Steps of faith

"Because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, He was also able to do."        

                                            Romans 4:21  CSB 

When God spoke to Abraham, Abraham believed. If God made a promise then that promise would be fulfilled. This is the way Abraham lived. It seemed ridiculous to the other people that at 100 years old, he could father a child. But Abraham believed this and that's what happened. 

You see, Abraham knew that He served a God who could do the impossible. He knew that God could call things into existence that did not exist v17. This is what Paul was saying in 2 Cor 4:18 'So we do not focus on what is seen, but what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary but what is unseen is eternal'. Then we have 'For we walk by faith, not by sight'  2 Cor 5:7). If God said it, Abraham believed it. So therefore he concentrated on the unseen.

His faith didn't weaken and He never wavered for a moment. If he had have done, he would have missed out on what God had promised. In fact, has he stood on his faith, he was strengthened in this area. And he was fully convinced that what God had promised, He was able to do. Now, let's just stop there for a moment. Abraham was convinced. What was he convinced about? He was convinced that God had made him a promise and, he knew God never broke His promises. This is why Abraham was fully convinced.

Now let's look at your own walk with Jesus. Has Jesus made you a promise? If He has, you can be sure that He intends to fulfil this. But you must act like Abraham did: Look at the unseen visualising it; your faith should never weaken and you should never waver in your faith (One minute you believe, the next doubt kicks in and you accept it. If you act like this, you will never receive the promise). You must also be fully convinced or persuaded that God will do this. If you fulfil these, you will receive.

But if God has not promised you a certain thing, no matter how much your pray these scriptures, they will be futile. Jesus fulfils promises not wishes. This of course is two-fold, because if you haven't received a promise for a certain thing, you still need to be fully convinced that Jesus is Lord and He does what He says He will do in His Word. We are to pray and believe for healing because, it is ours already (1 Peter 2:28). But let us remember that this is not only for physical healing but, for emotional, spiritual and relationship healing. Yes, He does heal physically but not always, the way we would like. At times, people live through the sickness; they're healed emotionally but not physically.  

We should never give up on the things of God. He is faithful and true and this is something that we should always be convinced about. We serve Jesus who is, always there for us and the same should be said about us. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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 2024 Grahame Howard.                                 

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com          

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Recognise sin for what it is

"For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God."   Romans 3:23   CSB 

Martin Luther had many quotes and one of the famous one's was: 'The recognition of sin is the beginning of salvation.' Think about that statement for a moment. It  is having the awareness that something you may be doing, have done or where you are going may not the right thing for you - it is sin. If you walk in the Spirit, He will always alert you to this fact, 'When He comes, He will convict the world about sin - ' John 16:8-11. Now this means for people who don't know Jesus or, those who have known Him for sometime. He convicts and produces within us Godly sorrow, which leads to repentance 2 Cor 7:10 and this in turn leads to salvation.

When we can recognise sin for what it is, it rubber-stamps our salvation. Our salvation is not only about being saved, it is much more. To understand this, we must look at the Greek word Soteria. This covers a wide range of things such as: deliverance, preservation, soundness, prosperity, happiness, rescue and general well-being. The word Soteria covers both a material, temporary sense and a spiritual eternal sense, and the New Testament especially, uses the word for spiritual well-being. Therefore, salvation is a present possession with a fuller realisation in the future. In other words, we know that we receive salvation when we accept Jesus as Lord. We have this to look forward to. However, there are these added routes that underpin this, leading to rewards on earth and when we stand before Jesus. (2 Cor 1:6, 7:10, Rom13:11, 1 Thess 5:8-9) 

It is God's intention to bless us and, this means daily. As we walk with Him the Holy Spirit produces love and peace within us and people can feel this. It is a great way of witnessing to them. Let's face it, the world around us can produce sorrow and worry and even though problem after problem is attacking you, you can still make a stand for Jesus. This is not pie in the sky, not at all. When we begin to recognise sin for what it us and determine in our hearts not to become involved with it, then all the other components of our salvation (Soteria) kick in and this can change your world around you. Salvation is yours from the moment Jesus enters your heart. The other components help each of us to go forward to achieve what is ahead. 

So recognise, that we have all sinned and fallen short of God's glory. But, we have in Jesus, a wealth of help to live each and every day in victory until that wonderful day we stand before Him. Remember, for the Christian, we are not judged; Jesus took that away. However, we are assessed for what we have done for Jesus and not done. We will enjoy eternal life but, depending on what we have done, rewards will be handed to some and others will not receive much. So ensure that you go flat out to receive the good rewards by living totally for Him.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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 2024 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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But I trust in You Lord

"But as for me, I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' 15 My times are in Your hand                 Psalm 31:14-15  NKJV 

Let us look at this verse again, today. As you probably know, as soon as you feel God has called you for a particular task, you will find several people who will try to talk you out of it. Most, are well-meaning and don't want you to make a mistake. But, at the end of the day it is you, that is left with the decision. If you have listened to the negative comments for too long, you may feel reluctant to proceed. But, be careful here. If God has chosen you for this task, then you are well qualified for it and if that burning within you is still aflame for it, then you should ask God for further confirmation and, if He indicates to go ahead, then go ahead.

Some say that when God asks you to do something, don't tell anyone because they will always try to talk you out of it. There is some truth in this but, we all need to be accountable and seeking advice can be helpful. However, your main decision should be doing God's will. Therefore, this Psalm is a good place to start. Just look at it:

"But as for me, - You are declaring to God that you know the decision is yours, not other people. 'So, please Lord give me that extra confirmation.' 

I trust in You, O LORD; I say, 'You are my God.' - Pray, 'Lord, You are my Rock and I trust totally in You and no one else. You alone are My God'     

My times are in Your hand  - 'Lord, You know the way ahead, therefore I ask You to guide me by giving me that final confirmation.'

You must remember that, when God calls us out, there is always an element of faith attached to it, because we walk by faith, not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). Look at Peter and John in Acts 3; they told the disabled man, 'In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.' As the man allowed them to help him up, he walked and leapt about. Then there was the example of Jesus telling the man to stretch out his withered arm. As he did so, it was healed (Luke 6:10). There are many more examples throughout the scriptures.

It is all about trusting Jesus, your life is in His hands if you have given your heart to Him. People are good for advice but the final authority is always Jesus. He knows the way because, He is the way, He knows the truth because He is the truth and He knows all about life because He is the life. So, don't stagger around in the dark, do what He tells you to do; don't be put off by well-meaning people if you're certain God is in it; just trust in Jesus entirely. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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 2024 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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Remember the Three P's

"But I trust in You, LORD; I say 'You are my God'. 15 The course of my life is in Your power"                   Psalm 31:14-15. CSB + read 1 Samuel 30

David had lived through a bad time; people threatening him, gossiping about him and throughly making his life a misery. It can be like that sometimes as you probably know. But one thing about David, no matter what he went through, He never gave up. He remembered the victories God had given him in the past, especially when the Amalekites attacked his camp while David and his troops were away. They took all of the wives and children and when David returned to the camp, his men blamed him and threatened to stone him (1 Samuel 30). But David stood his ground and remembered the Lord and the past victories God had given him. I like to call it: 

THE THREE P's

(1)  David remembered his Past victories

(2)  He enquired of the Lord by Prayer

(3)  He became Proactive

When everything was against him, He didn't give up, run away and feel sorry for himself. He stood and focused on the Lord, confident in his relationship with Him and knew all would be ok. And this is what God wants from you. At the beginning of Psalm 31 he prayed: 'LORD, I seek refuge in You; let me never be disgraced. Save me by Your righteousness. 2 Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly. Be a rock of refuge for me, a mountain fortress to save me. 3 For You are my Rock and my Fortress, You lead and guide me for Your name's sake'  v1-3.

David may have had a rough time but, he overcame it by giving it all to God and because of this, God gave him another victory. 

Jesus is your Rock. He is your Fortress and, He will lead and guide you whenever you call on Him. But notice the third word that David spoke v14 'Trust.' You must trust Him even when things are crazy and you don't know if you're coming or going. At these times, it is so easy to blow a basket and freak out in anger or terror. But if you do, you will lose the victory. Remember The Three P's, your past victories, prayer and then become proactive by standing on the Word of God clothed in His armour. (Ephesians 6:11-20). Remember, you are more than a conqueror through Jesus (Romans 8:37).

Make the decision that you are not going to be the underdog any longer. You are a Child of God and you will live like this from now on. Amen!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'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 2024 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