Things are not always what they seem

"So when the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer, whom though he has escaped the sea, yet justice does not allow to live"'                                                  Acts 28:1-6   NKJV

We have to be so careful about what we see. Things are not always the way they look or how we think they look. People's names have been dragged through the media portraying them as guilty of something when, they have been innocent. Things are not always what they seem.

Here we see Paul, following his shipwreck being treated well by the people of the land. They prepare a fire and Paul helps out. As he picks up some sticks to place on the fire, a snake - possibly similar to an adder, jumps out because of the heat and bites on to his hand. As it hangs there, the people don't help him but choose to discuss this. They believe Paul may be a murderer, who has escaped the sea drama but is now suffering the consequences through the snake bite - justice. However, Paul just shakes the snake off into the fire and then they start believing that he will soon swell up and die because  of the poison. When he doesn't, they believe he is a god. They were superstitious people who believed in the myths of the world and always had to find reason why something had happened.

The snake was just doing what snakes do. It was laying around, camouflaged waiting for its next feed. It's difficult to see a snake at times. They can be so easily missed, as happened here. They crawl into situations and hide, then at the right moment, they attack and bite. They are crafty serpents and an enemy to their prey. They're not unlike our enemy, the devil. He has similar characteristics as Peter mentions in 1 Peter 5:8, 'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking who he may devour.' Notice that he acts like a roaring lion, not is a roaring lion. There is a difference. If we get ourselves into things we shouldn't be involved in, we are likely to meet with him. Rather like a snake, the devil mostly strikes if you get too close to him.

We need to watch what we say about people and situations because, we may be very wrong and this may cause the person a lot of pain or trouble. When we get it wrong, we are tempted to gossip and the rumour spreads like an infection. We need to take on board Paul's teaching on love in 1 Corinthians 13. Here, among other things, he tells us to always think the best of people; to love them and keep no record of their wrongs. Let us beware of crawling into situations and seeing only what we want to see. This is not the teaching of God. Don't forget, the devil will pull strings to help you get it wrong!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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He can remove your chains

"Arise quickly! And his chains fell off his hands."    Acts 12:7   NKJV  

Whatever situation you are in at this time, God can help you. Whether it's addiction, being bullied, slandered, abused, illness or whatever, He can take the chains off and set you free. Let's take a look at just a few of the times God rescued His people:

(1) Acts 5:19-20, God rescued Peter and John, 'But at night an angel of the Lord opened the prison doors and brought them out.'

(2) Acts 12:6-7  Peter was once again rescued, 'Peter was sleeping, bound with two chains between two soldiers; and the guards before the door were keeping the prison. 7 Now behold, an angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the prison; and he struck Peter on the side and raised him up saying, "Arise quickly!" And his chains fell off his hands.'

(3) Acts 16:26, Paul and Silas were rescued, 'Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken and, immediately all the doors were opened and everyone's chains were loosed.'

(4) Then of course there were the miraculous rescue of Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego from the fiery furnace - Daniel 3:19-25 and Daniel from the Lion's den Daniel 6.

The account of item (2) above was amazing. Peter was sat in chains between two soldiers and more soldiers at the door and an angel came up, tapped Peter on the shoulder and, his chains fell off and the angel told him to follow him. Think of that; the soldiers either side of Peter, never woke up and, the one's guarding the door never noticed them going through. That was incredible don't you think. This is the God we serve. Nothing is ever too difficult for Him - nothing. Don't you believe that He can set you free too? Of course He can. In the presence of Jesus, chains fall off, doors open, sickness is healed, addictions no longer bother us, bad memories are healed and anyone who hurts you had better watch out because, He will avenge, if you leave it to Him.

Whatever chain is keeping you bound today, Jesus can set you loose. He can break the power of whatever has or is holding on to you. He can mend that broken heart. He can bring healing to you or a loved one at this moment. All of the things that have kept you bound, together with the bad memories are a thing of the past. 

So today, Jesus is saying, 'CHAINS FALL OFF - BE LOOSED'. Receive this in the mighty name of Jesus and walk today in freedom. Amen.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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God will have His way

"At that time a great persecution arose against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were scattered throughout the region of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles."   

                                                                                              Acts 8:1-3   NKJV

Stephen had just been murdered by a rebellious crowd, one in which Saul of Tarsus was consenting. Saul was one of the main ringleaders who had been entering believer's homes and dragging them - men, women and children, to prison. At the time, Saul was not a nice person to be around and was endeavouring to stamp out Christianity from the land. Yet, he had underestimated God's power.

God used this persecution to spread the Gospel. Jesus had told His disciples prior to His ascension that, 'But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth'  Acts 1:8. Now notice this, during this persecution, the apostles had remained in Jerusalem. However, the other disciples had been scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria. The rebellious Jews had played right into God's hands and the disciples were now doing what Jesus had said they would do - be His witnesses. People may try and prevent Gods work but, it is like a game of chess and God is a far better player. God cannot be outsmarted. You need to remember this in hard times. He can still use you wherever you are.

Later on, Saul would be facing Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 9), he would then realise just who Jesus is and through this, he would receive a mighty change in his life. He would also be known as Paul because being a Jewish Roman citizen, his name would probably have been Saul Paulus, so he had a choice.

Today, many people who we would never have dreamt would be a Christian, enter our churches and, some take leading roles. How do you feel about this? How would you feel if Paul came into the church and started teaching. When we think about this, it must have been difficult for the other apostles to have Paul joining them. I mean, his reputation was not good and people must have been wary about him. On the other hand, it must also have been difficult for Paul, entering the church and people talking about him and avoiding him. It would have been a difficult time for all. Yet, God knows what He is doing. We may not like it when certain people come to the church with a reputation, especially when they rise up in the ranks. The thing is, if God has chosen them who are we to judge? Think about that the next time you see someone in ministry who you feel should not be there. If God trusts them, shouldn't you?

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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No one can ever stop Jesus

"Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them triumphing over them in it."                                     Colossians 2:15    NKJV 

People may try to stop Jesus being preached; they may try to re-write the bible or twist the truth but, Jesus Christ is Lord of all, He is in charge and whatever happens, He will triumph in the end. Let us look at the account of Peter and John in Acts 5:12-42 (It would help to read this to help you have a good insight).

Peter and John trusted Jesus and even though they had previously been arrested for preaching about the Lord and were forbidden to speak about Jesus anymore, it didn't stop them and, they were arrested once more and put into prison to answer to the Sanhedrin v17-18.

However, as they sat in their dungeon with a heavy guard outside, an angel of the Lord came and set them free, telling them to go back to the temple and preach once again.

When the officers went to take their prisoners to the council the next day, they discovered they had gone, even though the doors were still locked and the guards were outside. They couldn't work out how this had happened. Then one of the high priests told them they had been seen preaching once again in the temple. They had Peter and John brought back to them and began questioning them again. However,  not once did they ask how they had escaped. Perhaps they wanted to avoid the truth.

Gamaliel, a respected Pharisee stood up and advised that if all of this wasn't of God, it would soon fizzle out. But, if it was, they would not be able to prevent it as it would be like  fighting with God. The council agreed and let them go v38-40.

Looking at this account, we can see how God has a sense of humour as, they could not work out how this had all happened. It was like a comedy scene. As our text today reads, He was making a spectacle of them. They were not able to take on the supernatural. A locked door will never stop the power of the Holy Spirit, He opens and shuts them to His liking. People may try and fight against you, but they're fighting against God and He, is your Champion and will always fight on your behalf. 

You may have struggles today but, be encouraged, God is on your side if you have put Him in the driving seat. Don't be intimidated; stand strong and tall in Jesus. He knows your struggles and if you need it, He will come and set you free as He did Peter and John.

With God on your side, you can't lose. You're a winner and He is your Champion.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Call on Him

"Ask Me and I will tell you remarkable secrets you do not know, about things to come"   

                                                              Jeremiah 33:3 New Living Translation

God invites us to call out to Him when we need help and have troubles brewing. He promises that He will show us things that we don't know about, about things to come and about what we need to know in this present time.

In Psalm 34:17:18, we read:

'The LORD hears His people when they call to Him for help. He rescues them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted; He rescues them those whose spirits are crushed.' NLT

Note the word 'ALL' in verse 17. He doesn't assess what is more important than something else. No, when we call on Him, the scriptures say that He rescues us from 'all' our troubles. You see, He is a loving God; He is our Father and doesn't wants us fretting at all or being anxious. When the scriptures say 'His people', it is referring to the righteous, which we are if, we have asked Jesus into our hearts and trust Him with all we have got. In other words, if we give Him all, He gives us all. His eyes and ears are everywhere and when He receives our call, He gives us His full attention. 

Sadly, those who are not in touch with Jesus, who have not given Him their heart, He hears their call too when they are in trouble. The difference is His face is against them. He gives them every chance to get to know Him; don't forget, He died for them too. However, if they do not accept this and recognise Him for who He is, they will not be helped. They have to cope alone.

In verse 22, we read: 'The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who trust in Him shall be condemned.'  NKJV

Our soul is made up of our Mind, Will and Emotions. Basically, what we think about, what we do and how we manage with what we have got. He cares so much, even for every day issues. Yesterday, my wife noticed that she had lost her wedding ring. She was gutted and we looked all over the place for it - even in the outside rubbish bins (Yuk). We both prayed but with no answer. By bedtime, my wife was becoming frantic about this, and she reminded God that He had promised that He would tell her remarkable secrets and rescue her from all her troubles. After this prayer, she walked round our bed and grimaced as she stood on something sharp - yes, her wedding ring.  We had both looked there a dozen times but couldn't see it, but God knew it was there and revealed it to her. The conclusion to this scenario, GOD CARES, VERY MUCH.

And He will help you as well, with whatever is troubling you. Don't forget that you can remind Him of His promises; He welcomes this and answers this type of prayer, but, in His own time.

Just call on Him now and receive His blessing

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Navigate by the SON

"I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."    

                                                                                       John 14:6   NKJV 

There are right and wrong ways that we have to walk in every day of our lives. Sometimes, we get it wrong, yet, as we ask Him, Jesus will forgive us when we fall into sin. Have you ever stopped to think about this verse - I mean, really meditated on it? Jesus knows the way, in fact, every way there is a way, He knows it. He knows the way we should and shouldn't do things. He knows the way we can put right what we have messed up. Jesus through His words here, was saying that He is the universal point of access to God. In other words, He has the key and, if we ask Him, He will give it to us. This is done by submitting to God and asking Jesus into our life and asking Him to forgive us for all the wrongs we have ever done. The Father can only be accessed through Jesus.

He is the truth and His truth brings us life. It's the evil one who speaks lies, never Jesus. He actually can only speak the truth, and His truth offers each one of us an abundant life (John 10:10). This abundance can be seen in Ephesians 3:20 where Paul writes:

'Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.' This is superabundance, overwhelming abundance and over the top abundance as we see in Psalm 23:5 - 'my cup runs over.'

Jesus gives us more than we can ever imagine. He knows the way to do this and, He knows the way He can do it for you. These are the things that we need to remember when the chips are down and, we don't really feel like praying. He knows the way that He can help us to pray and the way to pray for what we need. 

When I was in the army, we would periodically go out on orienteering exercises and escape and evasion. We could be dropped off in the middle of nowhere and with only the clothes that we stood up in (and sometimes this was t-shirt and shorts in winter). We would have no money, or food. The only thing we had - if we were lucky was a compass. We had to get to certain places on our own knowledge and without getting caught. If you didn't have a compass it was difficult unless, you could follow the position of the sun. We had to navigate by the sun. 

However, fast forward a few years and I still need to navigate my way in life but I do this, by navigating the SON. Jesus is my compass. He knows the way; if I veer off course, He is there to correct me, because He knows the way.

You may feel lost at times but, when you are, get your compass - the bible, or learn to remember scripture and then be guided by this. You only need to ask Jesus the way and he is only too pleased to say, 'Go this way, My child. Navigate by the SON'

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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A Friend

"A man who has friends must himself be friendly, but there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother."                                                 Proverbs 18:24    NKJV

We all need friends, especially in the dark and troubled times of our life. But true and faithful friends are hard to come by and are built upon trust. Therefore we must choose wisely. There are probably many who we can call our friend, but we need to be careful who we choose to divulge our problems with. What we must avoid, is to go to as many friends as we can until we get the answer we are hoping for. A true and honest friend will say it as it is and put you right where you are tending to go wrong. They'll do it in love but, they mean it, because they are true friends. They will laugh and cry with you and will never share your secrets with anyone else.

Aa I have said, a true friend is hard to come by and once you have found one, you need to cherish it. But the friendship must come from both sides. Jesus mentioned this in Matthew 7:12, 'Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.' We usually call it the Golden Rule and you'll receive gold from your friendship as you give gold yourself.

The verse above can be interpreted as two-fold, firstly it points to the friendship that we have just been looking at. Secondly, it can be described as the love Jesus has for each of us. James Taylor, the singer songwriter who has written many songs that feature Christian lyrics, wrote, 'You've got a friend' back in the 70's. Here, this song sums up what I am saying:

When you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand
And nothing, oh, nothing is going right. Close your eyes and think of me
And soon I will be there to brighten up even your darkest nights
You just call out my name and you know wherever I am
I'll come running, oh, yeah, baby to see you again
Winter, spring, summer or fall all you've got to do is call
And I'll be there, yeah, yeah, yeah, You've got a friend   Copyright James Taylor

These verses can be received as a friend with his or her friend, or our relationship with Jesus. We know that we only have to call on Jesus and, He will be there. And we also know, that a true friend will also do their best to be there for you as well.

Have you got a true friend like this? Could you be a true friend to someone else? You know that Jesus is a true friend to you. Are you a true friend to Him?

That is food for thought!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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