A Square peg in a round hole

"to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved."                 

                                 Ephesians 1:6     NKJV 

Have you ever felt like you're a square peg in a round hole? Everything you try to do either, doesn't work or, you just don't appear to fit in with other people or situations. If you feel like this, join the club. I think we all feel like this periodically. Sadly, there can many cliches in church circles and it can be difficult to be welcomed into such groups. Actually, you will find this everywhere - work places, sports clubs, pubs etc. etc. It is pretty common. You can try to force yourself to be accepted by these groups by perhaps, being a people-pleaser - trying to earn their respect. It can work but, then again it can be a no go exercise. When you come up against these groups, it can be rather like walking into a saloon in an old cowboy film. As you walk through the flapping doors everything goes quiet, the piano stops and everyone present stares at you. It's a strange feeling and, thankfully, it doesn't happen very often. 

We as people are strange anyway. We tend to be territorial in our habits; we like the same old seat in church and, woe betide anyone who sits there. We like to use the same old parking space and speak to the same old people. We can be like, creatures of habit. Most of us do not like change and if suddenly all the seats were taken away and we were expected to sit on the floor, this would upset quite a few people. It would make us feel like square pegs in a round hole.

It's the same with breaking into small groups. Many of us used to dislike this when I was at uni. We were safe in a normal class setting but, break into smaller groups was unthinkable and everyone would be so quiet at first. I still don't care for this type of thing and go into my type of square peg in a round hole.

I remember once when we, as a family had been camping for a week. It was horrid and rained all of the week and we were covered in mud because we were on a farm. On the Sunday, we went to this old church in the middle of nowhere. It had a congregation of no more than 10 people. The pianist, who looked about 120, started playing 'This is the day' and we being Pentecostals started clapping and singing out loud. The ten people, who were all in their 'Sunday best' turned round and saw us in jeans and wellies and covered in mud and must have thought we were aliens. No, we were square pegs in a round hole.

Do you get the point? You can't please everyone and as long as Jesus is pleased with you - and He is - that is all that matters! You are holy square pegs in a round hole.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Stop getting into a panic

"Suddenly a fierce storm struck the lake with waves breaking into the boat. But Jesus was sleeping."                 Matthew 8:24  NLT 

Why was Jesus sleeping? He would have known about the storm that was approaching and yet, He didn't warn the disciples about this but, went to sleep. I believe there was a couple of reasons for this. Let's not forget, Jesus, as we know, was in His humanity at the time. He would have become tired the same as any of us do. For one thing, being a leader, as Jesus was, is not easy at times. People can wear us down with their conflicts, arguments and demands. All this takes it's toll on our body.

However, I believe that the real reason Jesus went to sleep and didn't say anything about the pending storm, was because he wanted to see how they handled the situation; how they would manage when faced with a major trauma. He had taught them about faith and they had seen the results of faith-filled living. Now was the time to see if they were ready, which they wasn't as their panic demonstrated.

When we have someone in the driving seat of our lives, it takes the necessity away of having to think for ourselves. However, we can become institutionalised. Prisoners are very much like this as are people in the military. In situations such as these someone usually thinks for you, making the decisions of what to do, where to go and when to stop. When this ends, it is easy to panic, rather like the disciples did here. We have comfort zones and, they are difficult to come out of. We see this in nature, where young birds need to fledge and wobble precariously on the side of the nest flapping their wings like crazy. Sometimes they are reluctant to leave so, Momma gives them a push. Once out of the nest, they have to make decisions for themselves and, it's a strange world out there. Leaving home for the first time can be difficult. We suddenly realise that it is down to us now, and it's scary. Soldiers after a few years in the army may struggle too. All of a sudden, there is no one telling them what to do, where to go and all that malarky.

The disciples were in a similar situation. For a few years, they had been used to Jesus leading the way and getting them out of the scrapes that they found themselves in. Now, they had to remember what Jesus had actually said about faith and they were panicking. He will lead us so far, until we are strong enough to stand alone. However, He's never far away - right beside you in fact. But, He has taught us, the bible is our training manual, if we don't read it, we are in problems because, the answers to life are all in these pages of faith and truth.

The next time you realise that you are getting in a panic, remember what He taught you; if you can't remember or you are in fear, stop and call on Him. He will answer but, He may wait to see how you handle the situation. It's not that He won't do anything for you anymore - not at all. He wants you to do it and what's more, He has given you everything you need to carry this out. So no more flapping and getting into a panic; keep your cool and quickly analyse the situation and act accordingly. You can do this Philippians 4:13.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The Soul

"Bless the LORD, O my soul; and all that is within me, bless His holy name."  

                                 Psalm 103:1   NKJV 

Psychiatrists and Psychotherapists talk about a persons's Psyche. Just what are they saying? It is a part of psychology that looks at the human soul, mind or spirit. This can help them determine why a person acts in a particular way -  both in a conscious or unconscious way. Trauma can damage a person's psyche, which may include their emotions.

God had this already in process, without having to study for a degree, and an example is the Psalm above which refers to the soul. King David wrote, 'Bless the LORD, O my

soul.' Now the soul is made up of our mind, will and emotions. The Universal Dictionary puts it this way:

'The animating and vital principle in humankind credited with the faculties of thought, action and emotion.'

Therefore, we can determine where we are coming from at any given time. Take for instance, our:

MIND  Our thoughts can let us down many times and often it can be out of control. If we are not careful, the mind can distract us with thoughts that are not wholesome, or thoughts that are irrelevant to what we are concentrating on. In other words, we can drift off into our own little world totally oblivious to what is going on around us. We can also hold bad thoughts about someone, whether it be a grudge or jealousy, envy or even lust. The mind has to be controlled.

WILL  This brings us to the will. We have choices and the choices we make, we have to live by. Some choices are bad ones, probably not thought out properly. Our will can put into action what we have been thinking about. So if, our thoughts have been unwholesome, we need to be very careful that they don't come to fruition. We can't blame others for the choices we make; Adam and Eve did that and it cost them everything they had. The choices we make, we have to own, so be careful in this area.

EMOTIONS  We easily get hurt at times and some people are more fragile than others. When someone hurts us, we can so easily go down the road of revenge but all that does, is make matters worse. God has clearly told us not to do this; He will take care of it if we allow Him to Romans 12:17-21.

What David was suggesting in Psalm 103, was to place our soul - mind, will and emotion, before God and allow Him to bless them, to help us direct them and live our lives the way he intended for us. So, if you fall into any of these categories (which I am sure you do), then surrender your soul to God each morning. When you fall - because you will - consider what happened, rectify it and be careful you don't make that mistake again.

Doing this, you are well on the way to being more in control of your Psyche (Soul)

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Watch your reactions

"A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger."    

                                                                         Proverbs 15:1   NKJV 

Is your day ever like this? You wake up at 7am and think, 'I'll just have a few minutes more.' When you look at the clock again, what appeared to be two minutes is actually 40 minutes and you are late. You shoot out of bed and rush down the stairs, treading on a piece of Lego on the way. Even though you feel like your toes are broken, you grit your teeth and dash into the kitchen, where you are faced with two children who are demanding their breakfast. You have no cereals left; you know you should have gone to the supermarket yesterday but, you couldn't be bothered. It will have to be porridge - microwaves can be handy at times such as this, that is of course if they are working, which this one isn't. You suddenly realise the electricity is not on. Your trip switch box is in one of your cupboards, on the top shelf near the ceiling. You grab a chair but you can't see the box because there are tins and packets of this and that in front. You manage to manoeuvre your hand and flick the trip switch back on. On removing your hand, you knock the precariously placed items on the shelf which are then deposited on the floor. The kids are still shouting, 'We want our breakfast'.

Your whole peace of mind has disappeared and you have turned into a raging bull, snorting red hot steam all over the place. Play the video back of what has happened over the past hour. It was your fault that you decided to have a little extra time in bed, no one else is to blame. Take responsibility. Mayhem, happens, we all have days when things go wrong but, because you have made yourself late, you're under pressure and the devil is rubbing his hands enjoying every moment. He loves to wind us up and, if we give him any chance to enter our situation, he'll gladly take up the invitation. Just look at what has happened over the last hour. You've upset yourself; you've upset your children and you've upset your whole day. And now you feel guilty and have apologised to the children and God about twenty times but, still feel guilty.

Come on, you know the devil is not your friend; he will try to rob you of your joy whenever he can (John 10:10). Be alert and ready and in control. We make mistakes but we must accept the responsibility of these and learn by them. If the devil can get you reacting badly, he is happy. Why? Because you have taken your eyes off Jesus and on to him. You've responded the way he wanted you to. He will throw hindrances your way, things will break down and everything you touch will go wrong. Note that, God will sometimes allow things to happen this way to test how you react

Perhaps you're thinking at this time, 'Well I really blew it last night, I just wasn't in control.' It happens, we're not perfect just tell Jesus that you're sorry and ask for forgiveness. He's only too pleased to do this. And then ensure that you are not going to make this particular mistake again. There will be other testing times though, so be ready!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The Lord thinks about us

"For I know the thoughts that I think towards you, says the LORD, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. 12 Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. 13 And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart."                      Jeremiah 29:11-13  NKJV 

God was speaking here about His people who were in exile. He was always thinking of them and He tells them that, they will find Him when they search for Him with all of their hearts. They had been in exile for many years and had often cried half-hearted prayers for Him to rescue them. However, the only way that He would hear them and liberate them was when they made Him the centre of their life. He must be number one; when He is, then He will hear and bring them to freedom.

It's interesting here that this verse is still relevant for each of us today. God demands first place in our lives; He will settle for no other way. If we totally surrender to Him - 100% - then, and only then, will He constantly hear us and bless us. He continually thinks about us. He thinks about us when we are walking in the Spirit and, He thinks about us when we are walking on the banks of lust, ready to fall in. At this crucial time, He longs for us to shout to Him to rescue us. However, this depends on the degree of commitment that we give Him. If we're walking flat out with Him, we're unlikely to fall into sin, we can but, it's unlikely. If our commitment is YoYo style - up one minute, down the other, then it is likely that we may consider temptation. I did say may consider, not will consider. Many of us can be tempted but immediately count the cost and walk away from the temptation. Others, may linger, considering for too long and, fall to it.

It all comes down to our commitment to Jesus. Many genuine Christians have fallen to the temptations of lust in various forms. They didn't go looking for it but, a seed may have been planted in their mind and, as they continued focusing on it, the seed has grown and given birth: 'But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. 15 then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.'  James 1:14-15.

Please pay attention to the latter part of our text today: 'And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart." We have a decision to make, to have God in our life 24/7 or when you think about Him, which sometimes is often and, other times periodically.

God thinks about you all the time; why not try thinking about Him in the same manner.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Spiritually healthy but Physically sick

"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers."                                 3 John v2   NKJV 

There are many believers in our world today who, despite their belief in Jesus, still remain  physically unwell. Some of these people are well known on the preaching circuit and God uses them to bring healing to many people and yet, they remain physically unwell. It is difficult to work this out. Have they not believed for their healing? Of course they have but, at this moment in time healing evades them.

Gaius was one of these people. He was a dear friend of the apostle John and may well have been converted under his ministry. John would write him many letters, however, this one was a stern one because things were not right within the church. The pastor, Diotrephes, was full of pride and wanted all of the praise and attention. This was of great concern to John, and one that he intended to give his attention to.

However, the initial concern for John was Gauis' health. His spiritual health was good but, his physical health was not so and this is why John wrote the words in verse 2:"Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers." This verse gives confirmation that a spirit-filled Christian can excel in his or her faith and yet suffer ill health. 

I, for one, was healed totally from Bells Palsy (my testimony) and yet suffered 10 years with Ulcerative Colitis - a chronic bowel complaint before I had to have an ileostomy because of the risk of cancer. Why didn't God heal me again? I don't know the answer. I was in spiritual health but my physical health was poor. Thankfully, I'm well now but, the trauma of it all was devastating. God just healed me in another way that I hadn't expected.

If you are in a similar situation - your spiritual health is good but your physical health is not so good, be encouraged; you have done no wrong. Healing may still come at some time. Don't give up but also don't beat yourself up thinking that you are demonised or have done some terrible thing that is blocking your healing. Just trust Jesus. Joni Eareckson Tada is still wheelchair bound but God, uses her regularly. Has it stopped her? No it hasn't, she kept on going and, this is what Jesus expects you to do as well.

Healing could be one minute away, then again, your condition may be permanent. Don't get me wrong, I know what the scriptures say about healing but, I haven't the answer to the 'Why hasn't it happened?'

Whatever else, remember Jesus calls you beloved. Keep on going!

Copyright 2023 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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Under Pressure?

"We don't want you to be unaware, brothers and sisters, of our affliction that took place in Asia. We were completely overwhelmed - beyond our strength - so that we even despaired of life itself. 9 Indeed, we felt that we had received the sentence of death, so that we would not trust in ourselves but in God, who raises the dead."   

  2 Corinthians 1:8-9   Christian Standard Bible

Paul was under extreme pressure in Corinth. He had planted a church there and it had begun to thrive. However, later on, problems broke out that threatened to split the church. Timothy tried to bring about peace and then Titus and eventually, following a painful visit by Paul himself, things began to settle down. It was thought a discouraging time, full of pressure. The problem was not resolved until Paul realised that he could do nothing, only God could sort this problem out. And as Paul surrendered to that idea, things did improve.

God sometimes allows things to go pear-shaped. He is used to hopeless situations where we, if not careful, can fall apart and even consider giving up. We may try all we know to solve difficult problems, we can also bring in specialists in a particular field. However, as wise and experienced these people may be, at times it is only God Himself who can bring about peace to a situation. There are a lot of 'Mr Fix its' about the place but, God is the eternal and famous 'Mr Fix it' of all. It's always better to call in the ultimate one.

As I've said, sometimes God allows things to happen that appear impossible to solve. He does this so that we, as His children, learn to put our hope in Him and not the world. Maybe you need to hear this today. Are you trying to solve something and nothing appears to be happening? It is possible that something is going on but, because you can't see an improvement, your patience is being stretched. Alternatively, you may have called in a 'Mr Fix it' or possibly two or three of them and there has been no change. Have you considered that God could be saying, 'Call on Me, I'm the one that can fix this and quickly.'

It is food for thought and only you know the answer to this. Don't allow yourself to come under pressure to anything. God has the answer. The conclusion here is:

(1) Something is happening, you just need to be patient instead of trying to make things happen

(2) Or, you have called in the wrong 'Mr Fix it.' You need to call on the Ultimate One.

Allow the Holy Spirit to guide you to understand what's right.

Copyright 2023 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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