Your Friend but, also your Sovereign Lord

“Do not come any closer,” the LORD warned. “Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground. 6 I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” When Moses heard this, he covered his face because he was afraid to look at God."               Exodus 3:5   NLT

Not many people have looked at a burning bush that talks to them. Bushes in parts of the world, do catch fire when there is an intense heat from the sun and there is an arid dryness around the place. But, the bush that Moses saw that day, was not burning up and what's more, it was speaking to him. This must have been quite scary, especially when you're in the middle of nowhere and the voice is telling you to take your shoes off. No wonder Moses covered his face.

God is your friend but, He is also your Sovereign Lord. Moses needed to realise that the place he was standing was holy ground. He covered his face because he was frightened by it all and he knew from the brightness of the bush, that he was looking at a vision of God. Taking off his shoes was a sign of reverence, conveying his own unworthiness before God. It is true that God is our friend but He is also God Almighty. To approach Him in a very casual manner shows a lack of respect and sincerity. 

How do you approach God in worship? Some people lie down before Him. Others raise their hands in adoration, others just close their eyes and get carried away by the emotion of it all. Some worship Him, in church, with a mug of coffee in their hand. Worshipping God is essential as He adores us doing this; however, I have a question, do you approach Him casually or do you come as though you were an invited guest before a King? When you consider this question, it may be necessary to adjust your attitude so it is suitable of approaching a Holy God.

When we know that we are standing on Holy Ground, we need to act accordingly. There is a time to be casual towards Jesus and enjoy a coffee while you're speaking to Him. But when you are in an attitude of worship before Him, it is appropriate to recognise that you are standing before a holy God on holy ground and give Him all the honour and sacrifice  He deserves.

For everything there is a season, a time for every activity under heaven.

Ecclesiastes  3:1   NLT

Yes, there are many times to enjoy Jesus and His love. He is a great friend and loves to share His life with us. However, their many times, when we should remember just who He is and give Him the honour and respect that He deserves. 

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.

Mind Games

1There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death.   Romans 8:1-2. NKJV

We know the devil is a liar; he is very skilled in this area. If we are not walking in the Spirit, we can be sidetracked when he says or does something. The thing is, he can be so convincing, but, only when we allow him to be. When Jesus died on the cross for each of us, he took our sins and declared us not guilty. This is fact!. So why do we become entangled with the devil's lies about us being condemned? 

The Word above, clearly tells us that we once were condemned but, when Jesus died on that cross, and we accepted Him as Our Lord, we were set free from any bondage. Paul in Chapter 7 had just finished writing about being condemned and not in control of himself and, he concluded that Jesus Christ had saved him from his body of death (7:24), and he gave thanks to Jesus for this. He also said something important in verse 25, 'So then, with the mind I myself serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin.'

Paul knew that he was involved here with Mind Games. The devil was tricking him and giving him the feeling of condemnation. Have you never had that? You do something and deep down you wished you hadn't. You repent immediately and you are forgiven. But then, your battle begins because the devil will do all he can to convince you that you are guilty - 'God will never forgive you now.' Yes He will!

This is why Paul encourages us all to renew our minds (Romans 12:1-2). One thing you need to take on board and remember it, is, the believer's judgement day is behind them at the cross of Calvary (John 16:11). The unbeliever's judgement day is ahead of them. Don't forget that. When you were saved, your sinful baggage was removed by the blood of Jesus and you are no longer condemned. There will be no judgement day for you, it was already sorted at the cross.

So therefore, we need to use our minds to concentrate on what is really happening around us. Lies and accusations fly around all the time but, your name is not on them but Satan will try to convince you that it is. Take control of it: '3For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh.  4For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds,  5casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ,  6and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. 2 Cor 10:3-6

Note verse 6 'bringing every thought into captivity'. This is Mind Renewal and it helps you to make a spiritual assessment of what is being said or happening around you. 

Just realise, when the devil comes along and breathes a lie into your mind, cast it out in Jesus' name, refusing to dwell on it any longer, or you might just believe 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 Check it out. Just tap on Grahame Howard books.

Nothing stops Jesus

62On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate, 63saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’  64Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.”  66So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.

Much had been said about Jesus rising to life again after the crucifixion. Therefore, The chief priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate about this. They were worried that His disciples would steal His body and broadcast the fact that, He had in fact, risen. Therefore, Pilate agreed to a guard being placed outside the tomb. 

Obviously, this didn't work and Jesus rose on the third day. An angel of the Lord came down from heaven and rolled the stone away. There was then an earthquake, one in which petrified the guards and they became like stone, totally unaware of what happened. Jesus had risen as He said He would. Nothing stops Jesus.

Now, some theologists are uncertain of whether the guards were Roman or from the Temple guard. If they were Roman, the soldiers would certainly have been punished, possibly by execution. But Matthew states that the guards went into the city and reported what had happened to the chief priests and they were bribed, for a large sum of money, to say that Jesus' disciples came at night, while they slept, and took the body away. Therefore, it is possible that they were from the Temple guard. Also, it is possible that Pilate would not have wanted to be answerable to His superiors if the guards were from his command. Food for thought!

Whatever; this goes to prove once again, that nothing stops Jesus. So, if you have a problem, do you really think that He can't handle this for you? Of course He can. He had risen from the dead and made a mockery of the guards and the schemings of the chief priests, so mere every day things are nothing to Him. But why do we have to wait for Him to act? Don't forget, the Father couldn't bear to look at His Son suffering and dying in agony. He didn't rescue Him and Jesus Himself didn't try to escape either even though at the click of a finger, He could have done. No, there was a waiting period. Things had to be in place for Jesus to bring victory and freedom to us all. He had to go through it all, so that we would be free.

Therefore, when you are going through problems and God doesn't answer your prayers, don't let yourself begin to imagine that He doesn't care for you. It's just not the right time or, there may be something you have to do first. This could be unconfessed sin or Jesus getting things into place for your own victory to come.

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.

Does God have something for you?

9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”   Joshua 1:9.  NKJV

This is the Word of God to some of you reading this today. Of course, God's Word is for everyone but many times He singles out people who He has been speaking to for some time and they have still not listened or taken note of what He has said. 

It is true that God wants all of us to be strong and of good courage and also, not to be afraid. It goes with His Word. However, today as you are reading this, do you feel a sense of excitement but also of fear? This may be because God may have given you an assignment and you have cast it aside, pretending that it is not for you when, you know it is. 

When God is about to call us out to do something for Him, He doesn't give up asking, no matter how much we try to ignore Him. Look at various people in the bible and you'll see this happening. Take for instance Moses. He came up with every excuse in the book but in the end, He did what God had asked Him to do. Then there was Gideon with more excuses and challenging God to confirm it with a fleece that he put out. And what about, Jonah. He totally rebelled and left town to get away from God - something that is impossible. He caught a ship going miles away in the other direction. God still had His way though. He caused Jonah to be thrown overboard and into the mouth of a whale - not nice. He didn't get out until he praised God, repented and agreed to do what God wanted. He may have messed up towards the end but he still performed what God had wanted, a city was saved.

So, what about you? You know if God has been on your case asking you to do something for Him. I'll say it again YOU KNOW!. So, what has He been saying to you? Sit quietly and write things down - your feelings on the subject and God's answers. It could be anything - big or small but, it is important to God, and He is very interested in what you do about it. It could be something important and then again, it could be God testing you to see if you would obey Him. 

No one can do this for you; it's you and God together in conference. This in itself can be scary but, you know that you can trust Him. He won't let you down. Therefore, settle down into His trust and allow Him time to speak with you. Don't miss out on such a privilege of God asking you to do something for Him. It is a total blessing.

Lock the doors, turn the TV off and refuse to answer the 'phone. This is God's time; so make it special.

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 out for that snake!

"Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”                    Genesis 3:1    NKJV

Snakes are cold-blooded creatures and can usually be found on heaths and woody areas, basking in the sun on summer days. They do this to warm up their bodies. In the UK, there are three types: grass snake, smooth snake and the adder (viper). The adder is the only poisonous one and can be a danger to dogs, children or anyone who either tries to get too close to them, or stumbles on one accidentally.

Now a snake is a crafty animal that has four characteristics:

(1)  A deadly tongue

(2)  Crawls into situations

(3)  Lies in wait

(4)  Strikes and bites

This can be seen in the first few verses of Genesis 3:

Deadly tongue  Notice how the serpent (Satan) approached Eve with half-truth comments. This is something he will always do. He tricked Eve, He tried to trick Jesus in the desert and he most definitely tries to hoodwink us on a daily basis. And the sad thing about it is, we nearly always fall to his lies. So therefore we need to wise-up.

Crawls into situations  There was no mention of there being a snake in the garden until, he crawled up to Eve. This because he is also sly and sneaky:

'In fact, did he crawl or did he have legs. This has been a much discussed subject over the years In Genesis 3:14, God curses the serpent, stating it will crawl on its belly and eat dust. Some interpret this to mean the serpent originally walked on four legs and the curse caused it to become legless. Evidence suggests snakes did have legs in the past, according to a HowStuffWorks article.  many Christians believe they did. Apparently, there is a lot of proof that they did' 

I'm not suggesting that this is fact, but it would certainly explain God's rebuke to the serpent in v14-15:

'Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.15And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.'

Lies in wait  Just the fact that the serpent approached Eve shows that Satan lies in wait to attempt to tempt us. He is not with us all the time, but he is never very far away from us. All the more why we should be on guard at all times - ready. 

Strikes and bites  If we allow him to get too close, he may be successful in leading us into sin. We know when it is Satan talking to us because, there is only half-truths to his word, whereas God is always full of truth. This is why we need to be alert. Eve wasn't and fell for the lie, but let's face it, so did Adam because he should have put a stop to it straightaway.

Just make sure that you keep your eyes and ears open because you never know when that snake is going to strike and bite.

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.

Dabblers and Divers

"When He had stopped speaking, He said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep and let down your nets for a catch.”    Luke 5:4.  NKJV

Today, let us look at diving into the deep - such as water. When Peter was having problems getting a catch from his boat, Jesus said told him to launch out into the deep. Why was this? Mainly because the choice fish - the ones that would profit Peter, swam further out into the deep water.

Look at the bird world for instance. Ducks fit into two categories, dabblers and divers. The dabblers can be observed mostly with their heads under the water and their rear end on show for all to see. Mallards for example fit into this category. They mostly stick to the water's edge where they can easily negotiate their bodies to find tasty morsels just under the water. Some church visitors, especially recent converts can be a little like this. They stand or sit on the edge of the church, in the background and rarely show their faces probably because they are nervous to do this among the throng of other church members.

Now the divers - for instance, Hooded Mergansers, abandon all to explore the deeper waters. Other birds such as the Kingfisher and various sea birds like Cormorants and Gannets, to mention a few, also adopt this behaviour. Once under the water, they discover an assortment of fish and other goodies to satisfy their hunger. What can't be found by sticking to the edge, can always be found by going deeper. Do you get the idea?

When it comes to the Christian life, dabbling might be just enough to keep you alive until the next church service. But how much richer, how much more rewarding it is to dive to the depths of sanctification and sacrifice. There is so much we can do when it comes to getting to know Jesus much more. Bible reading, from a version that you understand better - a study bible is very helpful. Then there are Christian teaching books by well known and grounded teachers of the Word. Private study groups and much more.

Think about Peter that day. They had been struggling all night to get a significant catch, but nothing. However at Jesus' request he said 'Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net.”  6And when they had done this, they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking.  7So they signaled to their partners in the other boat to come and help them. And they came and filled both the boats, so that they began to sink.'  Luke 5:5-7. Notice the difference in going deeper?

If you’ve been dabbling on the edges in your commitment to serve Christ and to serve in your local church, row out to the middle, step out of the boat, and dive in. I assure you, the water’s great! That’s the difference between dabblers and divers!

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.

Fight the good fight of faith

12Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses

                                                                             1 Timothy 6:12    NKJV

As Christians, we have certain standards and this means that we try to live our lives modelling ourselves on Jesus. So, when we strike up a friendship with a neighbour or work colleague, we avoid certain gossip or certain things that they may say, including some jokes which do not give witness to our faith. This can tend to label us as 'Religious' and some people may avoid us like we have the plague.

It takes a special person to  live in this world with a label such as we have been given and, this in itself can be hard going. When Paul mentions to fight. He is not referring to being a fighter such as in a boxing match: 'Therefore I run thus: not with uncertainty. Thus I fight: not as one who beats the air.  27But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.'  1 Corinthians 9:26-27. He is actually describing life as a Christian being difficult to live, it can be a fight at times.

Being committed to Jesus does not mean that we have to isolate ourselves from unbelievers, not at all. If we did that, how would people get saved? What it does mean is that we do not divert from our Christians standards - we can mix with them but not be a part of them or their ideology. Some people have nothing to do socially with an unbeliever, possibly because they don't want to be sucked into their beliefs. This is wrong in my opinion; we can still be friends with them without being tainted with the same brush.

Let us not forget that we are lights in this world (Matthew 5:14-15), we shine up the darkness all around. However, we don't put a basket over the light when we are with non Christians friends; in fact we can be just as we are when we are with Christian friends. The last thing we want to portray is being called a 'Holy Joe'. Jesus went where unbelievers were present and so should we

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.