Today’s Scrip-Bit 23 June 2010 Psalm 91:1‏

23 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Psalm 91:1      He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
 
Oh Friends, by now most of you would have heard of the two conferences of Heads of Governments, the G8 and G20, scheduled to take place in Toronto and Huntsville this coming weekend, where it’s estimated that over one billion dollars will be spent on security measures. Hn! Right now downtown Toronto and the Huntsville areas are like jails and police states, barricaded with high, specially made metal fences and oodles of police and security personnel. Some people will have a hard time getting into their homes, while many business places are shutting down, just to make life easier for all concerned. And sadly, the Federal Government who’s spending all this taxpayer’s money isn’t going to reimburse anybody for lost business or property damage by protesters. If any violence and damages occurs, they will have to go to their Insurance Companies, which only means that their premiums will further skyrocket. And we talk about democracy! Steups! And don’t even think about the traffic situation, which is already horrendous, and which will only get worse as all these dignitaries roll into town. There are signs all over warning of the serious impediment to vehicular traffic come this weekend. And what was originally supposed to be two meetings of 8 and 20 Heads, has now mushroomed to more like 20 and 30 with all the secret invites that our venerable Prime Minister Mr. Steven Harper has doled out. Even mih old classmate Bruce Golding, P. M of Jamaica has been invited. I wonder if Barack and him going to talk about the ‘Dudus’ situation eh? Another piece of nonsense that’s not supposed to be happening in this modern day and age! Chuh! But it certainly seems that our boy Steven is intent on writing his name large on the world stage. However Friends, you know that our Lord Jesus strongly advised us to have respect for our leaders and also to pray for them. Well, I don’t know when next, if ever, we’ll get the chance, have the opportunity to pray for such a great multitude of them altogether. So despite all the fuss and bother, I’m asking us to seriously and sincerely pray for them; pray that they will talk sincerely and seriously to each other about the many ills and problems currently facing our world, that the Lord will guide them to come up with constructive ideas and plans to help the Lord’s people, and then afterwards to have them positively implement those plans, so that the Lord’s people will indeed be helped, because right now our world is desperately in need of plenty help. So Friends, let’s pray: ‘Oh Lord, our world is in a very sad state of disrepair. We know and acknowledge that it’s not Your fault, but ours. However Lord, seeing that You are the mightiest power in the universe, we’re pleading for Your help. We can’t do it without You. We’re solemnly asking that You send Your Holy Spirit amongst the leaders of our world that will be gathered in unusual numbers in two places this weekend, and please Lord, please let Your mighty Spirit talk to their hearts, both individually and collectively. Please remove the scales from their eyes, the greed and power hunger from their hearts. Let them truly see and appreciate and be really concerned about the mess we’re in. Let them come together in one mind, one heart, one soul and one unity. They keep talking in terms of global policy and activities, well please Lord, let them truly act on that global scale with a global initiative now, because the whole globe is suffering immensely. Please Lord, let the many temptations to be selfish, arrogant and war-like be beaten down through Your Holy Spirit that’s mightier than anything on earth. Oh Lord, we desperately plead for Your help in this matter because it’s only You, the universal Creator, Protector and Provider that can get all these selfish, power hungry leaders on the same path to Peace and LOVE. Oh Lord, we ask that You take this once in a lifetime opportunity to do a mighty work, like many of the other mighty ones You have done over the ages. A mighty work comparable to the parting of the Red Sea, like sending Your Son Jesus to die for us, because that’s the high level of help your earthly children need right now. Oh Lord, we’re asking and believing for such a mighty work, one that will magnificently stand out, that will surely shout Your Holy Name to the high heavens, that will worthily magnify and glorify You till the end of time. Oh Lord, we pray that You pour out Your Spirit and Your heavenly blessing on these men and women in such a positive way that for eons to come, people will talk about the monumental effect this gathering of leaders in Toronto and Huntsville had on our world. These leaders are meeting to determine the destiny of Your people Lord, the effects of which will resound for a long time. We therefore pray for nothing less than a miracle Lord, because You are the ONLY ONE who can lead and guide them to making good, sound, unselfish, godly decisions. Please place in their hearts, minds and souls Lord, this simple, but powerful and provocative quote of George Elliston: ‘How beautiful a day can be when kindness touches it,’ for that’s basically all our world needs Lord, just a little more kindness to each other. We pray all of this in the name of Your Son Jesus. Amen! Oh my people, our God does move in mysterious ways yes! I got this zeppo, bright idea, from the Spirit yesterday, that instead of criticizing the whole affair, which on the surface does seem a great waste of time, money and effort, that we should indeed pray for the leaders to do good work. I chuckled at the time, but certainly planned on using it, though not so extensively. However I forgot about it, but when I opened the Good Book to find a Bit, it opened right at Psalm 91 that talks about security and protection and my mind went back to that prompting of the Spirit. Oh Friends, we can’t do anything about the meetings now, but we can certainly pray that no violence and other untoward activities mar the gatherings, and that our leaders come to the table in sincerity and faith, genuinely prepared to bring to fruition a better, fairer, more just, equal and godly world that we all long for and ardently desire. Oh Friends, let’s pray that this will be an epiphany, an awakening, a turning point, a reawakening of sense and responsibility amongst those who rule over us, and they will get the job done in a stellar manner. As always, we pray in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Much LOVE!…if the prayer of one righteous person is heard favourably in heaven…how much more would that of many righteous people be favourably considered eh…so all you righteous… let’s seriously float our prayers heavenward for our leaders nuh…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 22 June 2010 1 Corinthians 15:51‏

22 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 15:51     Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
 
Oh Friends, another blessed day has dawned, and wherever you are in this big, wonderful world, I hope it’s dawned with brilliant sunshine. However, if it hasn’t, don’t worry, the Lord is still on His throne, still in control of everything. The weather is only doing what He’s programmed it to do, to fit into His overall plans. Let Peace, LOVE and Faith continue to reign supreme in your hearts, and the darker it becomes, let those three likewise increase in strength, so you’ll always have the wherewithal to withstand whatever darkness comes your way. Hope you can make sense from nonsense there. (smile) Anyway, here’s a simple but very appropriate quote on darkness and sunshine from Thomas Fuller. It says: ‘One cloud is enough to eclipse all the sun.’ And that’s so true Friends, especially when we put it into the context of our everyday lives, where one unpleasant comment, one unfair, unfounded criticism, or one unfortunate incident can spoil our whole day. That is if we allow them to. Oh mih people, the clouds can block out the sun all day, or several times per day, but that doesn’t mean the sun isn’t still there in its lofty position, it’s just that we can’t see it. The same thing happens when we allow incidents to block out the sunshine in our lives. It doesn’t mean there’s no joy and sunshine in our lives, but merely that we’re allowing outside influences to control our lives, our expectations. And sadly, many of them are usually of no real importance. Continuing the comparison, we can’t prevent the real clouds from blocking the real sun, but we certainly can prevent those superficial ones from blocking the sunshine in our emotional lives. Sometimes our expectations are too high, sometimes too low, so anything that happens contrary to them, brings a dark cloud over our emotions and often over our entire lives too. Friends, the only way to counteract this is to try and maintain realistic expectations, so that we won’t get too dark and sombre if and when they’re not met. That brings us to the great and certain expectation of our Bit, where Bruh Paul assures us: ‘Beloved, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.’ Yes Friends, ‘In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.’ (1 Cor.15:51-52) Oh my people, we shall all be changed from mortals to immortals. Wow! And what a great day that shall be, when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ embarks on His Second Coming, that in the majesty, splendour and glory befitting His Holiness and Royal Lineage. As the scholars point out, this is not the last trumpet of Revelation 11:15, but of 1 Thessalonians 4:16. The first is the eventual fiery judgement, while the second refers to what many call the Rapture, the first phase of Christ’s return, which involves all Christians alive at that time. They will be caught up to meet Him in the clouds, instantly becoming immortal, while those who have died ‘in Christ’ will be raised from the dead to join the celebration. ‘For our conversation (citizenship) is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.’ (Phil.3:20-21) Friends,the best way to possibly bring all of this home is to quote Bruh Paul’s assurance to the Thessalonians, for he went to great pains to explain that all who are ‘in Christ,’ dead and alive will meet with Him in glorified, immortal bodies on that most blessed day. ‘For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus (the dead) will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever (always) be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words.’ (1 Thess.4:14-18) Oh my people, right there is the hope, the assurance that makes our rough and rugged earthly journey all worthwhile. And when this all happens: ‘Then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. (Is.25:8) O Death, where is thy sting? O Grave (Hades), where is thy victory? (Hos.13:14) 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 my wonderful Friends in Christ, there’s nothing left for me to say because Bruh Paul said it all. I can only encourage us to stand strong in the Lord, do the right things and be assured that all His promises are true, for He who promised is always faithful. Never forget that. Till next time then, God willing, Much LOVE!…clouds may darken our earthly days…but none shall ever blot our eternal life…that’s Christ’s promise…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 21 June 2010 1 Corinthians 15:51‏

21 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Corinthians 15:51     Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
 
Oh Friends, it seems like the ole fella’s turning into a party animal in his old age! (smile) Yeh! For it’s  now two weekends straight that he’s gone a partying. Wow! And was this Father’s Day party ever nice mih people! It was one of the best Father’s Day I’ve had in a long while. I went on a daytime boat ride around the Toronto harbour with my young daughter, entertainment provided by D.J. Dr.Jay and the High Priest of Soca, Toronto’s own David Rudder. Yes, he’s been living in T.O for a number of years now, which makes him a Torontonian, though he still talks about being ‘Trini to the bone.’ Oh Friends, when the party start to jam, is a wonder the good ship Enterprise didn’t flounder with all the jumping and singing. And it also had a four-piece iron section that was right up yuh alley mih Uncle John. And when the iron start to ring out…brudder! Ah sure they could hear it clean across Lake Ontario to the U.S. side. Anyway, enough about my partying. One last note though; I didn’t party as heartily as I did last weekend because my ole knee began to act up. But rest assured, it was hearty enough. Guess the Good Lord figured that I shouldn’t be misbehaving twice in one week. But getting down to brass tacks. Mih Friends, unfortunately it’s Monday again, that means all the partying done for another week, to be supplanted by five days of labouring to make a living. So as usual, please ensure that we’re dressed in our complete suit of spiritual armour so that we can go out there in the evil, cruel world and battle Beelzebub and his iniquitous cronies to the death. All in the name of Jesus! Amen! Yes my brethren, everything we do ought to be done in Jesus’ name, cause He’s the one that enables us to do anything in the first place. And I’m chuckling here because I don’t have a Bit as yet. But I’m confident that our Leader will eventually guide me to an appropriate one. The ole fella’s faith is certainly on a high level this morning mih people! Praise the Lord! However, I do have an appropriate quote to share from Lewis F. Presnall, which wisely advises us to ‘Be content to grow a little each day. If the improvement is the sort of thing which is very slow, do not measure it often. Do a self-comparison every two weeks, or every six months – whatever is appropriate.’  Yes my people, we all need to learn and grow as we mature in life, but we also have to realize that learning and growth, which always include some change, doesn’t happen overnight, so it doesn’t make sense to be too anxious about what’s happening in our lives, whether it’s moving too fast or too slow. Once positive change is occurring, that’s the important thing. Neither do we need to monitor it every day, as some of us are wont to do, for sometimes it will seem as though nothing’s happening, but subtle changes that we cannot always see or measure are in fact taking place, and it’s only with the passing of a fair amount of time we’ll be able to notice and/or quantify that change. Hn! That’s surely a Bruh Paulian type sentence! It’s like those of us trying to lose weight, and every day, several times a day, we jump on the scale to measure our progress. But Friends, that only defeats the basic purpose, since our weight gain or loss won’t change that much in a day, and that constant monitoring only makes us more anxious and jittery, bringing a host of negative ions to bear on what needs to be a positive process. So please, whatever changes we need to make in our lives, or are currently making, don’t try to rush them. That reminds me of one of those old West Indian sayings: ‘Don’t rush the brush or you’ll get dabbed (daubed).’ And come to think of it Friends, is only yesterday, on that Father’s Day boat ride, that I was talking to the Father of one of my surrogate daughters about those same old sayings. We were discussing their great beauty in terms of language and also their great practicality, while surmising that if the children nowadays would only live by them, how much better off they would be, because just like the Bible, the old people had a saying to cover everything. But the problem there is how will the children know, learn and practice them if we, the parents don’t teach and live them ourselves eh? It all comes right back to parental guidance and example mih people. Hn, hn! Now, having digressed there, I’ve forgotten what I was saying before. Oh yes! We were saying that we shouldn’t rush the changes in our lives because rushing only causes confusion, but rather be patient with ourselves and others who are going through those changes. And in any case, if we’ve been decent living people all along, there shouldn’t be any real drastic changes needed in our everyday lives anyway. So let’s not be like the dieters; lose twenty pounds quickly, then put them back on just as quickly. Remember those twenty pounds didn’t go on overnight, all at once, but most likely over a fair period of time, so over a fair period of time is also the best way, the surest way to take them off, and most importantly, keep them off. So let’s pray about the changes we need to make, and ask God to guide us in successfully making them. Rest assured that if we come to Him sincerely, He will deal with us sincerely. It’s all based on the level of our faith, which should be subtly improving every day, but please, don’t try to measure it every day. Oh Friends, that’s what the Spirit guided me to write today. I hope it makes sense. But if it doesn’t, then I’ll leave us with another ole-time saying: ‘You’d better learn to pick sense from nonsense.’ (smile) Much LOVE mih people! Have a safe, productive and wonderful workweek. Now let me go and find a Bit to match this. Hurrah! Fifteen minutes later I’ve found it!. ‘Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.’ And that’s the gospel truth my people! More tomorrow on that, God willing of course. Oh, I made a typo yesterday. Down at the end where it reads (Prov.43-4) it should read (Prov.4:3-4) Please accept my humble apologies. I don’t ever want to mislead the Lord’s people. More LOVE!…to every thing there is a season…and a time to every purpose under the heaven…. (Eccl.3:1)
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 20 June 2010 Proverbs 4:1-2‏

20 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Proverbs 4:1-2     Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.
HAPPY FATHER’S DAY!

Oh Friends, here’s wishing a Happy Father’s Day to all Fathers out there, even the ‘deadbeat’ ones! Yes my people, even to those who don’t deserve the name, because Jesus said we should forgive in general, and our own forgiveness, depends on how much we forgive others. True, not all of us are deadbeat dads, but there are still too many who fall unfortunately into that category. And though some of them are just downright doh-care and irresponsible, some genuinely don’t know any better because they didn’t have the proper example set for them either. There possibly were no fathers in their lives, or those that were there didn’t know the importance of a strong, wise, godly father. Unfortunately again, it’s the kind of behaviour or attitude that can easily be passed down from generation to generation. Anyway, here are some qualities, attributes, guidelines that a real and true father ought to portray. I got these from a newsletter published by Real Estate Agent, Gary Sullivan. Thanks Gary. And it says: ‘A Father is neither an anchor to hold us back, nor a sail to take us there, but a guiding light whose LOVE shows us the way. A Father is someone you look up to no matter how tall you grow. A Father is a truly rich man if his children run into his arms when his hands are empty. A Father is a man who expects his son to be as good a man as he meant to be. A Father is someone who carries pictures in his wallet where his money used to be.’ Wow! What a solid foundation builder is the man who falls into all those categories, who genuinely shows his children the right way to walk in this cruel, evil, violent and greedy world; and that’s with God! The question though is how many of us fathers actually do those things, or reflect a godly and worthwhile lifestyle for our children to follow? For remember, actions usually speak louder than words. Sadly, I suspect that the percentage is way too low, and that’s partly why we have such misguided, unruly, ungodly children in this new generation. Oh Fathers, we are supposed to be the backbone, the guiding light of the family, society’s bread and butter unit. We’re supposed to have wisdom, to both teach and show it in our own lives to our children. Our job as parents is to raise our children properly. But if we lack that wisdom, or refuse to share it, our progeny will undoubtedly suffer, and oftimes the damage is irreparable. We must be able to say like Cousin Sol: ‘Hear, ye children, the instruction of a father, and attend to know understanding. For I give you good doctrine, forsake ye not my law.’ Granted we are moving away from the die-hard patriarchal society that we once were, but the father in the home is still considered the force behind the family, the one who makes the most important decisions. So if we’re not well grounded in the good, healthy ways of life, we obviously can’t share them with our young as we should. Oh Father’s, this new generation is in great danger of being called the ‘Lost Generation,’ and a lot of the blame lies squarely on our shoulders. We were either too busy doing other things, that includes making a living to support them, and therefore were not around when needed. On the other hand, if we were around, we didn’t pay enough attention and/or sent out the wrong signals; being abusive instead of supportive, allowing the fleshly lusts of the world to colour our lives rather than the spiritual things that lead to godliness. Yes my Friends, as we said yesterday, too many of us have forsaken the spiritual exercises necessary for our souls to prosper, so that we can walk and guide aright. Oh Fathers, and Mothers too, instead of allowing our young free reign in this ungodly world, we should be saying instead like Bruh David did: ‘Come, ye children, hearken unto me: I will teach you the fear (reverence) of the Lord.’ (Ps.34:11) It’s the only way to train and raise children properly. And parents, ignorance is no excuse, for two or more persons living together can only function well if there’s fairness and understanding present. So even if we don’t have much book-learning, as the old people would say, we have common sense and we can teach that to our young, for in many cases it works better than formal education. But even what we term common sense seems to be disappearing from our society, which is another story for another day. I also won’t touch the touchy subject of the young men who think they’re such studs, God’s gift to women, and take pleasure in going around impregnating the less than sensible young women, then not supporting the resultant children, but yet thinking they’re so great, such macho men, when in fact they’re low-life scum. Oh Friends, that’s a sore point with me because I’ve seen it happen so much over the years, and it’s always the poor children who suffer. I got into it last year and it took me two days to have my say, so I promised myself to leave it alone this year, because it’s still out there, front and centre, and probably getting worse as the morals, sense of responsibility and common sense of our youth continue to deteriorate. Anyway Father’s, both young and old, it’s time for us to sit down and take full stock of ourselves. It’s definitely not too late. We might not be able to correct some of our mistakes, but let’s apologize for them all, and try to correct those we can. If we don’t, then we’re only doing a further disservice to future generations. And we’ll end with a perfect example of father teaching son. Cousin Sol declares: ‘For I was my father’s son…He taught me also, and said unto me…’ (Prov.43-4) Now here are Bruh David’s words to him. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever.’ (1 Chr.28:9) Oh Friends, what better groundings can a child receive from his father eh! Let’s try and do likewise for our children nuh. Much LOVE!…train up a child in the way he should go…and (even) when he is old… he won’t depart from it…(Prov.22:6)

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 19 June 2010 1 Timothy 4:8‏

19 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Timothy 4:8     For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

 

Oh Friends, it’s the weekend, time for fun, frolic and fellowship! And make sure you don’t forget the fellowship part, because it’s the most important of those three F’s.  Now yesterday we discussed the background to our Bit, where Bruh Paul was telling Timothy some of the things it took to be a good minister of Christ; being aware of the apostates with their deceptive lies and evil doctrines, having good doctrine himself and rejecting the false and profane myths which only lead to ungodliness.  At the end though, before we could get into the Bit properly, I went off on a slight tangent, my spirit being awakened by the gross evil, greed and falsehood been perpetrated on our society by those in the top echelons, our political leaders and the captains of industry, commerce and finance. Today, we’ll get into the meat of the Bit which says: ‘For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things.’ And isn’t that the living truth my people! It’s similar to when Bruh Paul spoke to the Corinthians about food, re what is right to eat and whether there should be wrangling over it between believers. ‘But meat (food) commendeth us not to God: for neither, if we eat, are we the better; neither, if we eat not, are we the worse.’ (1 Cor.8:8) Yes Friends, what we eat is not all that important to God, once it’s not offered to an idol. (1 Cor.8:7) If the Lord made it, then it’s clean, but we must be careful of leading others astray, setting bad examples of eating food offered to idols, for they might be weak in the faith, or just don’t understand and do the same simply because we did it. And likewise as Bruh Paul said to the Romans: ‘For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost. For he that in these things serveth Christ is acceptable to God, and approved of men. Let us therefore follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify (build up) another.’ (Rom.14:17-19) And my brethren, physical exercise surely isn’t important in creating peace or building up each other spiritually, mentally or emotionally, but spiritual exercises are the keys that unlock the portals of the good life, since they are the ones ‘having the promise of the life that now is, and that which is to come.’ Oh my people, godliness is the best remedy for anything that ails us! Meanwhile, physical exercise is only of limited value, even here on earth, for many times, especially in cases of ill health, we’re told to stay away from it. But not so with spiritual exercises that lead to godliness, we can never get too much of them in this life. My Friends those exercises of the spirit are priceless, invaluable, for they help us both here in this earthly life, as well as in that to come. Both Bruh David and Isaiah prophesied this long before Bruh Paul came along. Bruh David emphatically declared in Psalm 37, re the true state of the wicked: ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (it only causes harm). For evil doers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps.37:8-9) And Isaiah, in talking about the future glory of Zion, zealously proclaimed: ‘Thy people also shall be all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified.’ (Is.60:21) Oh Friends, there should be no doubt whatsoever in the believer’s mind that spiritual exercises which lead to godliness are an essential part of their make up. Just like the human body needs food, air and water to survive, our spiritual being needs exercises in godliness to keep it well fed and going strong. If our spiritual being is not constantly fed and nurtured through prayer, worship, Bible Study and acts of service, it will surely die. We’ll lose the appetite, that hunger for God that we definitely need to help carry us through this rough and rugged earthly life and eventually bring us to the eternal and everlasting one in the very presence of Christ Himself. That’s why Bruh Paul could truthfully declare of our Bit: ‘This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.’ (1 Tim.4:9) Oh Friends, there’s absolutely no doubt about that; godliness that results from spiritual exercises is exceedingly profitable to us, it brings innumerable blessings upon our lives, both now and in the hereafter. So please, let’s remember that. And though many of us certainly need to catch up on our physical exercise, (smile) let it not be the overwhelming goal that it is to so many. Instead, let’s allow the exercises of our spirits and souls to predominate, so that we can be richly rewarded, both here on earth, and also throughout eternity with Christ. The whole point being Friends, that both our physical and spiritual beings require exercise to survive and thrive in their particular sphere, it’s just that the latter is more important and needs it more than the former to do so successfully. Hn, hn! There should be smiles on many faces today because our Bit is so short. (smile) Much LOVE!…exercise the soul…more than the body…for the rewards are much greater… 

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 June 2010 1 Timothy 4:8‏

18 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

1 Timothy 4:8     For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.

 

Oh Friends, the ole fella’s struggling today. It took me over half an hour to find a Bit that I could get my head around. Nothing I checked seemed to make sense. I guess it’s a form of writer’s block. And worse yet, all my pleas to heaven that time was running out on me, didn’t provide relief any quicker. But our God is a good God, so I had no doubts of eventually finding a suitable Bit, or of Him eventually guiding me to whatever message He wanted to convey today. It was all really a matter of timing. And though I know from loads of experience that He’s never late, I still got caught up in the time element. Oh ye of little faith eh! (smile) Anyway, it seems that today’s topic is exercise. Now Friends, there are basically two kinds of exercise; that of the spirit and that of the body. In this part of Bruh Paul’s message to his young protégé, Timothy, he’s informing him in the basics of being a good minister of Christ. He’s already warned him of the lies and the evils of the apostates, those who once embraced the faith, but then, for whatever reason, turned around and rejected it, and were now fallen under the spell of ‘seducing (deceiving) spirits and doctrines of devils.’ (1 Tim.4:1-5)  Then he continues: ‘If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained (carefully followed).’ (1 Tim.4:6) Meaning, that as he instructs his congregation in the Word, he’s instructing himself too, for preaching good doctrine is an essential step in becoming a good minister of Christ. He would also be faithfully conforming to the truth of the gospel that Bruh Paul’s taught him. ‘But refuse (reject) profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.’ (1 Tim.4:7) Yes, my people, he’s to avoid false, fabricated doctrines because they have no worthwhile substance and only promote ungodliness. The same advice applies to us today Friends, possibly with even greater urgency, since there’s so much more false, worthless stuff in our world today than in Bruh Paul’s time. I have to chuckle here mih breddren because the scholars compare them to the ‘silly, flighty soap-operas of today.’ What sacrilege to the soap-opera fanatics eh! Then Timothy must also endeavour to be holy and pious, which doesn’t come automatically, or even easily, but require much diligence ‘in prayer, Bible Study, obedience, fellowshipping with other believers, and Christian service.’ Now if that isn’t a hard row to hoe, my Friends, I don’t know what is! But as believers, especially ministers, it is necessary to aspire and work seriously towards those goals. ‘For bodily exercise profiteth little.’ Don’t tell that to today’s fitness freaks! They’ll also consider it sacrilege, blasphemy towards their Holy Grail of physical fitness. Nothing’s wrong with physical fitness, we all need to be in good physical shape to live healthy lives, but in today’s world  it’s become too idolized. It’s become one of the idols of the flesh. Like dieting, it’s now a world wide phenomenon, the basis for crooked money making schemes, with oodles of promises, but nowhere near the rewards promised. And with the spread of the obesity epidemic that’s now terrorizing the Western World, mainly because of the junk food we eat and our lazy, couch potato habits, the smart evil-doers are profiting handsomely from our unsatisfactory lifestyle. Ah mih people, it’s the same sort of false, fabricated myths, with unscientific claims that Bruh Paul warned Timothy of, just in a different area of our lives. But the truth is when we pay too much attention to those falsehoods, then we are actually moving away from the godliness we’re supposed to embrace. And there’s so much falsehood that runs our modern world, it isn’t funny. We’re always in search of a cure instead of listening to the old folks, that’ prevention is better than cure.’ And it certainly is my people. We especially see the discrepancies in the fitness, food, medical and pharmaceutical industries. Everybody’s looking for a cure for something, when preventing the illness would be much simpler. Unfortunately though, in our greedy, capitalistic society, the simple approach won’t generate as much profit, capitalism’s god. Just look at cancer. Money is wasted by the billions to find a cure for the numerous kinds of cancer that’s devastating us in this modern, highly scientific and technological time. Cancer was never that widespread before, so why is it burgeoning now? The answer is too simple to admit; all the carcinogenic, cancer-causing stuff we put in our food and water and release in the atmosphere. And everyday we introduce some new, untested or not tested-enough compound to the three essential elements of our lives. So what do we expect eh? But no, the food has to look good and have a long shelf life, while the poisonous effluent from our factories has to be released somewhere, so why not our water and air. Ah Friends, the main priority in our society, instead of being God, all flows right back to the root of all evil, the LOVE OF MONEY! It’s sad but true, the capitalist’s god, money, rules our world like never before. And with the latest talk about global economies and global villages, the power of money will get even stronger. Oh my people, the only way to counter this evil effect is by exercising ourselves unto godliness, which we’ll get in to tomorrow, God willing. And as I keep saying, I don’t see why he won’t be willing since we’re only trying to spread His Word and right some of the many wrongs in our beautiful world. Till tomorrow then, Much LOVE!...healthiness…is next to godliness…

 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 17 June 2010 Matthew 7:29‏

17 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 7:29     For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.
 
Oh Friends, Jesus could have been talking about the state of our weather yesterday, the rain and the winds, in His parable on the two foundations for building life, at the end of the Sermon on the Mount. Why? Because after the long deluge of blessed water, the exceedingly high winds blew for most of the day. In fact they haven’t quite settled down as yet, though they’re not nearly as bad as during the day, when it was a combination of brilliant sunshine with highly mobilized winds. The good news though Friends, is that like Christ’s Church, built on the solid rock, I haven’t heard of any serious misfortune caused by the inclement weather. Everything apparently stood strong and steadfast because they were rooted in sure, solid foundations; just like we Christians are supposed to be solidly rooted in the bedrock foundation of Christ. And I have a quote for us from Marie Sklodowska Curie (1867-1934) the Polish born woman that turned France and the world on its ear with her discovery of radium that led to all the radioactive stuff we have today. She was also the first woman to ever receive a doctorate degree in Science in France. So ladies, don’t believe it when they say that females are not science minded. Marie Curie proved them wrong long ago. Anyway, her quote says: ‘Nothing in life is to be feared. It is only to be understood.’ Oh Friends, if we follow that sound advice on all matters of life, we will be well served by it at the end, for there’s much truth to it. In many cases we fear things, places and people because we don’t understand them. Likewise, we often find that once we understand those things, places or people, there was really no reason to be afraid of them in the first place. Unfortunately though, it’s a known fact of life that we generally fear what we don’t understand. That’s one of the reasons why Jesus’ message instilled fear into some of His listeners; they simply did not understand what He was talking about. And if you were unschooled, uneducated and steeped in Jewish law and tradition, Jesus’ teaching would have caused you some concern, for it was quite wide ranging and required many people to change their basic way of life. And none of us likes change, especially when it moves us from a comfortable cocoon to an unknown, most likely uncomfortable situation. That’s how it was with Jesus’ listeners, especially the Pharisees and elite Jews. They would have had to give up their exalted social status and hypocritical ways which were very profitable in worldly terms, if they accepted Jesus as the Messiah. It was much easier and more profitable to defame Him and derail His fledgling organization. But Friends, the wonderful thing about our Saviour is that He knew who He was; the living Son of Almighty God, His sinless spiritual Being merely clothed in flesh so He could comfortably interact with His Father’s rebellious and disobedient fleshly creation. He was confident, but not arrogant, self-assured but not proud, with great conviction on what He taught because all His teaching was based on Himself and the church, the kingdom He intended to establish. Here’s an extended quote from the scholars on the topic. ‘The entire Sermon on the Mount is addressed to believers and presupposes faith in Jesus as the Messiah. The works done by the believer are not based on himself but on the ‘rock’, who ultimately is Christ Himself. He is the personal embodiment of all His teachings. Thus, when He finished the discourse, the people were astonished. Amazement engulfed the audience.’ And so it should Friends, if God became man and spoke to us from the depths of His soul like Jesus did! That’s why the Good Book declares: ‘For he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.’ Oh mih people, I might as well give us the scholars take on this verbatim too, since they’ve done a fine job of explaining it. ‘The outstanding feature of His teaching was His authority, meaning the divine approval and authoritative constraint with which He delivered His message. Such straightforward preaching, based on the depths of one’s own life, was in direct contrast to that of the scribes, who were the copyists of the Law and the theologians of their day. They had to rely on tradition for their authority, whereas Christ was His own authority.’ Bravo scholars! Yes Friends, when we’re truly doing something that comes from our hearts, that we’re truly confident of and in, we usually come across more authoritatively than if we’re relying on not so sure, second-hand info. Here, Jesus though in the flesh of man, was talking authoritatively like God. And as we showed in a couple instances yesterday, everywhere Jesus spoke, people were astonished by both the high level of His teaching, and also the authoritative way He put it forth. We’ll end today with one more of those instances. This was after he preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath in His hometown of Nazareth. Luke gives a more detailed account of that unfortunate, infamous occasion than Mark. ‘And all bare him witness, and wondered at the gracious words which proceeded out of his mouth. And they said, Is not this Joseph’s son?’  (Luke 4:22) Ah my people, we all know that those closest to us are the ones who usually make light of our achievements, but let’s do like Jesus nuh; suffer and swallow the hurt that their rejection must bring, gracefully now, while moving on with what ever tasks the Lord has assigned us. We can’t afford to pay the detractors and doubters too much mind, else they’ll just put more negative strain on our programme. Friends, I know that we can’t be as perfect and authoritative as Jesus, but we certainly can, and should aspire to attain as close a level as possible. So with that in mind, I’m imploring us to plant deep in our hearts, minds and souls, the philosophy of Jesus, the basic ideas outlined in the Sermon on the Mount. Let it, them, take solid root in us, so that it can then generate the confidence and authority we need to go fearlessly into the evil world to spread His Word and further His kingdom. That is our bounden duty. Much LOVE!…our confidence and authoritativeness in sharing God’s Word…is directly proportional…to how deeply rooted it is in our souls…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 16 June 2010 Matthew 7:28‏

16 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 7:28     And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.
 
Oh Friends, it’s a beautiful morning, rise and greet it with a bright, sunshiny smile! And while you’re at it, declare with confidence: ‘This is the day the Lord has made, I WILL rejoice and be glad in it! Amen!’ Yes my people, it’s always best to begin our days on a positive, expectant note than in a sour, negative frame of mind. It’s the way Jesus did it. And today I’m going to do something I’ve never done before; I’m going to quote a long passage from the scholars on the Sermon on the Mount. I’ve quoted small bits, or used my own words when needed, but never such a long section. I only discovered it when I’d almost finished my message yesterday, and since it was too long to include there, I left it for today. It’s an outstanding explanation, so let’s get into it. ‘The opening verses of the Sermon on the Mount indicate that this message deals with the inner state of mind and heart that is the indispensable absolute of true Christian discipleship. It delineates the outward manifestations of character and conduct of true believers and genuine disciples. Thus, the life of the believer, described by Jesus in the Sermon on the Mount, is a life of grace and glory, which comes from God alone. To make this quality of life the product of man’s human efforts (as does the liberal) is the height of overestimation of man’s ability and underestimation of his depravity. To relegate this entire message, Jesus’ longest recorded sermon, to a Jewish-only life-style, as do some dispensationalists, is to rob the church of her greatest statement of true Christian living. In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus states the spiritual character and quality of the kingdom He would establish, and the basic qualities of this kingdom are fulfilled in the church He would establish. Virtually every section of this message is repeated in substance elsewhere in the New Testament. Nothing here indicates that this message is to be limited in its application to the people of Israel only.’ Wow! Oh Friends, isn’t that brilliant, though somewhat highfalutin reasoning.  Just as I said yesterday; the Sermon on the Mount is the greatest set of words, the most brilliant philosophy ever stated, and it is an absolute blueprint for Christian living in this crazy, confused, evil world. And right there Friends, is one reason why people were astonished at Jesus’ doctrine; because it was contrary to that taught and done by the world. Jesus came to build something different, something new, something that the world had never seen or heard of before; a Church, a society truly built on the spiritual foundations of grace, glory, forgiveness, mercy and LOVE! Unfortunately, not too many humans, then or now, were willing to give up the worldly lusts of the flesh that it required. But my people, if we want to be real, true followers of the Prince of Peace, of the Mighty Counsellor, of the Sacrificial Lamb, then we’ve got to do like he did on His earthly sojourn; willingly pick up our individual cross and bear it without complaints before the world. It’s not easy, but it’s the only way that unbelievers will recognize us as genuine Christians and pay attention to what we say. Luke, in his description of Jesus teaching in Capernaum on the Sabbath, truthfully declares: ‘And they were astonished at his doctrine (teaching): for his word was with power (authority).’ (Luke 4:32) And after Jesus cast out the demon from a man in the synagogue, the crowd was confounded. ‘And they were all amazed, and spake among themselves, saying, What a word is this! for with authority and power he commandeth the unclean spirits, and they come out.’ (Luke 4:36) Yes Friends, the world had never seen or heard anything like Jesus. And one more reason why people were astonished and amazed at Jesus’ power of thought and speech is related to His humble status, and lack of education; a carpenter’s son from the backwater town of Nazareth. And strangely, it’s in His own hometown that Jesus found the least faith, the most unbelief. Just listen to how His hometown crowd reacted when He taught there. ‘And when the sabbath day was come, he began to teach in the synagogue: and many hearing him were astonished, saying, From whence hath this man these things? and what wisdom is this given unto him, that even such mighty works are wrought (performed) by his hands? Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, the brother of James and Joses, and of Judah and Simon? and are not his sisters here with us? And they were offended at him.’ (Mark 6:2-3) But Jesus, with that magnanimous soul of His, wrote off the rejection by saying; ‘A prophet is not without honour, but in his own country, and among his own kin, and in his own house.’ (Mark 6:4) There’s no doubt though that Jesus was tremendously hurt by the sad state of unbelief in His own hometown of Nazareth, which made it impossible for Him to do any great works there. It seems that’s the only place He did nothing of much value during His earthly ministry. How sad. But them’s the breaks! Our own usually show the least respect and interest in our achievements. And here’s one last instance of the power of Jesus’ words, which occurred while He taught in the temple at Jerusalem. The council had heard that the ordinary, more rural people were beginning to accept Jesus as whom He claimed to be, so they sent some officers to arrest Him. However, they returned to the council empty-handed, and when asked why, there response was simple but poignant. ‘The officers answered, Never man spake like this man.’  (John 7:46) Now isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! And neither has anyone spoken like Him since, my people. That obviously means Jesus was, and still is, in a class all by Himself. His teachings are both literally and figuratively out of this world. And I strongly advise us to join Him in His great and most worthwhile mission of bringing all the Father’s human creation together as one, under the unique, but powerful and protective umbrella of His Church, where things like grace, mercy, truth, forgiveness and LOVE abound. Oh my Friends, it certainly is the best way, so please check it out! Much LOVE!…to live a true Christian life…truly adopt the life giving principles… of the Sermon on the Mount…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 15 June 2010 Matthew 7:28‏

15 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Matthew 7:28     And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.
 
Oh Friends, have you ever noticed that what’s termed Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount, takes up three chapters, 5-7 of Matthew? It’s really an overwhelming speech, an enormous outpouring of Jesus’ heart and soul. It is in actual fact, the greatest philosophical treatise ever laid down. It’s so overpowering in its overall majesty, yet so simple in the specifics, that even if you don’t believe in Jesus as the fleshly incarnation of God, just reading His words and studying His philosophy, one that’s so bold, interactive and innovative yet very humane, your heart will indeed be touched. There’s just no better philosophy of life, no better way for humans or any living organism to live than that espoused by our Lord and Saviour Jesus. Listen to the numerous subjects on which our Leader spoke on that one day, that one momentous occasion nuh. He began with the Beatitudes; those humanitarian attributes and actions for which we’ll be eventually blessed if we faithfully pursue them. Then He talks about the salt of the earth and the light of the world before touching on religious law, anger, adultery, divorce, oaths and LOVE for enemies. Wow! And Friends, that’s only in Chapter 5. In Chapter 6, Jesus holds forth on almsgiving, on prayer, on fasting, on treasures in heaven, the light of the body, and trusting one master. Oh mih people, you’d think He’d be done by then. But no, our wonderful Leader was just getting warmed up. In Chapter 7, He then gives us that great philosophical moment on judging: ‘Judge (condemn) not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgement (condemnation) ye judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete (use), it shall be measured to you again.’ (Mat.7:1-2) And Friends, there’s more to come; in particular the GOLDEN RULE; the one rule that encapsulates every thing, the one rule by which if all mankind lived, war and strife would cease to exist. And for those of us who don’t know it, or haven’t heard it in a long while, here it is to refresh our memories. ‘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 prophets. ‘ (Mat.7:12) Oh mih people, all yuh remember that simple but exceedingly great guideline that we were all raised on: do unto others as you’d like them to do to you? I guess it’s such a simple rule that we in our highfalutin expectations consider it too simple to be true or useful. But Friends, it is the ONE, major, basic rule for any successful gathering of more than one living organism. All the lesser animals live it to a much greater extent than we the highest of the high. Instead we think more about the survival of the fittest, and all power to the strong, which unfortunately only engender unnecessary strife in our lives. Come to think of it mih people, that’s the very basis, the heart of Jesus’ philosophy; treat each other the way we’d like to be treated. If we’d all concentrate on that point alone…Oh mih breddren, what a beautiful place our world would be! Truly a wonderful world, as Satchmo (Louis Armstrong) sung of it! Just that simple idea can cause so much change in our selfish, me first world, that it’ll be mind boggling, to say the least. Oh people, I’m sorry…NO, I’M NOT! I was about to apologize for going off on a tangent, but I now realize that it was a very necessary digression, since I too had not consciously considered the GOLDEN RULE for a while, because I live it automatically. However, coming upon it so unexpectedly, just got my blood passionate and boiling about the stupid, nonsensical way we’re living today, when there’s that simple but awesome rule put forth by our Leader Jesus which would make so much more sense to live by. Ah mih Friends, I really don’t know what to say about us nuh. We treat each other like garbage, but then expect to be treated like royalty. Ah brother! I’d better get back to Jesus’ overall sermon yes, because this topic about treating others decently is another aspect of ingratitude, which is a real sore point with me, and which I can write on whole day. (smile) Then after giving us that beautiful rule for living, Jesus spoke about the two gates and paths, one set broad and leading to destruction, the other narrow, leading to eternal life. Next came His famous take on false prophets and the future rejection of claims by those who pretended to know Him, then wrapping it all up with the two foundations on which we can build our lives; the weak, sandy evil of Lucifer, or on His strong, rock-like foundation of LOVE. Oh Friends, how long do you think it took Jesus to preach that sermon eh? I don’t know, but it’s so chocked full, so crammed with life giving and life living essentials that no wonder the crowd was astonished and amazed. ‘And it came to pass, when Jesus had ended these sayings, the people were astonished at his doctrine.’ Oh my brethren, we would also have been astonished at His wonderful, encouraging, enervating teaching. And can you imagine Him just laying it down in such a calm and reasoned, but yet passionate manner, gesticulating to make His point, while all His listeners hung spellbound on His every word! Wow! That’s all that can be said! Oh my people, this teaching of Jesus is undoubtedly the most moving and inspirational message ever delivered by a living, breathing soul. It’s also a comprehensive guide to how we humans should live. Please, let’s make it a habit to review this sermon every so often nuh, especially when our lives seem to be going off the rails. Oh, if we could only bottle it and sell it! Sorry, not sell it, but give it away. What a worldwide change would occur! And yuh know Friends, I just realized that in the Sermon on the Mount we have a true, readymade constitution, the basic foundation on which our LOVE Revolution should be based. So please, let’s read and inwardly digest it, then go out and spread it to all the world, thus enabling that longed for and most desperately needed LOVE Revolution to come to fruition. More tomorrow, God willing. Till then, Much LOVE!…the most enlightening and important body of words ever spoken…Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount…
 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 June 2010 Ephesians 6:18‏

14 Jun 2010 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Inspirational Living

Ephesians 6:18     Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

 

Oh Friends, none of us wants to be reminded that it’s Monday morning, which means we have to unravel ourselves from our warm cocoons, our LOVE nests, to go out into the cruel, crazy, unfriendly, evil world so we can make a few pennies to keep life and limb together. Unfortunately though, that’s the reality of the situation. However there’s also good news; that if we’re securely ensconced in our spiritual armour, then we’re safely protected from the evil scourge, and mightily empowered to battle the forces of darkness through the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ! Now isn’t that something to be thankful for mih people! Then let’s say it, loud and proud: ‘Thank you Jesus for protecting us through your Holy Spirit! We praise and glorify your Holy Name! Amen.’ But before we get into the nitty gritty of our Bit, let me share what I hope is an enlightening, affirmative, helpful quote from Theodore Tilton, which declares that ‘Pain is hard to bear…But with patience, day by day, Even this shall pass away.’ And that’s a fact my Friends! Pain is a normal condition of human existence which some suffer more than or longer than others, but we all face its dreadful effects at some time or other in our earthly lives. And though at times it’s awfully hard to bear, like many things in our world, if we stand strong and invoke, call up that reservoir of patience and fortitude that’s planted deep inside of every human, we usually can outlast the pain, whether it be physical, emotional or mental. Please note though Friends, that that is only a general synopsis on pain, because some pain can be so dreadful that only serious medical or psychological attention will reduce them. But in general, most pain will gradually pass away with time, if we bear them steadfastly. This brings us to our Bit: ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ That’s Bruh Paul’s wise and godly advice to the Ephesians. And if you don’t think the Lord moves in mysterious and wondrous ways, then listen to the story of Today’s Bit. Earlier on in the night I’d written the intro; my usual Monday morning spiel about not going to work without your spiritual armour, not knowing what the Bit would be. Then I decided to, or was guided by the Spirit to use the Pain quote, so I went looking for a suitable Bit on either pain or perseverance and found this one, only to discover that it comes directly after Bruh Paul’s advice to the Ephesians on the daily use of that same spiritual armour. (Eph.6:13-17) Obviously it brought a chuckle to my soul and also some reassurance, a sort of sign, that I was indeed headed in the right direction. Now, let’s see what connection the Bit has with the spiritual armour of God. Oh my people, it has everything to do with it, because it describes the manner in which that spiritual armour should be used. First Bruh Paul explains the need for the armour: ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (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, against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts) in high places.’ (Eph.6:11-12) However my people, though our loins be girded with the belt of truth so we can always speak it, our chests with the breastplate of righteousness to guard our emotions, our feet shod with the shoes of peace so that we can constantly walk therein, our heads secured with the helmet of salvation to guard our minds, holding in one hand that awesome shield of faith to ward off flaming arrows of evil, and in the other hand the magnificent sword of the Spirit, the undisputed Word that brings conviction and repentance, it’s all to no avail unless we practice our Bit. First, there’s ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.’ Yes Friends, prayer is very important in these proceedings, in fact it is indispensable, for without it the armour is not sufficient to gain victory against the evil, powerful forces of darkness. ‘And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1) That’s the introduction to Jesus’ parable of the woman who kept pestering the judge for justice, and finally got it because of her perseverance. (Luke 18:2-5) Yes my people, we need to pray constantly, do it at every opportunity, especially when the enemy rises up against us. And it doesn’t always have to be in a grandiose manner, simple chats with the Lord are sufficient. And divine help must be accessed through the wise, unstoppable force of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us. The Lord won’t pay us any attention unless that Spirit of Jesus is involved. Then my people, we need to be vigilant with our prayer; ‘watching thereunto with all perseverance.’ We can’t let up our vigilance for a moment, because that’s when Lucifer and his evil cohorts sneak in. Jesus said it best to the disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane when He found them sleeping. ‘Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ (Mat.26:41) Oh Friends, we all know that our flesh is the weakest part of our human make up, and since followers of Jesus ought to dwell more on the spiritual than fleshly plane, we have to be very careful in all we say and do, especially since our world is now overwhelmed with the lusts of the flesh. And finally Friends, we have to pray for everybody; ‘supplication for all the saints,’ not only ourselves. As the scholars say: ‘Spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ We’re all in it together, and can only be victorious if we fight together. And we’ll close with some most appropriate words of Bruh Paul on thanksgiving and prayer to the Philippians. ‘I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy, for your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now. Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:3-6)  So Friends, let’s realize that putting on the spiritual armour of God is only the first part of the process, we still need to be watchful and persevering in prayer for everybody, with the aid of the Spirit to truly activate the winning mechanism. Let’s activate that victory power today nuh! Much LOVE!…the believer’s earthly walk…though never easy…is always filled with encouraging signs of victory…along the way…

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