Threatened and Intimidated

"Now it was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. 45Then the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.  46And when Jesus had cried out with a loud voice, He said, “Father, ‘into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ ” Having said this, He breathed His last."     Luke 23:44-46.  NKJV

Jesus had to go through tremendous suffering in order to fulfil His mission. It is hard to imagine the pain that He suffered some 2000 years ago. He was beaten and bruised and His beard was

pulled out. Anyone who has ever pulled just one hair out of their body, know the pain that it can cause. Here Jesus had clumps of hair pulled away. He was mocked and intimidated with a crown of long thorns forced onto His head. To add to this, nails, probably about nine inches long were forced into his hand and feet so that He would remain on the cross when it was lifted up. When it was raised, the force of it slipping into the hole may have jolted His bones and the wounds He had endured. But through all of this torment, He never retaliated or even spoke to the soldiers. Imagine that, all that pain and no retaliation to His enemies. I don't know if I could ever do that, what about you?

No He didn't retaliate. Instead, He asked His Father to forgive them for what they were doing. Wow! Now that is amazing, all that pain and suffering and He asked God to forgive them. He even forgave one of the criminals who was to be crucified along with Him, and assured him that he would be with Jesus in paradise that day (v43). And then He spoke to His Father in heaven 'Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit' (v46). He then died alone on that cross and He did it for you and I and for everyone who would believe in Him, accepting Him as their Lord and Saviour.

His believers were devastated and openly wept, not knowing what to do or where to go. They had been with Him for three years and now He was no longer. They soon realised what life is without Jesus in it. His companionship, His love, guidance and friendliness all gone. They were grieving like we do when a treasured love one dies. It's painful as you may know. The thing is, when we are hurting like this, it is difficult to focus on facts, we are so numb that we can't think straight. But Jesus had told them He would return, He had given them hope. But perhaps they hadn't really believed Him or had forgotten about this, who knows. But Jesus was true to His Word; that it would happen. There was a hope.

And because of Jesus, there is hope for you and I. He is true to His Word. He will never leave us. What He has said, will come about. There will be a Sunday in your life!

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

False Accusations and Betrayal

"And while He was still speaking, behold, a multitude; and he who was called Judas, one of the twelve, went before them and drew near to Jesus to kiss Him. 48But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?"   Luke 22:47-48.  NKJV

Can you see the danger of false accusations? In gossip mode, we can easily destroy the reputation of someone by using judgemental words against them. Gossip is always seen as the truth. Satan makes sure of that. So we as Christians, should do all in our power to avoid it, even to the degree of challenging someone who is gossiping and spreading this around. Even if it is true, we have no right to Judge.

Judas fell to the depth of betraying Jesus; one probably can't get any lower than this. He had been in the elite - a disciple. He had talked with Jesus, ate with Him and listened to His teaching, yet temptation got the better of him; money became his god and he was bribed.

But the cost was enormous. Of course it was all part of God's plan that Jesus died on the cross to set us all free from our sin, but, even though His disciples had heard Him speak of His coming death, they could not comprehend it. So when Jesus was arrested, Peter was devastated and blamed himself for this by denying Him. The others deserted Him. He would now be all alone to contend with His destiny.

As children of God, we all know about what Jesus went through for us but, there are some lessons to learn from it, and probably the biggest is our soul - Mind, Will and Emotions. We see or hear about something and if we are not careful our mind convinces us it's the truth. We then believe it and as we do this, we realise that there is a tale to tell here and, this is where our will wrestles with 'Should I or shouldn't I speak about it'. From there our emotions can trick us into believing that it needs to be said, 'I have to tell them'. We definitely need to work on this area and train the soul to come in line with the Word of God.

If we know of anything that is serious, such as child abuse or something that is threatening to someone, then we have a duty to pass this on. We cannot sit on this. But there are ways of doing this and it does not include gossiping about it. This is a time to speak with the appropriate authorities. At any other time, we have to be in control of our Mind, Will and Emotions - our soul, and live up to how Jesus wants us to be.

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

   

                               

The Seed of Certainty

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. 

9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts. 10“For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater, 11So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it".  Isaiah 55:8-11   NKJV

God's Word is a seed and when He plants it, it is certain to come about. He plants the seed and just like the rain and snow are never wasted but accomplish His purposes, so His Word never fails. Let us remember that in the beginning He said to a dark and isolated world, 'Let there be light, and there was light.' Gen 1:3. The Word of God stands forever. We never know how God will use even a casual word of witness to plant and water the seed in someone's heart. We may say something to an unbeliever and as it is received into His or Her heart, it explodes with life - the seed erupts and the person miraculously is saved. So therefore, don't waste your words and don't think that what you do say is wasted, because it isn't.

Notice the word 'For' in verse 8 of our text. God is saying that His thoughts are way above ours. What we struggle with thinking it is not possible, it is a breeze with God because, He speaks from a faith-filled standpoint and what He says is certain to come about. We often think that we know best but when we do, we are fooling ourselves because we could never reach His height. But, when we allow Him to reign within our hearts and only say and do what He wants, we become full of life-giving seed.

When we pray with someone for healing or for another reason, we expect instant results and so we should. This is because, when we are praying the way God wants us to - in the spirit, even though there appears to be no evidence of answered prayer, in the heavenlies there is and it will happen very soon (2 Cor 4:18). We shouldn't be walking in the temporary but in the Spirit - the eternal. When we are, we will be certain about the end result.

Therefore, let us take a closer step to God and see things through the spiritual instead of in the natural. When we do, we will begin to be certain about the seeds that we sow.

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Watch that Thief!

"The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly".    John 10:10. NKJV

You feel pretty good about yesterday, in fact, you're proud of yourself because you came through that difficult time without letting yourself down. Today, you feel flat and have no energy. You assess what happened yesterday and, even though it was a positive victory, you now feel guilty, feeling that it was all your fault. What has happened? Where is that wonderful feeling of victory gone? Satan has stolen it.

Make no mistake, the devil watches you, what you say; how you handle things, always ready to accuse you. What you did yesterday was brilliant and you achieved a 'Well done my faithful friend', from Jesus. But you must keep your eyes on the ball because it has a habit of rolling away. Satan doesn't like it or you, one bit because you received a pat on the back from Jesus. He is jealous and angry that you outsmarted him by doing what you did. He expected you to walk by on the other side and leave the person to sort their own life out. But because you are a child of God, you stopped to help and now you are Satan's target.

When you are in victory and filled with the joy of the Lord, watch out because the devil is about. He will do all he can to ruin your relationship with God and with people - you friends, your family and your reputation. He will find things to accuse you and if he can't, he will make them up because he is a liar. Why do you think Peter wrote in 1 Peter 5:8-9:

'Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. 9  Resist him....'  

Be alert and aware of this fact. You may feel pretty good about yourself, and that is fine. However, leave a little space to being on guard. You're a soldier and you will be shot at. Be the first to shoot by speaking the Word of God when he attacks you. Quote scripture; speak in tongues and even praise God. Don't let the devil steal your joy or your victory.

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Compare the size of your problem to the size of God

"Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You. 4 In God (I will praise His word), In God I have put my trust; I will not fear. What can flesh do to me?"   Psalm 56:3-4   NKJV. 

David was a mighty man of God. He had killed lions and possibly the odd bear. He had slain that massive figure of a man - Goliath, when everyone else had ran away and yet, he became fearful on many occasions. In the midst of his fears, David uttered a prayer that all of God's children would do well to remember. 'Whenever I am afraid, I will trust in You....What can flesh do to me?' He compared the size of his enemies to the size of his trustworthy God. Adopting such a perspective will transform how you face negative circumstances.

That is it in a nutshell. David says, 'What can flesh to do me?' In other words, if you believe that God is your Redeemer; that He is your friend, your Saviour and your King, then nothing will be able to stop Him from rescuing you. But you must put Him in the driving seat, you must allow Him to drive the car and take you somewhere you don't particularly want to go. You must trust Him.

Because of the state of the world at this time, prices of almost everything is going up at a much faster rate than our income is. Some are fretting because they don't know how they will get through this time. But really, men and women of God should not let this fear take them over. God is in charge and this means He will help you pay that gas and electricity bill. He will give you the wherewithal to tackle the mortgage, the rent, water and whatever bill comes your way. How? 

By comparing the size of your problem to the size of your trustworthy God.

We are not into Fairy Tales, we are into the Bible - The Word of God and we should remember that, Jesus can fix it, He can do whatever it takes to make sure that you - His children, are taken care of. Fairy tales tell us that we don't really have to do a thing, the prince, the king or whoever will take care of it all and we will live happy ever after. The Word of God is similar but, with a subtle difference, we have to be ready to allow God to get us into place so that He can use us to bring forth victory. He does His bit, we do ours and the most important thing is that, we place Him in charge of our lives, we obey what He tells us and we trust Him totally, without fear.

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Ask, Seek and Find

7“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.             Matthew 7:7-8.  NKJV

The biblical principle of "Ask, Seek, and Knock" (Matthew 7:7-8) encourages believers to persistently seek God's presence and blessings. It implies a progression: asking for something, seeking for deeper understanding, and knocking at the door to God's presence. This principle emphasises that God is ready to give good gifts to those who diligently seek him and believe in his promises. 

Tony Evans comments: 'Prayer is an earthly request for heavenly intervention. There are 

three answers to prayer: yes, No or Wait. If you haven't heard yes or no, then you keep 

asking.' 

This would explain why we have to wait for God's answer for some of our prayers. If He 

hasn't indicated either yes or no then keep in there asking away until He does. It's a matter of 

timing. Sometimes we get into a panic because we have lost something and no matter what we 

have done, we can't find what we are looking for. This happened to me the other day. I needed to 

go to the supermarket to get some bread. I grabbed my keys but then, couldn't find my wallet. I 

checked my pockets of my other jackets and my jeans but, nothing. I began to panic as my 

credit cards were in this wallet, together with a wad of notes. Wherever I looked, it was not there.

You know what? I didn't think to pray about it. When I eventually asked Jesus to help me find it,

He reminded me that I had taken the dog for a walk earlier and among the clean poo bags, my 

wallet would be found. And it was. Not thinking, I had emptied the dogs lead and bags into the 

box we keep them in, and if I had asked Jesus straightaway, I would have found them much 

earlier. What a numbskull I thought of myself. I preach it but don't live it.

A lesson learned, always ask God for things, don't rely on yourself because it will lead to nowhere.

Do you see, we are all humans and we all make mistakes, don't ever believe any other way.

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Stop hiding away

14“You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.           Matthew 5:14-15.  NKJV

Stop hiding yourself away! You are special; special to God and special to the person He wants you to speak to. If you hide away, are you not doing what the scripture above is saying? If you know Jesus as your Saviour, you are a light to the world and this light can shine up in the darkness of someone's life, giving them a hope, where at this time there isn't one. 

You may say that you are not capable of being a light to the world, you have no confidence. Join the club. Do you know how many of us shudder at the thought of speaking to someone about Jesus, The difference is, we know that the Holy Spirit will speak to the person through us.

You have a gift from God. You may not know what it is at this time, but you do have at least one. It may be evangelism - in a church setting or on the street. This can be really scary, I know. When I first did street evangelism I nearly died of fear but, once I started, it became easier. You may have a gift of music. But if you won't sing or play your instrument, it means nothing.

Deep down in your heart there is a gift or talent. What is yours? You don't have one? Yes you do, you just have to identify it and use it. It will be scary at first, that is for sure. When my brother in law first preached in his church, he was so fearful that he knocked a large glass of water over on the lectern. He had been waving his arms around in a nervous manner and failed to notice this glass. The results were, his notes were saturated and unreadable; the place was swamped with water and the people on the front row had their second baptism. This can happen when you first step out with your gift, but as you practice, it gets better each time.

The thing is, if you keep hiding your gift away, you will never know. When I first preached a sermon I was terrified, my hands shook so much that I couldn't turn the pages of my bible. Nowadays, it is as easy as breathing, one just gets used to it. Think of it this way, people need to know about Jesus, if they are not told and they die in their sin, they will not go to heaven. What if that was a friend or a family member. How would that make you feel?

There is someone whose heart is breaking through one thing or another. They have no-one in the world who cares about them. They have nothing to look forward to; no hope just a lonely, humdrum life. What would you do if Jesus told you to go and speak with this person? Would you go, or, would you walk away? This is putting a light under a basket if you walk away.

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. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.