The God of 'No More'

"He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, death will be no more, grief, crying and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed way."  

                                                                                          Revelation 21:4   CSB 

Many of us have suffered from the things mentioned above, and more. What about disappointments, rejection and failure? These have been prominent in most of our lives too. However, when we get to heaven, these will all have passed away. Until then, we have the help and support of the Holy Spirit to allow us to overcome these areas.

We all know that this is not easy; one almost wants Jesus to end the pain and suffering now, not later. We are 'Now' people and find it difficult to cope with what the world throws at us. It can make us ask, 'Why do we have to go through all the pain and suffering when we belong to a loving God? I suppose this can be summed up in the suffering Jesus had to go through. The Father allowed His one and only precious Son to be ransomed for us, so that we could be redeemed - purchased back from our sinful lives, so that our names could be written in the Lamb's Book of Life, as we repented.

Incidentally, Have you considered this fact; one day everyone will have to stand before Jesus to give an account of our lives? Those with their names written in this Book of Life, will have immediate access into heaven because Jesus paid the price of their sin. Those who are not recorded in this Book, will be thrown into the lake of fire Revelation 20:15. This is serious stuff and why we need Jesus so much.

I like what Tony Evans writes concerning this:

'When God writes your name in the Book of Life, He does so in ink - not pencil'

This means, once your name is there, no one can rub it out, it is permanent, God does not change His mind.

No more will you have to suffer, no more will you be ripped off or subject to scams and no more will anyone cheat on you. God has written a cheque in your name and it says, 'Paid in Full'. Until that day, we need to remember that we are Soldiers of the Living God and Jesus is our Commanding Officer. The difference here is, instead of Him remaining in the safety of the bunker, He goes with us, giving us the victory. Whether we live or die, we have the victory - our names are written in the Book. The God of 'No More' says so!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Forget the past - you have a new future!

"Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19 Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?  v18-19    Isaiah 43   NKJV 

God is doing a new thing in your life; did you get that? A new thing is about to happen in your life. New opportunities, new starts, new surroundings, new adventures - everything new!

God was doing this for the Israelites. They had been in captivity in Babylon for 70 years or so. Their prospects had looked pretty bleak with nothing to look forward to. However, God had not deserted them and finally brought them through the wilderness to their homeland and freedom.

Warren Wiersbe writes: 

When God forgives and restores His people, He wants them to forget the failures of the past, witness for Him in the present and claim His promises for the future'  v18-21.

Ask yourself, 'Why should I remember that which God has chosen to forget? v25. It doesn't make sense; if God has forgiven you and chosen to forget about the past, surely it makes sense to do the same and move on; it's a new day. If you insist on re-visiting your past, the devil will begin to convince you that all is not well. He will sow seeds of doubt in your mind and then you will become so confused and you will end up worse than when you started - move on!

I like what Tony Evans writes in his study bible:

'As long as you are attached to your past, you negate what God wants to do in your future. Learn from yesterday; don't live in it'.      Rev Tony Evans Study Bible Holman Publishing

Check out that last bit, 'Learn from yesterday, don't live in it.' Ask yourself if you are living in yesterday. Do an assessment on yourself. Are you still attached to your past? Does it keep cropping up every now and then? If so, do what God is telling you and forget the former things, don't even consider them. They are yesterday's news, live in today. There's life out there and God wants you to flow in it; but if you are still attached to the past, you can't move forward - let go. You are not 'Yesterday's Man or Woman', shed off that label, you are 'Today's Person'. Own it and live it!

There is a new beginning about to explode; grab hold of it. The anointing of the Holy Spirit is about to erupt into an amazing revival; jump on board for this exciting ride.

New things - New beginnings - New lives!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Three Mistakes to Avoid

"Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem, Judah went to dwell in the country of Moab, he and his wife and his two sons." v1                                     Ruth 1    NKJV

This man was called Elimelech with his wife Naomi and two sons, Mahlon and Chilion. Elimelech was concerned that he wouldn't be able to feed all of his family so, instead of trusting and seeking God, he ran away to the country of Moab, a place with a hatred for Israel and dedicated to heathen practice. This was mistake one - unbelief.

We see in scripture, that many people have tried to avoid God's direction and Elimelech was no different. He was a man who walked by sight, not by faith. He was trusting in man, not God and he would learn that this was an unwise thing to do.

Originally, he had meant this to be a temporary measure but the sojourn lasted ten years - a decade of disobedience. After a short time, Elimelech died and his two sons, after marrying two Moabite women, Orpah and Ruth, later died too. There is a lesson here, if we honour the enemy instead of God, we have to reap the consequences of our behaviour. 

Mistake two - the cover up followed, Naomi decided to leave the area and return to Bethlehem, there was no point in staying there any longer. She had heard that the famine was over in her country and she determined to go there - alone. She talked this over with her two daughter's in law, explaining that it would be better for them to return to their family here and the logic of it all. Orpah decided she would do this but Ruth was adamant, she would stay with Naomi until she died. Naomi's plan had been to send the two women to their families and go alone as she didn't wish for people in her homeland to discover that her family had broken the Law of Moses by allowing their two sons to marry outside the covenant nation. If her daughter's in law were not with her, no one would know this. She was trying to cover up this sin.

Mistake three - bitterness, came with Naomi blaming God for all the bad things that had happened to her because of her disobedience.

Three mistakes, Unbelief, Deception and Bitterness. We are all susceptible to these areas; we may get away with them for a time, but we can never hoodwink God. He sees all, knows all and will reveal all, unless we repent. Sometimes possibly in haste, we make bad decisions and we have to live by them. This is why we should always consult with God in the first instance Proverbs 3:5-6. 

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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God wants your attention

"You take no delight in sacrifices or offerings. Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand - you don't require burnt offerings or sin offerings. 7 Then I said, 'Look, I have come.' As it is written about me in Scriptures; 8 'I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart."    Psalm 40:6-8   New Living Translation 

God wasn't interested in David offering sacrifices and offerings; He wanted his heart - his daily presence. Every parent delights in the presence of their children and God, is no different. Yet, many times this is neglected.

We lead busy lives. There is always something to be done, whether it is work, shopping, mowing the lawn or the many meetings we become involved in. Therefore, the one who matters most - Jesus, is left out of the equation and limited to a few moments of prayer, or a glimpse of scripture while we multi-task.

Think for a moment, how does God feel about this? You become upset when you don't see enough of your grown up children, don't you think He feels the same? God gave up His beloved Son Jesus, to that cruel cross. He did it so that we, His beloved children, could have a rock solid future. He gave us everything and yet, we only give Him a few minutes before we dash off into the day. Many days, we don't even give Him this, because we are so busy.

'Well, thank you Lord that You are so faithful. We hurt You quite a lot, but You never give up on us'. This statement needs to be close to our heart because, He is so faithful, but the truth is, we need to give Him much more of our time. He wants our attention. David realised this and said, 'Lord, I have come - I take joy in doing Your will, my God, for Your instructions are written on my heart' v7-8.

Consider what David said here. He was saying, 'Lord, I give You all of me; my life is Yours.' Ponder this and then determine that he is going to have the first part of your day, even if it means getting up earlier. As you commit yourself to a regular daily, quiet time with Jesus, you will find that your days are more planned out; you will accomplish much more and, you will be less stressed out. Make this your daily exercise plan.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Remember all He has done for you

"I waited patiently for the LORD, and He inclined to me and heard my cry. 2 He also brought me up out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay and set my feet upon a rock, and established my steps. 3 He has put a new song in my mouth - Praise to our God; many will see it and fear and will trust in the LORD."            Psalm 40:1-4    NKJV 

We could almost stop here and just meditate on these words. When you think back, God has done so much for you; He has lifted you out of the horrible pit and the miry clay. What does this mean? It means, all of that time when you were in turmoil, troubled and full of heartache. It may have been grief, marital problems, rejection and much more. Whatever, they were difficult times and you may have felt at the time, that you wouldn't make it - but you did, and it was God who did it for you!

Can you remember that you called out to Him, asking for help? The answer may have been quick, but then again, you may have had to wait a while, exercising patience; but you got there and He lifted you out of the mess. In fact, He heard your voice and turned to you (inclined); He then set your feet upon a rock. Who do you think that rock was? It was Jesus Himself. God rescued you from the hurt and pain, the disappointments and the 'let downs' and set you upon the greatest friend a person could ever have - Jesus!

Jesus bathed your wounds, cleaned you up and dressed you in the Armour of God, so that you would look just like Him. He then set you upon a new road - He established your steps and turned you into a brand new person, as you accepted Him as your Lord. You are not who you used to be; you died with Christ that day and you began to live for Him Galatians 2:20. You are a new man, woman and soldier of the Living God. He has given you a new skip in your step, a new song in your mouth and a new beat in your heart.

People who remember you from the past, now look at you and wonder, 'What happened?' They remember your old life but, Jesus doesn't and neither should you because, it is under the blood, forgiven and you were given a brand new start. People often wish that they could start again - they can, tell them so!

But today, just reflect on all that God has done for you. Let the praises begin v3. Whether you realise it or not, the day you accepted Jesus, your life began. You have so much to be grateful for!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Are you Dead to Reaction?

"I am like a deaf person, I do not hear. I am like a speechless person who does not open his mouth. 14 I am like a man who does not hear and has no arguments in his mouth."

                                                                                    Psalm 38:13-14.  CSB

Do you react negatively to something? Test yourself and imagine you have been waiting for ages in a car park for a space. One becomes vacant but, before you can negotiate into the much hoped for space, another driver races into it. What would be your reaction?

(1)  Would you, give the driver a piece of your mind and then to your peril, find out he is an SAS veteran?

(2)  Would you use expletives and later find yourself standing next to this person in the shopping queue?

(3)  Or would you block the person in by parking behind their car?

None of these are recommended and you may find the person standing beside you in church on the following Sunday. 'Oh No!"

Look at our text today, David did not react by shouting his mouth off. He said he was like a man who is speechless - he had no argument in his mouth. He was dead to reaction. When something is dead, no matter how hard you try, it cannot be revived. Take for instance a dead battery. Once the energy has gone from the battery, it needs charging; it is relatively useless without this.

David demonstrated the art of being dead to reactions. He didn't want to hear the negative things people said about him - how he didn't measure up as a king. He refused to hear and take it on board. He also refused to allow his mouth to speak a bad word; he was in control, not his mouth. He also refused to get involved in arguments.

There is always someone around who has a gripe about you. It goes with the territory. They may slander you, pushing you to respond. They are after an argument - don't give them one! It takes sheer will-power and self control to refuse to react negatively; but look at Jesus, He is your role model. He didn't react negatively at all, in fact, at times He never opened His mouth.

Just imagine the negative energy that you are burning up by your reactions. Words are spoken that you cannot take back and friendships are lost just to name two. Don't do it! Learn to be Dead to Reaction. You'll have a happier life this way.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Dry Bones

"Dry bones, hear the Word of the God." v4.                  Ezekiei 37:1-14   CSB 

Yesterday we looked at having Fire in your Bones. Today, let us build upon this with this dry bone situation.

To do most things, you need life to make it work Ezekiel had obeyed God's direction and prophesied to the dry bones that they would come together; and they did. However, there was no life within them. God then told him to prophesy that breath would enter the bones and it happened; they came to life and stood there, a vast army v10.

The bones had been brittle, lifeless and rather like an old leather bag that was cracked and dry. When such a bag is treated, it could be made supple again and ready for a new life. Like this bag, we too need this special treatment, this special ingredient which is revival. This is what happened to the dry bones.

Note in verse 11 that the bones were dry and said, 'Our bones are dried up, our hope is perished and we are cut off.' But God said to these bones, 'I will put My Spirit in you and you will live v14'. God used a special formula; at creation, He spoke, 'Let there be light and there was light' Genesis 1:2-3, and here God tells Ezekiel to speak directly to the bones. Elsewhere, we find Jesus speaking directly to situations such as the wind and the waves. In Mark 11:22-24, Jesus tells His disciples the benefits of speaking to the mountain. 

God's remedy is Word and Spirit = Life. As we speak God's Word, the breath of the Holy Spirit changes situations. It is the precursor to Spiritual Revival. But if one of these ingredients are missing, no living experience of His reality will be in our midst. We need to speak the Word of God by speaking to whatever bad situation we encounter and let the breath of His Spirit do the rest. 

Do you feel dry-boned? Cut off with your hopes perished? Have you been baptised in the Holy Spirit and speak in tongues? You need this baptism of fire to be able to flow in His power and to perform all He has for you to do. You may have Fire in your Bones, but now, Jesus offers  dynamite too. Why not say this prayer and get ready for Spiritual Revival:

Dear Lord Jesus, please send the power of Your Holy Spirit upon me. Baptise me in Your Spirit Lord, allowing me to have access to speaking in tongues and to Your Spiritual gifts. Lord, I need these to be able to perform my ministry for You, powerfully. Lord, I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

NOW GET READY FOR YOUR REVIVAL! 

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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