'I can do this'

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

Be careful that you don't take this verse too literally, by doing something that may lead to embarrassment or even worse, disaster. For example, you cannot fly an aeroplane on the strength of this scripture, unless of course, you are a trained pilot. God is teaching us to have faith, this is true but, He is also teaching us wisdom. There are many things that we would like to do for Jesus, however, if He hasn't called us for this purpose, it may not happen. I made the statement at the end of yesterday's reading: 'Never ever say, 'I can't', because you can. I stand by this but only in the strength of Jesus. Remember, without Him, we can do nothing John 15:5. Let us look at the Amplified version of today's text:

'I can do all things [which He has called me to do] through Him who strengthens me and empowers me [to fulfil His purpose - I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency; I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him who infuses me with inner strength and confident peace]'

Yes, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us but, we need to be certain that He has called us to do it in the first place. We can’t just say that we can do whatever we like because the power and strength of Jesus dwells within us. We need to be careful and we do this by walking with the Holy Spirit everyday and allowing Him to guide us.

Now we come to, how does He guide us? Quite easily, we build a relationship with Him and read His Word on a regular basis. We talk to Him; we praise and worship Him. In fact, we spend as much time as we can with Him. As we do this, His Word tells us in Psalm 32:8: 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.' We can't really get it any plainer that that. It is essential, for God's warriors - just like yourself, to allow God to do this. 

You may not feel that you are anything special, but you are. You are very special to Jesus and He trusts you to do whatever He has, or will, tell you. So the answer is 'I can do this through Jesus, who has called me to be His ambassador'.

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

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Be an Overcomer

"Who is he who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God."    

                                                                            1 John 5:5   NKJV

The Greek word (Gr. 3529) for Overcomer/Victory is the word Nike (Nee-Kay). One can see why the world-wide sports company took the name 'NIKE.' They wanted their products to be winners for winners, although, I have never heard anyone pronounce Nike as Nee-Kay.

Overcoming means to win the conquest - the means of success. We need to learn to become a Nike person.

Do you realise that God, is the one who signed your acquittal papers? He did this in His blood. Therefore, the enemy - Satan, can no longer have dominion over you. When you are walking as an overcomer in the victory that Jesus gave you, your presence sends terror messages into the camp of the enemy. You are an overcomer! You are victorious and you are a winner. Losers talk - Winners take action. In Jesus, you meet the ability to win the:

(1)   CONQUEST  The act or process of conquering something, especially territory.

(2)   VICTORY.      Final and complete defeat of the enemy in a military engagement. Any successful struggle against an opponent or obstacle. The state of having triumphed.

(3)   TRIUMPH.     To be victorious or successful, win or prevail. To rejoice over a success or victory; exult, as trophies of Christ's victory. 

                     (An accumulation of my studies in this area and some data from The Amplified Bible)  

Are you an overcomer? Are you a conqueror?  Are you a winner? Yes, in Jesus you are. Just look at what Romans 8:37 says:'Yet in all these things, we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.' A conqueror is one who overcomes by gaining control. But you are not really a conqueror - no you're not. You are more than a conqueror. There is a big difference here. This is how God has made you and, in Jesus it is put into action. But you must make some changes yourself. It doesn't just happen. You have to live the life and this is why you need to continue to read this, Daily Life with Jesus because, it will steer you in the right direction. Tell others about it. You are a winner! Never ever say, 'I can't,' because you can!'

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

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Snap like a crocodile or purr like a kitten?

"Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it, will eat its fruit."   

                                                                          Proverbs 18:21   NKJV 

Tony Evans tells us: 'Talk better, and you will live better. Talk poorly, and your life will follow that simple path.' And the way we talk to people is what it is all about. We can either snap, like a crocodile, because you don't want to hear what is being said. Or, you can purr like a kitten because you receive the words with blessing.

What comes out of our mouths represents the overflow of our hearts. Derek Prince confirmed this in one of his books: 'When the heart is filled, it overflows through the mouth, and that overflow tells us the real condition of the heart.' So therefore, a heart filled with love for God and people, will be reflected in how we talk to others. When we are under pressure to do something and someone comes along, or telephones about something they want to discuss; if we are not in control, we can snap like a crocodile and totally blast the other person away. This shows that person the condition of our heart at this time. 

We have the power to speak life or death to someone. It is the way we react to their presence. You may have been in a situation where you see someone coming towards you and, you know that they are going to talk about something or other. When you are in a rush or under pressure, the last thing you need is this person speaking to you - which seems like forever. Therefore, you may rush inside your home, or go into a store, anything to convey to them that you haven't noticed them. What does this convey to them? Nine times out of ten, they know that you have ignored them and they either receive that you are rude or too busy to spend a little time with them.

Our reactions need to be trained to be courteous to whoever we may meet. What if that person has just been told that they have a serious health issue and they needed to speak with you? What if they wanted to make a commitment to Jesus? We need to learn the skills of reaction. Jesus' reactions were always spot on. He was never rude; He prioritised His day well but, it was not rigid. He could swap His diary around at a moments notice.

Always be prepared to allow time for people, speaking a word in season when needed. People can read your body language and they can pick up moods. Always be prepared to show people - Jesus, whoever it is.

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

 

 

Praise opens doors

"I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth."   

                                                                      Psalm 34:1   NKJV 

Praise opens doors; it stops Satan in his tracks and it gets God's attention: 'The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles'  v17. Notice the small word with a big reward 'all.' Jesus is so committed to us that He just longs for us to praise Him - just check out Paul and Silas in a stinking dungeon and locked in stocks (Acts 16;25-34). Instead of moaning about their situation and feeling sorry for themselves, they were praising Jesus and the other prisoners were listening and suddenly, there was a great earthquake and the doors to cells were opened and chains fell off all of them. There are many other examples in the bible of the power of praise.

Let us be honest, when the chips are down and everything around us seems to be going pear-shaped, the last thing we want to do is offer God praise. However, that is the right time to do this. This is why we see in Hebrews: 'Therefore by Him, let us continually offer the sacrifice of praise to God, that is the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name' (Hebrews 13:15). Notice the word 'Sacrifice.' At times, it is a complete sacrifice to praise God; every part of us fights this but, as we push through and praise, the release comes and we know God has heard our pleas.

This is why David wrote: "I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth" our text for today. David uses the word 'continually,' which means that, praise should be a regular part of our walk with God, not just when things are really good and we're flying with joy because of what God has blessed us with, but, when we can't feel Him around and we are scared of what may happen because of just one thing in a long-line of trouble. Who can fix this? God the builder can, so start praising Him.

Just today, your world may feel like it is falling apart because of the many things that are coming your way. Take a little time out and just praise Jesus - not for what is happening to you, but, - for the reason that God can change what is happening to you, because He can. Just let the praise come out of your mouth. It doesn't have to be loud, it may just be a whisper, your choice. It doesn't matter, God will hear you and remember, He can deliver you out of all your troubles.

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

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Get a little 'umph'

"Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place. 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 16 To the one we are the aroma of death leading to death, and to the other the aroma of life leading to life. And who is sufficient for these things?"    2 Corinthians 2:14-16   NKJV 

I saw this sign recently in a local college:

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN 'TRY' AND  'TRIUMPH' 

IS A LITTLE UMPH

Just think about this for a moment. The only way that you will be triumphant in your walk with Jesus is to gettsome 'umph,' and this means, knowing that God always leads us in triumph in Christ. He is the 'Umph' that we need to make a difference in this world.

The above scripture, is a picture of a Roman Triumph Parade, where the General's sons, would walk in victory behind their father's chariot. The Roman priests would burn incense and, the fragrance would mean life and victory to the soldiers and defeat and death to the conquered enemy who was also in the parade.

Here Paul sees believers carrying forth incense and spreading the fragrance of Jesus Christ wherever they go. To God, we are the fragrance of Jesus. To other believers, we are the fragrance of life; but to unbelievers, we are the fragrance of death. This is why we are often attacked verbally and very occasionally, physically, from unbelievers that we meet. The fragrance of Jesus - the Holy Spirit brings awareness of their sin and they become convicted. Oftentimes, they will defend their lifestyle and refuse to listen. In some countries, as you know, Christians are imprisoned or executed for their faith. Again, the fragrance of Jesus convicts them and they try to stamp it out. But, they can't because, the 'Umph' in triumph is too strong and will not be stamped out.

How about you? Do people notice when you walk around various places. Do they recognise that Jesus lives in you? Put a little 'Umph' in your spirit - the victorious presence of Jesus Christ within you by allowing Jesus to lead you in triumph in Christ and then, notice the difference. You'll never be the same again!

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