Restored to serve

"After breakfast Jesus asked Simon Peter, 'Simon son of John, do you love Me more than these?'                                                     John 21:15   NLT 

Remember, Peter had denied Jesus three times - totally denied Him to save himself. Now was the time for Jesus to forgive him and restore him and give him his final ministry, from fisherman to evangelist. 

Note what Jesus asked him in v15, 'do you love Me more than these.' Jesus wasn't asking Peter if he loved Jesus more than he loved the other disciples. He was asking him if he loved Jesus more than they loved Jesus. Watch this. Jesus used the Greek word for love Agape, which is a self-sacrificial love. Peter answered with the Greek word phileo which signifies affection or brotherly love. Jesus was asking Peter if he was still the most committed disciple because he had professed a more superior love for Jesus in Matthew 26:33-35. Was he still in competition with the others? But Peter answered with phileo love, the love between good friends, and Jesus told him to feed His lambs.

Jesus again asked Peter, 'Do you love Me? (Agape love). Peter told him, 'Yes Lord, You know I love You' (phileo love). Jesus answered, 'Then take care of My sheep.' (Agape love). On the third question, Jesus used phileo love, 'Simon - do you love Me? This hurt Peter, but Jesus wanted to be sure if Peter had learned his lesson. Peter had to face his own true feelings and motives when Jesus confronted him - whether he fully understood where he had gone wrong the first time. And Peter was humbled by it all, he had lost his superior, arrogant and argumentative attitude, the one that signified to the others that, 'I'm better than you.' He realised that he had nothing to prove; this was not a game where the players are in competition with each other. Jesus had called them all to be equal.

With this over, Jesus was able to restore Peter because, Jesus could see that he didn't think of himself more highly than the others and Jesus was now able to use him efficiently.

Don't ever think yourself better than anyone else. You are who God made you to be, that is all. You are not a copy of anyone either, you are unique, and the gift God has given you is yours and fits you well. We are not in a battle with team members, we are united together and called to work this way.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The Armour Part 2

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

                                                                            Ephesians 6:10-11   NKJV

Today, let us continue our study of The Armour of God:

FAITH

This Shield is the weapon that protects our faith. The devil fires darts at us in the form of, insults, condemnation, setbacks and temptations. The Roman soldier’s shield was covered in leather and could be soaked in water. This would extinguish the flaming arrows that were fired at him. Our faith in God and His promises extinguishes the lies and hurtful attacks from Satan. These arrows come at us like scud missiles. Bob Gass coined the acronym for SCUD as SATAN CONTINUOUSLY USES DISTRACTIONS.

SALAVATION

The weapon for this is the helmet. The head is the most vulnerable part in battle and so Satan will keep trying to put doubt in our minds. The helmet of salvation protects our mind from doubting God's salvation work within us. Doubt is a big element if we allow it. It's the opposite of faith so, what we believe by faith in God, Satan counteracts by giving us doubt. When we doubt, faith doesn't work.

WORD OF GOD

This is the sword of the Spirit. When Jesus was tempted by the devil in the desert (Matthew 4:1-11), He used the Sword of the Spirit - the Word of God. He spoke to Satan with authority and in the end, the devil had to leave. he was no match for the Sword. We too, need to learn to quote scripture whenever we are in any type of attack. It is not the time to sit down and panic but, to stand in the mighty power of God, with the sword and speak to the spirits of darkness. 

PRAYER

Jerry Vine, author of the Vine's Expository Bible writes: 'The greatest of Christian warriors is measured not by scars on his back, but by bruises on his knees. The best warrior is a kneeling warrior.' Prayer is an indispensable weapon in spiritual warfare, we cannot be victorious without it and yet, it is one of the most neglected weapons in our armour. 

Remember one thing, the battle we fight on a daily basis has already been won, this is why we are called, 'more than conquerors' (Romans 8:37). We just have to grasp hold of that fact. As you put on your armour daily, you are a victorious warrior. Don't you forget that!

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The Armour Part 1

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.  

                                                                            Ephesians 6:10-11   NKJV

 The devil schemes against us and it can be quite stressful to fend off his efforts at times. This is when we need to be immune to his scheming and attack. Because the devil is like a type of histamine - blocking our senses and throwing us out of sync, We need to use the anti-histamine of spiritual power - the Armour of God. This armour contains six weapons and a star-studded one, prayer. Let's look at three of these today:

TRUTH

This is the belt that holds the sword and breastplate in place. Let's be honest, the devil does not speak the truth, he comes close sometimes to trick us. But his whole intention is spreading lies that we often fall prey to and believe. Truth serves as the central point of the battle at hand. If we lose the truth, we lose the battle. Things come into our minds and before checking the validity of them, we take them on board, believing the lies are true. The is where we go wrong. Live in truth, believe the truth and refuse to accept anything until you have checked it over with Jesus.

RIGHTEOUSNESS

This weapon is the breastplate or body armour and, because the devil attacks our hearts, our emotions, self-worth and trust, righteousness protects the spiritual life of the Christian. If the devil can make us feel unworthy, useless and so full of sin that God will never forgive us, he will do. He will attack our emotions. Don't forget that our soul is made up of our mind, will and emotions so, if Satan can knock these out of sync, you can bet he will do, and then he is on route to victory. Don't let him get that far.

PEACE

This weapon is the shoes. Roman soldiers wore armoured sandals that gave them great traction in moving around in battle. There was a peace about it, and this peace was transferred onto us and can give us the motivation to continue to proclaim the true peace that only God can offer to all who will accept it. The devil will do all he can to ensure that you lose your peace, whether it be through an argument with someone, or a lie that you have received and are struggling with. Be careful of it.

Think about these first three pieces of the armour. Truth must be an uppermost priority in your life. If you don't walk in the truth, no one will accept you. Then of course, watch your heart and emotions. Malicious statements and gossip can render you incapable of carrying the flag of Jesus Christ. And finally, keep your peace in every situation, keep it,  live in it and promote it.

We'll look at the  other weapons tomorrow. Until then, practice what we've discussed.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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The Word of the Lord remains forever

"For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal living Word of God. 24 As the scriptures say, people are like grass; their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. 25 But the Word of the Lord remains forever."    

                                        1 Peter 1:23-25   NLT

Looking around my garden the other day, I was pleased to see roses in full bloom, whites, pinks and reds. However, following a long, sharp downpour, the roses were just petals on the patio; no flower remained. 

Nothing is really permanent in this life, except God and His Word. The rest is here today and, gone tomorrow. And this is the same with life. People live their lives and then, it's over in a short time. But Jesus offers all who believe in Him, eternal life and that is something to praise Him for.

Only God's Word, will and work are permanent. We need to stop grabbing the temporary and begin focusing all we have, life, money and energy on the permanent, which is the eternal life Jesus gives us. No matter how rich we are or fine mansion and fast car we possess, they are only temporary. We cannot take them with us when we die. 2 Corinthians 4:18 says, 'While we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.' The hope we have, when we experience severe illness, persecution and pain, is the realisation that this is only temporary - there is life after death. When we know we will live forever with God, it can help us contend with anything that we may face in life.

People may irritate us, offend us, abuse us, rob us; they may even try to distract us and of course, temptation is all around ready to strike. But, it can only affect us if we allow this. It is difficult, but it can be helpful to develop a immune system to ward off all of these negative attacks. God has already provided one - The Armour of God. I think we will spend a little time going through this tomorrow and you will discover that God has given us this to meet every situation we may face. Also to live knowing that the Word of the Lord remains forever.

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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How much do you trust God?

"If I must die, I must die"             Esther 4:16   NLT 

Esther, a Jew, was a very beautiful lady and when Queen Vashti refused to obey an order from her husband King Xerxes, she was banished from his kingdom and Esther eventually replaced her as the Queen. It was not easy being the Queen; the only time she could approach him, was when he gave her permission to move towards him. There were no guarantees that he would do that and she could be risking her life. However, the King loved her and gave her favour.

Haman, the Kings aide, was promoted to second in command of the empire and demanded respect by everyone having to bow to him. Mordecai however, Esther's older cousin, refused to do this. He was a Jew and he only bowed down to God. This infuriated Haman, who plotted to have him and all the Jews executed. Haman was a selfish, ungodly man who wanted everything he asked for. If he couldn't get this, people would have to be careful. Mordecai asked Esther if she would approach the King and ask him if he would save her people. This in itself was a risk, as she had to admit she also was a Jew. 

However, she said, 'If I must die, I must die.' She made a stand for God. In the mean-time,

Haman built gallows in his garden and he intended to execute Mordecai on these. 

Esther met with the King and following two banquets which the King, Esther and Haman attended, she revealed that Haman had plotted to kill the Jews together with Mordecai. Haman, died on his own gallows that he had intended for Mordecai.

There is a lesson here, if a person plots evil against someone, they need to be careful that it doesn't come back on them  (Psalm 37:1-40). Haman thought he had it all stitched up, but he was in for a shock. Esther, even though fearful inside, made a stand for God and approached the King. That day, she saved the Jewish nation.

How much do you trust God? Could you have been an Esther and saved the day?Sometimes, we have to be willing to make a stand for Jesus; it's never easy and one never knows if it may explode in our face. But, as we seize our God-given opportunity, we may forge a way for God to make improvements in our land and situation. Is God speaking to you right now?

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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A Tunnel of Darkness

"I am the Light of the world. If you follow me, you won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life"       John 8:12   NLT 

When I was a kid, I got trapped inside a tunnel that some other kids had built. I was trapped because, a friend(?), stood on the tin that covered the entrance. It was  pitch dark in there and really scary. I thought I would never get out. I stay away from tunnels these days. But if you were in a tunnel and then saw a small light in the distance, it would give you a hope. As you crawled towards it, the light would become bigger until, you were fully in that light and free from the tunnel.

There is an analogy here. we can be in a tunnel of darkness - completely surrounded by the sins of the world. Everywhere you look, temptation lifts its head trying to lure you into it. Voices may be in your head yelling,' Get out, you shouldn't be here,' and yet another may say in a sultry voice, 'it's ok, you'll like it here.' Confusion sets in pulling you each way. Then suddenly, you see a speck of light. It's like no other light that you've seen and even though it is extremely small, there is something that you can't resist. As you focus on this small light, a kind of freedom comes upon you so, you move further towards it. All the time, the other voice is trying to get you to stay and enjoy yourself; but you are so drawn to this light that you can't help yourself. 

This is how it is when you are in a state of darkness, Jesus is the Light and He is there with you. Distractions are all around you; temptation stands on every corner. Gossip may enter your mind, you may be tempted to judge or accuse someone and evil thoughts are ever around. But, when you call on Jesus, the Light begins to blink in the darkness but you don't have to walk towards it because, Jesus has said, 'You won't have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life' v12. When you call upon Him, He is there right beside you. Then as you follow Him, He will lead you to life.

This is how we should be living today. Sadly, even though we know this, it is difficult to put it into action. Thankfully, Jesus is aware of this - He's been there (Hebrews 4:15). So, He is sympathetic towards our endeavours and as we call on Him, will always deliver us from evil. Therefore, we need to continue to walk in His path doing the best we can do

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

If you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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Your Forever Friend

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a huge crowd of witnesses to the life of faith, let us strip off every weight that slows us down, especially the sin that so easily trips us up. And let us run with endurance the race God has set before us.   

                                                                                                                Hebrews 12:1  NLT

The Christian singer/songwriter Charlie Landsborough, wrote this beautiful song. Here's part of it:

MY FOREVER FRIEND

Even when I turn away, He cares for me, His love no one can shake

Even as I walk away He's by my side, with every breath I take

And sometimes I forget Him, my halo fails to shine

Sometimes I'm not His friend, but He is always mine

He's my forever friend, my leave me never friend

From darkest night to rainbows end

He's my forever friend

Copyright 1994 Charlie Landsborough

Many things threaten to trip us up during our walk with Jesus. But like long distance runners preparing for a race, we need to strip away everything that is going to bear us down, so we can run the race effectively. Therefore, choose friends wisely, drop activities that do not promote your faith and get help with addictions that disable you. Jesus is the champion of our faith so, therefore, He is our mentor, the one we model ourselves on. Like the song above, He is your forever friend. You may walk away and you may let Him down but He is always there to give you encouragement and a helping hand. 

When we become involved in things that we shouldn't be involved in, He does not walk away from us; instead His love reaches out to us as if He is saying, 'I am here, just take My hand.' He doesn't point the finger at us or give us the silent treatment. He just puts His arm around us (if we'll let Him), and He gently talks us through our errors but builds us up with His enthusiasm also. He never casts us aside as if we're a hopeless case. He remains faithful to the end.

Why is this? Because He's OUR FORVER FRIEND. He's the one who gave us

a brand new start and has guaranteed us a glorious finish

Copyright 2023 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

LIf you would like to contact me, CLICK HERE

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