It will be ok!

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

You will have times when there is fear all around you and, darkness will seem to appear from everywhere. Your mind may begin to play tricks with you putting things into your thoughts that, are not there. You may hear a voice saying, 'You will not survive this.' One minute all was well, the next you were sick. One minute your life was going well, suddenly it is out of sync, all very quickly. You can't think straight and nothing makes sense. What has happened here? You are either undergoing an attack from the evil one, or God is showing you something, a complete revelation.

Look at today's text; God is with you in this dark period. In fact, He is right there beside you. Firstly, you need to analyse just what has happened. If you are genuinely sick, you need to see a doctor. If it is money problems, it can be sorted out and efficiently if you seek the right help. If it is people-problems, then perhaps you need to try and talk it through with whoever it is. If God is speaking directly to you, you need to stop what you are doing and seek His heart. All these issues and others can be addressed quite favourably. Sadly, if you have a terminal illness and you don't receive healing for this, at least if you are a Christian you have eternal life and at the end of your life, you will pass through a door to be with God, instantly. Many people face death without this hope.

Here, in our text, David mentions the valley of the shadow of death. This piece of scripture does not necessarily refer to physical death every time. If a person is walking through the valley to their death, yes, Jesus will be there to escort you, hand in hand to heaven. However, look at the word 'Shadow.' A shadow is a reflection, a dark shape made on a surface when something stands between a light and the surface. You can't really touch or remove the shadow, every time you try, it will move in different ways. Therefore, it may be identified that the 'Shadow of death,' may not be referring to a physical death but a spiritual death or the death or end of a particular thing - such as a ministry that you are involved with at a certain place, or a job you are involved in or where you reside. This is a time when you need God to show you clearly, and He will because, He is right beside you.

The thing is, you need to know that, it will all be ok. God will never let you down. You can't lose with God. Paul says in Philippians 1:21: 'For to me to live is Christ and to die is gain.' You can't lose, you know the way you're going whether now or later on. So, just realise that with Jesus all will be ok!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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How do you handle your finances?

"Owe nothing to anyone - except for your obligation to love one another."  

                                                         Romans 13:8   NLT 

Many people are not in control of their finances - someone else is. And that someone is probably credit cards, loan sharks or a friend. Of course, we have essentials such as mortgage or rent payments, together with the household bills - electricity, gas, food, car expenses and whatever else that most families need. But what about the things that we don't need, but want? There is a major difference here.

We all see things that we would like when we browse through online stores or go out shopping. Sometimes, the feeling of liking something can turn into a 'Must have' and if we don't have the finance to back up this payment, then this is where the trouble can begin. Let's just say that the majority of people have a credit card and treated right, this little plastic thing can be a convenient way to purchase something. There is nothing wrong with this if we are sensible. What I mean is, when the credit card bill comes through the post, we pay off the full amount and then, we are in the clear again with no added percentages. However, if we opt to pay the minimal figure, this is where the added percentage comes into play and then, if we purchase anything else on the card, the bill increases and so on. Pretty soon, the bill is so large that it is impossible to pay without a major struggle. If you become in debt, then you become a slave to the person you owe money to. They are in control, not you. 

God's Word tells us above, that we should owe nothing to anyone. Many people who use a credit card and pay it off each month, cannot be classed as in debt. It is just a convenient way to buy things. But the one who knows they have not got the funds but, still go ahead and buy stuff on their card are. It is irresponsible and really, as a Christian, it is being a bad steward of the money you receive. Above everything, we should always give God a tithe - we owe this to Him. If we give more, this is an offering and we can be blessed in return for giving this. But to fail to give to God and yet become in debt to someone is not being responsible and we need to get it right.

If you are in debt, then it is time to be honest and do something about it. Be honest with who you owe the finance to and perhaps they will be able to help you create a repayment plan. Don't ignore this hoping that something will turn up. It's not often that an angel knocks on your door and hands you a bag of cash. Therefore, be sensible. refuse to use your credit card until you are in the clear. There is a way through all of this and it starts with being honest with God and asking Him to help you. He will, but it's unlikely that He will pay your debt off for you. He wants you to learn the right way and, sometimes it can be a hard lesson to learn.

Speak to Him about this right now

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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How is your hearing?

"So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ."

                                                                                 Romans 10:17   NLT

The thing is, do we listen properly? Do we actually take on board what someone is saying to us or, do we hear some of the conversation and paraphrase the rest? This is dangerous stuff because, we can so easily get things wrong. Eve got things totally wrong when the serpent was talking with her in Genesis 3. Obviously, Adam had explained to her the rules laid down by God in the garden but, she had not listened properly and told the serpent that they could not even touch the tree in the middle of the garden. This error led to the serpent tricking her and then all was lost.

It's imperative that we hear properly what is being said. One of the main problems is, we tend to speak too much and listen little. Mark Twain addressed this with his infamous quotation: 

'If we were meant to talk more than listen, we would have two mouths and one ear'

Just focus on that statement for a moment. If we are too busy talking, we have little chance of hearing properly what someone is saying to us. As I have said, this is dangerous stuff. It was dangerous for the whole world when Eve didn't listen properly and, it may be for someone who is trying to tell you something. Take for example, a person may be trying to tell you that they, or someone close to them is at risk. If you are not hearing them properly, you may start saying, 'Oh, this happened to someone I know and they had to ring the police etc. etc.' This may have been so but, the person doesn't want to hear this, they are making a serious disclosure to you and you are not listening properly.

How on earth are we going to hear God if we are so busy talking (Praying) and He can't get a word in at all. We need to pray, of course we do, but, some people can make it a marathon and monopolise the whole prayer time. Ironically, the prayers they have been praying may have been answered but they hadn't heard God at all. 

When it is obvious that someone wants to talk to you, give them dignity. Listen to them, possibly with the third ear, which means 'what are they trying to tell me here?' Don't interrupt or speak until you have to and then only to feed back like, 'So what you are saying is -' The person will then know that you are trying to fit into their shoes by your empathy.

You don't have to be a counsellor to listen to someone with dignity, but you do need to talk less. So make it a habit that you are willing to listen properly. This way, you're more likely to miss nothing

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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The Power of the Tongue

"No one can tame the tongue it is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. 9 With the tongue we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse people who are made in God's likeness. 10 Blessing and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers and sister these things should not be this way.     James 3:8-10   Christian Standard Bible 

The tongue is not bad if used properly and when we are praising and worshipping God and sharing testimonies with other people, we are using the good side of the tongue. However, there is a bad side as well and this is the side that we need to control.

Tont Evans writes:'

James isn't writing to the world. He's exhorting Christians, reminding them that their mouths are polluted. After singing hallelujahs, some families start tearing each other down before they've even departed the church parking lot. If criticising, gossiping and swearing come out of your mouth, the content of your heart needs to be addressed'.   Copyright The Tony Evans Study Bible footnotes to James 3:9-12 

There is a choice to be made, we will either use the tongue to speak good things or, use it to tear people down. As a Christian, the choice has been made for us and we need to take this on board. Take a look at the book of Proverbs Chapter 18:19-20:

'From the fruit of a person's mouth his stomach is satisfied; he is filled with the product of his lips. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit.' Therefore, what comes out of our mouth shows us, and other people, the state of our hearts (Matthew 12:33-37). 

James says that no one can tame the tongue and from one point of view, this is very true. However, when we are completely submitted to God, He will give us the ability to overcome the evil side and speak His truth. However, again, it comes down to choice. We have to make that choice and surrender to Jesus. Just think for a moment, do you really want to go around with a polluted mouth? Do you really want a reputation of being outspoken and hypocritical? Of course you don't. So now is the time to do something about it. Come to Jesus right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have been using the wrong side of my tongue and speaking evil words to some people so, consequently, my heart must need an overhaul. I ask You to forgive me and begin a cleansing work within me. I surrender to You right now. In Jesus' Name. Amen' 

Now go about your Daily Life with Jesus, confidently. 

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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What happens when I die?

 "For You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow your holy one to rot in the grave. 11 You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of Your presence and the pleasures of living with You forever."        Psalm 16:10-11   NLT

What happens to us when we die has given many Christians great concern and confusion. Some say when the believer dies they go straight to be with Jesus in heaven. Others say that we remain in the grave until Jesus returns and the judgement begins. Even others have suggested that we go to a holding place until Jesus has returned and He commences the judgement. 

I once had a conversation about this with a great friend - a prison chaplain. We came to the conclusion that when we die, time ceases for us. Life goes on for others because they have not yet died and this is why relatives need to grieve. But for us who have died, time has stopped and we go to heaven to be with Jesus. And it is possible, because time has stopped, that everyone one else has died and we are all there in heaven. Bear with me on this. For the believer in Jesus who dies, they go straight to heaven and receive their reward. Others who have not yet died yet, but believe also, will join them when it is their time. 

If you check out David's words above, he says: 'You will not leave my soul among the dead or allow Your holy one to rot in the grave,' Why would he have said this to God if he didn't also believe that he would go straight to heaven? David was fully persuaded that he had a place in heaven and when the time came for his death, he would go there at once, in the blink of an eye. 

When we die, it is rather like going through a door and stepping into our new life in heaven. There is nothing to fear also. We have our insurance policy intact by having Jesus as our Lord so, we have our 'get into heaven card' with us and that means we don’t have to pass go or anything else, all we do is walk through the door. This is why Jesus paid the price for us. He suffered and He carried our sin and He has made this all possible just for us. So don't worry about it at all.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

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Don't give up, go back the way you came

"Go back the same way you came, and travel to the wilderness of Damascus"  

                                                                               1 Kings 19:15   NLT 

Elijah had upset Jezebel - big time. He had become a thorn in her side predicting gloom and doom and now, he had caused the death of her prophets, so she was unable to know the future. She was livid and Elijah was afraid and fled for his life ending up alone in the wilderness. Look at his words to the LORD: 'I have had enough LORD, take my life, for I am no better than my ancestors who have already died' (1 Kings 19:4). Elijah had been victorious in his ministry on Mount Carmel and predicting rain after the drought he had caused, and yet, here he was scared. What had happened? 

It is possible that Elijah was tired, hungry and reaching emotional burnout. He may also have felt that Ahab and Jezebel would have bowed their knees to God and when they didn't, he felt a failure. Therefore, in a depressed and frightened state, he had ran for his life and was now alone and probably feeling sorry for himself too. This led him to want to give up. However, God didn't grant his request but sent an angel to give him food and drink. Then after he had rested, God told Elijah he was in the wrong place, 'What are you doing here?' v10. He then told him to go back to where he had been, there was work to be done.

Many times after great victories in ministry, discouragement can slip in and you can feel totally washed out. Even though you may have followed God's directions, there may still have been a part of your own power in this victory and it can be so draining. Don't forget their is a devil who is totally against you and, will fill your mind with all that you should have done and didn't and therefore, will make you feel a failure: 'Give up, you did it all wrong and you're of no use to God now." No, that is not the case, just because Elijah became discouraged and wished death on himself, didn't mean that God wouldn't use him again. Not at all; God told him to go back to where he had been. He would still use Elijah and, He will do you, as well.

You may have been feeling depressed and and had the feeling that God doesn't need you any longer. That is from the pit so, get rid of that thinking. God has given you a rest and time to be built up again and is getting ready to send you out again whether it's local or far away. There is no retirement in the Kingdom of God and you may have been on the subs bench for a little while but, ask yourself, is God telling you to go back the way you came. This could mean re-establishing yourself in the ministry that He initially gave you. Pray about it.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Have you turned into a busybody?

 "For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies'  2 Thessalonians 3:11   NKJV

There are some people who are more concerned in what other people are doing than taking a look at their own life. It's so easy to judge people and gossip about them. Some people will go here and there just to find out what is happening in a person'a life and will then leave and, in the name of prayer, will discuss other people's business. This is something that we need to avoid. It doesn't matter what other people are doing or what they have said. the only thing God is interested in, is what you are doing.

We are all susceptible to rumours and can easily listen eagerly to what is going on in the next street. However, we need to be aware that God is listening as well and wants us to mow our own grass, not someone else's. You may come up against this type of thing; if you do, how do you deal with it? It's alway best to shut down the gossip. How one does this is to:

Refuse to add to the gossip but actually challenge the person who is gossiping by saying, 'Should we be talking about this? Isn't it gossip?' You may not be popular in saying this but, how would Jesus handle it? He most certainly would not become involved in talking about someone else in such a way. Gossip can destroy a person, it can also destroy a ministry or divide a church. It is serious stuff so, it must be stopped. Check out this scripture: 'A gossip goes around telling secrets, but those who are trustworthy can keep a confidence.' Proverbs 11:13. Again in Ephesians 4:29 we read: 'Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearer.' When someone shares a confidential matter with a person, it should remain confidential, to gossip about it is so wrong it is breaking the trust the person had in you in the first place and also, betraying them

The words that we speak should build up our hearers, not drag them down. Our words should minister grace to each other to draw others to Jesus. Satan, likes to operate in the opposite way and encourages words that will slander people and situations. This is why challenging gossip is so important. There is no need to enter into an argument with anyone who tries to gossip in your presence; just let them know that you are not willing to talk this way and explain why.

A gossip is a busybody, they have to know other people's business. You know who they are so, perhaps it is better to avoid them unless, of course, you are willing to challenge their behaviour.

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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