Be ready - demons will attack!

"But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out, because of the heat, and fastened on his hand." 

                                                                                                             Acts 28:3    NKJV

Paul having survived being shipwrecked, found himself on the island of Malta. They were drenched because of being in the sea and because it was raining too. Islanders had laid a fire for them and so Paul began gathering some firewood. 

Paul gathered the sticks and was immediately bitten by a viper as he laid them on the fire. This snake had probably been hiding or sleeping within the undergrowth and Paul hadn't noticed it. This is characteristic of a snake, they are very crafty and wriggle into situations and because of their small size and colouring, it can be difficult to notice them before it is too late. This snake, alarmed by the heat of the fire, fastened itself on to Paul's hand and wouldn't let go. However, Paul shook it off and threw it back into the fire. He wasn't harmed at all.

Let us look at this more closely. Wherever God is, the devil and his demons are present to try and counteract everything He is doing. Think for a moment, if this viper had succeeded in killing Paul, it may have been a totally different story. But Paul was filled with the power of God and living this way, he let nothing get in his way. That is food for thought for a start.

The snake could be described as a serpent and, as we assume in Genesis 3, that the serpent was the devil, then we can see that a demon was out to put a stop to Paul's work. Be aware, that wherever God is working 'big time', the heat is on and demons (snakes), will come out and attempt to attack. Note that they can't remain in the heat, this is impossible, because this is where God is. Therefore, they crawl around in the darkness ready to strike and bite whenever they can. Notice also, that they can only crawl so a foot can easily be placed on their neck. More food for thought.

Keep your eyes open and be alert. If things are going well in your Christian walk, you are a candidate for attack. This is not said to make anyone panic but to emphasise the necessity of being ready and alert. The attack can come from anywhere. When things are becoming heated in a Godly manner, make sure that you tread carefully and be at full strength in God. This way, when it comes, like Paul, you can shake it off.

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

A Simple Yet Determined Faith

"O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." 

                                                                                                     Matthew 15:28    NKJV

If you read the whole of this section, Matthew 15:21-28 & Mark 7:24-30, you will see how Jesus appears to speak quite harshly to this Gentile woman, who had come begging Jesus to drive a demon out of her daughter. The woman was actually a Syro-Phoenician, a Gentile from Syria. Jews referred to Gentiles as dogs. To the Jew 'dog' was a term of contempt. To the Gentile, 'dog' meant shameless and audacious.To a Jew, the term 'dog' was utter contempt for a Gentile.

The word 'dog' that the Jews used, referred to the wild and scavenging type. Jesus here, took the sting out of the word and instead of using it as an insult, he used the term known as 'household pets - lap dogs'. Jesus' words appear quite harsh but He would be overcoming the prejudice  by using this kinder term so that He could draw out a confession of faith from her. In other words, he was testing her. His tone of voice would have determined how she received what He said too. It could have been said and received as an insult - as many people who have not studied this piece deeply, have felt. Or it could have been said and received as an affectionate address. My understanding is that it was the latter. Jesus could never be accused of being so rude to anyone who came for help. We therefore, need to be careful how we speak to people. At times, what we say can be received as harsh although it probably wasn't intended this way. It is a thought that we need to ponder.

There was a metaphor used here; in Mark 7:27 Jesus said, 'Let the children be filled first, for it is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs.' He actually said to let the children be fed first because there will be food left over for the household pets (Little dogs). Israel had the first offer of the gospel, but only the first, there were others to come - the Gentiles.

In those days, knives, forks and napkins didn't exist; people ate with the hands and then wiped the excess from this on chunks of bread and threw it under the table for their pets. The woman said that she knew this and asked if she could have the scraps the children threw away. Jesus loved this statement and her daughter was delivered that day. He saw her simple, yet determined faith and His heart melted the way it does when He sees you as well. 

This woman was tested to the hilt. She didn't back down; she knew what she wanted, in fact needed, and she went for it. He faith and determination set her daughter free that day and she found her newly found faith to be real.

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

Servanthood

"If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there, My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honour" 

                                                                                                            John 12:26    NKJV

Pay particular attention to the phrase, 'where I am, there, My servant will be also'. If we are truly wanting to follow Jesus then we must be willing to do what He wants and go where He goes, no matter what the road may be ahead. Jesus was pointing out here that, faithful servants follow without hesitation. This means continuing to follow wholeheartedly wherever, whenever, day or night, thus conforming to Jesus' example. This may indeed mean suffering for our faith or even dying. Jesus suffered and died for us, Is it too much to ask to do the same for Him if we have to. We can see many examples of this in Labour Camps in North Korea and parts of China just to name two places. In these countries, it is not only illegal to be a Christian, but is unthinkable to possess or read a bible. The allegiance should be to the leader of the nation, not God. To disregard this law and live as a Christian could lead a person into brutal Labour Camps and even execution. And yet, many are willing to serve Jesus and die rather than give up their faith.

God honours our wholehearted servanthood. When we serve this way we can be identified as servant-spirited. Service is a part of love. We do it because we have a deep-rooted desire to place someone, especially Jesus. It's not just a calling, it is our whole commitment to Him. If we have a job, we serve our employer at our place of work too. When we do this, we should be working at our job as if, we are working for Jesus, regardless of what their attitude may be towards us. This is called serving and the world does not understand this type of behaviour. It is more concerned with, 'me, me, me'. But, as we continue to serve someone such as this, we are serving God to the best of our ability. After-all, not everyone is called into church type ministry but we all have a ministry in our own everyday workplace and home.

Sociologically speaking, a servant is one who accepts and acknowledges a place beneath those whom he serves. However, every servant of Jesus will be honoured by the Father in Heaven and this may be in their lifetime, not later when they go to Heaven. Blessings are due to many servants of God and many are going to be receiving these blessings when they least expect them. Why, Because Jesus had a servant's heart and He loves this type ministry.

Someone once said, 'The way to the Throne Room is through the servant's quarters' (Source unknown). What an amazing statement. Understand, the things that you are doing at this moment, may go unnoticed, but God sees all. We really don't need a 'thank you' from anyone, for He is the one that we serve and He is the one who will reward us.

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

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