In the blink of an eye

"while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal."     2 Corinthians 4:18     NKJV

Things can change quite suddenly! I was watching a soccer match last night and with only half a minute left of play, and the threat of extra time or even penalty shoot outs, things changed. With only seconds to go our side scored making the score 2-1. It was unbelievable. One could sense the crowd's frustration and despair and then suddenly, elation. The team had won with no extra time or penalties.

Things can change so rapidly. Take for example, Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego. Because they would not bow down to Nebuchadnezzar's golden image, he had them thrown into an extremely hot furnace where normally, it would be instant death to enter or be near it. Before this happened, they said to the king, 'If that is the case, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and He will deliver us from your hand. 18 But if not, let it be known to you, O king, that we do not serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold image which you have set up.'   Daniel 3:17-18. And He did rescue them.

Then of course, there was Daniel who had been cast into a lion's den. Surely this would be certain death. But God sent an angel who kept the lion's mouth's closed over night, and Daniel survived this ordeal. What about Paul and Silas in stocks in a dirty, filthy lower dungeon. They just sang to God while the other prisoner's listened and God sent and angel who broke their chains and every door in the place and set them all free. These examples were all in the blink of an eye, rather like that goal was in the last few seconds of the football game.

Is there any secret to all of this. No, one just needs to have faith in Jesus. He can do anything that He chooses. From a faith point of view, notice that our text for today says "while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.' We look at unseen things. This is called faith. One preacher called this verse 'SUBJECT TO CHANGE and I believe he was right. When we look at things, like these guys in the examples did, we are looking into the faith realm. It doesn't exist yet but in the blink of an eye it can change.

God wants us to be faith people (2 Cor 5:7). Faith people create change wherever they go. They don't look at what is but, what can be. Wouldn't you like to be this way? Well I have news for you. God created you this way and He has given you this blue print to work from - the bible. Digest this verse; pray it in for yourself and act on it and watch the changes wherever you go.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, grahame.howard@hotmail.co.uk

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He is Able!

"Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  21to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen."        Ephesians 3:20-21    NKJV

Just think, God is able to rescue us from a fiery furnace; He is able to rescue us from the lion's den. He is able to raise the dead and give sight to the blind and good hearing to the people with a hearing loss. He is able to heal cancer or whatever else may be attaching itself to you. He is able!

However, there is a clause in this statement, Paul says, 'according to the power that works in us.'  Now, He isn't talking about name and claim here; he is saying that, those who truly believe in their hearts that Jesus is able to do these things. He is able to do all that we ask or think and that is superabundance, we are connected to Jesus by the Holy Spirit. We are to believe that He can do all that we ask.

Not everyone is healed. Why? I don't know and can't answer such a complicated question such as this. I don't have to defend Jesus at all. Not everyone is rescued from an impossible situation. Why? I don't know the answer. However, what I do know is that I will never stop asking Jesus in faith for something. I will never stop believing in all He can do. He has performed the most amazing things in our marriage and family but, there has also been moments when He hasn't. Why? I don't know.

What I do know, is that you and I should never stop believing that Jesus is able to perform what we're asking Him for. He is able to perform whatever we ask. If He doesn't, He can still perform what we ask, it just means that He hasn't performed it yet or there is a very good reason that we don't know about. 

When our relationship with Jesus is how He wants it to be, we are truly connected to Him. We can trust Him to help and protect us. He is able to do above and beyond what we ask and we should never doubt this fact. But He has nothing to prove. He is not like a magician He is Jesus and He can do far more than any other person could ever think about. It is not magic; it is truth and light.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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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We're heading towards the Last Days!

"having a form of godliness but denying its power."    2 Timothy 3:5   NKJV

Are we living in the Last Days? That's a question that we all need to be asking. Mind you, people have been asking that question for centuries, but one can't help wondering because of what is happening in our world today.

Try reading through 2 Timothy 3:1-9 and link this in with situations today. World leaders are all bustling for power. Are they thinking of their people or themselves and the money they can make out of the next deal (v2). People are suffering terribly in their own land because of this power struggle; war, killings and desperately hurting people who have lost everything. 

Then there is the continuous murders on our streets. Young people's live's being taken because some other youth is using his or her power and using a knife to end the other person's life. Even teachers being threatened, and there appears to be no end in sight for this to stop. In a lot of cases, parents don't have any charge over their children (v2) if they use discipline, the child may report them to the authorities. People are mentioning bringing back the death penalty and also conscription where a young man has to serve his country for a short time in the HM Forces. But would this be the answer? Some people are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God (v4). They may have a form of godliness but that is as far as it goes. 

What can we do to help alleviate all of this? '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. 2 Chronicles 7:14.

God calls His people to prayer. Not just for the average prayer meeting but, for the serious stuff such as we have just read. We are in the Last Days and we can't ignore this fact. People all over the world are hurting but the world goes on with its plans to make more money. It is time for Christians everywhere to do something about it. What do we pray?

That God's mercy will prevail. That He will intervene between the nations and bring worldwide peace. If not, that He will help people like us to tell people about Jesus; that they will listen, get saved and tell others too. We are not to panic or become anxious about what is happening worldwide but, we are to make a stand for Jesus and pray that He will hear from heaven, forgive people's sins and bring healing and protection for His people

Prayer is our weapon; we must use it.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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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Soldiers for Christ

"3You therefore must endure hardship as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.  4No one engaged in warfare entangles himself with the affairs of this life, that he may please him who enlisted him as a soldier.  5And also if anyone competes in athletics, he is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules."   2 Timothy 2:3-5  NKJV

We saw yesterday how dedicated we need to be to have the fire back in our belly. Today, this is an add-on. Paul talks about enduring hardships of any kind that will come upon us without any notice. He mentions being a good soldier and that may be a strange thing to new Christians. However, we are in a battle and whatever comes our way we need to be able to deal with it. We are soldiers of Jesus Christ and He is our Commanding Officer.

Hardships can be anything :- loss of a job; loss of someone very dear to us, marital breakdown, bankruptcy or loss of good health. There are many more things that can be added and, these are all in the category of hardship. We need to be ready and able to deal with whatever comes our way. 

The word ENDURE means: To carry on through, despite hardships; undergo or suffer: endure an Arctic winter. 2. To put up with; tolerate: I cannot endure your insolence any longer. 1. To continue in existence; last: buildings that have endured for centuries. 2. To suffer patiently without yielding.  The Online Dictionary

As you can see, the word endure covers a great multitude of things and more. Soldiers don't bother themselves with life in 'Civvy Street' issues. They are on duty and have a role to fulfil. To become entangled with life issues can distract them from what their real role is all about. Do you get the message? We, as Soldiers of Jesus, are committed to Kingdom business. We have a:

(1)  Mission and that is to take the gospel to anyone who has never heard it

(2)  Lead people to Jesus

(3)  Offer love and healing

(4)  Bring peace to each situation

Of course we have much more that we need to do but, these are the main areas.

Paul compares this discussion with the example of an athlete. He/she trains and is a dedicated athlete with the desire to win and obtain the crown. As with the soldier, they have endured all of the pitfalls and press on to get this prize and along the way, they bring as many unbelievers with them who will listen.  And it is well worth it in the end.

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

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'

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

Put that fire back in your belly

"Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands.  7For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind."                         2 Timothy 1:6-7    NKJV

There are times when we need an extra push. Life can be draining and with all the stresses and upsets, we can end up exhausted. This is where we have to stop and ask ourselves, 'Am I trying to do this in my own strength?' It's true, we may have been a Christian forever but, that  doesn't mean that we can ignore the basic requirements such as, Read your bible, Pray, Praise God and be willing to learn new things about Him. If we begin to neglect these things and attempt to think that we know it all, we're going to head for a big fall.

Paul reminded Timothy to stir up the gift of God within him. In other words, allow the Holy Spirit to move in freedom within. To do this, we need to be in a place where God is able to do this for us. If you're not ready, then it will be wasted. If you feel that you are in a place where you want more of Jesus, tell Him this. He is only too willing to answer this prayer but only when you're ready to take it on board. It comes with a cost; when a person is seeking to be 'sold out' for Jesus, they must be willing for the changes that this will make in their lives. Are you ready for this?

It takes discipline to 'be on fire for God'. You have to stop watering down the gospel when friends and family are around because you feel embarrassed. Note that Paul told Timothy 'For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." This is what you can expect God to give you but, He'll expect something back in return, and that is a dedicated Man or Woman of God, who walks the walk; talks the talk and gets the job done, a person who will put Jesus first in everything. This doesn't mean that you neglect your family and friends, but that they will see a major difference in you, one that is like a giant magnet drawing them to Jesus. People will either want to know you and speak with you or they will ignore you because you are an embarrassment to be seen with.

Do you want to be an embarrassment to people because of your faith in Jesus? Do you want to walk the walk; talk the talk and get the job done? Then say this prayer below:

Lord, help me stir up the gift of God that has been within me since I was born again. Jesus, I am not filled with a spirit of fear but of power, of love and of a sound mind. Therefore, please touch me again with Your Holy Spirit. I am ready to serve you, I am ready to live for You and I am willing to do or go wherever You may send me. I dedicate my all to You. In Jesus' name. Amen

Now get ready!

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 2025 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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Reactions

"I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me. "                  Galatians 2:20.  NKJV

Our reactions are a big part of how we present ourselves to unbelievers. Think for a moment about your own reactions of late. Play the video back in your mind of what happened; what was said and how it all turned out. Be honest with yourself. Was there any room for improvement on your part? Could you speech have been more in standing of what you confess to be - a born again Christian? 

In the example that you have been remembering, you may find that you were ok and that is great. However, it may well have been the opposite. Let's dig around this and look at an example. Let's say that you were trying to park to go into a supermarket. You decide to reverse in and as you negotiate the turns, another person shoots into the space behind you. You don't notice the chap and almost reverse into his car. He blasts his horn, winds his windows down and uses some colourful language that hits you like a dart. Now, you have been driving around the car park for ages before you had noticed this one space. Now it is taken and you have a stroppy so and so standing at your door mirror.

Your reactions are not as they should be and you enter into an argument with him. He puffs himself up, showing his muscles and tattoos, makes a rude gesture with his fingers and then walks off into the shop. At this time, it may have made more sense to ignore the man and looked for another space. But no, your flesh has now taken over and you shout after him some choice words and match the finger gesture. He turns round and goes to walk back towards you but then changes his mind and walks on. By now, cars are tooting at you to move your car as it's blocking the way. This leads you to use your finger gesture again. You get in the car and people just can't help noticing that you have a large sticker on the back of the car JESUS IS LORD.

Conclusion, was you in control of this situation? - No. Could you have handled it better? - Yes..

The lesson here is that, you have been crucified with Christ, you no longer live but Christ lives in you. How would Jesus have reacted here? Would He have argued with the man, said some unpleasant words and used the finger gesture? No He wouldn't have; and deep down you know that you shouldn't have either.

I agree, it is totally difficult to not react in the flesh when the flesh attacks you but, you need to because, you are no longer in control. Jesus could have sorted this chap out for you but, you never gave Him a chance. You just went in like a bull in a china shop.

Paul's is saying here that we become so closely attached to Jesus that we die with Him and He begins to live in us. Therefore. when we align our thoughts with His and allow those thoughts to manifest themselves in the choices we make, we are living and walking to the fullest, in what Galatians 2:20 says.

So, we all need to work on our reactions. It's not being a doormat. It's not being a coward and, it's not being a pushover. It's being Jesus to whoever you meet. Why? Because: 'I have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.' 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 2025 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

"LET'" - It's down to you!

"And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful.  16Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  17And whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."  Colossians 3:15-17  NKJV

We can see from this verse that, we let or allow the peace and the Word of God to dwell and develop within us. Let's look at this, turn to Colossians 3:1-2:

'If then you were raised with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.  3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.'

First we are instructed to seek things above where Christ is. We do this by setting our minds on the Jesus, and not allowing ourselves to be distracted from doing this. We have a commitment with Jesus. He died for us and as we asked Him to forgive our sin, He did and then came to dwell within us by the Spirit of God. Therefore, we are committed to Jesus and have a duty to walk with Him allowing Him to change us through and through. Then, we can have the confidence to 'Let' our lives be controlled by Jesus. 

The world is full of anxiety and pressure and it is so easy to become caught up in this. This is why Paul said, 'let the peace of God rule in your hearts.'  It's impossible to be stressed out and anxious when the peace of God is upon you. It just doesn't work that way. We see a negative problem coming our way and then, call upon Jesus. By doing this, we let the peace of God rule that very situation. Did you get that? Some may say that's easier said than done but, God's Word is the truth and the Word says let the peace of God rule in your heart. It's a choice we have, but one that far outweighs the other.

Again, Paul says 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom.' When we let this happen, we are tapping into the Truth. We can speak to the situation around us and bring peace all around. But remember, it is all or nothing. We can't have days off being a Christian. It is a lifetime commitment and so, 'whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.' We must live the life - always!

So, there you have it; we must do our part and then, Jesus will do His part. It's a two-way plan of action, one in which is guaranteed to bring us success and victory.

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 2025 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