Focus your mind on Jesus

"Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth."   Colossians 3:2   NKJV 

What do you think about the most? What is uppermost in your mind? These are important questions and the answers shape how we live our Christian lives. Paul tells us to set our minds on heaven not on the earth, and this is wise counsel. However, with what goes on in our daily lives, it can be impossible to do this all of the time. Or is it impossible? Jesus already told us to:'Seek first the kingdom of God' (Matt 6:33). And in John 14:1 'Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me." Firstly in Matthew 6, Jesus is telling us not to worry about things, as we seek Him first, He shall give us what we need. In John 14, Jesus tells us not to be troubled about anything, just believe in Him. Just from these two verses, we learn that as we look towards Jesus, He is there to take care of us. 

It would be impossible to avoid all of life's problems and, Jesus knows that. What He is telling us here is to place Him firmly in the driving seat of our life. When a problem comes our way, we are not to just sweep it under the carpet pretending it hasn't come. No, take this problem to Jesus because He cares. If it is a care to us, it's a care to Him but, He is the one that can change things (1 Peter 5:7).

So we see that it is possible to set our minds on Jesus, not on the earth. When we realise that we died with Christ, we were dead in Christ and than, raised to a new life in Christ (Symbolic of water Baptism), we understand that our old life is in the past, we now have a new life - even though we are still on this earth - a new life in Jesus and this is why we set our minds on things above because, Jesus is there.

We still have a long way to go though. Sin still tries to rule in our lives and this is why Paul reminds us to 'put off' our unwholesome and unclean habits - (Read v5 - 11). Here Paul mentions the things that trip us up and probably still will until we are safely installed in heaven. The thing is, we know that we belong to Jesus above so, we keep pressing on and saying no to the things that tempt us. We will get some of them right but, there are still the difficult areas that hold us back. 

Jesus chose you and I at the start of the creation. He knows everything about us and still loves us. You see, He looks at the finished product (Phil 1:6). He looks at the perfect you and to Him, it looks nice. So remember this when you next let Him down. Confess your sin, receive forgiveness and keep looking toward heaven.

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The battle is not yours

"Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's."                             2 Chronicles 20:15   NKJV 

Have you ever been in a situation in which, you just don't know what to do. Things are coming at you right, left and centre and there doesn't seem a way out. What do you think is the best thing to do at these times? Yes, that's right - pray. Jehoshaphat was in this kind of trap, armies were going at him from every direction. He just didn't have the man-power to cope with it all and it was certain disaster. The only thing he could do was pray: 'And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the LORD and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. 4 So Judah gathered together to ask help from the LORD; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the LORD.'  2 Chronicles 20:3-4.

Notice that this great man 'feared' v3. He was human despite his kingly power, but he was sensible enough to know, that without God's help he would lose this battle. He therefore, declared a fast and everyone from around the area joined in prayer. Jehoshaphat prayed: 'O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You' v12.

Basically, what he was saying was, 'You know what to do Lord, and we're counting on You.' Then a man called Jahaziel who was full of the Holy Spirit, came forward and proclaimed: 'Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God's.'  He then followed on with instructions that God had told him.

When you are in a deep hole, stop trying to dig yourself out, you'll only go deeper. Instead, call on God. He has all the answers and, He has a special one for the problem that you're going through at this time. This is the first thing we should do but, mostly it is the last that we put into action. Jehoshaphat was a warrior; he had been in many battles. However, he knew when he was beaten, and so he called on his God and so should you.

It is a natural reaction to try and sort things out ourselves, especially if you're at sea and drowning. The last thing to do would be to involve yourself in lengthy prayer. However, you would have time to shout, 'Jesus, help,' and that would be enough. But for daily issues where you just can't get out of remember, once you have prayed, the battle is not yours, it is God's. Let Him rescue you.

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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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Will you allow Jesus to be your friend?

"Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desire."   Psalm 37:4   CSB

When you were at school, you may have had a best friend. You went everywhere with this friend and always did things together. The days when you used to knock their door to ask if they were 'coming out to play,' was very sad and lonely if they were not allowed out that day. When they were allowed out, the time together was amazing because you delighted in each other.

This is the type of relationship that Jesus wants to have with you. He is always allowed out 'to play.' He wants to spend as much time with you as you will allow. Watch that last phrase, 'as you will allow.' He desires to be with you 24/7 and this means when you are at work, asleep or have free time on your hands. Sadly, we find it difficult to have Him accompany us to work. Sometimes we don't even think that could be possible; but it is,

Whatever your job is - at home, a work place, driving on the road or whatever, Jesus can accompany you, if you allow Him to.

It is the same when you get involved in your hobbies. He knows all of the birds and where to find them. He can help you paint the most amazing sea or land scapes and, His photography skills are second to none. All it takes is for you to allow Him to be involved in what you are doing. It isn't that He doesn’t want you to be successful in life, He does but, He more than anything, wants to be a part of your every day. He is your best friend.

When He is part of our every day lives as I've mentioned, He will give you your hearts's delight. He will make you that successful work person; He will give you the best ideas for a superb painting, He will also show you the best shots to photograph and tell you what the best settings are. You may think, 'He can't do that,' Oh yes He can, because nothing is impossible for Him.

Do you want to be successful in what you do? Then involve your best friend - Jesus. He can enable you to invent something that can change the world, through one of His ideas. There are many people who make a fortune from inventing something. You could be one of them. But more than anything, He can put a bounce in your step each and everyday by being your friend and accompanying you from here to there. But will you allow Him to be involved in all of your life?

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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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Today is going to be a good day

"This is the day, the LORD has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it."

                                                                      Psalm 118:24   NLT

Things may not have been going your way just lately and, the last thing you have felt like doing is, praising God and rejoicing. There have been moments when you have been tearing your hair out because of the pressures and the difficult people and situations you have had to deal with. But, hey, you made it through, so, that is something to rejoice in. 

You may have made so many errors this past week and, your anger has burned at times giving permission for your tongue to speak some colourful language. Some people have stabbed you in the back, some may have told lies about you hoping to give you a bad name and when you have returned home in the evening, you have found that someone has blocked your drive and the nearest parking space is at least 50 yards away and it's bucketing down with rain and you are seething. But at least you have got a home to go to and you made it there in one piece. This is something else to rejoice in.

When you don't feel like rejoicing, tell God just how you feel and, you will find that He will give you a reason to rejoice. One thing, as bad as it may have been, He has given you this day to live, so be glad. Many have not made it through the day.

David Guzik comments:

'This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it: When Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22 (in Matthew 21:42, Mark 12:10-11, and Luke 20:17), He did so in response to the praise and hosannas given to Him at what is commonly called the triumphal entry. Since this psalm is prophetically connected with that event, the day mentioned here can be prophetically understood as the day Jesus formally entered Jerusalem as Messiah and King. It is true in a general sense that the LORD makes every day, and there is reason to rejoice and be glad in every day. Yet specifically, the day the LORD made to rejoice and be glad in was the day Jesus entered Jerusalem with hosannas welcoming Him as Israel’s Saviour. If on that day human voices failed to rejoice and be glad, Jesus said that the very stones would cry out their praises and hosannas (Luke 19:40)'.

When you give it some thought, you have many things to thank God for each day. Fanny Crosby sang: 'Blessed assurance, Jesus is mine! Oh what a foretaste of glory divine! Heir of salvation, purchase of God, born of His Spirit washed in His blood. This is my story, this is my song, praising my Saviour all the day long'. 

There is always something to praise God for, and when you do this all the day long, your soul reacts positively. It may be bleak outside but with Jesus He makes everything warm and cosy. Your day may have been filled with problem but try thanking Him that you at least, had a day to live through. Food for thought.

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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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Be determined in your faith

"If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well."   Mark 5:28   NKJV 

This poor women had been imprisoned within her own home because of her condition. She had a constant bleeding problem that made her ritually unclean according to Jewish Law Leviticus 15:25-27. Twelve years of seeing doctors had been very expensive and she was now broke and, still ill. Somehow, she heard that Jesus was in the vicinity and after hearing all of the stories of people being made well, she was determined to go and see Him, ritually unclean or not.

When she arrived there were so many people that it was practically impossible to see Him. And then, there He was, right over the other side. Determination took over and she pushed her way through the crowds until she was just a few steps from Him. She thought, 'If only I may touch His clothes, I shall be made well.' She took the next few steps and did touch His clothes, and as she had confessed, she was healed.

What happened here? She had a determination that things were going to change. She had suffered enough and now, here was the opportunity she had dreamt about - Jesus. The determination coupled with the faith that she had was enough and, as Jesus had told His disciples, 'Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, "Be removed and be cast into the sea," and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.'  Mark 11:22-24. 

Note that Jesus didn't say when you speak to God, He said, 'Whoever speaks to this mountain.' In other words, He was saying we are to speak to the sickness or whatever problem or need and believe it and receive it and it will be ours. This is what this particular lady had done within her heart. She believed and received and she was made whole. She didn't speak to Jesus, not at this stage.

When you do this, things will happen, probably not straightaway. There may be a waiting time but, this is where your faith comes in. You need to remember, you have this now, but you just cannot see it. But we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Cor 5:7). Therefore, you remain in faith and hang on to this until it manifests. But this is the hard bit, you have to remain in faith and not give up. Oral Roberts used to say, 'Believe and receive. Doubt and go without.'

So, there you have it. Speak, Believe and Receive. 

If you are not born again and want to be, here I’ll below is a prayer of salvation:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and I ask you to forgive me and be my Lord and Saviour. Please come into my heart, fill me with Your Spirit and give me a brand new start today.

In Jesus' Name. Amen'

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  

Check it out

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2