Be equipped for this New Year

"For you shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace; the mountains and the hills shall break forth into singing before you and all the trees of the field shall clap their hand."                                                                                             Isaiah 55:12   NKJV

As we open up this verse, we can gather a lot of information that will feed our hungry souls. The first part, 'you shall go out with joy' refers to the exile from Babylon and how this freedom would have put joy into their hearts. 'being led forth', meant that they would be led by the LORD Himself.

Further to this, I have highlighted three words; Joy, Peace and Singing, which are significant to our survival in this world of uncertainty. Let's look at each one:

JOY. Nehemiah gives us the meaning of this word - strength. It is the joy we have in Jesus Christ that gives us the strength to get through each and every situation. It is a mighty weapon. If at all possible, we should endeavour to laugh and praise our way to victory. Joy is mighty and powerful. But it is ourselves that need to get into a position of joy and we can only do this in Jesus.

PEACE. Isaiah 26:3 says, 'You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You.' As we focus on Jesus Christ, giving Him the first place in our lives, we will receive this perfect peace, which is interpreted as Shalom, Shalom in the Hebrew. Jesus told us that He would give us this peace. John 14:27. As He was getting ready to depart from this earth, He promised us that we would have perfect peace. This is the peace that surpasses all understanding; the peace that guards our heart and minds through Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 

SINGING. Psalm 150:6 says, 'Let everything that has breath praise the LORD.' There is power in praise. It can bring down walls, Joshua 6. It opened locked doors and broke chains Acts 16. As we praise God, mighty things happen. As we sing to the Lord, He opens up the way, which is the only way - the way to victory. Things are defeated  and taken over as we praise, not only walls, prison doors and chains, but as we read here, the trees of the field clap their hands. Have you ever seen this? No, me neither, and it may just be symbolic but it has happened and can happen as we praise God. If God's Word says it, I believe it and that's the bottom line.

This New Year, God wants us to walk in Joy; He wants us to live and walk in His peace and He wants each one of us to live in an attitude of praise. As we do, our lives and our situations will change for the better. We'll be led forth by Jesus Himself. 

Have a Happy and Blessed New Year

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

The New Year - 2021

"You crown the year with Your goodness, and your paths drip with abundance". 

                                                                                                                Psalm 65:11   NKJV

Some people are looking forward to a New Year. Even some newspapers are saying that it's good that 2020 is nearly over. But you know, some good things have happened this past year. For one, in my family, we have had a new birth and I'm sure that some of you can also testify to this happening in yours. We've had the bad interlaced with the good. One thing we need to be grateful for though, is that we are still here talking about it. That in itself, is such a blessing and one, in which we need to thank God for.

If we expound our text verse for today, we see that God is going to crown the year with His goodness. When a person is crowned, they are given all the honour, all the power and glory; they are a special person. And our God is saying that of the New Year - 2021. He is going to crown it, or in other words, ordain it. It is going to be special filled with all good things. Yes there will still be heartaches but, there will be more goodness and blessing, and wherever we walk with Jesus, our steps - our path, will drip with abundance. 

Let us look at that statement for a moment. Wherever we go, whatever we do and whatever happens, it will all drip with abundance as we walk along Jesus' path. This means, as we continually walk with Him by our side. We are in for a year of abundance - a bounty of super-abundance from the God of too much. John 10:10b tells us, 'I have come that they may have life and that they may have it more abundantly'. Jesus has just told us that the thief will try to kill, steal and destroy us because he is the joy robber. But, take courage, Jesus is the joy bringer and He is bringing it to us for 2021. Do you believe this?

The text verse today, is a promise and it is one that we need to write down, highlight it in your bible and confess, pray and claim it every day from now on:

Jesus, You crown the year with Your goodness, and Your paths drip with abundance!

This year, whatever you do and wherever you go, drip with God's loving abundance. This is your year. Have a really good one.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

Watch the doubting spirit!

 "Jesus said to him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed."                             John 20:29   NKJV

One of the things the devil is likely to do to us, is cause us to doubt. We see him trying to tempt and confuse Jesus when He was in the wilderness. He thought Because Jesus was tired, worn out and hungry, he could get Jesus to believe him and bow to Him; but Jesus was having none of it. Again, the serpent, who represented the devil, caused Eve to doubt in the Garden of Eden, 'You shall not surely die.' Genesis 3:4. If he is given an inch he will take a mile, you better believe it. Faith is how God wants us to live. We can't see Him but we believe He is here, in our hearts. This is faith. To doubt that, is to lose our way completely.

Thomas, who was also known as Didymus - the twin, because of his uncanny resemblance to Jesus, was a doubter. We see him in action in this chapter. The others had seen Jesus following His crucifixion - He had appeared to them. They excitedly tried to tell Thomas about it all, but he was not having it, 'Unless I see in His hands, the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.' Thomas had to see it before he would accept it.  A lot of us are like this. We want to know that it is safe before we take a step of faith. Some give out fleeces, 'Lord, if you want me to do this, please let someone knock on my door and tell me this. Also let them provide me with financial support too.'

God rarely responds to such things. He has told us that, 'We walk by faith not by sight'. 2 Corinthians 5:7. This means that we look through the eyes of faith as we discussed yesterday. Jesus reinforced this when He later showed up to Thomas, one of the few times that He did respond to such a request. He told him, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen Me and yet have believed.' Note that second part, 'Blessed are those who have not seen Me and yet have believed.' This is you and I. Very few of us have actually seen Jesus and yet we trust Him; we believe in Him and that is great. Yet, why do we still have doubts about certain things.?

Some may answer this by saying, 'Because we are only human, we're doing the best we can do.' And that is a good answer. Yet Jesus wants more. He wants you and I to have a certainty that He will do what we ask and give us what we need each day. I'm not saying here that if we believe and ask Him to allow us to win the Lottery, He will do this. That is ridiculous and selfish. I'm talking here of our needs for each day. For Him to protect us and walk with us wherever we go. Take for instance, the centurion who came to Jesus in Matthew 8:5-10. He told Jesus that his servant was very ill. Jesus responded by telling him that He would go with him and heal him. The centurion said, 'Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak a word and my servant will be healed.' The centurion's faith astounded Jesus, He had not seen such faith in all of Israel.

And this is the faith that Jesus wants from each of us. To have the confidence, that certainty that Jesus will take care of us, watch over us and supply our needs. 

He wants us to be blessed.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

Don't give in to despair

"Simon Peter said to them, 'I am going fishing.' They said to him, 'We are going with you also.' They went out and immediately got into the boat, and that night they caught nothing."                                                                                    John 21:3   NKJV

Following Jesus' crucifixion and appearance to many of the disciples, Peter and some of the others were sitting around totally full of despair. What had it all been about, was uppermost in their minds? They were bored, broken, lonely and desperate. They had walked with Jesus and it had been wonderful. Now, He wasn't there. They would have been confused. Had they really seen Him again? If they had, where was He now? They were gutted; they had lost everything and there was nothing left. It had all been meaningless. You can hear the despair in Peter's words, 'I am going fishing.' 

Yet on the other side of the coin, there was still a fighting spirit left within them. Just the fact that they decided to go out with there boats, showed that they were not going to lay down and give up totally. They had a survival spirit within them. It wasn't very strong but, it was still there. However, it was short-lived. They went out fishing and they caught nothing. These were experienced fishermen; if they couldn't catch fish no one could. Yet they didn't. Why? It was because their hearts were not in it. It was all meaningless.

When we become this way, it is hard to see the point in anything. It is not a case of feeling sorry for ourselves. It is more deeply-rooted. We have had everything; life was good and business was booming. Suddenly, it has all changed and there doesn't seem to be much point. But there always is. Deep down within you, there is that fighting, survival spirit. That spirit that tells you never to give up. It is there.

Life may have been a little unkind just lately. But it has to others as well. The same rain that falls on you, falls on them too. No one is exempt times of despair and heartache. It is universal and we have to find a way through it all. There is life out there and we have to grab it with both hands. A fighting spirit never gives up. Peter and the others used this when they got up and went out fishing. They would not surrender. And what did they get in return? Initially, a smack in the face when, after their efforts, they caught nothing. But watch this, Just moments later a mighty blessing came their way and they had a major catch of fish when Jesus spoke to them, directing them what to do.

And this will happen to you as well. As you refuse to give up, He will take your hand and lead you to blessing. 

Don't give in to despair.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

Creativity - through the eyes of faith

"God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did."                                                                                          

                                                                                                    Romans 4:17   NKJV

We serve a creative God. He created the whole universe; our whole world and all that is in it. Even today, with the wonderful things that are invented, God created them. He did this by giving man the knowledge to perform such things. It's amazing.

A writer of fiction books, has to use creativity to be able to put together the characters and the plot. There are antagonists and protagonists. It has to be this way otherwise, there is no story. The writer must have imagination too and this comes from the creative side. I heard a fiction author say recently, 'When you look at something, what do you see? It may be just a landscape to the normal eye but, with imagination and creativity, it can be very different. So, when we look at something - see what's not there, that is the secret that creates books.'

And it is very true. God wants us to be the same. 'God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist, as though they did.' This is faith. Don't forget, 'We walk by faith, not by sight'. 2 Corinthians 5:7. This type of faith affects our whole life. Your faith may be dead but God can bring it back to life, so that you are on fire for Him. Your health may be really bad but, God can repair it. He can breathe new life into every sickness and make you whole again. Your marriage may have lost that zing, in fact, it may be falling apart. However, if you trust God, He can make it feel like you have just been married, with that excitement and endless love.

God can do whatever he chooses to do. This is why He says the words of our text today. It all comes down to what you believe; what your level of faith is. If your level of faith is weak, then what you receive will be weak. If it is strong, the sky is the limit.

The Apostle Paul said, 'We walk by faith, not by sight.' This is the ability to look at something - some situation probably - and see it through the eyes of God. At first you look and everything may look the same; but as you look in faith, seeing what you believe, it will happen. These are not my words, they are God's; and He doesn't lie. He always speaks the truth.

What are you facing today? If Jesus is your Saviour, pray and then look at what you're facing, seeing it through the eyes of God. Be creative; be faith-filled; be transparent, giving all of yourself to Him. Remember, if God said it, believe it and let that settle it. 

Begin looking through the eyes of your faith from now on. Be creative! 

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

 

2021 is about to erupt in Godly power

"But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD, I say, 'You are my God'. (15) My times are in Your hand."                                                                                       Psalm 31:14-15   NKJV

Times of trouble and times of triumph are in God's hands. People can oppose us, harass us and give us a really bad time; but they cannot take God on and win and sooner or later, if people keep on harassing or hurting us, they will find this out as He steps in and takes over.

We must though, keep in contact with Him on a daily basis. We can't keep on walking on our own and expect divine intervention. We must keep the connection with Jesus; we will then be safe. King David knew his God; he had a close relationship with Him. Subsequently, God protected him and he was able to confidently say that, 'My times are in Your hand.'

And this is where God wants each of us to be. We have a New Year approaching with new opportunities. Don't be tempted to think, 'Yes, we thought that last year and look what it brought us.' That is negative thinking; it is the type of thinking that the devil wants us to think - the bottle half-empty saga.

The Apostle Paul said, 'forgetting those things which are behind and, reaching forward to those things which are ahead,' Philippians 3:13. We need to forget what was in the past and, by faith look ahead to all the opportunities that the 'God, who gives life to the dead and calls these things which do not exist as though they did.' Romans 4:17, will bring us. And remember, we walk by faith, not by sight.' 2 Corinthians 5:7.

2021, may still contain Covid 19 problems. Restrictions may still be in place; but are you forgetting - God is bigger than any virus! He is in control although it may not seem so at times. He is, so don't give in to fear. Do not give in to disappointments or discouragement. We are the elite - the children of God, we serve a big God who is able to perform whatever He chooses.

On this 27th day Of December 2020, get into position for the explosion of Godly power that is going to erupt over this world. Get your faith sharpened. Get yourself ready to discover that your times are really in God's hand.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄

No one should go without

"Nor was there anyone among them who lacked"                       Acts 4:34   NKJV

Today is Boxing Day, but what is the origin of this name? It is thought to come from a time when the rich used to box up gifts to give to the poor. Boxing Day was traditionally a day off for servants and the day when they received a special Christmas box from their masters. The servants would also go home on Boxing Day to give Christmas boxes to their families. Wikipedia tells us:

'The origins of Boxing Day are somewhat debated. The most likely story dates back hundreds of years to Britain. One version says that on December 26 wealthy families would give their servants and tradespeople a gratuity of either money or a “Christmas box” full of food and gifts to thank them for their service and for working all day Christmas Day. According to another tradition, churches would set up boxes to be filled with gifts on Christmas Day, which would then be distributed to the poor the following day. Regardless of which tradition is correct, each of these stories shows that Boxing Day had its origin in gift-giving to others.'

It is not unlike the early church recorded in Acts 4. The multitude of those who believed were of one heart and would share openly, with others who had little. No one went without. Some richer people would sell what they could and give the proceeds to the poorer people. 

We can see this in a lot of churches today, where food is distributed, along with clothes, to the people who are in desperate need. There are many people homeless today and benefit greatly from what people can give them. It is what Jesus would do. Remember the feeding of the five thousand? Mark 6:30-44. Jesus was faced with a mass of people who had followed Him and He was concerned that they should not starve. He provided for them and that is the heart of Jesus.

Me and my wife Hazel, when we pastored a church, turned the basement into a place where the homeless could come, get warm and receive hot meals and clothing if they needed it. These people were who society had forgotten about but Jesus hadn't. He guided us to set up the work, provided the kitchen equipment, carpeting, central heating, shower and the workforce. When Jesus asks you to do a task for Him, He gives all you need to put this into action.

Perhaps, you may have been wondering about becoming involved in this type of ministry. It is not easy and you can get ripped-off along the way, but there is nothing quite like seeing the faces of the people who are genuinely grateful for what you have done for them. And if they're grateful and pleased, Jesus is too. Remember His Words in Matthew 25:40: 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.'

Jesus sees what we do, what we say and how we act and He will reward all that serve Him.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahamehoward@hotmail.com

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

*If you would like to contact me, then please send me an email😄