Taking the right path

"A person's steps are established by the LORD, and he takes pleasure in His way."  

                                                                                                        Psalm 37:23  CSB 

If you've asked Jesus to be your Lord, then He has the right to be your guide in all you do. He won't force you however, but He does have a way of putting things in your way that you simply can't miss.

In guiding us, God uses de-tours to takes us from here to there - wherever He wants us to be. The de-tours are not because He changes His mind, but because, we can be so unpredictable - one day we're going here and doing that and then, the next we've changed our minds or are being stubborn. Isn't this a little like the Israelites in the desert? They only had a short journey to go and yet, it took them 40 years - incredible!

I believe that God is like a Chess Master and plans the way forward. He knows the wrong ways and the right ways, making allowance for our weaknesses. He knows what we will do and if it is not the right decision, He puts into action the de-tour. I remember nearly forty years ago that we were wondering where God wanted us to worship and we were getting nowhere. We went on a short break to North Devon and on the Sunday, as we were walking by the Pavilion bar, we could hear Christian worship. We decided to investigate and discovered a church meeting taking place there. After the service, a chap informed us that a similar church was planned for South Dorset. We returned home and decided that we would look round for this church. At first, no one knew anything about it and then, we met a Christian friend who told us that the church was meeting on a Thursday night in West Dorset. We attended and eventually, the church moved to the planned place in South Dorset. It was rather a long-winded journey but we finally found what we were looking for, and we became founding members of this church.

God will make de-tours and lead us wherever He chooses. It is exciting when this happens. Don't ever lose this excitement, it is the joy of the Lord - His strength, and it keeps us forging a way forward. When you are in step with Jesus, He gives you a 'buzz' that can be found nowhere else. Keep in step with Him and if you trip up, He will pick you back up.

Is God taking you a step nearer to where He wants you to be? Is He showing you what He wants you to do? If you've asked Him to guide you, you can hardly say 'no' can you?

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Don't be like the Fig Tree

"The next day when they went out from Bethany, He was hungry. 13 Seeing in the distance a fig tree with leaves. He went to find out if there was anything on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, 'May no one ever eat from you again."

                                                              Mark 11:12-14   Christian Standard Bible

At first, it can seem quite harsh for Jesus to curse this fig tree, after all, it wasn't the season for figs. However, the tree was giving the appearance that it had fruit because of the leaves. Fruit and leaves on a fig tree, grow together. This was a false display and Jesus was making a point.

This false outward appearance could also be found in the religious leaders of the day. Outwardly they were godly but, inwardly they were corrupt. Their lack of faith made them also barren, producing no fruit for God. Sadly, it can be the same today; many people attend church each week, sing, praise and listen to the sermon, giving the occasional Amen, but sadly there is no fruit for the rest of the week; they get on with their worldly lives.

This is very similar to what King David wrote in Psalm 37:35-36 'I have seen a wicked, violent person, well-rooted like a flourishing native tree. 36 Then I passed by and noticed he was gone. I searched for him but, he could not be found.' 

When Jesus dwells within someone, it shows. There still may be some rough edges but basically, the heart has been changed because Jesus has taken up residence there. Having the biggest bible one can find and reading it from cover to cover, will not make someone a Christian. Only Jesus can do this via salvation. Don't fall into the category of the fig tree, giving off a false Christian front. It doesn't matter what denomination you belong to or, how many times you have taken communion, only Jesus, within you, can produce living fruit. Once on a Street Evangelism exercise, I asked a person if they were a Christian. The answer I received was, he had been a Methodist for 30 years, surely this made him a Christian. He didn't like my answer.

One day, and it could be sooner rather than later because of the state of the world, we will all have to appear before Jesus and give Him an account of our lives. It will be too late to change your mind then and, no amount of pleading with Jesus will influence His decision. We will either enter the Kingdom of God or spend eternity in the clutches of the devil and his angels in hell. It's all in the bible, we will have no excuse. Do you need to make a decision?

'Lord Jesus, I ask you to forgive my sins and be my Lord and Saviour. I give you all I have - my whole life; please come and live in my heart and bless me with Your Holy Spirit. Amen'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Be Daddy Cool

"Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him."    Psalm 37:7    NKJV 

Stop getting yourself in a state - be 'Daddy Cool'. What is the point of getting yourself all wound up; will it solve anything? More than likely, it will just make matters worse. In verse 8, David says, 'Cease from anger and forsake wrath.' If you don't, you may get yourself to the point of frustration and then, 'POW' - Pandemonium.

Incidentally, how is your patience? Test yourself right now, how would you feel when you have waited at four sets of traffic lights, been behind a JCB for 20 or so minutes and then ended up in the traffic jam to beat all traffic jams? You're late for the school run; for work and then you realise it is Saturday, not a school or work day. It may sound a little exaggerated but it can happen, believe you me. The thing is, what would be in your thoughts; how would you react? With patience and praising God or grumbling all the way home. Be honest!

The answer to all of this is that you need to be 'Daddy Cool'. In verse 7 of the NKJV, it reads, 'Rest in the LORD and wait patiently for Him.' The CSB interprets it this way, 'Be silent before the LORD and wait expectantly for Him.' It's a subtle play on words but means the same. It is always best to be silent before God when things are not going your way. He doesn't need your protests. He is teaching each one of us to 'wait expectantly', for Him to work. What is the point of waiting if nothing is going to happen - none?

With everything that has been going on, don't you think you could do with something good happening? Well, that is down to you; learn to rest in God - be 'Daddy Cool' and learn to be silent instead of grumbling.

But above all, wait expectantly! He cares and wants to bless you, but you cannot rush God no matter how hard you try. Therefore, as Frank Sinatra sang (Who?) 'Nice n" Easy does it every time'. He really meant to sing, 'Be Daddy Cool'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Give it to God

"Commit your way to the LORD, trust also in Him."     Psalm 37:5    NKJV 

You may be weighed down with worry at the moment; the present climate doesn't help - firstly the Pandemic which is ongoing and now, rising costs of living that are being inflicted upon us all. We're told not to worry but, it can be difficult not to at the moment. However, Jesus reinforces His words, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you'  (Matthew 6:33). The Greek word 'to worry', is translated 'to be drawn in different directions.' Therefore, worry pulls us apart.

Let us look at what Jesus said here, 'Seek first'. This is so significant, When you have worries and problems, where do you go first of all? If it is to your family, friends or even your bank manager, you are putting God in second place; because when all of this fails, you then turn to God for help. If this is you, you are not putting God first in your life. If you want success, put Him first above all else.

This is the main point of the word, 'Commit'; it means to 'roll', the idea being we roll our burdens over to Jesus, this is seeking first the kingdom of God. 1 Peter 5:7 says something similar, 'Casting all your care upon Him for he cares for you.' Did you get that last bit? 'He cares for you.' The word 'care' here, can be split into two different meanings:

(1)   Firstly, His care means that He loves you beyond words and He really doesn't like you being worried, anxious or fearful. Worry, anxiety and fear are enemies to your health, they give you sleepless nights, depression, cancers, heart problems and a host of other negative things. This is why Jesus doesn't want you being fearful; He cares

(2)   Secondly, His care is just that - He wants to take care of you and provide all you need and more. He is your carer and He us there 24 hours of each day, He is never off shift. He sees a potential worry coming your way and longs for you to 'roll' it over to Him. 

As you fully commit everything to the greatest carer the world has ever known, you will be enriched with all you've ever needed or wanted.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Do you want to be blessed? Then keep your heart right!

"Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires" 

                                                                                                Psalm 37:1-4   CSB 

We can tend to become agitated and envious because other people have more than we do, or appear to be more successful, it can be easy to feel bad about them. However, just because some people seem to prosper more than we do, does not give us the right to be envious at all. Their success may be down to the choices they have made. They could have had the breaks that others didn't have or they have have been born into higher living. Alternatively, their lives may be financed by corrupt dealings or they may have run up their credit cards just to fit into the bracket. Then again, their lifestyle may be just through sheer hard work, studying and being there at the right moment. 

Being envious will get us nowhere, especially with God. Are you open to the fact that He may have put some opportunity in your direction and you dismissed it because of fear of leaving your comfort zone. Some people take the risk and it pays off. To never do this, leaves you just where you are. If this is you, repent and God will give you other opportunities. Don't allow agitation to take you over just because someone is more successful than you are. Just get on with what God has given you and be grateful. Continue to do a good job and mow your own garden.

We never know what the , 'so called successful people' are going through. One things for sure if they haven't got Jesus in their lives, then no amount of money, cars or bricks and mortar, are going to qualify them for heaven. Pray for them rather than being envious.

If we fully trust in the Lord and enjoy each day with Him, then He is delighted; and as we delight ourselves in Him, He will bless us. Chris Evans, in his commentary to The Christian Standard Bible, writes: 'You can expect God's movement in your life, when your thinking and desires match His. He desires to bless you more than you want to be blessed'.

God will give us what we need, that is a fact. However, He wants to bless us further:

'Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us'  Ephesians 3:20.

Note the words, 'the power that works within us'. This power is Jesus and as we delight ourselves in Him, He will bless us beyond our imagination. We will not have to worry about rising costs or inflation. Jesus is very rich, therefore delight in Him.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Pay attention - Final part

"Ponder the path of your feet, and let all your ways be established."    

                                                                                        Proverbs 4:25-27   NKJV 

We have to get on the right path to be able to walk with Jesus. To do this, we need to, 'pay attention' and carefully consider the way forward. Abraham knew this; he was a friend of God and walked with Him daily, even though he did make a few mistakes. On the other hand, Lot became a friend of the world and walked by sight. He only wanted what he could see. Lot was happy to settle for second best, not trusting God (2 Corinthians 5:7). Abraham, on the other hand, was a man of faith and when God told him the way, he believed, 'being fully convinced that what He had promised, He was able to perform (Romans 4:21).

We can either look at worthless things or look at Jesus, 'looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12:2). Lot looked at the things that were seen but Abraham at the things that are not seen. Abraham knew the things that he could see were only temporary, but the things he couldn't see, were eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). He was a man of faith and, therefore, walked by it. In other words, he paid attention to what God told him.

When God sends you on a path, don't deviate from it. It may not seem the right way to you, but God knows the perfect way to go. If He tells you to go, 'this way', then go, 'this way'. Often when we obey God, we can be filled with doubt, our thought life can have a hey day and then, the devil can chip in his worthless comments too. But if you trust God, stay on the path!

Remember the words:

'Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding,

In all your ways, acknowledge Him and He shall direct your paths.

                      Proverbs 3:5-6   NKJV

Stay on the path that God has given you, no matter how hard it may be. Keep your eyes looking straight ahead and, don't be tempted to take an easier route. There are many tricksters around and, the devil is the biggest. Watch the temptation - Pay attention to all that God tells you. Whatever God's leading you to you may be almost there - just around the corner. Don't give up now.

Keep trusting in God, 'pay attention' and look ahead, because it is a bright future. Something new and wonderful is about to happen! 

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Pay attention. Part 4

"Don't let your mouth speak dishonestly, and don't let your lips talk deviously"        

                                                                                              Proverbs 4:24   CSB 

We saw yesterday how we should be careful about what comes out of our mouths when we speak. Let us build upon this important area. To be dishonest with our words, we begin to lie, and dishonesty and lies = deceit. This is why Solomon tells us not to allow our lips to speak deviously. When we are devious, we become insincere and avoid the truth; we are also prone to mislead people.

It's the same with perversity. Paul tells us in Ephesians 4:29, 'No foul language should come from your mouth, but only what is good for building up someone in need, so that it gives grace to those who hear.' Have you ever stopped to think that when we speak bad language and are involved in course joking, we are listening to ourselves as we speak? It doesn't impart grace upon us, that's for sure. Also, other people listening, what do they think about what we say? They probably know about our faith, so don't you think they may consider, 'I thought they were Christians'. Don't for one moment believe the devil's lies that when we act in such a way, we are just showing them that Christian's can be normal. We are above normal because we belong to Jesus and are His ambassadors. Do you realise that when we talk in this way, the Holy Spirit becomes so sad?

We need to have sound speech that cannot be condemned. Titus 2:8 says, 'You message is to be sound beyond reproach, so that any opponent will be ashamed because he doesn't have anything bad to say about us.' Again in Colossians 4:6, 'Let your speech always be gracious, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how you should answer each person.'

Please do not think that you are a hopeless case. We are all in the same mould and in constant training to win the race. We all say and think the wrong things at times, Jesus knows this. But we have to keep pressing on, never giving up the fight. This is where determination comes in and takes centre stage. We all need a heavy dose of this to be able to get through the trip flares and traps that come our way; we also need to have determination to be able to be in control. Let us ask God to bless us with a massive dose of determination so that we can succeed in our walk.

Lord Jesus, we try so hard to live the Christian life but, at times it's like the harder we try, the less success we have. Please fill us with the determination to overcome the barriers that come our way. Holy Spirit please come. In Jesus' Name. Amen 

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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