How would you have handled this situation?

(22) "And behold one of the rulers of the synagogue came, Jairus by name. And when he saw Him he fell at His feet, (23) and begged Him earnestly saying, 'My little daughter lies at the point of death. Come and lay Your hands on her that she may be healed, and she will live.'"                                                                                              Mark 5:22-43    NKJV

Jesus had just completed one mission and crossing over the sea, walked straight into another - crowds wanting His attention. A ruler of the synagogue - Jairus, came begging Him to go with him and heal his daughter, who was close to death. Jesus did this.

As they went on their way, a woman who had been suffering a serious blood issue, came up to Him. She also had a need but came up from behind Him and touched His gown and she was totally healed. Jesus wanted to know how power had gone out of His body and looked around. After a short time, the woman came forward and  bowed down, telling Him her story. Jesus was touched and told her that her faith had made her well.

Now, this would have taken a little time and Jairus must have felt like he wanted to get home where Jesus could heal his daughter. However, he remained quiet and didn't even show any impatience. 

Just then, some people came from Jairus' house (v35) telling him not to bother Jesus anymore as his daughter had died. It is hard to imagine what Jairus must have felt at this time - deep-rooted pain, anxiety and total bewilderment - 'This is not happening', type of thing. But it had. 

Jairus could have become so overwhelmed with the pain, and shouted and screamed at Jesus, and especially the woman, who had held them up. But he remained quiet. He never said a word. Let me ask you, How would you have handled this situation if you had been Jairus? Would you have said some words to the woman, blaming her for holding you up? Would you have blamed Jesus for becoming distracted on the way? Jairus was human, he knew pain, he would have had his feelings shattered. But something was happening to him. Somehow, he felt strength and total trust in Jesus. He knew in his heart that Jesus could change this situation, so he didn't panic. This was further reinforced into his thinking when Jesus straightaway, after hearing this bad news, told Jairus, 'Do not be afraid, only believe'.

Those words to Jairus were like healing balm, they were like a bolt af living power and strength that helped him in this situation. He knew that he had nothing to fear. And neither do you, in anything. Jesus is well and truly in charge, if you remain quiet and give Him the reins.

We know the result of all of this, the little girl was raised and healed. (v43).

Let's conclude with this: Whatever is happening in your life, don't lose your faith, don't negate it by panicking and saying doubt and unbelief. Keep a guard over your mouth. The devil will try to block your faith but don't even give him a chance. Stand firm and confess and believe what you know is the truth. You will then have the victory.

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

                                                                          

Dealing with Frustration

"Let us not grow weary or become discouraged in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap, if we do not give in."

                                                                                      Galatians 6:9  Amplified Study Bible

Time and again we are faced with things that frustrate us. It may be caused by attempting to do a certain task that doesn't seem to go the way we had planned. At other times, we take on much too much and we find it difficult in balancing things, keeping the plates spinning and, sadly every now and then, one or two of the plates fall and things become a mess. Frustration can also be caused by certain people who claim to know best and bend our ear, trying to get us to listen or change our minds.

This frustration can cause us to do certain things such as, lose our temper, letting rip with a lot of words that we bitterly regret later on. We can also be tempted to give it up and walk away and then sink into feeling sorry for ourselves, refusing to be talked round by those close to us. Discouragement can kick in and this can lead to depression where we can fall into a black hole, unable to care about anything at the time.

How can you deal with this? Well first of all:

Make sure that you can do the task in the first place.

As an example, you may be able to wire an electrical plug, but this doesn't mean that you can re-wire the whole house. Some may be competent to do this and the job goes well. Others may feel they can and make a complete mess of it all, ending up with sparks flying out of every socket. If you don't measure up to the job, say so. Buy a book that may be able to guide you through the process or ask someone for advice or even help. Don't be so full of pride that you attempt to do something that you are not qualified for. It will only cause you frustration  and others too.

Stop spinning all of the plates

The human body was designed with two hands, not four. You cannot take on jobs that require the use of three or four hands and expect it all to go right. Look at the example of the old plate-spinner. He would have a dozen or so canes standing up and he would begin to spin plates from each one of these. At first, it would all go well. However, after a short time, he would begin to run out of steam and one plate would wobble and he would dash to it, Just as he reached this, two or three others would wobble and he would try to rescue these too. Eventually, they would begin to crash to the floor, and he would end up, frustrated by it all.

Don't take on too much.

Don't allow other people to frustrate you

Other people may well have some good advice to offer and it is sensible to consider this. However, others may want you to do what they want, not what you want. They will say that you are not doing it the right way, you should do this and that. Pretty soon, you can end up so confused that you don't know which way to go. Be polite to them but also be firm, letting them know that you value their input but you want to try it this way first. Let them know that you will bear it in mind and will let them know if you need them.

Becoming angry with people or even yourself, is a recipe for disaster; you're not in control of yourself. When things are not going very well, take some time out. Make some coffee or go out for a walk, trying to incorporate a hobby that fits this time such as taking a camera with you. Time outs can be life-saving, it saves all of the frustration. All frustration does is rob you of your joy, your focus and sometimes, your friends.

We all become frustrated in many ways but it can be dealt with efficiently. Refuse it in your life from this moment. Easier said that done? No not really, you are able to deal with frustration if you determine to, with God's help.

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

                                        

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