You're not alone!

"Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you,
Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand."

                                                                                Isaiah 41:10  NKJV

There are a lot of lonely people in our world and, many of them are Christians. Some of these are loners, they prefer their own company - for a time. But after a while, they too feel the pangs of loneliness.

Charles F Stanley wrote: 'At some point, each of us will face circumstances that cause anxiety. When we do, we must remember we are God's children. We have the power to overcome fear when we apply His Word to our lives - remembering that He is always with us and will never fail or forsake us.'  Life Principles Bible - Dr Charles F Stanley p1095

When we have a wife or husband, we can share fears and worries that crop up and encourage each other with what God says about it. It can be the same with good, reliable friends. But when we are alone we are left with just ourselves to think the circumstance through. This is where a good solid relationship with Jesus can be a life-saver. Look at what the scripture above tells us: "Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am your God.' God doesn't want us to be afraid or dismayed. All of that can lead to depression if we can find no way through it all. God firmly tells us that He is with us, He is our God.

One can feel lonely within a marriage or relationship. Loneliness can also reign within a crowded room, even a church. On a crowded street, we may see couples who are hand in hand doing their shopping, eating in restaurants or pubs. They all seem so happy. And when we witness this, loneliness can really take over. And yet, we can be so good in hiding the hurt from others - putting on a brave face. People may never know how we're feeling, unless we are brave enough to tell them. The thing is, have we the courage to speak to them about our loneliness? Will they become bored by our negativity? 'The last thing I need is to feel worse than I am already,'  you may think.

So, this may be the time when you look at God's Word - deeply. He never lies, you may know that already, and in scriptures like above He gives an offer to go to Him and pour out your loneliness. He is the one that really knows how you feel. He is the one that cares enough to listen, advise and offer the encouragement that you need. If you allow yourself to get really close to Jesus, you will never feel lonely again. He is your friend - the finest an most faithful friend you will ever find on our planet. He can help you through your loneliness, He can change things, bring new people into your life if you want this. 

Whatever is happening in your life at this time, He is your answer to it. He can show the way or even create a way that was not there before. He is definitely the one to speak to.

SO WHY NOT DO IT!

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

dailylifewithjesusbygrahamehoward.blogspot.com  

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

Member of the National Association of Christian Ministers

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Getting the balance right

“As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what He said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to Him and asked, ‘Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!’ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.’”

                                                                        Luke 10:38-41  NLT

A great example of the consequences of busyness is showcased here. Martha was a busy servant. She wanted everything right for Jesus. Therefore she busied herself in the kitchen duties. Mary just wanted to know Jesus better and so, spent important time with Him. This infuriated Martha, who wanted some help but Jesus told her the truth and sometimes the truth hurts.

If we are honest, most of the time we resemble Martha more than Mary. We rush around doing “what needs to be done,” while missing the glimpses of Jesus all around us. As difficult as it is, and as contrary to our culture as it is, we must intentionally make the effort to slow down and model Mary because, as Jesus Himself said, “Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”

When you break it down, busyness can be interpreted as the sin of worry and busyness as a lack of trust. This painful truth doesn't mean we don't trust God at all. It means we are still being sanctified (a work in progress) and we are finding it difficult to get the balance right. We can be so busy, rather like Martha, and leave Jesus out of the equation. She didn't realise that she was doing it and, neither do we. We must find time in our busy schedule to spend time with Jesus.

At the other end of the spectrum is business in the church. Check this out: 'I have a sermon and a bible study to prepare. There is the worship to practice and new songs to learn and I have a meeting in the church tonight. I said that I would visit a few people as well, this week. Then, I want to see the pastor about the youth group. I've no time for my own personal bible study and I promised to take the kids out in the morning as well' Wow, if you have a day job as well, this is a tall order. You sound like the man who used to spin the plates, can you remember him? He would have all these plates spinning on upright rods, probably about 12 of them. At first, they were ok but after a short time, the plates began to crash. This is what could happen to you if you don't get the balance right.

What did Jesus say about this type of thing? “Come to Me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. 29Take My yoke upon you. Let Me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30For My yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”

Is Jesus speaking to you here? Is the balance between your day job, marriage, family and your Christian life right? Does it need tweaking or perhaps a total overhaul. Burnout can be costly to your health. Being too busy for your family - wife/husband and children can be heading for disaster. Living with your life unbalanced can lead to health problems, stress, heart attack, you name it. 

Be wise and listen to Jesus about these things. If He is telling you to take some time out; lean on Him or find a more workable schedule, then you would be sensible to do it. Before it's too late. Just think, Jesus was probably more busier than any of us could ever be. The difference is, He knew how to prioritise things and don’t forget, He also needed to spend time with His Father. 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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 

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Do you act with faith?

"For we walk by faith not by sight"  2 Corinthians 5:7. NKJV

What is faith? In a nutshell, it is believing we have something when we can't see it. How does this work? Well, you believe in Jesus don't you? However, you can't see Him. In every day terms, you believe that when you trip the switch the light will come on. You can't see it until you do this. When you walk by faith in God, He honours you. You have to trust Him and you need patience, it doesn't all happen straightaway:'But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of this who diligently seek Him. (Heb (11:6). As we trust in Him, He delivers. Read this scripture:

'Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord,
The Creator of the ends of the earth, Neither faints nor is weary. His understanding is unsearchable. 29He gives power to the weak, And to those who have no might He increases strength. 30Even the youths shall faint and be weary, And the young men shall utterly fall,
31But 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 40:28-31  NKJV

The Lord gives strength to the faint and weary. This happens to us all. When did you last ask God to renew your strength? He will if you ask Him but, you must believe by faith, otherwise very little will happen. Only those who trust in the Lord are the recipients of this strengthening. God helps us to soar like eagles but we need faith to do so, when we do, He will swoop down and lift us out of bad situations. He will help us to run and not become weary. He will give us that little bit extra to make it through the challenges and the trials. He may not change the situation you are in but He will give you what you need to be able to overcome and stand firm through the situation. Look at Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-Nego (Dan 3) God didn't take them out of the fiery furnace, but He did join them and helped them through this dangerous situation. Then there was Daniel, He was thrown into the lion's den. God didn't take him out of the situation (Dan 6). But He did send an angel to keep the lion's mouth's shut. He was safe. Both of these situations resulted successfully because these men of God had faith.

We all need to exercise faith. There is nothing scary about this at all. You will notice that, throughout Jesus' ministry, He lived and walked by faith. There were healings, blessings and lives changed because He did so. He wants to take you up a level. To do this, you need to walk by faith. Ask Him to help.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

 

Brokeness

"Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. 8 Draw near to God and He will draw near to you."  James 4:7-8  NKJV 

If you want to see God's face and enjoy His many blessings, we must be broken first.

Picture if you will a wild stallion. It may look beautiful as you glance at it but, try to either get near it or ride it and you will not be its best friend. You see, it wants its independence. It doesn't want to be ridden or have to submit to anyone. As long as it is fed and given water to drink and a warm place to settle when bad weather comes, this is all it wants from a human.

However, a thoroughbred cowboy has the knowledge to handle such an animal. His intention is breaking this fine animal so that it can be ridden and earn its keep. So he will approach it even though it may kick and snort at him to back off. He may use a rope to throw round its neck so that he can pull it over to him and tie it to a sturdy fence while he attempts to calm it down. Eventually, the cowboy gets on its back and, even though it bucks and tries to throw him off, he perseveres and towards the end of this process, he is able to ride the horse until it is satisfied that it won't be hurt. What the cowboy is dealing with is, a stubborn and wild independence. The horse wants to keep this and will fight this yet, after a time it usually realises that it must submit and come under someone else's control.

Does this sound familiar? Many of us want God to bless us with good things but we don't want to be brought into submission. We want to keep our independence and we want to live our lives, our way. We don't want to be subject to rules and regulations; we'll go to church and blend in with others but, that's about it. I'm gong to say this and it may sound shocking to some Christians; God is not that bothered if we go to church or not. He is more interested that we submit to Him and draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us as well. The rest will follow.

The brokenness that God requires is, the brokenness that the stallion has to learn - total submission to its leader. Our leader is Jesus. He is loving and kind but, He will not bless double values. We either belong to and serve Jesus or we don't. We can't keep one foot in the world and one in the kingdom of God. Yes we live in the world but, we are not part of it. We belong to Jesus and we have a mission to serve Him until He calls us home.

Being stubborn is something God can change if, you allow Him to. This is where submission begins. Notice that you draw near to God and He will draw near to you. This is where the fine tuning can begin. It may take a long time though. Are you willing to submit? 

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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

A Joy Explosion

"Count it all joy when you fall into various trials"  James 1:2  NKJV

When you are connected to the power source - Jesus, you can walk out in joy which is the strength you need to get through the situation. Under pressure, you get to meet the real you. Impossible? Not at all, if Jesus Christ is within you, nothing is impossible (Luke 1:37). 

Believers are to consider their trials with all (not some) joy. Trials are those unpredictable encounters that we fall into. The testing of our faith is designed to reveal the quality of our faith and, to produce stamina in order to overcome the situation. The way the situation or circumstance is handled is another opportunity to bring glory to God. And therefore, we can echo the words of Craig W Hagin who said: 'No matter what, I am still happy because God is on the throne and He has things in control. 

Note that James said, 'When you fall into various trials' not 'if'. Trials will come our way. God wants us joyful - full of His strength, so that we can approach them this way. So, He permits certain trials so that we may grow in maturity, thus being more like Jesus. However, we should never pretend to be happy when we face pain, but have, a positive outlook such as considering it all joy. Why? Because it is another opportunity to let people see Jesus in you.

Let us be honest here though, it is never easy to be this way. We don't rejoice and scream out in ecstasy because another trial has come our way. We would be rather odd to do so. But, we can program ourselves to take God's advice so that we can meet the trial face to face without moaning and groaning because yet again something else has gone wrong. We need (and I'm speaking to myself as well) to be on guard and alert that the devil is out there plotting an attack on us and God may allow this to test how we handle things. It is essential that He does this because: 'If you have run with the footmen, and they have wearied you, then how can you contend with horses?' Jeremiah 12:5. The idea is to pass the trial and get on the horse and ride with God.

So condition yourself to have a joy explosion whenever things come your way that are designed to wind you up, tear you down or floor you. Jump on that horse with God and ride the storm

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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

The Source of the blessing

"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation shadow of turning."  James 1:17  NKJV 

You purchase a new bible and you love it. It is covered in beautiful leather, has an index on the edge of the pages and is packed with so much information. You go into church holding the bible in such a way that people may notice it and ask where you got it from. It is just what you have wanted all of your Christian life. The bible may be inlaid with real gold inner pages, have diamonds sewn into the border of each page. People may look at it with envy in their hearts but, the thing is, it is not God. He may be spoken of throughout the pages and the word may speak to you, however, it is only a conduit carrying God's word to you. God is not in this bible, never has been and never will be. The bible is there to instruct, teach and bless the reader. It is a source to Jesus.

It is the same with a preacher. He may have the ability to grab your attention and preach like you have never heard before. You may be mesmerised by his or her knowledge but, they are not God; they are carrying the word from God - the source. They should never be placed on a pedestal. Many have been and many have fallen off in disgrace because they have tried to take the glory from God.

The bible, the preacher and even that very catchy and amazing worship song is only a conduit. The source begins in heaven and reaches you in this way. The bible contains God's word, not God Himself and, no matter how nice a new leather bible looks and smells, it is only a container from the source in heaven - Jesus Himself. Without these things, God still exists and always will do. In fact, a nice leather bible is no better than a battered old paperback version because, it still contains the same - the word of God.

Everything we have and, will have in the future comes from God. He is our source and loves to pour blessing upon us as we walk obediently with Him. Think back on all He has given you since you first believed. Some of you had nothing, now, you are blessed beyond measure. As David says in Psalm 23:5-6 'You anoint my head with oil, my cup runs over (Abundance John 10:10) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the LORD, Forever'

God is our source of blessing and excitement; never forget it.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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

 https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B084G9S4FD/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i2

 

 

 

 

 

Placing Jesus first

"But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness"  Matthew 6:33. NKJV

I bow my knee before Your throne

I know my life is not my own

I offer up this song of praise

To bring You pleasure Lord

I seek the giver not the gift

My heart's desire is to lift 

You high above all earthly kings

To bring You pleasure Lord

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah, Glory to the King

Hallelujah, hallelujah

Hallelujah, Glory to the king

Source: LyricFind

Songwriters: Bonnie J Deuschle

I Bow My Knee lyrics © Capitol CMG Publishing

I first heard this beautiful song back in the early 90's. From the moment I heard it, I liked it and played it in worship sessions fairly regularly. The message says it all. Note the words, 'I seek the giver not the gift'. How often we put the gift first without seeking Jesus first. Without Him, we can and have nothing and yet we are prone to say, 'give us more Lord.' 

Let's be honest, a lot of our prayer life can be made up of seeking God for something instead of just, bowing the knee before His throne. Do we know that our life is not our own anymore, we gave it to Jesus that day and, Jesus received it. All the more why we should come to Him humbly. He is extremely generous, of course He is but, He longs for us to just go to him, with no hidden agenda and rest in His arms a while. He longs for us to bring Him pleasure.

A question: is your heart's desire to lift Jesus up high above earthly kings and anything else? There is no one who is as perfect or as powerful as Jesus Christ. All the more why we sing Hallelujah, glory to our king.

God gave each one of us, loved ones to keep us company, family to make us happy, a home, possibly a career in fact, a host of things. Let us focus on this for a while and then approach the Throne of Grace and seek the giver with no thought of the gift. There is no need to speak if you don't want to, just listen and spend time in His presence, giving you whatever you need.

You will be blessed, that's for sure.

If you don't know Jesus or, have fallen away, why not say this prayer right now:

'Lord Jesus, I have sinned and 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'

Copyright 2024 Grahame Howard.                                

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