Willing to Change

"And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church" v18 

                                                                               Read: Matthew 16:13-19 NKJV 

Peter could be described as outspoken, brash, arrogant, impulsive and loud. However, he was rock-solid in his love and dedication to Jesus. Jesus knew this and called him, the rock, and told him He would give him the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Now that is some calling.

But, at times Peter remained just the same outspoken person and even cut off the high priest's servant's ear with a sword when Jesus was arrested (John 18:10), and then went on to deny Jesus to save his own life, using course language, 'Then he began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man of whom you speak"' Mark 14:71.

No doubt when Jesus had spoken with Peter about his future role within His kingdom. he was encouraged and elated about this accolade. But his behaviour was short-lived, as we've seen. because he had a short-fuse. He wanted to change and be more like Jesus but, he found it difficult. No doubt, you can identify with this. You want to live for Jesus and you are willing to change but then, something comes along and delivers you back to your old self. You feel ashamed, guilty and like a person with no hope.

Romans 12:2 says, 'do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind - '. Notice that we aren't conforming or transforming our minds, someone else is. When God has all of us and when the world has none of us, God does the work of renewing our confused minds. He brings our thoughts into line with His own so that we think God's thoughts.

Therefore, if we are willing to change, we must live a God-centred life, sold out completely to Him. Once we determine to live for Jesus in this way, He meets us in the middle and begins the transforming work. We can't change ourselves but, we can be determined to change. When we are, God will help us achieve our goal. It took Peter a little while to achieve this and it came as Jesus reinstated him (John 21:15-19).

You will still make mistakes because you are not perfect, but you will have registered your choice and determination to change and Jesus will take you up on this.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Whose face do you seek?

"Seek the LORD and His strength; seek His face evermore"   Psalm 105:4   NKJV 

To seek God's face is to seek His presence. This is to seek God's face, not His hand. It's easy to get into the habit of asking Him to do this and that for us, instead of seeking God the person. We need to be seeking God the giver, not the gifts he may bring us. We need to seek His face, His very presence and bring Him the honour and respect that he deserves.

When we pray, how many times do we make our requests more important than our worship? God knows what we need before we even ask Him. The is why in Matthew 6:33, Jesus said, 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.' Notice that the emphasis is on seeking God first - His face, and then He will take care of our needs.

Whose agenda do you follow, God's or your own? We create plans because of the excitement we feel to please Him and help develop His kingdom in our area. We have an agenda. However, is it God's agenda? Jeremiah 29:11-13 says, 'For I know the plans I have for you,' says the LORD. 'They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you future and a hope.' 12 'In those days when you pray, I will listen, if you look for Me wholeheartedly, you will find Me' NLT. God expects us to seek His face - His presence and He wants us to do it wholeheartedly. This means with all we have got. When we do, He says, we will find Him, He will listen to our requests. But we must ensure we stick to His agenda, not our own because, His plans are good, ours, without God in the driving seat, can be disastrous.

Jesus gave us the blueprint of requests in Luke 22:42, 'Father, if You are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from Me. Yet, I want Your will to be done, not mine' NLT. Did you get that? Jesus' wanted His Father's will to be done even though, at the time in His human form, He may have wanted to be spared from this.

Seek Jesus' face; seek His presence and seek His agenda, in all you do. It is by far the best route to take!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Be an Encourager

"Therefore, encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing."  

                                                                              1 Thessalonians 5:11   CSB 

Everyone needs encouragement from time to time. Life can be difficult and demanding. It has the ability to drain us of all of our energy. When we get this far down, we can reach for a bottle of wine or whatever else can be a short-time fix. However, better still, a friendly voice full of encouragement can work wonders.

If you feel encouragement is helpful, does this make you want to be an encourager? If so, here are a few pointers that may help:

BUILD SOMEONE UP  Whatever a person's problem may be, it is always difficult to change their situation but, it may be possible to assist them to view the situation in a more positive manner. Help them to see themselves differently. A positive move can be to say, 'You always impress me how you manage to handle things. Others would fall at the first hurdle but, you are more focused. How do you do this?' This is helping them to be more positive and may help them realise this, so that they can see a way forward.

LET THEM KNOW HOW PRECIOUS THEY ARE  Remind them how God feels about them and others around them. Think of a time that they may have encouraged you, or someone else. This again is a more positive approach, especially if you tell them how grateful you all were for this encouragement.

REMIND THEM OF THEIR ACHIEVEMENTS  This may be to do with their work or college status. It may also be as a mother or husband or some other way that they have succeeded in. Listen to their negative conversation but don't try to be a major problem-solver, otherwise if what you advise doesn't work, they may lose their trust in you. Try to counteract their negativity with positivity without, making them feel a failure or responsible for what may have gone wrong.

REMIND THEM TO BE FOCUSED  Advise them that things will improve as they look through faith-filled eyes. God is with them and so are others. Tell them that you are praying for them and, if appropriate, invite them to a Home Group or Coffee Morning. Finally encourage them to try to speak positive words, not negative ones. Words that will build them up, not the opposite 'Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them'  Ephesians 4:29  NLT.

CONCLUSION  Is there anyone you could encourage at this time? If there is, don't try to be a counsellor, just be a friend and listen more than speak. When you do speak, ensure it is positive.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Remembrance

"Then he said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom' 43 And Jesus said to him, 'Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.'" 

                                                                                      Luke 23:42-43  NKJV 

All over many parts of the world today, people are honouring the many veterans who were injured or died in the wars that have taken place. It is right to honour these heroes and pay our respects because they helped bring us freedom and gave us a better future.

Jesus is into remembering certain things. Here, He assures a criminal, who was also on a cross. 'He said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.' Jesus' reply confirmed that he would be with Jesus this particular day, in Paradise.

War is a great disaster to mankind. It destroys respect and love as servicemen battle to do their job. People are terribly injured and many killed; families are torn apart forever. Just check the current situations in the media today. Lives and futures are ruined in a moment. Sadly, this is unavoidable and must take place to protect the individual countries. The servicemen are veterans - heroes, who are placed in strategic positions to bring about victory. These servicemen deserve the honour, they deserve to be remembered because they gave their lives for their country. Therefore, remember them with pride and don't forget the servicemen of today who bravely do the same.

But, in remembering, let us not forget Jesus who paid the ultimate price for each one of us. Without hesitation He suffered terribly at the hands of His captors. He was beaten, whipped, humiliated and had His beard pulled out. He was hung on a cross with long nails in His hands and His feet and hung there for hours in dreadful pain while He listened to the insults hurled at Him. He then died.

Why did he do this? So that we could be free of our sin, we could have freedom with a hope and a future, when He rose again. So today, as you remember the fallen heroes of the wars, along with the many injured, spare a thought for Jesus who suffered also. Jesus is the only one who can give us true freedom and eternal life.

THANK YOU JESUS - THANK YOU SERVICEMEN

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Live a worthy life

"lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God." v1     

                                                                                         Ephesians 4:1-3 NLT

To live in such a way, one must accept their value for, the definition of 'Worthy', is value and merit. In Revelation we read, 'You are worthy, O Lord our God to receive glory and honour and power'  Revelation 4:11. Then in Revelation 5:9, 'You are worthy to take the scroll', finally in Revelation 5:12, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slaughtered - to receive power and riches, and wisdom and strength and honour and glory and blessing.' Jesus is priceless and of the greatest of value and merit and as you and I lead a life worthy of our calling, we too are of great value and merit, because we are co-heirs with Jesus; we are joined to Him by His Blood.

You may feel that you are worth-less at times but, no you are not! You are of great value to Jesus. Start using language that will build you up when you're on your own. In this way, you will be encouraging yourself so, believe it enough to live it. God called you - yes you - so He thinks you are of worth, so live it.

Endeavour to live your life humbly because, 'God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble' James 4:6. In this way, it may seem that you are low in rank but, as God sees your actions, He will raise you up. This is because you are not being pretentious and puffed up.

Being gentle with people is always the right route to take. Not everyone is like you though, so bear that in mind and be patient with each other, making allowances for people's faults. Remember, you're not perfect and other people have to put up with your faults.

One of the most important things is to keep the unity. The old saying 'United we stand, divided we fall', is so true. The early church knew all about unity and because of this, thousands joined them as God's Word was preached. Also because of the acts of compassion that was shown to everyone. Their fellowship was practically solid. The Greek interpretation of this word, 'Fellowship', is Koinonia. To quote the notes of The Spirit Filled Bible, we read  'This means the individual shares in common an intimate bond of fellowship with the rest of the Christian Society. Koinonia cements the believers to the Lord Jesus and to each other'. 

                               Sourced from The Spirit Filled Bible (1991) Thomas Nelson, Word Wealth Acts 2:42.

Put all of the above into practice and live a life worthy of your calling. Then watch how this attracts non-believers.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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God wants your crown

"You are worthy O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power; for You created all things, and by Your will they exist and were created." v11   Revelation 4:9-11   NKJV 

Endlessly, the living creatures in heaven worship God giving Him glory, honour and thanks. He is worthy of our praise and requires it from each one of us.

In verse 10, the 24 elders fall down before Him to worship and it says that, they cast their crowns before the throne. What this is saying is, they offer up everything to God - all they have and have done and, live for Him only. He has the Majesty, not them.

Let's consider this and look at Charles Spurgeon's notes on this matter:

'We must ask ourselves if we have learned to cast our crowns at the Saviour's feet. Have we anything that we call our own, or good things that we have done to boast of? Have we been industrious and feel we deserve esteem and honour as an acknowledgement of our distinguished services? No one in glory will ever say, 'I have done well, I deserve credit and honour.' Quite the reverse. It is the mark of God's children that, the more beautiful they are, the more uncomely they think themselves. The one who gives all glory to God and takes no glory himself, is the one who is on the road to heaven.'        

There it is in a nutshell. This is what is known as casting your crowns at His feet. It is so easy when we have worked hard for God and everything has gone well, when someone comes up and says, 'Well done, that was great'. We all want and need, encouragement but not at the cost of taking the glory off Jesus and glowing in pride ourselves. It can be difficult for a preacher who has just delivered a first class sermon where lots of people have responded. It makes the preacher feel good and, that's ok but, when people offer compliments, it is far better to just give the credit to God. This avoids any swelling with pride. It's the same for worship leaders, worship bands and of course anyone else involved in ministry. 

So therefore, cast your crown at Jesus' feet and give Him the glory in everything you do. Remember how puffed up Lucifer became, wanting to be equal with God. Don't steal God's glory. Give Him your praise and your crown.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Satisfaction Part 2

"Who satisfies your mouth with good things, so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's"                                                                  Psalm 103:5. NKJV

Let us look a little further at verse 5 and focus on 'Renewed'. God is our healer but, He may not heal us the way we had expected. You may have been wheelchair-bound and been prayed for yet, still remain in your chair. However, be open to the fact that God may have healed your mind so that you can accept and live with this disability. Who else is qualified than you to speak to other wheelchair users? Prior to prayer, you may have been depressed and frustrated because of your condition. Now, God may have renewed your thinking so that, you are open to a new ministry.

It can be the same with other disabilities whatever they may be. Some people have a severe hearing loss, or are blind, lost a limb or have a stoma. Who can help get alongside these people to support them? Yes, that's right, you can because you are ably qualified. By using your own disability it can bring you satisfaction in helping or supporting others and can, also offer satisfaction to them.

Yes, of course God heals, many can claim this blessing, including myself. But, as I have said, He doesn't always answer the way we expected and this can be confusing and hurtful. In 2 Corinthians 12:7, we read about the thorn in Paul's side. In verses 8-9 Paul writes, 'Concerning this thing, I pleaded with the Lord three times that it might depart from me. 9 And He said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness."'

We don't know what this 'Thorn' was. People have speculated over the years that it may have been an illness, or an annoying person or even an addictive habit. The thing is, Paul accepted God's Word and got on with His work, and so can you. Whatever ailment you have, God can use you. You may have a stammer or be dyslexic but, God can use you to bring satisfaction to other people. He can renew your energy and energise the people you speak with. Talk to God about it. Someone, somewhere needs you to speak with them.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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