The Secret of Spiritual Success

"And in His law he meditates day and night"  Psalm 1:2  NKJV 

God loves to bless us and longs for us to delight in His law. As we do this, He promises

that we will be like a tree planted by the rivers of water. (v2) Think about this, this tree will be constantly refreshed and lacking nothing else. A palm tree's root can be hundreds of yards long as it searches for water. The tree planted by water is forever refreshed. Whereas, the palm tree's root has to dig deep to find its source, as we do the same, we build on our connection to God and we will never be uprooted or dry.

Note in verse 3 that the psalmist writes: 'He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that brings forth its fruit in its season.' You may have a certain gifting but, this doesn't mean that you will be productive on a constant basis. The apple tree produces its fruit in the right season, not at any other time, rather like all fruit and flowers do. So neither will you be 100% fruitful everyday of the year. In the meantime, out of season, you need to meditate on God and His Word at every possible moment. It is not possible to read your bible on a constant basis throughout the day but, you can take a piece of scripture and meditate on it though the day. If you know how to worry then, you know how to meditate. 

Meditation, is to recall, ponder and interact with it in mind. We mentally chew on the Word until it becomes a part of us. This is what many Christians call eating the Word of God. We think about the Word and how it measures up in our own lives - the problems we may be facing. This is what meditating is all about. It is a way of staying in contact with God throughout our busy day. He can speak so easily to us as we do this.

This helps us to be able to stand firm and tall, rooted in God's love. Whenever something may come our way in opposition, we are far more likely to be able to handle it because, we are being vigilant and ready should the devil come by ready to attack us (1 Peter 5:8). 

We are on guard like any soldier should be. There is a thief out there and, he is wanting to rob us of our walk with Jesus. He'll kill us if he can. He doesn't act with fair rules. Therefore, be ready.

Joshua advised us to do the same: 'This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate in it day and night'. Joshua 1:8. Therefore, consider that God is speaking to you.

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

Double-Mindedness

"But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind." James1:6  NKJV 

Justin Torres of unlockingscripture.com writes: ''Doubting is at the root of double-mindedness. It is the driving force that leads to a divided mind, often manifesting in emotional instability and a lack of peace. The enemy exploits our doubt to undermine our faith. This ongoing inner conflict can tear a person between two opposing forces, leading to double-mindedness.'

So let us look at this in more detail. See if you can recognise yourself in the notes below:

Inconsistency in Prayer and Worship One moment a person is switched on to this subject, attending various meetings all over the place. This may not help them because, some churches tend to handle prayer and worship differently, such as the free churches and pentecostals. This can lead to confusion, even though we are worshipping the same God.

Indecision in Decision Making Many people find it hard to make a decision. This may be because the person may have become institutionalised through military service or time spent in prison. Where decisions were mostly made for them, to suddenly find they are the one who is responsible now, can be difficult.

Lack of Trust in God's Plan Where a person has had people making decisions for them, they have taken for granted what is and what is not. Since then, they learn of God's plan for their life and they may be faced with, 'What if it goes wrong?' or 'How can I trust this faith thing?' Therefore, they need a firmer foundation to be able to overcome this stronghold.

Tendency to Compromise with Sin Initially they may struggle with well established sin that may be difficult to change. When they do sin, there can be an overwhelming feeling of guilt that makes them feel that they are not good enough and give up. This can remain a stronghold for a very long time, even with long established Christians.

Unstable Emotions and Attitudes The soul is made up of our Mind, Will and Emotions and Psalm 103:1-5 is a good place to start with people who have problems such as we are discussing. We never know what has happened in a person's background and so we need to be careful that we don't become judgemental. If a person has lots of doubts, they are more likely to have come from a painful area in their life. There may be deep-rooted hurts within them; things that they find very hard to re-visit or talk about. Prayer, acceptance and love is a good place to start with them until they begin to trust you. Don't ever rush this.

Maintaining Relationships Just the fact that we are discussing the above shows that they may have had a broken relationship and since then find it difficult to trust anyone. People who have been hurt may make hidden vows such as: 'No one will ever hurt me again'. And this becomes a stronghold that we may find difficult to work through. Again, it calls for patience and a softly softly approach until they feel like speaking about it - if they can

This discussion has only just skimmed the surface and is designed to give you a better understanding  of what is going on in a person's life. It may though, be going on in your life too. You may have been a Christian for many years and yet, you still carry around baggage from the past. Decide to do something about it as soon as you can. Find someone you can trust. Failing that, you can always email me in strictest of confidence: grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Don't carry the baggage around for much more.

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

Covetousness

"Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”  Hebrews 13:5  NKJV

The 'I want' syndrome exists in many people - including Christians. There is a strong desire to want what another person has, it is a strong desire, almost like lust. Someone else buys a new car and the 'I want' person has to go buy something much better. It's the same with the house, furniture and the clothes that people wear. It can become quite competitive.

Just what is Covetousness? Let's check it out:

'It includes seeking personal recognition and wanting power over others. The need to be the centre of attention and craving for what other people have are uppermost and can include: House, wealth, wife/husband, car, job and success to describe some things. Ungratefulness for what God has given us and moaning and grumbling, never being satisfied.'

We need to be content; what God has given us in Jesus is far better. God becomes angry when we are ungrateful. Take for instance the Israelites. They received freedom when Moses went to get them yet: 'They soon forgot His works; thy did not wait for His counsel. 14 But lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. 15 And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul.'  Psalm 106:13-15.

God let them have their own way but they had to face their own consequences. Not good.

We need to be content with the things that we have and God has provided. When we want what others have, we are showing God that we are ungrateful for what He has provided. Young children act in this way. They want what another child has got and will, sometimes try and take it away from the other child. We are children - children of God but, that doesn't mean that we should act as such. We are called to be mature and secure in our relationship with God, not going around sulking because someone is better off than we are. As I said, God is not pleased when we act in such a way. There is no room for striving to be better than other people in the kingdom of God. If we feel that there is any covetousness within us, we need to repent and ask God to remove this stubborn distraction from our Daily Life with Jesus.

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

Freedom from Slavery

"Therefore, if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."  John 8:36  NKJV 

Back in January 1863 in the USA, the Emancipation Proclamation was declared. This document said that all slaves were now free. However, in Texas someone kept it a secret for a further couple of years. They were still in bondage and people continued acting as slaves because, no one had told them that they were free. They continued this way until 19 June 1865, when some 2000 Union troops arrived in Galveston Bay, Texas and announced their freedom. This day was turned into a national holiday called Juneteenth, and it is still celebrated each year in the state of Texas. 

                                               Referenced from The Historical Legacy of Juneteenth - nmaahc.si.edu

Just imagine that, freedom had come to these people and yet someone made the decision to keep it a secret and so, they continued to suffer for a further two years. No wonder it is now a national holiday in Texas each year. 

Who does this remind you of? The answer is Satan, this is the type of ploy that he encourages throughout the world. He doesn't want people to know that Jesus Christ set them free from their slavery to sin and opportunity of eternal life. This is why evangelism is such a hard task to carry out. We've all tried to tell people, including our families, about Jesus but many times they have just not wished to know. 

On the cross Jesus Christ signed our Emancipation Proclamation. he declared us not guilty - free. However, Satan continues to keep it a secret from people realising this. He blinds their eyes and deafens their ears and if no one can break through this barrier, they die in their sin and lose eternity in heaven.

Probably you can remember before you were saved. Most of us never considered ourselves slaves but we may have become addicted to alcohol, sex, theft, adultery, drugs and whatever else was around at that time. None of us realised this was taking place. The last thing that we considered ourselves of being, was a slave. It never entered our minds. The devil had hidden the secret of our freedom from us and we were heading on a fast train to hell and destruction. Thankfully, Jesus rescued us and gave us the freedom that we were entitled to, because of His death on the cross. 

There was a special person who instigated our freedom. Jesus used this person to open our minds to Him. We may know this person or it may have come from a Gospel Outreach, a book or a circumstance that caused us to call on God. We'd heard of Him but never bothered with Him. But thank you Jesus that you were bothered about us. 

We are no longer slaves. We are free!. Yes we still have things we are struggling with but, we are a work in progress - under new management.

THANK YOU JESUS

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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

* Victor Meldrew is a character from a long running English series 'One foot in the grave'. He is a grumpy, moaning old man that never sees any good in anything

 

 

 

 

 

 

How to overcome continuing trials

Blessed [happy, spiritually prosperous, favored by God] is the man who is steadfast under trial and perseveres when tempted; for when he has passed the test and been approved, he will receive the [victor's] crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him.  James 1:12  Amplified Bible

Some of us may feel that life is one long chain of trials and tribulation. This could be ill health, if not, then unemployment with endless bills to try and pay. it may be a difficult relationship, or trouble at work. There may be additional, unexpected bills, such as taking the dog or cat to the vet and being given a bill that could buy a block of flats somewhere. It seems never ending.

I was reminded of this when I was driving into town today. There was a huge lorry in front of me going very slow. After what seemed an age, I managed to drive past it only to find that I was behind a bus going even slower than the lorry. Again, I managed to drive by when the opportunity arose, only to find that every traffic light I came to, was on red. as it changed to green, the next set of lights changed to red. Now there are a lot of traffic lights in the town where we live and, as I approached each one, they changed to red. When you are in a hurry, like I was, it can be just as frustrating as having a load of continual trials.

I suddenly realised that I need to change my attitude to such things, because refusal to become worked up about such things is pleasing to God. And when we live in such a way that whatever trial or irritating things come our way, He blesses us with the Crown of Life. What is that? Well James tells us that we will be blessed, happy, spiritually prosperous and favoured by God, if we remain steadfast under trial and persevere when tempted to  become agitated and upset by things that really do not matter.

The Crown of Life refers, not to life in the future but, to life here and now, enjoyed more abundantly with greater fullness (John 10:10b).

Let's check out Psalm 5:12: 'For You O LORD, will bless the righteous; with favour You will surround him as with a shield.' The Greek word used for favour here is ratson and this 

can be described as pleasure, desire, delight and favour. "The noun ratson comes from the verb ratsa, which means "to be pleased with" or "to be favourable towards something." The Hebrew word Hesed means kindness, loving-kindness and love. 

                                                                                 Referenced from the Spirit Filled Life Bible

So therefore, when we are walking in favour, pleasing our Father, He bestows on us the Crown of Life. So we pray: 'We receive the Crown of Life and we confess today that, we are walking and living in the favour that You so kindly have given us Lord. 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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

 

Jesus has a plan

"On the same day, when evening had come, He said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” 36Now when they had left the multitude, they took Him along in the boat as He was. And other little boats were also with Him.  37And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling.  38But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?”  Mark 4:35-38  NKJV

When problems come your way, do you fully trust God to rescue you or, do you fret and become totally fearful with little sign of Jesus' teaching in your life? Many of these occasions come upon us when we are least expecting them to. In quiet times with God, bible in hand, it can be much easier to make a stand and believe what you are reading. However, in reality, how do you measure up?

The disciples were in a boat heading to the other side of the Sea of Galilee, when all of a sudden a great windstorm arose, threatening them with certain death. Their reaction was total panic and they ran to Jesus who was sleeping in the stern, Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?' v38. This is where our listening skills need to be focused on Jesus. He had clearly said to them 'Let us cross over to the other side.' Now this was a powerful statement. Jesus was with them; He wanted to go to the other side of the lake and He was so at peace over this statement that, He decided to have a nap.

The disciples were right in running to Jesus; at least it showed that they knew where to go when the chips were down. The problem was, their panicking, with this leading to challenging Jesus about whether He cared or not. Of course, Jesus knew what their reaction to the storm would be, but He had a plan, firstly, they would make it to the other side and then He would be able to reinforce the fact that, He is always with them; that there is no need to worry. The plan Jesus had did not involve their destruction but a lesson in trusting Him more and more.

When you think about it, we often begin to worry about things that haven't happened or may not happen very soon, if at all. But Jesus isn't worried about it. He is able to just relax and even sleep a little and this, is how He wants you and I to live our lives.

Through Jesus, God has given us the ability to be able to trust Him in all things and - wait for it - He expects us to use this to overcome doubt, fear and anxiety. So, whenever problems or hardships come your way, don't run away from them with your head in your hands, make a commitment to trust God and get the victory. Stand up in Jesus' name!

What is on your mind at this time? Why are you having sleepless nights over these things? Don't you realise that Jesus has a plan for your life? He has a plan for whatever situation you may find yourself in. Just trust Him more than you have ever done before; His plan is far better than yours could ever be!

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

Why not order my Daily Commentary from Amazon - Paperback or Kindle 

Check it out

What sort of day are you having?

"Through the LORD's mercies we are not consumed, because His compassions fail not. 23 They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness." Lamentations3:22-23  NKJV 

Moods may vary and fluctuate from one person to the other, we are all different.

Check this out:

LOVELY DAY  (1) It's lovely weather today; a lovely holiday; I'm having a lovely day off; We've had a lovey trip out with a lovely meal with my lovely family.

LOVELY DAY  (2) I've had a lovely day with Jesus; a lovely walk just talking to Him and enjoying His creation. God has given me a lovely life - lovely marriage, children, home and family.

Comparison

HORRIBLE DAY  (1) The weather was atrocious, never stopped raining; more bills have come in but no extra cash to pay them, it's a horrible system we live in, the garden's overgrown because of the bad weather and, I'm in a horrible job with a horrible future, living in a horrible area with horrible shops. There's no point.

HORRIBLE DAY  (2) It's a horrible time at the moment, God has let me down - why does He do this? Never answers my prayers but He does other people. They're better off than me, I'm scrimping for money - horrible. Why does He let this happen?

You may see yourself in this, I call the latter part 'The *Victor Meldrew Factor.'  The first part of this discussion concentrates on gratefulness to God for all that He gives us. The second part considers the consequences of leaving God out of our life. Jeremiah, who is considered the author of this book, saw one ray of hope in all of the mayhem and sin that surrounded him, 'The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; God's mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning, new every morning; great is Your faithfulness O LORD, great is Your faithfulness.'  (Edith McNeill)

God's Word teaches us that when we feel unlovely, we remain beautiful to Him. We can do nothing to change any of this; this is why God is Love. This, if we allow it to, can give us the confidence to realise that, although things in our life may look horrible, in God's eyes, they are lovely and, if they are not, by seeking Him He will change this for us. We need to remember this. Jeremiah wrote in 3:21 This I recall to mind, therefore I have hope.'

Do you have faith in God? Do you believe that He is trustworthy, reliable and loving towards us. Or do you belong to the 'Victor Meldrew Factor' (Latter part), questioning whether God will be there for you or let you down -  again. The bible tells us that He will help us when we seek Him (Jeremiah 29:13). 

So there you have your answer, God is merciful to us and greets us with compassion every morning that we open our eyes. His faithfulness towards us, knows no end. He will never fail you as long as you seek Him with all of your heart.

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, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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

* Victor Meldrew is a character from a long running English series 'One foot in the grave'. He is a grumpy, moaning old man that never sees any good in anything