as His children, we too are anointed. In a way, the Holy Spirit has rubbed anointing oil on each one of us so that, we can flow in what He has called us to do. Psalm 92:10 is a good example, 'But my horn, You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil'. The horn is a symbol of strength and gives us prominence and security. It offers us social standing, stately grace and favour. Each day, we would be wise to ask for a fresh anointing - to renew the anointing for all that we have to do through the day. 

You may not feel anointed but you are because Jesus Christ, the Messiah and Anointed One has declared it. 'His compassions fail not, they are new every morning. Great is Your faithfulness' Lamentations 3:23-24. 

 He has given you strength by exalting you like a wild ox. Picture that for a moment. You have amazing strength, but only in Him. Without Him you are nothing. (John 15:5). 

Jesus made a declaration that day in the synagogue; He made a stand. In a paraphrase, He said something like, 'Well, this is how it is boys, I am the Messiah, the Anointed One. You didn't recognise Me and still don't. But I am here now and I am going to fulfil My Father's work.

Can you stand and say that? Can you join with Jesus - the Anointed One, and fulfil the work for the Father?

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Watch the Flirtation

(18) "Come let's drink our fill of love until morning. Let's enjoy each other's caresses, (19) for my husband is not home. He's away on a long trip."   Proverbs 7:18-19.  NLT

How many Christian men and women have fell to the flirtatious temptations of the adulterer? He or she, is just around the corner if we go looking. Many people have taken this risk, including clergy; and now have lost everything. Think, is it really worth it?

Joseph was in a very similar situation with Potiphar's wife. She had noticed that he was quite a catch - 'Joseph was a very handsome and well-built young man, (7) and Potiphar's wife soon began to look at him lustfully. 'Come and sleep with me,' she demanded.' (Genesis 39:6-7 NLT).

Potiphar's wife was possibly quite desirable too, and Joseph being young, virile, lonely and miles away from home, could so easily have fell to her charms. After-all, who would know? Answer - God would. The blessing of the Lord was on Joseph, (Genesis 39:5). God had rescued him from his brutal brothers; kept him safe as he was transported as a slave to Egypt, and had given him favour by promoting him as head of Potiphar's house. Why would he want to ruin all of this?

The difference between Joseph and the many Christian people who fall into adultery, is that he was totally committed to his God. He knew that God's hand was upon him, and he wasn't going to blow it all now. He was sold-out to God. He worshiped Him and walked with Him daily. Don't forget that, at first, there would have been a language barrier. Therefore, the only one he could talk to properly, was God, until he quickly learned their language. Joseph had also learned how to deal with rejection; he knew the pain it had caused him and he was grateful to the Father for watching over him.

Joseph ran out of the house leaving his cloak in her hands, so she had some evidence to show the others in the household, and her husband when she accused him of attempted rape. 

False allegations. Joseph had no defence ; no one believed him and he was sent to prison. Even though, this was again an awful thing for the innocent Joseph to go through, God knew and quickly promoted him to the head of the prison, just under the head jailer. God gave him much more favour and Joseph eventually became the Prime Minister of Egypt.

Don't fall to flirtation; don't fall to adultery, not even in your thought life. It's not easy when the flesh is so weak; but if you follow Joseph's example, it is achievable.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

 

Stop being a copycat

"But by by the grace of God, I am what I am and His grace towards me was not in vain." 

                                                                                                        1 Corinthians 15:10.  NKJV

The New Living Translation of this verse reads: 'But whatever I am now, it is all because God poured out His special favour on me - and not without results.' I like this. It reminds me of a comment I read, years ago, by a chap called John Mason, 'You were born an original - don't die a copy.'

All over the world people try to copy other people. We see young people modelling themselves on the latest pop sensation. Others model themselves on film heroes or football legends. We've all done it at some time in our life. In a way, they become like role models to us, but that is not always a good idea.

But the thing is, you're not who you've modelled yourself on, you are you. God knows you that way. He finds it difficult to get to know whom you're not, and let's face it, you even become confused after a while.

The copycat style mostly begins in pre-adolescence and dependant on your life, can continue for many years. Some preachers model themselves on other preachers instead of finding their own style. Young budding pop stars copy their favourite stars and wonder why they don't get the breaks they were hoping for.

Ask yourself a question. 'Do I copy someone else?' Be honest with this answer, look inside of yourself. God wants you to be yourself not a copy of someone else. 'Yes, but as myself, I don't have much to offer, but when I model myself on.................I'm successful'. That is not true and is a lie from the devil. You are whom God created and He was pleased when He created you: 'Then God saw everything that he had made, and indeed, it was very good.'  (Genesis 1:31). You belong in this verse. He created you and He was very pleased.

Simon Lawton, Pastor of Elim Church, Newcastle writes in his book, Imagine:

 'God thought you were worth creating. Isn't it time, you simply enjoyed being you?'

                                                                       Copyright Simon Lawton 2018 Imagine

God thought you were worth creating; not the person you copy, but little old you. So isn't it time  you stopped trying to be someone else? Isn't it time that you became you? You may think that is boring and that you have nothing to offer. But with Jesus, you have lots to offer and God thinks you are amazing. He thinks that you are so amazing that He took your place, paid for your sin in full and gave up His life. 

Now that He is the resurrected King of kings, He wants you to understand that there has never been a time - ever, when He didn't think about you with the loving heart of a Father. If you want to copy someone, copy Jesus!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

Difficult days? - Keep praising Him

"Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation."   

                                                                                                    Habakkuk 3:17-18.  NKJV

There are times when everything seems to be going wrong. Money is tight but bills keep piling up. Things all of a sudden begin to break down, either at the same time or one after another. We think we're over the hurdle when something else crops up. Pressure, pressure and more pressure.

When you begin to feel that you can't take much more, the washing machine floods the kitchen out, the car breaks down and your mobile has died on you; high winds blow the aerial off your roof and the dog has an ailment requiring urgent medical attention. AAARGH.

This may sound a little exaggerated but it can happen. You see, we don't plan that the washing machine is about to flood the kitchen, or that the car will break down and you have to walk miles because the battery is dead in your mobile. No, things happen and somehow we have to cope with it all.

It's easy to think, 'Where is God in all of this? I thought He loved me.' He does love you but these things happen to believers and unbelievers alike. No one is exempt bad days, or even weeks such as these.

The thing is, we have to face adversity. We do this by focusing on God and finding out what is happening here. He may be teaching us and trying to take us to another level. Two things that we need to learn out of this type of thing is, Patience and perseverance. Not easy I know.

When we are in similar situations, we have to be careful what we say, because in times like this the devil may suggest that we blame it all on God for allowing this to happen. This can be like a curse when we do it. There's is also temptation to blame other people. It can be quite therapeutic to have a good old, 'Point the finger and blame someone else' party. But it does no good whatsoever. We have to watch the curse - that self-fulfilling prophecy. When we use negative words they have a habit of happening, so be careful.

Today's scripture, gives us some good advice:

(17) 'Though the fig tree may not blossom, nor fruit be on the vines; though the labour of the olive may fail, and the fields yield no food; though the flocking be cut off from the fold and there be no herd in the stalls - (18) Yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will joy in the God of my salvation.'      Habakkuk 3:17-18.  NKJV

This is the answer for each one of us. Troubles may come upon us, all at once, but God wants us to stand tall and praise Him, reaching the deeper level in Him. It makes sense!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

 

Temptation

"But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. (15) Then when desire is conceived, it gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death."                                                                                 James 1:14-15.  NKJV

We need to be in charge of our desires, otherwise, there may be a time when we are enticed and commit sin. Things may tempt us, but our choice is to walk away or fall into the trap, 

Back in the Garden, the serpent knew all of this when he began his lies, deceit and flattery with Eve. He confused her so much that she fell, and so did mankind. And yet, Adam, who was in charge of the Garden and Eve, stood by and allowed it to happen, even eating some of the fruit himself. He should have shouted to the serpent, 'Get out of my Garden.'

There are three aspects of temptation that can be seen in Genesis 3:6. Firstly they saw that the tree was good for food. Yet, they were not allowed to eat from this tree, only tend it. Sin always leads us to want what we are not allowed to have. Secondly, it was pleasant to the eye. Now this is one of the main reasons why people commit adultery, watch porn or possibly steal from others. It's the pull of the forbidden that creates the excitement and challenge.

Finally, it can be desirable to make one wise. Within most people, there is a desire to be wise and respected. It gives us power to have the ability to create and run a thriving business or to get that degree at Uni and land that once in a lifetime job. The ability to be successful, respected and rich can pull like a magnet.

The name of 'serpent' fits well here. Satan acts like a snake. He's cunning, crafty and shrewd. He has had a lot of practice and is only too pleased to oblige, given the chance. A serpent has four characteristics:

HE HAS A DEADLY TONGUE. It is full of flattery, lies deceit and disrespect - you name it. He can twist your words around and make them feel very convincing.

CRAWLS INTO SITUATIONS. He's never far away and ready to crawl into each and every situation, if he gets the chance to. Be aware, he will attack you if he can.

HE LIES IN WAIT. Like a snake lies and waits for the opportune moment, Satan does the same. He will bide his time until he can - 

STRIKE AND BITE YOU. People who have been bitten, know how painful this can be. One of our dogs was bitten by an adder and he lost the use of his back legs within a very short time and had to go to the vet.

This is why we really need to watch and pray. The devil will attack you, especially when you're at your lowest. Stay alert; stay in the Word; stay away from his lies.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com