Tuesday 5 October 2021

He is our bodyguard - Part 2

"My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold."    Psalm 18:2     NKJV 


Let us carry on from yesterday, looking at Jesus, our Heavenly Bodyguard. David talks of His Father being his shield. The Lord is described as our shield; no matter what rises against us, He covers us. We are guarded from everything that would threaten us. This is why it is so important to be clothed in the Armour of God. Each piece as a task and is needed Ephesians 6:10-17.

The horn, is an emblem of strength, prominence, security, social standing, stately grace and favour. This also includes power, dominion, glory and fierceness. Just look at a bull for instance. The horns are its chief means of attack and defence. It would be extremely dangerous to be confronted in such a way. The expression, horn of salvation when applied to Christ, means a salvation of strength or a strong Saviour. To have the horn exalted denotes prosperity and triumph. Horns are also the symbol of royal dignity and power.

Salvation is an interesting word. In the Greek it is known as Soteria, and includes deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. Salvation is a present possession with a fuller realisation in the future. In other words, the word salvation doesn't only refer to our eternal life, but carries with it a much fuller blessing.

Because of our relationship with Jesus, we have access to all of this blessing and protection. It may not feel like it when things are going wrong, breaking down or the bottom falls out of our world. However, this blessing and protection is aways here for each and every one of us. He is our stronghold; our defensive structure and refuge when we are stressed or in trouble. He is the one that we can always go to, run to or call on any hour of the day or night. He is the one that endured torment and agony as He hung on a cross for each one of us and took away the sin that separated us from God. He is the one who did it for us; the only one who truly cares; the one who is eternally with us, through thick and thin. 

He is Jesus, Our Lord and Saviour.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
 

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Monday 4 October 2021

He is our bodyguard

"The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust."                                                                                Psalm 18:2     NKJV 


Just savour those words for a few moments and you will begin to discover the love that David had for God. As king, he had a legal obligation, one of formal reverence. However, David's devotion was characterised by his overwhelming love for his God. His Father had never let him down and he was totally sold out to Him. We can see this in David's opening words to the Psalm, 'I will love You, O LORD, my strength.' The Moody Bible Commentary states that the term 'I love you' erhameka in the Hebrew text, is derived from the same root as the Hebrew word for womb Rehem and denotes a deep and emotionally charged sense of personal attachment and commitment. Therefore, David had total confidence in God.

He referred to Him as 'My rock' meaning that God was his unfailing strength and a refuge and defence in times of trouble. He went on to describe God as his fortress, a place that he could run to and be kept safe - heavenly refuge; and without doubt, David recognised his God as his deliverer, his strength and the one that he could have total trust in.

Let's just stop there for a moment. This verse refers to you as well. As He was for King David, He is for you too. When you begin to become committed to Him with that emotionally charged personal attachment, nothing can hurt you. You are His, whether here on earth or up in heaven. He has given each one of us an eternal relationship that can never be broken. David had problems but God was with him and never let him down. You and I have problems and He will do the same for us as well. You may be going through a rough spell at present but, just for a moment, stop and realise that He is with you. You can go in His strength or your own; this is your choice. However, you know that it is far better to call on Him in times of trouble and receive His help.

When you walk with the Rock, your way is unshakeable; things may try to trip you up but He will keep your feet firmly on solid ground - Holy ground. He may take you into His fortress when things become too bad but at the right time, He will deliver you. Of that you can be certain.

Why not personalise this verse and use it as a prayer each day.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
 

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Sunday 3 October 2021

The power of words

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger. 2 The tongue of the wise uses knowledge wisely, but the mouths of fools pours forth foolishness."  
                                                                                                           Proverbs 15:1-2    NKJV

Recently a study group in the USA found that negative words release stress and anxiety-induced hormones in subjects. Additionally, a study found increased levels of anxiety in children associated with higher rates of negative self-talk. Words are so powerful and basically, once spoken out have the ability to achieve what they are sent out to do. This is why God's words says in Isaiah 55:11: 'So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.'
Alternatively, once a negative word is spoken out, it is too late to retract it. It can be forgiven but never forgotten.

It is not so much what we say but, how we say it. Words spoken out in anger or in a rude outburst, can be destructive to the hearer. A person of wisdom can speak the message out in a restrained and edifying way by exercising self-control and still get the message over. Responding gently turns away wrath. The wise speak sensitively but speak the truth also.

One of the things that we need to overcome, is our self-talk. We all do this and often it can be quite damaging to our self esteem. Someone may hurt us by speaking damaging words and we take them on board and begin to own them in such a way that they become a part of us. We can begin to believe them, speaking to ourselves accordingly and before we know it, all of our self confidence has diminished. The best way to deal with this - and it is difficult - is to refuse to take it on board and refuse to allow it to rule in our hearts. This takes practice as the comments keep flagging up in our minds. The apostle Paul provides a formula in 2 Corinthians 10:4-6 'For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.'

This is God's formula for dealing with words and thoughts that torment and maim us and gain control over our lives. It is something that we need to take on board so that the words we speak or receive are wholesome and edifying Ephesians 4:29.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
 


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Saturday 2 October 2021

Their eyes were opened

"Then there eyes were opened and they knew Him"                    Luke 24:31    NKJV 


People can be going through their everyday lives and not realise that they have been in the presence of Jesus in some way or other. This was what happened to two men who were walking towards Emmaus. Jesus turned up and walked with them and they told Him about the events of the past few days - the way Jesus had been crucified and supposedly resurrected. Jesus never told them who He was and went to their house for rest as it was night time. He broke bread and blessed it and suddenly they recognised who He was. Then He vanished from their sight Luke 24:13-31.

This has happened many times over the years and some have missed the truth. Thomas was told that Jesus had visited them - He was alive. But he refused to believe unless He saw Jesus Himself and touched Him. Jesus turned up later and Thomas was able to do this and Jesus told Him to believe from now on. He also said to Thomas, 'Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' John 20:29. We fit into this category. As born again believers, not many have seen Jesus, but by faith they know He is there and believe. Therefore, in a way, we have also seen Him. Our eyes were opened. This is our faith.

Saul, following his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, met with Ananias, a man of God, who God directed to lay hands on Saul that his sight may be regained. This happened and scales fell from Saul's eyes, his eyes were opened and He began His work for Jesus and never stopped until his death.

People who do not know Jesus, need to have their eyes opened. We can talk to them over and over, but like Thomas, unless they see Him for themselves, they will not believe. He came to His own and yet they did not receive Him John 1:11. They didn't receive Him because their eyes remained closed. 

Perhaps you may be like this - you've never accepted Jesus or, maybe you have but your eyes have not been opened wide. Why not say this prayer:

Lord Jesus, I want to know you better; I ask You to be my friend. Please forgive all of my sin and come and live in my heart, bringing Your Holy Spirit to dwell there. I want to follow You for the rest of my life. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Email me to let me know that you have done this.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard




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Friday 1 October 2021

When all else fails

"My health may fail, and my spirit may grow weak, but God remains the strength of my heart; He is mine forever."                                                                Psalm 73:26     NLT


Many times we feel that we have failed in some area or another. Our mind can pour depression and guilt upon us until we become a wreck. However, we will not always be in the winning blocks but, we are still winners because, Jesus is with us. He is with us forever.

Have you felt that tinge of failure just lately, that feeling that you could have succeeded if you had tried harder? Well, there may be a touch of truth to this, only you know that. However, usually it is a lie that the devil uses against us to make us feel awful and that we have let God and people down. If you genuinely know in your heart that you have done all that you could, then don't even entertain thoughts such as these. They are designed to disable you.

We only have a level of strength because we are human. Super strength belongs to Jesus, He can be likened to a more powerful Superman. This is why we cling to Him, need Him and walk with Him daily. When we get into difficulty, as we call on Him, He uses His staff to guide us and show us the way. If we fall into a ditch, He uses the staff to hook us out and put us on the road again. If anyone attacks us or tries to do us harm, as we call on Him, He uses His rod to protect us and beat off the enemies. 'Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me'  Psalm 23:4 NLT. 
Notice David's words, 'I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff they comfort me.' These are faith words and when we confess these, we receive. We must get into this habit of speaking faith-filled language, not words of doubt. 

Some of you reading this may have health issues and you may wonder why you have not been healed even though you have prayed. It's not over until it's over. Don't give up. There's no answer that anyone can give you for this, except to keep on believing. Don't listen to doubt; don't confess doubt. It is not a failure, just keep on trusting Jesus. He always wins in the end!

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard
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Thursday 30 September 2021

Endure hardship

"You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ."  
                                                                                                           2 Timothy 2:8    NKJV

The Christian life is not always easy; we have mountains to climb, problems to negotiate and difficult decisions to make. On top of all of that, we have to deal with the persecution that we suffer from unbelievers. It is never easy. This is why Paul wrote the above statement. We need to be totally committed and disciplined in our relationship with Him, especially when we face trials of all kinds. We are soldiers, we enlisted into the army of the Living God and we serve our Commander - Jesus. Therefore, we must be focused on Him and obedient to His orders, despite the obstacles that we may face. 

Rather like an athlete, we need to press through the pain in order to reach the goal which is glorifying Him. Athletes do not receive a gold medal just for competing, they have to train and work hard so that they can claim this prize. We may feel like giving up at times but, this is never an option for the committed man or woman of God. We press on and get the job done and Jesus gives us the energy to be able to do this.

We should never be entangled with petty arguments and affairs of the world. Our job is too important. Rather, we need to allow people to see how we handle situations and also help them to overcome certain problems; but we should never become too involved that we lose our focus.

What are you struggling with at this time. You may be waiting for an answer from God about a certain thing. Or you may be asking God to bless a certain area of your life. Waiting is never easy and when we have been waiting a long time, this can be a trigger point to throw the towel in and give up. DON'T!. Keep going; keep believing that what you have asked for, God will give the answer. The life of a soldier is committed to fighting, overcoming and keeping the peace. This is the blue print that we need to follow. 

You can do this, you know you can. Remember all of the others who have been in your place and overcame. You will do the same, deep down you know you will; it's just that it is difficult at this time. But things will get better probably sooner than you think. Because, Jesus will never let you down.




 
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Wednesday 29 September 2021

Are you kicking against God's direction?

"It's hard for you to kick against the goads"                                         Acts 9:5     NKJV


Saul, before God changed him, was a terrible persecutor of the Christian church. He was responsible for the death of the first Christian martyr - Stephen and went around finding men, woman and children who were of 'The Way.' This was an early term referring to Christianity and promoted by Jesus, who was the way John 14:6. Saul was a bounty hunter and a very ruthless man to come against.
Saul obtained letters from the high priest to take to the synagogue at Damascus in order to root out believers and bring them bound to Jerusalem. While he was on the Damascus Road he encountered Jesus shining as a bright light that blinded Saul, 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? Jesus then went on to say, 'I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. It is hard for you to kick against the goads,' Two points are raised here. Firstly, when people persecute us, they are also persecuting Jesus. He identifies with us. Anyone who attacks us is attacking Him also, because we are the body of Christ. Don't ever feel that you are on your own; Jesus knows what it feels like too.
Secondly, a goad or prick, was an ox stick with a sharp iron point on the tip. It was used to guide the oxen by pricking them. If the ox rebelled by kicking out, the tip was pushed in deeper until it complied. The more it rebelled, the more it suffered.
Think about this; Jesus guides and directs us. At times there is a need for Jesus to amplify this and we don't like it, in fact, we can rebel. The more we ignore His leading, the more we feel that we are not in step with Him, until we comply. Jesus is not a taskmaster, but He does wish for us to obey His word. We can go no further until we do.
Think about these two points, you are not alone during persecution. Jesus suffers with you and will, help sort it out, if you let Him. Secondly, are you kicking out against what God wants you to do. The more you kick the deeper the prick. It's much better to say yes to Jesus. Saul, who later became Paul, found this out and went on to write the biggest part of the New Testament and brought many to know Jesus. God knows best and wants the best for you.
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