19 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, alive and kicking, all these things will I give thee, angels came and ministered unto him, appetite loss, bear thee up in their hands, below ground, by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God, cast thyself down, Chrisitanity, Christians, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, curse, divine protection, duty bound, faith, fall down and worship me, favour, fulfillment, get thee hence Satan, give his angels charge over thee, God's granted us another day of life, good friends, good health, him only shalt thou serve, holy spirit, if thou be the Son of God, it is written, Jesus Christ, Jesus sat on the pinnacle of the temple, lack of sunshine, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone, LOVE, low energy, man shall not live by bread alone, mercy, negative word, preaching ministry, promotion, SAD - Seasonal Affective Disorder, salvation, Satan is no match for us when we have Christ, Satan the usurper, Satan uses scripture deviously, self-control, self-discipline, share the blessings, sleep problkems, success, supernatural strength, talent, the BIBLE, the height of abusrdity, the Kidron Valley, the Messiah, the rightful King, the temptations of christ were real experiences, thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God, thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, to build Jesus' faith, trample the young lion and serpent under thy feet, tread upon the lion and the adder, tries to bamboozle us, truth, undeserved blessings, wisdom
Matthew 4:10. Get thee hence, Satan (away with you): for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.
Ah mih people, like the good Lord has given us another day of life on this wonderful planet Earth! And though we’ve spoiled it, so that life now is oftentimes tough, we’re still thankful to be here, alive and kicking, rather than unalive below ground. (smile) And thankfully too, there’s no more dangerous precipitation like we had yesterday; just a cold, somewhat cloudy day. And we can live with that.
There’s also one other thing we cannot complain about this year, that’s SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder), when we suffer symptoms like low energy, sleep problems, appetite changes, and loss of interest because of a lack of sunshine. For this year we’ve gotten quite a lot of sunshine with the cold weather, so we can’t complain. (smile)
Now let’s get to our topic for today, the continuation of the importance of Jesus’ temptations. So, yesterday we saw where immediately after He was baptized by John the Baptist, He was led by the Holy Spirit into the wilderness, fasting for forty days and nights, then the devil came and tempted Him. All of it to build His faith, mental and emotional strength for the rather difficult journey He was about to embark on in His preaching ministry.
We saw too that when Jesus was terribly hungry after fasting, the devil tempted Him in that supposedly weak area, by saying if He was the Son of God, He could make bread from the stones around Him. But Jesus rebuked him with that famous statement: ‘It is written. Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.’ (Matt. 4:4)
But that did not deter the tempter. The Bible tells us: ‘Then the devil taketh him (Jesus) up into the holy city, and sitteth him on a pinnacle of the temple. And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, he shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt (test) the Lord thy God.’ (Matt. 4:5-7)
Wow friends! The devil quoting scripture! Anyway, the scholars offer these explanation re those verses. ‘The second temptation took place in the holy city (Jerusalem) on the pinnacle of the temple, which towered above the Kidron Valley. Evidently Jesus was transported there by Satan’s power, and this time the devil quoted Scripture (out of context) in order to get Him to sin and ultimately shake His faith in the Word. Satan used Psalm 91:11-12 urging Jesus to cast thyself down. Again Jesus replied with Scripture (Deut. 6:16) that he was not to tempt God by such a presumptuous action. The very passage of scripture quoted by Satan actually goes on to promise God’s ultimate victory over him!’
So my brethren, we see that Satan also knows the Bible and can use it in devious ways to his advantage. That’s why we must know our scripture too, so when he tries to bamboozle us with it, we can quote like Jesus: ‘It is written.’ And here’s the scripture the scholars talk about that refers to victory over Satan in Ps. 91. ‘Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder (cobra): the young lion and the dragon (serpent) shalt thou trample under feet.’ (Ps. 91:13. The serpent there refers to Satan.
And the verse that Jesus quotes in reply to Satan is that spoken by Moses to the Israelites: ‘Ye shall not tempt (test) the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Massah.’ (Deut. 6:16) That’s when they were in the wilderness with no water and they complained against Moses and God, and God had Moses strike the rock and produce water. (Ex. 17:1-7)
Then we come to the last of the great temptations. The Bible says: ‘Again, the devil taketh him (Jesus) into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; And saith unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan (away with you): for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him.’ (Matt. 4:8-11)
But the boldfaceness of Satan! Imagine it nuh! He telling His Creator to bow down and worship Him, when it should be the other way around! But that should not surprise us, because it’s also the way some of us behave towards God, expecting Him to do as we desire instead of us doing His will.
And the scholars offer these explanations: ‘The third temptation takes place on an exceeding high mountain. The mountain is clearly real in the text, though its exact location is unidentified. Despite the grandeur of this temptation, nothing in the passage itself indicates that these temptations were only in the mind of Christ. Clearly, they are depicted as real experiences that actually occurred in the human life of the Messiah. That Satan, the usurper, would attempt to give the kingdoms of the world to Jesus, the Messiah, the rightful King, is the height of absurdity!
For Christ to fall down and worship Satan would have been to acknowledge the Devil’s lordship over Him. In His direct rebuke, Get thee hence, Satan, Jesus clearly asserts His lordship over the old serpent whose head he will soon crush. Matthew’s statement that Satan leaveth him shows that his order of the temptations is the chronological one. (cf. Luke 4:1-13).’
And that reference to Luke’s gospel, simply shows he has the last two temptations in a different order. And for our information, the quote Jesus uses in that last temptation could come any number of verses, such as, Deut. 6:13; 10:20; Ex. 20:1-5. Now, with all of that wonderful information under our belt, let’s go home declaring and thus activating our Thursday Blessings, so generously bestowed on us by the Lord to enable us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Satan is a wily one…but he’s no match for us…when Christ dwells within us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a disciplined mind, a strong will, a very present help in trouble, abundance, all these things shall be added unto you, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, an abundantly available help, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, be brave, be strong, be strong in the Lord, bear our sins on His sinless shoulders, but of power love and a sound mind, Christians think too much about tomorrow, come to know and love christ like we do, come unto me, curse, divine protection, enough to drive a body crazy, faith, favour, find rest unto your souls, gentle and humble, give us this day our daily bread, go out and use those blessings, God has not given us the spirit of fear, God is our refuge and strength, grace for trials, help from above, holy spirit, I am meek and lowly in heart, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I will give you rest, in the name of Jesus, in the power of his might, Jesus Christ, Jesus loved us enough to die for us, Jesus walked the walk, learn of me, light for the way, living in the northern climes, LOVE, manna, mercy, mount up with wings as eagles, my burden light, my yoke is easy, negative word, not enough about today, promotion, quit you like men, rely on God's provision for our daily needs, rest amid labour, run and not be weary, salvation, seek ye first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, snow, stand fast in the faith, strength for the day, success, supernatural strength, take my yoke upon you, take one day at a time, taking the Great Invitation to heart, talent, the cross of Calvary, the great invitation, the joy of the Lord is your strength, The Promises and Non-Promises of God, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, truth, undying LOVE, unfailing sympathy, walk and not faint, watch ye
Matthew 6:11. Give us this day our daily bread.
Oh brother! Am I ever tired of this snow already. We had snow yesterday, then this morning we had some more. Granted not a lot today, but any amount of snow whatsoever is hazardous and dangerous to human life. (smile) I remember going to bed at minutes after four this morning and my driveway was clean, as my maintenance man had cleaned it during the night. Now, imagine my angry surprise when I got up this morning around eight, and although the sun was shining brightly, saw more snow in my driveway.
The foolish snow has been keeping me from going out and doing some things I want to do. And to make matters worse, the Duchess tells me that they are forecasting snow for today and also tomorrow. Mama Mia! It’s enough to drive a body crazy! (smile) But rest assured I won’t allow it to do that, for once there’s no urgent reason for me to go out, the snow could fall day and night as far as I’m concerned. And I hope you realize that’s a lie! (smile) But enough of my ranting about the snow. As the Lord tells me, if I didn’t want to encounter that beautiful, fluffy white stuff, I should not have come to the northern climes. And as usual, He’s right.
And today, I want to again address that poem we looked at yesterday; ‘The Promises and Non-Promises of God,’ in particular the last verse that concerns God’s promises. It says: ‘But God hath promised strength for the day, rest amid labour, light for the way; grace for trials, help from above, unfailing sympathy, undying LOVE.’ Now, let’s see what scriptures we can find that articulate those promises. And there are many scriptures that promote the first one ‘strength for the day,’ but I want to begin with this particular verse from the Lord’s Prayer, where Jesus gave the disciples, and consequently us, an example of accepted prayer.
And the verse I want to centre on is ‘Give us this day our daily bread.’ (Matt. 6:11) Yes friends, as both the poem and Jesus say, all we really need is bread and strength for each day. It’s like when the Lord fed the Israelites with manna in the wilderness, He instructed them to pick up only enough for ONE day, unless it was for the Sabbath, then they could pick up for two. And anything left over one day spoiled immediately. (Ex. 16) It was a way of teaching them to rely on God’s provision for their daily need. It’s also something we have to learn today; take one day at a time, and God will provide all that’s necessary. As Jesus says: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Then there are other verses which magnify the Lord’s strength like this one we all know and like to quote: ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And what about these reassuring words from the Sons of Korah from Psalm 46: ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help (an abundantly available help) in trouble.’ (Ps. 46:1) Then Bruh Paul gives us this magnificent assurance in his letter to the Philippians. ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) And this one from Nehemiah is one we must always bear in mind: ‘…for the joy of the Lord is your strength.’ (Neh. 8:10)
And I’m chuckling here friends, because I’m now realizing that this is a two day task and not a one day like I had imagined, for there are so many scriptures that we can quote, and leaving out any, seems like a travesty of justice. (smile) So here are a couple more on God’s strength for the day. ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10) Then Bruh Paul exhorts the Corinthians: ‘Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you (be brave) like men, be strong.’ (1 Cor. 16:13) Then finally, this reassurance of Bruh Paul to Timothy, one we all know but don’t action fully. ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7) And there are many more you can check out for yourself. (smile)
Now turning to the promise of ‘rest amid labour,’ I believe there’s only one scripture needed to cover it all, that’s the Great Invitation, where Jesus invites all and sundry to: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30) Oh my people, anyone who doesn’t take advantage of that glorious invitation from Jesus is a fool! And that’s putting it mildly. For who else offers such and invitation, or who else can ever deign to do so, for nobody else has the wherewithal to do it but Jesus!
So let’s remember that today and place our trust in the One and Only, Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Saviour; the One who didn’t just talk the talk, but more importantly walked it, and LOVED us enough to die on the cross of Calvary and bear our sins on His sinless shoulders. Now let’s go home declaring and thus activating our undeserved Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance!
I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…sometimes we Christians think too much about tomorrow…and not enough about today…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a smiley kind of day, a winter storm, abundance, Accept god's sovereignty over our lives, action comes with a hefty price, Blessed be the name of the Lord, blessed with God's supernatural widom, charged God foolishly, come to know and love christ like we do, community support, courage, curse, curse God and die, dent our spirits, faith, favour, fell upon the ground and worshipped, fulfilment, God can bring purpose out of suffering, guidance for navigating difficult times, He keepeth all his bones, holy spirit, if God spares life, immediate relief, in all this, it's the Lord's perogative to gie and to take, Jesus Christ, Job arose and rent his mantle, Job sinned not, LOVE, made of sterner stuff, many are the afflictions of the righteous, mercy, misfortune is a part of life, naked came I out of my mother's womg, naked shall I return thither, negative word, not one of them is broken, one of those day, perseverance, prosper and succeed, salvation, saveth such as be of a contrite spirit, shaved his head, take difficulties in stride, talent, talk is cheap, the aberrations of winter, the BIBLE, the Christian life, the Lord delivereth him out of them all, the Lord gave, the Lord hath taken away, the Lord heareth and delivereth them out of all their troubles, the Lord is nigh unto them of a broken heart, the Lord's timetable, the response that God expects, the righteous cry, truth, undaunted faith in action, undeserved blessings, wisdom, without blaming something or someone, without complaining
Job 1:21b. the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.
Oh friends, as the song says, it’s just one of those days; one of those beautiful Thursdays when everything is covered in white, several inches deep. (smile) Yes, a winter storm has dropped a lot of snow on us during the past twelve hours, and it’s still sprinkling down as we speak. I can imagine the mess the morning commute must have been, and I’m sure many people could not even get to work because of it. But that’s the price we pay for living in the northern climes. Occasionally we’re hemmed in and severely restricted by the aberrations of the winter weather. (smile)
And after the storm … then comes the hard part; digging and shovelling ourselves out of it. The main roads in my area have not even been touched as yet, so you can imagine the chaos in the busier parts of the city. Usually, you’ll hear vehicles passing, but today nary a one is passing by, that’s to tell you the condition of the streets. But we’ll take it all in stride, as we usually do, and complain as we dig ourselves out, but we certainly won’t allow a li’l snow to dent or downgrade our spirits, for we are made of sterner stuff than that. (smile)
It’s a smiley kind of day. It has to be, or all the snow out there would just drive you crazy. And how do we do that? By turning to God’s Word which gives encouragement and reassurance in every instance of misfortune or disaster. It’s like the overview of this commentary says: ‘Scriptures on dealing with misfortune emphasize faith, perseverance, community support, and the belief that God can bring purpose out of suffering. The Bible acknowledges that misfortune is a part of life and provides guidance for navigating these difficult times.’
Yes my brethren, God’s Word certainly provides guidance for navigating difficult times. So let’s look at a few of them nuh, so we can gain some reassurance on this snowy day. And there’s no better scripture to begin with than this one from Job, where after losing everything; the Bible tells us: ‘Then Job arose, and rent (tore) his mantle (robe), and shaved his head, and fell upon the ground, and worshipped. And said, Naked came I out of my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return thither: the Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord. In all this Job sinned not, nor charged God foolishly.’ (Job 1:20-22)
And yes, that kind of faith and righteous behaviour is indeed difficult to show forth when tragedy befalls us, but it’s the necessary response that God expects. Please note that the first thing Job did was worship the Lord. And that’s where it ought to begin, although it’s not easy to remember that or to do it, even when we remember. And then Job did not blame the Lord for His misfortune, although the Lord had to be involved in some form and fashion for He oversees everything that happens to us. Job simply stated the logic of it all: the Lord gave, now the Lord’s taken away what He gave. That’s His prerogative.
So although his life had gone from heaven to hell in a short time, Job did not blame God or curse him and die, as his wife told him to do. (Job 2:9) Unfortunately though, many of us don’t have that kind of faith which enables us to take our difficulties in stride without complaining or blaming something, or someone, God included. But that is the kind of faith we need to have if we expect to successfully navigate this world as followers of Jesus. We need to truly trust and accept God’s sovereignty over all the matters in our lives.
Meanwhile these marvellous words of Bruh David from Psalm 34 encourages us to turn to prayer when difficulties arise. He writes: ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh (near) unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: bur the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.’ (Ps. 34:17-20)
Yes my fellow believers, the Lord does all of that, but unfortunately it’s on His own timetable. We want immediate relief, but the Lord has what He considers important reasons for not granting immediate relief. And I can tell you about that from personal example. In the last few weeks I’ve been crying out to the Lord for relief from the pains in my stomach, and I did not doubt that it would eventually come, but for whatever reason, the Lord did not see fit to give me some relief until very recently. And as I said a couple of days ago, I don’t know if my attitude during that time was satisfactory in God’s eyes, for I did complain some, but I certainly did not curse Him.
That’s why talk is cheap, but action comes with a hefty price, which many of us are not prepared to pay. And sadly, it looks like time and space have run out on us, so we’ll stop there for today. Tomorrow, if God spares life, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that encourage us in difficult times. Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, underserved ones, generously bestowed on us by the Father to help us do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the Christian life calls for showing undaunted, fearless faith in action…not merely in talk…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 2026 the year for sincere action, a brother or sister be naked, a compassionate heart, a genuinely saved person does the will of the father, a great family, a more proactive and Christ-like attitude, a strong will, abundance, althugh you don't give them the things they need, be ye warmed and filled, broken right now in the name of Jesus, by grace are ye saved through faith, by their fruit ye shall know them, can faith save him, cast out devils in thy name, Christians must get up, courage, creativit, curse, depart from me ye that work iniquity, depart in peace, destitute of daily food, done many miracles in thy name, eternal life, eternal life is granted to those who show compassion, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, faith, faith if it hath no works is dead, fallen down on the job, false prophets, genuine faith results in good works, get together and fight for Christ, God sent not his Son into the world to condemn it, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good works follow salvation, gospel truth, Happy New Year, have we not prophesied in thy name, he that doeth the will of my Father, holy spirit, I never knew you depart from me, in thy name cast out devils, Jesus Christ, Jesus is intereceding for us in heaven, Jesus set the stage, less talk and more action, lest any man should boast, living and working for Jesus, living in continual obedience to God, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not of works, nothing is impossible with God, others can come to know and love Christ like we do, proving faith is alive, reaction to the new year, receive clear direction for my life, recreated by Jesus for good works, salvation, salvation is not of works, see the world go to hell in a handbasket, self-control, shew me thy faith without thy works, shew thee my faith by my works, talent, talk the good talk, the gift of God, the parable of the sheep and the goats, the world through him might be saved, true repentance, truth, what doth it profit, wisdom
James 2:17. Even so faith, if it hath no works, is dead, being alone.
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ONE AND ALL!
It’s 2026 friends! Yes, the old year has gone and the new one has come. What will our reaction be to it eh? Let’s hope for all of our sakes and those of our descendants that it is a more proactive and Christ-like attitude than what we showed last year. I know I keep harping on Christ-like improvements, but my fellow believers, the truth of the matter is that’s the ONLY way our world will ever improve. If we don’t get up, get together and fight like one big army for Jesus, do you think the devil and his evil-doing cronies will do it? Obviously not! Because their confirmed desire is to see the whole world go to hell in a handbasket… and the sooner the better.
This year ought to be one of less talk and much more action, if we desire to see good and godly improvements in our world. Remember these most important words of Jesus? ‘For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world though him might be saved.’ (John 3:17) And Jesus came and did His part; set the stage for peace and LOVE and goodwill to men, with salvation and eternal life thrown in for good measure. (smile) But then He had to go back to heaven to do His work there, interceding for us, and left us to continue the good work He began down here.
But, unfortunately, we have fallen down on the job and allowed the evil doers to run rampant all over the world, so now we have an even bigger job to take it back from them. However, it’s not impossible, for when we’re living and working for Jesus, NOTHING is impossible! But it doesn’t happen on it’s own, or overnight, for as James so wisely reminds us: ‘What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works, can faith save him?
If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, and one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body, what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath no works, is dead, being alone. Yea, a man may say, Thou hast faith, and I have works: shew me thy faith without thy works, and I will shew thee my faith by my works.’ (James 2:14-18)
Oh my people, those words are filled with gospel truth, for in this life so many of us talk the good talk but do nothing to action it. And yes, it’s faith that gets you to heaven, but that faith is expected to have good works with it after we come to Christ. As this commentary tells us: ‘Genuine faith results in good works, proving it’s alive.’ And also as Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘For by grace are ye saved (you have been saved) through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any many should boast. For we are his workmanship (creation), created in Christ Jesus unto (for) good works, which God hath before ordained (prepared) that we should walk in them.’ (Eph. 2:8-10)
The long and short of the story there is that we are can only be saved by grace through faith, which is a gift of God, so that man cannot boast about his own deeds. However, God had foreordained that we should do good works after being saved. As the scholars explain. ‘Created in Christ Jesus unto good works means “having been (morally) re-created by Christ Jesus for good works;” that is, Jesus remade our spiritual lives so that we could then do good works. The apostle’s thinking is this: since the Christian has been given spiritual life for the purpose of doing good works, there could have been no good works by him prior to conversion that would merit salvation. Good works follow – do not precede – salvation.’
So good works will not get us into heaven, but after we are come to faith we are expected to do good works in Christ’s name. It’s like Jesus said when talking about false prophets: ‘Every tree that bringeth not forth food fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruit ye shall know them. Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils (demons)? and in thy name done many wonderful works (miracles)? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.’ (Matt. 7:19-23)
Yes friends doing all those outward things doesn’t mean that you’re sincere, for false prophets can also appear sincere. And as the scholars further explain: ‘Not everyone professing Christ is genuinely saved. Even the outward verbal acknowledgement of His lordship is in itself not enough to save the unbeliever apart from true repentance and faith. A genuinely saved person is one that doeth the will of my Father, the Greek present tense suggesting that he is continually living in obedience to the will of God as the normal course of his life.’
And if you want some more clarification on the subject, then you can check out Jesus’ parable about the sheep and the goats in Matthew 25:31-46, where, as this commentary breaks it down: ‘eternal life is granted to those who showed compassion (fed the hungry, clothed the naked, visited the sick), demonstrating faith through action.’ And that’s the moral of the story; we cannot have true faith without sincere good works, for they go together like a hand and a glove.
Now let’s go home declaring our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do the good work He desires of us. What a wise and wonderful God we serve my people! Altogether: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that awesome declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…2026 is the year for sincere action…on the part of true believers…let’s beleive it…and act on it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a Mighty Deliverer, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, all the days of our life, as it is written, base things of the world, be saved from our enemies, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, compensates for the months of being mute, courage, creativity, curse, delivered out of the hand of our enemies, divine protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit, divinely empowered praise, faith, faith makes us stronger, favour, fear steals our strength, for with God nothing shall be impossible, from the hand of all that hate us, go before the face of the Lord, god hath chosen the foolish things of the world, good friends, good health, he hath visited and redeemed his people, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord, holy spirit, in holiness and righteousness, in the house of David his servant, in the shadow of death, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, negative word a great family, no flesh should glory in his presence, not many mighty, not many noble are called, not many wise men after the flesh, of God has become wisdom., raised up a horn of salvation, redemption, remember his holy covenant, righteousnes, run errands, salvation, sanctification, self-control, serve him without fear, seven days to christmas, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, short and sweet, spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, supernatural wisdom, talent, the birth of John the Baptist, the dayspring from on high, the oath he swore to our father Abraham, the remission of their sins, the tender mercy of our God, the weak things of the world, things which are despised, things which are not, thou child, to bring to nought things that are, to confound the things which are mighty, to confound the wise, to give knowledge of salvation, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, to prepare his ways, to put to shame the wise, truth, use our blessings to help others, wisdom, you are in Christ Jesus, Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost
Luke 1:37. ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’
Only 7 more now friends… Yes, only seven day left to Christmas, so you had better get all your Christmas shopping and preparations done soon, because the days are passing by quicker than you realize. (smile) And on this Thursday before Christmas, our penultimate day of the work week, unfortunately we’re on a late, late bus, because I had to go out the street and run some errands, and you know, despite how carefully you budget your time, those things always take longer than expected. But we’ll try to keep it short and sweet… and some of you are laughing, as though I can ever write anything short.
Well, be careful, I might just surprise you today, (smile) as we continue looking at the birth of John the Baptist and what can happen, even to those with little or no faith, when the Holy Ghost fills you. The Bible tells us that after John was born: ‘And his Father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation (A Mighty Deliverer) for us in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (down through the ages): That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us: To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.’ (Luke 1:67-75)
Wow! What a way Zacharias suddenly loses his fear, develops faith and begins to prophesy…all under the aegis or divine protection and guidance of the Holy Ghost! That ought to remind and encourage us of the words that the Angel Gabriel said to Mary, when he told her about Elisabeth’s barren state being changed: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) And thus Zacharias was able to prophesy his head off. Or as the scholars say: ‘His divinely empowered praise compensates for the months of being mute.’
Thus he continues, now turning his prophecy to his son John. ‘And thou child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest (Most High): for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:76-79)
Ah mih people, who would have ever thought it possible for Zacharias to offer up such profound prophesy after his reaction of fear to the angel Gabriel’s unexpected announcement that he was about to have a son…and a famous one at that? Not many of us. But that’s how our great and wonderful God works, especially in the lives of those who seem weak. It’s as Bruh Paul says in his first missive to the church at Corinth: ‘For ye see (consider) your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound (put to shame) the things which are mighty. And base (insignificant) things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought (nothing) things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (has become) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1:26-31)
And that’s a most wonderful and informative scripture for us to end on my people! Now, let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings which the Lord hath so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! And as you can see friends, with the Lord’s help, the Bit IS a tad shorter than normal! (smile) Much LOVE!
….fear steals our strength…but faith makes us even stronger than normal…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, abundance, believe me for the very work's sake, believe me that I am in the Father, blessed with God's supernatural widom, born of the virgin Mary, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, disobedience is the Christian's downfall, divine protection, divinity, do our own thing, faith, favour, follow Jesus example of obedience, from hencefort ye know him and have seen him, go our own way, God's character words and deeds are manifested in jesus, God's nature is revealed through Jesus, God's plan of salvation, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, holy spirit, human sinfulness, I am the way the truth and the life, I came down from heaven, I speak not of mine own authority, it will satisfy us, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the perfect revelation of God, Jesus was obedient to the Father's will, Jesus' incarnate birth, Jesus' oneness with the Father, LOVE, mercy, more obedient to the dictates of Jesus, my judgement is just, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me, negative word, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, not to do my own will, promotion, prosper, salvation, shew us the Father, six feet under, succeed, talent, the Father doeth the works, the father in me, the Father that dwelleth in me, the penultimate day of our work week, the same divine essence, the thoughts of Christin our hearts, the wealth and power of the world, the will of him that sent me, the words that I speak unto you, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, thoughts of christ getting more intense, to understand Jesus is to understand God, truth, unity, when ye turn to the left, when ye turn to the right hand, wisdom
John 14:11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Thankfully, the snow has stopped falling and the sun is shining but it’s cold. However, we’ll take the cold with the bright shining sun any day though, rather than the white stuff falling from the skies. (smile) And as we move closer to Christmas Day, the preparations are ramping up and getting even more intense. Let’s hope that the thoughts of Christ in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds are also getting more intense, as we look forward to that awesome day when we celebrate His incarnate birth.
How He was born of the virgin Mary, with the Holy Spirit planting the godly seed in Mary’s womb, so He could become human, but not have a human being as his biological father. It was the first step in God’s enormous and awesome plan of salvation for His human creation; Jesus being born sinless, so that He could eventually pay the hefty, soul draining price for our sinfulness.
But He also came to earth to show us what the Father, the God we’d worshipped for so long was really like, not in body, because the Father is a Spirit, but in ways and means, hopefully giving us a better understanding of what He expects from us. Remember Jesus talking to the disciples about His going away, and they claiming to not know where He was going and how. (John 14:3-4).
‘Then Thomas saith unto him, Lord we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh to the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself (of my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.’ (John 14:5-11)
Yes friends, as Jesus told Philip, when we see Him, we also see the Father, for although they are separate, they are one in certain respects. And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘Jesus asserts his oneness with the Father, indicating they share the same divine essence, emphasizing their unity, divinity, and the Father’s presence in Jesus’ words and works, revealing God’s nature through Him. Jesus acts as the perfect revelation of God; to understand Jesus is to understand God, as God’s character, words, and deeds are fully manifested in Him.’
And that was exactly what Jesus did while living as a human being here on earth; teach us about the ways and character of God, through His works, deeds and words. Remember He said that His words and actions were not from His own authority, but from the Father’s. And throughout His earthly sojourn He made it crystal clear that He was obeying the will of His Father, not His own.
And we see that in verses like these. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34) Then in John 5, Jesus declares: ‘I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just (righteous); because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.’ (John 5:30) And again in John 6, Jesus says; ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38)
Ah friends, if there’s one thing Jesus modelled perfectly was obedience. He did nothing without consulting His Father, for it was His will Jesus came to earth to pursue. That’s why Isaiah reminds us: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21)
Oh, my fellow believers, the Holy Spirit is trying to lead and guide us in a godly and righteous manner, and how much better off we would all be if we could be even a tad more obedient to the dictates of Jesus, as His followers and ambassadors. For one of our greatest failings is we simply like to go our own way and do our own thing. But please, let’s look at the example Jesus set for us and do our best to follow it nuh. Killing ourselves to acquire the pleasures, wealth and power of the world won’t do us any good when we’re six feet under. But living seriously for Jesus now, will certainly help us in the next life.
And the Father has been so good to us, even to the extent of bestowing undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. So why not be wise and live for Him eh? And in keeping with that great idea, (smile) let’s now declare and activate those Thursday Blessings, that we can rise to our calling. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now expected to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…disobedience is the Christian’s downfall…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a light unto my path, a positive outlook on life, a reverential fear of God, abundance, as a father the son in whom he delighteth, be not wise in thine own eyes, bind them about thy neck, challenges to be responsibly handled, come to know and love him like we do, courage, creativity, curse, depart from evil, despise not the chastening of the Lord, divine protection, don't worry about tomorrow, duty bound, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, evildoing, faith, favour, fear the Lord, find favour and good understanding, fulfillment, get it deep in our hearts, God causes us to get wealth, God will make the paths straight before you, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, have fellowship and intimacy with God, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, high esteem, holy spirit, honour the Lord with thy substance, hypothetical problems of tomorrow, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, keep the Lord's commandments, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, my son forget not my law, negative word, neither be thou weary of his correction, promotion, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the result of such devotion, the wise council of Solomon, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to put it into proper practice, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, use those blessings to help others, whom the Lord Loves He corrects, wisdom, with God and man, with the first fruits of all thine increase, worry gets you nowhere, worry is the devil's handiwork, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Ah friends, Thursday has rolled around somewhat quickly, and we’re all looking forward to Friday and the weekend, but remember we have to get through Thursday first, (smile) so let’s concentrate on today as Jesus so wisely warned us: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) Yes friends, the Lord knows what we need, and if we keep Him first place in our lives He will provide it. It’s like Bruh David says in that favourite psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1)
And we don’t need to worry about what will happen tomorrow, for like the scholars tell us; ‘each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ That is not to say we should not make some cursory plans, or consider what consequences can follow from today’s problems, but not to fret and worry over them, so that we cannot handle today’s problems properly. Remember, worry, is the devil’s handiwork, and it get’s you nowhere, but heartache and sickness.
And that’s why Cousin Sol gives us this wonderful advice from Proverbs, which we all can quote, but do not properly put into practice, otherwise our lives would not be as difficult as they are. So let’s listen once again to the wise and wonderful council of Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever, and see if we can get it deep enough in our hearts and souls to put it into more serious practice than we’re currently doing. (smile)
So please read with me: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:1-2) Now that’s the first lesson. Keep the Lord’s commandments for they shall bring us long life, and peace.
Then he continues: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck ; write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind): so shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) There’s another lesson; to let mercy and truth be thoroughly bound within your heart, wear them like a necklace around your neck, for when those things are foremost in your behaviour, you will find favour with God and man.
Next comes the verses we all know and are quick to quote with our lips, but are not well written in our hearts. Cousin Sol lays it right on the line when he wisely declares: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
There it is my faithful brethren, the two verses that you can break the whole Bible down to. Place your complete trust in the Lord, lean on, depend on, and rely on Him, don’t go your own way, and faithfully acknowledge the Lord, or as the scholars tell us; ‘ have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’
Oh my brethren, that’s the gospel truth, for it’s all about trust and faithfulness. The Lord is indeed trustworthy and faithful, and if we sincerely turn to Him for guidance, He will lead us along right paths, lead and direct our footsteps in this crazy world. Remember that memorable verse in Psalm 119: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) That’s what Cousin Sol is referring to there.
And having given us those two majestic verses, he continues: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7-8) More precious wisdom friends! If we don’t consider ourselves as overly wise and have a strong and reverential fear of the Lord, as well as not give evil any place in our hearts, our bodies will stay strong, for evildoing and boasting wreaks havoc on our bodies in due course.
Then Cousin Sol reminds us to ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) Wow! And that’s certainly the undeniable truth! For when we give back to God as generously as He gives to us, our wealth grows. However, it must be the first fruits of our increase, not the last. Remember it is God who causes us to get wealth, (Deut. 8:18) and He desires His share first.
Then we come to the final words of wisdom in this awesome passage of scripture, where Cousin Sol so wisely advises: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be thou weary of his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) More gospel truth my people! For just like our earthly fathers punish or correct us when we do wrong, so does the Lord admonish those whom He LOVES. And yes, none of us like to be punished or corrected, but what kind of Father would He be, if He didn’t correct us when we did wrong eh? Certainly not a LOVING One!
And having heard the marvellous wisdom of Cousin Sol one more time, let’s hope that this time it will sink even deeper into our hears and souls so that we can practice it, because it’s all for our benefit. Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings which God has so generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
That means we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessing to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if we truly believe that God is our Creator and controller…then why do we refuse to put our complete trust in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a man's life does not consist of his possessions, a positive outlook on life, abundance, an appropriate lesson for these times, be content with what you have, be in the world not of the world, before many witnesses, beware of covetousness, Christians living like the world, clear direction for my life, confessed a good confession, courage, covet not thy neighbour's wife, covetous vultures, covetousness is not a Christian attribute, creativity, curse, divine protection, don't covet anything that is your neighbour's, drown men in destruction, eat drink and be merry, engaging in greed and envy, erred from their faith, even as I am not of the world, evil doers, faith, fall into temptation, favour, fight the good fight, flee these things, follow after righteousness, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, greedy and covetous times, hast professed a good profession, having food and raiment, high-priced lawyers, holy spirit, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, in the name of Jesus, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, is not rich towards God, Jesus Christ, lay hold on eternal life, let us therewith be content, let your conduct be without covetousness, licentiousness, LOVE, maximization of earthly wealth, meekness, mercy, negative word, nice sunshiny weather, O man of God, our life's goal, patience, perdition, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, ruin and destruction, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, self-control, self-discipline, set them apart, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, some in their greediness, stop striving for material wealth, strayed from the faith, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, take heed, take thine ease, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord hath said, the LOVE of money, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the rich fool, the root of all kinds of evil, the Ten Commandments, the way of the world, they are not of the world, they that desire to be rich, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thy word is truth, truth, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, which some coveted after, which thou hast provided, who is my neighbour, whose shall those things be, wisdom
Hebrews 13:5a. Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:
Ah friends, I can’t believe it’s already Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek! The week has certainly passed quickly, and October seems to be giving us some nice sunshiny weather, though a tad on the cooler side. And we won’t complain, although complaining seems to be our lot these days. (smile) Now, as I was leafing through the Good Library, seeking something to write on, I came across this rather interesting and most appropriate lesson for these particular times.
It’s a verse from the author of Hebrews, which very conveniently, we only remember the last half, while seldom paying any attention to the first half. Why? Because the scripture admonishes and wisely advises us thus: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (the Lord) hath said , I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5)
Yes my people, we tell ourselves that the last half of the verse is the gospel truth, but we completely ignore the first half, because that’s the way of the world in these greedy and covetous times, and too many of us supposed believers are living like the world, not like Christians. Remember what Jesus said when He prayed for the disciples, and consequently us? ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth.’ (John 17:16-17)
Yes friends, we’re supposed to be in the world, but set aside from the world, and knowing God’s Word, which is the infallible truth, we’re not supposed to be behaving like the world. But unfortunately, too many of us are doing just that, engaging in the greed, envy and licentiousness that we’re supposed to resist and instead make public, so that the evil doers can see the light of Christ. And the sad part is that the admonishment against covetousness is not a new one, for it was framed from time immemorial in the Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to the Israelites and subsequently to those who professed belief in him and His Son Jesus Christ.
So, let’s cast our minds back to that august document, set out in Exodus 20. The last commandment of those ten, most explicitly warns: ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.’ (Ex. 20:17) Now, what about that don’t we understand eh?
And some of you trying to be smart might say, it only talks about our neighbour’s stuff. Well for your information, everybody around you, whether you live close to them or not, is your neighbour. Remember when the foolish lawyer who wanted to be seen, asked Jesus the same question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ And Jesus then told him the parable of the Good Samaritan, showing his neighbour was anyone whom he came into contact with. (Luke 10: 28-37) So, don’t covet, means just that: don’t covet anything at all from anybody. Covetousness ought not to be an attribute of a believer in Christ Jesus.
And Jesus Himself warned us about covetousness, when someone asked him to talk to his brother about sharing their inheritance, ‘And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider (an arbitrator) over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:13-15) Then, as was His wont, to back up His statement, Jesus told them the parable of the rich fool. Where this man had so much stuff, he had nowhere to store them. So in his foolish, worldly wisdom decided to tear down all his storehouses and build bigger and better ones, so he could store all his goods.
‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)
And we see that happening every day, where some person who has spent their entire lives building great material wealth, suddenly dies. And what becomes of their fortune eh? They surely cannot take it with them. No, it’s left behind for a lot of greedy, covetous vultures in human form to fight over it. And in the end, the people who benefit most are the high-priced lawyers they hire to fight for it! What godly justice for greed and covetousness.
And we can’t have a scriptural conversation on covetousness without these remarkable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject. He writes: ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from their faith (for which, some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-12)
Ah mih bredrin, Bruh Paul says it all right there! It’s high time we believers stop making the attainment of material wealth our life’s goal. There’s nothing wrong with having wealth, but living to create it is unwise. Especially since the Lord has blessed us with what we call our Thursday Blessings; so many undeserved blessings, to do our earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it now behooves us to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…godliness with contentment…is what Christians should be seeking…not maximization of earthly wealth…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Aug 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a licentious society, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, Ahimelech, be as a tree planted by the waters, blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, boast of evil doing, Chrisitanity, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, Doeg the Edomite, duty bound, evildoers will be destroyed, faith, flourish like a green olive tree, God has given us all the good things we have, God shall likewuse destroy thee for ever, Goliath's sword, good freinds, good health, hallowed shrew bread, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever, I will praise thee for ever, I will wait on thy name, in the house of God, in the midst of thee, in thee are those who eat upon the mountais, it is good before the saints, Jesus Christ, Jesus has promised never to leave nor forsake us, like a green olive tree, like a sharp razor, living like Satan dictates, LOVE, lying rather than to speak righteousness, men that carry tales to shed blood, mercy, negative word' favour, neither shall cease from bearing fruit, pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, promotion, rejected God and his word, root thee out of the land of the living, salvation, Selah, self-control, self-discipline, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, slander to cause bloodshed, spreadeth out her roots by the river, strife-filled and chaotic world, success, supernatural wisdom, take thee away, talent, the BIBLE, the breath of life, the goodness of God endureth continually, the land of the living, the penultimate day of the work week, the tongue deviseth mischief, the tongue plans destruction, they commit lewdness, thou deceitful tongue, thou lovest all devouring words, thou lovest eveil more than good, to help us whenever we call on him, trust in the Lord's goodness and mercy, truth, undeserved blessings, whose hope the Lord is, why boastest thou thyself in mischief, wisdom, working deceitfully
Psalm 52:8. But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.
And then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week. And as the past many days, it’s opened bright and sunshiny, with a cool breeze wafting through the trees, but although it’s not too hot at midday, who knows how much the temperature will increase as the afternoon rolls in. But whatever happens, we will manage it wisely and successfully with Jesus’ awesome help, because He has promised to never leave nor forsake us and help us whenever we call on Him.
And today, the Good Library opened at an interesting but little considered Psalm 52, titled ‘Evildoers Will Be Destroyed,’ written by Bruh David when the betrayer Doeg, the Edomite, went to king Saul and told him that David had come to the house of Ahimelech, the priest, at Nob, who had given him the hallowed shrew bread and Goliath’s sword aiding his efforts to escape from Saul’s murderous hand. And we can find that story in 1 Samuel 21.
The scholars tell us that the psalm is one of eight Bruh David wrote while fleeing from Saul. He begins this one thus: ‘Why boastest thou thyself in mischief (evil doing), O mighty man? the goodness (LOVING-KINDNESS) of God endureth continually. The tongue deviseth mischief (plans destruction); like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. Thou LOVEST evil more than good; and lying rather than to speak righteousness. Selah. Thou LOVEST all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue.’ (Ps. 52:1-4)
Wow! Those are truly tough words. It’s like the prophet Ezekiel said of the people of Israel: ‘In thee are men that carry tales to shed blood (slander to cause bloodshed): and in thee they (are they who) eat upon the mountains: in the midst of thee they commit lewdness.’ (Ezek. 22:9) And isn’t that the very same thing that’s happening right now in our slanderous, dysfunctional and licentious society? Of course it is! For we have rejected God and His Word and are living like Satan dictates. No wonder the strife-filled and chaotic state of our world.
But getting back to the psalm, it’s interesting to note the scholars take on the first four verses. They say: ‘The description of Doeg is one of the most contemptuous in Scripture. But because of his betrayal Doeg will be destroyed.’ And Bruh David details that in the next verse. ‘God shall likewise destroy thee for ever, he shall take thee away, and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Selah.’ (Ps. 52:5)
Now that’s certainly a wish for thorough destruction. However something good will come from it. That is: ‘The righteous shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo, this is the man that made not God his strength; but trusted in the abundance of his riches, and strengthened himself in his wickedness (destruction)’ (Ps. 52:6-7)
Yes friends, there are indeed valuable lessons to be learned from the destruction of the wicked. Unfortunately though, too many of us supposed believers don’t learn from it, and continue going in the way of the devil, down the wide and winding way that leads to destruction. But please remember, that all these scriptures about the destruction of the wicked are for our benefit, to enlighten us to the foolishness of following the diviner of darkness, Satan.
Instead we should be like Bruh David describes. ‘But I am like a green olive tree in the house of God: I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever.’ (Ps. 52:8) Oh my faithful brethren, that’s what happens when we trust in the Lord’s goodness and mercy, we thrive and flourish like a green olive tree.
Or, as Jeremiah so beautifully puts it: ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from bearing fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8)
Oh my people, what a wonderful picture of what happens to those who trust in Almighty God! No wonder Bruh David ends the psalm thus: ‘I will praise thee for ever, because thou hast done it: and I will wait on thy name; for it is good before thy saints.’ (Ps. 52:9) That’s our best bet friends! Praising God for ever and ever is what it’s all about. And it’s one of the reasons He created us. So if we are wise and put our trust in God, then praise should come automatically. And consequently His goodness and mercy will follow us all the day long. It’s so simple and wonderful; praise and trust, bring goodness and mercy!
And also, through God’s great generosity, come undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that sincere declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…why don’t we LOVE, trust and praise our Creator…when He’s the one who’s given us all the good things we have…especially the breath of life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a holding pattern, a source of hope and encouragement, above all that we ask or think, abundance, according to the power that worketh in us, ask and it shall be given you, by Christ Jesus, cleanse any infection, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, divine refreshing, duty bound, every breath I wake, every one that asketh receiveth, faith, favour, fill me with the healing power of your Spirit, God's power can exceed all our human expectations, God's power is boundless, God's power working within believers, God's supernatural wisdom, got a zeppo, have faith that god can work, he spake a parable unto them, he that seeketh findeth, heat warning, heavenly Father, holy spirit, I call on you right now, I live under your power, if you created me from nothing, in a special way, in mind body and spirit, in ways that exceed our human expectations, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, keep on keeping on, knock and it shall be opened unto you, laziness and procrastination, let the warmth of your healing love pass through my body, LOVE, men ought always to pray and not faint, mend what is broken, mercy, my body will function, n a special way, negative word, not give up, not lose heart, on a short leash, open any blocked arteries or veins, prayer is the beleiver's most potent weapon, promotion, prosper, rebuild any damaged areas, remove all inflammation, restore me to full health, root out any unproductive cells, salvation, seek and ye shall find, serve you for the rest of my life, succeed, success, talent, the Prayer of Physical Renewal, the way you created it to function, through the Holy Spirit, through your power I was created, throughout all the ages, to accomplish far more than is humanly possible, to do exceeding abundantly, to him that knocketh, to make new any unhealthy areas, to this end, touch me now with that same power, trust in God's power, truth, unto Him be glory in the church, unto him that is able, we worship a Supernatural God, wisdom, world without end, you can recreate me
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
Please, don’t even remind me that it’s Thursday, the second to last day of the work week, a sunny and very hot one with a heat warning, for I’ve done very few of the numerous things I promised myself to do this week! Chuh man! Is it just laziness and procrastination on my part, or does the Lord have me in a holding pattern, where, like a tied up animal straining to get loose, I can only go as far as my leash would allow me?
To my thinking it’s a bit of both, but the problem is to decipher which one has the strongest hold, which one’s keeping me back the most. I’ve been enquiring of the Lord, but so far I haven’t received a conclusive answer, so I guess my best bet is to get up and throw off the laziness and procrastination and see where it gets me. If it gets me nowhere, then I will know that it’s the Lord who has me on a short leash. (smile)
On the other hand, even before I began to write the Bit, I got a zeppo as to what to write. Hn! Consider that nuh! Now, there’s a prayer which a friend gave me a long time ago that I say every morning before writing the Bit. I’ve shared it before, but today while saying it, I was guided to share it again, because it’s a prayer that so many of us in our sick and broken lives desperately need in these chaotic and ungodly times. Now it doesn’t have an official name, but for our purposes we will call it the prayer of Physical Renewal. (smile)
So please pray with me: ‘Heavenly Father, I call on You right now in a special way. It is through Your power that I was created. Every breath I wake, I live under Your power. Father, I ask You now to touch me with that same power. For if You created me from nothing, You can recreate me. Fill me with the healing power of Your Spirit. Cast out anything that should not be in me. Mend what is broken.
Root out any unproductive cells, open any blocked arteries or veins and rebuild any damaged areas. Remove all inflammation and cleanse any infection. Let the warmth of your healing LOVE pass through my body to make new any unhealthy areas so that my body will function the way You created it to function. And Father, restore me to full health in mind, body and spirit so that I may serve You for the rest of my life. I ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen!’
Yes friends, that’s one of my backbone prayers. For at my stage in life, with all my maladies, aches and pains, I do need divine refreshing every day. And I don’t doubt that many of you are in the same position, therefore we all need to pray for our specific healing needs. Remember this Bible verse: ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).’ (Luke 18:1)
That was the parable of the persevering woman and the unjust judge that we recently spoke of. She only got justice because she kept on bothering the judge until he gave in and did His job properly. Likewise, we’re not to give up on prayer, despite not receiving the answers we desire or any answers at all. It’s like Jesus said in the sermon on the Mount: ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
That means we have to keep on keeping on, and not give up, though things might look tough, even impossible, because our God is a supernatural God and therefore has the power to do things supernaturally, things that we cannot imagine or comprehend. As Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians: ‘Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all the ages, world without end. Amen.’ (Eph. 3:20-21)
And what does all of that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘It expresses the belief in God’s limitless power and capacity to exceed human expectations and desires. This verse is often interpreted as a source of hope and encouragement, emphasizing that God’s actions can surpass anything we can ask for or even imagine. It emphasizes that God’s power, working within believers through the Holy Spirit, enables Him to accomplish far more than what is humanly possible.’
In other words, God’s power is boundless, and can exceed all our human expectations, but we need to trust in His power and to have faith that He can work in ways that are beyond our understanding. That’s the only way we will ever see God’s power show up in our lives, my fellow believers; with sincere faith and trust in His boundless ability. And we already know that He’s very generous because He’s bestowed on us undeserved blessings we call our Thursday Blessings, so that we can do His earthly work. Therefore, let’s declare and activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection!
I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, we are now duty bound to go out and use those blessings in the lives of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us. Much LOVE!
…prayer is the believer’s most potent weapon…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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