07 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good understanding, against the rich and mighty, awe-filled reverence towards God, awesome grace and mercy, divine retribution, fight for the poor and downtrodden, gives us thought for pause, god moves in mysterious ways, have all they that do his commandments, he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, I will greatly praise the Lord, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, in a quandary, in this wicked perverse world, Jehovah Rapha, keeps us on the right track, make me to understand, merciful forgiving God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my help cometh from the Lord, my well has run dry, no coherent subject to comment on, praise him among the multitude, sincere repentance, so shall I talk of thy wondrous works, teach me O Lord, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the God who heals, the Lord is thy keeper, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in, the way of thy precepts, the way of thy statutes, those that condemn his soul, turn from our evil ways, which made heaven and earth
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a quandary this morning; he doesn’t know what to talk about, he has no coherent subject to comment on, like my well has run dry. (smile) These things do happen to the best of us at times. However, as I was leafing through the Good Book, the Psalms in particular, I came upon some verses that seemed to be just made for today. They’re all from different psalms, but something about them just touched me and I got the great idea to put them forward for our understanding and knowledge today. And I hope that all of them, or even just one touches our hearts this Monday morning and gives us thought for pause and ‘ponderation.’ (smile)
So here goes. The first verse comes from Psalm 109 – A prayer for the punishment of the wicked – from the pen of Bruh David. After wishing divine retribution on his enemies, he boldly declares (yeahh!): ‘I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn (are judging) his soul.’ (Ps. 109:30-31)
My question is, are we praising the Lord greatly amongst the multitude of the heathen, among the numerous evildoers in our world? And do we believe that the Lord will fight for the poor and downtrodden against the rich and mighty? If our hearts are right, the answer to both questions ought to be a loud and proud: ‘YES!’
The next verse comes from Psalm 111, where the psalmist proclaims with certainty: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 111:10) Now that’s the very essence of life my people!
And to show it’s oh so true, Job made that declaration in Job 28:28, and Cousin Sol makes the same declaration, not once, but three times; in Prov. 1:7, Prov. 9:10, and Eccl. 12:13. So there must be a whole lot of truth to it. That leads to the question, do we fear the Lord? Do we possess that awe-filled reverence toward the Lord God Almighty; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Hopefully we will all shout out another loud and proud: ‘YES!’
And then we move on to that great Psalm 119, where the author desires of the Lord: ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works….Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.’ (Ps. 119:27, 33-34)
Wow mih bredrin! Those are the kinds of things we ask of the Lord when we have wisdom, when we reverence Him with our whole hearts, soul and being, because those are the things that keep us on the right track in this wicked and perverse world. And yuh know what’s next, (smile) the question of whether we desire those right-living things of the Lord? And I hear another loud and proud shout of: ‘YES, WE DO!’
Glory be mih people! That’s why we can conclude with these awesome words of the psalmist, as he talks of God’s sustaining power in Psalm 121: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:1-2) Yes friends, our help comes from nowhere or No One else but the Lord God Jehovah!
And as the psalmist continues: ‘He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps. 121:1-8) And do we believe all of that? ‘YES!’
Good! Then in awe-filled reverence and wisdom, let’s look to the Lord for the help that we desperately need today nuh. Let’s cry out to Him for succour and sustenance through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for we desperately need His assistance. So altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance, and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, 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!’
Now please remember, the state of our hearts, if they are filled with true repentance, will decide the Lord’s answer. And who would have ‘thunked’ it eh – I didn’t have anything to say. (smile) Our God surely does move in mysterious ways. That’s why He’s such a great and wonderful God! Much LOVE!
…only when we look up…will help come from above…
06 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and Christ is Lord indeed, and having done all, anti-slavery stance, Dudley Atkins Tyng, from victory unto victory, George Duffield, in the evil day, let courage rise with danger, lift high his royal banner, Praise the Lord, prayer is indispensable, put on the Gospel armour, racial injustice, stand fast in faith, stand up for Jesus, standing on the promises of Christ my Saviour, take unto you the whole armour of God, the arm of lesh will fail you, the spiritual battle is real, the trumpet call obey, till every foe is vanquished, to satnd, virtual worship, watch ye, ye may be able to stand, ye soldiers of the cross
Ephesians 6:13. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Another Sunday…and another day of virtual worship! But the important thing is that there’s worship! And all God’s children shouted loud and proud: ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah! Amen!’ Yeh friends, it doesn’t really matter how we communicate and/or worship, once we communicate and worship, and give thanks and praise to our wonderful heavenly Father. (smile) And with the severe turbulence that’s currently surrounding our lives I thought it necessary to open today’s proceedings with a song that brings our true purpose to mind and also offers oodles of encouragement. The song is aptly tittle ‘Stand up, Stand up for Jesus!’
Now that’s exactly what believers ought to be doing in troubled times like these. But before we get into the song, there’s an interesting story behind it. The song was written by clergyman George Duffield, Jr. (b. Carlisle, PA, 1818; d. Bloomfield, NJ, 1888). ‘It’s reputed that he was inspired to write this text after hearing the dying words of a Presbyterian colleague, Dudley A. Tyng. Ousted from his own congregation for his strong anti-slavery stance, Tyng preached to large crowds in weekday meetings sponsored by the YMCA.
His work spearheaded an evangelical revival in Philadelphia early in 1858. At Tyng’s deathbed, caused by a farm accident in which he lost an arm, Duffield and others asked if he had any final message. Tyng replied, ‘Tell them to stand up for Jesus!” At Tyng’s memorial service on April 25, 1858, Duffield preached on Ephesians 6:14 and concluded his sermon by reading his new hymn text, “Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus.” Several lines in that original text referred to Tyng’s words and ministry.’
So it’s not only appropriate for us taking a stand for Jesus, but also for the racial injustice that’s still so prevalent in our world. And today we’re going to do an easy rocking reggae version, a la Jamaican gospel singer Carlene Davis, but with plenty riddim and plenty soul. (smile) So let’s get to raising our sweet voices to heaven in perfect harmony nuh: ‘Stand up, stand up for Jesus ye soldiers of the cross; lift high his royal banner, it must not suffer loss: from vict’ry unto vict’ry his army he shall lead, ’til ev’ry foe is vanquished, and Christ is Lord indeed.
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the trumpet call obey; forth to the mighty conflict in this his glorious day: ye that are men now serve him against unnumbered foes; let courage rise with danger, and strength to strength oppose. (Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.)
Stand up, stand up for Jesus, stand in his strength alone; the arm of flesh will fail you, ye dare not trust your own: put on the gospel armor, each piece put on with pray’r; where duty calls, or danger, be never wanting there. Stand up, stand up for Jesus, the strife will not be long; this day the noise of battle, the next the victor’s song: to him that overcometh a crown of life shall be; he with the King of glory shall reign eternally.
(Chorus: Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up. Yes we are standing on Christ my Saviour, standing on the promises of God. Standing on the promises of Christ my saviour, standing on the promises of God. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus, children stand up. Stand up, stand up, Stand up for Jesus children stand up.)
Oh mih bredrin, the airwaves were jumping…and heaven was jiving too! And I like that about heaven; anytime the music’s pumping, heaven is always involved, cause they LOVE good, praiseful music, just like us. Yuh know that if the music is good, you just can’t keep your feet from dancing. (smile)Anyway my people, there’s no getting away from the fact that as believers in Christ, we need to stand up strong and steadfast, like good soldiers for Him in this evil world. And I won’t preach at you today, (smile) just share some scripture on which they say the verses of the hymn are built and they seem reasonable to me.
The first verse, they say comes from 2 Timothy. ‘Thou therefore endure hardness (hardship), as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.’ (2 Tim. 2:3-4) As to the second verse, it’s supposedly built on exhortations from 1 Corinthians. ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men (be brave), be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 16:13-14) The third verse obviously comes from that famous chapter in Ephesians re the whole armour of God (Eph. 6:10-17) And I’m going to share it all, regardless of time and space. (smile)
‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts) in high places. Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (your waist girded with truth), and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph. 6:10-17)
Yes friends, that’s the basic armour of God, and if you don’t have it on, it doesn’t make sense going out to fight. But yuh know what, even with all of that armour on, yuh still missing one thing; the most important thing. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18) Well my fellow believers, as the scholars tell us: ‘Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Prayer is indispensable.’ So please pay serious attention to that.
And as per the fourth verse, just listen to the wonderfully encouraging scriptures. From Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure (death) is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto them also thatLOVEhis appearing.’ (2 Tim. 4:6-8)
And from Jesus to the church at Smyrna: ‘Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison. That ye may be tried (tested); and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.’ (Rev. 2:10) Ah mih people those two crowns – of righteousness and life – are certainly worth having, but it’s not easy. Both Bruh Paul and Jesus faced many hardships and fought and stood strong like real soldiers. And if we’re serious about our life with Christ, we can do it too.
Anyway, we’ll end with this pertinent bit of advice: ‘The challenge of “Stand Up for Jesus” is proclaimed through the military metaphors Paul uses in Ephesians 6:10-18. Although some decry the warlike imagery, the spiritual battle that Christians must fight is very real. Christ’s victory is assured even if we do not always move “from victory unto victory” in our earthly lives.’ And that’s the gospel truth friends, so please, let’s stand as best we can! That’s all Christ asks.Much LOVE!
…the enemy will not give up…neither should we believers…
05 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a complete love, a mere mortal, about doing God's work, all God's children, as your Father in heaven is perfect, be doers of the word, be of good cheer, be ye therefore perfect, bless them that curse you, bringeth forth much fruit, deceiving your own selves, do good to them that hate you, do unto others as you want them to do to you, even the publicans the same, he maketh the sun to rise on the evil and the good, His Holy Spirit indwelling us, I am the vine, I can absolutely do anything I put my mind to, i have overcome the world, I make a significant difference, I'm calm happy and content, I'm worthy of respect and acceptance, in the world, inhumane thoughts and actions, just how awesome you are, keep your hearts and minds, lazy slouchy day, let not your heart be troubled, Love your enemies, made in God's image, maturity in the faith, more Christian action, most of the time all we do is talk, my contributions to the world are valuable, my peace I give unto you, negative differences, neither let it be afraid, not as the world giveth, not enough compassion and mercy, not hearers only, only if Christ is your Lord and Saviour, our friend Anselm, Peace i leave with you, perishes like grass in the noonday sun, positive affirmation, positive differences, pray for them which despise you, remind yourself, Saturday, sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust, showing our faith through our works, the breath of His life flowing through us, the God awesome truth, the peace of God which passeth all understading, we talk a good talk, who strengthens you, ye are the branches, ye can do nothing without me, ye shall have tribulation, you can do anything through Christ
Matthew 5:48. Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
So it’s Saturday; that lazy, slouchy day again! And do I ever want to laze and slouch about… But it’s just not possible right now, cause I have the Lord’s work to do, and we can’t afford to laze and slouch when God’s work needs to be done! Amen! The problem though is that we talk a good talk about doing God’s work, but half the time that’s all we do; talk! If there was more truly Christian action from supposed believers, our world would certainly not be in the mess that it’s currently in.
So why don’t we stop talking and start doing eh? As James says, ‘be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.’ (James 1:22) Yes friends, only by showing our faith through our works will our world get out of the turbulence and calamity in which it’s now engulfed. Sermon done! (smile)
Now it’s time to check out some of the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a better tomorrow. And yes, the preface is still there: ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are. I’m calm, happy, and content,’ but that’s the only time we will write it. And please remember that you can ONLY do those things contained therein if Jesus Christ is truly your Lord and Saviour!
So here’s the first quote: ‘I’m worthy of respect and acceptance.’ And that’s the God awesome truth my brethren! All God’s children, all His creation is worthy of acceptance and respect, for we are made in His image, with the breath of His life flowing through us and His Holy Spirit indwelling us! So how can we not be worthy of respect and acceptance eh?
So please, let’s put all the tomfoolery about race, religion, power, wealth and all the other negative stuff we use to disrespect and refuse acceptance to each other aside so that our world could be a better place nuh. I don’t know how we can ever think that our world will be a better place with all that nonsense so prevalent and destructive in it.
The next quote tells us: ‘I can absolutely do anything I put my mind to.’ Now that’s definitely not true, for as a mere mortal, who perishes like the grass in the noon day sun, you cannot do anything you set your mind to because of your own strength. However, if you’re a follower of Jesus Christ, then you can do anything, through Christ who strengthens you.’ (Phil. 4:13) Glory be! Can you move a mountain in your own strength? Certainly not! But with Christ in your corner, you can, because as the Creator and Controller of this universe, ALL things are possible through Him! Wow!
And don’t forget too, this special statement Christ made the last time He visited us in human form: ‘I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5) Now that’s certainly telling it like it is! And having said that, this next quote should follow on from it: ‘My life becomes richer as I get older.’
Yes friends, as we get older and deeper in Jesus, our lives ought to get richer, not necessarily in money and earthly wealth, but in bearing good fruit for Christ, for as he says above, if we consistently hang out with Him, we will bear much good fruit. And He has no cause to lie about that. So yes, as we increase in age, with Christ in our lives, we get wiser and more peaceful and relaxed, less anxious and all those good things. The cares of the world don’t trouble us as much, for we have reached a stage where we can accept Christ’s truth in a practical manner in our lives.
‘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 16:33) Now how can we have good cheer when our world is falling apart? Again because of these awesome words of Jesus: ‘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 14:33) And you’re wondering how you can ever do that with the wicked storms that are continuously howling around you?
Simple. Because you have the peace of God working in and through you. ‘The peace of God which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:7) Yes, the peace of God, which transcends all human understanding, will guard us. Oh, how wonderful it is to experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand! But that only comes with age and maturity in the faith. Now, when we can accept all of that without necessarily understanding it all, then the last two quotes become even more important. ‘I make a significant difference to the lives of people around me,’ and ‘My contributions to the world are valuable.’
Ah mih bredrin…how I wish that I could truthfully say that we are all making significant differences, or rather positive significant differences to the lives of the people around us, because too many of us, including believers are making no difference, or instead negative differences that are causing more harm than is necessary. Yes, many of us are doing much worthwhile work, making plenty positive significant differences, but the truth of the matter is that it’s just not enough! Way too many of our fellow men are suffering either because of our many evil, inhumane thoughts and actions, or because of not enough compassionate and merciful ones.
Precious people, there is only ONE way for us to climb out of the disgusting and life destroying mire in which we’re now engulfed, and that’s through LOVE! It’s the only way! We must learn to LOVE even our enemies. Let’s listen as our Lord and Saviour puts it in its proper perspective nuh. ‘Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you.
That ye may be children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye LOVE them which LOVE you, what reward have ye? Do not even the publicans (tax collectors) the same? And if ye salute (greet) your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans (tax collectors) so? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.’ (Matt. 5:43-48)
And that’s it in a nutshell! (smile) Yes, it is difficult, but not impossible with Christ helping us. And as the scholars explain, ‘perfect here doesn’t mean sinless perfection, but “complete,” that is possessing a complete LOVE that, like God’s (vs. 45), embraces those who LOVE you as well as those who do not.’ I guess the best all-round definition and/or summation would be Jesus’ words which we characterize as the Golden Rule: ‘Do unto others as you would have them do unto you…’ (Matt. 7:12a) Much LOVE!
…LOVE in action is tough…but when times get tough…the tough (Christians) get going…
04 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: alive and kicking butt, amidst all the confusion, avoid serious setbacks, behaving responsibly, between you and your God, bring forth iniquity, can wake up and smell the coffee, conceive mischief, Covid-19, divulge the contents of our hearts, doing my part, doublespeak, Friday Chnat, get on our sinful knees, how soon is soon eh, insincerity, look to God for relief, neither his ear heavy, no one to blame but ourselves, no work or money, none calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth, our sinful world, right motives, selfish motives, sincere hearts, sinfulness, speak lies, speak with forked tongues, stand strong and steadfast, staying in mih yard, talking about a vaccine coming soon, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, that he cannot hear, that he will not hear, the error of their ways, the fruits of our disobedience, the rich getting richer in this pandemic time, they trust in vanity, to lablache, what is the problem eh, your fingers with iniquity, your hands are defiled with blood, your iniquities have separated, your lips have spoken lies, your sins have hid his face from you, your tongue hath muttered perverseness
Isaiah 59:2. But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
Well folks, we real late this snowy Friday morning. And if by chance yuh wondering why, it’s the same ole excuse; late to bed, late to rise. Hn! This morning was a real late one too. I won’t even tell you all what time I went to bed. (smile) But suffice it to say that I am now up, alive and kicking butt! So let’s turn right away to the words of the ordinary workingman, no time for me to ‘lablache’ this morning. (smile)
And he begins with a shake of his tired head and a sour ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! But why eh? What ah thanking Him for eh? Ah don’t have no work, or money, and ah don’t know when next I going to have either of them because of this Covid-19 business! Steups! What ‘s happening to our country…and our world eh? Ah doing my part, behaving responsible and staying in mih yard and yet still the Covid-19 numbers not going down, but staying up. So what is the problem eh?
Like is just me and my family who being responsible, and everybody else just going about their business regardless? And to make it worse, ah not seeing any money coming from the government like I did before. So what they expect me to do eh? They shut down mih workplace, and begging me to stay home, how they expect me to feed mih children eh? We can’t exist on wind pie and nothing chops for ever! And they keep talking about a vaccine coming soon…but how soon is soon eh? When half the people dead?
Ah Lord eh! And every day ah hearing or reading how the rich getting richer in this pandemic time…Hn! Yuh believe it? But it must be true, otherwise they wouldn’t keep on saying it. Now why should that surprise me eh, when I know from long time that the rich don’t really give a darm about the poor, is only talk deh talk!
Deh not only rich, but they could talk a good talk too, till even the poor man believe what deh say. Deh great at doublespeak, or as the Indians use to say in the movies, they speak with forked tongues. But what to do eh? I guess I just have to keep on praying, looking to God for some kinda relief yes, because it don’t seem like any coming from man nuh!’
Now friends, that’s the most sensible idea right now yes. Look to God for relief. But let me read you a passage from Isaiah why that might be a somewhat difficult task too. It all has to do with national corruption and consequent suffering. Isaiah informed Israel thus: ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
For your hands are defiled with blood (bloodshed), and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your tongue hath muttered perverseness. None calleth for justice, nor any pleadeth for truth: they trust in vanity (empty words), and speak lies; they conceive mischief (trouble or evil), and bring forth iniquity.’ (Is. 59:1-4) And so it goes on – the sins of the people of Israel for another 15 verses.
And also our iniquity my brethren, for it’s our sinfulness that’s keeping us from God! We can’t expect to be abominable, unrepentant sinners and still receive God’s grace and mercy! It just doesn’t work like that. If we expect to have good times in our land, then we need to be obedient to God and His word. Worship Him in spirit and truth, not just talk.
Remember all the promises He made? Remember most of them depended on us being sincere and obedient? And there’s no way we can say that our current world is either obedient or true to God and His word. So obviously there are consequences to our disobedience and demonic worship, and right now we’re experiencing the fruits of our disobedience and outright, doh care sinfulness. So there’s no one to blame but ourselves.
However, our God is such a wonderful Deity that He has also made provision for us to turn from our sinful ways and be reconciled to Him. So what say we use wisdom this very day and turn to Him for succour eh? Let’s do what He says, pray in earnest, with right motives in our hearts. So what we waiting for eh? Let’s get on our sinful knees and divulge the contents of our hearts to Him, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. Yuh know it’s been rough… what with all the anxiety, the confusion and havoc that the Covid-19 virus and the racial strife causing. We not accustomed to that kind of life Lord, and it really telling on us. And we know we can’t handle it on our own, that 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 sure and 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, so that we can avoid any more serious setbacks. And Lord, we fervently pray that You’ll use this situation to also bring a lot of backsliders back to your fold, show them the error of their ways.
It’s also a good opportunity to introduce a whole new flock, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion because of the way we, your faithful believers, handle the situation. 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 I don’t need to remind us that the Lord won’t bother with us if, or when He looks at our hearts and found insincerity and selfish motives there. So we better had buck up and be faithful believers and handle the situation properly! Much LOVE!
…it won’t get better…until we get better…
03 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: all that glistens is not gold, and forget not all his benefits, as a father pitys his children, as far as the east is from the west, bless the Lord oh my soul, bounty, clear direction for my life, compassionate, crowneth thee with loving-kindness, curse, do our bounden duty, executeth judgement for the oppressed, forgiving, free speech, generously share our blessings, giveth food to the hungry, God is a straight-shooter, gracious, he preserveth the strangers, he turneth upside down, he will not always chide, his acts unto the children of Israel, Jesus is filling our hearts, just, loving, magnanimous to a fault, merciful, negative word, neither will he keep his anger for ever, not even gold-plated, openeth the eyes of the blind, our world is totally rotten inside, plenteous in mercy, prosper, raiseth them that are bowed down, redeemeth thy life from destruction, relieveth the fatherless and widow, rewarded us according to our iniquities, righteous, satisfieth thy mouth with good things, self-control, slow to anger, so far hath he removed our transgressions, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him, stubborn hard-hearted pride, succeed, supernatural wisdom, tender mercies, that white menace, the inmates of the asylum, the Lord is merciful and gracious, the Lord looseth the prisoners, the Lord loveth the righteous, the sun's shining brightly!, the way of the wicked, Thursday Blessings, thy youth is renewed like the eagle's, turned against their Keeper, we are dust, weighty cement shoes, welcomed them with opened arms, what a sad tale to tell, which made heaven and earth
Psalm 103:2. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Gee…it’s Thursday, Thursday, Thursday! The day before Friday, Friday, Friday, when we’re let out to play! And thankfully, the roadways are bereft of that white menace, so nicely called snow! It sure seems like all’s right with our world; the sun’s shining brightly, Jesus is filling our hearts, and the java, she is indeed worthy of that venerable name; strong and sweet and potent!
But remember, all that glistens is certainly not gold, sometimes not even gold-plated. (smile) Yeh friends, despite the outward sheen, our world is totally rotten inside, and stinking to high hell! Hn, hn hn! I just realized I said, ‘high hell’ instead of ‘high heaven’. But that’s okay because heaven doesn’t encourage stench to come up there. (smile) Unfortunately though, the works of evil dominate our societies from one end of the globe to the other, from north to south and east to west! What a sad tale to tell! And why is our world in such a discombobulated and uncertain state eh?
One basic reason; the inmates of the asylum have turned against their Keeper, their Maker, the Lord God Almighty: ‘Which made heaven, and earth, the sea, and all that therein is: which keepeth truth forever: Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous: The Lord preserveth (watches over) the strangers; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside down (makes crooked their way).’ (Ps. 146: 6-9)
Oh my people, that’s whom we have turned against! And no wonder our world is turned upside down, in a topsy-turvy evil and ungodly mess! If you turn against the good, just, LOVING, compassionate, merciful, gracious, righteous and forgiving One who created it all – and still controls it all, what else can you really expect eh?
But yuh know what my people, the same way we have turned away from God, we can again turn back to Him. The Israelites in their foolish and stubborn hard-hearted pride, although they knew of His goodness as well as His wrath, did it several times, and each time they came back, He welcomed them with opened arms, for that’s the kind of forgiving and merciful God He is!
Hear how Bruh David puts it nuh in Psalm 103 – Thanksgiving for God’s mercy: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-kindness and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed. He made his ways known unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel.’ (Ps. 103:2-7)
Yuh see friends, our God is a straight shooter! He made whatever He made, however He wanted to make it, and then told us how He wanted us to behave, and what rules He wanted us to follow. But He was then magnanimous to a fault; He gave us the bounty, or weighty cement shoes of free speech. It could work either way, depending on our disposition towards Him. And sadly, I have to say that right now that supposed garnishee of free speech is acting like cement shoes, for we have turned against God and our abominable sins are weighing us down into the mire of deceit and self-destruction.
But the awesome God who made us is so wonderful, so magnanimous, that He’s known as the God of second chances, in fact the God of many chances! That’s why Bruh David could further expound in Psalm 103: ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous (abounding) in mercy (LOVING-kindness). He will not always chide (strive): neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy (LOVING-kindness) toward them that fear (sincerely reverence) him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear (sincerely reverence) him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust.’ (Ps. 103:8-14)
Oh mih people, what more can I say eh? I’ve tried to prove to us why our world is in such a sad and sorry state, and also how we can get it out of that distressing mess. It all depends on our relationship with the Lord God Almighty, Maker and Ruler of heaven and earth! If we sincerely worship and reverence Him, then our world will be turned around, be saved from the hellfire and damnation to which we’re currently headed in our dreadful and sinful pride and stubbornness!
It’s all up to us. Remember what Bruh David said at the start: ‘forget not all his benefits.’ (Ps. 103:2) Yes friends, all that Lord does and says is not for His benefit, but for ours, and He will not force us to do what we don’t want to do. So our future is all in our hands. End of sermon! (smile)
Now for those of us who are sincerely trying to live the way God desires, let’s go home declaring (yeahh!) our Thursday Blessings; awesome blessings which the Lord has magnanimously bestowed on us, so that we can do His work down here on earth. Altogether now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
So let’s go out now and do our bounden duty nuh; share those blessings with others, just as magnanimously and generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to sincerely reverence our God…brings such joy and peace…to one’s spirit and soul…
02 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, Advent, an abundance of sunshine, be not faithless but believing, be worry free, because thou hast seen me, blessed are they that have not seen me, bringing gifts of incense, can't only talk belief, celebrate the birth of Christ, Christmas hustle is on, compassion, doubting Thomas, earthly kings coming to pay Christ homage, eternal life for those willing to believe, forgiveness, frankincense and myrrh, halfway home, LOVE, mercy, more glorious than we can ask or imagine, must show our faith in our actions, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, my hands are fixed securely on the plough, needs to be a personal decision, not looking back, on the cross at Calvary, only believe, peace, provide salvation, rose triumphantly from the dead, sacrificed His innocent blood, show us the light, the breath of life, thou hast believed, to a glorious future with Jesus, we were irreparably lost, Wednesday Wail, with a Covid-19 flavour, yet have believed
John 20:29. Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen me, and yet have believed.
Well I guess the best way to get into winter mode is to have two snowfalls as close together as possible. (smile) Yes, that seems logical. Anyway, by the time we cleaned up the first one yesterday, we had another one last night – not as bad as the first, but snow is snow! (smile) But thankfully the sun is shining brightly this morning, so we have an abundance of sunshine, both physically and spiritually through our Lord and Saviour, Christ Jesus! Nothing could be better for our souls!
And what’s there to talk about this morning eh? Oh, I truly forgot that we’re now into the month of December when we celebrate the birth of Christ, so the Christmas hustle is on, just with a Covid-19 flavour. (smile) Yes, we’re into the church season termed Advent, where we symbolically look forward to and celebrate the first coming of our Lord a couple of thousand years ago in the manger at Bethlehem, with all the glory and pageant of angels singing, shepherds and earthly kings coming to pay Him homage, bringing gifts of frankincense, incense and myrrh.
Yeh mih people, it is one of the big celebration times of the Christian’s year, when the Father acknowledged that we were irreparably lost and sent His only Son to earth in the form of man to eventually save us from our abominable sins and the overwhelming cloud of darkness which we were then living under. To show us the light, and provide salvation, eternal life for those who were willing to believe in Him. What a glorious start to a new way of life that was, though many refused to believe and accept Him at His word.
That brings us to the point in His story, after he had sacrificed His innocent blood on the cross of Calvary, and rose triumphantly from the dead, even His disciples refused to believe that He was their real Lord and Saviour, alive in living colour. And He showed Himself first to some of them, who believed. But one who wasn’t there, Thomas, refused to believe until he had placed his hands in the scars of His hands and side.
And when Jesus finally appeared unto the twelve at once, and offered Thomas the chance to ‘Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless (unbelieving), but believing.’ (John 20:27) Only then did Thomas delightedly crow: ‘My Lord and my God.’ (John 20:28)
But Jesus had a warning word for Him and for all of us who would come after Him down through the ages.‘Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen me, and yet have believed.’(John 20:29) What a serious statement and warning that is my people, especially for believers in these deceitful, treacherous and uncertain times.
Believing is of the utmost importance for us to get through them. We can’t only talk belief in these days of utter confusion, we need to show our faith, our belief in serious action, to let others know that we truly hold Christ as our Lord and Saviour and that He is, and will keep on helping and guiding us through the fear and anxiety caused by all the disaster happening in our world. And if they want to be as worry free as we Christians are, they need to, and can certainly accept Him as their Lord and Saviour, and He will also deliver them from their fear and anxiety.
But only by our actions friends, by highlighting our compassion, LOVE, mercy, grace and genuine forgiveness, by helping them in whatever sphere they need help, can we ever hope to win them over to Jesus. They especially need to see His awesome peace within us, in this much less than peaceful time. We must action these momentous words of Jesus. ‘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).
Oh precious people of Christ, when we truly believe, a divine kind of peace rises up in us, giving us the confidence to face the world no matter what comes against us. But then we must sincerely believe in Christ Jesus to get that kind of peace, for the world doesn’t give it. What the world has to offer is not real peace, but an insincere kind of peace; faked, just like so many more of its offerings. But when we truly accept Christ and what He has to offer, it makes a big difference in our lives.
Here’s how He characterizes it: ‘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 16:33) Wow mih bredrin, what powerful, but oh so true words! Jesus has conquered hell, death and the grave, so He does have the authority to make such an earth shattering statement! And if you truly believe in Him, then you too will be able to find an inner peace despite all the turbulence that’s happening around you.
Yes, the essence of the whole programme isBELIEF! And sincere belief at that, not a wishy- washy, flakey, doubting, wavering kind of belief. And we’ll end with these marvellous and true words of John the Baptist, who was the harbinger, sent to bear witness of Christ’s coming and His divine personhood. ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but hath the wrath of God abideth (remains) in him.’ (John 3:36)
Now it could not get any plainer than that; believe and you have life, do not believe, and you perish. And the very important thing about it all is that every individual has to come to that decision for themselves. Others can lead or guide you, but it needs to be a personal decision to accept Christ as Lord and Saviour. So for those of us who have truly done so, let’s go home now declaring (steups!) our Wednesday Wail, telling the world in no uncertain terms, our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
Altogether now: ‘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 if you truly believe, and endure unto the end, then your future will be indeed more glorious that you can ask or imagine.Much LOVE!
…believe…only believe…that’s all Jesus asks…
01 Dec 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the riches of his glory, after the rain, be strong, be ye also ready, bounden duty, by his Spirit, concoct such profound statements, desperately wicked, destroys what he loves, evil fiends, for in such an hour as ye think not, friend of Jesus, I am the beloved of god, I have refused him, in the inner man, just like the good Lord made it, let all your things be done with charity, let your conversation be as it becometh, look not on his countenance, looking so white and beautiful, man is sadistic, man looketh on the outward appearance, man sullies everything he touches, no weapon formed against us will prosper, not what I do, not what I have, not what people say about me, on the height of his stature, one one cocoa full basket, our sinful nature adores, quit you like men, share His love with the world, stand fast in faith, stanf ast in one spirit, the breaking point of sinfulness, the gospel of christ, the greatest of these is love, the heart is deceitful, the human capacity for evil is unending, the Lord looketh on the heart, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the Lord would grant you, the Son of man cometh, then comes the snow, this level of sinfulness, to be strengthened with might, Tuesday Mantra, watch therefore, watch ye, white virginal stuff, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come
1 Corinthians 16:13-14. Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (LOVE).
Sing it with me people: ‘And after the rain, yes after the rain, then comes the snow…oh yeah…after the rain, then comes the snow, alooking so white and beautiful, just like the good Lord made it to be, just like the good Lord made it to be…’
Oh friends, around 4 o’clock this morning, before I went to bed, I dreamed up that li’l ditty…obviously with the Lord’s help, since I could not concoct such profound statements all on my very own. (smile) But it had been raining for most of the day, and when I looked outside then, was I surprised to see the place all covered with that white virginal stuff.
But yuh know something, once man puts foot in that virginal snow, he sullies it, sullies it good and proper, just like he sullies everything he touches. And just for your info, that white stuff is now falling again out there, coming down in a gazillion droplets, more like rain than snowflakes, but as they say, ‘one one cocoa full basket,’ so every drop that falls adds to, and heightens the level of snow on the ground. (smile)
And another thing, it wasn’t only the snow that God made to be beautiful, but also mankind. That’s why it so cruelly breaks His soft and tender heart when we turn away from Him, and become the evil fiends our sinful nature adores.
And remember, yesterday we were talking about the abdominal sinfulness of man, and considering if we had reached the limit yet where God would again destroy us? Well, unfortunately, I received this mind boggling, heartbreaking response from one of our Scrip-Bit family members. In her own words: ‘We have NOT reached the breaking point of sinfulness. The human capacity for evil is unending.’ Now doesn’t that just drive you crazy, to know that we can become even more sinful that we already are?
Brother! I can’t even contemplate another level of sin for us to ascend to! I guess my mental capacity is just too small to comprehend such a big undertaking. But I prefer it so yes, because then I might just rise to a more sinful level myself. So please, please, just leave me at this level of sinfulness eh! (smile)
And the real sad part in all our sinfulness is not that it’s directed to, or against God nuh, although it works out thus in the long run, but all the evil we perpetrate is basically directed towards our fellow man and our life-giving environment. Man seems to be truly sadistic, destroying what he portends to LOVE, and in the process, his very self.
And very unfortunately, it seems the olden but golden words of the prophet Jeremiah ring ever so true these days: ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately (incurable) wicked: who can know it?’ (Jer. 17:9) Now does that mean our hearts can’t be cured of its wickedness? I certainly hope not, else there’s no hope whatsoever for us!
The good thing though, is that our God and Creator knows the motives and will of all of our hearts. He made them so He knows how to decipher them, and that’s exactly what He does before He answers our prayers. That’s why the Lord said to Samuel, when He sent him to Jesse’s house to anoint a new king for Israel and Samuel thought the first son, Eliab, was the one: ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7)
Oh my fellow believers, that’s why we need to often cry out to God like Bruh David did in Psalm 51 – A prayer for cleansing. ‘Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right (steadfast) spirit within me.’ (Ps. 51:10) Yes precious people of God, if our hearts are so wicked, then it’s only the Lord who can cleanse us and renew a right and steadfast spirit within us, so that we can continue to do His work down here on earth, and make it be as it is in heaven.
And to help us with all that we’re currently going through, I read an interesting exhortation from Bruh Paul last night that seems very apropos to our situation. In his first missive to the church at Corinth, he exhorts them thus: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men, be strong. Let all your things be done with charity (LOVE).’ (1 Cor. 16:13-14) Now that seems to be very good advice for all believers, or even better yet, ALL mankind, considering the turbulent, controversial and uncertain situation in which our world is currently entangled.
And now just a few scriptures to reinforce that directive. First some more prayer and exhortation from Bruh Paul. To the Ephesians, he desired: ‘That he (the Lord) would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.’ (Eph. 3:16) Yes friends, we do need divine enablement to help us successfully live the Christian life.
And in exhorting the Philippians to steadfastness, he prayed. ‘Only let your conversation be as it becometh (let your conduct be worthy of) the gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the gospel. And in nothing (no way) terrified by your adversaries: which is to them an evident token (a proof) of perdition (destruction), but to you of salvation, and that of God.’ (Phil. 2:27-28)
That means my brethren, we need to stand strong together, in one spirit, in unity, spreading the gospel of Christ in LOVE, and not being afraid of those who come against us. For if our great God is for us, who can be against us eh, especially since He’s so faithfully promised that no weapon formed against us will prosper or harm us. (Is. 54:17)
And last, but certainly not least, these momentous words from Christ Jesus as to when divine intervention would come, be it good or bad. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come… Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24: 42, 44) And if we believe in Jesus, then we ought to adhere to His words – watch and pray…and be ready.
So for those of us who sincerely try to do so, let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know who and whose we are. In strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘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!’
So precious saints of Christ, it now behooves us to stand strong and steadfast in unity and share Jesus’ LOVE and friendship with ALL humanity! That’s our bounden duty! Much LOVE!
…and now abideth faith, hope, LOVE…these three… but the greatest of these is…LOVE… (1 Cor. 13:13)
30 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a change in divine direction, breaking point of sinfulness, disobedience, divine intervention, every imagination of, found grace in the sight of the Lord, God hath no pleasure in fools, God saw, grace, grieving God's heart, heightened level of sin, humble ourselves and pray, implosion, in complete control, it repented the Lord, Jehovah Rapha, lost a mental screw, mercy, Noah, of all my mental faculties, one common denominator, pandemic of Covid 19, reached its capacity for sin, return to the God of our fathers, righteous purposes, rise and shine, sin, standing in faith, TGIM, Thank God it's Monday, the bucket bottom drops out, the God who heals, the thoughts of his heart, the wickedness of man, time longer than twine, was great in the earth, was only evil continually, white knight in shining armour
Genesis 6:5. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination (intent) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (all the day).
Welcome, welcome one and all, to that great day called Monday, the first day of our new work week! Now, not because I am pledging allegiance to Monday, which so many people dislike, for one reason or another, means I have lost a mental screw. In fact, I am here to inform you that I am in complete control of all my mental faculties! (smile) Ah friends, somebody must stand up for Monday as it’s so hard done by, with so much abuse and derogatory remarks unjustly hurled at it.
And today, I’ve decided to be its white knight in shining armour! Wow! What bravery and courage! (smile) And we even going to say: ‘TGIM! Thank God it’s Monday! Time for us to rise and shine and go to work – those of us who still have jobs that is, and are actually allowed to go out in the streets!
Ah Lord, what a life eh? Who would have thought some months ago that life would be this disastrous eh? But it is…all over the world. So why have things deteriorated so far, so fast eh? I believe there is one common denominator: SIN! Our world is so evil, sinful and wicked that it has just reached a stage where it can’t handle it comfortably anymore. Yuh know, like when yuh have a container and you’re putting stuff in it, after a while it’s reached its physical capacity, and adding anything further will cause it to break or burst, the bucket bottom drop out, or it simply overflow?
Well that is what’s happened to our world. It’s simply reached its capacity for sin, and like a swollen river, it’s now overflowing its banks and causing havoc all over. And remember way back when, after God created man and they populated the earth, what happened? The Good Book tells us: ‘And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination (intent) of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually (all the day).’ (Gen. 6:5)
And yuh know what mih bredrin? We’re approaching that breaking point of sinfulness again. That first time it so disappointed the Lord that the Good Book relates it thus: ‘And it repented the Lord (He was sorry) that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me (I am sorry) that I have made them.’ (Gen. 6:5-7)
And He destroyed the earth and all its people by means of a flood, it rained steadily for forty days and forty nights. Only Noah, who found grace in the sight of the Lord, and his family and two of each of the other creations were saved in the ark the Lord instructed Noah to build. Hn! That’s certainly food for thought!
But before we go any further, let’s clarify one thing as the scholars explain. ‘6:6-8. Repented does not imply that God made a mistake in His dealings with men, but rather indicates a change in divine direction resulting from the actions of man. It is an “anthropopathism” (a human emotion applied to God) describing the pain that is caused God by the destructiveness of His creatures. It is used 30 times with God as its subject, each time speaking of a change of mind or intention that accords with His righteous purposes, and results in action commensurate with those purposes.’
And yuh think our current sinfulness isn’t grieving God’s heart? For sure it is! Especially after He sacrificed His only Son Jesus Christ so that our sin debt could be paid in full and we receive salvation and everlasting life by believing in Him. That would hurt even the hardest heart, and our God’s heart is certainly not hard. It shows our ingratitude like nothing else can.
Now I don’t know if He’s planning to destroy the world again, cause He only promised not to destroy it by water, but it’s something we should certainly consider with the heightened level of sin that’s running rampant today. But as the ole people would say; ‘time longer than twine yes,’ and the Lord might just sit down and wait and leave us to destroy our own selves, because if we continue the way we’re going, that will be the eventual outcome.
Oh mih people, I’m sure the Lord doesn’t want to destroy us again, but if we give Him no choice, what’s He to do eh? If we continue with the obstinate and stubborn disobedience it might just come to that. But thankfully, we’re wiser and smarter than we’ve been credit for, and we’ve come to our senses and realized our behavior is indeed foolish and shortsighted and can only lead to further calamity. (smile) Thus we’ve decided to give up our sinful ways and return to the God of our forefathers in true repentance and sincerity.
And right now we’re going to go to Him through the medium that He’s appointed, prayer – our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and tell Him just that. So all together, let’s pray:‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, 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!’
All I can say now is that we better had pay that vow we just made to God, for as Cousin Sol so rightly says, He hath no pleasure in fools. (Eccl. 5:4) Yes friends, it’s all up to us now! Much LOVE!
…only sincere repentance can save our world…from eventual implosion…or divine intervention…
29 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gospel music standard, beautiful words of reassurance, call and answer, change our attitudes, confusion, Coronavirus lockdown, discontent, Edwin Hawkins singers, get with the programme, give God the glory, have it more abundantly, he taught me how to watch, hellfire and damnation, I am come that they might have life, I am the good shepherd, I give unto them eternal life, I know them, lift our heads, living a joyless ungodly life, muddy the waters, my sheep hear my voice, no man can pluck them out of my hand, Oh Happy Day, paid the Father's steep price, Philip Doddridge, Remind us of God's goodness, running rampant in our world, soulful and scintillating, strife, the best gift ever, the good shepherd gives his life for his sheep, the happiest day ever, the joy of the Lord is your strength, The Lord's sanctuary is desolate, the Lord's Day, they shall never perish, to cleanse and save us from, to live rejoicing every day, to watch and fight and pray, upheaval, when Jesus washed my sins away
John 10:11. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Oh friends, the Lord’s Day has rolled around once again, but sadly, this time His house, His sanctuary is desolate because of the Coronavirus lockdown. Thankfully though, that doesn’t mean He can’t bless us and make His face to shine upon us, because we’ll still be gathering to sing and praise and worship Him, though through virtual means, through the wonders of technology.
And because of all the strife, confusion, upheaval and discontent that’s currently running rampant in our world, I decided that we needed a real thankful and joyful song to open our worship today, something to lift our spirits and remind us of our God’s goodness and LOVING-kindness. And I’m sure you’ll all agree that there could not be a better song than this one to do it. I’m talking about ‘Oh Happy Day!’
Yes mih people, up on point today is that 1967 gospel music arrangement by the Edwin Hawkins Singers of the 18thcentury hymn written by clergyman Philip Doddridge, which in the intervening years has certainly become a gospel music standard. Just check out YouTube and you’ll see the many different versions. And today we’re really going to get into it, giving it the full gospel treatment, with lots of hand clapping, the music rich and soulful and scintillating, with the tambourines jangling and the call and answer response right up front, for that’s what really lends the song its verve and chutzpah. (smile)
So altogether now, in full voice, letting heaven know that we’re serious and sincere: ‘Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) (Repeat)
He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day Every day Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) Oh, when He washed (When Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (When Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (Oh, happy day) Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day)
He taught me how (He taught me how) To watch and fight and pray Watch and pray And live rejoicing every day (Good God) Every day Oh, happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, it’s a happy day (Oh, happy day) Oh, Lord (Oh, happy day) Mmm, good God (Oh, happy day) Oh yeah (Oh, happy day) Mmm, oh (Oh, happy day).’
Yes mih bredrin, that was an awesome version! Heaven had no doubt that we were sincere! And this time, Jesus couldn’t just sit smiling shyly by the Father’s side…how could He when all heaven was dancing, singing and clapping too eh…including the Father? Jesus had to get up and do a li’l two step to acknowledge the praise and worship. And believe me precious people, Jesus deserves all of that adoration and reverence for the willing sacrifice; crucifixion on the old rugged cross at Calvary, that He made on our behalf!
Wow! What a day it truly was when He washed our sins away, when He paid the Father’s steep price to cleanse and save us from hellfire and damnation! It was indeed the happiest day that mankind had ever experienced, and the best gift ever given to us after the Lord breathed His breath of life into our forefather Adam’s nostrils! As Jesus so rightly said of Himself: ‘I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ (John 10:11) And that’s exactly what He did; gave His life for us on the cross, so that we could be reconciled to the Father and live…live forever! Glory be people!
How amazing and sacrificial is that eh! And hear Him later on nuh: ‘My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me. And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck (snatch) them out of my hand. My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck (snatch) them out of my Father’s hand. I and my Father are one.’ (John 10:27-30) Mama Mia! What beautiful words of reassurance?
And the scholars express it thus: ‘10:27-29. Never perish: These verses declare the assurance that all believers will be utterly safe from any creature that might wish to destroy them.’ Can any other faith sincerely promise that? Absolutely not! And what’s so great about Jesus is not that He just washed our sins away, but He also taught us to how to watch and fight and pray! Glory Hallelujah! What a giant He is!
And to add to all that, He taught us how to live rejoicing every day too! So why wouldn’t we proud of Him eh? And revere and adore and worship Him; as well as call Him Lord and Saviour? No reason whatsoever to do otherwise my fellow saints in Christ!
But unfortunately I have to muddy the waters here, cause not all of His followers walk the talk that they talk. Too many of us don’t watch and fight and pray, nor live rejoicing every day, although our sins have been washed away and we’ve been guaranteed eternal life. Now isn’t that a crying shame, because it just makes Jesus’ sacrifice of no account if we keep on living that joyless, ungodly life. Remember what He also said: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.’ (John 10:10) That means we’re supposed to enjoy our earthly lives if we’re true believers, not live downtrodden and dismal existences.
Oh my people, heaven begins here on earth if you’re a follower of Jesus, and we ought to be the happiest and most joyful group of people on the planet because of all that He’s done and promised to do in the future. So let’s get with the programme nuh, let’s change our attitudes, lift our heads and give God the glory through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, for that’s why He sacrificed His sinless life! Much LOVE!
…if you’re a true believer…then you ought to be joyful…for the joy of the Lord is your strength…
28 Nov 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according as God hath dealt, aspires to inspire us, be not conformed to this world, be unique in our own selves, be ye transformed, being in sync with Jesus, body shaming, by the renewing of your mind, calm, destroy our self-esteem, dislike ourselves, do count them but dung, do so ent like so, do ye even so to them, doctored images, English type weather, finally some decent sunshine, for a better tomorrow, for the prize of, God prizes humility above pride, happy, I am enough, I choose to be proud of myself, I counted loss for Christ, I let go of all that no longer serves me, I love myself fully, I press toward the mark, I will not compare myself, it is not good that man should be alone, just how awesome you are, love the Lord your God, Love your neighbour as yourself, more highly than he ought to think, more narcissistic than godly, negative habits, not to think of himself, our friend Anselm, outright lies, positive affirmation, ray of tarnished sunshine, religious credentials, remind yourself, satanic thing, social media, that good acceptable and perfect will of God, the godly realm of Christ, the golden rule, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the measure of faith, the ungodly realm of Satan, the way i look, think soberly, this is the law and the prophet, to strangers on the Internet, too big for our britches, what things were gain to me, whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, without me ye can do nothing, ye may prove
Matthew 7:12. Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophet.
Well finally some decent sunshine in my area! Brother! We haven’t really seen the sun in my neck of the woods this past week, just mere dark, cloudy, dreary, wet days, with the occasional ray of tarnished sunshine. Let’s hope this bright flood will last for at a least a couple of days, I’m tired with what they consider the English type weather. (smile) And yes, I know I have Jesus to warm me up and brighten my day, but that doesn’t mean some physical sunshine isn’t nice every once in a while too!
So since it’s that lazy day called Saturday, let’s turn to the quotes our friend Anselm sent us this past week, as he aspires to inspire us for a brighter tomorrow. And as the new style persists, they are all prefaced by: ‘Positive affirmation you should tell yourself to remind yourself just how awesome you are. I’m calm, happy, and content,’ but I will only reference it this one time. And a gentle reminder that all of that is only possible if you’re in cahoots with Jesus! (smile) And the first quote is an ever so important one: ‘I will not compare myself to strangers on the Internet.’
And do we ever need to stop doing that, because it is driving us crazy, especially when the images shown on social media are often outright lies and/or doctored images. We are allowing the practice of body shaming, amongst other negative habits, to destroy our self-esteem and make us dislike ourselves; the way we look, think and behave. That’s utterly foolish my brethren, for who says we need to look like or behave like others eh? If the Lord wanted us to be all alike, He would have made us so. But He wanted us all to be different, to be unique in our own selves, that’s why He created us like we are.
So it’s a sin against Him, our trying to look like others, most of whom are fakers anyway. Right now, social media is the biggest expletive deleted satanic thing we have in our society. It’s being used for more negative stuff than positive. No wonder our society is in the disgusting state it’s in! Nuff said on that!
Then there’s this quote that’s contrary to the first one: ‘I LOVE myself fully, including the way I look.’ Now that’s a li’l more like it! But we must also be on guard that we don’t over LOVE ourselves, or in a manner that’s more narcissistic than godly. It’s necessary that we like ourselves because we take ourselves with us wherever we go, and it’s not wise to have a constant travelling companion you don’t like. (smile)
Remember the premium Jesus placed on true LOVE? He broke down all the commandments to just two: LOVE the Lord God, and LOVE your neighbour as yourself. (Matt. 22:37) That means respecting and caring for your neighbour as you respect and care for yourself. I guess it could be best described by what we call the Golden Rule, more sensitive and commanding words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophet.’ (Matt. 7:12)
Yes precious people, that ought to be the rule that we live by; do unto others as we want them to do unto us. But unfortunately that doesn’t hold true in today’s society, we practice the other side of the coin, doing to others what we don’t want them to do to us. Or as the ole people would say: ‘Do so ent like so!’ We obviously don’t like others throwing back to us what we first threw to them! Now why does that surprise us eh?
That leads us to this next quote: ‘I am enough.’ Now that I believe is a rather disturbing thought and sentence. Why? Because in the first place we by ourselves are never enough! The saying that no man is an island is ever so true. We can’t stand alone and be as productive and useful as God desires of us. Remember why and what He said when He created Eve in the Garden of Eden? ‘And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him (a helper comparable to him).’ (Gen. 2:18)
Then He formed Eve out of Adam’s rib. If He thought that man was sufficient alone, He would never have made woman to help him. So why do we think that we are sufficient unto ourselves eh? Remember Jesus’ words too about the vine and the branches: ‘…for without me ye can do nothing.’ (John 15:5b) And that’s the gospel truth! And until we all understand that and act wisely upon it, we won’t ever amount to what we were made to amount to! Matter fix!
And again we have another somewhat troubling quote: ‘I choose to be proud of myself and the things I choose to do.’ Now hopefully all those things are not within the ungodly realm of Satan, but within the godly realm of Jesus! If they are within Satan’s realm, then you should not be proud of them, for why should we ever be proud of evil doing eh?
But if they are within the realm of Jesus, you can be proud of them, but not to the exclusion of the one who gave you the strength and grace to do them; meaning Christ, through whom we can do ALL things. And in our pride, please, let’s remember these notable words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith.’ (Rom. 12:3)
And the scholars offer this interesting explanation of that verse. ‘12:3. The righteousness of God will cause the believer to conduct himself in humility in the local church (vs. 3-8). Paul meets two dangers that the individual faced in the exercise of his spiritual gifts. He might overestimate himself and try to exercise a gift God never gave him. Or he might underestimate himself and fail to exercise the gift God has given to him. Paul shows that God has given each believer specific gifts to enable him to do what God wants him to do. No one is excluded.’ And that’s the indisputable truth!
However, we must be careful to remember that it’s only through God’s underserved grace that we do all that we do, and not get too big for our britches, like our world has recently gotten, else the Lord will cut us down to size, just like He’s doing right now with all the strife and disasters and sickness He’s allowing in our oh so wonderful, but oh so sinful world!
And the last quote says: ‘I let go of all that no longer serves me.’ And that’s what we all need to do! And I’ll give us just two scriptures on that subject. The first is this, more words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘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.’ (Rom. 12:2) Yes friends, if we intend to live for Jesus, then we need to give up all that the world holds highly, and seek God’s righteousness first of all, by first transforming our minds, because that’s where all the major battles are fought.
And lastly, let’s remember Bruh Paul’s words to the church at Philippi! ‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung (rubbish), that I may win Christ.’ (Phil. 3:7-8) Yeh friends, Bruh Paul gave up all his many educational and religious credentials to know Christ! He even considered them rubbish in the end.
Now let’s remember that God prizes humility above pride, but we still need to have a delicate balance between both. So let’s go home with these words of Bruh Paul ringing in our hearts, minds, bodies and souls nuh. ‘I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:14) We couldn’t do any better. Much LOVE!
… a good and successful life…all hinges on…being in sync with Jesus…
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SCRIP-BITS 
Today’s Scrip-Bit 7 December 2020 Psalm 121:2.
07 Dec 2020 Leave a comment
by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: a good understanding, against the rich and mighty, awe-filled reverence towards God, awesome grace and mercy, divine retribution, fight for the poor and downtrodden, gives us thought for pause, god moves in mysterious ways, have all they that do his commandments, he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, I will greatly praise the Lord, I will lift up mine eyes to the hills, in a quandary, in this wicked perverse world, Jehovah Rapha, keeps us on the right track, make me to understand, merciful forgiving God, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my help cometh from the Lord, my well has run dry, no coherent subject to comment on, praise him among the multitude, sincere repentance, so shall I talk of thy wondrous works, teach me O Lord, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, the God who heals, the Lord is thy keeper, the Lord shall preserve thy going out and coming in, the way of thy precepts, the way of thy statutes, those that condemn his soul, turn from our evil ways, which made heaven and earth
Psalm 121:2. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.
Oh friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a quandary this morning; he doesn’t know what to talk about, he has no coherent subject to comment on, like my well has run dry. (smile) These things do happen to the best of us at times. However, as I was leafing through the Good Book, the Psalms in particular, I came upon some verses that seemed to be just made for today. They’re all from different psalms, but something about them just touched me and I got the great idea to put them forward for our understanding and knowledge today. And I hope that all of them, or even just one touches our hearts this Monday morning and gives us thought for pause and ‘ponderation.’ (smile)
So here goes. The first verse comes from Psalm 109 – A prayer for the punishment of the wicked – from the pen of Bruh David. After wishing divine retribution on his enemies, he boldly declares (yeahh!): ‘I will greatly praise the Lord with my mouth; yea, I will praise him among the multitude. For he shall stand at the right hand of the poor, to save him from those that condemn (are judging) his soul.’ (Ps. 109:30-31)
My question is, are we praising the Lord greatly amongst the multitude of the heathen, among the numerous evildoers in our world? And do we believe that the Lord will fight for the poor and downtrodden against the rich and mighty? If our hearts are right, the answer to both questions ought to be a loud and proud: ‘YES!’
The next verse comes from Psalm 111, where the psalmist proclaims with certainty: ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever.’ (Ps. 111:10) Now that’s the very essence of life my people!
And to show it’s oh so true, Job made that declaration in Job 28:28, and Cousin Sol makes the same declaration, not once, but three times; in Prov. 1:7, Prov. 9:10, and Eccl. 12:13. So there must be a whole lot of truth to it. That leads to the question, do we fear the Lord? Do we possess that awe-filled reverence toward the Lord God Almighty; He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? Hopefully we will all shout out another loud and proud: ‘YES!’
And then we move on to that great Psalm 119, where the author desires of the Lord: ‘Make me to understand the way of thy precepts: so shall I talk of thy wondrous works….Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall keep it unto the end. Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.’ (Ps. 119:27, 33-34)
Wow mih bredrin! Those are the kinds of things we ask of the Lord when we have wisdom, when we reverence Him with our whole hearts, soul and being, because those are the things that keep us on the right track in this wicked and perverse world. And yuh know what’s next, (smile) the question of whether we desire those right-living things of the Lord? And I hear another loud and proud shout of: ‘YES, WE DO!’
Glory be mih people! That’s why we can conclude with these awesome words of the psalmist, as he talks of God’s sustaining power in Psalm 121: ‘I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills (mountains), from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth.’ (Ps. 121:1-2) Yes friends, our help comes from nowhere or No One else but the Lord God Jehovah!
And as the psalmist continues: ‘He will not suffer thy foot to be moved (slip): he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper (protector): the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord shall preserve (keep) thee from all evil. The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.’ (Ps. 121:1-8) And do we believe all of that? ‘YES!’
Good! Then in awe-filled reverence and wisdom, let’s look to the Lord for the help that we desperately need today nuh. Let’s cry out to Him for succour and sustenance through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for we desperately need His assistance. So altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world.
We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have 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, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance, and direction to bring our problems under control.
And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, 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!’
Now please remember, the state of our hearts, if they are filled with true repentance, will decide the Lord’s answer. And who would have ‘thunked’ it eh – I didn’t have anything to say. (smile) Our God surely does move in mysterious ways. That’s why He’s such a great and wonderful God! Much LOVE!
…only when we look up…will help come from above…