Live in Expectancy

"This is the day the LORD has made, we will rejoice and be glad in it." 

                                                                                                                  Psalm 118:24   NKJV

Each day we wake up to, is a new beginning - a new start. Basically, it is how we see it. We can either wake up and think, 'Oh no, here we go again,' or 'Yay, this is a new day and it's going to be a good one.' It's our choice. Forget yesterday with all the hassle; fix your eyes on today, yesterday has gone, it's in the past. We live for today not yesterday!

We have a choice whether to praise and rejoice in our new day or not. This is clearly seen in our text; 'we will rejoice.' It doesn't say, 'we will will not rejoice, we'll be miserable.' In fact, we need to go one step closer and personalise it with, 'I will rejoice. I will be happy, I will make the best of this day that I have been given.' There are many people who have passed on who would love this opportunity, do you get what I mean?

We need to be glad, happy, grateful and thankful. Jesus has saved us, healed us and rescued us. The title of this Psalm in my bible reads, 'Praise to God for His everlasting mercy.' The Greek for mercy is hesed which also means kindness, love and grace. Through God's mercy (Hesed) we are not consumed (wiped out). His compassion and Hesed are new every morning, they never fail. He is faithful. Taken from Lamentation 3:22-23. If you back up and look at v21, it reads, 'This I recall to my mind, therefore, I have hope.' In other words, remember what He has done for you in the past; turn around and change the way you think - your perspective of things. Do you realise that you control how you think today? It is down to the individual to choose, to the best of their ability, just how they will see themselves as the day pans out. Self-talk - the things you say to yourself through the day, should be positive not negative. There is enough negativity in this world today without creating some of our own. In fact, we can do ourselves a lot of psychological damage by what we say and think.

You may well have blown the day before it is hardly started with some unwholesome words or bad-temperedness, but Jeremy Pearsons says, 'My mistakes may be great, but His faithfulness is greater.' I love that. We do mess things up but as we say, Lord, I am so sorry,' hesed takes over and He forgives us totally. 

So change what comes out of your mind and mouth from negative to positive, turn from depression to hope and live in a constant state of expectancy. Create an atmosphere of expectancy wherever you are, it's catching and breeds encouragement and excitement. And excitement is where we should be; we serve an exciting God. You don't know what he is going to do from one moment to the next. So don't miss out, be happy, and healthy and blessed and anointed and filled with the power of God.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

 

                                

'What are we going to do?'

 "Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labour. 10 For if they fall, one will lift up his companion. But woe to him who is alone when he falls, for he has no one to help him up.'                                                               Ecclesiastes 4:9-10.  NKJV

'What are we going to do?' is quite a common statement. It is heard all over the world whenever people are faced with trauma or some other kind of problem. It can cause panic, depression and total anxiety. However, when there is someone else around it always seems to be much easier. Have you noticed that? With couples, one may not be able to handle unscheduled things, whereas, the other partner can and seems to bring about a calmness that wasn't there before. Pretty soon, the person who panicked appears more able to handle the mini-crisis.

However, what of the people who are not in a partnership and are totally alone, what can they do to help bring peace to a situation? Well if that person is a believer, then Jesus is always there and extremely willing to offer a way through. 

Some people may feel that it is easier if two face a situation because, at least, they face it together and can talk it through and they also have Jesus to help. This is true. But people who are on their own are not so distracted by another person. They may have become used to this way of life and so, when a crisis comes along, can throw themselves on Jesus, asking for help and know they will receive it too.

Of course, this is all assuming that the people in partnership get on and agree about things in life. If they don't, then this can turn a shade nasty as agreement appears very difficult to negotiate. Similarly, the person alone, may not have a deep enough relationship with Jesus and some kind of a crisis can lead to severe anxiety.

Speaking to married couples or people on their own, please accept that you are not ever on your own. Jesus has promised that He will never leave you. Hebrews 13:5. Things that we are not expecting happen to us all. A large unexpected bill can suddenly pop through the letterbox, throwing us into, 'What are we going to do?' Panic can and does happen to most people. The thing is, it is all to do with how we handle it. There is always a way through. Panic will not help. The stress it causes blinds us to the possibilities and can make us ill. It is not worth it. 'What are we going to do?' Speak to Jesus about it, He has the answer; is easy to contact and very willing to help. He is a great problem-solver.

Just stop for a moment. Is the possibility of a heart attack or nervous breakdown worth it? This is what can and does happen to many people who don't handle life-issues well. You belong to Jesus. He does not - did you get that? HE DOES NOT WANT YOU BECOMING UPSET. He wants you to call Him in for advise whenever you need it. Right now, wherever you are, Jesus is right right beside you. If you have a problem, talk to Him about it.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Time to re-evaluate

"But be doers of the word, and not hearers only deceiving yourself." 

                                                                                                         James 1:22   NKJV

I believe God is calling His people to re-evaluate their walk with Him. He is looking for people who will not only hear the word, but do it. In fact, people who will live the word. So therefore, it is time to look at ourselves and determine where we could improve our daily lives.

It is time to take a good look at ourselves. God wants to pinpoint areas that need tweaking; those areas where we continue to fail in - those areas where we let Him and ourselves down. To be truthful, God wants to do an appraisal on us all. An appraisal is an assessment or estimation of the worth, value or quality of a person or thing. It's a performance related exercise that many work places carry out on their staff annually to look at their strengths and weaknesses. The difference between an employer carrying out an appraisal and God carrying one out, is that God is wanting to highlight certain areas that would do better with change and He is willing to do it with us. He seriously wants us to succeed and will do all He can to make this happen. An employer may penalise an employee for a bad assessment but God is different. He will bless the areas we are doing well with and will take our hand and help us through the areas we fall down on. We will never be penalised.

Take a look at your self. What is your strengths and what are your weaknesses? It's a good exercise to write these down, prayerfully, so that you can identify changes that need to be made. It's an exercise where we need to be brutally honest because this is the only way that we will make progress. Where could you make some improvements and what really needs discarding in your life?

Ask yourself two questions:

*  How would I describe myself?

*  Do I like myself?

You may discover that you have a low self-image, a low self-esteem and this is an area that will need some work on. If you feel this way, why do you feel like this? Can you do anything to improve this?

This exercise could be carried out with another person, but in my opinion, it is far better to carry this out in privacy. It's personal. God is the only one that needs to know about these issues. 

It is always helpful to take a look at ourselves and clearing out things can bring a great relief. Why not say this prayer with me:

Lord Jesus, I don't just want to hear what you're saying - I want to live it. Help me to evaluate my whole life and walk with You and discard the things that are causing me problems and build upon the areas where I am good at. Help me to bring glory to Your name O Lord and help me to make my life count for You.  In Jesus' Name, Amen. 

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Life's never easy, but achievable

"Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done."                                                                                                      Luke 22:42.  NKJV

Some days life can be hard going, just one struggle after another and when it is like this, it's hard to find a way through all of the hurt, confusion or just, sheer dismay. Some days we have to do things that we would sooner avoid. However, deep in our hearts, we know that there is no other way, it has to be done.

Jesus must have felt this way when He was praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He knew that His time was almost up and He wrestled with what He had to face. This is the cup that He mentioned. It was the cup of suffering and it contained all things that were sinful and ungodly. It was the sin of the world, including ours. He had to overcome this cup of suffering so that this victory would give us all freedom and the opportunity of eternal life. Yet in His humanity, for a moment, it was a daunting task. Jesus wasn't afraid of death but He would have avoided the type of death He faced, if it had been possible.

Andrew Murray, the great Scottish author and pastor writes, "The Holy Spirit works with mighty power, while on the human side, everything appears feeble. Look at Jesus in Gethsemane. For one moment there appears no sign of the mighty power of the Spirit, but it was there."

There's a lesson to learn here. When we observe someone, they may appear weak and unable to cope with the job in hand.However, the Spirit of God may be over them, giving them the power and ability to perform the task in awesome power. Let us never underestimate someone, God may be at work within them - a hidden power that at first we cannot see until is released.

The things you are facing at this time, may appear daunting and even impossible. You may be tempted to walk away and forget about it all. However, don't do that; face the task in front of you and say to God, 'Not my will Lord, but Yours be done.' As you do this, you hand the situation over to God and He will take your hand and help you find a way through. But there may be a price. Look at Jesus after He had come to terms with what He had to do, He was in agony, so much so that He actually sweat drops of blood and angels had to come and minister to Him. When you say, 'Not my will Lord, but Yours be done,' things may not always be bright and rosey. Often there will be a price to pay and Jesus paid the price, but that price brought us life. It may be similar for you. As you make a stand for God, He will give you all His help but it may be a difficult road to take. But in the end, it will be well worth it.

When we said, 'Yes,' to Jesus, He took it literally, and therefore, He will give us certain things to do. Some may be very pleasing to do but some may not. Whatever, He choses who he feels can do what the task is. There's no one like you. You're an original and He is counting on you.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Absolute Surrender

"And the king of Israel answered and said, 'My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.'"                                                                                          1 Kings 20:1-4   NKJV

King Ahab was under threat from Ben-Hadad, king of Syria. He had threatened to capture the land and everything in it, together with the wives and children. His action should have been to seek God but instead, the wise decision that he thought was to concede. Our text today is what he quoted. 'My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.'

This is a statement that we, as Christians, would do well in saying to our Father. It is a declaration of absolute surrender; a decision to cast everything over to God and allow Him to pave the way in our lives.

Many of us have found the Lockdowns pretty difficult to handle, especially the first one. Now with all the deaths that are mounting up, we have a half-hearted promise that there may well be a vaccine to put an end to Covid 19. But really, when you consider it, no one is really sure. This vaccine has been introduced very quickly and we don't really know much about it, what the side-affects are or whether it will clash with medication that we may already take. It is very uncertain at the moment. But there is a certainty in Jesus Christ. He will never get Covid 19, neither will He give it to us. He is the one we need in our 'bubble'. 

Many people today are struggling with one thing and another and there has been fear around at every corner. But, can you remember that well-known verse - 'For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.'  John 3:16. Note the two words, 'so loved.' God loves the world so much and this includes us. He is in charge, the devil may think he is, but he is about to get a shock. Jesus Christ is Lord. He is the one we need to keep our eyes on. He is the winner, and He longs for us to totally trust in Him. Absolute surrender is the answer. We don't know what will happen in the future with Covid and the vaccine, but Jesus does. He knows everything.

I want to address the ones who are in fear this morning. There really is no need to live this way. Whatever is going to happen, will happen but with God on your side, there really is nothing to fear. He can change a problem in the blink of an eye. There are angels all around you. All you have to do is surrender to God, He'll take care of everything else.

May you be confessing today and always, 'My Lord, O King, I am Thine and all that I have. I surrender to You. Amen'

 

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

 

Grief

"Blessed are those who mourn for they shall be comforted."

                                                                                                                Matthew 5:4   NKJV

Grief is something that we all have to face at some time in our lives. If it is a distant family member, it is upsetting but possibly not life-changing. However, when someone very close to us dies, the pain can be enormous. In fact, it can be so intense that it is difficult to imagine if it will ever be less hurtful. The thing is, no one expects it to happen to them or their loved ones. It happens to others and as upsetting as it is, we soon get over it and get on with our lives. However, it is not so when death strikes at someone within our close circle.

The shock of a death to a close family member, especially a spouse, mother, father or even a child, can leave a person in total shock, in fact numb. It is very difficult to process what has happened and our minds can become scrambled as we attempt to make some sense of it all. There are no words that can be said that will make any difference to such a loss, it just takes time to be able to work through it all; and this time is immeasurable.

Dr Colin Murray-Parkes, a leading British Psychiatrist specialising in grief and bereavement, writes:

“The pain of grief is just as much part of life as the joy of love:it is perhaps the price we pay for love, the cost of commitment. To ignore this fact, or to pretend that it is not so, is to put on emotional blinkers which leave us unprepared for the losses that will inevitably occur in our own lives and unprepared to help others cope with losses in theirs.”

Grief is the price we pay for love and the only way around it would be to avoid love all together, which is an impossible road to take. We all need to love and be loved. It's a part of life and this is why it becomes so difficult when loss strikes.

There is a way through though but it takes some time to be able to reach it. You may be going through bereavement at this time and so you know just how it feels. There are certain stages that have to be worked through and these include denial, anger and depression right through to acceptance and being able to move on. The moving on period, can be known as the 'Letting go' stage. This is where the grieving person reaches a stage where they feel a little stronger and begin to realise that 'there is life out there'. This can then be a time where letting go of the pain - not the memory of the person - can begin. As the pain is released from the mind, the grieving person is better placed to find a way forward taking with them the wonderful memories of the person who died. I must stress, that this is not easy and can take a long time to put into action, with many relapses.

For the Christian, there is the peace that their loved one is now with Jesus in Heaven and the assurance that one day, they will be re-united. There is also the assurance that Jesus is right beside you, holding your hand and helping you to walk through all of this.

May I add, that whatever you are going through at this time, the sun will shine again in your life. I can't say when however. Until then, Jesus will never leave you.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Adultery

"But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman to lust for her, has already committed adultery with her in his heart."  v28                                              Matthew 5:27-29   NKJV

This is a most delicate area to discuss but it is one, that affects us all. Jesus was speaking as if to 'man', but this was a definite address to both sexes.

Just a glance at our text shows us that a person does not actually have to commit the act of a adultery in the flesh. Jesus tells us, that when we look at a man or a woman with lust in our hearts for them, we have already committed adultery with them. These are very strong words and some may argue that this is not really fair. After all, just to think about it is not as bad as actually doing it, is it? Yes it is, because it shows you the state of your heart.

Take a look at James:

'14 But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin when it is full-grown, brings forth death.'

                                                                                                             James 1:14-15.  NKJV

It is the desire that becomes fired up as we look lustfully at another person. The root of lust is 'unsatisfied longing.' This unsatisfied state is the fact that a person has not had sexual relations with this person yet and the temptation is there to do so. When we internalise this lust, we can paint pictures of fantasy in our mind and the adulterous desire becomes even worse.

Andrew Womack says, 'Sin is conceived in your emotions,' and this is so true. Some people may fantasise about their desire until it actually becomes a reality and they commit physical adultery. Others may just keep it within their hearts. Whatever, they are both wrong in Jesus' eyes; He calls it adultery whatever we do.

To help avoid these lustful thoughts, which once they get a hold is so difficult to dismiss, we have to take control of the heart and body which begins with controlling our eyes. Jesus is not referring to self-mutilation in verse 29 when He says to pluck out the eye. No, He is saying that we need to take rigid, moral self-denial. This, as I've said, is very difficult to put into practice once the lust has formulated in our mind and become a stronghold; but it is achievable. It requires a renewing of our mind, which we discussed the other day. We have to take the old self, discard it and put on the new self. This takes a long time to perform - very possibly a lifetime' but it is so necessary.

Remember, all around us is temptation. Just switch on the TV and we can see sexual content every day of the week; today's music presents videos that leave nothing to the imagination and the general consensus is, 'It's ok to have some fun, you're a long time dead.' People are tempted at work by colleagues, at parties, in fact in most places. This is why, as a Christian we have to make a stand and decide that it is time to clean up our minds and our actions; and we have someone who is willing to help - Jesus.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com