A New Thing Part 1

“Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old. 19Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."     Isaiah 43:18-19   NKJV

Let us explore these two verses over the next couple of days. God is telling us, not to remember the former things - the things that have been a problem for us and have hurt us causing great struggles over the time we have recalled them in our memory bank. The former things is obviously referring to our past and, the key word here is 'Remember.' 

Some people have long memories - they can't forget or won't. They hold grudges and they're trapped in their thoughts. When we hang on to the past, it's difficult to reach the future. We become hemmed in with something that should have been dealt with a long time ago. These things belong in the old mode. New cannot be new until the old is dealt with. These struggles and upsets cannot be changed. We need to accept this fact. We have a choice: accept them and move on or, stay where you are and rot. Sorry if that sounds offensive but, it's the truth.

Let's take for example fitting a new kitchen; it can't be fitted until the old kitchen is moved out. That's obvious. There are walls to repair; floor and wall tiles to be fitted and everything has to be prepared properly in order to do a good job. We can paint a room without doing any maintenance - painting over the cracks and blips. However, they will still show through when the paint is dry. The wall needs treating firstly. But these two examples consist of the 'Old' and the 'New' can't happen until the 'Old' is dealt with. The 'Old' out - the 'New' in. Do you get this?

What about you? What about the old things - past, hurts, struggles, bad memories and much more? Don't you think you need to make a break with the former things? It's holding you back. How can God give you a 'new thing' 'Behold, I will do a new thing, now it shall spring forth; shall you not know it?' Isaiah 43:19. The answer to the question here is, 'No, you shall not know it, if you're hanging on to the past' 

If you are struggling in this area, then you need to take some action. God's word here tells you: 'Do not remember the former things, nor consider the things of old.' When you think about it, this is a command; one in which He is asking you to clear the old out and take on the new.

The choice is yours! 

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

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What is the password?

"Who may ascend into the hill of the LORD? Or, who may stand in the holy place?  

                                                                             Psalm 24:3. NKJV. of v3-10

Q  A question has been asked; what is the answer? Firstly, let's look at passwords. They are everywhere. We need a password for many different things, not to mention our computer programs. We almost need a book to contain all of these many passwords unless, we forget. Without the password, you are going nowhere. Even God has a password for the above question in the text. We'll look at that in a few moments; but here we see in scripture certain conditions we will need to observe: 

'v4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart; who has not lifted up his soul (mind, will and emotions) to an idol, nor sworn deceitfully.' 

If we want to see Jesus when the time comes, we need to abide by these conditions

'Lift up your heads, O you gates! And be lifted up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 8Who is this King of glory? The Lord strong and mighty, The Lord mighty in battle. 9Lift up your heads, O you gates! Lift up, you everlasting doors! And the King of glory shall come in. 10Who is this King of glory? The Lord of hosts, He is the King of glory'. Selah  v7-10. 

A  But, we still need the password for access. Did you notice it in v7. The password is Jesus. As we lift Him up and invite Him into our heart or situation, He shall then come in v9. You will see further evidence of this password in John 14:6: 'I am the way,' Rev 3:20 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me. Matt 6:33 'But seek first the kingdom of God and His

righteousness and all these things shall be added to you.'

As we quote this password by asking Him into our heart or situation if we are saved, He comes into our life. Just think, everything is God's and He is in control of it all. Let us not forget that, when we are in God's presence, we are standing on Holy ground (Ex 3:5), When Moses was at the burning bush, he had to take his sandals off because of this. It was a sign of respect in the east. But it was also a place where God is and therefore, it was, and still is, holy ground. This is something that we need to remember when we are having a quiet time and in God's presence. He is not somebody that we are just fellowshipping with. No, He is the Lord God Almighty - El Shaddai. So we need to respect those times.

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 

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Disappointments

"Then He came and found them sleeping and said to Peter, 'Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not watch one hour?'                  Mark 14:37   NKJV

In the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus became disturbed and told Peter, James and John, who He had taken along for back up, to stay where they were and watch and pray. Jesus went further on and became so distressed that He sweat drops of blood (Luke 22:44). When He returned to Peter and the others, they were sleeping, hence His reaction in our text above. In fairness, they still didn't know what was happening so, failed to feel the urgency of it all. He must have been so disappointed at this stage.

In fact, Jesus Himself must have been disappointed with his disciples many times.  Paul also experienced disappointment several times during his ministry, as with the Galatian church so quickly turning away from the gospel (Gal 3:11,20). Let's be honest, Jesus must have been disappointed with us quite a lot since we came to know Him. We let Him down so much but, how loving He is with His forgiveness. People in this world need to adopt this attitude. Bob Gass says, 'It's the attitude with which you approach your problem that largely determines the outcome.' 

How do you react to disappointment? Do you become angry because you feel so let down? And do you use words that you know are wrong because you are so hurt and disappointed? People react in many different ways. But it's our attitude that decides how things are going to go. Look at Jesus' attitude - disappointed? Yes He would have been. Did He have a feeling of being let down? More than likely. But He didn't blast His disciples out. What He was doing in the garden that day, was extremely difficult for Him to approach. It was make or break time and, He was struggling with His humanity. However, He didn't let rip on the others. He knew their hearts and knew, they were confused by everything.

Disappointment can lead us to utter words that we know are wrong. It can lead to arguments and in some cases, break up relationships. But let us not forget, that we're only human and far from being perfect. Think back, you must have disappointed people in the past. How do you feel they felt? It may have been your parents, your family, your bosses or church leaders. Some of these may have held a grudge against you because of it. But, then again, they may have forgiven you instead. And this is how we should react when we are disappointed.

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

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When you're undergoing temptation

"Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil."       

                                                                             Matthew 4:1  NKJV 

After Jesus' baptism, He was immediately led into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We may think that He had no time to think- no time to prepare, He was just led there. But He knew, and this demonstrates how Jesus was always ready for whatever may come His way. Now the wilderness is a very hot place by day, but can almost be frosty during the nights. Danger lurks at every point not only from overheating and being frozen, but from wild animals, snakes and deadly insects. Not really a nice place to be on your own with no food or drink or camping equipment.

There are lessons to learn by His 40 day stay in this environment. He was faithful in the smaller tasks before God gave Him the greater one of dying on the cross. To be tempted from the divine standpoint, means a positive test; from the devil's standpoint it implies enticement to sin; from Jesus' standpoint it is a challenge from Satan to test God's sovereignty and plan v6. 

Note how the devil speaks to Jesus here, using the word 'if.' This is attempting to place doubt in Jesus' mind. He will also do this to you and I. He endeavours to confuse us and deny the divinity of Jesus. The word 'Tempt' in the English language means to entice people to do wrong. However, the Greek interpretation of this word is Peirazien, which means to test. Therefore, what we call temptation, is not to make us sin but, to enable us to conquer it, just as Jesus could be described as a conqueror or, using patient sacrificial love.

When Jesus was led into the wilderness and fasted 40 days and nights, at the end of this period He would have been exhausted, hungry, thirsty, one moment hot, the next very cold. Notice that the devil waited for the apt time to approach Jesus - 'Now when' v3. He waited until Jesus was at His lowest before He went to speak with Him. He will also do this to us. It is when we are tired, busy or at a low point that we are more vulnerable to attack. However, even though Jesus was at a low point, He used His authority - He would not compromise at all. He used His Father's word. 

Don't think that Jesus was unprepared for what was going to happen, He was. He knew what He had to go through to accomplish God's wishes so, He ensured that He was ready for whatever happened. He knew what He had to do. He was in His humanity and thus, demonstrated weakness that called for angels to come and serve Him afterwards. But, He was still prepared and ready for the task; He knew what lay ahead, and so do we - we know that the devil will try and attack us whenever He can (1 Peter 5:8). So be alert.

This is why, like Jesus, we have to be prepared. Jesus knew God's word, so should we. God was watching over Him - He is you and I, as well. In fact, we have everything that we need to survive in this society. We know the devil is not our friend so, we need to live accordingly. He will lie to us. He will try to confuse us, bringing doubt. Let us realise this and be ready for any test or temptation that comes our way. Jesus has given us the blueprint for success. 

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

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Your table is prepared

"You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; You anoint my head with oil"                                           Psalm 23:6

To get the full picture of this piece of scripture, it may be a good idea to read the whole Psalm.

This Psalm demonstrates King David's total trust in God. Pastoral in content, reflecting a peaceful confidence in his Father. Written in two metaphors, it describes Jesus as the Shepherd v1-4 and God as the host v5-6.

When we put our trust in God, He will do everything possible to provide, protect and bless us through the darkest of our days. It's good to know that He never leaves us, He is always there v4. As we walk through our dark days with Him, we arrive safely at the other side (1) either a Godly solution to the problem we are in or (2) our arrival in heaven when our life is over. In both cases, we win. At the end of whatever journey we take, God provides a table, which illustrates abundance, satisfaction and everlasting love. No enemy can ever take this away from us.

Whatever we are going through, we should never give up. I know it may sound easier said than done. But at times like this, we have to exercise our faith and remember scriptures such as Philippians 4:13 'I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.' Please note the highlight here. Without Jesus we go nowhere successfully. Don't listen to the devil's lies. Until you reach this holy table, keep walking on. It is there that you will find God's rewards.

Bob Gass said, 'God never said the journey would be easy, but He did say the arrival would be wonderful.' And this is true. Of the two kinds of oil God uses for anointing - the Priestly anointing oil and the Oriental perfumed oil, this oil in Psalm 23 is the latter. This act shows favour and excellent hospitality. God's provision never runs dry. This is why David could write, 'My cup runs over.' When God gives, He gives wholeheartedly. He never cheats on the cheese; He gives abundantly. Probably you have witnessed this in your own life or, you're still waiting. Get ready for when it comes, it will be amazing.

Just think, when you're at God's table - metaphorically speaking, no enemy can touch you, they can only watch and gloat. This is why, in Jesus, we are winners. Remember, Paul said that 'we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us' (Rom 8:37). 

So rest in God's word for today. You are special

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

The Breath of God

"And when He had said this, He breathed on them and said to them, "Receive the Holy Spirit"                                    John 20:22   NKJV

The disciples had locked themselves in the upper room because of fear that, they too, would be arrested and dealt with the same as Jesus; when all of a sudden, Jesus turned up. Closed doors were not a barrier to Him. He gave them His peace and then told them that He was about to send them out. Therefore, they needed the Holy Spirit.

Jesus breathed on them and gave them the Holy Spirit. Perhaps John, in the writing of this gospel, was remembering the creation outlined in Genesis 2:7: 'And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.'

And then of course in Ezekiel 37:9-10 and the example of The Valley of Dry Bones God said

'Prophesy to the breath, prophesy, son of man, say to the breath, "Thus say the LORD God, 'Come from the four winds, O breath and breathe on these slain, that they may live.' 10 So I prophesied as He commanded me, and breath came into them and they lived and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.

The wakening of life from the dead; in fact, it would be more apt to say 'Awakening. Some scholars and believers, feel that Jesus was anticipating Pentecost and the dynamite power that would hit the whole city. Others believe in the immediate sense, where they would receive the Holy Spirit right there and then. The Old Testament creation began with the breath of God. Now the New Testament creation begins with the breath of God the Son.

It is more likely that Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit on them in preparation to what they and others would receive at Pentecost (Acts 2). Dunamis power would descend on them at Pentecost and, this would have a powerful impact rather like dynamite, where the whole city would be turned upside down. However, we cannot deny that Jesus was giving them a lot of responsibility and they would need the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit in order to carry this out proficiently. And this would be prior to Pentecost.

Whatever was really happening that day when Jesus appeared to His disciples, on top of their grieving for Jesus following His death, they were now faced with the fact that He had said, He would rise again, and it had happened. And they were truly overwhelmed and probably mixed up about it all. With the days that were leading up to Pentecost, they had to cope with their feelings about this, and then the fact that Jesus would ascend to heaven very soon and, all of this was going to happen before Pentecost.

This brings to our attention that, whatever you may be facing at this time, Jesus is around you; the Holy Spirit is in you and giving you the power to be able to approach whatever mountain or hurdle that may be in your way. With Jesus, you are a winner, a victorious person of God. Never forget this wonderful news.

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 

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Use your prayer language

"But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit."                          Jude 20   NKJV 

Do you use your prayer language? This means, praying in your own language as prompted by the Spirit. This may be with groaning which cannot be uttered (Rom 8:26) as directed by the Holy Spirit. It may also be praying in tongues, unknown or known to the pray-er. Think about it for a moment. The devil hasn't a clue what we're praying and this can catch him by surprise. We pray by faith in the Spirit. and thus, we build ourselves up. 

Praying in the Spirit is (1) for personal edification and (2) for public exhortation. Speaking in tongues is an indication of the Holy Spirit's presence within the person. For personal edification, speaking in tongues brings us closer to God and seals us with Jesus. As said, it is a personal time with Jesus and can be a time of incredible blessing, especially when there is no-one around. Speaking in tongues edifies the person using this language. Whereas, speaking in tongues in public worship only edifies believers when it is interpreted, so, the worshipper is to pray for the interpretation but, if it is withheld, the person should keep silent unless there is someone who functions in the gift of interpretation who is present (1 Cor 14.5, 28).

Regarding the (1) Personal Edification. Some people spend a lot of time on their own speaking to God in their prayer language (tongues). Some people frown on the use of tongues and it has been a major conflict in churches where there is no freedom in the Spirit. However, one cannot get away from the fact of what it says in the bible. It is part of our worship both personal and publicly. Although, the latter is not used very often in some churches. Whether this is embarrassment or a church rule, one has to decide.

None of this is a problem. If you don't speak in tongues yourself, ask God for this gift. Once you receive it, you may feel that you are speaking Gobbledygook, but don't worry, keep practicing and don't be put off. There is power in speaking in tongues, especially when you consider that Satan hasn't a clue what you are saying. This is why he will try to block you by saying it is not of God and all other accusatory terms that he can throw at you. Take no notice and do it. You will be personally edified and blessed. Make it an everyday occurrence.

The Holy Spirit will never lead you astray. His purpose is always to point you to Jesus. See what it says in John 16:13:

"However, when He, the Spirit of Truth has come, He will guide you into all truth, for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come."

Therefore, get close to Him, trust Him and realise that He is 100% committed to you and to Jesus. Remember the Holy Trinity, God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Three separate persons in one = the Trinity'

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