Are you spiritually dry?

"Son of man, can these bones live?"                          Ezekiel 37:3    NKJV 

The Valley of Dry Bones is a most popular scripture to read but, like other scripture, is one where there is always something to be found and learnt. Here, the Lord placed Ezekiel in a valley that was completely filled with dry bones. It must have seemed a most eerie place to be. God then asked him a very difficult question to answer, 'Son of man, can these bones live?' Ezekiel  gave the only answer that he could, 'O Lord God, You know.' In other words Ezekiel was saying, 'only you know the answer to this Lord.'

God then told Ezekiel to speak to the dry bones, commanding them to live. Rather reluctantly, I would think, Ezekiel did so and there was a great rattling sound as the bones came together and a body was formed over them. However, they just laid there with no life. This can happen to each one of us in the church today. We may know God's Word through and through, being fully conversant with it and yet, there is something missing - the Breath of God, the Holy Spirit. We may have the word but we need the Spirit too. God told Ezekiel to prophesy to the breath and when he did, the bodies were totally filled with the Spirit of God and stood and were ready for action.

The bones had the word but lacked the breath; when they received it, they came alive and, that is how it works for you and I too. Our bones may be dry and our hope can be lost and we can feel cut off (v11). But when we receive the Word accompanied by the Spirit, there is a Spiritual Revival within us; we come alive, stand and are ready for whatever may come our way. When one of them are missing, we cannot function properly. When God's people have the Word and the Spirit, they have a living experience of His reality in their midst, rather like the bones in the valley. 

Perhaps you may have felt dry of late and are wondering what has happened. You seem to have lost your 'zing'. Let me encourage you to ask God to fill the void that is there and give you a Spiritual Revival and allow the fire of the Holy Spirit to anoint your bones once again:

'Lord, I have felt dry of late and need the fire of Your Spirit to ignite me once again. I have the Word, now may I receive a refilling of Your Spirit so that I have fire in my bones. I ask in Jesus' name. Amen'

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

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There is nothing to fear when God is here!

"Like the appearance of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day, so was the appearance of the brightness all around it. This was the appearance of the likeness of the glory of the Lord."     

                                                                                                 Ezekiel 1:28    NKJV

Ezekiel's message to the Israelites, exiled in Babylonia, was God is with you. He is in Jerusalem and He is in Babylon. In fact He is everywhere. God provided a rainbow for Noah, informing him that, He would never again flood the earth. The rainbow would be God's sign of peace. Here, He was doing the same. Ezekiel saw the likeness of a man on a throne surrounded by fire and the colours of a rainbow. This was the sign that Ezekiel needed to inform the exiles that God was with them and, would rescue them.

God's appearance is everywhere around us, it's just that we don't always see it because of distractions, such as trouble and strife that envelop us wherever we are. If we could only just stop for a moment and call on Him, we would discover His everlasting presence, alway ready to reassure us and help us overcome each difficult moment.

Have you ever stopped and thought just how powerful the flood was. It covered the whole earth. Mountains were covered over and that would include the very high ones such as Mount Everest. Nothing could be seen except water. To Noah and the others, it must have been an awesome sight. If Noah's belief in God had not been as strong as it was, the sight of all this water would have overcome him. It must have been scary. To receive such a comforting word from God, that He would never again flood the world, must have been so welcome to Noah and his family.

God still operates the same way today. In times of peril, He sends us His peace. We may not always see it, but His rainbow of reassurance is all around us. There is nothing to fear when God is here. Things may appear dark all around but, when we call on Him, our situation is covered in brightness with the likeness of the Lord.

Are you tempted to be frightened by life events at times? It's a naturall reaction. However, think again, as Christians we are not natural, we are supernatural and this is very different. Try to remember this when next you are tempted to feel scared. God is all around you; He will never leave.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Ask Me and I'll tell you!

"Call to Me and I will answer you, and tell you [and even show you] great and mighty things, [things which have been confined and hidden], which you do not know and understand and cannot distinguish.'    Jeremiah 33:3    The Amplified Study Bible

The rule of thumb is, when you want to know something, you ask someone. If you don't ask, you usually do not find out. We may think we know it all but, we don't and to think we do is foolish. Some people who are in some kind of authority fail to ask questions because they feel they are expected to know the answer. However, we can't know everything and it is better to be honest about it than pretend.

Therefore, God tells us to call on Him and ask - ask Him the way forward; ask Him how this will work, how to do a particular thing and even ask Him about our future. Charles F Stanley comments: 'Throughout the bible, God promises to speak to His children - but we must listen for His voice. To listen actively, we must come before the Lord expectantly. We must eagerly anticipate Him speaking to us.' To add to this, I would emphasise the need to display good attending skills - really listening to what is actually being said, feeding back part of it and generally showing God or whoever, that you are really listening.

We miss so much when we fail to ask God things. He has so much He wants to tell us and even show us. We ask Him for certain things but when we don't receive them, we assume that it was not God's wish. However, there may be a reason, He may have agreed but at the time, it remains hidden from us until we give a little more to Him or do a certain thing. If we don't listen properly, really going deeper, it may be lost. This could be the reason why you have not received what you have been praying about. Ask Him if there is something blocking your request or if, you need to do something first. He will show you. However, be open to the fact that what you ask for is not for you. Whatever, He will tell you if you ask.

It is good practice to just spend time with Him asking Him for nothing but just enjoying His presence, You don't even have to speak, just enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit. Sometimes, words are not enough and we do better to just sit and enjoy, wait and listen. You may get far more out of this than doing all of the talking.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Write it down

"Thus speaks the Lord God of Israel saying, 'Write in a book for yourself all the words that I have spoken to you."                                        Jeremiah 30:2    NKJV 

God had told Jeremiah to write down all that He had told him and write a letter of encouragement and direction to the Israelites. It is most essential that a prophet makes a record of what God is telling him. It is important for the prophet to know exactly what is said, when this was and the direction they should take. It is also important to know what the outcome is.

It is good practice for all of us to make notes when we are reading the bible or any other Christian book. Many people mark their bibles, highlighting certain scriptures, writing notes beside certain verses and cross referencing. This is good for those who like this sort of thing. The downside is that you can end up with so many highlights and markings on the page that you can hardly read the text. I have many bibles like this. Other people, may prefer to write down notes in a book for later study and reference.

When a person is in a lecture at school, college or university, it is vital that some sort of note taking is used. It is the same with jotting down notes from a sermon. Obviously, one cannot write down everything, so some form of shorthand is helpful. It is surprising how much we can learn by doing this and how helpful it can be, especially if we are preparing a bible study, sermon or for our own study purposes. We are all different and everyone has their own way of recording things such as this. Because of the notes that I take down and have written in my bible, I have in the past, been able to preach an impromptu sermon, which is helpful but not always satisfactory to everyone.

Note taking is a very useful way of studying God's word. It helps you to dig deeper into the meaning of scripture and discover what God is actually speaking to you about. It is most likely that many of the writers of the bible, wrote down many notes which later, the Holy Spirit guided them to write accurate recordings. The Apostle Paul would definitely have needed to do this this as he wrote the main part of the New Testament. Let us not forget also, that God told Habakkuk to write the vision down on tablets (Habakkuk 2:2).

It makes sense to create study notes for our personal studies. If you don't use this method, why not give it a go. There is something about writing words down; it seems to stick in a person's mind better.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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The Promise (2)

"And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. 14 I will be found by you, says the Lord and I will bring you back from your captivity." v-13-14             

                                                                                                Jeremiah 29:13-14   NKJV 

The answer to all of their questions, and yours, was in the letter that Jeremiah wrote to the exiles. Rather like we said yesterday, it requires prayer; it requires a relationship with God and it means giving Him all that you have - everything, not just a part. Jesus gave you His all and still does, you cannot fail to do the same.

The statement above, requires everything that you have. It is a commitment to Jesus, it is an all or nothing type of thing. It cannot be watered down to fit into your own plans, it is a requirement that God lays down. However, the great thing about it, is the benefits that God offers in return. He always offers you the best; an abundance in fact. Jesus Christ is our hope; He is our future, in fact, He is our everything and, what's more, He is interested too.

What God tells you here is, you will find Him when you seek Him with all that you have; with all of your heart. It takes a certain kind of determination to do this because sometimes, it is not all that easy. Things crop up that distract you, annoy you and even devastate you. However, it is the ability to still seek Him with all of your heart when negative things are happening to you, that bring you through these hurdles and mountains; and let's face it, some of the mountains are high and dangerous, but hey, you are a mountain climber in Jesus!

Focus for a moment on the word, 'captivity'. God tells us that, as you seek Him with all of your heart, He will bring you back - or deliver you, from your captivity. Think for a moment, what are you captive too; this can be classed as addicted because any addiction means a person is in captivity to it. It could be smoking, drug abuse, alcohol, pornography and other behaviours. These are only a few of the things that hold believers in captivity. Firstly, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Jesus knows about it and still loves you, but, He wants to free you up because it is holding you back from blessing. Therefore, decide today that you will seek Him with all of your heart and offer it up to Him. It may take some time to be free, or it may be instantaneous. Whatever it is, you will have acknowledged to Jesus that you mean business and that, is all that matters.

Lord, I want to be free from the captivity of ..................................... Please Lord, help me. In Jesus' name. Amen

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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The Promise (1)

"For thus says the Lord: after seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform My good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place." v10   

                                                                                                Jeremiah 29:10-14   NKJV

These particular Israelites, were in exile at Babylon and they were beginning to wonder if they would ever get a breakthrough and be allowed to return to their own land. These are the thoughts of many Christians today, 'Will we ever get the breakthrough that we need.' You may be in this position at this time and, although you trust God with your life, there doesn't appear to be anything happening that will bring you some encouragement.

The Lord gave Jeremiah a word and he wrote a letter to the exiles letting them know the promise that God was giving to them. 'For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope.' v11. However, as encouraging as this letter was, they had many questions that required urgent answers. They knew it would be around seventy years before God would rescue them, but there were many more questions that would have needed answering. Think about your own situation and you will know, to a degree, what they were requiring answers for.

They had the promise that God would bring them back home; they roughly knew when, but their situation was still dire, and they wanted more. There was more. Jeremiah had stipulated this in his letter: 'Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you' v12. God had given them the key, and this was prayer. He was not telling them to wait seventy years and then call upon Him by prayer. He was encouraging them to get on their knees and call on Him now. And what's more, He had promised that He would listen to them; that He would hear their calls to Him and the promise included their well-being not disaster. 

God is doing the same thing with His people today. Prayer seems to be an after-thought with a lot of people. Life is so busy that there isn't time to go through the long process of praying things through. This brings to mind - prayer lives. What is your prayer life like? Are you faithful in prayer, patiently going through all the things that need to be prayed for and acting in a diligent manner? Or, are you, the pray as you drive the car person; the one who throws prayers up when they are needed but very rarely listens to what God has to say? You know the category you fit in to and you may need to re-think this through and re-arrange things.

Whatever, God made the exiles a promise and He has you too. You have a hope and a future.

You have peace and not evil to look forward to, perhaps this may promote you to offer up to God some praise, worship and prayer.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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How to deal with past hurts

"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old."    Isaiah 43:18 

Most of us carry around things that have hurt us in the past. Some past hurts are welded into our hearts and seem impossible to let go of. But they do need to be released. Letting go of past hurts is the way to a new future. Hanging on to things of the past can lead to problems when confronted with similar things that happen. Defence mechanisms kick in and the old, 'I'll never let that happen to me again, surfaces. Does this sound familiar?

Let's look at five areas that can help in letting go of past hurts:

(1)  Make the decision to let it go. Things don't disappear on their own.

This decision has to be made before you can move forward in freedom. Hanging on to the past is like walking in chains. You get nowhere and just carry round a heavy load that holds you back.

(2)  Express your pain and your responsibility.

Pain, if allowed to remain internalised, can be difficult to move. Be honest, there are always two sides to something. Perhaps, you need to own responsibility to part of the past, admitting that you too, made some mistakes before, you can move on.  

(3)  Stop being the victim and blaming others.

As we saw above, there is always someone we can find to blame. Perhaps it is time to stop being the victim and admit that you were partly to blame as well.

(4)  Focus on the present - the here and now.

Past hurts are just that - they are in the past. Why take them with you? You have a new life now, the old has gone and the new has come (2 Corinthians 5:17). Focus on what is ahead - NOW. 

(5)  Forgive them - and yourself.

There is always a need to forgive. You need forgiveness, so do others. Forgiving someone brings a release for the people who have hurt you and for the people you have hurt as well. Therefore, forgive them and also forgive yourself.

Charles F Stanley says: 

'God loves to work in our lives in new ways. We should not always look for Him to do in us, what He has done before, but should learn to expect the unexpected.'

The past has gone , this is why it is called the past; it was yesterday, we live for today and the best way to demonstrate this in your life is to look to the future and be grateful that you have one.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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