Life issues (1)

"Come to Me, all you who labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest."  

                                                                            Matthew 11:28   NKJV

All over the place, people are struggling with Life Issues. The economy has gone crazy with sky high mortgage rates, gas and electric prices ridiculously high and the threat of losing their home or having their heating and electricity cut off because they just can't meet the costs. Add to this, the normal stresses of life: marital breakdown, death of someone very close, sickness and childcare problems, it is understandable why the suicide rate is getting higher.

Problem after problem can build up and people, although upset, angry and in fear, may manage to keep their head above water, albeit with a struggle. Then, some small and mostly insignificant situation comes along and POW - that person is thrown into crisis. They have somehow managed to cope with all of the major issues but, some small and easily manageable problem comes along and they fall and quite possibly either have a breakdown or, a serious bout of depression. This is crisis.

Every where we look, the world is determined to stress us out, if we allow it to. What can be done? Well the first thing to do, is to face it. It is no use covering this over, putting it to one side hoping that it will go away - it won't. This is rather like whitewashing over cracked walls. As soon as it dries, the cracks re-surface. No, it has to be faced and you may need help to do this. The help may come from a pastor, a trusted friend, doctor or a person who is qualified to handle such things. C.A.B are a helpful resource, as are Age Concern if you are of that age. You may have to get professional help from a solicitor but, this can be defeating the object if you are deeply in debt because it can be costly. The best place to start , is to talk it through with someone. This may pinpoint a way through your problem.

If you are a Christian, then you may hear from some people, 'Give it to God, He'll sort it out'. This is true, He may. However, a more wiser thing to do would be to approach Jesus and remind Him of certain promises in His word, such as today's text. In this, He tells His disciples to go to Him and tell Him all about the trouble, He will then give them rest. In other words, He recognises that what you are going through at this time is a heavy burden - too heavy for you to carry alone and, so He suggests that you give it to Him.

Over the next few days, we will look at several life issues that may be affecting you. This will be done in a non-judgemental manner but with the truth that comes from the Word of God. The exercise will be done to pinpoint certain areas that affect us all in some way and how, through prayer and certain intervention we may be able to offer advice.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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The Word of Christ

"Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly."             Colossians 3:16    NKJV 

Jesus wants each one of us to be so equipped in His word that it floods our very soul. It is our food and a powerful weapon to oppose the evil one when he attacks. Remember Jesus, when He was being tempted by the devil in the wilderness, replied to every demonic suggestion, 'It is written'  Luke 4:4. When the word of God is dwelling within us, we are a force to be reckoned with.

To allow the word to dwell in you richly means His word will be active within you and you will be equipped for every situation. Jesus - the Word lives in you, so allow His word to do the same. However, to quote and sing God's word, we must know it. We can't do this effectively if we don't. Try and get out of the habit of saying, 'Where's that scripture, I think it is in Romans?' While we are doing this, the devil can walk all over us. We need to sharpen our skills here. To purchase goods from a store, we need to have cash or a card. No cash or card - no goods. It's the same with God's word, to be effective we must have the 'Word' dwelling within us and His written word on our tongue.

Think about the term, 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you 'richly'.  What actually does this mean? The Amplified Bible says: Let the [spoken] word of Christ have its home within you [dwelling in your heart and mind - permeating every aspect of your being] as you teach [spiritual things] and admonish and train one another with all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God' This says it all. We are to allow the written word to have its home within us in such a way that, we eat and sleep it. And we only receive this by being with Jesus 24/7. You may say this can't be done. But it can, you just commit your all to Him - spirit, soul and body. We give Him everything, our hearts, our lives, our days, homes, family, work and a host of other things. He loves you so much that He wants it all. In return, He will give you blessing after blessing. Your cup will run over with abundance (Psalm 23:5).

This is how men and women of God, in the past were able to do great things for Him. This is how men and women today are operating in the mission fields - war-torn areas, giving the word to people who desperately need it. You have the Word within you and you just can't keep it to yourself; people are in need of it. Will you give it to them?

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Jesus is unstoppable

"By the word of the LORD the heavens were made, and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth."                                                                  Psalm 33:6    NKJV 

John 1 informs us that Jesus was with God at the beginning. In fact, we are told that Jesus is God and He made all things: 'In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God.' John 1:1-2. Jesus was and is the Word.

Genesis 1 tells us that God created the heavens and the earth. He commanded, 'Let there be light'; and there was light.' v3. Our text today tells us the same. This tells us, that the Word (Jesus) spoke the word and it had no choice but to comply. The word of the Word is powerful and creative. Out of nothing, He created everything. He just spoke and it was done; and what's more, The Word that created the universe, is also holding it all together. No foreign power, no matter how great they feel, can change this and overpower the world without God's permission. Over the years, there has been terrible wars and atrocities but no one has been able to take control. God is in control and His word is final.

The Lord speaks and things happen. Romans 4:17 says: 'God who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did.' He declares a thing to be and, it is. In the past, God gathered the waters of the sea together as a heap (Psalm 33:7). Just imagine that. Stand on any rugged coastline and watch the power of the sea when in a storm. God can control this, it is nothing to Him. His counsel and plans are unstoppable. No one can come up against Him and claim the victory.

Armed with this information, do you honestly think that He can't change your situation? We read in Genesis 18:14, 'Is anything too hard for the LORD?' Of course it isn't, so whatever is troubling you, give it to Jesus and allow His unstoppable creativity work on your behalf. You really need to begin to take the Lord's words to heart - to start believing, receiving and living it. You can bring the most difficult situation to God, but He will find a way around it because, He is the way.

So be of good cheer, you serve an unstoppable God. Read the word of the Word and start living and enjoying it.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Confess it - Receive it - Live it

"Show me Your ways, O LORD; Teach me Your paths". 5 "Lead me in Your truth and teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; On You I wait all the day."  

                                                                                         Psalm 25:4-5   NKJV

David had made so many mistakes throughout his life, and he had practically lost everything until he strengthened himself in the LORD , which is recorded in 1 Samuel 30:6. He knew where to go when everything else was failing; he trusted God with all he had and knew, God would never let him down.

We see this in the 25th Psalm; he asks God for divine guidance for walking in His ways. He knew he would never make it on his own. It is full of intimacy as he asks God that his past and present sin would not get in the way of his relationship with the Lord. It's interesting to see in verse 5, that he says, 'On You, I wait all the day.' Once again we see the need to wait on God. There were times when He didn't answer David straightaway and he had learned to live with this. It was a sign of his maturity. If King David had to wait, you can bet that we will have to. David had become used to this and He used the time to worship and praise God. There is a lesson here. He kept his heart right and ensured that he was in tune with his Father.

David was actually asking that God would direct him throughout his daily journeys in life. We all need it to achieve the reality of living in God's plans for our life, so that we will be pleasing to Him. We also need to be certain that we are walking in God's truth so, we need Him to teach us to do this on a daily basis. We will only achieve it by allotting a piece of our time each morning, where we can pray, listen, read our bibles and build our relationship with Him. We need to be in a state of intimacy with the Lord and it will only be achieved by having this regular, quiet time.

If I may quote from The Passion Bible, we see a clearer picture of David's heart to his Father:

'Escort me into Your truth; take me by the hand and teach me. For You are the God of my salvation; I have wrapped my heart into yours all day long.'   Psalm 25:5

The latter part of this verse, gives us a useful insight into what to do while waiting for God; wrapping our heart into His. Therefore, we need to Confess it (our sin) - Receive it (forgiveness and blessing) - Live it (Live the full life God has given us, by His guidance).

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Stop Fretting and Be Utterly Astounded

"Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you"   Habakkuk. 1:4   NKJV

The majority of prophets spoke to people about what God had told them. Habakkuk, spoke to God about what he saw and witnessed. Here, he looked around and saw the mayhem that was happening  and he decided to do something about it. He was a praying man and so he cried out to God about it, and even challenged God about it v3. However, His prayers seemed to go unanswered: 'O LORD, how long shall I cry, and You will not hear?'  Like we have been seeing over the past few days, sometimes it is like God is not listening to us and Habakkuk felt frustrated by it all as we have done at times.

However, note something very important, we've seen that he was a praying man, he spoke to God about it. He didn't go complaining to others about this and that. How often are we tempted to do this when things are not what we believe they should be?Complaining to other people just gives you a bad name; it is akin to gossip and when we become like this, people tend to avoid us after so long. Don't drive people away by grumbling, encourage them to pray with you for change, but watch your attitude.

Let us not forget, God can see the whole picture and He works out His sovereign plan in the midst of all the flak. He knows far better than us how to work things out for the best; we only know a little, He knows it all and acts accordingly. When God finally responds to Habakkuk, He blows him away with the most amazing statement: 'Look among the nations and watch - be utterly astounded! For I will work a work in your days which you would not believe, though it were told you' v4. In other words He was telling Habakkuk not to fear or become anxious, He is on the case and it will be a thrill to watch.

Imagine God saying that to you. Well He probably has but you may have been distracted by the fear of waiting for God to act. Stop worrying! Stop becoming anxious about things you have prayed about! If you have given your problem/s to God, leave them with Him. Your requests are not laying in the in tray; He doesn't have one. Your request is being processed by Him personally; He has it in hand. 

There is no need to take this problem to anyone else; if you've prayed to God about it, let Him amaze you with His answers. Habakkuk 2:3 says, 'Though it tarries, wait for it; because it will surely come, It will not tarry'.  So hang in there and wait.

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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God is with you - always!

"I am with you always, even to the end of the age"        Matthew 28:20    NKJV 

God will never leave you - not ever (Hebrews 13:5). Sometimes we may feel that He has; we just can't feel His presence but, I assure you that He is there. Jacob camped out one night when he was on his way to Haran. He found a suitable stone to rest his head and fell asleep. He had a wonderful, prophetic dream, watching angels go up and down a ladder that was attached to heaven. Above it, stood the Lord God who spoke to him. He gave him some encouraging words of provision and safety for the future (Read Genesis 28). When Jacob woke up, he said some striking words, 'Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it' v16. Jacob was saying what we say at times - 'God is here and I couldn't feel Him'. It happens to us all.

Jacob realised that God had been with him all the time. Therefore, in honour to God, he took the stone, his head had laid on, and poured oil on it and built a pillar. This was a memorial, not a shrine but, somewhere that Jacob could remember the moment and be encouraged. He called the place Bethel. 

We all need to remember what God has done for us at times. Those times when we didn't know He was there with us, and we hadn't spoken to Him; yet all of a sudden He rescued us from a certain disaster. I remember a time when my wife and I were driving home and as we went round a corner, a car was right in front of us, driving at speed on our side of the road. There was no time to do anything except shout, Lord!' And it was just like an angel flicked the car out of the way and it sped off down the road. That was a scary moment but, it was also a 'God moment', a time when we wasn't really thinking about Him or reaiising that He was there with us, but He was and He saved our lives. I still remember it when we drive that way. Just like Jacob, it is like we planted a memorial there in the road.

What about you? Can you think back to the times when you didn't fully realise that God was with you but He did something amazing? You may have several of these moments in your memory bank. Keep them in there as memorials and thank Him for the wonderful moment He delivered you; the time He changed something that you couldn't; that time He brought something or someone into your life that changed your life for the best. Thank Him; praise Him and be grateful that we have a God that is so kind and loving towards us. What an honour to belong to Him. Amen?

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Stop looking back

"For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered or come to mind"                                 Isaiah 65:17    NKJV 

There is no point in looking back to the past; it is gone and if you have any regrets, learn by them, because the past can't be changed, move on. If you don't, you are carrying a great weight that is too much to bear. You are shackled to what was, instead of what is.

We need to break the power of the past and live for the future. Look what happened to Lot's wife. God told Lot and his wife to leave Sodom and not to look back, sadly Lot's wife did and she was turned into a pillar of salt.  (Genesis 19:26)

Paul commenting on the past and future, told his followers: 'Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead'  Philippians 3:13. Basically he was telling them that there is no point in dwelling in the past, be like me and press on to the future. And this is what he would say to you as well.

Stop looking back. You may have done this or that and you paid the penalty for it. Or this person hurt you and it ruined your life. And don't forget the, 'I could have been a somebody'. It's all in the past. We all have regrets and if we focus on them for too long, they can turn to guilt and deep depression. The thing is, the past can't be changed. If you have done a wrong to someone, you can ask for forgiveness but, that's about all. 

We all have regrets; we wish we had done things better or avoided the mistakes we made that caused so much problem. All we can do is confess these regrets to God - if you need to, asking Him to set you free. But when you have done this, forget them and move on to what God has for you in the future. Jesus wants you for today and for the future. In Revelation 4:8, it reads: 'Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come'. This scripture tells us that Jesus Christ not only was, but He is and He is to come. We serve the present and the future Jesus. He was there in the beginning and, we recognise and honour that He died for us and made a way of forgiveness for us, with eternal life. We are so grateful for this but we were born in the present with the future in mind and we serve a today God. Therefore, move on; get rid of your past and live victoriously in the now and present mode.

Keep your eyes on what is happening in our world today and be ready for any changes that God may make. We are, I believe, living in the End Times and that involves the present and the future. Amen? Amen

Copyright 2022 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

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