What am I fretting about?

"As soon as Jesus heard the word that was spoken, He said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Do not be afraid; only believe.”      Mark 5:36    NKJV

Some people are worrying about the threat of WWIII happening. There are many conflicts between countries at the moment but, the threat of a major war is unthinkable. Many are fretting about this and you may be one of them, after-all, there are our grown up children to consider, they could be called upon to fight. This may well be true but, can you do anything to prevent this? Apart from praying, which is very effective, there is no way you could prevent a war happening, and for many people this can be frightening.

Jesus summed up His feeling that day when the nobleman had asked Him to come to his house to pray for his daughter, who was close to death. Jesus agreed but, as they were leaving a lady who was in a bad state came asking Him to help her, which He did. Because of the time, He told the nobleman not to fear but to believe. He did this and the girl was healed by the time they arrived at his house. This is just one example of being in crisis and not knowing what to do about it.

Jesus is our provider, always has been and always will be, and He will help us with the negatives in our life such as:

(1)  What if I buy this car and it breaks down? It probably won't but if it does, there are people who can fix it. 

(2). What if I leave my job for a better paid one and I can't handle it? It's highly unlikely this happening but if it did, you could always ask for your job back. If this is not possible, Jesus will find you something else. But ask yourself, did you ask God for direction in the first place? Ask yourself, is God in charge or not? If not it may be helpful to put Him there. 

One things for sure, Jesus does not want you fretting about things and, if you do you're in the wrong. You know He has given you peace. Therefore, stand firm and begin to trust Jesus more and more each day.  

 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 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Lesson from Jonah. Part Three

"But it displeased Jonah exceedingly, and he became angry. 2So he prayed to the Lord, and said, “Ah, Lord, was not this what I said when I was still in my country? Therefore I fled previously to Tarshish; for I know that You are a gracious and merciful God, slow to anger and abundant in lovingkindness, One who relents from doing harm.  3Therefore now, O Lord, please take my life from me, for it is better for me to die than to live!”

                                                                             Jonah 4:1-3   NKJV

Our final lesson:

NO 4   HARD HEART - UNFORGIVING - JUDGEMENTAL - WRONG PRIORITIES

Whereas many preachers would have been ecstatic that there had been such a response from their ministry, Jonah was not at all. In fact he was displeased and very angry. Unbelievably, Jonah was angry because God's grace had fallen on 'wicked people.' It doesn't seem to make sense; Jonah must have realised that God, being loving and full of grace, would want these people to repent and give themselves to Him. If Jonah knew this, why go in the first place.

Let me ask you some questions, if people with a bad reputation that you knew or had heard about, came to know Jesus and came to your church, would you become angry or judgemental about them? What would God think about you if you were? Is it right to be acting this way?

When Jonah heard this, he went out to the outskirts of the city and sat down in a grump, waiting to see if God would change His mind about Nineveh, he may have been wanting a Sodom and Gomorrah example, who knows. It was very hot where Jonah sat so, God prepared a plant that would shelter him. This is grace in action, we don't deserve it but, we receive it. Jonah was very pleased. Later on, God prepared a worm that ate the plant, leaving it crumbled. He then sent a strong east wind that brought the sun directly upon Jonah and he wished death on himself. Was God being nasty towards Jonah by doing this? Not at all; He was teaching Jonah a few lessons.

'Is it right for you to angry about the plant?' God asked. Jonah replied that it was right to be angry about the plant, even to death. God went on to talk about Jonah's wrong priorities - he cared more for a plant than a whole city who could have gone to hell. 

God tests us from time to time to assess how we are doing. Jonah was judging the people of the city and felt they should not have become part of God's family. He had no right to do this. Yes, in a way, we can find ourselves doing similar things. Take for instance that person who you do not like, coming to know Jesus. Your feelings could be so bad that God could test you by making it possible that this person comes to live next door to you and may ask you round for a meal. How would you feel about this?

A lesson here is that, we are not God. He does what He chooses and doesn't have to ask us first. If He wants to save a certain person, He will. You may not like this and feel bitter but think for a moment, there may have been someone who didn't want you to be saved and has felt bitter towards you ever since. 

None of us are perfect and yet God loves us. You may not like someone in your church and may try to avoid them. But, they may feel the same way about you. If you both give God the space, He can change this in His own lovely way.

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 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Lessons from Jonah. Part Two

"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the second time, saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and preach to it the message that I tell you.”  3So Jonah arose and went to Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord".    Jonah 3:1-3   NKJV

Look at the difference in Jonah. He had refused the first time to go to Nineveh, but now, he's up and on his way. Was he a changed man? We will see. Let us look at Lesson 3:

NO 3  GOD CAN STILL USE YOU IF YOU REFUSED THE FIRST TIME

This was the case with Jonah. He could be stubborn and rebellious. Now that's encouraging for those who are similar. There may be a price to pay but, God is still willing to use you once you come to your senses. You see, God won't change His mind, you have to do this and like with Jonah, He may give you some help to do so. Once you repent, He will meet you half way and encourage you to go for gold. Jonah did this!

His confession to the LORD changed everything. Jonah went to Nineveh and evangelised them. This one sermon resulted in the greatest revival in human history. This is God's grace, not ours. Not only did it affect all the people, the king too repented in sackcloth and ashes and ordered a decree - a fast that everyone should eat or drink nothing but  give themselves wholeheartedly to God. This was an amazing feat brought about by God using, a stubborn preacher.

Think of one time when you have felt a little like Jonah. You may have been through a tough time because of your rebellion or stubbornness. You've repented and God has still used you to do something wonderful for Him. When it's over, how do you feel. Do you feel so elated that God used you so powerfully or, do you still have hidden thoughts about some people. You try to hide this but God knows all about it. Is it possible to do great things for God and yet hide bad feeling about someone or something? What's your opinion on that?

We'll look at Chapter 4 tomorrow because there is so much in it, it would be a shame to leave things out. 

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 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Lessons from Jonah Part One

"Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2“Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry out against it; for their wickedness has come up before Me.”  3But Jonah arose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa, and found a ship going to Tarshish; so he paid the fare, and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord".    Jonah 1:1-3.  NKJV

There are four lessons that I want to highlight in todays session:

NO 1  BE CAREFUL WHO YOU ASSOCIATE WITH

Jonah was a preacher whom God ordained to go to Nineveh to evangelise the great city there. Unbelievably, Jonah refused and went off and caught a boat to take him to Tarshish. Now usually when God calls someone to mission, they are greatly encouraged and can't wait to get there. Not Jonah, he was having none of it and went his own way. At this point, God could have wiped him off the face of the earth for disobeying Him. But instead, God took it all in His stride and waited. Jonah caught the boat to Tarshish and when they were into the journey, they ran into a major storm. The sailors were petrified they would sink and started throwing things overboard to lighten their weight. However, it didn't work. The captain came to Jonah and asked if his God could save them. He told them He was a Hebrew and that he had refused God's orders. Straightawy the buck stopped with Jonah for his disloyalty. After a discussion, Jonah told them to throw him overboard and the storm would stop. Reluctantly they did and the sea became calm. The lesson here is be careful who you associate with. The captain had taken him aboard on trust and he was now paying the price. We can't always be sure about new people in our lives. we should welcome them but until they are tried and tested, we should wait on God to give us the go ahead or be careful sign. 

NO 2  HE'S THE ONLY ONE WHO CAN SAVE YOU

As Jonah entered the water, God had prepared a great fish to swallow Jonah and as he struggled in the deep, the fish swallowed him up and he spent 3 days and 3 nights in the fish's belly. Now I don't know about you but if this had been me I would have begun shouting to God almost straightaway. Jonah may have done this but, the scripture leads us to accept that he waited three days and nights before he shouted out to God. We do know that Jonah was a hard-headed person and had a strong will and it seems right that he waited to see what would happen initally. There are two areas of thought here, (a) He decided to be stubborn and wait for God to help or (b) He prayed for help straightaway but God allowed him to wait the 3 days and nights before He responded.  Whatever happened, God did answer and the fish vomited Jonah onto dry land. 

In lesson (b) we see that God is the only one who can help us in times of need. We need to be careful with Him though. Jonah appeared to become stubborn with God and almost had the feeling that, ''You put me here God, so it's down to you to get me out.' This is a dangerous thing to do, God will not be mocked or be treated with dishonour. He is God Almighty and should be treated as such.

We'll look at Lesson (c) and (d) tomorrow.

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 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Why do I keep sinning when I want to do good

"For what I am doing, I do not understand. For what I will to do, that I do not practice; but what I hate, that I do."                      Romans 7:15   NKJV

Paul talks about his constant struggle with sin and indicates that the power of indwelling sin, even for believers, is so strong that it can take what is good and twist it to become sinful beyond measure (7:13). And it is true, sin keeps us locked in a struggle.

Paul had the same struggles with sin that we do. We've all said at times, 'Why am I doing this?" "What's wrong with me?" The reason is, it's because we are in a war, a battle between good and evil - spiritual versus humanity. Like us, Paul knew that he was doing wrong, he simply couldn't stop doing it or break free. 

The closer our walk with Jesus is, the more sensitive to sin we become v18. Paul says that nothing good lives in him and we can echo this statement. Our old nature died when we were crucified with Christ. Sadly though, our flesh wasn't. Our sinful nature was put to death but our flesh overcome this and still rules within.

Saying that, I must reiterate that if you have Jesus in your heart, you are born again and are totally redeemed. The bad bit is that you live in a contaminated, fleshy body. So when you sin, you are no longer the one doing it; it is the sin living within you v20. Paul is not excusing our sin though, you need to realise this; he is reminding you that your true identity is no longer found in your actions, even if you keep on sinning.

Paul brings us a word of praise and encouragement in verse 24, 'O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?  25I thank God—through Jesus Christ our Lord!' It seems like Paul and ourselves have been struggling in quicksand, the more we move, the deeper we become trapped. Paul lifts his eyes to heaven and quotes this verse confirming that, we cannot do a thing on our own but, when we come to Jesus, we can be made free to overcome these hurdles. The only excuse that we can make is not choosing to ask Him for help in the first place. 

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 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Losers talk, Winners take action

"But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ".

                                                                                 1 Corinthians 15:7   NIV

Just look again at the title of our study today. 'Losers talk, Winners take action" In other words 'You are a Winner' Jesus Christ has given you the victory and will keep on doing so as long as you do things in Him and for Him. Many can sit around and talk about things - what they'll do and what should be done. Winners say it and do it. They get on with what needs doing. The losers will still be talking about it when the winners have won the battle. Look at the formula:

CONQUEST  This is something acquired by conquering, especially territory

VICTORY       Final and complete defeat of the enemy in a military engagement. 

TRIUMPH.     To be victorious or successful, win or prevail. 

And if you know Jesus, you are a winner. Through Jesus, He has signed our acquittal papers, we are not guilty. The enemy can no longer have dominion over us (Colossians 2:14-15). Jesus has given us the victory and whatever we do for Him we will have the victory too.

Therefore, Jesus wants us to stand firm, letting nothing move us or stop us. He wants us to give our everything for Him as He did for us, abounding in the work we are given to do. 

In fact, we are recognised by God as More than Conquerors (Romans 8:37. We are the people who never say, 'I can't' No, we say, 'I can, through Jesus.' We are winners so declare that, say, 'I am a Winner'. Don't ever be tempted to say, 'I think I can.' Turn it round and say, 'I can.' You don't think in this situation, you know. Jesus can do anything and when you are walking in His strength, you are a warrior for God.

Look at David's confession in 1 Samuel 17:45: 

'Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword, with a spear, and with a javelin. But I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.' Let me remind you that you have the same spirit within you as David did. David relied on the Word. He shifted the battle into the winner’s realm. You can do the same because you are a winner and you have the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

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 2026 Grahame Howard. 

Don't be covetous, Be grateful for what you have!

“I will never leave you nor forsake you.”        Hebrews 13:5    NKJV

You know, sometimes we are never satisfied; we see what others have got and we want it or something better. Many of us may feel this way but, we have control over our desires. Others don't have, and they spend their life wanting a better house or car or perhaps that dream job; in fact never satisfied. It's not that having money is bad or having a large salary. It is the love of this money and the status symbol it can give us that can lead to greed and other people to covetousness. God wants us to be grateful and satisfied with what we have and free from wanting what others have, that we perceive as better. 

In verse 5, the author writes 'Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.' Basically the author is saying, 'Be satisfied with what you have.' He wants us to be grateful for what we have been given. Some have been able to make better choices in life or have had the chance of being highly trained. This is where the class distinction may come in and it is only called that if you believe in it. Be pleased that God has blessed them and then He will bless you too.

Be content, but to do that, you have to trust and believe that Jesus promises to never leave you or forsake you. He is your helper, there is no need to fear; what can man do to you? Jesus is with you and if you spend time with Him, He will turn you into what He intended you to be. Have you realised yet that Jesus has a plan for you that no one else has. He has created you for this purpose. Just because it is taking a long time could be that, you are not ready at this time; He has some more refining to do with you. It may be that the actual time is not here yet. Don't forget that Jesus reminded Mary of the time factor when she told Him that the guests had run out of wine at the wedding in Cana (John 2:4). There are times that are scheduled for us all and God is always on time, never late, never early just bang on the dot. So your time may well not be have arrived yet.

But it will, and when it does there will be no stopping you. But until that time is reached just enjoy what Jesus has given you; it may not be much in comparison to some others but, what you have been given is a royalty status compared to Christians in the poorer countries. But look at their faith, they don't have much but it doesn't stop them from blessing God and others daily.

Enough said, just praise Jesus for what He has given you and what is yet to come.

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 2026 Grahame Howard.