Things are changing

"And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever - 17 the Spirit of truth whom the world cannot receive , because it neither sees Him or knows Him; but you know Him for He dwells with you and will be in you."

                                                                                                  John 15:16-17    NKJV

We all have troublesome times; times where nothing seems to go right and this can include disagreement and disunity; words spoken with attitude and thoughts that are not wholesome. Have you been this way? 

After feeling this way for a short time, wondering if things could ever change, I felt God telling me that He would give me a fresh encounter with the Holy Spirit. I was eager for this to happen. Following breakfast this morning, I looked out of the window and there in the garden was a beautiful white dove just graciously washing itself in the rain water. It was stunning. I knew straightaway, that this was God showing me a symbol of the Holy Spirit and I felt at peace.

When things are difficult, God always shows up and offers His love and direction. He never fails, although sometimes because of circumstances, we miss the moment. He longs to reassure us and build us back up with His anointing oil. We just have to receive it by faith.

Perhaps this is where you are at this moment; exhausted, tired and running on empty. It is like you have been walking through a very dark tunnel, but, take note, when we walk through a tunnel, there is always a light at the end of it and for you, this is the Holy Spirit. He is telling you to, 'Let us go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile'  Mark 6:31 New Living Translation. It is imperative that we do this as often as we can, especially when we are empty and need a re-fill of the Spirit. The quiet place, may be where we do our study or prayer or, it may be that Jesus wants you to go on a walk with Him for a while. You need this because you are run down and battered.

There's no shame in feeling this way, it happens and, it is a sign that you probably should have taken some time out earlier, when it all began. Never mind, God has the remedy and He is ready and willing to administer this to you right now, if you are ready. Why not rededicate your life to Him and ask Him for a re-fill of the Holy Spirit:

Lord Jesus, I rededicate my life to You today. Please forgive my sins and come and live in my heart. Fill me to overflowing with Your Holy Spirit; even the baptism of the Spirit if I have never received this; and be my Lord and Saviour from this day forth. I ask in Jesus' name. Amen.

Now go and have a blast of a day with Jesus.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Forget the hurts of the past

"Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead."     Philippians 3:13    NLT 

We all have memories; some are good and some bad. It is nice to have happy memories - the kids growing up, where you met your partner and the happy childhood you had. For some people however, their memories are not so good, they may have suffered abuse, a broken, painful marriage or the loss of someone very precious. We all have memories but not a single one of them can be changed.

Jesus told His disciples not to look back (Luke 9:62). Memories, especially bad ones can hold us back and in captivity. For many who have hurtful memories of the past, they have had to survive and overcome them to be able to exist. They may have built defence mechanisms to be able to cope and they may have made inner vows that no one else would hurt them in the future, they would trust nobody. But this is not the answer.

As Christians, we are called to forgive and not dwell on these hurts. They are in the past. We have a choice, we can either mourn these things or put them behind us and move forward. You may ask how, because this is not easy? That is true but, for your health's sake, it needs to be done. When you forgive someone, the hurt doesn't just disappear; not at all. However, the hurtful load is given to Jesus who carries you through the healing process. It may be an ongoing process for some but many people have made the effort and managed it.

Past abuse is difficult to forget, however, it needs to be left behind. There is nothing anyone else can do to take this awful period away from you. It has to start with you, it is a choice that you make - keep it and take it with you or make the decision to leave it behind and look forward to what's ahead. God declares in Isaiah 43:18-19 'But forget all that - it is nothing compared to what I am going to do. 19 For I am about to do something new New Living Translation.' This means, as we give to Jesus all the hurts of the past, He will take them from us and help us, step by step, little by little to be able to cope and find a new way forward.

When you think about it, the hurt happened, it can't be changed but, the future can and Jesus is the answer, He will create a new day for you, so why not allow Him to help you forget the hurts of the past.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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'That's none of your business'

"Peter asked Jesus, 'What about him Lord?' 22 Jesus replied, 'If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? As for you, follow Me."    

                                                                             John 21:21-22   New Living Translation 

Jesus had just restored Peter following his denial of Him before the crucifixion. Following on from this, He revealed to Peter what type of death he would receive, being a follower of Jesus. Peter seeing John walking by them and, Peter being Peter, said to Jesus, 'What about Him, Lord?' From one point of view, this was quite reasonable, after all Jesus had foretold the details of Peter's death so, why not John's. The answer Peter received was not one he expected. Paraphrased, Jesus was saying to him, 'That's none of you business, you do what I tell you and I will take care of what happens to him.' Sometimes, it is not easy following Jesus. He loves us but, He doesn't hold anything back; He tells us straight. 

We do tend to be more interested in what happens to other people at times. We may see their lives and, with a tinge of judgement in our hearts, say to God, or to anyone who is with us, 'I thought they were supposed to be Christians. The leadership needs to do something about this.' We may go further and when a sermon is being preached, we can glance over to them thinking, 'I hope they're listening to this. I hope they are going forward for prayer.' How dare we do this. Don't we realise that the finger gets turned around and points at us?

This is why Jesus says, 'That's none of your business.' He knows our heart and he knows all we do and say. There is nothing that we can hide from Him. We may feel we have it all together and then suddenly, we let our guard down. Seriously, we all have the tendency to be this way. We do read or hear something and allow a picture of someone to come into our minds in a form of criticism and judgement. It's wonderful that Jesus deals with us the way he does. He could so easily cast us from His presence when we are like this. But instead, He puts us right, straightaway. Thank goodness.

Be encouraged, He may say this to you when you are in error but, in the same manner He will say it to someone who is saying things about you also, because they do. It is in our fleshy nature. This is why Jesus requires us to shed off the old self and put on the new. Yes, it may take a life time to accomplish properly but, you can do it, 'For I can do everything through Christ, who gives me strength'  Philippians 4:13 NLT. 

One thing you need to remember, Jesus loves you more than you could imagine. You are His friend and He knows that you are weak. The thing is, your are strong in Him (2 Cor 12:9-10). 

So get stuck into Jesus and His Word. Read it and live it.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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Don't give the devil an opportunity

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9 Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world."    1 Peter 5:8-9    NKJV 

The word 'vigilant' requires us to be alert and ever watchful. It reminds me of a soldier who is on guard duty. He is responsible for the safety of his unit, so therefore, he is needed to be on the ball, making sure that nothing gets past him. If it does, it could be mayhem. In the same manner, Peter is warning us to be the same because our enemy - the devil - cannot be seen and he will creep up on us when we are least expecting him to do so. Therefore, it is essential that we stand firm and established in the faith of God.

Have you ever fully realised that you are a target? It's true, you became one as soon as you came to Jesus. The devil wasn't the slightest bit interested in you before. However, when you 'joined up', you became a threat to him and he wants to stop you being dangerous. 

We need to be one step ahead of him. RT Kendal in his book, It ain't over till it's over writes: One of the best ways to know the will of God, is to figure out what you imagine the devil would want you to do, then do the opposite.' This makes so much sense and, is demonstrating that we are being vigilant, alert and one step ahead. 

One thing that we know about the devil is that, he is not our friend and he cannot be trusted. So there is a need to be alert and do the opposite of what we are being tempted to do. Kenneth Copeland says, 'If you allow the devil into the back seat of your car, pretty soon he is going to want to drive.' It is true, if we give him an inch, he will take a mile. Therefore, it is imperative that there is no break in the hedge of protection that is around us. If we sin, the hedge has an opening and he will get in. So, there is a need to ask forgiveness straightaway.

This is not a temporary thing. You will have to be on guard 24/7 for the rest of your earthly life. Why? Because you are mad, bad and dangerous to the work of the devil. You are a threat and you cause him a lot of problems. When you are on the scene and flowing in the power of the Holy Spirit, praying and singing psalms and praise to Jesus, the devil has to flee from you. He can't stand it because you are resisting him. Be careful though, because he will try again and when you least expect it. So rise up and take your shield and don't give the devil an opportunity.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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You have the power of restoration

"Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone turns him back, 20 let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his ways, will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins".                                  James 5:19-20    NKJV 

These two verses are the last in the book of James, but may be the most important. James is addressing believers about people who have become backsliders - who have fallen away from their faith. A backslider strays away from the truth for one reason or another. One famous example is of Peter who denied Jesus (Matthew 26:69-75). When we meet or know of someone who fits into this mould, we should never have an attitude of, 'it's none of my business'. It is your business because, this is a Christian brother or sister who has stepped off the road for reasons that you may find out if you speak to them.

Here, James is talking to us, the believer, not the backslider. James is telling us that we have a duty of care to attempt to steer the backslider back to God, otherwise if not helped they may be on the way to a spiritual or physical death. When we are successful in restoring someone, we save their soul from death and cover a multitude of sins v20. Don't expect bugle calls of thanks and recognition from other believers though, even though James says to 'let him know' v20. I know there are many who have restored someone and it has not even been mentioned by leadership. This doesn't matter and we shouldn't seek it. The only thanks and recognition that you need is from God. He's very grateful.

We may not know what caused the person to fall away so, this is a good place to start when you attempt to get alongside them. You have the power of restoration, you may not believe it but you have and, it's time that you accepted it. You will meet someone who is in need at some time; this may be someone who has never known Jesus or, it may be someone who has fell away. You have the ability to get alongside this person and tell them about Jesus' love. Don't be fearful or walk away, God has placed the person near to you because you have the power of restoration. Yes, it is true. Go for it

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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What's the thermostat setting on your prayer life?

"Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick?                                              James 5:13-14    NKJV 

What is your prayer and praise life like at the moment? Is it good or not so good? Let's not forget what Paul wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18:

Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus, for you.'

Note verse 18 and don't misquote it. It doesn't say give thanks for suffering, loss or sickness etc. The verse tells us to give thanks whilst we are going through such times, 'For this is the will of God'. The verse quite clearly directs us to give thanks in all we do, 24/7. Did you get that?

Tony Evans comments on this: 'If you want to gauge your spiritual life, look at the thermostat setting on your prayer life'. It is true, we need to pray without ceasing. It is an essential requirement but, one in which can be sadly neglected because we are so busy, either doing God's work or working. If God tells us to pray without ceasing then, He means to pray without ceasing. He doesn't say, 'If you get the chance today, could you throw a few prayers up to Me'. No chance; He directs us to pray and without ceasing. Now, this doesn't mean that's all we do. He knows that we have things to do, such as work, but He wants us to pray and praise Him whilst we are doing these things. It is easy when you get used to it and you fit it into your daily schedule.

The word 'sick' is translated here as 'weak', therefore this can refer to any kind of weakness physical or otherwise. If someone is sick, an elder can administer healing and spiritual guidance for whatever the matter may be. However, we have the authority to lay hands on the sick and pray for them too. Don't get confused with who should do what. A pastor or elder may be better equipped to know a certain person well and minister accordingly; but this doesn't rule us out, Jesus gave us a commission, Mark 16:18 and we are obliged to do this. Obviously if we are in a church setting, we need to adhere to the leadership of the church and not try to usurp.

So, if a thermostat was set to gauge your prayer and praise life, what would it read. Are there a few adjustments to make?

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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The Tongue

"Even so, the tongue is a little member and boasts great things." v5   

                                                                                                 James 3:1-12    NKJV 

Just a look at v8 of James 3 gives us a concerning assessment of this member of our body: 

'No man can tame the tongue'. This is quite astounding comment from James and one, that we should study closely. Tony Evans comments:

'The only successful tongue-tamer is God. Some spouses have hurled insults that their mates have never forgotten. Some individuals started gossip fires years ago and the flames are still burning.'              Tony Evans Bible Commentary

This fire can destroy a person's self-esteem and confidence and can also rip a relationship apart. It can also ruin a person's whole future.

Matthew 12:34-35 tells us that whatever is inside the heart will come out one way or another. This may be good fruit or bad. Therefore, we need to be filled with scripture and the Holy Spirit. How? As I've said many times, by spending time with the only one who can keep us on the straight and narrow each day, Jesus. Think about it, we can bless and praise God and the next moment we can curse someone with judgemental and detrimental comments. This should not be. When we curse someone, we are talking about someone who has been made in the image of God. They may not measure up to our standards but they may to God's. Be careful here. Heaven notices what we say. The Holy Spirit knows all about us and witnesses our behaviour whether it is good or bad. People may not hear what we say about other people when we are in the safety of our home, but he does. He hears every word and I do mean every word. Unless we repent of this, we will have to give an account to Jesus when we stand before Him. We should not take this lightly.

The tongue is small but it can do a lot of damage. Rather like a spark can set off a major forest fire, the tongue can bring total devastation to someone's life. Therefore it is essential that we get things right. Only God can tame the tongue, we can't do this on our own. It takes a full blown commitment to Jesus who will then help us to clean up our hearts and have control over every word that comes out of our mouths. It is well worth surrendering.

Copyright 2021 Grahame Howard.                                 

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