Another aspect that leads to sin

"She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate'   Genesis 3:6   NKJV 

Adam did not take the responsibility that God had placed on him. Instead of putting an end to this wicked scheme the serpent was tempting Eve with, he went along with it. He could have been interested to see where all of this led to. Then again, he could have been enthralled by it himself and closed a blind eye to it all. Whatever, he allowed sin into our world. He was a responder instead of a leader and from the moment he fell to the temptation himself, it was too late and it went totally wrong from there. 

Sin blinds our minds and takes over our lives if we are not in control. Did Adam pretend he didn't know what Eve was doing? I don't think so. I believe that he was fully aware but, possibly through lack of experience, he allowed himself to be overcome by all of it. How often do you do this? We know right from wrong and yet are quite often caught out by things. What about when we pay cash for something in a shop and the shop assistant gives us more change than she should have done. Do we tell the person, or, do we walk away quite pleased that we were given change for a £20 note instead of a £10 one. This is deceit when you think about it and that shop assistant may have to make up the money themselves at the end of the day.

What about when we sell something, knowing full well that there is something wrong with it, but not disclosing it to the buyer. It could be a car, a house, anything. But when we do things like this again, we are acting in a deceitful way. Then of course there are the times that we borrow something from a friend and never return it. I can think of several times that this has been done to us. But then, I'm reminded about the times when I have done just the same. But it shouldn't be this way.

In life, there are many rules and laws that we need to obey. Breaking the speed limit is one. How many of us go over the limit when we are driving? What about drinking and driving - you know, just that little drink for the road. That may cost you your life or someone else's if you have an accident. When we're in the stationery cupboard in the office, we may build up our supply of paper and pens but how many of us take these home and use them for our own uses? That is being picky; no it's not, it is theft.

Jesus would want us to live our lives in such a way that no-one, can point the finger at us. We are His ambassadors, we represent Him. And this is what Adam should have been doing that day back in the garden. He should have used his authority instead of compromising and it cost everything. Food for thought?

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Three aspects of sin

"So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate"   Genesis 3:6   NKJV

Even though we may be seasoned Christians and know God's Word well, we can still fall for temptation. Many do, especially Christian leaders. No one is safe from being trapped in the web of sin. From reading these two verses, I believe there are 3 aspects that can so easily trip us up. Let's take a look at each one and note if it applies to you:

Saw that the tree was good for food

The devil began spreading his lies and encouraged Eve to look at the tree. She did and was intrigued. The fruit looked as if it would taste delicious and the more she gazed at it, she wanted it. She then touched it and was hooked. This is the danger that any of us can find ourselves in. We know the truth but, the devil can twist this truth and make it appear as if it will be ok. As we go towards this temptation and make that first touch, there is no way back; we are in sin. 

Pleasant to the eyes

The devil showed Eve that it was very pleasant to look at. The more she looked, the more she wanted what she saw. Let's take for instance adultery. The more we allow ourselves to get into a risky situation, we are in danger of falling to the temptation. Jesus said: 'You have heard that it was said to those of old, "You shall not commit adultery." 28 'But I say to you that whoever looks at a woman (or man) to lust for her (him), has already committed adultery with her (him) in his heart.'  (Matthew 5:27-28 Bracketed additions mine)

Desirable

Eve found this irresistible and so will you if you allow yourself to get into this position. Like Eve, you will look and keep looking, finding it very pleasant and will easily be flattered by the attention and the risk it poses. In fact, you will be hooked - caught in the net and, for today's man or woman, this could be the internet, where lustful material can easily be found feeding the desire within and then having a realistic offer, may be very difficult to turn down.

Eve just had to take the fruit, she had to have it, no matter what. No one would know anyway. Don't take the risk; you could end up losing everything. Daily in the media we hear about famous people who have fallen to the temptation and lost their lucrative lifestyle because of it, and their family. It is not worth it. No sin is, it comes with a pretty hefty price; one in which you will regret for the rest of your life.

Don't live with the words in your mind, 'If only I hadn't done this'.

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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"I could never do that, Lord"

"we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight."  

                                                                 Numbers 13:33  NKJV 

Moses had sent out twelve men to spy out the land of Canaan in preparation to the Israelites going over to this Promised Land. On their return, Caleb and Joshua gave good reports about the place. Caleb said 'Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.'  v30. However, the other ten gave a bad report, 'We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.' v31 and v33 'There we saw the giants (the descendants of Anak came from the giants); and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.' These two statements are self-fulfilled prophecies. They saw themselves as weak and, therefore, felt that others would too and, because of their attitude, the people would see their negativity.

God sees us as winners and over-comers, but many times people see us the way we see ourselves - weak and incapable. Attitudes rule our lives. Our outlook on life is either, 'I can do this' or 'I can't do this'. Our attitude has the power to help us through whatever we face or, bury us underneath them. What about you? Do you have a Grasshopper mentality or a Giant killer mentality? In other words, whose report do you believe?

Achievers are not avoiders. Achievers find solutions to the problems of life and thus, discover a tremendous power within themselves: 'You are of God little children, and have overcome them, because He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world' 1 John 4:4. The Lord Jesus Christ lives in your heart, without Him you can do nothing (John 15:5), with Him, you can do all things through Him who strengthens you. (Phil 4:13). YOU ARE ABLE! 

What are you facing right now? Like we have seen from this account in Numbers 13, we, as Christians, see things through faith-filled eyes, where other people - some believers and unbelievers always appear to live on doubt or even fear. They are not risk takers, in fact, some fail to do anything risky, staying locked in their comfort zone. Consequently. they feel that you should be this way too, However, if God is giving you a nudge to do a particular thing, then do it. If you continue to listen to doubters, you'll never go anywhere. Remember, God sees you as a winner and Jesus lives in your heart and He is greater than the devil - who will do all he can to stop you carrying out God's work.

If this has given you the nudge that you have been praying for, then get out and do it. You have a mission to carry out!

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Stick to the main thing

"Let your eyes look forward; fix your gaze straight ahead."   Proverbs 4:25   CSB 

RT Kendall, often writes, 'The main thing is to make the main thing, the main thing.' He is so right; we can start one task fully committed to it but after a very short while, we are distracted and start doing something else. Let's look at an example:

'You decide that today, you're going to spend time with God in prayer and devotion. After two minutes the phone rings and it's someone that you haven't spoke with for some time. An hour later, you end the call and resume your prayers. Suddenly, the door knocks and in walks a family member. The main thing - prayer time, is no longer the main thing, and you allow the main thing to take second place.'

It's lovely to have friends ring you and family drop by but, there comes a time when priorities need to be set in place. The 'phone ringing, could have been ignored and allowed to go to the answer phone. If it was really important, the caller could have kept ringing, this way you would know that it is probably important and answered it. The family member dropping in, is different but in a gentle way, you could easily tell them that, at a certain time you will be busy. It just takes a little discipline.

If your main thing, is to make the main thing, the main thing, you could adopt the Four D Formula below:

Discipline  Whenever we are making plans for our walk with God, we need to use discipline and, we need to stick to this. Therefore, several things can be put in place (a) Change your answerphone message to explain that you are not available for a few hours - rather like the office is closed until...(b) Tell your friends and family about this so they they don't disturb you during this time. (c)  Stick to this plan

Devotion  Devotion time should never be interrupted. It's a special time between you and Jesus, one in which you can become lost in His presence. You need time with Him and He with you. He is the main thing, the reason that your are here. He deserves this special time the same as you do. It is sacred.

Disallow  Refuse to allow anything or anyone disturb your time with Jesus. There is no need to be dictatorial about it but, you do need to be firm and disallow interruptions unless they are extremely important

Distraction  This can be a robber of our time with Jesus. Our thoughts, if we're not careful, can run ahead of us and we tend to drift off into this. Discipline yourself if you suffer this way.

If your main thing is to make the main thing your main thing, you need to apply yourself this way. It is essential that this is upheld, so put it into practice.

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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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Not My will but Yours be done

"Take delight in the LORD, and He will give you your heart's desires. 5 Commit your way to the LORD; trust in Him, and He will act."  Psalm 37:4-5   CSB 

You may be facing a great crisis today, one in which you have no answer or control over. It may be a court case where you are petrified what may happen to you. It may be an appointment with your doctor to receive test results of which you fear the worst. Or you may be so deep in debt that you don't know how you are going to pay this. Just stop right there! This is taking your mind off Jesus. It is understandable but, He must come first in your thinking and He has all of the answers.

Be honest, has Jesus ever let you down in the past? You may think He has but, think again, wasn't it because you made a wrong move, something you had decided to leave Jesus out of and play the Lone Ranger by going in blind? It wasn't Jesus that let you down. Never has done and never will do, that is certain. Whatever is going to happen today, commit it to Him and trust in Him. He will find a way through all of this. Try not to fret or be anxious, this only leads to you  feeling negative. 

Today, God - if you allow Him - will bring His plan into operation and will take you through this. He may not answer in the way you will like but, He will answer and bring justice to your situation. He will also help you to bear whatever you may hear, about your test results. He is Lord and He can do more than we or any doctor could do. He can change situations; He can bring light into what appears dark. Don't write yourself off, trust Him.

Some people feel that God will wave a magic wand over circumstances and all will be well, rather like a fairy take. But we don't live in a fairy tale, we live in reality and at times life can be tough. We think, why doesn't God heal me? Why do I have to lose my house and go bankrupt; why, why, why? I wish I knew the answer to this. But one thing I know, Jesus knows best, He always has our best interests in mind. Don't forget, Jesus felt this way when He was in the Garden of Gethsemane. He pleaded that God would take this from Him but then, He said 'Not My will but Yours be done' Luke 22:42. He knows all about suffering and being anxious. But He trusted His Father, and that’s what you need to do.

Today, as you meet with whoever you have to, stand firm, knowing that Jesus is right beside you and be brave enough to say, 'Not my will, but Yours be done Lord.' 

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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

Are you a Stirrer? Part 2

"We do not know what to do, but we look to You"    2 Chronicles 20:12  CSB

As a Christian, we have certain values and expectations and when anything comes along to try and change this, we need some help and advice. Take for example, the son or daughter who tells his Christian parents that they are gay. This can certainly knock the wind out of their sails, an unexpected disclosure that has the ability to change everything the family believe in.

How can this work in a Christian family. One option is to ask them to leave the home if they want to live this way. But this is not the way Jesus would want a parent to handle the situation. It is happening all over the world where young people are 'coming out' or in some families, wanting to have a sex change.  The latter is quite a drastic decision and one that requires some serious discussion and possibly counselling to check that this is what they want to do.

Assuming that this could be happening to you, let's look at the 'Coming out' area firstly. One thing a parent must do is realise that this is about the young person, not how it will affect the parent or the 'What will people think' scenario. Yes, it will conflict against the Christian values the family hold but, initially is there any reason to let anyone else know? It's about you and yours, not about what do they think. One thing though, it cannot be swept under the carpet because, sooner or later it will become public. Therefore, the first port of call is Jesus. What does He suggest? We know what His word says about homosexuality but, what is He saying to you? One thing He won't do is point the finger of judgement, it is what it is and this is the best place to start. He will also not want you to compromise this situation. So one thing you can say to your child is, 'Well, I don't agree with what you are doing but, I will support you through this.' What you are saying is that the situation is not ideal but you will be there for them and love them, no matter what. They need to know this. 

Jesus understands these things. It is not your fault, there is no need to take the blame and it is not your child's fault either. One thing we must realise is that God doesn't make mistakes. Your child was not born this way. It comes down to choice. The pressures on young people today is very strong, what with peer pressure, films, the internet and similar, a young person can become drawn into temptation the same way we are. Only one person can change this - the young person themself. You no doubt have brought them up in a Christian home. They know the drill but sometimes they can rebel and do their own thing. This may be temporary or long term. All you can do is pray for them that God will help them realise that living in such a way is against God's law. The world would disagree and have a hey day with these comments but, I'm just passing on what God feels about such a thing as this.

It's the same with gender changes. We're all born one gender - male or female. As I have said, God doesn't make mistakes but the devil will try to confuse young people's minds. Again, all you can do here is show them that it conflicts with your faith but, you will support them. And then, give it to God and pray, pray and pray some more. You can share it with trusted friends but, think before you do. Would the young person want you to do this? It's doubtful.

There is counselling but again, think this through; in this day and age it is an accepted part of life and authorities can come down strong on people who try to protest in this manner. I would suggest, for your child's sake, that you give this to Jesus with all of your worries and cares and ask Him to change things. He is on your side because, He knows what is written in His book. Therefore, He is committed to you.

A final word for parents going through this difficult time. If you have a trusted friend who you know will not gossip about this, then consider asking them to pray for you. But, above all else, know for certain that Jesus knows how you feel and will give you the support you need. It is a time to lean on Him and receive Proverbs 3:5-6 / Psalm 23

Here is a prayer for you:

Lord, show us the way to go with these issues. We believe that Your Word is true and binding so, please help us to find a way through it all and bring Your Shalom Peace into our lives. In Jesus’ name. Amen

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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

Are you a Stirrer?

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God"   Matthew 5:9   CSB 

What is the definition of a protester? According to many dictionaries, it is a person who participates in a public demonstration in opposition to something. It is expressing disapproval. There are many protests in the UK today and all over the world. A key one at this moment in the UK, is the withdrawal of the Winter Fuel Allowance. The over 60's, used to receive an allowance each year from the  government to help with heating costs. However, since a change of government, this has been stopped from October 2024 unless a person is on benefits. This has caused panic with older people because they feel that they won't be able to cope with the rising costs of fuel and electricity, especially since the major prices rises of late.

Now straightaway this could cause problems because it is a contentious area and an argument could arise because of this. Some feel that people on benefits are quite well off with the help they receive, whereas, people who are just over the threshold to qualify for financial help, are faced with the worry of how to meet the costs. Hence, we have a stigma developing and this is all causing unrest and bad feeling. Therefore, people are protesting about this area, But at the moment there seems no way it will change.

This brings us to how would Jesus handle this? Looking at this problem as a Christian who is not on benefits, will the loss of the Winter Fuel Allowance cause you a worry; will you struggle? If this affects you, do you feel bad about people on benefits receiving what you are no longer qualified to have? Is it worth protesting? Let's look at our text above. Jesus is talking about peacemakers. Is a protester a peacemaker? It all depends on how they go about it. There are peaceful protests and there are very many that turn into a riot with people damaging property and hurting each other. Protests are ok if, they are controlled and handled all the way through with a peaceful spirit. However, people who protest are seen by many as troublemakers; as stirrers of peace. And this is not the way a Christian should go.

Let us not forget (as we often do) that we can pray about anything and everything. Jesus understands what is happening in our world today. He doesn't pretend things aren't happening. Not at all; He is very concerned and is eager to see 'if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. 15Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place.'  2 Chron 7:14-15. 

And also 'Then you will call upon Me and go and pray to Me, and I will listen to you.  13And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.  14I will be found by you, says the Lord', Jeremiah 29:12-14

This is the hallmark of a peacemaker. Prayer changes things and this type of prayer brings peace into a situation instead of stirring up a hornet's nest. We'll have a look at another contentious area tomorrow. Until then, keep the flag of peace flying high

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

Lord Jesus, I have sinned   

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