07 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a great family, about the time of the evening oblation, all in God's good time, because he hath known my name, because he hath set his love upon me, before they call I will answer, being caused to fly swiftly, confessing my sin, curse, God is never late, good friends, I will be with him in trouble, I will set him on high, it shall come to pass, it takes two to tango, like a spring of water whose waters fail not, like a watered garden, LOVE, make fat thy bones, negative word, one hand washes the other, satisfy thy soul in drought, show him my salvation, speaking in prayereven the man Gabriel, success, supernatural strength, the new Jerusalem, the wolf and the lamb shall feed together, then shall thy light break forth as the morning, therefore will I deliver him, thine health shall spring forth speedily, thou art greatly beloved, Thursday Blessings, understand the matter and consider the vision, when they are yet speaking I will hear, with long life will I satisfy him
Isaiah 65:24. And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and when they are yet speaking, I will hear.
It’s a beautiful Thursday morning out there my people! Only wish there could be a li’l more heat in the sun though. (smile) But that will come eventually; all in God’s good time. That’s one thing about our great God, He might not come exactly when we want Him to, but He is aware of all our situations, and rest assured, He’s NEVER late! Glory be my faithful brethren!
The promises of our God are ever so important because oftentimes that’s all we have to base our faith and trust on, remembering that He’s never broken one in the past and has both the desire and power to never break any at all. So today, let’s look at one interesting promise made by the prophet Isaiah on the Lord’s behalf, when he spoke to his people about new heavens and a new earth. ‘And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and when they are yet speaking, I will hear.’ (Is. 65:24)
Yes friends, that’s how quick the communication will be! The Lord promises to answer before we even call, and to answer while we are still speaking! Wow! That’s how it will be in the New Jerusalem! Can you imagine that beautiful and serene scene, where ‘The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock (ox): and dust shall be the serpent’s meat (food). They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 65:25) Oh, I know some of us won’t believe it until we see it, but that’s what it takes to live in God’s kingdom; you believe it before you see it!
Now, let’s look at some other promises that branch off from that one nuh, where the Lord assures and reassures of His faithfulness. And Isaiah in his true description of religion, reiterates God’s promise. If his people will give up their wicked and idolatrous ways and do what God desires of them: ‘Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thine health (healing) shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward (rear guard).
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness). And if thou draw out (extend) thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity (darkness), and thy darkness (gloom) be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (famine), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ (Is. 58: 8-11)
Oh my people, who wouldn’t want to enjoy such a beautiful life eh? But it requires keeping our promise to live for the Lord. He will do almost anything for us if we live the way He desires, with Him being FIRST in all we do. Yes, we all LOVE the good life, but we don’t want to work for it. Unfortunately though, the good life only comes through obedience, hard work and sacrifice!
Now listen to these wonderful words of promise from Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. The psalmist confidently declares of the Lord: ‘Because he hath set his LOVE upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life (length of days) will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.’ (Ps. 91:14-16) You couldn’t get a better promise than that my people! But then again, it requires some serious and sincere effort on our part towards our heavenly Father.
And what about this miraculous happening in the answer of prayer from the words of Daniel? He says: ‘And while I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin, and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, while I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly (being weary with weariness), touched (reached) me about the time of the evening oblation (offering).
And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and (in) understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment (word, order) came forth, and I am come to show (tell) thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand (give heed to) the matter, and consider (understand) the vision.’ (Dan. 9:20-23)
Now doesn’t that just warm the cockles of your hearts my fellow saints? It ought to, for before Daniel was even finished praying the angel Gabriel came to talk with him; exactly what the Lord promised in those other scriptures we’ve read this morning. He even showed him a vision of Israel’s future. But that was because Daniel was an obedient servant of the Lord. And He would do the very same with us, if we truly became His obedient servants.
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation on those verses. ‘9:20-23. The answer of God to Daniel’s prayer came immediately through the angel Gabriel. Although Daniel’s prayer was primarily for God’s forgiveness and restoration of the Jews to their land, his initial concern for God’s programme for Israel (vs.2) caused the Lord to reveal to him an outline of Israel’s future from that point on.’ And that vision of Israel has held true right down through the ages.
But friends, receiving the goodness of God, almost always depends on us doing what He requires. It’s as simple as that. As the ole people would say, ‘it takes two to tango, and one hand washes the other.’ One person can’t tango by themself, neither can one hand wash itself, and we need to remember that we are in a partnership with God, which means both sides have their parts to do. Our part is to serve and worship the Lord fervently and obediently. His is to look after us when we do that.
And yuh know what, He’s so good, that He even gives us stuff that we don’t deserve, like what we call our Thursday Blessings, but they enable us to do His work. So, we don’t even have cause to complain that we don’t have the tools to do His work. (smile) Now let’s declare those blessings in loud and proud voice, so that they can take effect in our souls, and thus in our everyday lives.
‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And if we want to see real benefits in our earthly walk, then we need to go and put those blessings to work in the lives of others, just as generously and unselfishly as the Lord did in ours. Much LOVE!
…what’s in a promise…one’s heart and soul…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
06 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bounden duty, a state of shambles, aimless, alive and kicking, always drifting, babies can live on milk, be conformed to the image of Christ, be not conformed to this world, be singled minded, be ye transformed, by the renewing of your mind, catch our second wind, changing the way you think, conform to the things of God, fed you with milk not solid food, for ye are yet carnal, God longs to root cultivate and water us, God will only accept first place in our lives, Grow Up, grow up in Christ, grownups need solid food to thrive, hands on the plough, I am halfway home, know the good pleasing and perfect will of God, living for Christ, living for Jehovah God, LOVE, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, negative sentiments, no man can serve two masters, no set purpose, not looking back, our one goal, play both ends against the middle, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the Word of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, Wednesday Wail, Ye cannot serve God and mammon
Matthew 6:24b. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly wealth).
Brother, are these early days of spring ever passing by quickly! Can you believe it was just April Fool’s Day, and now it’s already the sixth day of the month? But the good thing about today, besides that we’re alive and kicking (smile) is that it’s Wednesday, the middle day of the work week, when we catch our second wind, and then blast forth again into the universe, all on the behalf of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
What a privilege that is my people; living for the One and Only True Living God Jehovah! Let’s also remember that it’s not only a privilege but even more importantly a duty, a bounden duty; one that we most certainly need to improve upon in these sad and fateful times. If we take a true look at ourselves, we will all find that our efforts on behalf of Jesus have not been as good as they ought to be, otherwise our world would not be in such a state of shambles, flooded with negative sentiments like fear, resentment, hate, war, strife, division, disunity…
And that’s only what we bring to the table! Imagine how our world looks when we add the numerous natural disasters that have been occurring over the last few years, and look likely to continue! It doesn’t look pretty, or even close to what God created several eons ago. And unfortunately, I believe this picture of the spiritually immature Christian, set forth in the poem titled ‘Grow Up,’ found in our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin is a very accurate description of our current Christian walk.
So, as the poem says: ‘Picture it with me: a piece of gnarled bark tossed to and fro over the crashing breakers. First one direction, then another, back and forth, over and under. Aimless. No set purpose. Drifting…always drifting. What an accurate picture of an immature Christian. Nothing but spiritual puttering. Up and down, in and out. One study group for a few weeks, then another. One church for a while, then another. Undisciplined, unsteady, one day soaring, the next day wading in self-pity. No consistency.
The apostle Paul tells us to grow up! Not grow older, but grow up in Christ. What we are today is more important to God that what we were yesterday. Our life journey with Jesus is now…this very day, this very hour. Why yearn for change if we’ve made no effort to follow the direction God has already given us? To grow spiritually we must be single-minded. Our one goal? To be conformed to the image of Christ. He longs for our willingness to let Him root us, cultivate us, water us. He will take anything we give Him except second place.’
And that’s the God-awesome truth my Christian brethren! Offer whatever you have; God will take it… but He desires…and will accept ONLY FIRST PLACE in our hearts and lives! And sadly, that’s the very thing that we have kept from, not offered Him as supposed believers in His Son, Jesus Christ. We put all sorts of stuff and people before Him, but that’s totally unacceptable. Instead of being in the world, but not of the world, many of us have one foot on either side of the barrier, trying to play both ends against the middle.
But friends, that’s a fool’s paradise! As Jesus so rightly said, a long time ago: ‘No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and LOVE the other; or else he will hold to (be loyal to) the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon (earthly wealth).’ (Matt. 6:24) However, that’s what a lot of us are foolishly trying to do. It won’t work friends. You either have to be all in for the wealth of the world, or all in for God! And I beg to offer that the latter is the wiser and much more beneficial choice.
But to do that sincerely, we must do like the poem says: ‘GROW UP!’ And how do we do that? Bruh Paul gives the basic advice in Romans 12:2, which is the Bible Promise for our poem. ‘And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ Yes friends, to be good and true Christians, we must avoid being poured into the mold of the world’s current thinking!
And the NLT (New Living Translation) puts it thus: ‘Don’t copy the behaviour of the world, but let God conform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will know what God wants you to do, and you will know how good and pleasing and perfect his will really is.’ Now, if you can’t understand either one of those versions, then things are really bad with you!
And if Bruh Paul was amongst us right now, I believe he would have accused us of this very transgression, that he accused the Corinthians of in his first letter. ‘I have fed you with milk, and not with meat (solid food): for hitherto until now ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying and strife, and divisions (dissensions), and ye not carnal (fleshly), and walk as men (according to men)?’ (1 Cor. 3:2-3)
Now that’s the indisputable truth my fellow saints! All the dissension and disunity amongst us makes us behave like the world; meaning, like babies, we are still in the milk drinking stage of Christianity. We have not grown up enough so that we can be fed with solid food, and consequently that’s why our Christian walk is not good enough. And until we stop conforming to the world and conform instead to the things of God, then we will never grow up, and will keep on drinking milk, much to the dismay of our heavenly Father.
Anyway, I’m not here to chide, but to encourage us, to make us realize that we have to dramatically change our ways if we want to receive all that our great and wonderful God has to offer. That’s just a fact of life that we cannot escape! And now, for those of us who have woken up and are sincerely trying to grow up, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our marvellous position in Christ Jesus.
So, with much gusto and sincerity: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it now behooves us to go out and show the world the wonderful results of holding such a position, by truly living for Christ! Much LOVE!…babies can live on milk…but grownups need solid food to thrive…that’s the Word of God…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
05 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a faithful attitude, a life-saving tale, bring out our character traits by faith, Christ's death on the cross, Christ's Resurrection, Easter Sunday, Ed Elliot, fight a good fight, foundation of our Christian faith, Good Friday, growing the fruit of the Spirit, hurry, in god's eyes, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, Lenten season, living for Jesus, LOVE, making us right with God, see our inner salvation manifest on the outside, seem scary to walk by faith, share His love with the world, the beloved of God, the fruit of the spirit, the gift of salvation is free, the Holy Spirit, the light of the world, the salt of the earth, the sons of God, trust my friend Jesus, Tuesday Mantra, with fear and trembling, work our your own salvation, worry, ye may be blameless and harmless
Philippians 2:12b. work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
So friends, what are we going to do on this wet, cloudy Tuesday morning in early April, during the last two weeks of this Lenten season of 2022 eh? And I’m just being a tad humorous on this serious matter, because I very well know what’s expected of us believers each and every day of our lives; that’s a constant and faithful attitude of living for Jesus! (smile)
And if we’re into the last two weeks of Lent, then it also means it’s two weeks to Easter, that big Christian celebration of Jesus’ death and triumphant resurrection! Yes my people, we’re talking about the rock-like foundation of our Christian faith, for without Christ’s death on the cross on Good Friday and His resurrection on Easter Sunday, there’d be nothing called Christianity!
And the awesome truth is that there’s nothing better than the wonderful story of Christianity; the good news of Christ’s coming to earth and dying for us, making us right with God, and giving us the marvellous opportunity to spend eternity with Him. Now that’s a story we ought to tell; all over the world, in every nook and cranny, because it’s a life-saving tale, the most important story ever told on planet earth! And that’s what living for Jesus is all about; simply telling His story and living the way He desires of us, that’s being the salt of the earth and the light of the world, in other words being a reflection of His caring, compassionate and LOVING self.
Now we all know that this evil, sinful, greedy and selfish world doesn’t regard those things very highly…but Jesus does, and if we are going to live for Him, then we will be expected to put up with a lot of harassment, temptation and even persecution for our different beliefs and lifestyle. But we’ve been given all that we need to do the job by Christ our Saviour; namely His Holy Spirit as a Guide, Leader and Comforter and the fruit of the Spirit which enables us to do great works in His name. The problem though is that we must embrace those tools and use them like they were intended, which isn’t always easy to do, but try we must.
That’s why in talking to the Philippians about being shining lights in this evil world Bruh Paul said it thus: ‘Wherefore my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings: That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among who, ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:12-15)
Yes friends, we can never get away from that image of shining like lights to the world, because that’s what Jesus requires us to be! However, it doesn’t happen without work or overnight. That’s why Bruh Paul said to ‘work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.’ And let’s make it clear that you NEVER have to work for salvation, because that’s the free gift of God, but we have to continue working out to its logical conclusion what God has begun in us, that’s basically growing the fruit of the Spirit planted in us through right living; showing the world the awesome possibilities that exist for those who are lost, sick, downtrodden, whatever.
And since it’s God who is doing most of the work in the working out of our salvation, then success is guaranteed. ‘For God is producing in us both to will (to desire) and to do (actually accomplish) of his good pleasure.’ So why then the need for ‘fear and trembling’?
Because we won’t know all the sacrifices and problems we will have to undergo to do God’s will. And each of us will have to work seriously and sincerely on our individual problems, with God’s help of course, but it’s still not going to be easy. So, we have to be prepared to fight a good fight, which leaves no room for squabbling and dissension amongst believers, if we want to be seen as blameless and innocent, the children of God, shining as bright lights, in this evil generation.
And I like how author Ed Elliot explains it in his article on the medium.com website. He says: ‘Working out our salvation is very different from working for our salvation. When Paul tells believers they need to work out their salvation, he is simply explaining that the wonderful gift they freely received from God is inside of them. We bring out those beautiful attributes and character traits by faith. Faith is a rest, but it is faith that works, not us. So, working out what is on the inside of us happens by faith.
This process can be frightening in the beginning as a new believer discovers how to live and walk by faith. Some strong trepidation may be present at first when a person decides to trust God as his or her source and peace. I remember how scary it was for me to stop trusting in my natural abilities and trust in God’s Word. This is what Paul is referring to when he mentions “fear and trembling.” He isn’t talking about being afraid of God. Rather, he is helping the new believer to know that in the beginning, it will seem scary to walk by faith. However, it is the only way to see our inner salvation manifest on the outside through our character.’
Ah mih people, living the Christian life will always have roadblocks and trials, but if we hang in there and fight with God’s help, then we’ll live the joyful, abundant, interesting and blessed life that Christ died for us to have. Now, for those of us who have already made the wise decision to live for Christ, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now, it’s time go and work it out; (smile) that’s share the amazing friendship and LOVE of Christ with others, just as generously as He shared it with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do. Much LOVE!
…salvation is free…but to keep it blossoming beautifully…takes work…and ofttimes sacrifice…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
04 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a cakewalk, a merciful forgiving gracious God, but of power love and a sound mind, Comforter, crucified the flesh, divine help, do mind the things of the flesh, faithfulness, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, forgive us and heal our land, free from the law of sin, fruit of the Spirit, goodness, humble servants, if we live in the Spirit, Jehovah Rapha, joy, let us walk in the Spirit, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, meekness, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, power of prayer, refilled with the power of the Holy Spirit, resurgence of faith, spiritual armour, sword of the Spirit, temperance, the belt of truth, the carnal mind is enmity against God, the God who heals, the law of the Spirit of life in Christ, the shield of faith, the throne room of grace, they that are after the flesh
Galatians 5:25. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit.
Epilogue! Please excuse the lateness of the Bit, but after I began it, some unexpected personal problems developed, and like problems do, they took longer to fix than I desired. But I think it’s a good Bit, so I wish you enlightened reading. (smile)
It’s time friends, on this sunny Monday morning, for us to get back into the everyday working world and keep on living for Jesus! After the resurgence of faith and confidence we’ve received yesterday from our session(s) of praise and worship, this opening day of Monday should be a cakewalk for us. (smile) And why not eh, if we’ve been refilled with the power and glory of the Holy Spirit, which guides believers to do mighty, marvellous and miraculous things, all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?
As Bruh Paul said so confidently to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us a spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) So it’s not like we are going out to fight our battles all alone, but with the mightiest power in the universe standing right by our side. And also with the most powerful and protective armour in the universe: the belt of truth, the breastplate of righteousness, the sandals of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, the sword of the Spirit, and an amazing power of prayer and supplication to back it all up!
Wow! What well-dressed, protected and well-led soldiers we are! That means there is no need to fear or be anxious when we’re walking in the omnipotence of our resurrected Saviour. Instead, we should be all ready and set, just rearing to get out there and fight a mighty battle, even to the death for our wonderful Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ!
It’s time to let the fruit of the Spirit blossom in our souls and lives, just like the bright new spring blossoms that will soon be appearing on the trees. The fruit of our Spirit has been lying dormant for the winter season, so now it’s time to let it blossom forth with new life: that’s new joy, new LOVE, peace, long-suffering, gentleness (kindness), goodness, faithfulness (dependability), meekness and temperance (self-control).
A new season ought to bring forth new things in a believer’s life. We hear it in these fateful words of Bruh Paul to the Galatians, and consequently to us: ‘And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the affections (it’s passions) and lust. If we live in the Spirit, let us walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vain glory (conceited), provoking one another, envying one another.’ (Gal. 5:24-26)
Now, for some interesting explanations from the scholars re those verses. ‘5:24. At conversion every believer crucified the flesh, that is, in repentance he turned from and renounced his life of sin and all its wicked passions. This verse then implies that the virtues of verses 22-23, rather than the vices of 19-21, should characterize them that are Christ’s.’ Per ‘5:25. This verse means. “Since we live by the Spirit, let us also follow the Spirit.” That is, since the Spirit gave us new life at conversion, we then should try and stay in step with His leading and promptings throughout life.’
And as true believers, we all know that our goal is to follow the Holy Spirit as best we can, because He is our Guide, our Lead-Hand, our Comforter, our purveyor of truth, doing the work that Jesus desires of Him. Bruh Paul spelled it out in his missive to the church at Rome, re Life in the Spirit. ‘There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.
For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for (on account of) sin in the flesh: That the righteousness (righteous requirement) of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh do mind (set their minds on) the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.’ (Rom. 8:1-8)
Bless the Lord, oh my soul! What marvellous and encouraging sentiments my fellow saints in Christ! As a believer we are not condemned, and though, as the scholars tell us: ‘There is nothing inherently wrong with the law, the presence of sin renders the believer powerless to do what the law demands.’ Simply stated, without the Holy Spirit, we could not live a righteous life. Because without Him, we are carnally minded, that is, we have our lives dominated by our basic sin nature. But when we walk in the Spirit, or are spiritually minded, having the Spirit of Christ control our lives, then we are enabled to live righteously!
And since sin and God do not agree, are on opposite ends of the continuum, it naturally means if we live for the things of the flesh, then we can’t live for or please God. And that’s certainly not the wisdom we ought to entertain. So, let’s hope that all we’ve said today, will sink into our hearts and souls and help us to walk as we ought to…that’s in the Holy Spirit of Christ!
Now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the One who sits on the throne of grace, and repledge our allegiance, while asking for His awesome help. As one sincere but confident voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
And, in response to all those words, we now must go out and sincerely action them, if we desire a positive answer from the throne room of grace. Much LOVE!
…the law of man says yes…the Spirit says no…the law of man says no…the Spirit says yes…it is indeed a situation of enmity…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
03 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be of good cheer, be strong and of a good courage, believe also in me, by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, do not be anxious about anything, have not I commanded thee, He had overcome the world, in christ Jesus, in every situation, Jesus shed His blood, let not your heart be troubled, LOVE, many are the afflictions of the righteous, on the cross at Calvary, present your requests to God, The God of the day, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the Lord thy God is with thee, the peace of God which passeth all understading, will guard your hearts and minds, ye believe in God
John 14:1. Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.
Only two more weeks to Easter friends! That most important and miraculous time in the Christian calendar, which reminds us of the real event two thousand years ago, when on Good Friday, Christ shed His sinless blood on the cross at Calvary to atone for our sins, then three days later, on that first Easter Sunday, rose triumphantly from the grave to ensure our own rising from the grave after death!
Now why would anyone choose not to treasure those two marvellous happenings deep in their hearts and souls, and consequently bow down and worship Jesus for His unfailing LOVE and faithfulness eh? It certainly boggles my imagination. But I guess many of us feel that since Christ did all of that, living for Him should be nice and easy, like a Sunday evening stroll in the park. But the reality is totally different from that because in the world we will have trials and tribulations whether we want them or not, like Jesus assured us in John 16:33.
And also, when you live for Jesus, the enemy comes against you even more than normal, so you can never have a problem free life on this earth. However, as Jesus says in that same verse about tribulation, we should be of good cheer because He has overcome the world. And though being of good cheer despite our problems is possible with Christ’s help, it’s not always easy to do.
So, on this second Sunday before Easter, we are going to open our worship with a song that talks about the good and bad, the ups and downs of life, and how we can handle them in a Christ-like manner. The song was written By Tracy Dartt and made famous by American Gospel singer Lynda Randle. It’s titled ‘God on the Mountain’ Let’s sing a sweet, soulful, heartfelt version, that will remind us of the faith, trust and surrender we need to commit to our wonderful God. And I want to begin with the soul-searching chorus. (smile)
So let’s raise those sacrifices of praise heavenward: ‘[Chorus: And the God on the mountain is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times The God of the day is still God in the night}Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known But when things change and you’re down in the valley Don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone [Chorus: And the God on the mountain is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times The God of the day is still God in the night}
We talk of faith when we’re up on the mountain But talk comes so easy when life’s at its best But in the valley of trials and temptations That’s when faith is really put to the test [Chorus: And the God on the mountain is still God in the valley When things go wrong, He’ll make them right And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times The God of the day is still God in the night The God of the day, is still God in the night…Yes… the God of the good times is still God in the bad times The God of the day is still God in the night The God of the day, is still God in the night…’
And is that ever so true friends; our God is the One and Only True Living God in Existence, and He rules the day and night, as well as the good and bad times. And please don’t ask me why some negative things happen, if God is so good and great, because I don’t know. Furthermore, I’ve stopped searching for answers because I’ve realized that God doesn’t tell us everything, and even if He did, we would possibly not understand it, since His thoughts and ways are so much higher than ours. (Is. 55:8-9)
I’ve decided to do as He asks; trust in Him and surrender my life to His omnipotent and compassionate will. And I’ve found that works quite well despite all the ups and downs and good and bad times that make up my life. It’s the only way to have peace on earth my brethren. Because as the song so truthfully points out, it’s easy to talk a big talk when you are on the mountaintop and things are going good. But yuh better believe that it’s a completely different story when you end up in the valley and life is just having a good ole time knocking you around.
To overcome, faith and trust have to become paramount in our lives. And the first thing this entails is changing our thinking, transforming our minds, as Bruh Paul says in Rom. 12:2, for the mind is the battlefield on which all none physical battles are fought. So we have to stop thinking like the world does and start thinking like Christ says we ought to. And we can’t find a better scripture to light up our valley days than these awesome words of Bruh David from Psalm 23 – the Lord is my shepherd, when he confidently declares: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.’ (Ps. 23:4)
Yes friends, only with that kind of confident faith will we ever survive the valley days, and hopefully make it back to the top of the mountain. And we all know that though Bruh David was Israel’s mightiest king, He suffered many ups and down, both through his mistakes and the normal problems that life bring, but he never stopped trusting in the God of his forefathers, and God rewarded him very highly for it. And here’s another verse from Bruh David we need to have stored up in our treasure chest of scriptures for those hard times. ‘Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.’ (Ps. 34:19)
Now, if you can believe that, you’re on your way! And I just LOVE this scripture when the Lord made Joshua the leader of the Israelites after Moses death. ‘Have I not commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) Now that’s telling him! And that’s the fourth time the Lord told him as much in five consecutive verses (Josh. 1:6-9). And He’s saying the same thing to us in these trying times my people: have faith in me, trust in me, I LOVE you and will not let you down. If I sent my only Son Jesus to die for you, why wouldn’t I help you in other things?
But we have to believe. Jesus was always telling people to believe. Like He said to the disciples: ‘Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me.’ John (14:1) And you can look up the many times He said the same thing to others. It’s all a question of belief in Jesus Christ. the Son of God!
And we’ll end with this practical quote from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus’ (Phil. 4:6-7). Now, it could not be put any simpler or more practically than that my fellow saints. It then behooves us to action those sentiments if we want to make it through both the mountain top and the valley of the shadow of death. Much LOVE!
…we already have all the tools for Christian living…we’re just not using them…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
02 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a just man falleth seven times, above all we ask or think, all power is given unto me in heaven and earth, and riseth up again, aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow, belittling the power of God, big thinking precedes great achievement, celebrate God's goodness, discouragement, dissatisfaction, exceeding abundantly, failure builds a good foundation, find out God's purpose for your life, I know the plans I have for you, learn from our mistakes, live the unfilled dreams of others, lonely in our souls despite outward success, LOVE, never give up, no success without failure, not caused by the absence of things, our friend Anselm, plans to prosper you not to harm you, someone who has sight but no vision, spread the gospel worldwide, sunshine lollipops and roses, the absence of vision, the Christian's Mantra, the Great Commission, the Holy Spirit, the only true and living God, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the wicked shall stumble into calamity, to give you a hope and a future, unto him that is able to do, wasting their God-given abilities
Matthew 28:18. All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.
Sunshine, lollipops and roses! Yes, my Scrip-Bit friends and family, that’s what we’re having this first Saturday morning in April: Sunshine, lollipops and roses! When last have you had that combination of God’s goodness eh? I know some of us have not had it in a long while, but Jesus is saying that today is the day for such rejoicing, in His name and the awesome power of his Holy Spirit!
Our problem is that we have all we need to celebrate God’s goodness, but we either don’t receive it, or when we do receive it, we don’t manifest it, bring it out like He desires. Today though, we’re going to receive the goodness and grace of God, and also show it to the world! And we’re going to begin by doing what we usually do on Saturdays; that’s check out the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow.
And the first quote tells us without any reservation that ‘Big thinking precedes great achievement.’ Now there’s nothing to really doubt in that statement, because basic logic declares that our achievements line up in direct proportion to the size and quality of our thinking. That means big achievements can only come from big thinking, while small thinking will only manifest small achievements. And being a follower of Christ Jesus, it’s imperative that we think big and achieve big, for that’s our job.
Jesus described it in His Great Commission; (Matt. 28:19-20) for us to go out and spread the gospel all over the world. Now that’s a Herculean task, one which we can only accomplish if we open our minds to the power and grace of our Lord and Saviour and accept all that He’s willing to give us, while transforming our thinking (Rom. 12:2) and giving up our selfish desires, that’s taking up our cross and following Him. (Matt. 16:24-26) Remember His words that preceded the Great Commission: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth.’ (Matt. 28:18)
And we know that He never asks us to do anything without giving us the wherewithal to do it. And that’s exactly what He’s done by anointing every believer with the awesome power of His indwelling Holy Spirit, so that we can be successfully lead and guided to do the great work He desires of us! Oh friends, our God is a great and mighty Deity, the ONLY true and living One, and when we read His word, we see all the big and powerful things He’s done down through the ages. That means unless we think big, we’ll be belittling the power of our God.
Now, Bruh Paul understood this principle when, after praying for the Ephesians to be strengthened in the inner man, and rooted and grounded in LOVE, he summarily declared: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us.’ (Eph. 3:20) He knew that he was not asking God for too much, because our mighty God could do even more than that.
And that brings us to the next quote: ‘The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight, but has no vision.’ Now there’s much truth to that quote, if we define sight as someone who knows what to do but does nothing, or has wisdom and insight but don’t action them to the benefit of humanity. In other words, like Jesus said, people who hide their lights under a bushel or basket. And all of us know folks who can do much better than they are doing, but are just wasting their God-given abilities.
That leads to this quote: ‘Dissatisfaction and discouragement are not caused by the absence of things but the absence of vision.’ I don’t know if I totally agree with that statement nuh, because sometimes our discouragement and dissatisfaction can be caused by the absence of things, but a lot of it can be caused by our lack of vision, not thinking things through properly.
And I can talk to that quote personally because I have several projects in the works, which I believe I have properly envisioned (smile) but certain practicalities like time, money and faulty equipment are holding them up. And though I am somewhat dissatisfied, I’m not discouraged because I know that they are desires placed in my heart and mind by our great God, and thus, if I don’t give up, they will eventually be fruitful and multiply.
And it’s why the following quote is oh so important in a believer’s life. ‘The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall.’ Now that ought to be the Christian’s Mantra: ‘NEVER GIVE UP!’ For quitting is not in Christ’s vocabulary, He expects us to get back up, no matter how many times we fall. And the truth is that success cannot be truly accomplished or appreciated without some failure. That’s the story of most of those we consider important and world shaking; like the great inventors and power brokers, they all failed several times before they succeeded.
As they say, there is no success without failure. ‘And Success consists of getting up just one more time than you fall.’ The thing about failure is that it builds a good foundation for when we do achieve success. It teaches us how to operate in the future, we learn from our mistakes, and it builds our faith as we go through the adversity of defeat. And remember, you only fail when you stop trying! While you are trying, there’s always the possibility of success.
And Cousin Sol said it best in Proverbs. ‘For a just (righteous) man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity).’ (Prov. 24:16) And according to the scholars, that means ‘the righteous man always recovers, but the wicked man faces permanent destruction.’ Then there’s this appropriate verse from the longest chapter in the Good Book, Psalm 119. ‘It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes.’ (Ps. 119:71)
Yes friends, there’s learning and benefits in afflictions and failures, but we have to sort them out and use them to our benefit. That brings us to this last quote: ‘Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life.’ And that’s the gospel truth my brethren! The Lord has a defined and definite plan for each of us and we can only make our time here on earth worthwhile by consulting Him and then living it the way He’s planned it. Now, I know plenty of us are swayed by what others desire of us, to live their unfulfilled dreams, or their social, political and economic aspirations.
But please don’t let anyone encourage or force you to live any other life than that which God has crafted for you, be they parents, teachers, preachers or someone you might consider important. If they truly LOVE you and have your best interest at heart, they will encourage you to find out God’s purpose for your life and to live it, regardless of what other circumstances or people might dictate! Too many of us have been encouraged or forced to live lives not designed for us, and thus we have been awfully miserable and lonely in our souls and spirits, despite our outward success.
In closing, let’s never forget this wonderful verse of scripture that speaks directly to that problem. The words of the prophet Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf, taken from the NIV or New International Version. ‘For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’ (Jer. 29:11)
And if we keep that verse at the forefront of our minds, then we will never go wrong. Much LOVE!
…God’s plan for our life…is the best one there is…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
01 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a state of constant readiness, Antiochus Epiphanes, April Fool's day, as a roaring lion, be clothed with humility, be sober be vigilante, be subject one to another, bring backsliders back to your fold, casting all your care upon him, desecrationof the temple, disturbing the status quo, embrace your love and compassion, eschatological -theology of the end of the world, faithful believers, Friday chant, giveth grace to the humble, God resisteth the proud, has a bark but no bite, he blesseth the habitation of the just, he careth for you, he scorneth the scorners, he that shall endure to the end, his satanic majesty, humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, in the house of the wicked, LOVE, of a contrites and humble spirit, offer of a pig on the sacred altar, perpetual sunshine, raining downs from the skies, rebellious children, resist steadfast in the faith, restoring faith in you, stand strong and steadfast, the Abomination of Desolation, the antichrist, the beginning of the end, the curse of the Lord, the Great tribulation, the motives of our hearts, the prince of darkness, the same shall be saved, to revive the heart of the contrite ones, to revive the spirit of the humble, wake up and smell the coffee, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, wet snow, wise guidance, your adversary the devil
1 Peter 5:8. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Ah mih people, like the weather has decided to play April Fools or All Fools Day jokes on us this Friday, the first day of April 2022. When I got up and looked outside earlier this morning, wet snow was raining down from the skies. Then on looking out again, a li’l later on, I was greeted by no wet snow but fairly sunny skies. So right now, the ground’s wet, but the skies are shining with some dark clouds hovering dangerously around like rebellious children intent on disturbing the status quo. (smile)
But foolishly, like the prince of darkness, they have reckoned without taking the awesome sunshine of Jesus Christ into their planning. They don’t realize that if He so desires, with just one wave of His mighty hand, He can scatter, obliterate ALL the darkness in the land and turn it into one of perpetual sunshine. He’s already defeated the prince of darkness, made him a toothless tiger, by dying and resurrecting from the grave, so that all his satanic majesty has now is a bark but no bite.
That’s why we need not fear what he can do to us, for he can only do what we allow him to do. Therefore, Peter dutifully warns us: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in (experienced by) your brethren that are in the world.’ (1 Pet. 5:8-9)
Yes friends, though the devil has no teeth he can frighten us with his loud roar, and thus manage to get his evil claws into us. Consequently, we must be very careful of where and with whom we walk in this uncertain and unpredictable world. No wonder Peter gave us the solution to the problem before the warning. He firmly advocates: ‘Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and be clothed with humility: for God resisteth the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:5-7)
Those are indeed wise words my brethren, words that we ought to sincerely and continually heed! Why? Because they are the indisputable truth! Cousin Sol tells us the first half of the story in Proverbs, when he decrees: ‘The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked: but he blesseth the habitation (dwelling) of the just. Surely he scorneth the scorners (proud): but he giveth grace unto the lowly (humble).’ (Prov. 3:33-34)
And if you don’t believe Cousin Sol, then listen to the prophet Isaiah as he proclaims on the Lord’s behalf, as he condemns the idolatry of his people Israel. ‘For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite (remorseful, repentant) and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.’ (Is. 57:15)
That says it all friends! The Lord only deals in repentant and contrite hearts and spirits! The proud He has no use for, because they don’t believe they need Him, like so many of us wrongly believe in these evil and dark times. And it’s so sad to note that in these enlightened times of technology and other advances in human endeavours that we are turning back to the dark ages in spiritual matters. We are trying to remove God from our society. Even shouting out that there is no God! But friends, now is the time when we should be seeking God more than ever, because the end times are in sight.
Jesus spoke to the disciples about the horrific happenings that would take place before the end came. Wars and rumours of wars, false prophets, plenty devastation and human suffering, much persecution, much deception with an inordinate amount of evil, but little LOVE. However, that would just be the beginning of the end. (Matt. 24:4-12) And in these beginning of the end times that we’re currently going through, it is ever so necessary for us to hold on to the end, as Jesus specified to the disciples. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13) So my brethren, we have to hang in there, living for Jesus, right to the very end, if we want to be saved.
Then Jesus continues: ‘And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations, and then shall the end come.’ (Matt. 24:14) Now, we’re quickly coming to that stage where with the magnificent technology we now possess, the gospel abounds like it’s never done before. But Jesus isn’t finished. He says: ‘When ye therefore shall see the Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.) (Matt. 24:15)
And what is this ‘Abomination of Desolation’ that Jesus is talking about eh? Well, according to the scholars, ‘it refers to Daniel 9:27; 11:31; 12:11; where Antiochus Epiphanes’ profanation of the Jewish temple worship would foreshadow a similar and more severe act by the eschatological Antichrist. (theology concerned with the end of the world). Whereas Antiochus offered a pig on the sacred altar of the temple, the Antichrist will present himself (2 Thess. 2:4 – Please read it). The action of desecration by Antiochus, which Daniel had predicted, will now be repeated in the future by the Antichrist as the signal of the beginning of the Great Tribulation and the breaking of the covenant “in the midst of the week” Dan. 9:27).’
So friends, there’s still some time to go, but how much, we don’t know, that means we ought to be prepared for whenever whatever happens! As the scripture says above there ‘whoso readeth, let him understand.’ And since we’ve read, I want us to understand. (smile) And understanding means being prepared, because we know it will come, just not when. That is a point we can’t hammer home enough my people, because Jesus said He could come at any time; today, tomorrow or years into the future…but come He will!
And the first step in our preparation is going to Him in sincere prayer. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Friday Chant. As one humble and contrite voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and our many other problems are causing. We can’t seem to fix it on our own Lord, that means we desperately need your help.
Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat both the virus and the unrest in our streets. So Lord, we sincerely ask you today to give the governments and those involved in the forefront of this serious and unexpected storm, the wise guidance to handle the situation properly, with the least amount of loss to life and property as possible. And please help those of us who must go out to work amidst all the confusion, to be responsible and to stay safe, and avoid any more serious setbacks.
And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. Yes Lord, please use this pandemic and the unrest in the streets as a means of restoring faith in You, so that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And all of that will only mean anything when God checks the motives of our hearts and finds them in agreement with the words of our mouths. Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…and let him prepare…be in a state of constant readiness…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
31 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: be thankful unto God, bless His name, bounden duty, challenge our beliefs, Christians fight against Christians, come before his presence with singing, curse, divine promotion, enter into his gates with thanksgiving, evil doing, filled with mother-lode scriptures, forgive us our debts, give us this day our daily bread, he is divided against himself, his mercy endureth for ever, his truth endureth to all generations, id Satan cast out Satan, into his courts with praise, joy in living for Christ, lean not on your own understanding, living for Christ, LOVE, make a joyful noise unto the Lord, negative vibes, negative word, overflowing grace and mercy, resentment, self-control. self-discipline, serve the Lord with gladness, strife, success, the Christian life in a nutshell, The Lord is good, The Lord is my shepherd, the Lord's prayer, the sheep of his pasture, the wellspring of God's word, thine id the power the kingdom and the glory, Thursday Blessings, Togetherness, unconditional love of God, unity
Psalm 100:1. Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth).
One more day people, one more day! Yes, through God’s overflowing grace and mercy, we’ve been granted one more day to enjoy the fruits of His great earth, in addition to His unconditional and everlasting LOVE! What a marvellous Deity we worship; One who has such care and compassion for us. That’s why scriptures like Psalm 100 – A call to praise the Lord – should continually be in our hearts and mouths. So please declare it with me this bright, sunshiny spring Thursday morning, the last day of March in this contrary year of 2022.
Let’s ‘Make a joyful noise (shout joyfully) unto the Lord, all ye lands (all the earth). Serve the Lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord he is God: it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves, we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.’ (Ps. 100:1-5)
Oh my fellow saints that is the indisputable truth, and if we could just keep those sentiments in our minds and spirits and live by them, what beautiful, God-filled lives we would share! You know, a lot of us believe we must know the Bible backwards and forwards to live righteously, but that’s a big fallacy. In reality, we only need to know a few strong scriptures that embody the word of God, that speak of praise and worship, of forgiveness, of wisdom, of LOVE, and live by them.
Scriptures like this Psalm 100, like the Lord’s Prayer: ‘Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil (the evil one): For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt. 6:9-13) That’s the Christian life in a nutshell my brethren!
Likewise, are those verses Prov. 3:5-10; all about trusting in God and not ourselves and sharing our first fruits with Him. The same thing goes for Psalm 23, that magnificent treatise of Bruh David’s on God’s goodness, that we affectionately refer to as ‘The Lord is my shepherd.’ And there are several other scriptures that fall into that category, which we don’t have the time nor space to get into.
But each of us should personally search the Good Book and find scriptures that apply to our own situations and hold on to them tightly to serve us in time of need. And believe me, we will each have times when we desperately need strong scriptures to lean on and hold on to. So, yes, we do need to have a good grounding in the Good Book so that we can fight the many challenges that come against us, but for basic living, we only need a few verses that encompass the basics of Christian living.
When we have the sentiments and guidance of scriptures like mentioned above, written deep and indelibly in our souls, hearts, spirits and minds, then we don’t have to fight to live the Christian life, it just comes naturally from that wellspring of God’s word buried in us. But until we have solid scriptures living within us, scriptures that automatically rise up to boost our faith, living for Christ will always be an inconvenient struggle.
Now, regardless of the great faith we feel we possess, there will always be times when doubt will rear its awkward head and seriously challenge our beliefs, but generally speaking, when we are filled with mother-lode scriptures we will have comparatively smooth sailing. (smile) Remember too, that the higher we go in God’s kingdom, the greater our faith needs to become, because temptations become bigger and more plentiful as the cream rises to the top. For Satan doesn’t bother those who don’t do good and important work for Christ.
Why would he eh? That’s because if you’re not working for Christ, then you are obviously working for him. (smile) It reminds us of how the Pharisees said of Jesus casting out demons: ‘This fellow doth not cast out devils (demons), but by Beelzebub, the prince (ruler) of the devils (demons)… Then Jesus replied: ‘And if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself; how shall then his kingdom stand?’ (Matt. 12:24, 26)
That brings us to the question of the day; if Christians fight against Christians, like we are constantly doing, how then will the kingdom of Christ stand, and even more importantly move forward and grow? It won’t be able to do either, because standing strong and moving forth depends on unity and togetherness.
And sadly, I don’t think we can genuinely say that these days Christians are united and working together for the good of Christ’s kingdom, since there is so much infighting, resentment, strife and evil-doing currently existing in the body of Christ. And it’s only when we give up those negative vibes and start living as Jesus truly desires of us, in unity and harmony, despite our many differences and disagreements, that the kingdom of God will draw unbelievers to its fold and move forward in true righteousness!
And it’s not like we don’t have the tools and the wherewithal to do Christ’s work properly, because we do, it’s just that we are not putting our noses to the grindstone. We’re talking about tools we call our Thursday Blessings that the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do his earthly work. Now, those tools aren’t operational until we declare them, so let’s do that right now nuh.
Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And now that we’ve declared those blessings and thus made them operational, it’s our bounden duty to go out and share them with others just as generously as Christ shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…there’s such joy in living for Christ…when we’ve mastered the basic principles…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
30 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: always abounding in the work of the Lord, Christ's sacrificial death, conquered the prince of darkness, do all things without murmurings and disputings, do it heartily as unto the Lord, endure to the end, from the Lord, give credence to one's witness, God is not unrighteous, halfway home, hands on the plough, hit the nail on the head, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, labour of LOVE, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, not looking back, receive the reward of the inheritance, spiritual damage, stand strong and steadfast in faith, strife and bickering, suffer no moral damage, thanks be to God who gives us the victory, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the sons of God, through him that loved us, to a glorious future with Jesus, to forget your work, true Christian witness, we are more than conquerors, Wednesday Wail, whatsoever ye do, without rebuke, ye may be blameless and harmless, ye shine as lights in the world, your labour is not in vain
1 Corinthians 15:57. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like today’s going to be as magnificent a day as yesterday, because there are dark storm clouds all around the skies. But I have no doubt that we will persevere in spite of whatever comes against us this Wednesday, the penultimate day of March 2022, be it rain or snow…or even shine. (smile)
Why? Because we have been anointed as mighty conquerors in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Bruh Paul said it thus: ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us.’ (Rom. 8:37) And the prophet Isaiah was even more forceful and confident when he declared many moons ago: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17)
That’s why we can be strong and steadfast in our faith my faithful brethren in Christ! Yes, many will rise up against us and try to put us down, try to silence us, even by leading us like lambs to the slaughter, when we speak of Christ Jesus, sharing the good news of His majestic gospel, brimming with forgiveness of sins, salvation and eternal life, but they will not succeed, because our Lord and Saviour has conquered the prince of darkness and his evil empire through His sacrificial death and resurrection! Glory be!
And Bruh Paul spelled it out in even greater detail in his first letter to the church at Corinth, where, quoting the prophets Isaiah (25.8) and Hosea (13:14) he told them: ‘Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain (futile) in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 15:54-58)
Oh Mama, Mama! What encouraging words my fellow saints in Christ! Yes friends, our work for the Lord will not be in vain, for as the author of Hebrews writes: ‘For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of LOVE, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do minister.’ (Heb. 6:10)
But there are a couple of scriptural reminders I think we need to hear as regards doing the Lord’s work. The first one comes from Bruh Paul’s letter to the church at Philippi, where he reminds them: ‘For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of (according to) his good pleasure. Do all things without murmurings (grumbling) and disputings. That ye may be blameless and harmless (innocent), the sons (children) of God, without rebuke (fault), in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation (generation), among whom ye shine as lights in the world.’ (Phil. 2:13-15)
Now that’s indeed a very interesting scripture, and the scholars offer this explanation to it. ‘2:14. Since God is producing in the Philippians the willing and doing of His good and perfect will (vs.13), there can be no legitimate reason for murmurings and disputings. Not only are they forbidden to complain about the difficulties and persecutions that will befall them in carrying out God’s good pleasure, but quarrelling among themselves is also prohibited.’ And doesn’t that hit the nail on the head? It certainly does! For if God is working in us to do His good will, why then should there be need for complaints and disputes eh? No reason whatsoever!.
And I like what the scholars say about ‘2:15. If the readers obey the commands of verses 12-14, they will be blameless (that’s innocent of any accusations), and harmless (i.e. morally pure). But due to party strife and bickering, this is now not true of them.’ Wow! The Corinthians were bickering and divided back then just like we are right now. So how in heaven’s name could they be like sons of God in the middle of an evil and wicked generation, without rebuke, like they ought to be, without incurring spiritual damage? No way!
And the same thing applies to our current situation of divisions and disputings within Christ’s church. We therefore could not be held blameless and harmless under any circumstances. And the end to that explanation is even better. (smile) ‘The proper place for God’s people is among the lost. For only in such a position can true Christian witness be borne and influence for the gospel be effectively exerted. Yet believers must remain “without rebuke” in that they suffer no moral damage by contact with the unsaved. Then among unbelievers they will shine forth as lights in the world. As stars are readily noticeable in a dark sky, so healthy Christian lives stand out in testimony among the lost and give credence to one’s witness.’
Now that certainly calls for another ‘Wow!’ Because it’s the gospel truth! However, it’s not so easily attained, since it calls for lots of sacrifice, LOVE, mercy, grace and forgiveness, even when temptations and tribulations are coming against us like mad. But then, on the other hand, that’s exactly what the Christian life, truly living for Jesus, is all about. And no, Christ doesn’t expect us to be perfect, because He knows that He is the ONLY perfect One, but He does expect us to try our very best. Sadly though, a lot of us supposed believers are not trying hard enough, and many are not trying at all! So how then can we shine forth as bright lights in this evil world, and be good testimony to Christ’s gospel eh? We can’t!
And this is the last scripture I want to share on the subject of doing God’s will. Bruh Paul said very sternly to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance (salvation); for ye serve the Lord Christ.’ (Col. 3:23-24) Oh my people, whether we be slave or free, whatever we do in this life, we ought to do it as though we’re doing it to God and not to men, although they might have current dominion over us, because it’s God who will reward us in the end. Please, let’s not forget that and raise the level of our Christian witness as is so necessary in these trying times.
Now, for those of us who are sincerely trying to do all that we’ve spoken of, let’s go home declaring (yeahhh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus. As one strong and confident voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And it behooves us now to endure until the end, because then the future will be even more glorious than we can ask or imagine. Much LOVE!
…am I ever looking forward to that more than glorious future…because I intend to be there at the end…hope you are too…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Mar 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a city that is set on a hill cannot be hid, a joy and pleasure to live for Jesus, according to the riches of his glory, be of good cheer, born to manifest the Glory of God, but the darkness comprehendeth it not, fear not, glorify your Father which is in heaven, God will provide all our needs, have seen a great light, he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, I am the beloved of god, I am the light of the world, I can trust my friend Jesus, i have overcome the world, in me ye might have peace, in the world ye shall have tribulation, lest darkness come upon you, let not your heart be troubled, Let your light so shine before men, liberated from our fear, LOVE Revolution, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, our presence automatically liberates others, Peace i leave with you, playing small doesn't serve the world, shall have the light of life, share His love with the world, something good is going to happen through me, something good is going to happen to me, the day-spring from on high, the light shineth in the darkness, the people that walked in darkness, they may see your good works, they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, this is the day the Lord has made, to guide our feet in the way of peace, Tuesday Mantra, upon them hath the light shined, walk while ye have the light, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, we will rejoice and be glad in it, Ye are the light of the world, you are a child of God
John 8:12. I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
Oh friends, it’s a bright sunshiny morning in my neighbourhood! This Tuesday morning in early spring, there’s nary a dark cloud in the sky! It’s so bright that I had to put on my dark glasses as I went to put out the garbage just now, else it would have blinded me! (smile) And it doesn’t even feel as cold as it did yesterday afternoon when I went out to the mailbox!
Wow! That gives us the reassurance to confidently acclaim: ‘This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it! And don’t forget that something good is going to happen to us today, and something good is also going to happen through us today! That’s because we can do all things through Christ who strengthen us! And furthermore, our great and wonderful God will provide all of our needs according to His riches in glory through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ!
Mama Yo! That’s why it’s such a joy and a pleasure to live for Jesus. No one else provides the benefits and faithful promises that He does. That’s why He reassures in His word: ‘Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27) And don’t forget this other magnificent upliftment for our souls: ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 6:33)
And that’s the gospel truth, because our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ has indeed overcome the world by dying and rising from the dead, thus defeating hell, death, Satan and the grave! Glory Hallelujah! What a wonderful warrior is our Jesus! That’s why one of His favourite terms and words of advice while here on earth was ‘Fear not!’ But we still fear, despite all His entreaties and reassurances.
And truthfully, we can’t ever stop fear from coming upon or against us, but we can certainly stop it from consuming us. This morning though, I want to share a poem on that malicious word ‘fear’ that I found stuck up on the bedroom wall of my young daughter. There’s no title attached to it, so we’ll just call it ‘FEAR!’ I am sure that I’ve shared it before, but in these fearful and turbulent times, it’s certainly worth hearing again.
So please read with me: ‘Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate. Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure. It is our light, not our darkness, that most frightens us. We ask ourselves, who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous? Actually, who are you not to be? You are a child of God. Your playing small doesn’t serve the world. There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.
We are born to make manifest the Glory of God that is within us. It’s not just in some of us, it’s in everyone, and as we let our own light shine, we consciously give other people permission to do the same. As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.’
Ah mih people, I couldn’t put it any better! And there’s a lot of truth in that poem, because many of us fear to open up ourselves not wanting to overshadow those around us. But that’s not supposed to be a problem, since when we shine our lights, we give others the encouragement to rise up and shine theirs too. Why do you think Jesus made such a fuss over us being shining lights in this evil world? Because it’s of the utmost importance. We cannot be afraid of this dark and evil world or what it threatens to do to us, because the light of Jesus is greater than any darkness that’s in the world.
Remember John’s contention: ‘And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not (could not overcome it).’ (John 1:5) Yes friends light always opens up darkness, and the light of Jesus is the most powerful light in the world. Please remember the promise the Lord made through Isaiah, as he talks about the birth of the Prince of Peace. ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2)
That light was Jesus. And that prophecy was considered fulfilled, as it’s recorded in Matt. 4:15-16, when Jesus began His ministry in Capernaum, along the sea coast of the afflicted regions of the northern tribal areas of Israel, like Zebulun and Naphtali which suffered greatly under the Assyrian invasion. Remember too, the prophecy of John the Baptist’s father, Zechariah at his birth, when he got back his speech. ‘Through the tender mercy of our God: whereby the day-spring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited (will visit) us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:78-79)
And how can we ever forget Jesus’ great pronouncement to the Pharisees; and consequently to us, and to all the world: ‘I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.’ (John 8:12) And let’s not forget what Jesus said to the people when they questioned His words on His resurrection and ascension. (John 12:30-34) ‘Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children (become sons) of light.’ (John 12:35-36)
Now that’s what we ought to become when we accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour; the children, the sons of light, because Almighty God is the Father of light, and Jesus is His bright and shining star. But He can’t shine individually to everybody, that’s why He desires to use us, His supposed ambassadors, agents and followers. And that’s why He commanded us thus: ‘Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket) but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:14-16)
Jesus says it there loud and clear my people! If we are his followers, then our lights should be blazing forth to a dark and evil world, lighting it up like a Christmas tree! But unfortunately we are not doing that. Our lights are barely pouring forth, flickering like that which comes from a dying battery or a lamp low on oil, or a candle that’s at its end. And that is certainly not acceptable, not if we consider ourselves true believers in Christ Jesus! And sadly, we all know we can do better, but for whatever reason we refuse to make the effort it requires.
Please friends, for a moment, let’s consider the ‘sufferation’ Jesus bore so that we could be set free and forgiven of our sins nuh, and in a moment of shame, let our resolve rise up to be better purveyors of His light in this dark world. That’s the only remedy that will suffice for our poor showing. Now, for those of us who are already trying to shine our light, let’s go home declaring (chuh!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the whole world know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with the world. Amen!’
Now let’s go out and walk that talk; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do! Much LOVE!
…when our light shines forth…then peace, joy and LOVE…come to our world…
P.S. And yes, it’s long, but I think it’s very good; a good reawakening! (smile) Much LOVE!
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
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