If God says you can, you can!

"I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens and empowers me [to fulfill His purpose--I am self-sufficient in Christ’s sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace.]"    Philippians 4:13   Amplified Version  

How many times do we feel that we can't do a particular thing because, we believe that we can't. Very often we can shy away from doing some task because fear takes over and, we begin to doubt our ability. This is not a bad thing; being cautious is necessary at times. However, if this type of mentality continues, we need to change this by believing in ourselves more. God can help with this.

Take our scripture today, note that the Amplified version states: 'I can do all things [which He has called me to do]' This is most important. It would be foolish to go and climb Mount Everest because God has said we can do all things. This would be life-threatening. However, if He has called you to do this, as scary as it may seem, He would help you to fulfil this.

We have to read around the scriptures to gather what is being said. To take a scripture out of context, can be quite risky. Here, Paul was talking about how content he was in God's provision. He was basically saying that he was content in all things, whether he had an abundance or lack of things. As long as he had God, that was all he needed.

You see, Paul knew that he was in God's will; he knew that he could trust God in all things and that He would never let him down, even if he had to suffer for it, and he really did.

It's the same with you. If you have Jesus in your heart, you can be sure that He will take care of your needs - you can trust Him. However, you need to listen carefully to what he is leading you to do or say. Just because this scripture say you can do all things through Christ who strengthens you, does not mean that He is asking you to do what you feel is right. He will show you clearly when He wants you to do a particular task. Don't just dash ahead of Him; allow Him to be ahead of you; here is a major difference - He knows where He is going, you don't.

Quite a lot of people believe that God is telling them to do a particular thing, when He isn't. It can come at a great price when you get it wrong. Therefore, don't hold back in fear, but on the other hand don't rush out thinking He has called you. Check it out with Him; He'll show you. Alternatively, don't miss out when He is calling you out, because of your fear and lack of confidence. Talk with your pastor or trusted Christian friend and get it confirmed with God too. And remember, if God says you can, you can!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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You are never too old

"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new."               2 Corinthians 5:17    NKJV 

God is not ageist. If he was, He wouldn't have used Moses who was 80 years of age when he started his work for God. He most certainly would not have used Abraham who was approaching 100, or others such as the 80 year old Caleb. Praise God that He was not into ageism because, if He had have been, we would have been nowhere.

Sadly, ageism crops up in most places today. It can be found in local churches, where it can be all about youth. It can also be found in a lot of workplaces and in the media contracts come to an end and are not renewed, leaving the person feeling like a reject. You may have come up against ageism yourself and although you feel that you have so much more to give, there is nowhere to give it. But there is!

Some older people, have the 'I'm too old' mentality. If you think like this, you will be and people will notice and accept it. You are never too old for what God has in store for you, you just need to seek God. 

I myself came to a place where I was no longer chosen to preach. This hurt, after many years of speaking from a pulpit. I spoke to God about this and, He said very clearly: 'If you can't preach it - write it'. I was quite bewildered over this and felt, how on earth can I 'write it'; and this was where 'Daily Life with Jesus' was born. I now write everyday for Jesus and the blog goes all over the world. I love every minute it because, I know that I am in God's will, and with Him, I'll never be too old.

And it's the same with you. God may not call you to write a daily commentary like He did me but, He may suggest a book. The thing is, you'll never know until you ask Him. You see, with God, you are never redundant, there is no unemployment in the Kingdom of God. So, if you're feeling unused and sitting on the sub's bench, seek Him and ask. He has plans for you that you could never have dreamed about. You may feel that you are 'past it' but, when you get in the right frame of mind and spend time with God, He will show you a way where there wasn't one before. In fact, He may make a way just for you.

Are you excited about this? Has this stirred your spirit? If so, you need to seek God.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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It's time to 'Let go'

"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?"   Isaiah 43:18-19   NKJV

God cannot do a new thing in your life until, you get rid of the old thing. There's a need to 'let go'; to let go of the things that have been holding you back. When you do, God is able to do that new thing in your life.

Here in Isaiah, God tells us not to remember the former things. These are the things that have hurt you, angered you and caused you heartache. Bad memories are no good to you. They fester and burn away at your soul. They cause you to keep playing the video back of, disappointments and other bad things. You begin having conversations with yourself and forever, coming up with the wrong answers. It's time to stop this and, you do this by refusing to be held captive by things that have hurt you. In other words, you let go.

God continues and tells us that He is doing a new thing. You may say, 'When?' The answer is, when you stop remembering the bad stuff and open yourself to the good stuff that Jesus has for you. Let's get this right, God is not the one who keeps reminding you of these things, that's the devil's department. He's the author of lies.

You may have heard what I am about to write, over and over again but, it's vitally important and being repetitive helps people to get the point. 2 Corinthians 10:4-5 says:

'For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.'

Did you get that? You and I are in a battle and the only way to achieve victory is, to stick to the Word of God. You have to take hold of the negative words that the devil brings up in your mind and, make it captive to Jesus. The devil causes torment - Jesus brings peace and freedom.

So, don't you think that you need to 'Let go' of all the things of yesterday and start living in a brand new day? At the end of it all, the only thing really worth remembering is that Jesus loves you.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Are you happy?

"A merry heart does good like medicine, but a broken spirit dries the bones."  

                                                                             Proverbs 17:22   NKJV

Are you happy? Be honest! If so, why? If not, Why? Two questions to define where you are at this moment. Your answer to these questions may help determine why you are feeling this way and, may help others in similar situations, as you share with them.

You can't hide your unhappiness for very long, sooner or later someone will notice it. Proverbs 15:13 says: 'A merry heart makes a cheerful countenance, but by sorrow of the heart, the spirit is broken' Mostly, people can't tell your inner feelings, unless you tell them. However, they can tell by the look on your face - your body language gives it away. 

People today are walking around with problems that they are trying to deal with. They may act ok from the outside but, their inner-self is in turmoil. As it grows worse it may lead to crisis. Proverbs 12:25 says: 'Anxiety in the heart of man causes depression but, a good word makes it glad.' When a person is clinically depressed, it is very difficult to help them and it may be better to leave this to a suitably qualified counsellor. What we can do though, is to attempt to speak encouraging words to them without, overdoing it: 'A man has joy by the answer of his mouth, and a word spoken in due season (at the right time) how good it is' Proverbs 10:25 (My additional words in brackets). You may say, 'What about Jesus, surely He can help?' Of course he can but, this depends on how bad the depressed person is. Medication and rest may be the answer.

This may be where you are! If you are unhappy and there are no family issues causing it, such as abuse, then you need to be honest and ask for help. Many people become depressed in the dark winter months and, what with the economy the way it is, it's understandable. Are you eating, or do you tend to avoid meal times because you don't feel like eating? Are you taking care of yourself? Are you taking medication that may have a side effect of depression? It may help to get checked out by your GP, who can expertly assess your situation and take appropriate action if required. A close friend may be helpful to speak with as long as they don't try to counsel you - leave this to the professionals.

However, don't forget Jesus. He's a professional and knows all things and He has the answer to your predicament. Why not seek His advice. He won't add to your pressure and will show you what to do.

Don't pretend that you're ok and don't ignore the symptoms of depression. It is vital to seek help!

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Prayer

"Pray without ceasing"                           1 Thessalonians 5:17   NKJV

Prayer is a discipline. It is not easy to carry out regular prayer unless, we dedicate ourselves to this practice. Prayer is communion with God and the devil knows this. Therefore, he will do all he can to distract us from doing this. We have to take the control.

Prayer consists of our adoration to God; our praise and thanksgiving; our confession of sins and intercession. Jesus is our role model. He would get up early and, sometimes climb a mountain to be alone. Has that ever crossed your mind to do? He would pray all night always interceding for situations and interceding for His people. The role of an intercessor is being an Advocate for others, praying on their behalf; standing in the gap and holding people up to the Lord. Jesus still does this, for us.

Whenever we are led down the path of worry, consider that it is a sign from God to pray without ceasing. The more you pray, the less you worry. The more you worry, the less you pray. This is a spiritual principle.

Tony Evans says: 'If you want to gauge your spiritual life, look at the spiritual thermostat setting on your prayer life.'       Tony Evans Study Bile regarding 1 Thessalonians 5:17

How much do you pray? How much time each day, do you spend time praying to God? In other words, how long do you spend in communion with Him? Three questions that no doubt may make you feel uneasy. Some people spend hours in prayer; for others it's just a few words thrown up as they dash around doing something else. Life is busy that is for sure but, it should never be too busy to pray.

If you want to lose weight and get fit, you begin exercising; jogging or going to the gym. As you progress, your body begins to show the benefits of this exercise. Its the same principle with prayer. The more you pray - God shows the way! You begin to move more closer to Him, you begin to hear Him speaking to you, possibly through scripture and, you begin to feel His blessing. This is your spiritual exercise, which incidentally, is more beneficial than the physical type.

The Word says, Pray with ceasing', this means never stopping. The way you do this is having Jesus on your mind 24/7 and just speaking to Him and involving Him in all you do. Try it, you'll never regret it.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

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Absolute Surrender. Part 2

"And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”                                                    1 Kings 20:4  NKJV   

Let us look a little closer to living a life of Absolute Surrender. Jesus spoke to a man who had a son with a mute spirit, that was causing him to have fits. He asked Jesus to help him. Jesus replied 'if you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes.' Immediately the father of the child cried out and said with tears, 'Lord, I believe; help my unbelief' (Mark 9:23-24).

This was a faith that brought victory over the devil and the evil spirit was cast out of the child. The man had come to Jesus broken and in great need. He told Jesus that he believed but, went one step further and asked Jesus to help his unbelief. This was Absolute Surrender. This shows that if we come and say, 'Lord, I yield myself in Absolute Surrender to You, my God,' even though we may have a trembling heart and a feeling of no power over the situation but, have a determination that it will succeed, Jesus will meet you head on. He will meet you in the midst of your trembling and the Holy Spirit will set to work.

To absolutely surrender to God takes effort on our part. This is never easy and takes dedication and a close walk with Jesus. Take for instance things such as our moods. Everyone gets grumpy at times but a bad temper needs controlling. It can be the proof of whether the love of Jesus is filling our heart or not. How many times do we feel it easier in church to diligently be happy and holier than, when we are at home with our partners or children. The love of Jesus should be the same wherever we are.

Then of course our love, or lack of it for other people. The one thing that grieves God's Spirit is the lack of love for other believers or unbelievers. We need to ask God to search our hearts and help us put right the lack of spiritual love that we have. Every time we criticise or judge another person, Jesus grieves. He has love for everyone and wants us to be like Him. It is not easy at times, but if we have an attitude of Absolute Surrender, then He will help us achieve this.

Even though we absolutely surrender to God, we will still be spiritually attacked. We need to put on the armour of God (Ephesians 6) and use this prayer as often as we need to:

'Father, let the Holy Spirit have full dominion over me; in my home, in my temper, in every word of my tongue, in every thought of my heart, in every feeling towards my fellow man and let the Holy Spirit have entire possession of me. In Jesus' name. Amen'

                                                                    Prayer by Andrew Murray

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Absolute Surrender

1Now Ben-Hadad the king of Syria gathered all his forces together; thirty-two kings were with him, with horses and chariots. And he went up and besieged Samaria, and made war against it. 2Then he sent messengers into the city to Ahab king of Israel, and said to him, “Thus says Ben-Hadad:  3‘Your silver and your gold are mine; your loveliest wives and children are mine.’ ”
4And the king of Israel answered and said, “My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.”                                                   1 Kings 20:1-4   NKJV

Ben-Hadad went on the attack to Samaria. He then sent word to King Ahab claiming that all Ahab had was his, silver, gold, his loveliest wives and children. He had claim to them all. Ahab gave in to Ben-Hadad because he was heavily outnumbered. But he said something very profound, '“My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours.” Just imagine how this could change a person's life if they were to say this to Jesus. It is the epitome of prayers, one that we should never avoid; it is absolute surrender.

The great bible teacher and author, Andrew Murray (not the tennis player) wrote:

There is a need to put Jesus first in our lives. He must be No 1. Therefore denial comes into play. We either deny self and follow Him, or we deny Jesus. We can't have both. There are two great powers fighting against each other - the self-nature in the power of sin; and Christ, in the power of God. Either of these must rule within us. It was self that made the devil. He was an angel of God but he wanted to exalt self. He became a devil in hell. Eve was the cause of the fall of man. Eve wanted something for herself and so, our first parents fell into all the wretchedness of sin. We, their children have inherited an awful nature of sin.'                               Absolute Surrender, Andrew Murray

The Holy Spirit is the director of the work of God on the earth. We have been chosen to carry out this work on His behalf. Therefore, we need to have our lives in tune with God. Nothing less will be acceptable. If people are to come into the kingdom. they must see that we, have something that they want and need. They have tried to find it in the world but, it doesn't exist. Only Jesus can satisfy, and we, have the wherewithal to supply this to whoever wants it. However, we must allow ourselves to surrender to God - totally, so that He can fill us to the brim with His power. 

'My lord, O king, just as you say, I and all that I have are yours'. Can you truly say this? Can you surrender your life 100% to Jesus so that He can equip you for the task? If so, why not surrender to Him by saying this prayer by Andrew Murray:

'O God, I accept Thy demands. I am Thine and all that I have. Absolute Surrender is what my soul yields to Thee by divine grace. Amen.

If you have said this prayer, you have dedicated yourself, by way of surrender, to Jesus Christ. You are no longer your own; you are His. Expect Him to take you up on this dedication at anytime of night or day, for the rest of your life.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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