08 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a positive outlook on life, a rewarder of them that diligently seek him, abundance, all things work together for good to them that love God, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, ask and it shall be given to you, blessed with a strong will, blessed with God's supernatural widom, blessed with success, come to know and love him like we do, commit thy way unto the Lord, courage, creativity, curse, delight thyself also in the Lord, depend on God's direction to live the Christian life, driven with the wind and tossed, everyone that asks receives, faith, favour, feed on his faithfulness, foundational truths of our faith, fulfilment, give thee the desires of thine heaert, giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not, God's direction for earthly living, good friends, good health, he delighteth in his way, he is ever merciful, he shall bring it to pass, he shall not be utterly cast down, he that cometh to God must believe that He is, he that seeks finds, he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, his seed begging bread, his seed is blessed, holy spirit, I have been young and now am old, if any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God, in all sincerity and truth, in the name of Jesus, it pays to be righteous, it pays to wait on God, Jesus Christ, knock and it shall be opened unto you, lack wisdom, lends, let him ask in faith, LOVE, mercy, negative word, not doubting, not seen the righteous forsaken, not wavering, promotion, prosper and succeed, remind God of His promises, salvation, seek and ye shall find, self-control, self-discipline, so shalt thou dwell in the land, spiritual sunshine, supernatural strength, talent, the basics of living for God, the encouragement a little sunshine brings, the fountain of wisdom - Almighty God, the importance of faith in living the Christian life, the Lord upholdeth him with his hand, the Lord will eventually work it all out for our good, the steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord, the sun's shining, thou shalt be fed, though he fall, to him that knocks it shall be opened, to them who are called according to his purpose, trust in the Lord, trust in the Lord and do good, truth, use those blessings to help others, we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us, when we truly believe nothing is impossible, wisdom, wisdom shall be given to him, without faith it is impossible to please God, without reproach, you never miss the water till the well runs dry
Psalm 37:23. The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.
Oh friends, at long last the sun has decided to bless us with it’s cold though shining presence! Yes! Although it’s wet out there from the melting snow, the sun is finally shining in my neck of the woods! Wow! And you wouldn’t believe the encouragement or reassurance or whatever you choose to call it, that li’l sunshine brings; like the light of Jesus breaking up the darkness that envelops the world! As they say, you never miss the water until the well runs dry, and so you never miss the sunshine until the darkness seems like an everyday occurrence. (smile) Who would have ever thought that we’d be so glad to see a li’l sunshine!
And with that lively and reassuring event, we’ll continue looking at some scriptures that encourage us to seek God’s direction for living this earthly life, so that we can enjoy the spiritual sunshine that that wise behaviour brings. And we’ll begin today with several verses from that mighty psalm, Psalm 37, where Bruh David pours out his heart exhorting us to ‘Trust in the Lord.’ These first verses wisely advise: ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on his faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-5)
Oh my fellow believers, you see the basics of living for God and getting His wise direction; trust, delight and commit. And yes, they sound simple and easy, but in this evil and ungodly they are not always easy to action. However, we must remember we have the Holy Spirit of Jesus dwelling within us, and when we truly believe, nothing is impossible, for we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us. (Phil. 4:13)
Then we have these later verses of Psalm 37, where Bruh David writes: ‘The steps of a good man are ordered (established) by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed (descendants) begging bread. He is ever merciful (merciful al the day), and lendeth; and his seed (descendants) is blessed.’ (Ps. 37:23-26)
Now my faithful brethren, what can be more encouraging about living a life under God’s direction than that eh? Absolutely nothing! That brings us to this gem from James, Jesus’ brother, where he wisely and rightly declares: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given to him. But let him ask in faith, not wavering (without doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.’ (James 1:5-6)
Oh friends, it cannot be more explicitly stated than that! You want wisdom, go the fountain of wisdom – Almighty God – and ask for it! However, you must go believing that you will get it, for remember what Hebrews says; ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) There again we have the importance of faith in living the Christian life.
And Jesus also says it quite plainly in the gospel of Matthew: ‘Ask, and it shall be given unto 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) Now that’s as clear as day my people! (smile) It means we must go after what we want with faith, but at the same time putting our absolute trust in God, waiting in faith on Him to give us what is best for us, at the right time.
And that’s not easy to do, when we believe we have so many immediate needs, but as Bruh David says in the psalm; he, was once young, then became old, but during all that time, he never saw the offspring of the righteous begging bread. So it obviously pays to be righteous; to live for God, to wait on Him, which means persevering through all the trials and tribulations the world hurls at us, knowing and faithfully believing that God will see us through it all. It’s like that great promise in Romans says: ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28)
Now that friends, is one of the foundational truths of our faith, which helps us to undergo the storms and pressures of this earthly life; knowing that eventually the Lord will work it all out for our good. So today, please, let’s believe, let’s have strong faith, let’s use the Lord’s Word to go to Him and remind Him of the promises He’s made. That won’t annoy Him. In fact, He’d be overjoyed, because it would mean that you’ve been reading and studying His Word and you want to walk the right path. And he will NEVER turn away anyone who comes to him in all sincerity and truth.
So, having said that, let’s declare, in all sincerity and truth, (smile) our undeserved Thursday Blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one strong 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 (steups!!!) 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!
…to live the true Christian life…one must depend on God’s direction…
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
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
23 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful masterpiece, a deceitful tongue, a positive outlook on life, a world of iniquity, abundance, achieving deeper intimacy with God, an everyday occurrence, an ungodly man diggeth up evil, an unruly evil, be able to bridle the whole body, boasteth great things, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, can a vine bear figs, clear direction for my life, cna the fig tree bear olives, come to know and love christ like we do, creativity, curse, curse and bless with the same tongue, deliver my soul from lying lips, doth a fountain send forth at the same place, driven of fierce winds, duty bound, every idle word that men speak, eye candy, faith, favour, from the hand of God, full of deadly poison, get ready for the deep chill, growing in spiritual maturity, guided by the Holy Spirit, holy spirit, how big a fire a small flame sets, how great a matter a little fire kindleth, if any man stumble not in word, in his lips there is a burning fire, in many things we all stumble, indisputable truth, inner mechanism, it defileth the whole body, Jesus Christ, leaves changing colours, less unholy words to answer for, LOVE, made after the likeness of God, mercy, negative word, no fountin can yield both fresh and salt water, our tongues cause much anguish and heartache, out of the same mouth, proceedeth blessing and cursing, programmed by God, prosper, put bits in horses mouths, salvation, set on fire by Satan, set on fire of hell, sets on fire the whole course of life, setteth on fire the course of nature, ships are turned around with a small rudder, so is the tongue among our members, succeed, sweet and bitter water, talent, the big day of reckoning, the gospel truth, the impulsiveness of our tongues, the lusts of the world, the same is the perfect man, the similitude of God, the tongue can no man tame, the tongue is a fire, the tongue is a little member, the tongue is a system of iniquity, the tongue is small but powerful, the tongue needs to be used wisely, therewith bless we God, therewith curse we men, they shall give account of on judgment day, those things ought not to be so, truth, unruly tongues, wisdom
James 3:6a. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members,
And this new day of life brings us to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week! The week is surely moving along very quickly, like the leaves on the trees, which are now swiftly changing colour and falling off as the weather gets colder and their inner mechanism programmed by God their creator, tells them it’s time to get ready for the deep chill. (smile) I hope our inner God-given sense also tell us the same thing and we follow it obediently, like the trees follow theirs. And by the way, that fiery red tree in my neighbour’s backyard, is now also filled with luminous yellow leaves, so it’s a startlingly beautiful masterpiece of red and yellow from the hand of our wonderful God.
Now, He’s doing His work to provide us with great eye candy, but are we doing ours, to help bring unbelievers to Him, as well as growing in spiritual maturity and thus achieving deeper friendship and intimacy with the One we claim to LOVE and worship? And sadly that answer is a big NO; for we are not being guided by the Holy Spirit as we ought to be, but instead we are allowing the world and it’s lusts to guide us, with our unruly tongues in the forefront. Remember yesterday we spoke of the impulsiveness of our tongues and the problems they consequently cause?
Today we’ll continue talking about that power of the tongue, for both good and evil. And James has a wonderful treatise on the tongue. He explains: ‘For in many things we offend all (all stumble). If any man offend not (stumble not) in word, the same is a perfect man, and be able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold, also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet they are turned about with a very small helm (rudder), withersoserver the governor listeth (the pilot wants). Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire). (James 3:2-5)
Ah friends, we see the power of small things to move great matters; like the bit in the horses mouth, the rudder on the ships and the ability of a small flame to cause a huge fire. And James continues delving into the matter of the tongue. ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:6) Wow! What an expose on our tongues!
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan.’ And we see that awesome power of our tongues in our everyday life, where it causes arguments and strife, even wars, because of a few insensitive, demeaning or boastful words. James then further enlightens us: ‘For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.’ (James 3:7-8)
And is that ever the indisputable truth, as everywhere these days you can hear tongues spewing more vitriol than anything else. For as James points out: ‘Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (likeness) of God.’ (James 3:9) That’s more indisputable truth! How can we curse and bless with the same tongue eh? As James states: ‘Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.’ (James 3:10) And that’s the gospel truth! We should not be blessing and cursing with the same tongue, but it’s an everyday occurrence in this evil and ungodly world!
Then James puts forward these questions to prove his point. ‘Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:11-12) Oh my people, the unholy use of our tongues causes so much anguish and heartache in our world that we should pray for the Lord to dumb us all.
However, there’s one thing we forget about the use of our tongues, and Jesus said it quite plainly. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) Yes my people, we shall all give account for our words come the judgement day, so we had better start shaping up from right now, so that we will have less unholy words to answer for, come that big day of reckoning. (smile)
For as that wise man, Cousin Sol once said: ‘An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.’ (Prov. 16:27) There again we have the provoking and anger stirring problems of our tongues! And all we can do is mirror the worlds of psalm 120: ‘Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false (deceitful) tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty (a warrior), with coals of juniper (the broom tree).’ (Ps. 120:2-4)
Yes friends, that’s what some of our tongues deserve. But we’ll go out on a positive note by declaring our Thursday Blessings. That’s the many undeserved blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. So 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!’
Now friends, we’re duty bound 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!
…the tongue is small…but ever so powerful…and needs to be used wisely…
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
25 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a different set of norms, a great family, a positive outlook on life, a shield around me, a strong will, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, be life unto thy soul, be not afraid of sudden fear, blessed with God's supernatural widom, by understanding, clear direction for my life, come to the end of myself, curse, dark clouds threatened rain, divine protection, do as I say not as I do, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, faith, father revive me, favour, good friends, grace to thy neck, he established the heavens, he heard me out of his holy hill, holy spirit, human frailties, human imperfections, I awaked, I cried unto the Lord with my voice, I laid me down and slept, I will both lay me down in peace and sleep, I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, in Jesus' name, in those moments, instruction in righteousness, irreparable damage, Jesus Christ, keep sound wisdom and discretion, keep thy foot from being caught, let me lie down in peace at night, LOVE, mercy, more than in the time, my glory, negative word, prayer and thanksgiving, problems are a part of earthly life, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, promotion, salvation, Selah, self-control, self-discipline, September Edition of the In Touch Devotional, show me your tender care, struggles, that set themselves against me, the desolation of the wicked, the lifter up of mine head, the Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth, the Lord shall be thy confidence, the Lord sustained me, the Lord us made us to need Him, the Lord's anointed, the man of God may be perfect, the vagaries of climate change, their corn and wine increased, there is no help for him in God, thoroughly furnished unto all good works, thou hast put gladness in my heart, thou Lord only makest me dwell in safety, thou shalt not be afraid, thy foot shall not stumble, thy sleep shall be sweet, to revive our souls, total surrender to Christ, truth, unwillingness to listen, use those blessings to help others, wake again to your mercy, walk in thy way safely, we can do all things though Christ who strengthens us, weakneses, when thou liest down, which is always waiting for me, wisdom, you alone strengthen my soul, you know my limits, you know my soul
Psalm 3:5. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
And I guess after many sunny and dry days, it’s only natural to expect some cloudy and damp ones, thus we’re not surprised that Thursday is as cloudy and damp as Wednesday was. Now, what’s interesting is that yesterday, the dreary, scary looking dark clouds threatened rain all day, but it’s only in the evening hours that some actually fell, and not a whole lot either. But who really knows what the weather will be like in these uncertain days of climate change eh? I’m sorry for the weather forecasting people, who now have a different set of norms to deal with, if one can call the vagaries of climate change norms. (smile)
However, be that as it may, today we’ll focus on the prayer from the September Edition of the In Touch Devotional. So please pray with me: ‘Lord, You know me – my limits, struggles, and weaknesses – and when I’ve come to the end of myself. In those moments, Father, revive me. Show me Your tender care by day; let me lie down in peace at night and wake again to Your mercy, which is always waiting for me. You know my soul, and you alone strengthen it. In Jesus’ name, amen.’
Yes friends, because of our human frailties and imperfections, we all come to the end of ourselves at some time or another. I guess the Lord made us that way, so that we would need to depend on Him in those rough times, to revive our souls and spirits through prayer and thanksgiving. And there are all kinds of scriptures that promise the stuff we’re asking for. So let’s look at a few of them nuh. Like these scriptures from Psalms 3and 4.
In Psalm 3, when Bruh David fled from his son Absalom, who was seeking to overthrow him, he writes: ‘Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for (around) me; my glory, and the lifter up of (the one who lifts up) mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill (mountain). Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.’ (Ps. 3:2-6)
Yes my people, when we place our trust, our total surrender in the Lord God Jehovah, then He works continually on our behalf. It’s like Bruh David declares in Psalm 4: ‘Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn (grain) and their wine increased. I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.” (Ps. 4:7-8)
Oh my faithful brethren, it’s only when our hearts and souls are truly immersed in Almighty God, can we say and do those things. And Bruh David proved it when king Saul sought to kill him for so many years, but was unable to, because he was the Lord’s anointed, and was kept safe by His grace and mercy. And we can’t have scriptures on subjects like these and not hear from Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever. Of course not! For he has something to say on almost every topic under the sun. (smile)
Thus, he reminds us that: ‘The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens. By his knowledge the depths (deeps) are broken up, and the clouds drop down dew. My son, let not them depart from thine eyes: keep sound wisdom and discretion: So shall they be life unto thy soul, and grace (favour) to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way safely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear (terror), neither of the desolation of (trouble from) the wicked, when it cometh. For the Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy foot from being taken (caught).’ (Prov. 3:19-29)
Oh my fellow believers, what encouraging words those are from Cousin Sol. Words that he himself experienced when he sought the Lord, and consequently, in his old age, when he allowed his numerous pagan wives to turn him away from the God of his father David, he paid a huge price for his foolish transgression. So like Bruh David, he knows what he’s talking about from hard experience, not merely hearsay. Thus, we ought to listen to them both and follow their advice.
And as the old people would often tell us: do as I say, not as I do. But the young people today simply don’t understand that wisdom. They believe that they ought to do as we do, even if our behaviour doesn’t follow our words. But there’s wisdom in listening to wiser souls, which many of us forego, and thus often suffer irreparable damage for that unwillingness to listen.
And please remember that the Bible was written to give us wisdom and understanding, to give us examples of how to and how not to live, if we want to be righteous and successful in this earthly life. For as Bruh Paul so wisely wrote to Timothy. ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17)
And with all of that wisdom now under our belts (smile) let’s get to declaring our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us, so that we can 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 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!…
earthly life consists of problems…but in Jesus…we can do all things through Him…who strengthens us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, acquiring money, avoids evil influences deeds and attitudes, blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, blessings bestowed on the righteous, bringeth forth fruit in his season, Christians, climate change, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do according to all that's written therein, doth he meditate day and night, faith, followers of Christ, god, God causes him to prosper, God's supernatural wisdom, godly behaviour, got a zeppo, have good success, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his leaf also shall not wither, holy spirit, in his law doth he meditate, in league with the wicked, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, like chaff, like night follows day, like the chaff which the wind driveth away, live in a godly and righteous manner, live righteously and be blessed, live unrighteously and persih, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, material possessions, mercy, negative word, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, nor stands in the seat of sinners, only a matter of time, our guidebook for godly living, personal power, promotion, put the Lord's word into action, receive clear direction for my life, salvation, share our blessings, sit in hallowed halls, social status, spiritual growth, supernatural strength, talent, the Bible is our guidebook for living, the blessed man is the righteous man, the cold weather is inevitable, the righteous, the ungodly, the ungodly are not so, their destiny is judgement, truth, whatsoever he does shall prosper, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper, wisdom
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Oh friends, one more beautiful summer day! In all my years in Canada, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful, summery month of September! But we’re definitely not complaining, just saying thank the Lord and climate change for making it possible, because the real summer months were too hot and filled with the smoke from the many wildfires that were then happening. Now, it’s temps in the low to mid-twenties, with a cool breeze ruffling through the trees to keep things at a modest heat. So let’s pray that it will last a while longer, as the cold weather is inevitable, like night follows day, it’s only a matter of when it will show up. (smile)
So what’s on the agenda for today? Well, I was just searching through the scriptures for something to talk on, but nothing caught my interest, then I got this sudden zeppo to go to Psalm 1. So here we are. And according to the scholars, ‘It’s an appropriate introduction to the Psalter (Book of Psalms) since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God.’ And so it does, but also more importantly, it begins by telling us about the blessings which are bestowed on the godly.
So please read with me. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.’ (Ps. 1:1) Right away friends we are told what a blessed or righteous man ought not do. That’s basically not get in league with the wicked, the scornful, the blasphemer etc. etc. And how should that man who desires to be blessed behave? ‘But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night.” (Ps. 1:2)
That means we now have the basic idea of how the righteous man ought to behave. And what happens when he behaves in that prescribed manner? Then he’s blessed! ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps. 1.3) Wow mih bredrin! What wonderful news! Prosperity will be ours if we read,, understand and put the Lord’s Word into action!
And that’s something the Lord also drilled into Joshua’s head when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He told him in no uncertain terms. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Now what’s so difficult to understand in all of that eh? Nothing whatsoever! So why aren’t many more of us doing that eh? Don’t we like prosperity? Of course we do, but the problem is that we consider propserity to be simply acquiring money, the material possessions of the world, social status and personal power within the society, with no regard to the acquiring of godly behaviour and spiritual growth.
But let’s remember what Psalm 1 says on that matter. ‘The ungodly are not so (shall not prosper); but are the like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.’ (Ps. 1:4-5) Yuh see that friends; the ungodly are not worth anything; they are like the useless chaff that the wind blows away. And they certainly won’t be allowed to sit in the hallowed halls with the righteous, but their destiny is judgement.
Ah my people, it’s time we wake up and learn that propserity does not only relate to things like money and material possessions, but also to our quality of godly life. As the scholars tell us: ‘The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves here as a pronouncement upon a man – a certain kind of man. In essence, the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs. 1); he delights in God’s Word (vs. 2); therefore God causes him to prosper.’
And who’s going to decide and evaluate the righteous and the ungodly? God Himself. As the psalm concludes: ‘For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:6) In other words, God knows the ways of the both righteous and the ungodly, and the former will be blessed, but the latter will perish.
Now, let’s remember that God does not make idle promises. So whatever He promises in His Word, the Bible, our Guidebook for Godly Living, He will fulfill in His own time. In the meantime though, if we want to call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, then we are required to live the way He desires us to live, and that’s in a godly and righteous manner. That’s all there is to it.
But our God, being a righteous, just and generous Deity, has also chosen to bestow on us 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 declaration, (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord did with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…life is simple…with only two options…live righteously and be blessed…or live unrighteously and perish…
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
31 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, abundance, all will be well, always planning in love, band my jaw, brain weary, courage, creativity, curse, despair and loneliness hedge me in, duty bound, faith, favour, fighting the good fight, God's supernatural wisdom, happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, holy spirit, I lift up my soul, in peevish rebellion, in the midst of consuming sorrow, in the northern climes, in the silent darkness, Jesus Christ, Lead me in thy truth, let me not be ashamed, let none that wait in faith on thee be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me, LOVE, mercy, my fears, my hesitancies, negative word, O my God I trust in thee, on thee do I wait all the day, One Year Book of Bible promises, place our total trust in jesus, powering our motors, quiet my fragmented heart, rail against you, receive clear direction for my life, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, scamper from doubt to doubt, shew me thy ways O Lord, sitting inside by the fire, talent, teach me thy paths, the BIBLE, the concrete jungle, the cross we have to bear, the end of July, the furnace of affliction, the strength of Jesus, the white-flamed furnace of affliction, thou art the God of my salvation, Trust me, truth, unto thee O Lord, whose hope is in the Lord his God, wisdom, work in me silently, you forgive so quickly my outbursts, you never drive me away, you refine me, you understand my frailties, you whisper
Psalm 25:2. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me.
Well here it is finally friends, the end of the summer month of July! And though it’s been rather hot, and sometimes vexatious, we still prefer it to the cold winter weather. Now, sadly, only one more month of summer is left…and if that passes as quickly as the first two, then we’ll soon be sitting inside by the fire trying to keep warm, rather than in the air conditioning, trying to stay cool. But that’s the cross we have to bear in the northern climes.
However, with the wonderful and magnificent strength of Jesus powering our motors, we can accomplish whatever we need to accomplish. Please, let’s never forget that, because it’s that joy and strength from Him that keeps us fighting the good fight. And isn’t it strange that after all those hot days, July seems to be ending on a cool and cloudy note, with rain that’s been falling, thankfully just drizzling, for the past couple of hours.
Now some of you might be wondering how come the Bit’s so early. Well there’s good reason. I have an early morning doctor’s appointment in the concrete jungle city of Toronto, which means I have no idea when I’ll be back, plus when I return from those city outings, I’m always too tired and brain weary to write anything worthwhile, so I just have to band my jaw and do it before I go. So please don’t think that this will be a usual occurrence. When I’m getting up here, is when I’m usually going to bed. (smile)
And today, the Lord has decreed that we look at this encouraging and reaffirming poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘All Will Be Well.’ I’m pretty sure I’ve shared it before, but we know that all those writings are so good and so applicable in these tough times, that they ought to be shared again and again.
So please read with me: ‘O Lord God In the midst of consuming sorrow when despair and loneliness hedge me in You understand my frailties – My hesitancies, my fears. As I scamper from doubt to doubt You forgive so quickly my outbursts. Never do you drive me away when I rail against you in peevish rebellion. When I scream don’t you even care? You quiet my fragmented heart. You work in me silently Always planning in LOVE. You refine me in the white-flamed Furnace of affliction. In the silent darkness You whisper: Trust Me – all will be well.’
And that’s exactly how it is my faithful brethren when we surrender our all, and place our total trust in the Lord Jesus Christ! All ends up being well, despite all the rebellion, the sorrow, the despair and loneliness, for as the poem so rightly says, our God and Saviour plans only and always in LOVE! For that’s His major attribute, and why He created us in the first place; to have LOVING communion with us! And the good thing is that God knows all our problems, our frailties, etc. etc. so nothing we do surprises Him, and He’s planned for them from the very beginning.
And the Bible verse for this poem come from Psalm 25, where Bruh David talks about Trust in the Lord. The poem quotes it from the NIV (New International Version) ‘To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul; in you I trust, O my God.’ (Ps. 25:1-2) But we here prefer the good ole King James Version, which tells it like it really is. (smile) ‘Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over me. Yea, let none that wait (in faith) on thee be ashamed: let them be ashamed which transgress without cause (deal treacherously). (Ps. 25:1-3)
Yes friends, it’s in Almighty God alone that we ought to put our trust, for He’s the ONLY One who can protect us from our enemies. And we ought also to pray as Bruh David continues: ‘Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.’ (Ps. 25:4-5)
Oh my people, the Bible is filled with such requests, from almost all of those who put their trust in God, for their faith journey was not easy, but they knew that the One who led them had the power and the grace to show them the way. And that’s how we ought also to believe today. We will have trials and tribulations along the way, but it’s of the utmost importance to know that we can call on our great God for help at any time and any place, and He will positively respond.
He’s already being so generous to bestow on us underserved blessings to do His earthly work, we call them our Thursday Blessings, so why won’t He answer our heartfelt cries eh? No reason whatsoever! So let’s declare and activate those blessings 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, (yeaahhh!!!) we’re duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…happy is he…that hath the God of Jacob for his help…whose hope is in the Lord his God… (Ps. 146:5)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Bible study, a cacophony of noise, a compassionate heart, a discordant mixture of sounds, a positive outlook on life, a prayer for self-control, A Quiet Tongue, a request for divine assistance, a revealing fact, bits of wisdom, blessings, break into conversations, chatty chatty lips, Chistianity, clear direction for my life, counted wise, curse, death and life are in the power of the tongue, discernment, discipline always costs, divine protection, duty bound, enlightened insight, even a fool when he holdeth his peace, faith, favour, feel more comfortable expounding, he that keepeth his mouth keepeth his life, he that shutteth his lips, holy spirit, I talk more than I listen, I wanted to run, idle chatter, in the name of Jesus, inappropriate language, is esteemed a man of understanding, it's best to listen much, Jesus Christ, Jesus is all we'll ever need, keep the door of my lips, keeps his soul from trouble, let every man be swift to hear, listening is a discipline, LOVE, mercy, must pay a price, my guilty heart, my inspiring experiences, negative words, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, searching for a needle in a haystack, set a watch O Lord before my mouth, slow to speak, slow to wrath, solve the predicament, speak little and not become angry, the BIBLE, the importaceof using words responsibly, the power of words, the wrath of man, they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof, truth, wherefore my beloved brethren, whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue, wisdom, worketh not the righteousness of God
James 1:19. Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath:
So it’s Thursday, our penultimate work day; one day closer to that blessed day of Friday. Thankfully, it might not be as hot as the last several days, but it’s also somewhat cloudy and windy. Guess you can’t always have it how you want it. (smile) Anyway, we have Jesus, and He’s all we need and will ever need! Give Him some thanks and praise for being the wonderful Lord and Saviour that He is!
Now, today,` we’ll look at a very interesting and very appropriate poem for these ungodly and evil times from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. It’s titled ‘A Quiet Tongue.’ And for once, I’m sure that I’ve shared it before, (smile) but with so much senseless and unnecessary talking that’s bombarding us today from all different angles and places, I believe it’s something we should look at again.
So please read with me. ‘Lord, a revealing fact Began to surface today: I talk more than I listen. I seem to be thoroughly convinced That my ideas My inspiring experiences My bits of wisdom Are exactly what all my friends need. Too often I break into conversations Confident that my enlightened insight Will solve the predicament – Whatever it is. Obviously, I feel more comfortable when I’m expounding.
But this morning at a Bible study I cringed when I read Your command In the first chapter of James: “Don’t ever forget That it is best to listen much Speak little, and not become angry.” At first I wanted to run. But as the words kept battering away At my guilty heart I finally circled them with red ink. Now, Lord, please help me to obey them. Remind me daily, hourly That listening is a discipline And a discipline always costs. I know I must pay a price. The price for me Is a listening ear And a quiet tongue.’
Oh friends those words ring so true for so many of us although we try to deny it. In these times of so many new communication methods, we’re all trying to talk at the same time, thus we’re unfortunately only creating a cacophony of noise. That’s a harsh discordant mixture of sounds, from which not much sense can be made. I know that I’m guilty of talking too much, although I try not to. I’ve asked the Lord several times like Bruh David does in Psalm 141:3. ‘Set a watch (guard), O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door (keep watch over the door) of my lips.’ But I don’t think He’s listening, for I still talk too much. (smile)
And this commentary explains that ‘it is a prayer for self-control, specifically in speech. It’s a request for divine assistance in moderating one’s words, preventing harmful or inappropriate language. It highlights the power of words and the importance of using them responsibly.’ And do we ever need it badly in this over talkative society, especially with all the many social media platforms we have where talk is cheap but wisdom and discernment are sadly lacking.
Yes my people many of us need to make that prayer, entrusting the guarding of our lips to God, for we open our mouths way too much and talk unnecessarily about things we don’t know. Our society is suffering from a surfeit, an excess or overabundance of opinions and idle chatter, and unfortunately most of it is ungodly and evil stuff. And there are several places in the Bible where it specifically talks about keeping one’s mouth shut as much as possible. Cousin Sol alone has three examples in Proverbs.
The first says: ‘He that keepeth (guards) his mouth keepeth (preserves) his life: but he that openeth wide his lips shall have destruction.’ (Prov. 13:2) And the second warning on talking too much tells us: ‘Whoso keepeth his mouth and his tongue keepeth his soul from trouble.’ (Prov. 21:23) And the third is one that we hear very often, and don’t pay much attention to, but it is very relevant to our faith.. It says: ‘Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that LOVE it shall eat the fruit thereof.’ (Prov. 18:21)
And is that ever the gospel truth! For the Lord spoke everything but mankind into existence, and blessings or curses from our mouth are very powerful. Our words, be they good or bad, are very powerful my brethren, and I plead with us to take those three warnings to heart and sincerely ask the Lord to help us put them into action in our lives, for so many of us are getting in serious trouble because of our ‘chatty chatty’ lips.
Then there’s this other warning verse from James, that’s the Bible Promise verse for our poem today. In speaking about Hearers and Doers of the Word, he solemnly advises: ‘Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath: For the wrath of man worketh not (does not produce) the righteousness of God.’ (James 1:19-20) And we can see the indisputable truth in those words for our world has become so filled with angry people that godliness is like searching for a needle in a haystack.
So friends, if we want to reduce the anger and therefore the strife and all the negative things in our world, the fist thing we need to do is watch what we say, and then say as little as possible. For remember what Cousin Sol tells us again in Proverbs: ‘Even a fool, when he holdeth his peace (keeps silent), is counted (considered) wise: and he that shutteth his lips is esteemed a man of understanding.’ (Prov. 17:28) And it’s not like we don’t have the wherewithal to do it, for God has given us all that we need to live godly down here, but we’re just too lazy and/or too rebellious to do it.
He’s even generously bestowed on us what we call our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. That means we have no grounds whatsoever for complaints. So let’s be wise and declare those blessings and thus activate them right now. 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 those declarations (steups!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…words are one of our most powerful tools…be careful how we use them…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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