"I'm not being used'

"A person's gift opens doors for him and brings him before the great."   

                                        Proverbs 18:16   CSB 

How often do we hear people saying, 'I have a gift but, I'm never allowed to use it.' Within a church setting, a person may well have a preaching, teaching or musical gift, but if God isn't ready to use them, they have to wait until the right time. Up until then, the time can be used for learning.

Maybe, you have a certain gift. Whatever it may be, try to be patient. There is no need to place big placards around the place that God has called you to preach. God knows it, you know it and in God's time, the leadership of the church will know it too. Until then, you have to wait. Not just because of waitings sake, but because the time is not right just yet. You need to study more. You need to deepen your relationship with God and be alert to the Holy Spirit's calling.

There are times when someone is preaching when God changes things. The preacher may have their notes all beautifully typed out and all of a sudden, God may say, I don't want you to use this today, I have a different word for you. This has happened to me and to a host of other people. You may be starting to commence your sermon outline when God gives you a totally different verse and says, 'Preach that'. Now if, the inexperienced preacher had this happen to them, it could completely throw them and they may not be able to adapt to this change. This is why, it is important to wait for the right time.

Quite often, we may be tempted to think that God doesn't know what He is doing. I can assure you that He does. We don't know what is happening in the 'heavenlies.' Someone may turn up at the church who has been avoiding God all their life. Today may be the day of his salvation. Therefore, God changed things round a little to accommodate this, So, be open to the Holy Spirit's leading.

You may have a musical gift, preaching/teaching gift, administrative gift or whatever. It's difficult to wait. But don't just sit there while you're waiting to be used. Get stuck into your bible, study it and pray without ceasing. If you are patient, it will happen, you can be sure of that (Isaiah 40:30-31 + Psalm 27:14.) Sadly, sometimes, people are left on the sidelines and never used again. If this is you, seek God. He may have ordained this. On the other hand, He may be moving you on. Consider that.

If you have a gift, God will use it but, not necessarily where you are. You may have to move somewhere else, go to another fellowship, go to bible college or whatever He tells you. These are exciting times, time that will create good memories, although they may not seem that at the moment. Read and mediate on Habakkuk 2:2-3. It may help.

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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If You say it, I'll do it

"Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net."     Luke 5:5   NKJV 

We saw yesterday, that Jesus had told Peter to go out into deeper water where He would find fish. Now, just look at the character of Peter, he was a rough and ready fisherman. Just go down any quayside when the trawlers have come in and hear their colourful language, especially if the sea has been rough or they have not caught what they expected. Peter and the other guys were no different; in fact Peter's reply could have been so different; remember he was tired and not in any mood for small talk. He could have said, 'Listen Jesus, I'm a professional fisherman, You are just a carpenter, what do You know?' The amazing thing is, he didn't say anything like that; his reply was, 'Nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net.' Even through his frustration, he knew that Jesus was totally different, He had healed his mother-in-law, He had been a guest at his house. Deep down in his heart, he had respect for Jesus. So they went again in search of fish and caught a great number, so many that their nets were at risk of breaking. You know, sometimes you may not like what Jesus says to you, especially when you are tired and worn-out. But, to obey Him can bring great rewards.

I remember one particular social work day. I had been on leave for just under three weeks and I was dreading going back to work because there would be a backlog of messages, problems, new cases, meetings and whatever waiting for me. I was right, as I walked into the office, I could feel Jesus was with me and when I picked up my work tray, it was spilling over with all of this and more. However, I clearly heard Jesus say in my spirit, 'My, what a lot of work we have here.' As I walked to my desk I realised that Jesus had said, 'we have.' Jesus would be here to help me and, He did. By the end of the day, I had cleared all of the backlog and was able to carry on with my appointments for the following day.

Because I accepted that Jesus was going to help me, I was rewarded with Him taking care of things so quickly - appointments and meetings were cancelled, what appeared to be trouble and problems just disappeared. It was amazing. I could have told Him that He was not a social worker but, instead I took Him on as my co-worker.

You may be tired, worn-out and nearing burnout. Ask Jesus for His help and, when He comes, allow Him to place suggestions into your mind; take His advice and make Him the central point of your life. There may be things you need, tell Him. He knows already but, when we ask Him for things, He wants us to act in faith I need a new MacBook Air. I've told Him about this, I've asked, believed and received. Today, while walking our dog, I found 40p on the pavement. I was happy, Jesus has given me 40p towards the cost. You may laugh but, this is how we live. We trust Jesus.

So, when He asks you to do something, let your answer be, 'Yes Lord, I will do it.' 

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

 

 

Dig deep on the right side

"Cast the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some."  John 21:6   NKJV

When we are in a distressed and depressed state, we can tend to be unable to settle. Peter was like this and told the others that he was going out fishing. The others said they would go with him. Alas, they caught nothing. We can have so much influence on others that, they pick up our moods and will follow us, just like the disciples did. But, it was the wrong thing to do. Without Jesus, we can do nothing. It would have been better to just rest. Then Jesus came along asking for food, and finding they had none, instructed them to go out again and cast the net on the right side of the boat. They did and they netted so many fish they thought they'd sink.

Now this is similar to the account in Luke 5:4-6. On this occasion, Jesus told them to 'Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.'  They did so and caught a massive load, again the net nearly breaking. Now it's a well-known fact that in Israel, fisherman do their job at night, and close to the shore because, this is where the fish will be. In daylight, they swim back into the deep. Hence, why Jesus sent them out into the deeper water.

Note here, that, it was quite unusual to cast a net on the right side of the boat; it was usually the opposite side. So what did Jesus mean by 'The right side?' It obviously worked, but opens up the theory that, things are not always rigid or set in stone. Jesus always has a way to meet our needs and tailor it to fit, very nicely.

These scriptures also explain the necessity to dig deeper. People can give us excellent advice but, it is not always helpful in solving our problems. It is far better to contact our friend Jesus for expert instruction. Things may have worked well for others but, this doesn't mean they'll work for us. What is right for one, may not be right for another. One can go on a degree course and receive flying colours. Another can fail miserably, we're all different. 

The disciples followed Peter to go fishing and received nothing. There is a truth here, don't follow people, they may take you the wrong way. Always follow Jesus.

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

 

 

'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

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

 

 

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

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