What do you need to give up?

"Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, sinners and purify your hearts you double-minded."                                                                      James 4:7-8  CSB 

You can do this! There are things in your life that you know you have to give up. You may think it's impossible to do so, but it's not, God has provided the way. Before Jesus came, there was a great chasm between man and God. It was impossible to reach Him. But God sent Jesus to bridge that gap and when James says, 'Draw near to God, and He will draw near to you', he is actually saying, 'Come, the way to Me is open, come on through'. God wouldn't call you if there wasn't a way.

Doing this, is called, 'Surrender'. E. Stanley-Jones wrote, 'Surrender to Christ or you surrender to chaos.' Think about that chaos for a moment. The devil causes confusion; some days he causes so much chaos in your life that you don't know what to do. Would Jesus cause you chaos? No, I don't think He would, so straightaway, you know who the culprit is - Satan. Therefore, surrender is essential for peace of mind and survival.

Be honest and ask yourself, what is preventing you from drawing near to God and remaining there? What do you need to surrender to Him? Psalm 37:4 says, 'Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires.' Commenting on this verse, Jesse Duplantis said, 'Your greatest weakness will stop your greatest desire'. You can see that perhaps your weakness in a particular  area, is choking the greatest desire of your life. God wants to bless you but, there may be a need to surrender to Your friend Jesus, who is longing to bless you.

Imagine being in a dark tunnel. Jesus wants you to be the light in that tunnel. He longs for you to fill the darkness around you with His light. To do this, you need to draw near to Him and allow Him to draw near to you. You can do this

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Be careful what you look at

"Open my eyes so that I may contemplate wondrous things from Your instruction"   

                                                                                        Psalm 119:18  CSB 

We must be careful what we focus on because our eyes have an appetite for viewing what they shouldn't. Eyes that focus on the things of the world will never see the wondrous things of God. This is why Job said in Job 31:1 'I have made a covenant with my eyes; why then should I look upon a young woman?' Lust is the first step to sin and sin is the first step to death James 1:13-16. Looking at an attractive person is one matter but it is dangerous to look with lust in the heart. Sin in the mind is not as destructive as the act in the flesh but it is the first step; and we will be judged for both.

We need to submit to God and have our eyes opened to the things of the Lord. The Psalmist writes in 119:37, 'Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your way.' This is the first step to having God opening your eyes. As Saul was walking along the Damascus Road on his way to bring persecution and hurt upon Christians there, God intervened and struck him blind for 3 days or so. 'Then Saul arose from the ground and when his eyes were opened, he saw no one' Acts 9:8. After the 3 days, God directed Ananias to go and lay hands upon him and Saul's eyes were restored Acts 9:18. 'Immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales and he received his sight.' From thereon, Saul became Paul and his life was completely changed.

God wants to lead each one of us into a new level of living. He wants us to walk in the spiritual by having our eyes opened. We can read the bible all day and never receive the full meaning but when the Holy Spirit is upon us, our eyes see into the spiritual. It is a matter of being determined to turn away from looking at worthless things and having God revive you 119:37.

If you want to have your eyes opened spiritually, say this prayer:

'Lord Jesus, please help me to turn away from looking at worthless things and revive me in Your way. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Rejoice in this day

"This is the day the LORD has made, let's rejoice and be glad in it."   

                                                                                         Psalm 118:24   CSB

There are two ways that we can view this verse: 

(1)  It is a prophetic word

(2)  It is a word directly from God that shows how we should live each day

Firstly, let's look at what David Guzik has to say about the prophetic parts of this verse:

"When Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22 (in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, and Luke 20:17), He did so in response to the praise and hosannas given to Him at what is commonly called the triumphal entry. Since this psalm is prophetically connected with that event, the day mentioned here can be prophetically understood as the day Jesus formally entered Jerusalem as Messiah and King.

i. It is true in a general sense that the LORD makes every day, and there is reason to rejoice and be glad in every day. Yet specifically, the day the LORD made to rejoice and be glad in was the day Jesus entered Jerusalem with hosannas welcoming Him as Israel’s Savior. If on that day human voices failed to rejoice and be glad, Jesus said that the very stones would cry out their praises and hosannas (Luke 19:40).
ii. There is also reason to believe, based on the chronology of Sir Robert Anderson, that the particular day of the triumphal entry was prophesied in Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9:24-26). Anderson’s chronology is controversial and rejected by some, but as John Walvoord noted, “No one today is able dogmatically to declare that Sir Robert Anderson’s computations are impossible.”        Enduring Word Bible Commentary by David Guzik

This commentary gives us an in depth explanation of this verse and the true reason why each of us should be grateful that Jesus gave Himself for us.

Secondly, God speaks directly to each of us about how we should react on a daily basis towards God and each day we wake up. This day cannot be classed as yesterday or tomorrow, it is firmly discussing today and the choices we have to live through it. We have a choice to make each day of our lives. Some days can be good and some, not so good but, we have a choice to make about how we approach each day. We can often hear:

'It's a horrible day, I'll be glad when it's over.' You may have made this comment quite a few times. But let us take a look at the verse again, 'This is the day the LORD has made, let's rejoice and be glad in it.' When we say such things are we not disagreeing with God? Are we being ungrateful for another day of our lives, a day many wish they could take part in? 

Perhaps we need to look within ourselves and think what it would be like if God didn't give us another day to live. Days can be difficult to negotiate but it's the same for everyone - good and not so good days. However, we do have a choice to be grateful to God for giving us this day and then praising Him for it. Is that too much to ask?

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Can people see that you have been with Jesus?

"When they observed the boldness of Peter and John and realised that they were uneducated and untrained men, they were amazed and recognised that they had been with Jesus."                                                                      Acts 4:5-22 CSB

What a wonderful testimony that the people could see that Peter and John had been with Jesus. May that be our goal, all the time.

For a moment, let us look back to where this had all started. The Holy Spirit had come upon them all with tongues of fire, at Pentecost (Acts 2). Then Peter the rock, full of the power of God had preached to the crowd and around 3000 people were converted to Jesus. Then in Acts 3, we see Peter and John going up to the temple for the hour of prayer. As they did, they passed a lame man begging for money. Peter told him they had no funds but what they did have was the power of Jesus. The man was healed and the crowd were stirred up. Around a further 2000 were saved that morning and, the leaders of the temple became agitated.

Following Peter and John's arrest, they appeared in court but, despite the warning of the leaders, Peter would not back down and even gave them the gospel. This made a great impact on the leaders and they are impressed because they were uneducated and untrained men and yet it was obvious that they had been with Jesus. The proof was there.

It is important to have a grounding in the Word of God but, that doesn't mean that everyone who is called should attend bible college. It is great to do this if, God is indicating that one should do so. However, it must be said, there are many thriving church ministries throughout the world which men and women have started without this formal training. There are many routes to studying for ministry and this includes, distant learning and personal bible study. God will show what he wants an individual to do.

Peter and John were threatened. They were strictly warned not to speak or teach about Jesus. Peter told them straight, 'Whether it's right in the sight of God for us to listen to you rather than to God, you decide, 20 for we are unable to stop speaking about what we have seen and heard' v19-20.

If God has called you, go for it and never allow anyone to stop you from doing God's work or speaking about Him. We saw yesterday, that we are all susceptible to persecution and it will only get worse as time goes on. Look around at what is happening today; the world needs Jesus. In your part of our world, you have the ability to share His Word and love. Don't let people stop you. Let them see Jesus! 

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Are you prepared to take the flak?

"While they were speaking to the people , the priests, the captain of the temple police and the Sadducees confronted them 2 because they were annoyed that they were teaching the people and proclaiming in Jesus, the resurrection of the dead."  

                                                                                                         Acts 4:1-5   CSB 

Wherever you go and talk about Jesus, you will come up against flak. Whether you are preaching, teaching or just chatting to friends, family or work colleagues, you will come under fire. You may even become unpopular and in extreme circumstances, be asked to leave or be quiet.

The name of Jesus stirs people up. Strangely enough, they can tolerate speaking about God - everyone knows of Him. However, Jesus is too personal. People may say, 'Isn't he a baby who we talk about at Christmas?' Others may say, 'Isn't He dead?' Many cannot comprehend that He is actually God.

Jesus is the Word. 'In the beginning was the word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God' John 1:1. And yet we read in John 1:11, 'He came to His own and His own people did not receive Him.' The priests, the temple police and the Sadducees came and arrested Peter and John because they were preaching about Jesus and the resurrection; and even though some 5000 people had accepted Jesus, they didn't care. It was blasphemous to them. The Sadducees didn't even believe in the resurrection from the dead, (this is why they were 'sad - u - see. Sorry).

This was the beginning of the persecution. Jesus received it, Peter and John received it and so will you, if you talk about Jesus in certain quarters. But let me say, there is no stopping God when Jesus is glorified.

The thing is, are you prepared to receive the flak? Are you? Christians have lost their jobs and their homes and families for doing this. In some countries, they have suffered beatings and imprisonment. Some have been tortured and killed. It's true and it is happening today. Are you prepared to bite the bullet? It's ok going to church each week but it is a different thing to make a stand for Jesus against all of the immorality and corruption in our world today. Are you prepared to take the flak?

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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What's it got to do with you?

"If I want him to remain until I come", Jesus answered, "what is that to you?" v22  

                                                                                           John 21:20-25  CSB

Straight talking from Jesus will always follow unwholesome behaviour and talk. Here, after being restored, Peter the rock, reverts to his pebble ego and starts asking, 'Lord, who is the one that's going to betray you?' And then looking around and seeing John following them, 'Lord, what about him?'

Jesus loves us very much but, He will have no favourites by giving them information about someone else that could lead to the promotion of rumours. This is why Jesus said, 'If I want him to remain until I come - what is that to you?' In other words, 'this doesn't concern you, so don't go there; just follow Me and do what I have told you. I may have something different for John to do.' 

Gossip, false accusations and telling tales are not for the person of God. Over the years, they have split churches and ruined ministries. They are always detrimental to church life. Gossip is so easily received as the truth and once ignited, spreads everywhere, and this is why Jesus didn't discuss anything about John. Check out v23, 'So this rumour spread to the brothers and sisters that this disciple would not die. Yet Jesus did not tell him he would not die but, 'if I want him to remain until I come, what is that to you?'

It didn't concern Peter what would happen to John, he had to decide if he was going to follow Jesus or not; and not interfere with what God is doing with someone else. And this includes each one of us as well. Charles Spurgeon commenting on this passage wrote:

I have come to the conclusion that, instead of trying to set all my Master's servants right at once, my first and most important work is to follow my Lord, and I think my brother, that it will be wise for you to come to the same conclusion.'

Jesus is interested in us and what we are doing, not about what we believe someone else should be doing. 'WHAT IS THAT TO YOU?'

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Restoration and Re-installation

"Simon, son of Jonah, do you love Me more than these?" v15  of John 21:15-19   NKJV 

In this piece of scripture, we deal with three denials and three confessions. Peter had denied Jesus on 3 occasions, even though he had said he never would. Therefore, Jesus wanted Peter to confess 3 times that he loved Him. This is where the restoring and re-installation of Peter's calling began.

Many people miss how Jesus addressed Peter that day. He said, 'Simon, son of Jonah', and yet in John 1:42, Jesus had said to him, 'You are Simon the son of Jonah. You shall be called 'Cephas', which is translated stone. Cephas was a name of Aramaic origin meaning rock or stone, and yet, Jesus reverted back to to his original name - Simon. Why was this? The name  Simon was translated 'Pebble' and this is how Peter used to be and was displaying when he denied Jesus. It was Jesus' intention that he be a rock and Jesus was reminding him of this.

Jesus asked Peter, 'do you love Me more than these? and then twice more He asked, 'Do you love me?'. Peter answered that he did love Jesus and then Jesus told him, Feed My lambs, Tend My sheep and Feed My sheep. Jesus' intention was that Peter would be a powerful yet tender leader of God's people. He knew Peter was willing to give up everything - his livelihood, family, friends, whatever, to follow Him. He also knew that possibly the other disciples would struggle with this. Therefore having satisfied Himself that Peter was faithful, He restored him.

You may have departed from Jesus because of certain things. It's never too late to return to Him. If you do, Jesus will place His arms around you and give you a great welcome. What are you waiting for?

"Lord, I return to You and ask Your forgiveness that I walked away. Lord, please forgive me and accept me back. I come to You now. In Jesus' Name. Amen

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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