Salvation through the Word

 RESH

"153Consider my affliction and deliver me, For I do not forget Your law. 154Plead my cause and redeem me; Revive me according to Your word.155Salvation is far from the  wicked, For they do not seek Your statutes. 156 Great are Your tender mercies, O Lord; Revive me according to Your judgments. 157Many are my persecutors and my enemies, Yet I do not turn from Your testimonies. 158I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, Because they do not keep Your word. 159Consider how I love Your precepts; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your lovingkindness.160The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever."    Psalm 119:153-160. NKJV

When we are firmly in a relationship with Jesus, He really does watch over us; and He is there to deliver those who cling to Him. The wonderful thing about Jesus is that He is our advocate. When persecution strikes and charges are made against us and our faith, we need a good defence. As long as we are in step with Him, we need never worry because He is there to help.

You see, as Christians, we have salvation - we have been born again. The non-believer knows hardly anything about this type of thing, and what's more, he doesn't want to know. Perhaps within his heart, there is a fear that they will not be in heaven when they die; but the evil one has blinded them and keeps them bound in chains. Ours have fallen off because of Jesus. We know where we're going, the non-believer doesn't - he is trapped and can't break free.

This is where Jesus and ourselves come in. Jesus gives us the ability to get them saved, but the decision is theirs. Jesus is the Truth and this Truth shatters the darkness. Once we were enshrouded by darkness but then, Jesus shattered this and brought you into the Light. There are many who need this Light; are you willing to show them?

'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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

Experience through the Word

QOPH

"145I cry out with my whole heart; Hear me, O Lord! I will keep Your statutes.146I cry out to You; Save me, and I will keep Your testimonies. 147I rise before the dawning of the morning, And cry for help; I hope in Your word.148My eyes are awake through the night watches, That I may meditate on Your word. 149Hear my voice according to Your lovingkindness; O Lord, revive me according to Your justice. 150They draw near who follow after wickedness; They are far from Your law. 151You are near, O Lord, And all Your commandments are truth. 152Concerning Your testimonies, I have known of old that You have founded them forever".       Psalm 119:145-152   NKJV

The cry from the heart is the key to God responding. When we ask Him in prayer, wholeheartedly, He cannot resist this cry and this encourages us to do His will more and more. A good example was when Peter walked on the water and then started to sink because he took his eyes off Jesus. He shouted, 'Lord, save me' (Matthew 14:30), and Jesus lifted him out of the water. Likewise, when we begin to sink because of pressures, we can rely on Him to save us (v146). 

When we have this deep relationship with Jesus - rising from bed early to read His Word and pray and, depending on His direction throughout the day, we can be sure of being in touch with the Holy Spirit. We need this early morning time with Him. As one person once said, 'No Bible - No Breakfast.' We should adopt this motto as it will help us to remember.

It's the same on sleepless nights. Whenever sleep eludes us, we can talk to Jesus, He is always awake. He watches over us 24/7. We need to rejoice in the fact that we have instant access to Him all the time. There is no: 'Your call is important to us, please stay on the line and we will connect you.' God is available all the time and whereas Satan will only give us pain and heartache, with God we have the 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
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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

Zeal for the Word

TSADDE

"137Righteous are You, O Lord, And upright are Your judgments. 138Your testimonies, which You have commanded, Are righteous and very faithful. 139My zeal has consumed me, Because my enemies have forgotten Your words. 140Your word is very pure; Therefore Your servant loves it. 141I am small and despised, Yet I do not forget Your precepts. 142Your righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, And Your law is truth. 143Trouble and anguish have overtaken me, Yet Your commandments are my delights. 144The righteousness of Your testimonies is everlasting; Give me understanding, and I shall live".                                            Psalm 119:137-144   NKJV

The author of this Psalm, knows how righteous God is and therefore, lives that way too. God is upright; the Word is upright and the author does all he can to live the same way. Therefore, it is obvious that we should turn this into a time of praise and worship and be upright ourselves. We know this, but many of us fail to put this into practice. Why is this? Are we too busy? Only we know the answer to these questions. The writer shows his surprise when he realises that people leave God out of their everyday thinking. It causes him to lose his zeal for God (139).

God's Word has been tried and tested and it stands the test of time! Thousands have received God's promises, finding out how true and faithful He is. After all this time, the Bible is still a top seller - a much read book. The devil can't stop this no matter how hard he tries. It is a living Word.

William MacDonald, author of the Believers Bible Commentary, writes this: "God's righteousness is not a passing mood but an everlasting virtue' And this is so true. The writer of this Psalm has had much heartache and troubles in his walk with God, but the Word has kept him stable and allowed him to walk through a dark tunnel of affliction, towards the Light at the end. And so will you if you keep God in sight.

You may be encountering attacks because of your faith. You carry the truth, not darkness - the lie. The devil doesn't want this and he will try and stop you. Don't ever lose your zeal for God; it is your life and one day, you will hear God say, 'Well done My child.

'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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

Joy and Communion through the Word

PE

"129Your testimonies are wonderful; Therefore my soul keeps them. 130The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple. 131I opened my mouth and panted, For I longed for Your commandments. 132Look upon me and be merciful to me,
As Your custom is toward those who love Your name. 133Direct my steps by Your word,
And let no iniquity have dominion over me. 134Redeem me from the oppression of man,
That I may keep Your precepts. 135Make Your face shine upon Your servant, And teach me Your statutes. 136Rivers of water run down from my eyes, Because men do not keep Your law."                                            Psalm 119:129-136   NKJV

When the Holy Spirit is around us, He brings Light. We may not always recognise when He's involved with us because, our minds may be on other things, such as distractions. When we do recognise Him, His entrance brings us Light. People often say, 'Give us some light on the subject', and this is what happens. We may be stuck on something but, when Jesus enters the situation, He gives us Light to understand and know the way ahead v130). 

We need to cultivate a deep thirst for God, as well as a hunger for His Word. We'll only gain this when we become deeply involved with Jesus. Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:2, 'As newborn babes, desire the pure milk of the Word'. You may say that this is for new believers and this is true. However, we, 'Oldies in the Word', need to catch a hold of this from time to time. Don't forget that we're still learning. In fact, we need the Holy Spirit to guide us every single day (133). Proverbs 3:5-6 rubber stamps this too. As we acknowledge Him daily, He will guide our steps (6).

When Bendetti, the author of Stabat Mater, was found weeping one day, he was asked the reason for his tears. He replied, 'I weep because Love goes about unloved). This is a 13th century Christian Hymn to the Virgin Mary, that portrays her suffering as mother during the crucifixion of her Son Jesus Christ.  (Details from William MacDonald's Believers Bible Commentary)

'I weep because Love goes about unloved'  (1 John 4:8) 

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

Separation and Deliverance through the Word

AYIN

"121I have done justice and righteousness; Do not leave me to my oppressors. 122Be surety for Your servant for good; Do not let the proud oppress me. 123My eyes fail from seeking Your salvation And Your righteous word. 124Deal with Your servant according to Your mercy, And teach me Your statutes. 125I am Your servant; Give me understanding,
That I may know Your testimonies. 126It is time for You to act, O Lord, For they have regarded Your law as void. 127Therefore I love Your commandments More than gold, yes, than fine gold! 128Therefore all Your precepts concerning all things I consider to be right; I hate every false way."    Psalms 119:121-128   NKJV

In the first verse of this section, the writer emphasises the fact that he has tried his best to honour God and carry out his service. The writer pens that his righteous life was the fruit of his salvation; and therefore a proper basis to ask the Lord not to abandon him. We cannot make demands of God but, we can remind Him that we are obeying His Word and bearing fruit and because of this, we need help from the attack of our oppressors. The writer goes on to discuss this further in verse 126, where he reiterates this fact and states that because of all this, we can remind God of our obedience and plead with Him to act: 'It is time for You to act, O Lord, For they have regarded Your law as void.' 

Jesus is our surety, the One who stands for another and represents him. He's rather like a good barrister but more so. He pleads our cause through our life and will restrain anyone who tries to harm us. However, there may be a waiting period and things may not go the way we have asked because He likes to see how we will respond and act towards such affliction. There may also be times when we feel like turning away from Him, it happens. If it does, we need to speak to Him urgently.

Remember this, the more we know about Him, the more effective we can be. So, we need His teaching on a regular basis. It is almost like His Word is like pure gold. As we flick through the pages of our bible, imagine that you are turning pages of pure gold, because this is what the Word is - Gold! The more you read it, the more you will recognise 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
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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

The Wicked and the Word

 SAMEK

"113I hate the double-minded, But I love Your law. 114You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in Your word. 115Depart from me, you evildoers, For I will keep the commandments of my God! 116Uphold me according to Your word, that I may live; And do not let me be ashamed of my hope. 117Hold me up, and I shall be safe, And I shall observe Your statutes continually.118You reject all those who stray from Your statutes,
For their deceit is falsehood.119You put away all the wicked of the earth like dross;
Therefore I love Your testimonies. 120My flesh trembles for fear of You, And I am afraid of Your judgments."                          Psalm 119:113-120   NKJV

People who flow in double-mindedness are people who one minute are for God, the next the world is their oyster. They present themselves as YoYo people and people who are half and half. They seem to lack a central focus. James gives a good description of these in his first chapter: v5-8: 'Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But he must ask in faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. 8He is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways' Not a good testimony to have planted upon yourself - 'unstable in all his ways.'

When we are walking close to the Lord, He becomes our hiding place, rather like described in Psalm 91:1-2. He is our hiding place when we are pursued and a shield when are are under attack. Those who place their hope in Him will never be disappointed. The writer also describes the type of person God seeks. That person is the one that doesn't become involved in worldly matters and sinful practices. He or she are in this world but not a part of it; they belong to Jesus. They are willing to maintain contact with sinful people but, to help win them for Jesus. They have a determination not to become overly involved with them and compromise their faith. However, they will not walk by them when they are in need of help. For an example of this check out Jesus' walk. He spoke to many people but, He didn't fall to their practices. There is a difference.

It's not easy being a Christian; where we've come from we don't want to return. However, if we are to win people for Christ, we must be where they are, rather like Jesus when He went to houses of tax collectors and such. People are lost in their sin; Jesus wants them to be saved and this is where we come into play. Do you get what I mean?

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard. 

 

The Word, a Lamp and Light for all occasions

NUN

"105Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path. 106 I have sworn and confirmed That I will keep Your righteous judgments.107 I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word. 108Accept, I pray, the freewill offerings of my mouth, 

O Lord, And teach me Your judgments. 109My life is continually in my hand, Yet I do not forget Your law. 110The wicked have laid a snare for me, Yet I have not strayed from Your precepts. 111Your testimonies I have taken as a heritage forever, For they are the rejoicing of my heart. 112 I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes Forever, to the very end."                                           Psalm 119:105-112   NKJV

The Word guides negatively by forbidding certain behaviour patterns. It also guides positively by showing the right way. 'Your word is a lamp to my feet And a light to my path.' As we serve Jesus, we will have good and bad times (v107). 'I am afflicted very much; Revive me, O Lord, according to Your word.' Spurgeon said 'The service of the Lord does not screen us from trial, but rather secures it for us'  © Charles H Spurgeon The treasury of David v1:244

It is so easy to panic or become hysterical when we forget God's Word and the fact that He is in charge. We need to watch for Satan's booby traps. It is right to say that God is in charge but, take note, He is in charge only, when we place Him in charge. The temptation to do things in our own strength is forever among most human thinking. When we accept God's calling, we are there for that reason - to serve. This means that, He is our master; He has called you and not, the other way around. Therefore, to be sure of your calling make sure that you place Jesus totally in charge of all you do for Him. It is the only way we will receive the victory. God doesn't want, or need, any Lone Ranger's. If He did, He would have given us a black mask. Place Him in charge.

How do people see God? They see Him in you, that is if you are clothed in His righteousness. Unbelievers, know what the world is all about, they've seen and heard it all of their lives. They go to church or speak with a Christian because they desperately need to know the answer to life-problems and events. So, ask yourself, 'What would they see in me if they were to come and speak to me? The truthful answer to this will determine if you need to make some changes in your life as well. Is your lamp burning brightly?

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.

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

Copyright 2025 Grahame Howard.