Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

Monday, 24 November 2025

Running on Empty

"But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint."

Isaiah 40:31 NKJV

Do you feel exhausted, stressed, lacking in spiritual nourishment? If you do, you may be suffering from a self-inflicted concern known as Running on Empty. As a car will no longer run when it gets down to its last few drops of petrol, diesel or an electric charge, the human body works pretty much the same. People who overwork such as, constantly being busy with work problems or church duties having no rest, before too long are going to be in a religious heap; and the reason is, they have failed to refuel.

Just look at some of the symptoms of burnout below:

(1) Spiritual dryness

(2) Overwhelmed by hardships

(3) Life's storms - loss, sickness, financial problems and broken relationships

(4) Lack of trust in God

(5) Distractions - caused by a spiritual disconnection

These are just a few of the symptoms that rob us of the joy and fun of walking with Jesus and, most of these are brought on by ourselves because we fail to draw the line and say 'No' to people's demands on our time.

Our verse today (above) speaks clearly to us. As we rest and then wait on the Lord, He will bless us and we will feel a refilling of the Holy Spirit; and this will come to us as we learn to trust more and more in the Lord. Realise this, not everyone is enabled to 'mount up with wings like eagles,' where God rescues them from these situations. Only those who trust God's perspective on their situation, 'will run and not be weary,' as God provides a second wind in their life. Only those who believe in God's Word and submit to it, can expect this power to walk and not faint.

The bottom line is though, if you don't invest in the Kingdom of God, you won't receive a pay out. In other words, if you put nothing in, you will take nothing out. What am I saying here? If you don't read your bible, live it, trust in it and obey every dot and comma, then you're only giving half of yourself. God wants all of you, not a small percentage - everything you have.

If things at this moment are not going well, do a health check by asking yourself - 'Do I need to tweak a few things in my life so that I am giving Jesus all that I can? You may be doing this but the devil will still attack you and steal what's on offer. The thing is, if you pray and stand on the Word of God, Jesus will give you victory by helping you through the struggle. But if He doesn't, perhaps you need to check your fuel tank and see if the power is getting low.

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.

Sunday, 23 November 2025

Is your lamp trimmed and ready?

"Afterward the other virgins came also, saying, ‘Lord, Lord, open to us!’ 12But he answered and said, ‘Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.’
13“Watch therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour in which the Son of Man is coming". Matthew 25:11-13 NKJV

Here we see ten virgins who were bridesmaids waiting for the groom to arrive at the Wedding Banquet. Five were foolish and five were wise. Lack of preparation was demonstrated by the foolish. They had not enough oil for their lamps, while the wise were well prepared and ready. Because of a delay in the Bridegroom's arrival, the foolish ones began to run out of oil and they begged the other five to let them have some. However, they only had enough for the night and declined. Therefore, the foolish went out to buy some oil; on their return, the groom had arrived and had gone into the banquet. They had missed him. They were locked out and despite them banging on the door, they were not allowed in, all that was said to them was, 'Assuredly, I say to you, I do not know you.' v12.

This describes the great tribulation. The wise virgins were prepared and ready, as we should be, and they benefitted by being allowed entrance. This meant they would be sustained by the Lord until His Kingdom reign begins. The foolish were denied entrance and this will be the case when the time comes. All those who never asked Jesus into their life will have no part in heaven. Are you listening here?

Don't leave it too late to ask Jesus into your life. It will be too late when you die, you need to do this while you are still alive. He has the key to heaven but He will only open the door if you know Him.

Jesus is coming for His people - all those who know Him, so be alert and ready because you never know when Jesus will return - but He is coming, that's for sure. We should live as if today may be the day. The devil has tricked people to believe that there is no God, and there is no heaven, so just enjoy life. This is a lie. I challenge you today, Is your lamp trimmed and ready? If not, say the prayer below and be certain.

Saturday, 22 November 2025

Heart matters

"Keep your heart with all diligence, For out of it spring the issues of life. 24Put away from you a deceitful mouth, And put perverse lips far from you. 25Let your eyes look straight ahead, And your eyelids look right before you. 26Ponder the path of your feet, And let all your ways be established. 27Do not turn to the right or the left; Remove your foot from evil". Proverbs 4:23 - 27. NKJV

It is imperative that we guard our heart because out of it appear good and evil that are stored there. Like the heart is our source of life to our existence, the heart is also the source of our spiritual life because out of it comes all the things we have stored up there. These things reflect on the fruit that we sow.

The spiritual side of our heart contains how we have been speaking, seeing and hearing. For example, if you have been subjected to pornography, you are more likely to have fantasises that are controlling your life. It is the same with homosexuality or adultery. The more you focus on these things, the more likely you are to be involved in this area. You become hooked. So whatever is stored in your heart will determine how you speak, what you look at and where your feet take you.

Can you see how important it is to guard our heart. From the physical point of view? If we don’t look after ourselves, we may have heart problems and die. In the same way, if we neglect the spiritual side of the heart, we stand the chance of spiritual death. I’ve mentioned these verses quite regularly these past few months because I feel God is wanting to make His point.

A deceitful mouth, perverse lips and straying eyes should not be a part of a Person of God. Yes, we will make mistakes but, not on a daily basis. Remember Jesus sees our heart; He knows it through and through and knows what is happening. Ensure you make Him pleased, this will lead you nearer to blessing.

Another area that we let ourselves down on is when we are driving. You may think you own the road, but you are wrong, I do! Joking aside, I think we all think this at times and break rules that we would never have done when we were a learner-driver. There are several things that can wind us up when we're on the road: Tail-Gaters for one thing can wind you up and the drivers who give a rude gesture as they pass and let's not forget the slow drivers. Everyone has their own style of driving and shouting your mouth off at other driver gets us nowhere, except possibly, a smack in the mouth. When we shout at these people, there is usually some perverse words which are backed up by our own finger gestures. As funny as it is reading about it, this should not be. Jesus is not amused. I'll say it again, He is not amused. And if the person in the car you're shouting at is the visiting preacher to your church that day, how will you feel when he recognises you?

And this is the point I'm making in this commentary today. Be in control of your mouth, your moods, and how you present yourself. Get your heart matters right and be the blessing that God knows you can be.

Friday, 21 November 2025

A Listener and Pay Attention-er

"My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. 21Do not let them depart from your eyes; Keep them in the midst of your heart; 22For they are life to those who find them, "And health to all their flesh". Proverbs 4:20-22. NKJV

Do you listen to what's being said, or do you drift off? Do you pay attention to those around you who are trying to minister to you? These are very important aspects that we need to cultivate within our life. Throughout this Proverb, Solomon has been trying to get the message home about paying attention and this is the reason why.

Wisdom's words are life-giving. God's Word is life-giving and the words Jesus speaks to us are life-giving too. They are full of wisdom - something we need very much. Why? Because, wisdom is at war with our inherited sinful nature. So there is a life-giving need to cultivate a heart that loves and thrives on wisdom.

As we pay attention to God's Word, we should hear Him speaking to us. Ask yourself, 'What is He saying to me?' There is a need to listen with the third ear. This is not a corny phrase, but a term that counsellors use at times to encourage listening in such a way that they are searching for what is really being said here. People often only give out what they want to say; listening with the third ear helps to get into the person's internal frame of reference (sitting in their shoes).

As we spend special time with Jesus, His word becomes a treasure within our heart. Therefore, be alert and be ready because there may be a word of warning from Him or a word of instruction for the way forward. Remember, Jesus words are life-giving because, they are full of life-saving wisdom.

When we begin to adopt this daily routine, the words Jesus gives us will bring life and good health to our flesh because, they deliver a person from sin and stress that cause illness. No kind of stress is good for us, it brings anxiety, worry, nervous tension and fear. These are not what Jesus wants for us. He wants us to be free (John 8:36). Are you?

Life is stressful and full of fast living - fast foods, fast driving and fast talking and thinking. This may be the environment that you live in but, this doesn't mean you have to accept it. Jesus tell us not to worry about our lives (Matthew 6) and as we have seen, we are free. So act this way. Get locked into the Word daily. Read it, listen to it and live it and cultivate that life style that says, 'I'm a listener and a Pay Attention-er.’

Thursday, 20 November 2025

New Life

"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".

Colossians 3:1-3. NKJV

As Christians, we know that we have died with Christ. We died, were buried and risen with Christ, which our water baptism declares. Notice the little word 'If' in verse 1. Paul is challenging his readers to consider their position, it is all right saying it but, do we live it. Have we been raised to a new life in Christ? If your answer is 'Yes,' then we are to set our minds on things above not, anywhere else.

It really means, goodbye to our former life. We have been raised to new life so, we should be setting our sights on things that are above, not here on earth. We still live on the earth, that is fact but, we can cultivate heavenly ways. We need to refrain from viewing things with the natural eye and concentrate on how Jesus sees things as citizens of heaven here on earth.

Bad habits are a big hindrance, we need to deal with these things straightaway. They originate from our mind, this is why we need to set out minds on things above, and the main point here is Jesus Christ. Our thoughts condemn us therefore, we need to renew our minds Romans 12:2. This is not easy. We need to pry open these habits and loose them from our mind. This takes some time and dedication; in fact you may have had these bad habits for years so they have taken root and will not be terminated easily.

However hard it may seem to quench these habits and desires, with Jesus' help we can gain the victory and the first part is to: "Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth. 3For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God" v2-3. As we do this, with patience and endurance we will attain a heavenly mindset. We will be thinking heavenly things, therefore, we will have a Kingdom mentality.

It is all right writing about this and discussing it, but doing it is the hard bit. Anyone who has beat a bad habit such as smoking and drinking too much alcohol, will tell you that it is an uphill struggle. However, if you want the prize then there is a need to grab hold of this by the throat until you gain the victory - and you will as long as you set you mind on things above, not on earthly things where these habits were first born.

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

You can’t bribe your way into the limelight

“A man’s gift makes room for him, And brings him before great men”

Proverbs 18:16. NKJV

Not everyone can be a leader. Not everyone will rise to be a top film or pop star. Some people get the breaks others don’t. That’s life. But this doesn’t mean we can’t be happy or enjoy ourselves. Take for instance an office worker. This person is very good at their job. However, if someone promotes them to Office Manager, this hardworking and very capable worker falls at the starting post. Why? They are just not cut out for this responsible position. It is called The Peter Principle. It’s not that this person is uneducated - not at all. They are not managerial minded at the moment. Probably further down the line they will be, but not now.

Solomon wrote this Proverb to let people know that it was wrong to bribe people in order to get into prime positions. Many have done this over the years. A lot of people such as this, endeavour to find favour with their boss or leader so that they may be in with a chance of promotion, a pay rise or whatever else. They should remember that this will not please God and it may well backfire on them as well.

Let’s look at it from the spiritual and the secular angle. If a person truly has a certain amount of talent or gifting, they may well be useful in business. If someone is a good salesperson, a boss will not waste their talent in another area. He will want them out selling. Their gifting will be obvious. It is similar in the church side of things. God will make them known to a leader - hence ‘A man’s gift makes room for him, and brings him before great men.’ They will not have to sell themselves or use bribes, it will be evident to all.

So, you may have some talent that is useful to God or others. Give it to God. If it is His will for this to be used, He will open doors. If not, then nothing significant will happen. This is ok, He may use you further down the line. Until then just chill and do what is expected of you until things change.

God may have other plans for you, His plans and not yours. Don’t miss this by being concerned about what you think should happen, wait for God. It’s far better that way.

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

You have something to shout about!

"And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses, 14having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 15Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:13-15 NKJV

Your past has gone! It has passed; it's over - finished. All the accusations, the finger-pointing and the sin you were involved in, has been wiped out. Just think about that for moment. Every single thing that you did in your past - and this includes the recent past, such as yesterday, if you have confessed it, it has been wiped out and Jesus chooses not to remember any of it, ever again. Now that is something to shout about.

It is just like Jesus has this immense white board with every bad thing about you written on it. When you asked Him into your life, He wiped the board clean. It is the same when you sin now, as soon as you say sorry, it is wiped away. This is something that you must believe because the devil will taunt you with things such as, 'There is no way sinner, that this Jesus fella is going to forgive you now. This time you have gone too far. You asked Him to forgive you for this yesterday, and now here you are having done it again and expecting forgiveness again. No way sinner.'

When this happens, just remind him that 'Jesus declared that I was not guilty and wiped my sins away by His death on the cross. He also made a spectacle of you as well; so, get out of my way Satan, in the name of Jesus'.

When you do this, he has to leave you but, be careful because he will come back when you least expect him to. But just focus on the fact that Jesus conquered evil power and made a public spectacle out of them, triumphing that day. He disarmed the enemy.

So let's fast forward to now. We know for a fact that Jesus deleted all our sin and cancelled our debt and we can declare that we are not guilty. But tread carefully because the enemy will still try and paint a bad picture of you; he will still try to lead you to do things that you know that you shouldn't. He'll lie about you and spread gossip and untruths to all who will listen - and quite a few will want to as well. He himself is a gossip and he is also a tell-tale. Everything you do say or go to, he will blurt out to Jesus when he sees Him again. But if you have resisted the devil, as you know you should do, Jesus will tell him, 'I see no stain upon my child. Goodbye Satan, this meeting is over.'

Do you fully realise that Jesus is on your side? He watches your every move and waits for you to ask Him for direction and advice. But how often do you remember to do this? Not often I would think. Therefore, change this and determine that you will not do things without asking Him to show you the way. You have the victory but only for as long as you walk with Jesus each day.

Learn to realise that you have something to shout about.

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

Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

Monday, 24 November 2025

Running on Empty

Sunday, 23 November 2025

Is your lamp trimmed and ready?

Saturday, 22 November 2025

Heart matters

Friday, 21 November 2025

A Listener and Pay Attention-er

Thursday, 20 November 2025

New Life

Wednesday, 19 November 2025

You can’t bribe your way into the limelight

Tuesday, 18 November 2025

You have something to shout about!

Have you been sowing in tears?

Daily life with Jesus by Grahame Howard

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