The criteria for avoiding anxiety

"Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;  7and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus".  

                                                                 Philippians 4:6. NKJV

Let's look at the criteria to avoiding anxiety. Anxiety is one of the main reasons that lives fall apart. Burdens crush the brain and life takes off at great speed with ridiculous demands that, pretty soon cause something to snap and the recipient is left in great depths of despair. Here, Paul gives us the antidote for anxiety: Rejoicing, Prayer, Supplication, Thanksgiving, Being in close touch with Jesus and receiving the peace of God. It sounds good, but takes discipline to be able to be free from anxiety.

To rejoice means to become lost in the presence of God; praising Him, listening to Him or just enjoying His silence. When we rejoice - we are filled with the joy of the Lord, we receive strength, power, confidence and feel good about ourselves. Let me say this, you cannot be anxious when you are full of joy, it just can't happen. However, if we place it the other way round we say if you are full of anxiety you cannot be full of joy. One may try but, the cracks show and the anxiety pretty soon, surfaces again.

Just imagine a situation, someone tells you that something is going to happen in either your position at work or your home life. The thing you are told, has no obvious reason why this is going to happen. It just is. Now, you can either worry and fret about something you don't know about or, you can forget it and wait and see what happens. The thing is, when the sleepless nights come and this 'thing' is a prominent part of your thinking, pretty soon anxiety is forming. Are you a worrier? Do you get anxious about things such as this? If so, you need to take the antidote that Jesus has given you because it won't improve until you do. In fact, you will  begin to be a bundle of nerves.

Whenever something goes wrong at work or home, if you are an anxious person, you can begin to think that it is your fault or, that people will begin to think it is; especially when you see people speaking quietly and they seem to be looking at you. Don't do this, they will tell you if you are involved, stop getting paranoid. Don't even give in to anxiety; instead take the antidote that Jesus gave you - Rejoicing (and this is always), supplication (pleading with God to help you) Thanking Him and requesting what you need from Him and then allowing yourself to receive the peace of God. This peace is God's peace and we just can't understand it; it is just wonderful and will guard you heart and mind.

We'll look at a way of escape 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'

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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Watch the attack and the test

 "And the LORD said to Satan,' Behold, all that he has is in your power; only do not lay a hand on his person.'   Job 1:12   NKJV

We see here, a man who was tested more than the average human being has been. God was having a team meeting with His angels and Satan turned up as the adversary to try and disturb God's kingdom by causing trouble. The name of Job came up and Satan spoke up, saying that if God took the hedge of protection from around him, he would curse God to His face. God gave Satan permission to go and shake him up but without hurting his body. So Satan went off. God limits what Satan can do to us, He allows tests and this, was what was about to happen.

Within a short time, Job received news that his oxen had been taken away, his servants killed and his sheep burnt. Also, his family - wives, sons, daughters and children had all been killed in a freak accident. In just a short time, Job had lost everything dear to Him. What Job did next was a complete shock to the onlookers; he tore his gown and fell on the ground and worshipped God. You see Job knew where to turn in times of crisis. He didn't blame God; neither did he curse Him, as was expected, especially by Satan. He just praised God.

On the next visit to see God, Satan asked God to attack Job's health. He will then surely curse God. God allowed Satan to inflict painful boils from head to foot on Job but, he still refused to blame God for it all. 'In all this Job did not sin with his lips.' (2:10). This time, Job did curse but, not against God. He cursed his conception and birth. We may all have been tempted in the past to wish that we had never been born. However, he still would not blame or curse God. He did say, 'For the thing I greatly feared has come upon me. And what I dreaded has happened to me.' (3:25)

When you think about it, this was mild to what others may have said at this terrible time. But the thing is, Job spoke a self-fulfilled prophecy (Matt 12:37). We need to be careful here because, we may get what we confess. Remember, the devil's out to get you and he would be so happy to give you what you confess. If you do such a thing, be sure to repent immediately and revoke the word with praise.

Why does God allow such tragedy to some people and not others. I don't know. Job was a man of God, upright in all he did and Satan does not like this. That could be the reason. Whatever, it was, when Job had passed the test, God restored more than he had lost. 

You may have been going through a rough period just lately. Remember Satan may be involved in this, but he cannot take on Jesus and win. Therefore, claim the blood of Jesus and His

 protection and put your armour on. This is the difference, we have Jesus fighting our battles for us. We will be tested of course, but with Jesus' help, we will come out on top as long as we call on Him and ask Him for help.

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'

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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What do you see?

"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".                      2 Corinthians 4:18  NKJV

This is what makes faith work. The things we look at on a daily basis, are seeable, our eyes can fix upon what is right in front of us. We know they are there because we can see them. The things that are not seen, although we believe that they are there, are eternal. We can't see them with our eyes and, no one else can either, but we know that they are there because, we see them through the eyes of faith.

In the next chapter of 2 Corinthians (5:7) we read Paul's word as: 'For we walk by faith, not by sight.' Paul is confirming what I have just written. We walk by sight. Even though we cannot see something, by faith we know that they are there. Take Jesus for example, no one has seen Him properly, but we know that He is there, right in our hearts. Without faith, it could never be.

The word 'Look' in verse 4:18, means to 'Keep one's eye on, to consider or contemplate.'In order not to lose heart, the believer needs to shift his or her focus from that which is seen, to that which is not seen - from temporary problems to the glorious eternal rewards he or she will receive. The word 'Sight' in verse 5:7 means 'appearance.' Christ is not physically present, so believers live by faith. John 20:29 says :Jesus said to them, "Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.' Again, Abraham believed God and it was credited to Him as righteousness (Rom 4:17-20) Initially, both he and Sarah, his wife, had struggled with what they had been told, but, as they believed, a son was given to them in their very old age. And this was all due to their faith. Let us not forget that. 'God, gives life to the dead and calls those things, which do not exist as though they did.' Rom 4:17.

So, what do you see in your daily life with Jesus? When you are walking in step with Him, He will give you exciting things to ponder; He will show you things that others just can't see. You may not be ready for this to happen but at times, Jesus will spring things upon you and He expects you to believe Him. Don't forget, that without faith it is impossible to please Him (Heb 11:6). You believe that He lives in your heart so, this proves that you have faith. Therefore, continue to walk in it and you will have great adventures with Jesus.

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'

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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Give thanks and wait for Him to deliver

Oh, give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!  Psalm 105:1-3  NKJV

This Psalm is a great reminder to praise God at all times. We saw the other day that He provides us daily, with benefits; He takes care of us. The psalmist reminds us here, that, if we forget what God has done for us, God never forgets. Remember that, praise opens doors, changes situations and protects us. It also protects us from the schemings of the devil and lifts our spirit.

The psalmist writes about giving thanks to God with our praise. The Hebrew word for 'give thanks' is yadah, and means to make public acknowledgement. It encompasses telling people about the love of God, praising Him and talking about Him. We often are asked about our faith to non-believers and as we explain why we're committed to Jesus, we are giving thanks about Him. This is one of the common ways of testifying about our faith to those that have asked us, not the other way round. Therefore, we have an open stage to tell them.

In verse 5, we read: 'Remember His marvellous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgements of His mouth.' When we're having a bad time, it is helpful to remember the times when God turned up and changed things for us. It is most encouraging when we do this. When David was under attack from the Amalekites, he discovered that, while they were away, this army had taken over their camp, and taken the women and children. The men were so angry that they threatened to stone David. But David, inquired of the Lord: 'Now David was greatly distressed, for the people spoke of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and his daughters. But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God'. 1 Sam 30:6. And God met with Him and gave Him the victory over this ordeal.

Is there any problem in your life at this moment? It may be one of those problems that you just can't resolve and, this may be causing you to despair. Let me encourage you to remember what turned up for you in the past. It may have been a major problem you had or, something petty. Whatever, God solved the problem. Do you think He won't again? Of course He will help. Spend some time before Him and tell Him what has happened and ask for His help. Praise Him, thank Him and then sit back and wait. The answer will come, He will help you.

His goodness knows no end. He is utterly in love with you and longs for you to call out to Him in such a way. He'll never be too busy and will never be too tired. He will meet your need when you call out to Him quoting His word. So do it and then relax while you can:

 

O give thanks to the Lord! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! 2Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! 3Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord! 

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'

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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Lies

"But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God."   Matthew 4:4 ( of 1-11). NKJV

 The devil is a liar; everything that comes out of His mouth is evil and aimed to trip us up, and turn us away from God or become involved in the deepest forms of sin. Here, we see Jesus who has spent 40 days in the desert without food. He would possibly have drunk water in order to keep His vital organs in shape but, by the time the devil came along, He would have been famished.

Satan came along and hit Jesus in His weak spot - hunger. 'If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread.' The devil will always find our weak spots and hit us with them when we are least expecting it. Here he knew Jesus was hungry so fired a temptation at Him. Notice how the devil says, 'If You are the Sion of God' This was an attempt to place doubt in Jesus' mind. Think of the lies Satan spreads around all over the world. Remember, he tricked Eve in the Garden that day and caused the sin of the world to enter into God's peace. (Gen 3). 

Check out how Jesus handled this. “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." Jesus used a Rhema Word. The Logos word was the message of Scripture but Jesus used it as the spoken word. Let's look at this:

The word used in our text is the Greek word Rhema which is the spoken word. Therefore, Logos is the message (John 1:1) Rhema is the spoken word - the communication of the message. Jesus spoke the Rhema word to Satan '“It is written" and this was too powerful for Satan to do anything other than depart from Him.

This is why it is so important to know the scriptures; we have to be equipped and using this spoken word, together with the Armour of God, we are a source to be reckoned with. We can't give out what is not put in. No deposit - No return. So remember that the devil tells convincing lies; he tempts us and spreads malicious gossip around to try and discredit us. We should always be careful about the lies that we are tempted to speak out. Some people call them 'Little white lies.' There is nothing little about gossip, it is spread around and received by people as the truth. Put an end to it whenever you hear this from someone. They may not like it but, really, you are giving them the word of God. Stamp gossip, lies and temptations 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'

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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Daily Benefits

"Blessed be the LORD, who daily loads us with benefits, the God of our salvation"           

                                                                        Psalm 68:19. NKJV

In most other bibles, the word ‘benefits’ is replaced with the word ‘burdens’. However if God is carrying our burdens, it just has to be a benefit.

Allow me to ask you a personal question; are you on benefits? This can be a stigma in certain areas, where people may frown on 'the one's who have never worked a day in their life.'  People who say such as this, really haven't looked at the bigger picture. Some people may be so disabled that they just cannot hold down a job properly. Physical disabilities are obvious to anyone who looks at them but, some people have hidden disabilities, such as a mental health disorder or complex and their minds prevent them from working. This is where government benefits help meet their needs. Yes, some may pull flankers here, but, that is not for us to judge them.

When you consider it, as Christians, we all receive benefits and these are daily. In God, we have a Father who takes care of us, every day. At the moment, the government provide benefits to people on long term sickness or out of work. These benefits are means-tested, so that the benefit doesn't get out of hand. The benefit God gives us is not means-tested; what He gives us, we keep and that can be any amount. He's never tight with us. And these are the type of benefits I would prefer to have. God knows my needs and He meets them

You may trust God this way but, it can be difficult at times. Car expence for one can drain us - petrol, diesel, electric charges, road tax, insurance, service and mot. Have you noticed how these can all come at once? This can run alongside of other bills; gas and electric bills expected to rise in a few days. This can all get on top of us if we're not careful. This is where God comes in.

If we trust Jesus, He will not let us down. Have you ever considered giving a tithe to where God is leading you? After all, it is God's money in the first place as, He provided it for you. No one should ever force you to tithe a part of your money - usually about a tenth. The way I look at it, God gives to me and my family, the least I can do is try and help others who are in need. From my experience, I have found that you can never out-give God. The more you give out, the more He gives us back. Over the years God has proved this to us time and again. In the early days of our marriage, with young kids, it was difficult, even though we were both working but, God never let us down and I believe it is because we always gave a tithe no matter how short of cash we were at the time.

I am not writing this to give you a complex or a burden if you don't tithe. That choice is yours. What I do say is, life with God can be throughly exciting when you take Him at His word and give Him your all. This is the time that you see how wonderful He is. God will never let you down.

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'

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

It's the Message, not the Messenger!

"Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers through whom you believed, as the Lord gave to each one? 6 I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase.  7So then neither he who plants is anything, nor he who waters, but God who gives the increase".                                      1 Corinthians 3:5-7    NKJV

In many churches today, people have their own favourite speaker. Some may say, 'I don't like it when he/she preaches, I prefer....? Or they may add to this by saying, 'He or she are boring or too entertaining, we don't come to church to be entertained but to learn God's Word.' Some may take a day off church because of this.

The Corinthian Church was similar and was divided into four factions with four prominent leaders. (1) there were Paul's followers (2) The second group were attracted to Apollos possibly by his eloquent speaking abilities. (3) The third group identified with Cephas (Peter). This group were mainly from a Jewish background. (4) The fourth group identified itself with Christ; this group may on the surface have been seen as 'Godly' but that statement was questionable. One can read Paul's comments about all of this in 1 Cor 1:10-18.

The church must avoid division. This type of thing has split many good churches all over the world. One particular leader feels that they are better than the others and gathers the people away and there is a split. We must avoid this type of thing. One of the problems is that, we can be tempted to have our favourites. This is not God's will. As Paul comments, some plant, others water but it is Jesus who gives the increase. He is the gatherer. However, a divided church is only interested in itself.

People need stability; they want the truth and they also need someone who is reliable. At the end of the day, Jesus is the only one who is reliable but, if a leader is walking closely in the Holy Spirit, he or she can come close.

It is the message that God gives us that is important, not the messenger. No matter who is preaching, if they are giving the Word of God, it will reach the hearts of people. They will respond to this. I heard a beautiful Christian song some years ago 'I seek the giver, not the gift.' It made such an impact on me that I still remember it today. Many times we want to impress God and people with the gift that God has given us. However, we would be far better to seek the giver, and that is Jesus Christ. He is the one that makes things work and holds them together. If we model ourselves on Him, our gifts will run smoothly and make an impact wherever we go.

So, remember it is the Message not the Messenger and we need to seek the giver, not the gift. Write this down in your bible and live it each day of your life.

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'

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