He leads us in victory and triumph

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us, diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place."    

                                                                                                 2 Corinthians 2:14-16   NKJV

Note the three highlighted words, 'always, through and every'. God always leads us in triumph and victory in Jesus Christ. Through us, He diffuses - or manifests - the fragrance of His knowledge. And this is done in every place that we go. The Gospel message gives life to those who choose to accept it. However, it represents death and judgement to those who reject it. We carry with us an awesome responsibility. God trusts you and I. That statement alone is mind-blowing. He trusts us. We let Him down most days but he still trusts us. He leads us in victory and triumph wherever we go.

Charles F Stanley comments:

'Paul does not mean that things always turn out the way we want but that in Christ we are always on the road to victory. Setbacks happen, but they are never final or fatal because the Lord will assuredly triumph in the end'.

                                                                        Copyright Life Principal Bible, Charles F Stanley

We are the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. Jesus has and does, show us His love and has given Himself as a sweet-smelling aroma. He has demonstrated how we should do this by walking in love, His love on a daily basis.  As we do this, we are testifying to all - those who are saved or unsaved, that we belong to Jesus. We are walking in a victorious, triumphal procession with Him and others can choose to join in with us. They have the opportunity.

He continues to lead us along this triumphal procession, spreading the knowledge and aroma of Christ wherever we go - a sweet-smelling sacrifice. Sadly to some, we are a dreadful smell of doom. The thought of death and judgement scares them. It is something that they refuse to consider. Death happens to others not them. Most are not bad people, they just do not want to believe that there may well be a Heaven, and if there is, they used to go to Sunday school and have never harmed anyone, surely that's enough, isn't it? The thought of there being a devil and a hell is unheard of in their thinking, surely God wouldn't allow such a thing. All of this type of thing, stops them from joining in the procession of victory and very sadly, many die without Jesus and they are lost. 'Who says so?' God does in His book. John 3:16-20.

Please ensure that you join the victory procession and live in triumph and do all you can to convince others, family, friends, neighbours and strangers, that Jesus is alive and He wants them to join the victory procession to Heaven, as well.

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

"I've blown it Lord, please help me to get back to You'

" (10) Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. (11) Do not cast me away from Your presence , and do not take Your Holy Spirit from me. (12) Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me by Your generous Spirit." 

                                                                                                        Psalm 51:10-12    NKJV

David wrote this Psalm following being caught out in his adultery with Bathsheba. Nathan the prophet confronted him and David was full of remorse. It was not only adultery, that led to the birth of a child, but also manslaughter or possible murder as David had plotted to have Bathsheba's husband, Uriah, placed on the front line of an awesome battle in which he was killed.

Just one incident where King David decided he was going to have a lazy time instead of going into battle. This led to him noticing Bathsheba who was sunbathing, sending for her and committing adultery with her. Just this act of laziness caused all of this heartache. Many have been caught out in this act and have paid dearly for it, losing practically everything.

David was in emotional distress and eventually called on the Lord and repented. Let us break down the above verses:

V10  A clean heart. David knew that his heart had been full of lust for Bathsheba and he felt he was covered in sin because of it. Therefore, he asked if God would take his heart and help him to purify it so that he could once again worship and hold his head up high. He also asked for a steadfast spirit which, is a Spirit of Loyalty so that his relationship with God could be restored.

V11  David asked that God would not cast him away from His presence or take His Holy Spirit from him. This is alway uppermost in our minds when we have blown our walk with God. We have committed sin and automatically think that we will be sent to hell instantly, never having the chance to be freed ever again. God's not like this. He is loving and forgiving. He may discipline us in some way but, He will never leave us, or take His Spirit from us. Hebrews 13:5. The thing is, we feel that He has, because of the awful burden of sin that we have committed. This was how David felt. The thing is though, as soon as we confess our sin, He forgives us and purifies us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9.

V12  Can you remember those early days when you were first saved, Nothing mattered except your relationship with Jesus. This is what David meant when he asked God to restore to him the joy of Your salvation. It is a joy that can be found nowhere else in the whole universe. No amount of money, alcohol or drug could ever replace this feeling. This was what David was asking for together with having a willingness to serve God.

We will blow it from time to time, we shouldn't but, sadly we do. However, we can be reassured that we have Jesus, who will forgive us all that we have done wrong; reassure us that we still belong to Him and that he hasn't left us and restore to us the joy of His salvation.

In fact, Jesus will make us presentable to God, again.

Have you ever asked Jesus into your life; or do you need to renew your commitment to Him?

Why not say this prayer:

Lord, I realise that without You, I am nothing. Therefore, please come and live in my heart, forgive my all of my sin, and fill me with You Spirit. I choose to live for You, this day.

In Jesus' Name. Amen

If you've said this prayer, please let me know. My email is below

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

You need to read this!

 "For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me. And what I dreaded, has happened to me."                                                                                                  Job 3:25    NKJV

We have to be so careful about how we think of things. If they make us fearful and full of dread, we need to call out to Jesus and receive His help, quickly. When we enter the realm of self-fulfilled prophecy, what we confess we tend to get back.

Job was a very upright man of God who had been richly blessed and protected. Satan did not like this, at all and set his sights on attacking him. At a meeting in Heaven between God and the sons of God, Satan was allowed to attend. The subject of Job came up and Satan mentioned the fact that he had a hedge of protection around him, allow this to be moved and you will see a different person when he has nothing. He will never worship you then. God agreed for this to happen but forbid Satan to harm Job at all. This went ahead and Job's sons and daughters, together with the servants, were all killed and his property was taken - everything that he had. And yet, Job refused to blame God for this and knelt down and worshipped Him. Job 1:20-21.

It is plain by our text verse that Job had been in fear about losing his family and riches and had been speaking this way for some time. He actually said, 'the thing I greatly feared - what I dreaded has happened to me,' past tense. This gave the devil the opportunity he had been waiting for.

Let's be honest here, we're no different at times. What about the times that our children go away and we worry and pray that nothing will happen to them? What about when we feel ill, have tests at the surgery and then wait in dread for the results? This is exacerbated if the GP calls us in to see him. We automatically start to fear the worse.

This fear or dread - that often we don't realise is there - follows us around and pops up on occasions where doubt begins to kick in. We speak negatively such as, 'I'm dreading speaking to them, I've been worrying all night'. Fear begins to overpower our faith and we begin to get ourselves into a state of anxiety - 'Oh, I wish I'd never mentioned it, I'm dreading seeing him/her'.

All the time that this is happening, the devil is rubbing his hands with glee. He loves to see us fearful. Why? Because he knows that he has us cornered and that we have no power to overcome him. Therefore, he can continue to torment us so that we end up climbing the walls.

Stop right there! Have you forgotten to put your armour on? Don't you remember that it contains a shield of faith which quenches all the fiery darts that Satan fires at you?  Ephesians 6:14-18. Put that armour on now and stand and keep standing, Ephesians 6:13. Warriors of God never lie down unless they are knocked over. The difference is, they get up again - immediately, not in a few days or so. Do you get the idea?

Stop the fear; quench the dread and stand tall as a Soldier in the Army of the Living God.

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

Spiritual Growth

"(1)Therefore, laying aside all malice, deceit, hypocrisy, envy and all evil speaking, (2) as newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word that you may grow thereby." 

                                                                                                       I Peter 2:1-2    NKJV

Here, Peter is addressing new Christians - babes. However, it does us all good to re-evaluate our walk with God so that we can check how we are doing; rather like we may visit the surgery for a health check, we often need a spiritual check too. You see, we belong to Jesus, we were Made in Heaven and we carry Jesus' DNA. We no longer belong to this world. Therefore, we need to act in such a way that demonstrates this. 

Let's take a look at Peter's check list:

MALICE  This is a desire to harm others. We may feel that we don't have this in our thinking; but what about when someone has seriously hurt us; are we tempted to enjoy their suffering? 'They got what was coming to them', type of thing. Where is the forgiveness in this?

DECEIT  This misleads and tricks people. It is pseudo, in other words false. It should never be in us. But have there been times when we have led people to think what we are not?

ENVY  Wanting what others have, even to the point of feeling jealous about this. Many marriages can be at risk by meeting up with someone who falls into this category.

HYPOCRISY  Again, this is false, making out you do when you don't. It has a form of godliness but misses the mark so much and has the ability to hoodwink people and draw them away.

EVIL SPEAKING  This consists of slander, gossip, criticising, judging and generally speaking what a Christian should never speak. Praising God one moment and cursing the next.

All of us can be accused of being this way every now and again, whether a baby Christian or a seasoned one. Therefore, we should all desire that pure milk of the Word. We would never take a very young baby out for a steak dinner, so likewise, we should never try to run before we can walk. We need to learn to grow in the Lord.

One way that we can do this is to look at three ways that can help us:

ATTITUDE  We need to train our attitudes to come in line with Jesus' attitude. He was never rude to people, firm yes, but He was never aggressive. Some people can be very difficult; but think, so can we.

APPETITE  What do we feed on - TV, Films or Reality shows? Or do we read our bibles or a good Christian book. There is nothing wrong with watching TV or Films, although we do need to be selective. However, we need to get the balance right. Feed on what will encourage and help growth.

AIM  So decide what your target for 2021 is. Despite the Lockdown you can still be productive. You are a unique person, chosen by God to shake the part of the world where you reside. 

Let your motto be: GROW, GO AND SOW

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

Make your way prosperous

"This Book of the Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night that you may observe to do according to all that is written in it. For then you will make your way prosperous,  and then you will have good success." 

                                                                                                          Joshua 1:8    NKJV

Joshua had taken over from Moses, who had died. Therefore, God wanted to train him up into the man of God He needed. He gave him encouragement every step of the way and assured him that He would be with him wherever he went. He would never leave Joshua. God promises the same to us as well. He will encourage us in what we do and say and will always be by our side.

God also encouraged Joshua to be bold and of good courage (1:6-7) and be sure he did all that the Book of Law - the Instruction Manual - commanded. He was not to water it down at all but to carry it out to the letter. He would then be blessed and prosper. God told Joshua that by doing this, he would make his way prosperous and successful.

Hazel Howard comments on Joshua 1:8:

"Joshua 1:8 says by sticking to the criteria, 'You' will make your way prosperous and 'You' will have good success. It doesn't say God will do it for us. It's down to us. We determine our future."

                                                                                                Copyright 2002 Hazel Howard

We make ourselves prosperous and successful, not God. He has written the Word for us, He's not going to read it to us as well. It's down to each one of us to do that by reading our Instruction Manual - The Bible. As we do, we will gain wisdom and understanding and God will speak to us about our day and what He has planned for us.

This is not a request - it was not just a command to Joshua; it is God's direction to us too. We make ourselves prosperous and successful by reading about Our Father, Jesus and of course, the Holy Spirit. As His people, we need this Trinity of God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit - three separate persons as one God, in our lives each day.

And He wants us prosperous and successful in all things.

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

                                                                                               

                                                                                                       

Shine your Light on me Lord

"I have come as a light into the world, that whoever believes in Me should not abide in darkness."                                                                                     John 12:36    NKJV

The Greek word for darkness is Scotia, which means darkness, gloom, evil, sin, obscurity, night, ignorance and moral depravity. There is an absence of light in this word. Where light equals happiness, Scotia equals unhappiness, so therefore, one can see that darkness is not a nice position to be in.

We all know what it is like in the winter when there is a power cut. Lights go out and panic begins as there is a frantic search to find some candles. We then sit around in the darkness staring at the shadows on the wall as we wait for the electricity to be turned back on.

Darkness can be described as a place of hopelessness; a place or situation where we cannot see what is happening. When this happens, we often remark that we are in the dark about what is happening. It can be a state of uncertainty, which for some people, can lead to suspicion or fear about what is happening in their lives. What they don't know can cause fear which then tortures them with all kinds of imaginations or false accusations about something or other. If we are not careful, darkness sticks like a gooey mess and it spreads all over our life. We need the light to fix it. Think, what do moths do when they see a light? Thats right, they are drawn to it and that is what we need to do, draw near to God and He will draw near to us. James 4:8. 

We often say that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Well, Jesus is that light but the thing to remember is that He is in the tunnel with us. That is the difference. What may appear hopeless or fearful at this time is only temporary. Do you hear me? As you trust Him to help you, He will be only too pleased to help and offer His assistance. This is what today's text promises. Your world may be difficult at this moment and it may seem that you are stumbling around in the dark. But take courage, it's almost like Jesus has a torch. He will come along and shine it into the darkness and reveal the ground ahead. All you have to do believe His promise above and call on Him. When you do, He will be there.

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

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