Honesty

"And Jesus answered and said to them, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."                                                                     Mark 11:33    NKJV

The chief priests, scribes and elders, came to Jesus questioning Him. They wanted to know by whose authority He did such things. Jesus' answer was amazing; He asked them a question; was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? This caused them a great dilemma; for if they said from heaven, Jesus would say why didn't you believe him. If from man, it would stir the crowd because they sincerely believed in John Therefore they answered, 'We do not know.' Jesus therefore said, 'Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.' These so-called leaders of the temple, were really hypocrites and Jesus was not going to get entangled in lengthy arguments with untruthful people. It would pay no dividends.

Honesty is a top requirement in the kingdom of God. The apostle Paul said in Ephesians 4:25, 'Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth with his neighbour, for we are members of one another.' Honesty can be described as integrity, sincerity, uprightness and trust. It is a quality that we should seek and hold onto. People want to be around honest people, they feel secure this way.

We can be tempted every now and then, to be dishonest; we call it a 'white lie'. Do not be misled, a white lie is a lie, it is an untruth, a fib and we should avoid it at all costs. The white lie is described as:

 'a harmless or trivial lie, especially one told to avoid hurting someone's feelings'.

                                                                                                       The Open Dictionary

An example is when you told your mum, or partner, that her meal was really good when it actually tasted awful. We do this because we don't want to upset the person who has slaved to cook us a nice meal. Another example is when after being invited to a party, we fail to go because we don't really fancy it; yet, we tell the host that we are sorry but something important cropped up. It may save hurting their feelings but, it is lying. There is no such thing as a white lie. Using diplomacy yes, but this must be without lying.

As we can see, it can be so easy to slip into a lie, even when we do not intend to. It is far better to be honest, with tact, than to lie. This takes practice but is far better in the long run.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Ask and Receive

"Have faith in God, 23 for assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."                                                       Mark 11:22-24     NKJV

Jesus encourages us to speak to the mountain - that obstacle that blocks the way forward and prevents blessing coming. However, the most important factor here, is that we have faith in God, not operate in God's faith. There is a big difference. Jesus was telling His disciples, and us too, that they should have faith in God to overcome any obstacle or need that they have. He didn't say to them to act in God's faith. He is God, so we must rely on Him to get a result.

What we are saying here is, to totally trust Jesus in every way, with everything that we have. When we are totally sold out to Him, we are then in tune with Him and therefore we are able to have faith in God to perform what we ask for. He is not though, a spiritual Santa Claus so praying to win the Lottery may not be an option. But, we can pray for all we need each day. In fact, if you look at this scripture, Jesus tells us to 'Say to this mountain, 'be removed and cast into the sea'. So He tells us to speak to the obstacle or need with the authority He has given us. This way we are having faith in God.

Examples throughout each day could be, 'Lord I really need this item to come this week, I need it. In Jesus' name I command it to be here by this Friday.' This is an example of a prayer I recently said. I urgently needed an item to arrive by Friday and, it did. God is faithful to His word. Another example would be when a family member is taken to hospital for urgent tests on the heart. Again, we had this and my wife and I prayed that all would be well in Jesus' name and spoke to the possible sickness to depart. Again, it did according to His word.

We need to take things such as this on board. Jesus has given us His authority and He wants us to take Him at His word and put it into action. A word of warning here though; everything must be right with God in your life. You can't pray and receive in faith if you have an issue with sin or another person Mark 11:25-26. Put things right and forgive and God will bless what you ask.

One things for sure, God wants us to have total trust in Him and act accordingly. 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

The Accuser

"Then the guiding angel showed me Joshua the high priest, [representing, disobedient, sinful Israel] standing before the Angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at Joshua's right hand to be his adversary and to accuse him."   Zechariah 3:1     Amplified Study Bible 

The Hebrew meaning is literally 'the Satan' meaning the 'Accuser'. The picture here is similar to that of Job 1, where Satan stands before the LORD making accusations against the people who follow God. Satan is the accuser and he will accuse you when he can.

In John 8, we see the account of Jesus and the woman who was caught in adultery. The scribes and Pharisees openly accuse her of this act and demand that the Law be carried out; she should be stoned. They accused the woman and tried to accuse Jesus as well. The Law declared that anyone - male and/or female caught in adultery should be stoned. They therefore brought the woman, minus the man, notice, to test Jesus, the Law said stoning but Jesus preached love, which was a contradiction. They were out to discredit Him anyway they could and were looking for a way that they could accuse Him.

Satan is the accuser but, he is not the only one who accuses. We do, probably more times than we know. What about when you have put something down in the house, for instance a book. When you go to pick it up again, your partner, parent or flat mate, may have moved it. We can then so easily, ask, 'Where's my book, what have you done with it?' This may seem like splitting hairs but it is still accusation and it can lead to a bit of a fall out. 'If you hadn't have been late in getting ready, we could have avoided this traffic jam,' is another. 

There are many more times when we accuse or falsely accuse a person. Someone may have wronged us. Straightaway, we can think of a culprit and accuse them in our minds or to their face. They may be totally innocent, but because you don't particularly like the person, they are vulnerable for accusation.

We need to watch this type of behaviour because we are emulating the devil's behaviour. We have to beware of accusatory tactics; it is one of the devil's ploys to get us in contention with someone. Satan accuses but God takes no notice and He won't take any notice of you if you do the same.   

Get into the habit of refusing to accuse anyone; it only causes upset and trouble and people of God should never do this. If you have a charge against someone, then handle it the way Jesus would have you do. Refrain from attacking the throat. 

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

It's time to get some rest

"Above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."                            Ephesians 6:16     NKJV 

Tony Evans in his excellent bible commentary, writes: 'Faith is like activating a divine fire extinguisher'.    The Tony Evans Bible Commentary.

Think about that for a moment. Fire extinguishers put out fires in small areas. They prevent the fire from spreading further. Putting this into a biblical context is to quench the danger of a fiery arrow from Satan, preventing it from going any further. The contamination of his lies and accusations are quenched immediately.

However, to be able to do this and 'stand' v13, we have to be strong in our commitment to Jesus. The evil one knows when the time is right to attack and fires arrows at us. He plots and schemes, using all the things he needs to hurts us. This can include family and friends. He will use them to hurt us.

This is why God's armour is very important v10-18. We must ensure that we put this on before we start our day. This is done during our prayer time, every day. It helps to fill our hearts and our minds with the word.

Watch the tiredness. The devil knows the right time for an attack. An army plant guards in their area to keep watch and guard the situation. They are prepared for this task. It is an essential role. Likewise, we also need to be able to guard our most treasured possession - ourselves, so that we can function correctly. Working long hours, burning the midnight oil and generally not taking adequate care of ourselves is a recipe for disaster. We need to be on the ball and alert 1Peter 5:8: 'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking who he may devour.' 

Be honest with yourself, are you doing too much? Are you tired and worn out because of attacks you are receiving from the evil one. Stand up, you have the power to prevent this. You have to do it as well. You have to resist him 1 Peter 5:9. To be able to do this, you need to be alert, fit and watchful. Just the fact that you are feeling as you do, demonstrates how much you need to take some time out and rest: 'And He said to them,"Come aside by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while"'.  Mark 6:31. If Jesus said it, you need it.

Recharge your batteries, even your mobile only runs for a short time before requiring more energy. You're the same. You know it makes sense.

 

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Growth is coming

"Then He said to them, 'To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it? 31 It is like a mustard seed which, when it is sown on the ground, is smaller than all the seeds on earth; 32 but when it is sown, it grows up and becomes greater than all herbs, and shoots out large branches, so that the birds of the air may nest under its shade.'"                                        Mark 4:30-32    NKJV 

Jesus was saying that, the kingdom of God may be small at the start but, it will grow and will continue this way. It may be small at this time but it will have an outstanding growth, something that is still going on today. He likened it to a mustard seed. Now, this is very small and yet, once planted it will eventually grow into a very large treelike, shrub, perhaps between 10 - 12 feet high, with sturdy branches. On this, all types of birds will nest. This shows how sturdy the mustard tree would be because, some large birds have large nests and they are heavy.

Let's look at this from your standpoint. We all start off small. Whether it is a business, a marriage or a career, most of us have to start at the bottom until we have gained more experience. As a pastor in a church, starting off was quite difficult as there were only about twelve people in the congregation. It took a little time but, the church began to grow until eventually, we had a reasonable attendance of regular people. However, I would often get asked, 'Where are the people, pastor, the church is not very big,' My answer was always the same, 'That's right, but Jesus is here and that's all that matters.'

People tend to measure things by the size and not the quality. At that time, I would have sooner had twenty or so, spirit-filled, born again, going for it Christians than just pew fillers. Small can be good because it gives God the opportunity to be able to move and deal with things that need this. Zechariah 4:10 says, 'For who has despised the day of small things.' Your situation at this time may be small. It may be a business, a university or college space, a marriage or starting off in a new job. It may be small at this time. It may be hard work but, anything that is worth it, takes a little effort and time to develop. At this time for you, small is good.

You may run a home group with hardly anyone in it or you may attend a church that appears to have died. Don't give up, don't despise the day of small things. Acorns finally turn into great oak trees; flowers and vegetables are planted but can't be harvested straightaway. It takes time for growth, but it is worth it.

Jesus wants you to trust Him and walk with Him because, He thinks that you are so special. 

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehowardHi.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

What you sow determines what you harvest

"Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given. 25 For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him."     

                                                                                                     Mark 4:24-25     NKJV

This teaching has been misinterpreted over the years with people saying that the Lord gives to us and takes away. There is a slight truth in this but, they make this sound as if God is a harsh God and will punish us unless we get in line with Him. Not so; God is a good God and will do all He can to bless and prosperous us. It's true that some people have more material goods than others do. Perhaps they have made better choices, inherited from rich family, are involved in crooked deals or are just successful because they were in the right place at the right time. This has always been and until Jesus' return, will remain.

However here, Jesus is talking about people applying His words to their lives. When they do, they are given even more spiritual truth, making their lives richer. Those who do nothing with His words, lose what little spiritual understanding they already possess. In other words, people who turn from God's truth may find that truth taken away from them.

David Guzik writes, 'When we hear the word, we become accountable so we must take care how we hear. People should be careful to put themselves under good teachers, who teach the whole counsel of God.'              Copyright David Guzik Enduring Word

Jesus appeals for spiritual perception. Those who receive the truth will have their capacity for understanding enlarged and their knowledge increased. Those who disbelieve or are indifferent  will lose whatever ability for understanding they had, and therefore, will continue in ignorance.

When we receive God's word with gladness, more will be given. We'll be given more love and peace. We'll receive more understanding and that wonderful feeling of living our lives 24/7 with Jesus. God wants to give each one of us more and more. Now this could be finance. The more we bless people with our finances, the more God will pour back to us. It is called tithing. We cannot out give God, because the finance that we have, came from Him in the first place. Many people tithe, many people don't. It is a personal thing with God. But we cannot get away from the fact that the more we give - money, love or just ourselves, to the less fortunate, the more God will pour out His blessing back to us.

The bottom line though is, the more we give to God, His word and His teaching, the more we will receive back from Him. If you want to be in a place of blessing, get into God's word whenever you can.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehowardHi.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Change

"Behold, I will do a new thing. now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."     Isaiah 43:19     NKJV 

Just the mere mention of the word, 'Change', can stir up anxiety in some people. People feel threatened by this because we are settled and feel secure, why change things? Change brings loss; a loss of your surroundings, your job, house, where you live, your family etc. etc. Many things change very quickly. You may be working for a company and are happy and love the job and the people. All of a sudden, the company changes hands and the change begins. Your job may change, your area of work, your workmates, you may even be made redundant because of the change. All of this adds to the feeling of loss and it is hard to negotiate.

However, there is a need for change at times. There is a change when you are born again. Your old life has to go and you begin to walk in a new area of life. It's exciting and challenging but takes a little getting used to. The loss comes from giving up your old way of life and walking with Jesus. If there was no change here e.g being born again, then, there would be no relationship with Jesus and, at the end of your life, no heaven. Things need to change.

When you decided to walk with Jesus, God began doing a new thing in your life and, it's not over yet Philippians 1:6. When God began His work in you, you knew, without doubt, that you were different, the change had begun. Now He is making a way forward for you to serve Him in whatever capacity He leads you in. It may be preaching, pastoring or it may be in the music world. However, it may be in the environment where you were initially. There is no change to your workplace but, there is a new person in the job - you!

Note the sentence, 'I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.' It may be a dry old route that God leads you along. You may have to wait ages before you discover what He has in mind for you. You may be sitting on the 'sub's bench' for an age before He opens a door. It may feel a little dry, but keep going because God, is preparing you for the task He has in mind. As soon as you are ready, that door will open and before you know it, you will be on your way.

You my be struggling with change at the moment. Things have taken a turn in your life and you are beginning to count the loss of it all. Don't be negative, be optimistic. You may not fully realise what is happening at this time but, God does and if you allow Him, He will be very much in control of the situation. Just trust Him, praise Him and obey Him. Your time is coming - soon.

Copyriight 2021 Grahame Howard

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehowardHi.blogspot.com 

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE