We can’t see Him but - He's there!

"No one has seen God at any time. If we love one another, God abides in us, and His love has been perfected in us"                              I John 4:12    NKJV

None of us have ever seen God but we know He is there. It's true that many have had visions of Him such as Paul in 2 Corinthians 12, and others, myself included. But none of us have met Him in the flesh. However, this is where our faith comes into action. By faith we see what unbelievers can't see. We know God is here with us - we talk and listen to Him but, we do that by faith because - we know beyond all doubt that Jesus is alive! The world can't comprehend this and consider us mad. But, I would sooner be mad for Jesus than mad without Him.

Romans 4:17 is an astounding verse, it reads: God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did' This is the faith that we need to grab hold of; this is the way God wants us to live. We speak to things that don't exist and they do. This is the whole truth of physical healing, we lay hands on people and though healing is not there - yet, we believe that it exists, so therefore, we speak healing to that person. Some may say, 'Yes, but I've prayed for people and they were not healed.' I know this, it's happened to all of us but, that should never stop us. I've no real answers to the times when people are not healed; that's down to God. We should be obedient to God's Word and we go ahead, no matter what.

In 2 Corinthians 4:18 we read: 'while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things that are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' With faith, we always look at the things which are not seen, such as healings, lack of finance, jobs, people's lives etc. When we look at the things that are seen we sink. Look at Peter when he walked on the water. As he looked at Jesus, he was ok. However, when he took his eyes away and looked at the swelling waves, he sank (Matthew 14:29-30).

We are called to walk by faith not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7), and this is the message today. We have not seen Jesus, but we know that He is there. When we pray for people or situations, the answer is not there in the natural but, we focus on the supernatural and call in the things that do not exist. This is what faith is all about and when we are committed to God, that is all we need. He takes care of the rest. 

You may be a faith person - living it and not walking by sight. Then again, you may struggle in this area. The thing is, it is Jesus' teaching; there is nothing suspicious about this. You may have been warned off this subject because of the so-called faith teachers who are constantly asking you to send money to them. That is not Jesus, He is faith and He wants you to be as well. Read the Gospels and watch as Jesus uses this wonderful gift.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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The Race of Faith

"Therefore, we also, since we are surrounded by so great a crowd of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin, which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."   

                                                                                               Hebrews 12:1-2   NKJV 

We are in a race and, it's one, that our Champion - Jesus, wants us to win. There are some key things to focus on in these two verses - things that can help us achieve our goal.

Firstly, we read in v1 that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. Some people have thought that these, heroes of the faith - both men and women, are seated in something like a stadium, watching us as we run this race of faith, almost like they are cheering us on. They are not spectators; rather, they are bearing witness to us that God can help us through whatever we are faced with. In other words, as we look at what they achieved, they can encourage us into doing the same.

God tells us in v1 to: 'lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us' Note that this doesn't say that the weight includes our sin. No, it says 'and the sin.' There is a major difference. We all carry things around that eventually become so troublesome that, they weigh us down. These are worries, anxiety and stress. We lay awake at night worrying about something that may happen, but rarely does. Things like this, hold us in captivity because, while we are fixing our thoughts on the 'What if's', we are distracted from what the Word of God says, so our faith begins to be shaky. Then of course, if we confess that we are a believer and yet, continue to deliberately commit sin, we are deceiving ourselves and blocking the way to walking with God.

It takes endurance to be able to walk the road with Jesus; don't ever think it will be easy. Things still happen to believers as they do to unbelievers, we are still susceptible. However, when we place Jesus in control, He leads us through and gives us the ability to overcome and cope with what we are facing. Paul says in Philippians 3:13-14: 'Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching towards those things which are ahead, 14 I press towards the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.' 

Whatever you may be facing today, think of the heroes of the faith who have gone before you. They had their problems too but, God helped them through and, He will you as well. 'Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith' v2; receive His strength and walk in it. He's the Champion who will help you through. 

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Are you in love with the world?

"Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the word the love of the Father is not in him. 16  For all that is in the world - the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life - is not of the Father but is of the world. 17 And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever."              

                                                                                 1 John 2:15 - 17  NKJV

Interesting and yet difficult words to comprehend. It is good to be a part of this world at the moment. Without this, we would not have all the things that God provides for us on a daily basis. We wouldn't have those who love us; or see the wonders of the landscapes near or far. We wouldn't have the wildlife - the animals, birds and the endless countryside. We wouldn't have all of the things that make life worth living. In a way, we can be accused of loving the world by stating the above. But, we are not, we just have a gratefulness to God for all of the wonderful things He has given us in the world and, we love Him for it. We love God for all He gives us and what John was saying here is quite different.

Loving the world, prevents fellowship with God. We read this in Romans 12:2, where Paul writes: 'Do not be conformed to this world but, be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.' Paul was not telling us that it was wrong to enjoy what God has given us in this world but, that we should not be conformed  to it so that we make it more greater than God. Paul also comments in Colossians 3:2 by saying: 'Set your minds on things above, not on things on the earth.' He didn't want us getting our minds mixed up with earthly problems and quarrels. 

David Jeremiah comments on 1 John 2:15 - 17 that: 'John was warning us not to love the false values, false standards and false gods of society, because whatever things are involved in the world's system are under the authority of the evil one'

When we stop and consider what is happening in our world today, where Christian standards are under threat of the bible being re-written to accommodate same-sex marriages and blessings within the church, we can easily see what John was saying. We must take stock of who we are following - God or the world, we can't have it both ways. We either believe the Word of God totally, or not.

Joshua said in Joshua 24:14 - 15:

'Now therefore, fear the LORD, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River in Egypt. Serve the LORD!  15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the LORD, choose for yourself this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD'

There is a choice to be made and it is an important one! It is a choice that Christians throughout the world need to make and live by. There is no room for compromise in the Word of God. The bible and God's standards cannot be watered down. Therefore, it comes down to the choice that Joshua wrote. Be blessed.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Don't lose your joy

"And these things we wrote to you that your joy may be full"    1 John 1:4  NKJV  

In this passage, John encouraged his readers to have abundant joy in their walk with God. David Jeremiah, expounds 3 areas that could rob believers of this, life-giving joy:

DENY THE POWER OF SIN. (1:5-7) We often claim one thing by our words but are condemned by our lives. Walking in fellowship with Christ results in being continually cleansed from sin. And when we are cleansed from the guilt and stain of sin, we have fulness of joy in the Lord.

DENY THE PRESENCE OF SIN. (1:8-9) The cure for sinfulness is not denying our sin but relying on the faithfulness of God to forgive us on the basis of Christ's death on the cross. To confess our sin and remain in fellowship with God is the way to maintain the joy of our salvation.

DENY THE PRACTICE OF SIN. (1:10-2:2) The person who denies that he or she has, in fact, sinned is quick to label their actions as anything but sin. Unfortunately, to take such a stance costs both the joy of forgiveness and restoration with the Father.

                                                                           The Jeremiah Bible by David Jeremiah

Therefore, if you lose your sense of joy in your Christian walk, and feel that you are unable to cope with what you are going through, it is good practice to examine these 3 statements. It may well be that you have committed one of these and this is why you feel joy-less. You can then re-connect with Jesus, who will forgive you if you ask Him to.

If we lose our joy because of our sin, we are then walking in darkness and, as Jesus is Light, He is not there with us. We need to move fast and get back on the road with Him. People, even today, confess that they have fellowship with Jesus and yet, walk in darkness - their lives do not match up with what they confess. To a degree, we all have to be careful of this. We are called to be children of the Light; so, let us be wary of slipping into the darkness.

We do need to realise that we are all susceptible to sin. We can therefore, easily fall back into our old ways if we are not alert. Sin is only around the corner and, where addictions are concerned, the devil can so easily trick us into this old part of our lives. To give an example, it would be quite foolish for a recovering alcoholic to spend time in a pub. If this is you, you may feel that you can overcome any temptation but why, put yourself through this? It makes no sense.

Jesus will forgive you if you fall back into your old ways; He's committed to do this. However, will you forgive yourself if you've fallen to sin? The main thing in life for believers is, to keep our eyes on Jesus; keep our joy and keep on the road He leads us along. Amen?

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Just be Yourself

"Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today."                                            Exodus 14:13    NKJV 

When I was a young man, in a Pentecostal church, prior to training, I used to feel inadequate when I was among older Christians. I used to have the feeling that I was too young and inexperienced to be in leadership with these people, who knew far more than I did at the time. Then, when I was much older, I began to get the feeling that I was too old to be of any use to younger people. I had to take a look at myself over this and, through speaking with God, I realised that I was being insecure. It doesn't matter whether we are young or old, we can suffer insecurities and it can hinder the work of the Lord. I had to overcome this insecurity, and I felt God saying to me, 'Just be yourself.'

Exodus 14:13 says: 'Do not be afraid. Stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, which He will accomplish for you today.' This verse, very much needs underlining in your bible - it's a life verse. Fear will always try to stop us, but do it anyway. Don't let fear control you; God will always honour you even though, you may have to do it afraid. In other words, go forward and cross over into a new way of life; receive freedom by abandoning the 'slave mentality'. You are not in chains, Jesus broke them off.

Just be yourself. If God is leading you to do something, then go ahead and do it. Just be yourself, not, I stress, a copy of someone else. When we try to copy someone else, it's almost like God doesn't know us, because we are trying to flow in the other person's anointing. Be yourself, you're an original not a copy. Sometimes, we do model ourselves on another person. Treating them as a mentor is ok, copying them is not. You have your own anointing: 'But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things' (1 John 2:20). Jesus has personally anointed you and, your anointing is different to any other. Look at it as DNA, no one else has the same DNA, this is how criminals are captured. Likewise, we all have a different anointing, no anointing is the same; you are unique.

Armed with this knowledge, you have the ability to do whatever God leads you to do. He never sends us to do something that we are unable to perform. He knows our qualities and what we are anointed for and, if we are willing He will appoint us to carry out His wishes. But it will be you doing it, not anyone else. There is no need to ring someone up and ask for assistance and guidance. He has chosen you, therefore, He will guide you and show you the way He wants the mission done.

Cast off any insecurity, God's not into this, that's the devil. Grab your bible, put on your armour and go and get the job done. You are very capable!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Hope returned

"This I recall to my mind, therefore I have hope."     Lamentations 3:21   NKJV 

Jeremiah really hit rock bottom at one time in his ministry. He wasn't wanted anywhere, in fact, he was your true 'Billy no mates'. However, he believed in God and despite all of his bad feelings and comments from people, he knew God was on his side. It's hard to believe this fact when you are going through unpleasant times. Why does God put us through such things? I believe that it's all about learning processes. We need to realise that, whatever may come our way, God is always with us and, despite what is going through our head, He cares and delivers. It can be a difficult road at times though.

Tony Evans says:

"In addition to the pain of Jerusalem's destruction, Jeremiah had physical and emotional scars from decades of prophetic ministry to people who'd refused to listen. He was the most hated man in Judah, the person everyone wanted gone.'  

                                                                                                          The Tony Evans Study Bible

I know that you have heard me say this more than once, but when we think back to how God rescued us from various things, it gives us hope - hope that He is watching over us and right beside us. To remember these times reinforces the hope within us. Sometimes that hope may be dwindling a little, but it is still there. Therefore, build upon it by thinking back and praising Him. Read the words of Psalm 42:5. (NIV):

'Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put you hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Saviour and my God.'

Jeremiah lost hope initially, which does happen. However, he took back the control of his mind and focused on God. We must remember that, each morning is a reminder of God's compassion towards us; they're new every morning no matter what (Lam 3:22-23). He is so very faithful. This memory of God, gave Jeremiah the realisation of God's mercy, compassion and faithfulness. It generated his hope in his soul - and it will yours also. 

Warren W Wiersbe writes:

'Unbelief causes us to look at God through our circumstances and, this causes hopelessness but, faith enables us to look at our circumstances through the reality of God and, this gives us hope!'               The Wiersbe Study Bible

So, if you want to live in Godly-hope, keep your eyes on Him; when the going gets tough - and it will, then focus on the times when Jesus was rock-solid for you and rescued you and placed your feet on firm ground. 

There really is no need to fear - for God is near!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Life Issues (4)

"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil; for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me."   Psalm 23:4   NKJV

Our fourth and final Life Issue is grief; how we feel at this sad time and how, if possible, we manage to go through the trauma of it all. Colin Murray-Parkes says, 'Grief is the price we pay for love'. It affects us all and, although we are all different, it is nevertheless a difficult part of our lives to overcome. We can class grief as loss, and when we have a loss there is always change and this is where it becomes hard. The old environment must be given up and a new one accepted. We can define transition as a discontinuity in a person's life space. Therefore, to be able to cope with this, we need to find a way through the hurt and the changes forced upon us.

We may feel that because we are a Christian, it will be easier because God will help us. It is true that He will help and lovingly guide us through. However, it is a road that we must walk through; there is no way around it. Someone once said: 'The terrible anguish of losing someone we love is something almost every person goes through. It is the love they shared that makes the death so hard to bear. Being a Christian does not shield a person from the sadness of bereavement and the sense of loss. It is not wrong to grieve. It is not a sign of physical or spiritual weakness or failure. But in the midst of pain, Christians have hope and comfort to help them as they grieve. Christianity teaches that God knows all of humanity, right down to the numbers of hairs on our heads. (anon)

There are different stages that people go through in their grief walk. I will work from Transition Theory by Barry Hopson - Leading UK Psychologist:

IMMOBILISATION. This is a feeling of being overwhelmed, rather like being numb. Decisions are difficult to make and a person may feel 'Frozen up'.

MINIMISATION. This can be described of being in a kind of denial. People may try to shrug off what they are going through and have a false view of the way ahead.

DEPRESSION. When realisation begins to kick in, there can be a great fear because of the loss and this is not helped by the fact that they cannot change what has happened.

LETTING GO. Eventually, there comes a time when a person begins to think more rationally and believes that they may be able to handle the loss and change. It is the feeling that, there is life out there and it can, be attained. It is a case of unhooking themselves from the past and looking towards a future. However, this is not easy.

TESTING. When people do let go and make their way forward, they may test new areas of life - joining a club; going to the gym, having a new hobby. They are attempting to find a new way forward.

SEARCH FOR A MEANING. There will always be the, 'Why did this have to happen?' The answer to this is, you just don't know and one must make the best of what they have left.

INTERNALISATION. Finally, a person reaches the point where they internalise it all and begin to accept - albeit, reluctantly, what has happened. (Transition Theory, Barry Hopson)

This of course is only a compressed look at this coping technique. It may help to obtain a closer look by buying a book. As Christians, we need to remember that, we are not given a pass to avoid these issues - they are real and will happen at some stage. However, Jesus is right beside us and will take our hand through the pain and loss, if we allow Him to. In fact, He is the best counsellor, helper and friend that we will ever find.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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

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