Anxiety and depression

"Anxiety in the heart of man, causes depression. But a good word makes it glad." 

                                                                                                       Proverbs 12:25   NKJV

Many people in our world today are in a state of depression and many have no clue why. You may be one of them. Anxiety can kick in when faced with pressures from people such as critics, ridiculers and even bullies. Once it settles in, a person can become a wreck and find it very difficult to face each day. In fact, every day can be a huge challenge to negotiate.

I am no doctor, but I have suffered depression for many years and know how difficult it can be to get through a day. I know what it's like to hide away when someone visits the house. I know what it's like to hide away in a crowd when I suspect someone is coming to speak with me and I would sooner be raptured than take part in this.

Depression is a great weight and anything out of the norm, such as an unplanned trip out, can cause so much anxiety. Living in this way is not easy.

But take heart, there are ways to control this. Yes, a person may need some medication to help give a kick start. Let me stress that there is no shame in having to do this. Anything that can offer some help has got to be positive. 

Take a look at our text today. The last part states, 'But a good word makes it glad.' Anxiety and depression are great weights that can bring about utter despair, but when an encouraging word is spoken to us, it can bring such a lift to our spirit. The thing is, if we hide ourselves away from people, it may be difficult to have good words spoken to us. But take comfort in the fact that we have the best word ever - The Word of God. Your depression may say that it doesn't want that but really, if you are a believer, you need it. It is your food and contains life and joy, peace and healing and it will never, I repeat never be a source of ridicule to you.

There is no shame in suffering depression and anxiety. It can happen to anyone. Take for example  King David and Elijah. They suffered such as this. They were great men of God and yet were prone to depression and it was the Word of God that brought them healing. If they needed it, you and I certainly do. 

You may be suffering today. If that is so, remember that Jesus knows how you feel and wants to help; He wants to give you that Word of Encouragement. Why not speak with Him today!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Go in Peace

"Then He said to the woman, 'Your faith has saved you. Go in peace." 

                                                                                                                      Luke 7:50   NKJV

Usually at this time of year, there is much hustle and bustle as people dash into towns to buy Christmas presents for their loved ones; finalise the Christmas holiday or plan food shopping for the Festive period. Now add to this our present day problems, such as the Lockdown because of the Coronavirus and try to comprehend the ever-changing restrictions issued by the government. It is mind-blowing and causes sheer panic and frustration to many people throughout the world.

One thought to mull over is, if the Lockdown causes all of this panic, imagine what it will be like when Jesus returns, and that may be very soon the way the world is going.

In our text today, Jesus mentions three important words, 'Go in Peace'. The peace Jesus refers to covers a multitude of things but one worth mentioning is 'Shalom' a Hebrew word meaning, Perfect Peace. Isaiah 26:3. Jewish people greet and also say good bye to people with 'Shalom, Shalom', wishing them perfect peace wherever they go. It is a term that means good health, happiness and well-being. in other words it is a blessing, and one in which Jesus was giving to the woman mentioned in our text.

Jesus said in John 14:27: 'Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you.' Therefore, He was blessing His disciples that day and He does us too. Remind yourself of this every time you read it. Jesus is giving you His blessing - Shalom, Shalom, His Perfect Peace, and this is the peace that He wants us to walk in.

There is so much hustle and bustle in this world at this time and, you may have a lorry-load to add to it at the moment. Your friend Jesus, does not wish for you to carry this around with you. He tells us to cast our burdens over to Him Psalm 55:22, and leave them there. He then wishes us Shalom, Shalom. Therefore we need to flow in it. Also we need to pass this on to other believers as we see them. They need blessing too because they feel just as stressed, if not worse than you feel.

So there we have it, Shalom, Shalom - Perfect Peace is to rule in our hearts. Read the verse in Isaiah 26:3: 'You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You.' Notice the last part, 'whose mind is focused and set on Jesus'. That is how we walk in Perfect Peace.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Remain faithful

"Be faithful to the point of death (if you must die for your faith), and I will give you the crown (consisting) of life."                               Revelation 2:10   The Amplified Study Bible

The Greek crown or garland of green leaves, was given to winners in athletic event. James also mentioned the crown of life in James 1:12 as an encouragement to believers to persevere under trial. The thing is, when we come against tribulation, it is easy to throw the towel in and give up. 'I'm not playing that game anymore,' we may utter, 'it's just not fair,' and then stomp away taking our ball back. But just the fact that Jesus offers us a crown shows us that He wants us to win it.

He sees us as winners and the crown of life is our reward. Whatever we come up against, God wants us to stay away from fear. Faith cannot work with this. They are total opposites. If he can, the devil will try to kill or injure us as we try. He will try to discredit us by giving us a bad reputation; but just keep on going.

God has many secret weapons in His armoury and one of them is the ability to use keys. The devil may try to trap us or prevent us from doing a particular thing. However, God can use one of His keys to open a way forward, He can make a way where there wasn't one before. It's exciting stuff to hang around with Jesus.

God goes before us and does a recce of all that's about. He knows what we will be going into, hence why we need to constantly be in touch with the Holy Spirit. Things may not always go our way. A look at Shadrach, Meshach and AbedNego in the fiery furnace because of their refusal to compromise their faith, shows us this. And then, there was Daniel trapped inside the lion's den. They could have felt that this wasn't fair at all and agreed to compromise. But, they were committed to God and nothing was going to stop them from fulfilling His will for their lives.

When we're up against flak, it is not the time to give up and walk away because it is not fair. No, it's the time to stand and dig in. If we want to win that trophy, that crown of life, we need to grit our teeth and never surrender - except of course to God Himself. 

Whatever you are facing today, do not compromise your faith. Pray and give it to Jesus; He loves to help. He is looking for commitment and He is willing to do His bit too. When you feel snookered - can't find a way out of the situation without doing some damage, He is your man. He is sold out to you; is faithful and is your best friend too. Reciprocate and the benefits will be immense.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Jesus - the burden remover

"Cast your burden on the LORD (release it) and He will sustain and uphold you." 

                                                                                   Psalm 55:22   The Amplified Study Bible

Jesus said in Revelation 2:24-25  'I will put on you no other burden. 25 But hold fast what you have till I come.' Basically Jesus is saying here, I will ask nothing more of you except that you hold tightly to Me. Did you get that? Again, He is saying that we need Him, things are impossible without Him and without Him we can do nothing. 

He wants us to live life without burdens. Sadly, they come along but this is why, He tells us to cast these burdens upon Him. He takes the burden away or He ensures that it is manageable. He takes the burden away but the world will try to bring it back to us. This is why we have to be careful and walk with Him - daily.

God is the one constant in our lives and He is our only, true friend. Yes, there are many lovely friends around, but none are as reliable and true as He is. He sustains us. The word sustain means to maintain, nourish, provide food, hold up, protect and support. It also means to defend us. Whenever we are in a situation that we find difficult or painful, as we acknowledge that He is our source of help and the only one that can handle the situation, He will be there, standing at our side and taking the control.

I am sure that there have been times in your life when things seemed hopeless. As you called on Jesus, He was there to make a way through. His intervention may not have been as you expected, but we need to accept that He knows best and that is the bottom line. If we have placed Him in charge of our lives, then He must have the freedom to do what he feels is the best way out of things.

When you have a burden, this is not the time to panic and go to pieces, running around like a headless chicken trying to sort things out but watching them get worse. You need to calm down. What's the point of panic anyway? It serves no purpose except to stress you out and make you ill. Rushing around too. Just because you move around fast under the pressure, it doesn't necessarily mean that things are going to get better. In fact, they'll probably be worse because in your panic, you forgot certain things that were relevant.

It is time to be at peace with God, to, 'Be still and know that I am God.'  Psalm 46:10. It is time to allow Him access to every part of you. It is time to stop the panic and hustle and bustle, It is time to seek Jesus.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

Nothing is impossible with God

"For with God nothing will be impossible."                                             Luke 1:37   NKJV

As we approach the Christmas period, I am reminded of the announcement the angel made to Mary about the birth of Jesus. She replied, 'How can this be, since I do not know a man?' This would have been a terrible shock to the young Mary and of great concern. She was betrothed to Joseph. How would he react to the fact that she was going to have a child when they had not been intimate? She would have had a fear that she would have been cast out and ridiculed for her behaviour. It would have been a worrying time. But Mary replied to the angel, 'Let it be to me according to your word.' This was surrender.

This is the kind of attitude that God longs for us to have when we are faced with challenging situations. After-all, He is our Saviour - if we've asked Him to be. Therefore, we can't really complain when things go against what we had expected. Sometimes, things go this way and we may be left with the thought, 'Why?' There really is no answer to that.

However, things may appear impossible to us, but they are never impossible to God. He is the King of the impossible and let's be grateful that he is. God is teaching us all to deny self and put Him in His rightful place. Many times, there is nothing we can do about certain things; it's impossible to try; and Jesus tells us that without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5). We really need to learn this and quickly.

Perhaps, you are facing an impossible situation today. You may have had a sleepless night and been pacing the floor praying like crazy. Just relax. You've prayed about the situation, now give God some space to perform the impossible. You do this by what Mary said, 'Let it be to me according to Your word.' This is not giving up; it is not saying that nothing can be done. No, it is putting God in the driving seat of your life. You're admitting to Him that you can do nothing, that it is impossible for you to try. In fact, you have done something when you think about it, you've handed it to Jesus where things are possible. You have surrendered to Him.

This is the total surrender to God, that He likes. There is no other way. We need to put ourselves into the hands of God, because, He has the power to do all things. We haven't. When we are in a situation where we admit we can do nothing, but we know a man who can, and we pass it over to Him; then we open up the options, and God is ready and willing to step forward and do what is necessary.

Listen, nothing is impossible for Him so, don't keep it to yourself, place it in His hands. You won't regret it. Say this prayer:

'I am in God's charge. My God is working out my life for me.'   (Andrew Murray)

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

You are so loved and so special

"As You sent me into the world, I also have sent them into the world." 

                                                                                                                    John 17:18   NKJV

You are so special to the Father. You need to know this today. No matter what is happening in your life at this time, you are special and very loved. Just look at some of the evidence about this. He died in your place, on the cross, so that you could have a chance in life. He walks beside you - all the time and will never leave you. But, more than that, He trusts you. If He didn't, what Jesus says here is wrong and I doubt that very much. Jesus was talking to His Father and saying that He had sent us (you and I) out into the world as the Father had sent Jesus. What has He sent us out for? To be His ambassadors, to spread the Good News (Gospel) to all who will listen, so that they too, will have the chance He gave you and I.

He calls us His friends (John 15:13-17). That in itself is amazing. God the Son - Jesus, who was there at creation, calls us His friend. That is mind-blowing and that should make you feel pretty special. But there is more. Jesus told the Father, 'I in them and You in Me that they be made perfect  in one, and that the world may know that, You have sent me and have loved them as You have loved Me.' John 17:23. God the Father, loves you and I as much as He does Jesus. That is doubly mind-blowing.

So then, Jesus has sent you to carry out His mission to the world. He calls you His friend and God loves you as much as He does Jesus. Can you take some more of this? Ok, grab this. He clothes you, He feeds you, He watches over you. He has given you somewhere to live, someone to love, possibly a job and money to live on. You may not be rich by the world's standards but you have the riches of Heaven to look forward to and if you think that it's great to be alive and here at this moment, then just try and imagine what it will be like when you are posted to glory. We don't fully know what that will be like but no one has come back and complained yet.

Things may not be good for you at this time. It may be hard-going to get through each day. You may feel cheated, let down, walked all over, lonely and desperate. However, things have a habit of changing very quickly when you put your hope in Jesus. Listen, He is the only one that can take you through this awful time. Trust Him, He trusts you and He's the best friend you will ever have.

Alternatively, things may be ok for you but you know deep inside you that something is missing. Have you left Jesus out of things? Be honest, He is. Your friend is here. In fact, for anyone who is reading this, let me say that, you are on Jesus' mind, yes that's right. He's thinking of you. Why not talk to Him right now:

Lord Jesus

I need You, things have been getting me down just lately and I can't find a way through to make it better. But I know You know the way. Please help me today. I've just read that you are my friend and the Father loves me as much as He does You. Please come into my life and demonstrate that right now. I need you.

                                                                        In Jesus' Name. Amen.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

The Three R's

"4 Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.' 5 But Simon answered and said to Him, 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing, nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.' 6 And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish and their net was breaking.'                                        Luke 5:4-6     NKJV

God knows best; one word from Him can change everything. Note that Peter didn't argue with Jesus. He made his point but he obeyed Him anyway; it may have appeared to be a reluctant kind of obedience but Peter wasn't rude. Remember, these guys were seasoned fishermen; they knew their trade and when people are like this, they don't like being told otherwise. However, the only dispute that came out of Peter's mouth was, 'nevertheless, at Your word, I will let down the net.

When we are in situations such as this, we can either deny self or deny Christ. There is no other way. To deny Christ is to claim that you know it all, you don't need God or anyone, you can go it alone. When you think about this, it's a rather foolish thing to say. It is far better to deny self, God knows best. We allow too much of self to rule our lives. We can become puffed up and unteachable and when we are such, we will pay the price at some time in our lives. Jesus must come first.

Take a look at this situation. Jesus told Peter and the other experienced fishermen, to go deeper where they would find the catch that they were seeking. Peter started to consider this and then he decided to:

RE-CONSIDER  Peter had a little experience of how Jesus worked and in the short time that he had been with Him, he had seen some awesome miracles performed. In the split second of his thinking, he remembered these and decided to re-consider what Jesus was asking.

RESPOND  Peter had to decide what he was going to do here. He chose the better way and responded to Jesus' request although he had no idea how it would all turn out.

RECEIVE  It would have been beyond Peter's comprehension to believe what would happen next, but it did and they would have been astounded at it all. They received it with gladness.

All it takes is to obey Jesus, to take Him at His word. He will do the rest. All we need to do is to carry out the 3 R's formula - Re-consider, Respond and Receive. We can either deny self or deny Christ, the choice is ours. But if you believe that Jesus knows best; that He has your interests at heart and He will always deliver the best for you, trust Him, nevertheless what your mind is saying. He wants to fill your nets. I interpret, 'Nevertheless, at You word,' to stand for 'You know best Lord, You know best, I’ll go deeper.’

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesus@protonmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com