Jesus is our defence

"If it had not been the LORD who was on our side -" v1          Psalm 124    CSB    

Think back throughout your life and pinpoint the times that God turned up, just at the right moment, and rescued you. What if He hadn't have been there? What if He had not been on your side? He was there when people turned against you and even when life was against you. Just think for a moment, what you have been rescued from. You may have died through illness or an accident. Your marriage may have folded. you may have been declared bankrupt; and what about those false accusations, what if they had stuck? Some may say, it doesn't bear thinking about - but it does! It is encouraging for you to think back and, prosperous for those who hear your testimony. You may have been ill and received miraculous healing.

In this cold, and at times, uncaring world, we need encouragement and Jesus offered lots of it. Imagine, if you will, being trapped in a swamp. Every time you move, you sink a little further and, just before you are going under and certain of suffocation (v3), Jesus turns up and saves you. This happened to you; your were sinking fast into a muddy grave and, He held out His hand to you and you were rescued.

Satan is all around and he is not your friend. 1 Peter 5:8 tells us that he prowls around - this is akin to stalking you, and he is ready to strike. But Jesus is stronger and as we dwell in Him, we have the victory (v6).

Just as a bird is freed from a trap and certain death (v7), Jesus frees us. Rather like the bird, we were helpless and fell into the trap. Jesus opened the trap and even broke it, by His death and resurrection; and we have complete freedom in Him. How do we know this? Because:

'Our help is in the name of the LORD, who made heaven and earth (v8)

Father, thank you that you sent Jesus to be our Lord and Saviour. We give You thanks that we are made free in Him. We offer ourselves afresh, or from this very first moment. You are our Lord and we will follow You recognising that, You are our defence. Amen

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Be with those who bring peace

"I am for peace"                                                             Psalm 120   CSB 

We often come up against lying lips, fake news and gossip. People will slander us for our faith or success; they may then spread this fake news around because of their lying lips. Most are 

non-Christians, but sadly there are a few Christians that fit into this category very well.

If we're not careful, we can end up having prayer meetings where people's baggage is discussed all in the interest of prayer - 'I'm sure they won't mind me saying this', can be a common statement. This should never happen, this person should not be the subject of a prayer discussion.

Slanderers are the ones who do a person the most harm. Someone may not like you and what you're doing, so they let rip behind your back and occasionally to your face. I like what Spurgeon says on this subject:

'It is of no avail to appeal to the honour of the slanderer's, for they have none, and the piteous demands for justice will only increase their malignity and encourage them to fresh insult'

What can we do then when we are being insulted behind our backs? Spurgeon continues:

'When we are slandered, it is a joy that the Lord knows us and cannot be made to doubt our uprightness. He will not hear the lie against us but, He will hear our prayer against the lie.'

Romans 12:19 says, 'Do not avenge yourselves, instead leave room for God's wrath, because it is written, "Vengeance is mine, I will repay" says the Lord'

 

Note Psalm 120:6-7 'I have dwelt too long with those who hate peace. I am for peace; but when I speak they are for war.' The Psalmist wrote, 'I am for peace', in other words, 'I am a person of peace'. Can you say that? If you can, spread it around, don't be harsh with those who are rude, pray for them and leave it to God. Challenge gossip whether it be in a prayer meeting, meeting with a friend or a church setting but again, not harshly but as an observation. Remember Proverbs 15:1

'A gentle answer turns away anger, but a harsh word stirs up wrath'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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This is impossible, Lord!

"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."v9       

                                                                                            Joshua 1:1-9    NKJV

Moses had died and God appointed Joshua, who was a man of faith, to take over. The Israelites had been wandering in the desert for 40 years; now they had the chance of a new beginning in the Promised Land.

We, as God's people, need to realise that we can miss out on so much blessing by having a wandering belief. We can miss out on what God wants to give us by failing to take hold of it. Does this speak to you today? The majority of the time, we are scared to make a move - our comfort zone kicks in and we have thoughts such as, 'What if God doesn't provide what we need? Can't He give us what we need first before we go, we'd be all right then? If God has said He will provide, then He will!

God may have called you to serve Him, but you have ignored His request. Will you lose your salvation? No, but you may miss out on the excitement and blessing you may have received. Why settle for second best when you can have all He wants to give you? Joshua had God's promise; whenever he was tempted to be full of dismay, all he needed to do was remember God's Word 1:5-7:

'No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you. 6 Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them. 7 Only be strong and very courageous that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses, My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.'

God is not a God of failure. He never makes mistakes - His promises are faithful. 'I can't do that,' yes you can. If God has called you, you can do it. 'But I will fail,' You will if you say you will. Stop confessing negativity and get into faith, where you should be. Anyway, Albert Einstein said, 'Failure is success in progress.' If you fail, you will be successful in trying. The only way you will fail, period, is if you refuse to do it.  Don't do that - you can do this! You are a work in progress so, do what he says to do. Be strong and of good courage; you were created to succeed.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Here is God

"I will lift up my eyes to the hills - from whence comes my help" v1      Psalm 121   NKJV

Just take a glance around - you may see hills, countryside, seascapes, wild flowers, wildlife or even, an industrial built up town. Whatever you see and wherever you go, God is all around. Just a walk through woodland or open countryside introduces us to nature itself. We may be able to breathe in the fresh air, lay in the fresh grass or feels the crunch of a winter's footstep through the fields. God is everywhere, whether it be in a busy industrialised city or along the beautiful coasts. He is the God of creation; He is our creator and helper.

As we read this Psalm, we see God as our protector. He picks us up when we fall, especially stumbling on a rocky beach where we may twist an ankle or even break it. He walks beside us and if we do fall, picks us up and restores us. He's even there on sleepless nights. When we have nights such as these, it's almost as if he says, 'All is ok, I'm here just relax and get your rest. I'm watching over you.' 

He is our keeper. We are not immune to being hurt or suffering emotional pain. However, He provides us with the ability to be able to cope with it all and not suffering harm. He helps us turn these bad experiences into victory. He is right beside us - the shade at our righthand v5. A keeper is an attendant, guard or warden. The keeper has charge over things and, he will do his utmost to ensure things go well. The Lord is our keeper (v5). Will He not do the same for you?

The Lord preserves us; He keeps us in perfect condition - as we walk with Him and, it is important to note the, 'as we walk with Him'. In Isaiah 26:3 we read:

'You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You'

Therefore, He will preserve as we serve and He will deliver though we may quiver. In fact, He is all we need. He offers us everything!

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Be a giver

"Not that I seek the gift but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account"   

                                                                                    Philippians 4:10-20  NKJV 

The subject of giving can be a contentious subject. Even from the beginning of time it has been this way. We tend to savour the thought of someone giving a gift to ourselves, but when we are the actual giver, it can be a different story.

Paul saw the value but his desire was for the giver to be blessed, not himself. He writes in verse 17, 'Not that I seek the gift, but I seek the fruit that abounds to your account.' Paul knew what it was like to have nothing and also, he knew what it was like to abound v11-12. He was content, 'he could do all things through Christ who strengthened him' v13.

Paul trusted God for his needs; he was a part time tent-maker but, because of all his travels, this was not always easy to do. He needed funds, just the same as any Christian worker needs today. He also knew that he could never out give God; when we give to a God directed work, He will always bless us in return but, not always with funds. 

I remember a few years back, I had bought myself a new calfskin leather bible. I loved it and carried it around for the first couple of days as if it was a block of gold. During a service that weekend, God pointed out a man who I had led to Him recently. God said to me, 'Give him your new bible.' I was shocked and refused point blank to do this. For the rest of the service God kept saying the same thing over and again; and then He changed His words, 'Look at  him, the poor chap hasn't got a bible.' That was it, I gave in and gave the man my brand new bible. Since that day, I now have an abundance of bibles - when I give one away, God replaces it quite quickly.

I blessed this man so God blessed me. People blessed Paul and God blessed the people filling up their heavenly account. It is true, we cannot out give God as I have said, and when we realise and accept that it is His money in the first place, as we continue to give, He'll give to us -

'And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus' v19

There's no need to worry about having enough to live on. God is in charge. You just have to learn to trust Him for all you need and also, not be afraid to help someone out, who is less wealthy than yourself.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Praying in Crisis

"Don't worry about anything" v6                                   Philippians 4:6-7   CSB 

God doesn't want us to worry at all. Worry is a killer; it's a killer to faith, a killer to your prayer life and it's a killer to your body. It causes stress, high blood pressure, cancers and heart disease. Don't allow it into your life.

As we can see from our text above, we are told not to worry about anything. Note the word, 'anything'. We are not to worry about anything whether it is a large concern or just a small one. Things will crop up but, we are not to worry about them. Instead, we have a formula written here by the Apostle Paul:

Prayer  Worry is an indication that we need to pray. Tony Evans says, 'The more you worry, the less you pray but, the more you pray, the less you worry.'  Write that down in your bible, it is a good reminder when things are getting bad.

Petition  The petitions we make to God must be realistic, not centred on our usual prayers of the day. They must be in the specific details that you need.

Thanksgiving  Your prayers need to be filled with thanksgiving. Giving thanks is a faith thing - asking, believing, receiving and giving thanks to God for the answer before it has happened and for no matter how long it will take.

When you pray as such, you will receive a peace which:

'surpasses all understanding and will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.'  v7

There will be a calm that wasn't there before, even if there is still unrest and chaos around you. The calmness will confirm God has heard you and He is at work on your behalf.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Don't argue - rejoice. Part 2

Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again, Rejoice"v4   Philippians 4:4-7   CSB 

The difference between joy and secular happiness is with the latter. It depends on what happens in our life. When things are going well in your life, you feel great; but when they are not, when things take a downward spiral, this happiness is very hard to maintain.

Heavenly joy is much more stable. As we know, it is a strength (Nehemiah 8:10) and offers us a firm ground when everything else around us, is sinking. Why is this? Because spiritual joy is built upon the Lord. If we refuse to accept the joy of the Lord and begin complaining and getting involved in dispute, we forget that, 'The Lord is near' v5, and it feels like He is very far away, we also spread this around to others.

When we act like this and feel like God has left us, we know it is a lie from the devil. But it is ourselves who have brought this about. God has not left us and, He never will (Hebrews 13:5).  However we cut ourselves off from the flow of the Holy Spirit - we become out of step with Him. When this happens, and the signs are obvious, repent and get back in fellowship with God by rejoicing. Yes, I know it is hard to rejoice when you have had a grump, but you'll be out of step with Him until you do.

There are times when we have to offer a sacrifice of praise to Jesus (Hebrews 13:15). It is rather like sitting in church when the speaker is giving a call to come to the front. You know that it is for you and you know you should go forward. However, you continue to sit glued to your seat. If you break through this, and walk forward, you receive a blessing. It is the same with rejoicing and praising God when you don't feel like it. As you do, the blessings come and God's arms open towards you. So start rejoicing, again I'll say rejoice

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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