More on your new nature

"So stop telling lies. Let us tell our neighbours the truth, for we are all part of the same body. 26 And don't sin by letting anger control you. Don't let the sun go down while you are still angry. 27 For anger gives a foothold to the devil." Ephesians 4:25 - 27   NLT

Let us take a closer look at living in our new nature. David Jeremiah writes: 'A Christian's uniqueness in the world should be apparent in his or her morality, mood, money, mouth and manners. To avoid sinning in the heat of anger, God's people should not nurse, rehearse, discuss or project their anger onto others. Instead, they should control their anger and deal with it quickly to prevent the enemy from gaining any ground in their hearts.'                      The Jeremiah Bible, David Jeremiah Ephesians 4:25-28

Just because we are now coming from the position of a new nature, this does not exclude us from being susceptible to the devil. In fact, we will be moreso, because we have recognised that we are someone in Christ and people we meet, may want a piece of what we have. The anger issue is a biggie, Once we submit to losing it completely, we are well on the way to upset anyone in our sight. It starts so small; someone may have said or done something to wind us up. Instead of forgiving them or totally ignoring it, we retain it and then we start focussing on it until we are seething with anger. At this point, we can still free ourselves from this but we need to call on Jesus to help with this. Call on anyone else and they may add more fuel to the situation.

Remember, once we allow ourselves to get into this state we are practically out of control and the devil begins to take over. Verse 27 here, tells us, 'For anger gives a foothold to the devil.' Now you've heard me say many times that, 'once you allow the devil into the backseat of your car, pretty soon he is going to want to drive.' And this is so true, once we invite the devil in - because this is what we are doing by acting in this way - once we let him in, he will take over and once this happens we will have some big trouble.

Therefore, let us watch what comes out of our mouth - no foul words or course jokes, no lying to anyone, not even small ones such as 'white lies.' There is no such thing, they are all lies and we need to stop it now. Watch the anger and remember, 'with a short fuse you're gonna lose.'  (Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard)

We'll  look at a little more tomorrow. God Bless

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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Put on your new nature

"Throw off your old sinful nature and your former way of life, which is corrupted by lust and deception. 23 Instead, let the Spirit renew your thoughts and attitudes. 24 Put on your new nature, created to be like God - truly righteous and holy." Ephesians 4:22 - 24. NLT

We need to have the attitude, 'It is no longer I. Someone else is in charge of me, and His name is Jesus.'  We need to 'restrain and re-train' ourselves. Restraining from our old way of thinking and doing things, and re-training ourselves to be more like Jesus in all we say and do. In other words, re-training ourselves to walk God's way. This is how we renew our minds.

Doing this, we have not only changed our minds but, we have changed our citizenship; we belong to a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). So our old way of life should no longer have control over us. We belong to Jesus. Warren W Wiersbe says, 'We have been raised from the dead - so why wear grave clothes.' I like that phrase, once we were dead in our sins but, now, we have been raised from the dead of our past life and have received eternal life in Jesus Christ.

However, this is not the end; we still have to keep a watch over our mind. Sin is all around us with, temptation around every corner. Demons will try to entice us to fall to their level. They will make it easy for us to take part in sinful situations, if we are not careful. We need to remember that we do not belong in our past nature, we belong in the new one, the one that Jesus rules and, He is only a step away. All we have to do is call to Him for help and, He will be there to rescue us. However, He does expect us to make a stand for ourself. After all, the Spirit of God dwells within us in power and, while we are walking the walk with Jesus, we are a powerful duo. All we need to do is confront evil in the name of Jesus and command the devil to leave our presence. We resist him and he must leave (James 4:7). 

So therefore, keep a check on your thoughts and attitudes and keep them in obedience to Jesus. Read the Word of God; pray and pray some more and make sure you are clad in the armour of God. You need it.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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God is pleased with you

"The LORD takes pleasure in those who fear Him, In those who hope in His mercy."   

                                                                       Psalm 147:11  NKJV 

It is hard to believe that with all of the rules and regulations of following Jesus, that He loves us so deeply. Firstly, they are not rules and regulations, they are the directions and guidelines of God, written in the blood of Jesus, for our well-being: 

All scripture is  inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and, teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.' 

                                   2 Timothy 3:16-17 NLT

Secondly, God doesn't only direct us, He gives us His love on a daily basis. This love is directed to all of His people but, often He directs His love on a personal basis to us. And this is the purpose of this devotional today. I believe God wants you to realise that, He is so pleased with all you do for Him on a daily basis. Oftentimes, we do things for people and many times we receive no thanks. But God doesn't work that way, He is grateful for all you do in secret - the things you do for people when no one else can see. He sees this and His word for you today is, 'Thank you'.

Some of you have been doing something for someone and because of this, you have given them the will to live. You have visited them; prayed with them and just been there as a friend. They are so blessed because of this and grateful that you give them your time. God is grateful too and He will bless you because of it.

Some of you have gone that extra mile for people, putting their needs before your own. No one else may have noticed but, God has noticed and He wants to say, 'Thank you My child.'

There have been so many times when you wished you had someone to hold your hand, speak soft words of comfort and generally love you. Do you know something? He has been right there with you sitting by your side and giving you the strength to go a further mile.

You may be feeling rather sad today, even a little depressed but God says to you, 'Put your hope in Me, I'll pull you through' (Psalm 42:5. paraphrased.  

Just read and sing this song:

Jesus loves me, this I know, as He loved so long ago,

taking children on His knee, saying, 'Let them come to Me

                                   Anna Bartlett Warner

Today, you are that child, let Him love you and build you up.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Under Construction

"For every house is built by someone, but He who built all things is God"  

                                                                       Hebrews 3:4   NKJV 

You are still under construction - a work in progress. You may have been a Christian for many years but, you are not there yet and, you have much more to learn until that moment when you will be perfect Philippians 1:6.

God created and built all things and that, includes you but, He hasn't finished yet. How do we know this? Because we keep letting Him down - bad thoughts, critising, judging, unsavoury talk and anger, just to name a few. However the wonderful thing is, God knows all of this and realises that we are still in the constructing process. So, does this give us licence to sin? No, it doesn't but it shows us that God pours much grace upon us and forgiveness is included as we repent. If He didn't, we would be history. This is the wonderful thing about God; He knows we can't be perfect, no matter how hard we try. But He knows that one day we will be.

Be honest, have you let God down this week? You may have and what's more you feel bad about it. This is actually good because this means that the Holy Spirit is convicting you and you recognise this. If you were not being convicted or didn't recognise this, the Holy Spirit would not be a part of you. All the things that happen in this world - the atrocities, the murders, stabbings, rape and whatever else, are usually carried out by people who for one reason or another have a grudge against someone or, just want to take what another person has, even if it is a life. It is pure evil and selfishness. They don't worry that they have taken someone's life and left a family brokenhearted. Mostly they don't care and ignore any conviction for their actions. The label they receive from prosecution makes them feel big and tough and this makes them feel good.

This is the difference between someone who is convicted and someone who isn't. When we are saved and belong to Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God will always convict us of sin. He dwells within us and when we let Him down, we have a heaviness in our spirit and it won't go away until we seek God and repent. If the person who has caused the death or hurt on someone responds to the conviction and repents,  they too will be forgiven but, obviously, will still have to pay the penalty of the law of the land.

When you think about it, we know we have a long way to go but, it is encouraging that until we enter heaven, God has made it possible that we, even though we are still under construction, to be forgiven and blessed. Thank you Jesus.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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'I can'

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me'       Philippians 4:13   NKJV

It may seem a strange title for a bible study but, 'I can' is true. You can do this because God says you can, because He gives you the strength to do things. Just look around at the things in our world that people have done, from the great to the smallest of achievements. God sows an idea into someone's mind and from thereon, it is down to the person to carry this out. Many do and achieve great things, others don't, they just talk about it. Don't be one of them.

Two very small words, 'I can' make all the difference. Bob Gass said some time ago: 'How many times does something look impossible because you think it is?' And, this is true, an idea is planted within us and it appears a great project to be involved in. But for some, it soon becomes a problem because the idea appears too great - too impossible and so, it is left to rot. People have had brilliant ideas for books, for songs and even for career or starting a business but, fear has stopped them because they think, 'I can't.'

Perhaps you may be in this circle. You may have had a particular idea and put it into practice, only to find it has failed before it even took off. You should never give up at the first hurdle. Albert Einstein said, 'Failure is success in progress.' We keep on trying. Yes, it may have failed initially but we never give up, we keep on trying until we find the right way. Thomas Edison said, 'I have not failed 10000 times - I've successfully found 10000 ways that will not work.'

Can you see the difference here? Edison and Einstein turned the failure around and looked on it as progress - a way they had found that something wouldn't work. They then went on to gain success by not giving up. They were 'I can' people. God is an 'I can' God. He knew He could create the world and everything in it, Jesus knew He could go the the cross and die in our place. And, since then many other great men and women of God have achieved great things for Him, but notice - 'in His name.'

Today's text tells us that we can do all things - yes 'all' things but watch this, 'through Christ who strengthens me.' Remember, 'Unless the LORD builds the house, they labour in vain who build it' Psalm 127:1. Perhaps you may have started something in the past and it has failed. Consider this; did you try to build it in your own strength instead of in God? If you did, then repent and get back to the drawing board and achieve great success in Jesus. Because 'You can.' 

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Get behind your shield

"above all, taking the shield of faith with which you will able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one."                                       Ephesians 6:16   NKJV 

The shield with which the Roman soldiers used, covered the whole their body. It was made of wood and covered with leather and occasionally with a sheet of tin. It was then soaked in water so that the fiery darts, shot from the enemy, would extinguish the flame as it stuck into the shield. The Soldiers would advance holding their shields up, side by side with each other. This gave very little room for anyone to get past this wall. However, their backs were exposed making it easy for someone to wound them

severely.

The darts were rather like an arrow with a steel tip dipped into pitch. This was then ignited, hence fiery darts. If these darts made contact with a person, it would be very painful. The dart would carry on burning as it made contact, causing severe damage as it ripped into the skin. There would be a burning torment, possible blood poisoning and both physical and emotional damage. It would be a slow death for some.

Derek Prince commented on this: 'Regarding the shield of faith, your front was covered but, your back exposed. The lesson? Never turn your back in fear! Keep facing the enemy and keep pressing on.'    Copyright Derek Prince 

Satan too, fires fiery darts at God's children. Therefore, we need to ensure that we are dressed in the Armour of God. The Shield is very important to us as, used properly, in prayer, we can extinguish these burning arrows. They obviously, don't have the same affect as a real arrow would on a human being but, they are still lethal and have the potential to disable us where we stand. Satan can fire darts of: jealousy, envy, hatred, fear, suspicion, fornication. lust in fact, you name it; his darts are dangerous to the Christian soul.

All the more, why we need to put on the armour:

A BELT OF TRUTH  This serves as the central point of the battle at hand. If truth is lost, the battle is lost

BREASTPLATE OF RIGHTEOUSNESS  The vital organs are protected and moral purity is a must.

SHOES  This signifies the Gospel of peace

HELMET  The head is most vulnerable in battle therefore, if our salvation in Jesus isn't sound, we will never stand against the devil.

SWORD  This is the Word of God. We need to use the Word, as a sword so that we can counteract the devil's lies and attacks.

PRAYER  This is probably the most important part of our Armour, if we don't pray, we'll have to pay - the price.

Just ensure that your Armour is securely fitted on you. Remember, never turn your back on the devil. Just press forward.

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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For those who feel guilty

"Come now, and let us reason together,' says the LORD. though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool."                                                            Isaiah 1:18  NKJV 

Let us be honest here, who has never felt guilty? I'm not just referring to the past but, recently. We all say things that we regret and they play on our mind as we think about them later on. We do things that we never thought we would do and, the feeling later on is the same - guilt. We may say we are sorry to whom we may have upset and pray that God will forgive us, but, that guilty feeling follows us around, occasionally for a very long time. We know that when we ask Jesus to forgive us that, He will. However, deep inside we have that guilty feeling.

What can you do about this? Well, it comes down to being proactive about it. As I've said, you know you are forgiven but, have you forgiven yourself? This is the place to start and the root of the guilt. In the two verses before our text for today, we read:

'Wash yourselves, make yourself clean; put away the evil of your doings from before your eyes, cease to do evil. 17 Learn to do good; seek justice; rebuke the oppressor; defend the fatherless, plead for the widow.'  1:16-17

Note the 'make yourselves clean.' This is where being proactive helps; God has forgiven you so, speak forgiveness to yourself. Note also, 'rebuke the oppressor.' Who is this? Yes, you're right, it's Satan himself and you know, he can only speak lies to you. If he can make your life a misery, he loves it. Therefore, make a stand and declare forgiveness on yourself and rebuke Satan because he has no place in your life.

Isn't it amazing, how we can have an audience with God? He says, 'Come now, and let us reason together.' This in itself is astonishing, the creator God will allow us to have a conversation with Him. Imagine what it may be like to do this. Plush carpets and golden, comfy chairs that you sink into totally content to be in His presence. We will know one day what it's like but until then, we can only imagine. But, you don't have to imagine speaking to Him and discussing your life. He has said, 'Let's talk this through'. 

And this is what you need to do every time you feel insecure, guilty, ashamed and fearful. Jesus paid the price for all of these. You will make blunders; live with it! The secret is in verse 17, 'Learn to do good.' You do this by practice. you're not perfect yet but, you're getting close. Keep 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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