Four categories of sown seed Part 1

 "Behold, a sower went out to sow"                                 Matthew 13:3 - 23     NKJV

Over the next couple of days, let us study the Parable of the Sower, where we find four categories explaining the scattering of seed and what it means to us. 

Why do we fly high in the Word, praying and praising God one moment and the next, be down in the depths of despair? Well, perhaps the answer lies in our state of fitness - spiritual fitness. Let us explore this parable and look at the first two categories. 

Firstly   V4

The sower scattered the seed by the wayside and the birds devoured them, quickly. V19 tells us that when someone hears the Word of God and doesn't understand it, the wicked one comes and snatches it away. Often, we can hear or read God's Word and fail to understand what it means or is saying to us. Instead of discarding what we hear or read, why not study it? Ask God for wisdom to understand (James 1:5-6) or seek someone out who may be able to help you get a clearer picture. Scripture can be difficult to interpret at times, especially books such as Revelation. This is why we need to meditate on it and allow the Holy Spirit to give us the meaning.

Sometimes listening to a sermon can be confusing, especially if you take notes. While you are writing something down, the preacher may move on leaving you to miss some important truths. If you take notes, learn to limit what you write or, mark the scripture in your bible and make a note at the side of it. It's the same when reading a Christian teaching book. Don't try to rush through quickly. Fully understand what you're reading, weigh it up and then move on. It may take ages to get through the book but, at least the seed may not get swallowed up at the wayside.

Secondly   V5 +V20

Many people hear God's Word and rejoice because it is what they need to hear. But when seed is sown on stony ground, after the plant shoots up, the sun shrivels it up. There's a need to have a firm root in Jesus. When trouble comes along, we need to be able to remember what we have been taught so that we can deal with it in Jesus' Name. Otherwise, at the first sign of persecution and problems, we may handle the situation badly and fall into sin.

Hearing scripture, receiving it and acting on it requires a firm root in Jesus, because without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5).

We'll look at more tomorrow.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

You can knock me down, but I'll get back up again

"For a righteous man may fall seven times and rise again, but the wicked shall fall by calamity."

                                                                                                       Proverbs 24:16      NKJV 

Can you remember the Inflatable clown toy that children used to have around the 70's? It was like a punchbag and when a child hit it and knocked it over, it would bounce back up again. No matter what you did, except bursting it, the clown would not stay down. This is the way God wants us to live our lives each day. The devil may use people to knock us down spiritually but God will help us up when we're walking with Him. 

I read about an American test pilot called Bob Hoover. He crashed his test planes many times and always survived. He refused to fear or give up. He had a saying, whenever he was asked why he kept doing this and it was, 'Get back into the cockpit of the bird that bit ya.' In other words, don't shy away, don't give up, get up and keep on trying. This was rather like Thomas Edison when asked about his failure to produce the electric light bulb. He said, 'I have not failed, I have only discovered hundreds of ways in which this bulb does not work.'

Life knocks us down at times but the secret is to keep pressing on. Some North Koreans, several years ago and prior to their execution just for being Christians said, "You can hack us down, but like the bamboo, we will just grow taller and stronger.'

God is looking for warriors just like this; Christians who will not draw back when faced with adversity but, who will bite the bullet and soldier on regardless. Yes it takes courage to do this but remember what God said to Joshua when he replaced Moses, 'Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage ; do not be afraid , nor dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.'  (Joshua 1:9)

Hey come on, get up, why are you lying there? You've been wounded yes; you've been trodden down, robbed and cheated but, you are still alive and very useful to God. Don't give up now. You've come so far, giving up is not an option because, believe it or not, you're a winner. Losers talk, winners take action. So take it now.

Get up, dust yourself down, put on the Armour of God and 'Get back into the cockpit of the bird that bit ya.'

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Broken lives - shattered dreams

"The Spirit of the LORD is upon Me because he has anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor; He has sent me to heal the brokenhearted"               Isaiah 61:1     NKJV

All over the world people are trying to cope with a broken heart and shattered dreams. What they once had, they have now lost. It may be the love of someone special through death or separation. It may be the loss of material things through disaster, theft or bad decisions. Whatever it is, people are hurting.

David said, 'The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart.' (Psalm 34:18), and this piece of scripture with our text in Isaiah, above, reinforces that statement. He has been sent to heal the brokenhearted.

When dreams have been shattered, rather like a china plate, it is all in pieces and one needs an expert to repair it. Jesus is the expert; He knows what is needed in your situation. However, the latter part of Psalm 34:18 says, 'and saves such as have a contrite spirit.' This means He saves those who come to Him in repentance and willingness to put something right.

The person who is brokenhearted, may not feel that there is anything to repent of. However, there is always something. Firstly, reactions to shattered dreams and a broken heart, can make us outspoken as we speak out the pain to whoever is willing to listen. Sometimes, the words we use, are not edifying and even though we may justify the way we feel, we firstly need to put this right with Jesus so that we can become respondent and teachable.

Therefore, if you are suffering this way today, firstly come to Jesus and pour out your heart. Tell Him how you feel and repent of any bad words spoken and bad thoughts towards anyone. As you do this, you release the pain to Jesus and He is free to work on your behalf. The resolution to all this, may take some time and may not always work out the way you would have liked. However, when Jesus is in the driving seat, you can be sure of a safe and exciting journey.

Lord Jesus

Things have gone wrong in my life and I am at my wits end. I am in pain. Lord, I come to You and ask that you will forgive me for any wrong doing, bad thoughts or words that I may have spoken regarding this. I receive Your forgiveness and ask for Your help

In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Dealing with the trials that come our way

"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience."                                            James 1:2 - 3    NKJV 

Notices that this scripture reads, 'When you fall', not, 'if'. We will fall into trials from time to time and it's learning how we can get through them that is the key. Trials can be emotional, physical, relational or financial. Whatever class of trial comes our way, God wants us to be joyful - totally. Now this is a hard thing to do but, think about it for a moment. To be joyful as we go through trials, means that we have access to a gem from God and that is joy. As the joy of the Lord is our strength (Nehemiah 8:10) it is an important tool to have with us.

Did you know that God allows trials and testing to come our way? He sends trials, so that we can overcome them and grow into being more like Jesus. Tony Evans says:

'Christians in crisis are actually undergoing extreme makeovers. Hardships can transform us into something beautiful. That is cause for unspeakable joy - not because of pain but because of the purpose behind it. God use trials to develop us spiritually.'  

Trials are unpredictable, they're not all the same either and come in various degrees. The testing of our faith is designed to reveal the quality of one's faith and to produce stamina. This is not easy. Charles F Stanley comments:

'The key to finding joy in adversity is where we place our focus. If we concentrate on our circumstances, we will become disheartened and discouraged. But when we fix our eyes on Jesus, we learn to rejoice in our difficulties because God has promised to work through them to strengthen our faith and to bring us closer fellowship with Himself, teaching us endurance.'

When God allows trials to come our way, it can be difficult and hard to make sense of. In fact, He can allow us to go without any earthly support so that we will turn completely to Him, experiencing His joy, comfort, power and assurance. He teaches us not to respond to trials emotionally, but to respond with faith in His provision. When we learn this, we can endure anything because our focus in on Jesus rather than the problem.

Therefore, if you are going through various trials at this time, start praying joyfully. It may be hard at first but, as you do it, Jesus will meet you halfway. Shout for joy and cast your cares upon Him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Delighting in God

"But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and in His law, he meditates day and night."

                                                                                                            Psalm 1:2     NKJV

Many people feel that this verse means that they should be studying and reading their bible 24/7. This is not so. The Psalmist doesn't say that the person is to read God's Word day and night. He says that he should meditate on it. There's a difference.

To meditate on something, we recall and ponder certain things in our minds. We mentally consider them and chew them over, playing the words or scene back over and over again until it becomes part of us. This is sometimes called eating the word hence, chewing it over. This meditating can be used as we go about our busy day, whereas reading the word 24/7 we would not be able to do.

When we meditate on God's Word, we think how it connects with our lives; how does it speak about our present situation and what is God teaching me or directing me to do? 

When we delight in the LORD (Psalm 37:4) He gives us the desires of our heart. When our prayers and thoughts match His, He will open the gates of abundance. He has an abundance that He wants to give us (John 10:10b & Ephesians 3:20). He longs to bless us with more that we could ever imagine and we get into this by delighting in Him.

Today, why not go through your day delighting and meditating in all God has given you, promised you and you have asked Him for. Use pictures in your minds to see yourself receiving these blessings; to see yourself understanding His Word and just delighting in the fact that, Jesus Christ is your Friend, your Lord, your Saviour and your King. Delight in the fact that, He loves you more than words could ever say.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

I must do the Father's will

"I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?"                                                    Nehemiah 6:3     NKJV 

Nehemiah had been devastated to find the temple and the wall of Jerusalem in ruins. He therefore, determined to do something about this, immediately. As he served King Artaxerxes with wine, the king noticing how sad he looked, asked him what was wrong. Nehemiah told him and was given the king's permission and support to go and re-build this mighty work.

This wasn't without threats. Sanballat, an influential Samaritan together with his followers, were in total opposition to this happening and did all they could to stop the work, through discouragement, intimidation, threats and intense pressure to quit this work. However, Nehemiah refused to give up and I believe there is a lesson to be learned here. The road ahead may appear weary and opposition rife, but when you are in the will of God, things like this will come your way. This is how you know that you are doing right. The devil doesn't like it and will try to stop you. But soldier on, you are on the right road.

Finally, it was finished and there only remained the task of fitting the city gates. Sanballat sent Nehemiah a word. But Nehemiah, quoting the message writes, 'Come, let us meet together among the villages in the plain of Ono. But they thought to do me harm.' Nehemiah knew that he was trying to take him away from God's work and even kill him. He therefore sent him back the words of our text, 'I am doing a great work, so that I cannot come down. Why should the work cease while I leave it and go down to you?'

Satan, will always use someone to take you away from the Father's business. You may be praying and studying the Word, when someone rings you or calls. Now this may be important, but it us usually a distraction from spending quality time with God. Many things can happen to try and prevent you doing God's will. You may suffer persecution and discouragement from people, who make light of your intentions. There may be opposition from some source. The distractions can be endless. However, the bottom line is, don't give up. Carry on.

People may think that you are insane for doing certain things, they may feel that you have 'lost it'. That's ok because if God likes what you're doing, that's all that matters.

Therefore, have this attitude, 'I must do the Father's will.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Practice forgetfulness

"14 forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead, 15 I press toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus."

                                                                                               Philippians 3:14-15    NKJV 

It's time to forget the past and move on. Yes it has been a difficult time and yes, you have been hurt and scarred. But, it's time to go forward and get on with your life!. The only one who is miserable, is yourself; everyone else has gone ahead. God is calling you to be forgetful. 'You can't say that.' 'I just have and I can, because it is written here in God's Word. He says, 'forgetting the past.' How clearer can that be?

Here, Paul is dis-satisfied where he is - he wants to keep growing. He doesn't wish for his past and his hurts to hold him back anymore. He has a job to do and a life to live and he wants to do both to the best of his ability and claim the prize.

To be successful in your Christian walk, you need to have a short memory and let go of the things that have held you back for so long. Stop looking through the rear view mirror and start looking through the windscreen, ahead.

"Is God forgetful then?' No, not at all, He just chooses to be that way for your sake. When you confess your sin to Him, He doesn't write it in His folder and file it away until He needs it again. No, that is not His way. When you confess your sin, He chooses to remember them no more. You will remember them but, He won't because He chooses it that way. So don't you think it's time to take a leaf out of His book - the bible? 

It is useless re-visiting hurts and failures. They will never go away if you allow yourself to keep them. It is time to throw them away - cast them to God, He's good at dealing with such stuff. Yes, it's time to cast them over to God and start living the life that Jesus has given you.

Can you say Amen to that? 

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE