In it to win it

"And when they got into the boat, the wind ceased."                          Matthew 14:32   NKJV

Notice that while the disciples were in the boat, it was mayhem, with a gale force wind and crashing waves threatening their lives. However, Jesus came along walking on this water and at first, thinking it was a ghost, Peter shouted out to Him, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to come to You on the water.' And He did and Peter got out of the boat and walked towards Him. However, this was short-lived, because the mighty waves crashing about him, took Peter's focus and he began to sink and would have drowned unless Jesus had saved him. While the others were still cowering in the boat, the wind and the waves ceased and all was calm. What happened to change this? Jesus and Peter had climbed into the boat. 

There used to be a game show on TV featuring a well-loved celebrity. It was called 'In it to win it', the idea being that you had to purchase a Lottery ticket before you had the chance to win the jackpot. The example of Peter provides us with a similar principle. Peter had to be in the boat before he could be sure that he was safe - in Jesus' arms.

When we're foolish enough to go out in our own strength, to a ministerial situation, we have to be willing to pay the price. Peter had said, 'Lord, if it is You, command me to get out of the boat and come'. Peter had the faith to do this but not the faith to sustain it. Both the wind and the waves distracted him and his faith diminished. There's a lesson here, Jesus may call us to do something but, He expects us to be prepared for the flak, such as problems, jealousy, lack of funds and complaints etc.etc. If we are going to get out of the boat by faith, we need to keep ourselves in that place of faith. If we don't, we may also sink.

Jesus told Peter to come, not to look at what was all around him. He wanted Peter to remain focused on Him and that is all. There are many things that distract us on a daily basis. We may be having a quiet time reading our bible when the telephone rings and we answer it. Whether it's good or bad news, we have lost our focus. The devil loves to distract us when he can. If he can get us to take our focus off Jesus and to what's happening around us, he is happy. It takes discipline to prevent things coming between us and God in our special moments with Him. 

That day, with Jesus in the boat, it was a safe place to be. Yes, there comes a time when we need to get out. However, we need to ensure that our faith is sharp, our walk with Jesus strong and that we take Him with us, wherever we go.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Get your heart and mouth in agreement

"For out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks."               Matthew 12:34   NKJV

Does your heart trust what comes out of your mouth? is your heart and your mouth in agreement with each other? When God says something, it can be relied on. It is rock solid, faithful and spoken with the authority that changes situations. Therefore:

'So will My word be which goes out of My mouth; it will not return to Me void (useless, without result), without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.'  Isaiah 55:11 Amplified Study Bible.

In other words it achieves the purpose it was sent. When it speaks - it happens. Don't forget that when God spoke the words, 'Let there be light, and there was light'. The world was formless and still, dark and empty. But when those words were spoken by God, light came and the world began to take form in a powerful way.

Words are powerful, they bring death or life, faith or fear and blessing or cursing. Proverbs 18:21. So what you believe in your heart, the mouth confesses. So if you speak negativity and bad stuff - negativity and bad stuff will happen. But if you speak positive words via God's Word, believing, then positive and God-filled things will begin to happen. Really it's the Law of Confession.

Derek Prince said, 'When the heart is filled it overflows through the mouth, and that overflow tells us the real condition of the heart.'

So if your heart is spiritually aligned with the things of God, then Godly words will be spoken through the mouth. If the heart is not spiritually aligned with God, then we will utter ungodly words through the mouth. Therefore, you must believe in your heart what you say with your mouth in order to have victory. The heart and mouth must be in agreement for the words to carry any authority or power. If not, there will be no agreement and little victory or blessing.

It makes sense to speak the way God ordained us to speak. This brings us victory. It may be time to have a little spiritual heart surgery!

 Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Keep your feet on the ground

"Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven."                                                                    Luke 10:20   NKJV

The more we get it seems, the more that we want. It's a very common thing in our world. Some people have lovely, expensive homes filled with every conceivable contraption possible and yet, they long to get more and more because a spirit of greed propels them forward. It seems to be the norm in the Western world. In churches (when we are allowed to go because of Lockdown restrictions) we can often hear the phrase, 'give us more Lord, much, much more'. The more we get, the more we want.

In the natural world, this could be classed as greed, however, not so much in the supernatural. Why is this? Because, the more we get of Jesus, the more we want. He is irresistible. But there must be a warning here! It is not for our glory but for His.

We read, ,'Lord, even the demons are subject to us'. Luke 10:17. Jesus answers this with, 'Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in Heaven.' In a way, Jesus was stating that they should never become puffed up. However, He was also saying more. He wanted them to receive the knowledge that, the greatest cause for our rejoicing should be our salvation and the salvation of others. He had sent the seventy out to let people know about Him. It's interesting to note, that He never mentioned to them about casting out demons. Healing and salvation was the most important part of their mission.

It's easy to have the feeling that we want God to give us more of Jesus; to pour the Holy Spirit into us at such a rate that we feel on fire with Him. Their is nothing wrong with this at all. We must though, keep our feet on the ground, we must avoid becoming puffed up with pride because Jesus has used us for a particular task - such as preaching, giving an in-depth bible study, or reading the bible through from cover to cover in 3 months. All this is good stuff, but let us avoid the glory of it all and ensure that the glory goes to Jesus and that uppermost in our day, we try to steer someone to Jesus. Remember, without us, they may never get to know that salvation is available. They may never get to know that, Jesus is not some mystical star in the sky; a baby to celebrate in Christmas Nativity plays or Easter is about Jesus, not Easter eggs. They need to know about Jesus, and you and I have the capability to let them know.

Why not allow our prayers to ask, 'give us more Lord; more of the desire to go out and tell people about Jesus and salvation. He will give you loads of that.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Let Him breathe life into your situation

"God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did."                                                                                                        Romans 4:17   NKJV

It is so easy to become repetitive when we are preaching or creating a study. However, we must remember that God's Word is a Living Word and can meet all situations. We may think we have exhausted a subject but the Holy Spirit has different ideas, so here goes.

God first told Abraham that Sarah would have his child some 25 years earlier - a quarter century. That is how long they waited before God brought it into being. That is some waiting. This is not unusual, I knew a lady who had waited around 25 or so for her husband to make a commitment to Jesus. Like Abraham, she never gave up and her faith was rewarded in a service one morning, when her husband ran to the front of the church and threw himself on the floor and gave his life to Jesus. Waiting is difficult but it brings many blessings.

You see, we can pray for hours, weeks, even years and still have no answer to our prayer and then, suddenly, God turns up in power and that prayer request is met. We should never give up praying or become tired and despondent because things aren't happening. God's in charge, so give it time. Let me explain what happened to that lady's husband that Sunday morning. He had been dead inside and wouldn't allow any light or life to penetrate this darkness that was holding him in bondage. But then God breathed on him and POW... he was saved and filled with the Holy Spirit. This was what Jesus did when He commissioned His Apostles in John 20:21-22: 'So Jesus said to them again, 'Peace to you! As the Father has sent me, I also send you.' And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, Receive the Holy Spirit.' And this is what happened that day to this gentleman; God breathed new life into him and he was never the same again.

Have you been waiting for ages for God to answer your prayers. Have you become tired of waiting and considered that it will never happen. If Abraham had felt this way, Issac would never have been born. If that lady had given up, her husband would not have been in Heaven today - he died a few years later. Don't ever consider giving up. Ask God if you are praying properly for what you want. There may be a little tweaking that needs to take place. Is sin blocking your prayer; again, ask God, He will show you. Chances are, you have asked right but you are going to have to wait until the time is right for God, to call your prayer into life.

Until then, keep on trusting Him, praising Him and never consider wavering in your faith.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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

'I do not have a price tag - I belong to Jesus'

"'I will give it all to you if you will worship me.' (8) Jesus replied, 'The scriptures say, You must worship the LORD your God and serve Him only.'                        Luke 4:7-8   NLT 

Over the years, people have gone overboard in their desires to have what they want - NOW! One only has to look around and you will see people who will go into deep debt, in order to have better than their friends or neighbours have. There is a deep envy and jealousy that appears to take over at times, whatever the cost. The example of Jacob and Esau tells us the perils of this type of thing:

(29) 'Now Jacob cooked a stew and Esau came in from the field, and he was weary. (30) And Esau said to Jacob, "Please feed me with that same red stew, for I am weary." Therefore, his name was called Edom (red).   (31) But Jacob said, "Sell me your birthright as of this day." (32) And Esau said, "Look I am about to die; so what is this birthright to me?" (33) Then Jacob said, "Swear to me as of this day". So he swore to him and sold his birthright to Jacob. (34) And Jacob gave Esau bread and stew of lentils; then he ate and drank, arose and went his way.' 

Esau was ravenous after being out in the fields all day and smelling this delicious food, he wanted some at that moment. One would have thought that Jacob would have given some to his brother, but he was more crafty and ruthless than that. He offered to sell him some - for his birthright, which was permissible around the area of Haran at that time. Esau, having little respect for this, agreed and paid a great price. This example shows us the peril of wanting something there and then and not being in control of ourselves. Some people will be so tempted by what they want, that they will cross that line and then, lose everything. 

The devil tried this with Jesus, believing that after 40 days and nights in the wilderness, He would be cold, weary and very hungry. He would be at His lowest, he thought. The devil offered Jesus, honour, power, status and success if He would only submit to Him. However, Jesus came right back at him with the Word of God. One paraphrase of what Jesus said reads, 'No offer of success and power is enough to shift My loyalty from God. I do not have a price tag. Even if I go to waste in the dust, I will bow My knee before Him alone. He will defend Me and reward Me - even unto death.' (Words of Jesus, Christian Art Publishers 2015).

Do not be tempted to cut corners in order to get what you want. Do not be tempted to give in to things that you will regret when you're caught out - and you will be. Do not sacrifice what Jesus paid for you on the cross. Nothing, absolutely nothing, is worth giving up your birthright as Esau did.

The devil will tempt you with your weaknesses, he knows what they are. So keep your wits about you and have your armour on at all times. The devil is out to discredit you; it may be through a bowl of stew or by swapping your allegiance from Jesus to something or someone who has hoodwinked you. Be careful and remember you were redeemed (paid for) at a great price and no matter what, you are not for sale.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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

The Meaning of Confession. Part 3

"For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me, gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak."                John 12:49   NKJV

To reinforce the meaning of the Hebrew word - Homologeo, we need to see that it is not only us who speak the same words as the Father's, but Jesus too. He never spoke on His own authority as we see from this passage. He only spoke what His Father was telling Him. And we need to do the same; it is paramount to our successful walk with Jesus.

Jesus suffered many bad comments about His ministry, if He had to suffer this, you can bet that we will too. When He was on His way to the Feast of Tabernacles, the Jews were openly accusing Him of deceiving the people with all of His comments. He went into the temple and taught. One had to admire His tenacity, nothing was going to stop Him doing His Father's will. After He had finished, the Jews said, 'How does this man know letters having never studied.' John 7:15. This was very similar to what was said about Peter and John in Acts 4:13, 'Now when  they saw the boldness of Pater and John and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marvelled. And that realised that they had been with Jesus.'

That last statement beats any degree or diploma that a bible college can offer. 'that they had been with Jesus.' What a wonderful testimony; what a privilege to have that said about you. There's noting wrong in being trained at bible college, in fact, it is very much needed, but to have this said about us, is in my opinion far better.

Jesus was taught by His Father and only spoke the words that His Father spoke. Peter and John and the others, were untrained in the Jews eyes, but they were personally taught by Jesus and the Holy Spirit and they too, only spoke what they heard from them. 

Which all goes to show just how important it is for us to learn this too. To be able to perform this way, we must know the Word of God. If we don't put some time in reading and studying our bibles, then how will we know what to say when we need too. It's the same with professions; if we don't study, we will lack the education for when we need it.

Why not make it a priority to set aside a certain amount of quality time each day to get a deeper understanding of God and what He means and intends for your life. It will be one the greatest things you ever do.

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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

The Meaning of Confession. Part 2

"He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief."        Romans 4:20   NKJV

Carrying on from our study on confession yesterday, let's expound it and get a deeper understanding of it.

Homologeo in the Christian tense says the same things that God says. It confesses and declares it. It doesn't look at the natural but looks past it to the supernatural. What God says, may not happen in the natural immediately, but as we stand on our faith, it is lodged there and will manifest in due course. 

Abraham faced a rather impossible situation. God told him that he and Sarah, his wife, would have a child in their very old age. To many of us, this would have seemed bizarre and totally impossible. However, Abraham was adamant - if God had said it, he believed it. There would have been some Homologeo going on here as Abraham spoke and agreed with what God had said.

In Romans 4, we see that Abraham, 'contrary to hope, in hope believed'. (v18) 'Not being weak in faith', (19). 'He did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief', (v20' and 'being fully convinced what He had promised,He was able to perform', v21. Abraham did not consider the natural things around him. We should never consider our own limitations. We need to be ready for the change that is coming.

Galatians 5:9 says, 'do not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose hope'. Find a verse that is relevant to your situation and then stand on it. Pray it out and allow the Homologeo to take place by starting to confess and declare what God says about your situation. Believe it even if it looks and sounds totally impossible with your natural eyes and belief. Stand on it, claim it, confess it and declare it until you have it. Habakkuk 2:2-3 says, 'Write the vision and make it plain on tablets, that he may run who reads it. For the vision is yet for an appointed time; but at the end it will speak and it will not lie. Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come. It will not tarry.'

The devil may try to get you to forget about it - it won't happen. People may tell you that you have it wrong but if you're convinced it's God, keep pressing on with your faith. I once heard a visiting preacher give a sermon at a certain church. At the end, he gave an altar call but, he said, 'I want you to know that no one has ever been healed under my ministry. However, if you wish prayer for healing, we will give it a try'. As you can well imagine, no one was healed and I was totally flabbergasted at such a statement.

We must say things how God says them; we must agree and believe that it will happen. Never, ever waver through doubt and unbelief!

Copyriight 2020 Grahame Howard

grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

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