Let Your fire burn within me

"Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and make me willing to obey You."  

                                                                                                     Psalm 51:12  NLT 

We have times that we feel we have nothing left to give, we are exhausted and need a re-fill of God's Spirit. If you feel this way, perhaps you have been doing too much in your own strength. Don't forget Jesus said, 'without Me you can do nothing' John 15:5. Everything you do in your own strength doesn't carry the anointing that it does when in the strength of Jesus (2 Corinthians 12:9). Subsequently, we run out of steam and the joy fades.

Don't worry, we all do it from time to time. It comes from a desire to do everything right, almost to perfection. Someone once said that the root of perfectionism, is the fear of failure. The perfectionist attempts to do everything right; to have everything in place - rather like OCD - Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. They go to great lengths to avoid judgement and criticism because they are so scared of failing. The problem is, they can never meet the full potential of perfectionism and, are candidates for burnout.

Avoid this at all costs. You can do all things, as long as you do it in God's strength (Philippians 4:13). Doing things in His strength, takes the pressure away and opens the way to joy - the joy of the Lord which He offers in Nehemiah 8:10. This way opens up the joy of God's salvation - that wonderful feeling you had when you first became a Christian.

Psalm 92:10 says, 'But my horn, You have exalted like a wild ox; I have been anointed with fresh oil.' The word 'horn' is defined as strength and notice God can exalt this strength to the likeness of a wild ox. That is some strength. It is reinforced by the fresh anointing of the Holy Spirit, which in turn means you have been reignited with the fire of God.

Stop trying to be perfect, you'll never make it on your own. Anyway, God already thinks that you are perfect and that, is all that matters. Just ask God to reignite you in His Spirit according to Psalm 92:10. The fire will come!

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If you don't know what to do - don't do anything

"For we have no power against this multitude that is coming against us, nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" v12       2 Chronicles 20   NKJV

Jehoshaphat was in a fearful position; armies were coming against him and his people and he didn't have the power to be able to defend and fight back. He just didn't know what to do, therefore, he did what we all should do, he called on the Lord 'Call to Me and I will answer and show you great and mighty things which you do not know' Jeremiah 33:3. 

Quite often, we can find ourselves in situations where we don't know what we should do. This can be a crucial time and one we have to approach with caution. We need to 'Wait on the LORD' Psalm 27:14. We should never be hasty rushing into something blind because it can have a devastating effect. Lots of people have rushed into making decisions only to find it was the wrong one and the result has been very costly.

Take a look at how Jehoshaphat handled a 'I don't know what to do' situation. He:

Prayed  

He called on God to show him what to do and what course of action to take.

Received a Word from God  

Jahaziel, one of his men, had a word from God with directions of the route that they should take. He accepted the word as from the Lord.

Bowed his head in prayer and worship  

Jehoshaphat and all the people bowed in prayer and praise to Almighty God for His direction.

Acted on God's Word  

Jehoshaphat put into practice what God had ordained.

Received victory from God  

Jehoshaphat didn't act in haste, he waited on God and thus, received the victory.

Never be tempted to make your own decision of the way forward. God wants us to wait and trust in Him, no matter how long it may take. We should never be manipulated to move forward when we haven't received the direction. Wait on God and don't do anything until he says so!

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If you don't know what to say - say nothing!

"Too much talk leads to sin. Be sensible and keep your mouth shut"   

                                                                                  Proverbs 10:19    NLT

Ecclesiastes 3:7 says there's, 'A time to keep silence and a time to speak.' This is a wisdom-packed word from God. We need to watch what we say or, we can end up in hot water. The Criminal Justice System, allows a suspect being questioned by police, to say, 'No Comment' to a particular question. The solicitor defending, knows that the suspect may say something that would go against their case if taken to court. This obviously prevents the police receiving an answer and they proceed with the interview. However, the suspect knows that it could harm their case as the jury could think that they have something to hide. At times, this method can help the suspect because, if they were to answer, they could say something that will entrap them later.

Our words are very powerful and there can be wisdom in remaining silent. We too, could open a can of worms by saying the wrong things when in a conversation. A glance at how Jesus handled His accusers concerning the woman caught in adultery, gives us a good example how to act (John 8:1-12). In verse 5, wanting to test and accuse Jesus, the Scribes and the Pharisees asked Him for His opinion of whether she should be stoned as Moses had commanded in the Law, or not. Jesus remained quiet for a few moments and then gave them a more, convicting answer, 'He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.' This cleared the place.

We too can be forced into a similar situation and if not careful, can blow our whole witness by not remaining quiet. Once we retaliate to someone's accusations, we can be entering the devil's territory. We can end up saying things that will cost us at a later date. It is far better to have control over yourself.

Be honest, how many times have you been drawn into some volatile conversations and ended up with egg on your face. When this happens, fingers point, there may be no words said about it to your face but, behind your back the jungle drums begin to sound and you walk around with a heavy load of shame. Shall I put my hand up first?

Isn't it better to train yourself to keep quiet; to consider the situation and decide if it is worth becoming involved? You know it makes sense.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Gratitude

"Oh, Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever."   

                                                                                        Psalm 136:1   NKJV 

Think back to that time when everything seemed against you. No one seemed to care or even realise that you were there; they were so wrapped up in their own problems. Just before you felt you could take no more, He was there - Jesus Christ, to rescue you.

We have so much to thank Him for; you may not be in good health but you still have life and, while you have, Jesus has the time to heal you. You may not have a lot of wealth but, He looks after you; feeds, clothes and takes care of you. You may let Him down most days but, He forgives you and treats it like it never happened.

Where else could you find such love and faithfulness? The answer is you can't; it is only available through Jesus. You see, the world is false, it will tempt you and lead you into everything that you need to avoid. Once you are there and addicted by this world, the devil has a hold on you. He will tempt you with your weaknesses. When you succumb to this, you are hooked into a double life. You will spend a lot of time hoping you will never be found out but, you are already because Jesus knows about it. What can you do? Call on Jesus and repent, He loves to forgive and rescue you from these habits.

You are a special person, a person Jesus calls you His friend (John 15:14-15). Look at yourself in the mirror and say to your reflection, 'Jesus is my friend.' Once you've done this, say 'And I am Jesus' friend.' Then start praising and thanking Him for this and all He has done for you and, will do in the future. Keep speaking this way, in a loud voice; one thing that you can be certain of, Satan will be nowhere around, he can't stand this type of thing. 

Think about that last sentence, Satan can't stand praise and thanksgiving, so do it more and more; it's the one time you can be sure he is not creeping around ready to pounce. This is a way of thanking God and keeping the devil at bay. Speak in tongues and you'll really do his head in.

Just keep on thanking and praising God.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Determination

"But as for you, be strong; don't give up, for your work has a reward." v7   

                                                                                   2 Chronicles 15:1-7   CSB 

The Spirit of the LORD came upon Azariah, son of Oded. So he went out to meet Asa and all Judah and Benjamin. He told them, 'The LORD is with you when you are with Him. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you abandon Him, He will abandon you ' v2. For years, Israel had been without a true God, teaching priests and were left without instruction. But here, God was telling them that if they were determined, God would reward them. There are some very wise words to consider here for all of us!

To have a successful relationship with God, we must be determined to make it work. This is not a game, but one of life and God wants to flood you with it. The definition of 'determined' is to have a 'fixed intention'. When we have this applied to our walk with Jesus, we will be blessed and successful. But it takes determination, in fact, all we have got but it is worth it.

Thomas Edison is classed as one of the most prolific inventors of our lifetime. We tend to think that he invented the light bulb, but he didn't. This was invented before Edison had the chance to achieve it. However, he is famous for perfecting it giving us the light we have today. He did though, have many failures but he didn't see it that way. As an inventor, Edison made 1000 unsuccessful attempts to invent the light bulb. When a reporter asked him, 'How did it feel to fail 1000 times?' Edison replied, 'I didn't fail 1000 times; the light bulb was an invention with 1000 steps.'

His determination was second to none, he never gave up, determined that he would succeed. People who knew him were critical, in fact a past teacher said he was, 'too stupid to learn anything.' Edison was also fired from his first two jobs for being, 'non-productive'. And yet, this man's determination brought him success in the end. He is famous for saying, 'When you have exhausted all possibilities, remember you haven't.'

                                                      Info on Edison sourced from ElitesBrand.com

You are not a failure; it just hasn't happened for you yet. Don't give up - ever; be determined and go ahead, ensuring God is in your dreams. He will then make you successful.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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God did it for you but there is more!

"Know that the LORD, He is God; it is He who made us and not we ourselves."  

                                                                                 Psalm 100:3  NKJV 

Many people are successful and reach great heights in their profession. One thing we hear quite often is, 'He's a self-made man', or 'Hard work always pays off, he worked hard for what he has now.' These statements may be true in one sense. Hard work and dedication can lead to a successful career and lifestyle. However, at the end of the day, it is God who made this happen.

Today's reading clearly informs us, that it is God who made (created) us, we didn't do it. God created the earth and us to, without this, we would never have existed. But there is more. It was God who helped you to study and cope with essays and exams and He was there for every word that you wrote. It was God who wiped away the tears when you couldn't cope with life and everything seemed to be against you. It was God who helped you through that broken marriage and healed the hurt that this caused. It is God who is helping you cope with the loss of a precious person, someone who has left a deep and painful void in your life. 

It is God who has and will get you through all of this, and when you stop and look around, it is God who has made you what you are today. You may not be wealthy or healthy; you may have to work hard to make ends meet but, stop for a moment, there are many more people worse off than you are at this moment. In war-torn places in the world today, some people have lost everything - everything that is, except their faith. They can and still do praise God and the God who made them, will turn their tears back into joy and this will be in the time we live in now.

It is the same for you too. God made you what you are today and He hasn't finished yet; there is much more - the best is yet to come. Just praise and thank Him for what He has given you today, He made you what you are and He is still moulding you until He is satisfied. Thank Him and be grateful for all that you have. He loves you!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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