Things will get better!

"These things I remember as I pour out my soul; how I used to go with the multitude, leading the procession to the house of God, with shouts of joy and thanksgiving, among the festive throng."

                                                                                                                         Psalm 42:4.  NIV 

This Psalm was written in exile and the Psalmist is remembering, with longing and tears, the times when he was able to worship God in Jerusalem. Remembering how things were and now are, can be difficult to cope with. Even though, this Psalm was written a long time ago, for some people it can be relevant today when they remember how they used to do a particular thing, maybe in the church or somewhere else, and this has now ceased to be. It can be hard to cope with.

This may have happened to you. Perhaps you were a 'somebody' and now you feel that you are a 'nobody'. Perhaps Adam could relate to this. He was a 'somebody' in the garden and because of his lack of wisdom and sin, he was cast out of the garden and had to learn to be a 'nobody' - in his own eyes. Let me just say, everybody is a somebody in God's eyes! Did you get that - you are a somebody. When we long for the earlier days, we can become hurt and bitter, washed out and on the scrapheap. Don't feel this way. You are special. Things will get better.

Loss is a difficult area to handle. Loss brings many changes, changes that we don't want and never thought would come. Loss happens to other people, not us. However, when it does, it can be so difficult to work through. It forces upon us, things that we would rather not have. It's not always a death that brings loss and change. It may be a marital breakdown, losing a job, an operation that has brought changes to your life or perhaps, moving to a strange area where you miss your family and friends. It all takes time to make sense of it all.

Let's look at verse 5 of Psalm 42:

'Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him,

My Saviour and my God'

There is always hope where God is concerned. As we place our hope in Him and praise Him, He reaches out to us and helps us through the path that we're walking. 'Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.'  Psalm 23:4 NIV.

Have you considered that this may be a new chapter in your life? Perhaps like a book, one chapter has come to an end and you need to open a new chapter to find what is going to happen. Perhaps this is where you are at. 

One thing is for sure, you are not on the scrapheap; you have not been discarded and forgotten; you are a somebody with a bright future and pretty soon, things are going to get better. Now that is someting to consider and praise God for.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Keys to your healing

"My son, give attention to my words, incline your ears to my sayings, (21) do not let them depart from your eyes; keep them in the midst of your heart; (22) for they are life to those who find them, and health to all their flesh."                           Proverbs 4:20-22    NKJV

What we say counts. What comes out of our mouths is powerful stuff. Proverbs 18:21 says, 'Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.' Therefore, we need to speak positively not negatively; what you confess - you get! So therefore be willing to learn to use your words wisely; this is what giving attention to your words means. We can either speak words that bring death to a situation, where there is no faith, or life and if we need healing, this is what we need to focus on. Otherwise we can cancel it out.

So let's examine this. We should listen properly by having good attending skills, not looking out of the window or practicing multi-tasking skills. To incline the ear, means to sit slightly forward letting the person who is speaking to us, know that we are listening to them. Doing this, helps to blank out other things around us and helps us to focus and concentrate much better. We need to do this when we are listening to a speaker or reading our bibles. There are distractions at every corner and we can easily be drawn away, especially when we are praying and the telephone rings.

When we read or hear scripture, we need to mull it over properly. In other words we should ponder the words and meditate on it until we get the bigger picture. There is life in God's Word and He wants us to receive it. If we are wanting to be healed of some sickness, we need to receive it and confess we are healed, despite our body telling us differently. When we receive and confess healing, we internalise this fact and live 'healed'. Proverbs 12:18 tells us, 'The tongue of the wise brings healing.' 

This is God's prescription, as Derek Prince was always teaching us. However, to quote a study note from the Amplified Study Bible, 'This demands constancy of heart and purpose, honesty in speech, steadiness of gaze and a right goal in walk and life.' Now to do this is not easy. Things will trip us up every step of the way. It is no casual thing. We need to live it if we want to see it. If you tell people that you are healed when they believe that you are not,they may ridicule you and this can bring much discouragement. The moment you begin to doubt, you will go without. Stand on your healing no matter what!

Practice joy, which is a strength and remember scriptures such as, 'A merry heart does good like medicine.' and 'This is the day the LORD has made, we will (let us) rejoice and be glad in it.' Psalm 118:24. Jesus wants the best for us; check the scriptures out where He told people that their faith had made them well. These were not 'bible times', they happen today and God wants you to live well - good health. So believe and receive. 

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Did you think you wouldn't get shot at?

"In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one."   v16                                             Ephesians 6:10-18.  NIV

No matter who you are or where you come from, if you belong to Jesus - a Christian, you will be attacked by the devil in some way. He will use whoever is available to give you a bad time. This is his style; you see, he's not like God who can be everywhere at one time and do everything at once. No, he is limited so he has to recruit others.

Now these people may not even know they are being used, some will but not many. Usually the devil will use family, friends, neighbours or whoever he can, to have a go at us. You are usually in for an attack when you have done something significant for God, or you are planning to. If he can prevent you doing this, he is pleased, so don't allow him this pleasure. You must realise that there is a war going on - a spiritual one (Ephesians 6:12). You enlisted on active service the day you asked Jesus into your life, so you are in the middle of it.

Life can be ticking over very nicely and then, WHAM, a flaming arrow is fired at you and it may bring heartache, panic and pain. This is why we need to put on the armour of God each day and hold up the shield of faith to extinguish the flaming arrows that come our way. The shield is based on the Roman shield that was covered with leather, which was then soaked in water. The reason being, the flame-tipped arrows would be put out as they hit the shield.

Don't think you can get away from these attacks. No, we have to learn to stand up to them and refuse to allow them to deter us from going forward and having a good day. Unfortunately, after certain attacks - the ones that really hurt our hearts and disarm us, we can feel like folding up and running away. Don't allow this to happen. Stand up and pray; take control of the situation in Jesus' name and gain the victory. Don't settle for defeat.

Have you ever felt that you are at the bottom of a deep mine shaft and you've managed to climb up to the top. Just as you are going to climb out, something happens and you fall back to the bottom again. That's how certain attacks can make us feel. It's rather like making a promise that you'll never do a certain thing again and when you do, you feel that you will have to start all over again.

Just think for a moment, if you were at the bottom of a mine shaft, you would not have to climb up to the top to be able to get out. No, Jesus would be right there with you and, what's more, He would take us through a door and show us a new way out. There is no need for us to flap or become upset, He knows the way and and will help us as we call on Him.

How are you coping today? Remember our text last week? 'Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.' Matthew 11:28 NIV. That is the answer. We are in battle and trying to sort it out ourselves may just make it worse. Give it to Jesus. He knows what He is doing! 

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Make the most of every moment

"See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, (16) redeeming the time, because the days are evil. (17) Therefore, do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is."                                                                            Ephesians 5:15-17.  NKJV

We are called to walk circumspectly, which means carefully, wisely and cautiously as a person would walk through thorny ground, not as fools, dashing in and ripping our skin on the deadly plants. God wants us to seize the opportunity for the glory of Jesus. It isn't so much as making the most of our time but making the time we have with Jesus, here on earth, count.

David Guzik comments: "This is another reason why it is important to walk wisely. Jesus spoke of a time when;  'Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. (12) And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold.'  (Matthew 24:11-12). Surely we are in those times, because the days are evil."

We only have to look around our world today, terrorism is rife with terrilble beheading and people being blown up, all in the name of religion. Murders and rapes are on the increase as is the many stabbings in many parts of the country. People are beaten up and robbed in broad daylight and very little is done about it. People are frightened to go out on the streets in some parts of our country. And it is not only in the UK, it is worldwide. Just check out what is happening in the news Surely we are entering into end times!

The Apostle Paul says, 'For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers, (4) and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.' 2 Timothy 4:3-4. In other words, they will believe the lie that God does not exist and put it into practice.

The Bible speaks the truth, it is the Word of God and it was predicted many years ago that we would be going through such times, and even worse as the days go on. We need to take notice of the times. We need to be alert to what is happening all around us, and we really do need to make the most of our days. Time is gradually running out, the hour glass has the sand running through it, and eventually it will run out. Therefore, we as Christians are called to walk circumspectly, not as fools taking no notice of what is going on all around.

The Apostle Paul adds to this passage: 'But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfilled your ministry.'   2 Timothy 4:5.

Do I have to say anymore?

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Watch the Pharisees of today

"As Jesus passed on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office. And He said to him, 'Follow Me'. So he followed Him. "   V9                                            Matthew 9:9-13.  NKJV

 Matthew, the tax collector was just sitting in his office carrying out his work, when Jesus turned up and told him to follow Him. It may have seemed a strange thing to do but, Matthew received what Jesus said and followed Him. We have already seen this in John 1, where Jesus called other men to follow Him. However, this one was a little different. Matthew was a tax collector - quite a hated person then and not so different today. I dread my tax return each year.

Now Jesus had already upset the Pharisees earlier when He had healed a paralytic on his bed. They had accused Him of blasphemy saying that no one can forgive sin except God. Therefore, Jesus had demonstrated that He had the authority to forgive sins and heal a person too. In other words, He was letting them know who He was and where He had come from. However, they wouldn't accept this truth, very much like people who knock Christians today. Now here was Jesus sitting and speaking with the tax collectors and sinners (V10). 

In Jesus's reply to the Pharisees, of why He was doing this, (V12-13) Jesus told them firmly that He had come to call the sinners to repentance, not the righteous. The righteous can take care of themselves but sinners are lost without Him. Jesus didn't mince His words; He said it as it is. He had a mission and He would fulfil it no matter what. 

It can be very much the same today in certain circles. I created a place in our church basement for the homeless and broken to come. They were fed, loved and accepted and they had a place to rest for the day and where possible, we gave them new clothes. We never had any trouble from them, in fact, they were better behaved than some of the church members. However, rather like Jesus was knocked by the Pharisees, we were also knocked by the Pharisees of the day. 'We don't want that type of person here,' was one of the statements. When the homeless guys started coming to the Sunday services, I was asked by my superiors, if I would be willing to hold different services - one for the church members and one for the 'Down and Outs'. My reply was, if they could should me in scripture where Jesus did this, yes I would comply. This closed the conversation.

People do not like their comfort zones stirred up. Anything out of the norm is a 'No, No', and if you step out of their circle, you will find that you will quickly become unpopular. The way I see it is, if Jesus was unpopular, then I am proud to become unpopular with Him. It is not a time for pussy-footing around with rules and relegulations made by man; it is a time to stand up for Jesus, to preach His Word and live it for as long as we can. Certain people even want parts of the bible re-written so that it fits in with new trends and life styles for today. We should never allow this. It is time for Christians to stand up and keep standing. We either follow Jesus or we don't. There's no place for watering things down to fit life today. The Word of God is still The Word of God. This is the bottom line.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Are you tired and and worn out?

"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. (29) Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls." 

For all of us, the road becomes weary and we can end up stressed out tired of endless chores, work and life in general. Jesus here, is saying that He has the answer, 'Come to Me - I will give you rest." He mentions taking His yoke upon ourselves. What actually does that mean? Well firstly, the yoke He mentions is submision to Himself. We can't keep, keeping on or something will break within us. We are only weak; Jesus is strong. Therefore, He tells us to come to Him and lay our burdens at His feet and He will help us to achieve them and also give us rest. 

Secondly, Jesus was a carpenter in Nazareth before His ministry began. Legend has it that He made the best ox-yokes around. These were wooden frames that were made so skilfully that they fitted around the neck of the ox so that it could be controlled. This could also be done in pairs. It is said of Jesus that His yokes, 'fitted well'. Whether this is fact or myth we don't really know. However, it is quite possible that it was true because He had His workshop in Nazareth and was well known for His work. This actually is a great analogy for the yoke that Jesus wants to give us. He takes great care to supply us with the best and He would only want us to be fitted with the finest. 

Jesus watches us on a daily basis and He sees the pressures that come our way. Really, this is the time when we need to take Him at His Word and say to Jesus, 'Lord, please help me with this.' There may be an unexpected bill, a demand or another issue that is causing us pain. In a way, Jesus would like us to say to Him, 'Lord, I have this bill. I haven't got an idea how I can pay it, but You do, so I'm leaving it to You to sort out for me. I'm not going to worry about it'. Now this may sound quite rude to speak with the King of kings in such a way. But check the scriptures out; He tells us not to worry about such things, but to seek Him and His righteousness and all these things shall be added to us. (Matthew 6:33). It's a burden and He asks us to take the burden to Him. He wants us to act in such a way and He wants us to be free of the pressures that life puts on us.

Life can bring us torment and anxiety at times and we need to adopt a way to avoid this stress. Jesus has the answer here. 'Come to Me'. Some of us may be wrestling with disappointment today but, Jesus will crush every disappointment and break every chain that the devil places on us - if we allow Him to. He is our burden-bearer, our fresh hope and He offers us a refreshing that no one else can. Just take a look in Psalm 23:2-3 and see how He helps us to lie down in green pastures and leads us beside the still waters. Picture a beautiful, warm sunny day doing this - relaxing. He wants to restore our soul - our mind, will and emotions, all of this stuff that crushes our brain and cause distress. 

All of this is available to us as we obey Jesus' words, 'Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest.'

Now I don't know about you but, that seems to be a great idea!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Don't be stubborn like the mule - listen!

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye. (9) Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you."       Psalm 32:8-9.  NKJV

This Psalm considers how we need to allow God to direct our day and walk with Him. He offers to instruct us about the way forward; to teach us His principles; to direct our course in all things and guide us into healthy and prosperous living. However, if we are not tuned into God we will miss what He has for us. How can we hear properly if we are not listening? We can't. We need to be open on a regular, daily basis to what God has for us.

God quite clearly tells us in this Psalm of David, that He wants to be part of our lives. He wants us to get things right in all we do. Therefore, He is willing to show us the way ahead, but, are we willing for Him to do so. Let's be honest, often we consider that we don't need any help, we can do this on our own. One example is when we purchase a new implement for the home.  Very often the instructions are neglected and we press on putting it together only to find, it doesn't quite work properly. It seems to be a common practice, especially with men, that we don't really need to view the rules, we know how it is supposed to work. We can do this.

This all falls in with having a stubborn streak. We can be unteachable. As verse 9 says, 'Do not be like the horse or like the mule which have no understanding'. Isn't this what we are being when we tend to think that we know it all and don't need to be taught or shown the way forward? When we act in this way, we demonstrate that we have no understanding. Things may be okay for a time but pretty soon, they will start crumbling because we have no understanding - no root - no direction.

Many times, people are 'saved' and almost immediately, believe that they are called to be preachers or evangelists. They don't need any training or discipline. They believe God has called them and this all that they need. That may be so for the odd individual, but usually God expects us to have a time of training to gain the wisdom and knowledge that is required for this type of work. See how the disciples were taught by Jesus. He didn't send them out straightaway. There was a time where they had to sit at His feet and gain understanding.

We live in a very busy and unsettled time. Our lives can be stressful and the demands placed upon us totally over the top. Put this against living in a time of 'Lockdown', where there is uncertainty about where it is all going to end up and the worry of how we will manage if we lose our jobs or money. We need guidance. We need instruction and direction. In fact, we need Jesus! He is the only one that is certain in this whole world. He will never leave us or let us down; and what's more, He knows the way ahead.

This is why He offers to instruct us and teach us in the way we should go; but if we don't allow Him to do this, we are being like the horses and the mules - stubborn and on a crash course to possible ruin. 

Spend time with Him; allow Him to show you the way through the situation that you are in right now. Submit to Him and ask Him for guidance. Pray and read your bible and listen to what He says to you. It really does make sense.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com