The burden will be taken away. Part 2

"Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice."                                                                                         Ephesians 4:31    NKJV

In yesterday's reading, we looked at the burden and the yoke being removed from us, because of the anointing oil. We saw how a yoke can be described as a contraption that fits over the shoulders of a person and equal weights are put either side to keep balance. I felt that this was too important to pass over it quickly as there are many key areas that can be described as a burden and a yoke. Therefore, for the next few days, I felt it would be helpful to discuss areas on a daily basis. Imagine if you will, the wooden yoke over a person's shoulder with two buckets either side. Inside these containers are a burden in one and the reason for it in the other. Today's burden and yoke is BITTERNESS.

This yoke of bitterness may be upon your neck and try as you may, you just can't get rid of it. You've prayed about it - giving it to God, but it is still there. Why do you think that is? It's because, even though you have cast it over to God, you are choosing to hang on to it. You're so used to it now that it's part of your make up.

A root of bitterness grows when things happen that are not surrendered to Jesus. If you are still hanging on to this bitterness, then it will be obvious. A bitter person might shout out their inner hurt and anger by saying and doing things that hurt the feelings of other people. This may be done by demonstrating ruthless verbal and emotional words about that person and what they have done to them. There may be resentment and an acrimonious feeling towards the person that has hurt them. Perpetual animosity and fault-finding will also be there. 

You may well have been hurt by someone and everything you say they have done to you may be true. You may have discussed this with the person, all to no avail. But holding on to this - the pain, heartache, frustration and even anger, is serving no purpose except that you are carrying around a great weight - burden and a yoke; and God doesn't want you this way.

Be honest, is bitterness in your bucket? Are you carrying this around everyday? When we do this, whenever we see or hear about this person, we go into the area of anger. Our defence mechanisms shoot into place and we are on guard, ready to blow up.

It is time to empty this burden out of the bucket by letting Jesus take this burden away - totally. But be careful, don't give it to Him and then still hold on to it. That is fruitless. Give it to Him

'Lord Jesus, too long have I hung on to this bitterness in my heart. Like cancer it is spreading and ruining my walk with You. I surrender it to You and make the decision, not to take it back again. Instead, may the vacant place in my heart, be filled with Your peace.

In Jesus' Name, Amen

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

The burden will be taken away

 "It shall come to pass in that day, that his burden will be taken away from your shoulder' and his yoke from your neck, and the yoke will be destroyed because of the anointing oil."                                                                                                    Isaiah 10:27     NKJV

One of the descriptions of a yoke is, a frame designed to be carried across a person's shoulders with equal loads suspended from each end. As you can imagine, even though the weight is distributed equally, after a long time of doing this, the pressure across the shoulders and lower back would be awful and many collapsed in the process.

The Israelites were suffering ongoing oppression from the Assyrians at the time, but God promised that this would not be for much longer, deliverance was coming. And the same can be said for each one of us too.

Just lately, you may be going through one of those times when there doesn't seem to be a way out; there doesn't seem to be much of a future in what you're doing. Day after day, things are very much the same - the same old humdrum of work, lack of funds and an endless struggle. To add to this, you may be worried about a sickness that has just been diagnosed within yourself or a loved one. You may have prayed about this but, all to no avail.

Don't give up there is a way forward and even though you can't see it, God will come and make a way, a way that will lead you through this time, to freedom. God says that the burden will be taken away from your shoulders and the yoke from your neck. Not only that, but the yoke will be destroyed. Why, because you have read your bible through in a year? No, that's a great accomplishment but it doesn't fit this bill. Is it because you tithed a fat cheque to someone this month? No, it is great to tithe, we should do this. But it doesn't fit the bill of why all of a sudden a burden will be removed and a yoke taken away from your shoulders. The reason for this relief is because of the anointing oil.

Anointed in Hebrew means, mashach, and priests, prophets and worshippers, were anointed with oil, a consecration designed to anoint and set aside someone for the work of Almighty God. The most important derivative of mashach is mashlyach, which means Messiah or Anointed One. As Jesus was the promised Messiah, Messiah was translated into Greek as Christos, thus His title Jesus Christ. From this, we can see clearly, how Jesus is the Anointed One and His Anointing.

Each day, as we go to His throne of grace in prayer, he anoints us afresh. Psalm 92:10 clearly shows us this, 'But my horn You have exalted like a wild ox, I have been anointed with fresh oil.' We therefore, need to allow Him to renew this anointing each day. This is how the burden will be taken from our shoulders and the yoke from our neck. With Jesus, we have a clear road ahead. We may not be able to see it, but Jesus can and all we need to do is trust him. But we do need to approach Him every day. We need Him, He has the 'Get out of jail card' to all of our problems. So approach His throne and receive His anointing today and then, each day. You'll never regret it.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Transformed into a deeper relationship

"And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God." 

                                                                                                Romans 12:2     NKJV

Let us break this verse down a little and get into the mechanics of it. There are three key words that Paul discusses here, the first being:

CONFORMED

Being conformed, in the Biblical sense here, is being conformed to worldly lusts, or to the world's system of things instead of to the things of God. People who conform to the world's standard of behaviour, mask who they are in Christ. It is rather like being compromised. Some leading Christians sadly, compromise their faith and people's lives are terribly disrupted. We can get an idea of the importance of this warning by just taking the first three letter of the word, 'Conformed - Con.' People who conform to the world's standard of behaviour are conned and con other people too.

The next key word is:

TRANSFORMED

This means to be transformed from the inside out. At the transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-2 & Mark 9:2) Jesus' brightness was His inner person shining through, which was visible on the outside. His brightness is expected to shine through us, His children. Our whole life is changed from the inside out, and our mind reacts accordingly. No longer do we wish to speak the way we may have before our conversion and criticism and judgemental comments of people, are not a part of our lives any longer. 

And finally:

RENEWED

This is something that happens to us as we meditate and study the Word of God on a regular basis. We learn to focus on God's values not on our own or of the world. In a way, we are separated from the world - set apart - and we live for Jesus and Him only. This doesn't mean that we are not part of the world. This would be impossible for at this time, we live on this planet. However, we do not let it squeeze us into its mould. We see things differently because we think the way God does. We have changed our focus and submitted to God - wholeheartedly. We are no longer our own, we are God's. 

We belong to Jesus and therefore, people will notice this fact. They may not be able to recognise what the difference is, but the fragrance of Jesus, that we carry around, will allow them to come into the presence of God, giving them the opportunity to be the same.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Living sacrifice

"I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service." 

                                                                                                      Romans 12:1     NKJV

A person who offers a living sacrifice, is someone who is genuinely grateful for what they have received or receive, from God. It is the goal of presenting ourselves as a living sacrifice, i.e. offering our spiritual service.

Dedicated people of God do not have to wear a badge or carry a large bible around with them all the time, to demonstrate that they belong to Jesus. They demonstrate their dedication by going places and doing things for Him. The Old Testament Jews used animal sacrifices, we sacrifice ourselves to God and His service. Reasonable service here in verse 1, suggests that a rational response to God's mercies is to commit ourselves in an act of worship.

In the Amplified Study Bible notes on this verse, it states:

'Paul is calling believers to consider their whole life as a sacrifice, dedicated to God and His purposes - a "Living" sacrifice, both holy and single-minded.'

We are to live a life that honours the Lord Jesus in every way. Charles F Stanley comments:

'Paul encourages us to turn ourselves over to Him each day, lay our wills on the altar before Him and ask Him to use us for His glory and the good of His people.'

                                                                               Charles F Stanley

                                                                               Notes on life Principle Bible Romans 12:1

God helps us to live for Jesus as we move towards Him, 'Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.' James 4:8. It is in these special times, in the presence of Jesus, that we learn how to be a 'Living Sacrifice.'

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Dealing with the unexpected

"And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled the whole house where they were sitting."                              Acts 2:2        NKJV

Things can change suddenly and oftentimes, without any warning. This is what happened to the apostles and the others as they gathered together in the upper room that day at Pentecost. Suddenly the whole place shook and the power of the Holy Spirit came and filled them all with the energy and fire of God. It was something that changed their lives and the lives of every believer from that day and forever more. Suddenly, the unexpected happened. Notice one thing though, they were prepared and in position. They knew something would happen but they were not expecting it in such amazing form.

I want us to look at the concept of being prepared, ready and in position. Daily things can come along in our lives that we're are not expecting. Unexpected things happen and if we are not careful, they can knock us off balance. To give an example, I write for a monthly magazine and I am always diligent and aware of the copy deadline, so that I send it off to the editor on time for checking prior to typesetting. I say that I am always diligent in being ready for the copy date, well, this month, I wasn't. A number of things happened to me, all at once and I was so overwhelmed by them all that I actually forgot about the copy date, in fact, I hadn't even written anything. I received an email from the editor asking me where the copy was. It was due 1 March and it was now 4th. It would have been so easy to panic but I didn't. I felt at peace as I emailed the editor back to tell  him that I would write and send it to him at once. He emailed back, and despite it being 4 days late, he told me to get it to him over the next few days, not to worry. I knew that God had blessed me through this - magazines are notoriously busy near deadline.

All of this made me consider the importance of being prepared, ready and in position. Even though I hadn't a clue what I was going to write about, suddenly it didn't matter, God was in control, not me and as I gave it to Him, He would guide me what to write. You see, God had trained me years ago about deadlines when I worked on a newspaper. He had sewn in me the ability to be prepared for the unexpected and being ready to change something at a moments notice. And because of this, when I was faced with this potential to flap, I was ready and in position.

It is rather like the early believers that day in the upper room. They had been with Jesus. He had prepared them for the unexpected; trained them to be ready and encouraged them to ensure that they are in position for whatever was required. And within you, He has done something that you're probably not aware of; but when the unexpected suddenly arrives, you will naturally flow into it without any hassle.

Often, God has been working within you and you haven't really noticed. It may have felt like nothing is really happening and you have been left by the roadside. That is so wrong, Jesus does not leave us on our own. He's only a heartbeat away, watching, waiting and praying for us. 

Be encouraged, because God has done some special work within you and will continue to carry this out until you're standing with Him in Heaven. Philippians 1:6.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Are you willing to learn?

"I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye." 

                                                                                                         Psalm 32:8     NKJV

God is committed to teaching us - if we will listen. The latter part of this verse in the Amplified, reads like this: 'I will counsel you (who are willing to learn), with My eye upon you. The Hebrew word for teach is yarah and it means, 'to shoot straight,' or 'direct the flow of something.'

God wants to direct the flow of our heart and therefore, He is willing to spend quality time with us to do so. The thing is are we willing to allow Him to do this?

We are told in Proverbs 3:5-6 to: 'Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths'. So this gives us further confirmation of how God wants to teach and direct us. Some people enjoy learning. They do courses on a regular basis and love the challenge of it. Others find it tedious and will do everything they can to wriggle out of a particular course. 

I love learning but I don't know about you, I find it very difficult to concentrate on certain things. I start off ok and then my brain says, 'I've had enough,' and I drift off into some kind of daydream or plan that I have for later on. I really have to discipline myself so that I can appreciate and understand what I am being taught. I feel that I'm not the only one who has a low-attention span such as this.

I find that taking notes helps me to focus but, I also have to be careful that I don't write too much down and miss what the preacher, teacher or lecturer is saying. Not everyone has the skill to use Pitman's Shorthand, I wish I did, so I write short bullet point notes down, being careful that it is not too difficult to understand later when I am at home.

From a biblical point of view, God wants us to learn, whether we're studying the bible or on a course at work or university. He promises us here that He will instruct us, teach us and guide us, if we are willing to learn. That is the condition - being willing to learn? We need to settle that in our minds first. If we can answer a 'yes' to this then He will start to direct the flow of our learning. God is not looking for us all to be academical clones of Einstein, not at all. He is interested in us learning, knowing and living out His Word on a daily basis. When we can do this, we are equipped to use scripture against the devil's attacks such as Jesus did in the wilderness. He told Satan, 'It is written'. Be honest, we can't say, 'it is written' unless we know where it is written. We need to be familiar with scripture so that we can stand on God's promises and use His Word as a sword when we need to.

But more than this, studying and reading our bibles is the most popular way that God speaks to us. Yes, we can and do hear His voice on the inside of us, but He will more than anything, speak to us through the bible. When we have a problem, we need to find a relevant verse to pray and agree with. The thing is, if we can’t identify scripture verses, it is difficult to put this into action. All the more, why we need to be willing to learn and allow Our Father to direct the flow of His Word into our hearts.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Do you believe the impossible?

 "Do you believe that I am able to do this?"                                  Matthew 9:27-31    NKJV

Two blind men approached Jesus pleading with Him for their sight to be returned. Their urgency was so great, that they followed Jesus to His house and went inside, crying in a loud voice, 'Son of David have mercy on us,' which was a popular messianic term of the day. They were not just asking Jesus for this to happen, not at all. They were crying out; in fact, the Amplified version states that they were screaming loudly. Therefore, it was obvious that it meant everything to them to be able to see. 

When we require healing, we need to go to Jesus with a similar attitude. Oftentimes, our needs are great, especially if there is a terminal illness around or something which is life-changing. I think at times when we ask for prayer, it's possible that we don't really believe deep down in our heart that it's going to happen and therefore, it seldom does. These guys meant business and it would appear that they were not going to leave until, the business was compete.

Look at Jesus' response to their request, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this?' In other words, Jesus was asking, 'Do you believe the impossible?' And this is the bottom line. Do we believe, without doubt, the impossible - that Jesus can perform what you are asking Him to do. Do you believe that He can heal terminal cancer? Do you believe that He can heal MS or Diabetes, Heart conditions or even Bells Palsy. Do you 100% believe that He can do it?

This is most important, because the next thing Jesus said to them was, 'According to your faith let it be to you.' Notice two things here, firstly, Jesus said  may it be according to your faith - what you believe in your heart when you receive prayer for healing or some other thing. It is what you believe that you receive. The Message puts it this way, 'Become what you believe.' Secondly, If you believe that Jesus can perform what you're asking of Him, then receive it! You can't receive what you don't believe, all you do is exercise doubt and then, you go without.

When Jesus asked them, 'Do you believe?' He was asking if they have a deep abiding trust in Him, a confidence that cancels out any doubt that may try to enter into this transaction. 'Do you trust and have confidence in My power and My ability to heal.' I ask the question - do you? Do you have this assurance; this deep confidence that whatever you ask Jesus to do, He will do it. The scripture doesn't lie. We've just read the conditions that Jesus asks for, 'Do you believe that I am able to do this? The rest is up to us. He has given us His answer, the condition is to believe and receive.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE