08 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deeper relationship with God, a desire for the Holy Spirit to fulfill and transform the individual, a new covenant, a new heart will I give you, a new spirit will I put within you, a reaffirmation of the covenant between God and Israel, a rushing mighty wind, a source of renewal, all filled with Holy Ghost, all shall know me, all with one accord in one place, as the spirit gave them utterance, be merciful to their unrighteousness, be to me a people, be to them a God, began to speak with other tongues, Breathe on me Breath of God, breathed into his nostrils, cause you to walk in my statutes, celebration of the church's baptism with the Holy Ghost, cloven tongues, commemorating the harvest harvest, do what you would do, Edwin Hatch, every man his brother, faith, fellowship, fill me with life anew, fill our spiritual tanks to overflowing, for mine own sake, from the least to the greatest, glows with fire divine, God breathing life into Adam, holy spirit, I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions, it filled all the house, it sat upon each of them, Jesus Christ, John baptized with water, keep my judgements and do them, know the Lord, life giving breath, like as of fire, live with you the perfect life, LOVE, love the way you love, man became a living soul, mercy, my will is one with yours, new life, obedient to Jesus, Pentecost Sunday, purity, put my laws into their mind, put my spirit within you, remain in Jerusalem, salvation, seeks the breath of God, shall shall not teach every man their neighbour, so shall I never die, suddenly there came a sound from heaven, suffer in hellfire for all eternity, sweet sacrifices of praise, take away the stony heart out of your flesh, that I may be free, the anniversary of the Ten Commandments, the biblical imagery, the breath of life, the breath of the Almighty gives me life, the day of Pentecost was fully come, the Feast of weeks, the Lord formed man of the dust of the ground, the Lord God, the Spirit of God has made me, there appeared unto them, till I am earthly thine, to do and to endure, to fulfill and transform the individual, truth, until my heart is pure, wait for the promise of the Father, will not remember thy sins, wisdom, write them in their hearts, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost
Acts 2:3. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.
And then it was Pentecost Sunday, when we celebrate the day the early church was baptized with the Holy Ghost! But, as this commentary tells us, ‘in the Old Testament, Pentecost, also known as the Feast of Weeks or Shavuot, was a celebration commemorating the harvest of wheat and barley, as well as the anniversary of God giving the Ten Commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai. It was a time of thanksgiving for God’s provision and a reaffirmation of the covenant between God and Israel.’
And, as we all know, Jesus ascended back to heaven forty days after His resurrection. However, before He left, He commanded the disciples and the other followers to remain in Jerusalem and ‘wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5) So, being obedient to His desire, they stayed in Jerusalem. And this is the amazing and mind boggling scenario the Lord contrived, some two thousand years ago on the Pentecost Sunday, that fell ten days after Jesus ascended to heaven.
The Bible tells us: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they (the followers) were all with one accord (one purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (other languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance (enabled them to do).’ (Acts. 2:1-4)
Yes friends, on that day the Christian church was officially born, with the Holy Spirit alighting on each of the believers, showing that the Spirit’s baptism included them all. This spiritual baptism also fulfilled the promise of a New Covenant between God and Israel, as prophesied by Ezekiel 36: 26-27: ‘A new heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements and do them.’
Meanwhile, the author of Hebrews records it thus: ‘For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a God, and they shall be to me a people: And they shall not teach every man their neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for all shall know me. From the least to the greatest. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities (lawless deed) will I remember no more.’ (Heb. 8:10-13)
And did He ever do all of that in a majestic and breath-taking manner! First, sending Jesus to die on the cross for our sins, then filling every believer after that with the promise of the Holy Spirit, as Guide, Comforter and Helper. And also fulfilling another Old Testament promise as prophesied by Isaiah. ‘I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins.’ (Is. 43:25) Wow! What a great and faithful God we serve my brethren! Who calls things as though they were, (Rom. 4:17) then turns around and fulfills them.
Now, having opened up our spirits, hearts and minds with scripture and understanding of it, this warm, bright and sunny Pentecost Sunday, let’s raise the roof of the Lord’s sanctuary with sweet sacrifices of praise as we offer up a mid-tempo, soulful and scintillating version of a hymn that’s usually sung at this time. It’s aptly titled, ‘Breathe on Me , Breath of God, an English Christian Hymn, written by Edwin Hatch, a Church of England vicar and the Professor of Classics at the University of Trinity College in Canada. It was first published privately in 1878 and publicly published in 1886.
It’s a short and simple, but very meaningful hymn. One commentary says: ‘The hymn expresses a desire for the Holy Spirit to fill and transform the individual, bringing new life, purity, and a deeper relationship with God.’ While another describes it thus: ‘The author invokes the Holy Spirit to come into his life and transform it. Using the first-person perspective throughout the hymn adds to the hymn’s power as the singer seeks the breath of God (Genesis 2:7) as a source for renewal.’
But enough talk, let’s do exactly as those commentaries say; seeking a more meaningful and intimate relationship with God through the power of the Holy Spirit as we sing this marvellous hymn. But wait, before we begin, let’s note that one video version had this most appropriate scripture from Job 33:4, as a prologue, and I want it to be our prologue too. So let’s declare it: ‘The Spirit of God has made me, And the Breath of the Almighty gives me life.’ That’s the gospel truth friends!
So, finally singing: ‘Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew, that I may LOVE the way you LOVE, and do what you would do. Breathe on me, Breath of God, until my heart is pure, until my will is one with yours, to do and to endure. Breathe on me, Breath of God Till I am earthly thine Until this earthly part of me, Glows with thy fire divine. Breathe on me, Breath of God, So that I may be free, so shall I never die, but live with you the perfect life for all eternity. Ohh Lord… breathe on me! Yes Lord…breathe your ever-LOVING, life giving breath on me…’
Oh my people, what an outstanding rendition! All heaven was moved by our heartfelt, soulful sacrifices of praise! And as this commentary expresses: ‘The hymn’s request to “breathe on me” directly relates to the biblical imagery of God breathing life into Adam in Genesis 2:7 and Jesus breathing on the apostles in John 20:22. Both passages emphasize God’s active role in imparting life and the Holy Spirit.’
Now, nuff said, let’s go home, with hearts rejoicing after much praise and thanksgiving in the Lord’s house, hopefully, with all of our spiritual tanks refilled to overflowing with God’s Holy Spirit, this Pentecost Day of 2025. Much LOVE!
… And the Lord God…formed man of the of the dust of the ground…and breathed into his nostrils…the breath of life…and man became a living soul… (Gen. 2:7)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 May 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, a victory to be won, all with one accord, baptized with the Holy Spirit, be witnesses unto me, began to speak with other tongues, Bible, but you cannot make it drink, christianity, cleanse your hands ye sinners, cloven tongues like as fire, daily walking close to thee, do we with patience wait for it, draw nigh to God, effort, faith, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, grant it Jesus is my plea, guide me gently to thy kingdom shore, hold our heads and bawl, holy spirit, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, I am weak but thou art strong, Jesus Christ, just a closer walk with thee, keep me from all wrong, let be dear Lord let it be, let me walk close to thee, LOVE, my grace is sufficient for you, my power is made perfect in weakness, our human inability to live righteously, Pentecost, Pentecost Sunday, resist the devil, sacrifice, submit yourselves to God, there came a sound from heaven, this world of toil and snares, truth, we are saved by hope, we walk by faith and not by sight, when I am weak then I am strong, when the Holy ghost is come upon you, who with me my burden shares, wisdom, ye shall receive power, you can lead a horse to water
2 Corinthians 5:7. (For we walk by faith, not by sight:)
And then it was Pentecost Sunday! The day Christ’s Church was truly born some two thousand years ago, when the Holy Spirit descended form heaven upon the gathering in the upper room that fateful Pentecost Day. It was the day Jesus spoke of when He told the disciples to remain in Jerusalem until power came upon them. ‘But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8) That’s because until they were filled with Holy Ghost, baptized with its power, they would not be able to do all that He expected of them.
And we all know what transpired on that day in Jerusalem. The Bible tells us: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they (120 followers of Jesus) were all with one accord (purpose, mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues likes as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Oh friends, when our God so desires He can put on a real show! And we also know what transpired after that. The recently baptized followers went out into the streets of Jerusalem and proclaimed the good news gospel of Jesus to all and sundry who were there at the time celebrating the feast of Pentecost. Spoke to them in their own language. Which led some to think that they were drunk. But Peter got up and offered a disclaimer, then preached the best sermon of His life, and the witness was so great, that some three thousand people were saved that day. (Acts 2:14-41)
Ah mih people, how I wish that we followers of Christ today were as enthused as those on that Pentecost day so long ago. We have also been baptized with the Holy Ghost and many of us speak other languages, so why aren’t we making any real inroads into the enemy’s camp eh? Because it takes too much effort and sacrifice, and we like our comfort and the easy living and material things provided by the world more than the things of Jesus. But hopefully when the roll is called up yonder and we’re judged to have underachieved, and don’t get the rewards that were set aside for us, we won’t hold our heads and bawl.
Anyway, as they say, you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make it drink. I guess it’s the same with us, we can become followers of Jesus in name, but not in nature. And on this Pentecost Sunday, of the Victoria Day long weekend, as we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary, let’s sing an old song, a traditional gospel tune, whose authorship and origins are disputed, but nonetheless, it’s become a favourite down through the years. It’s titled ‘Just a Closer Walk with Thee,’ And I believe it’s rather appropriate for this day of Pentecost, when the Holy Ghost baptized the followers in Jerusalem.
So without further ado, let’s offer it up with sweet sacrifices of praise in an up-tempo version, per Miss Anne Murray. Singing: ‘I am weak but Thou art strong; Jesus, keep me from all wrong; I’ll be satisfied as long As I walk, let me walk close to Thee. (Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.) Thro’ this world of toil and snares, If I falter, Lord, who cares? Who with me my burden shares? None but Thee, dear Lord, none but Thee. [Refrain]
Take my hand Lord Jesus, take my hand. Take my hand Lord Jesus, take my hand. There’s a race to be run, there’s a victory to be won, every hour, give me power to go through. And when my feeble life is o’er, Time for me will be no more; Guide me gently, safely o’er To Thy kingdom shore, to Thy shore. [Refrain: Just a closer walk with Thee, Grant it, Jesus, is my plea, Daily walking close to Thee, Let it be, dear Lord, let it be.]’
Oh my fellow saints, there’s nothing better in this crazy and evil world that we can ask for than a close walk with Christ! No sir! For when we’re walking with Him, we are filled with His Holy Spirit and are obedient to His will and word, while wonderful things like peace, LOVE and joy circulate in our souls and emanate from our hearts for all to see, and that allows us to witness to others about our Lord and Saviour, which is our bounden duty.
However, let’s take a look at the song itself and see what scriptural gems we can garner from it. And this commentary from the Hymnary.org website offers some interesting insights. It says: ‘In this song, we acknowledge our human inability to live righteously, but we also express awareness of the grace and strength that God gives us in our daily walk. Even such an esteemed saint as the apostle Paul acknowledged his need for this grace, when asking thrice for relief from an unknown ‘thorn in his flesh’: “But he [God] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” … For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9a, 10b)
Then we have the title and lyrics of the song which allude to the Biblical passage from 2 Cor. 5:7. “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” And that’s the gospel truth! Followers of Christ are supposed to walk by faith and not by what they see, as do the denizens of this world. Another scripture that can feed our faith is this one from Romans. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) (eagerly) wait for it.’ (Rom. 5:24-25)
That’s another way of saying that we have an awesome trust in our ever-faithful God, who has promised never to leave nor forsake us. (Heb. 13:5) And we’ll close with these most encouraging words of James. ‘Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh (near) to God, and he will draw nigh (near) to you. Cleanse your hands ye sinners, and purify your hearts, ye doubleminded… Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.’ (James 4:7-8, 10)
Yes friends, that’s a wonderful way to end today’s sermon: Drawing close to God, so that He can draw close to us. Remember, it’s our duty to call on Him, to seek Him, not the other way around. And let’s not forget it’s all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…we can only walk the narrow road to heaven successfully…in the close company of Jesus and the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, a taste of summer, and share His love with the world, baptism of the Holy Spirit, be filled with the Spirit, be not drunk with wine, began to speak with other tongues, cloven tongues like as of fire, Comforter, filled with the Holy Ghost, from the least unto the greatest, hurry, I can trust my friend Jesus, I will be their God, I will forgive their iniquity, I will put my law in their inward parts, in God's eyes, Intro to Holy Spirit 101, John truly baptized with water, LOVE, no more teach every man his neighbour, Pentecost day, remember their sin no more, saying Know the Lord, the abundant life, the beloved of God, the Holy Spirit indwells each believer, there came a sound from heaven, they shall all know me, they shall be my people, Tuesday Mantra, worry, write it in their hearts, ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost, ye shall be witnesses unto me, ye shall receive power when the Holy ghost is come upon you
Acts 1:5.For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Ah chuh! It’s a chilly, windy, cloudy Tuesday morning in mid-April! The bout of summer weather we had last week has disappeared just as quickly as it came, and now we’re back to regular spring temps, with much wind and rain. But let’s look at it from a positive angle nuh, we’ve gotten a preview taste of summer, and it looks like it’s going to be fine! Glory be! We’ll take a week of hot weather anytime. The important thing though is that we’ll be joyful with whatever we get, and handle it with aplomb, knowing that the Lord’s presence, His grace and mercy are with us, through His Holy Spirit.
And that brings us back to our refresher course, Introduction to Holy Spirit 101, that we were doing yesterday. Then, we mentioned two prophecies of the Holy Spirit coming upon men at a later date, which happened when Jesus came and then returned to heaven. We quoted the prophecy from Ezekiel, so let’s see what the one from Jeremiah says. ‘Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord:
But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts (minds), and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and will remember their sin no more.’ (Jer. 31:31-34)
And all of that happened when Jesus came and did His thing, then returned to heaven. Glory Hallelujah! Yes friends, that New Covenant was made with Israel and with us Gentiles, so that we could be a part of the salvation story. And the major differences there was that animal sacrifices were no longer required to relieve the sins of the people, because Christ’s death had paid for ALL sins, and then the Holy Spirit, which hitherto had only appeared to or dealt with men on a one by one, every so often basis, is now, as the Lord promised, indwelling each believer, and allowing each one to know Him personally.
That’s the beauty of this new Comforter or Helper that Jesus prayed the Father to send. And it’s interesting to note that before ascending back to heaven, He told the disciples not to depart from Jerusalem, ‘but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of (from) me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5)
Now that must have been hard for the disciples to understand, because the Good Book tells us that ‘When they therefore were come together, (at the Mount of Olives) they (the disciples) asked him, saying, Lord, will thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them, It is not for you to know the times the Father hath put in his own power (authority). But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both from Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:6-8)
Then Jesus was taken up into the clouds and they saw Him gradually disappear. Not like the other times after His resurrection when He suddenly appeared and then disappeared. This was an intimation that it was final. Although they might not have understood that at the time. But He would not show up to them again until His Second Coming. And like obedient disciples, they went back to Jerusalem to wait for the fateful moment, for the power of the Holy Ghost to fall on, to baptize them.
And we all know that this happened on the Day of Pentecost, when the whole church, about a hundred and twenty of them were in an upper room, ‘all with one accord (one purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (languages), as the spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Wow! What an occasion that must have been; a baptism of enormous significance in our Christian faith. That’s because prior to the coming of the Holy Ghost to indwell those first believers on that Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit’s work had been done from without, (the Spirit came upon), and it was temporary, and only fell for exceptional reasons. However, after that Pentecost Day, the Holy Spirit automatically indwells each and every believer. Once they come to faith, every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit.
But there’s an important difference we should all note, that’s between the baptism and the filling of the Holy Spirit. The scholars explain that ‘the baptism is permanent, happening once and for all. But the filling is not received by all believers and thus is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit.’ Yes my brethren we are to be filled with the Holy Spirit, that’s allow the Spirit to fill us with God’s own character, life and values, and not allow the devil to fill us with wine, so that we can live a godly not a dissipated life.
And that concludes our refresher course in the Introduction to Holy Spirit 101! Thanks for coming, but please note that that’s just an introductory course, (smile) now you have to do some studying on your own, first to assimilate all that we’ve spoken of, then reach the point where you can move on to a higher class on the subject. (smile) Now, for those of us truly interested in living for Christ, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now let’s get out there and do just that; share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others! Much LOVE!
…don’t be contented with mere baptism of the Holy Spirit…but seek to be continually filled with the Spirit of God…for that’s where the abundant life is at…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
15 Aug 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, a sound from heaven, a still small voice, cloven tongues like as fire, discovering God's will for our lives, forgivenss, free will, he may abide with you forever, He shall give you another Comforter, heal our land, humble servants, I will pray the Father, if you love me keep my commandments, Jehovah Rapha, joy, lay hold on eternal life, LOVE, mass confusion, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, sincere repentance, strong faith in Christ, the abundant life, the Creator of the universe, The Day of Pentecost, the God of All Comfort, the God who heals, the Holy Spirit, the ministry of the Holy Spirit, to speak with other tongues
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever.
Well, glory be, another new work week has begun friends! It’s a bright and beautiful Monday morning, filled with all kinds of promise, if we would only seriously engage God’s Word and put it into action with His omnipotent help. Wow! Nothing could be better than having the Creator of the universe and all therein on our side in ALL that we do!
Remember, yesterday in our praise and worship session, we sang about surrendering our ALL to Him? Well now is the most appropriate time to do just that. Please let him have ALL of us, so that He can work miracles in our lives; enabling us to have the abundant life that He sacrificed His own life for us to have.
And what does that entail, you ask? Well, merely giving us our daily bread, keeping us contented with our earthly possessions, while filling our souls with His LOVE, joy, peace, forgiveness and the promise of eternal life in heaven with Him at a future date. It’s also that we can encourage others to come to Him for salvation, by the way we live our lives. Now that’s not hard to handle eh? (smile)
But unfortunately, it all doesn’t just fall in our laps like manna from heaven. No! We have to put some effort into making it happen, by first discovering God’s will for our individual lives, that’s asking Him about it, then going out into the evil and ungodly world and making it happen, with the help of His Holy Spirit that indwells us for just that purpose.
And if you’re wondering about the Holy Spirit, then listen to these awesome words of Jesus to the disciples, and consequently to us too. ‘If you LOVE me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless (as orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:15-18)
Yes, my fellow believers, Jesus made provision on His return to heaven for us to be looked after by the third body of the Holy Trinity, the Holy Spirit! He calls it another Comforter, another like Himself. And the scholars offer this marvellous explanation re the Comforter. ‘The Greek word ‘parakletos’ literally means “one called alongside to help,” hence the idea of a comforter. The Holy Spirit is called ‘another comforter’ because this is also one of Christ’s titles (1 John 2:1, translated “advocate.”.
Illustration: The Father is also known as the God of all comfort (2 Cor. 1:3). Though those in the early church often endured persecution, they found their comfort in the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31). Application: Today, Christians can find comfort in the Holy Spirit when trials come. (First Ref. John 7:37-39; Primary ref. John 14:16-18).’ What a powerful tool for all us followers of Christ. And by the way, our homework for today is to check out John 7:37-39, to see what else Jesus had to say about the Holy Spirit. (smile)
And furthermore, the scholars also explain that ‘The ministry of the Holy Spirit, promised to believers of this age, is unique since it is given to all believers alike, and is permanent, that is, “takes up residence in them.” And we all know that the Holy Spirit first came to indwell believers on the Day of Pentecost after Jesus had ascended back to heaven.
The Good Book describes the strange scene thus: ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they (the believers) were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues (in other languages) as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
Ah mih people, yuh see how our great God can move in miraculous and mysterious ways! Imagine the stir that must have made in Jerusalem that day nuh! And you can read all about it in the rest of Acts 2; with Peter’s great speech, the acts of the other believers, and the many who accepted Christ that day, ‘some three thousand.’ (smile) And since then, everyone who has claimed Christ as Lord and Saviour has had the Holy Spirit automatically indwell them, to lead and guide them on their wonderful, though sometimes difficult journey with Christ.
But again, we need to stress that the believer has to engage the Holy Spirit, to ask for help, and listen carefully, because it does not always shout out to us, but more often responds in a still, small voice, and it will not try to force us to do anything. So, although it’s there, and will always try to point us in the right direction, our actions are still up to us, we still have complete free will. And with that free will, let’s turn to God in prayer, where our day should always begin.
So, as one sincere but confident voice, let’s invoke our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’
With that prayer, it now becomes necessary for us to cleanse our hands and purify our hearts so that the Lord can look positively on our situation. Much LOVE!
…the Holy Spirit is called to lead…and the believer to follow…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
29 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a golden candlestick, a rushing mighty wind, a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, an abundant supply of God's Spirit, another comforter, began to speak in tongues, believe and obey, beyond comprehension, beyond expectation, boggles my mind, bring all things to your remembrance, but by mu Spirit, cloven tongues, dangerous times, Day of Pentecost, don't have time to enjoy, endure to the end, filled with the Holy Ghost, fruits of our labour, greetings, halfway home, hands on the plough, he dwelleth in you, hello there, his righteousness, I AM, I want to run hide escape, in 52 days, informative, it shall come to pass, it startles me, Jehovah, like of fire, LOVE, loves unconditionally, magnificent and magnanimous God, mih lovelies, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, Nehemiah, nor by power, not by might, not turning back, One Year Book of Bible promises, pandemic, peace, penetrate every fibre of me, pour our my spirit, reassuring, rebuilding the temple, rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem, reward me, run behind the things of the world, Ruth Harms Calkin, saith the Lord of hosts, salutations, seek first his kingdom, strife, stupidity, teach you all things, the breath of life, the only way to live, the prophet Zecahriah, the Spirit of truth, the Task, the word of the Lord, the work of god, to a glorious future with Jesus, to follow jesus, two olive trees, unto Zerubbabel, upon all flesh, uppermost in our minds, we can ask or imagine, Wednesday Wail, Yahweh, You invade and permeate me, young men shall see visions, your own magnificent power
Zechariah 4:6. Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.
Well hello there mih lovelies! Greetings and salutations! It’s so good to come to you again in fellowship with LOVE and peace in Christ uppermost in our minds and souls! It means that the Lord has granted us another day to do His work down here on earth, to complete the plan He’s ordained since the beginning of time for our lives. And this poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin admirably describes how our heavenly Father works in our lives when we are obedient to His will. It’s simply titled ‘The Task.’
Please pray with me: ‘Lord you give me a task So utterly impossible So totally beyond comprehension – The very thought of it Startles me. I want to run hide escape Anything, Lord. Then you electrify me You invade and permeate me You penetrate every fibre of me Until the task is accomplished By Your own magnificent power. Then You praise the performance Your creativity achieved And You reward me beyond expectation – As though I had done it All by myself. My Father.’
Now how wonderful is that eh? I’d say, most wonderful! (smile) That’s why I keep telling us about the magnificent and magnanimous God we serve. No other supposed deity would ever do such a thing; give you a tough task, then help you do it, then give you credit for it when it was done strictly under His watchful eye and mighty power! But that’s how the great God; Jehovah, Yahweh, I Am, whatever you choose to call him, operates! And that’s why I also can’t understand why we don’t live in greater obedience to Him, but foolishly prefer to run behind the things of the world.
And our stupidity just boggles my mind, because He’s most faithfully promised that if we seek first his kingdom and His righteousness that all those worldly things we need…and much more too, will be given to us! Our problem is that we’re proud and greedy and impatient. We want it all, and right now, so we kill ourselves working for it, and sadly end up with no time to truly enjoy the worldly fruits of our labour. Now does that make sense my brethren? Obviously not!
And even in these dangerous times of pandemic and strife, it’s still the worldly things for which we’re hungering, instead of being peaceful and calm and using this imposed time to come closer to our God, the One who LOVES unconditionally, and so much that He sent His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, to earth to die, to be led like a sacrificial lamb to the slaughter, so that our sins could be paid for by His sinless blood. And yet still…we refuse to believe and obey… Ah mih people, I don’t know what else to say nuh to get us to truly embrace our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ and to do His works down here on earth as He so greatly desires.
So let’s turn back to our poem and the Bible verse to which it’s associated. It’s a promise of our God to the prophet Zechariah, re His doing of difficult or seemingly impossible things. In a vision the prophet saw a golden candlestick and two olive trees and did not understand their meaning. The angel of the Lord told Zechariah. ‘This is the word of the Lord unto Zerubbabel, saying, Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts.’ (Zech. 4:6) Oh friends, what a most wonderful promise!
And the scholars offer this explanation. ‘4:1-14. The fifth vision, the golden candlestick and the two olive trees: The work of God (the rebuilding of the temple) would be accomplished through God’s leaders, Joshua and Zerubbabel, who would be enabled to perform their tasks by the Spirit of God….’ Ah mih people, that was not the first time that the Lord had used His Spirit to enable His followers to perform His work. How do you think that Nehemiah was able to rustle together the remnants in Jerusalem and rebuild the walls of the city in only fifty two days eh? (Neh. 6:15) It was through the Spirit of the Lord!
And it’s a promise that the Lord made several times in the Old Testament. Hear Him to the prophet Hosea with his unfaithful wife. ‘But I will have mercy upon the house of Judah, and will save them by the Lord their God, and will not save them by bow, nor by sword, nor by battle, by horses, nor by horsemen.’ (Hos. 1:7) And then to the prophet Joel, our great God proclaimed: ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions. And also upon the (men) servants and the handmaids (maidservants) in those days will I pour out my spirit.’ (Joel 2:28-29)
Oh what a marvellous promise! And we’ll go back to the scholar’s explanation of Zechariah’s vision. ‘…The vision indicates that future Israel will be a blessing to all the nations of the world through an abundant supply of the Spirit of God as the result of the coming of the Messiah, who will unite the offices of priest and king in Himself.’
And yes, that’s exactly what happened when Jesus came, and when He promised the coming of the Comforter. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you’ (John 14:16-17)
And furthermore, Jesus reassured them.. and us: ‘But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.’ (John 14:26) Ah my fellow saints in Christ, how beautiful is our Lord and Saviour eh! And it happened exactly as promised on the day of Pentecost, some fifty days after Jesus ascended to heaven, after telling them to stay in Jerusalem and wait for the promise of the Father. (Acts. 1:4)
They were all in one place, with the same purpose in mind. ‘And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like of fire, and sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak in tongues, as the spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:2-4)
Oh mih people, yuh think we God easy nuh! Not at all! He likes to show off His awesome power on behalf of His people, and since that momentous day of Pentecost, His Holy Spirit has dwelt within every believer, leading and guiding, comforting and renewing and helping us to live this earthly life in godly fashion! Wow! What more can we ask for eh? Not much! So let’s go home now declaring (yeahhh!) our Wednesday Wail letting the world know of our awesome position in Christ Jesus!
All together now, in strong voice, with sincere hearts: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And we know for sure that if we hold our positions, endure to the end, then that promise will be kept, even more gloriously than we can ask or imagine! Much LOVE!
…to sincerely follow Jesus…that’s the ONLY way to live…
P.S. Yes, it’s somewhat long…but oh so informative and reassuring! (smile) Much LOVE!
11 Jun 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a cup of cool water, a rushing mighty wind, bloodwork, cloven tongues of fire, curse, divine protection, ever-flowing never-ceasing stream, faith, favour, give an account, gives us a solid confidence, he that believeth on me, he that cometh to me, I cried out to the Lord for help, in a funk, knewest the gift of God, lift up our faith, living water, miracles of feeding, negative word, no evil will befall us, of the water I shall give, on judgement day, One Year Book of Bible promises, out of his belly shal flow, paradox, Pentecost, positive outlook, rivers of living water, Samaritan woman, selfishly hoard, shall be in him a well of water, shall never hunger, shall never thirst, share generously, spiritual and eternal life, springing up into eternal life, the Holy Ghost, the water I give, threw me off kilter, Thursday Blessings, under Christ's protective umbrella, we're in good hands, When I am with you, whosoever drinks
John 4:14. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into eternal life.
Ah friends, the ole fella’s in a bit of a funk here this Thursday morning. Why is that you wonder? Well I had to get up early to go out the street to do some bloodwork and that just threw me off kilter. I was there at 7.40, and there were already six people before me. And with the all Covid-19 rigmarole, the process doesn’t move as quickly as it once did. Then to make matters worse, they took eight, yes eight vials of blood from me all at once! No wonder I’m sort of loose and woozy in the head! (smile) But I surely am thankful that I don’t do this blood work thing as often as before. Thanks to Covid yes!
And in my funk, I cried out to the Lord for help, and He led me to this ever so appropriate poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, aptly titled: ‘When I Am with You.’ Please declare it with me friends. ‘When I am with You, Lord It is as though I were given A cup of cool water Dipped from An ever-flowing Never-ceasing stream. The water glistens As a piece of clear ice Tingles against The side of my cup. I want to drink More And more And more As though I could Never drink enough – And yet while I drink I am satisfied Completely. What a strange and beautiful Paradox!’
Ah mih fellow saints in Christ, that sure is paradoxical! Yuh drinking and drinking, yuh satisfied, but yuh still feel to drink more and more, because the water is so cool and refreshing and satisfying, as the old people would say, it ‘moreish’ (smile) yuh just can’t get enough of it! And that’s because the water Jesus gives us to drink is different to earthly water. As He told the Samaritan woman at the well. ‘Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well (fountain) of water springing up into eternal life.’ (John 4:13-14)
Friends, Jesus gives LIVING WATER: that of the Holy Spirit. Listen to Him earlier on in His conversation with the woman, when He asked her for a drink and she was dumbfounded because Jews had nothing to do with Samaritans. ‘Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.’ (John 4:10)
And hear Him again on the subject of living water: ‘In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (heart) shall flow rivers of living water. (John 7:37-38) There Jesus was referring to passages from Isaiah like 44:3 and 55:1, where the Lord promised to supply spiritual water to His chosen people Israel. And as the Good Book continues: ‘(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)’ (John 7:39)
Yes friends, the Holy Ghost that finally came like a rushing mighty wind and cloven tongues of fire at Pentecost, is Christ living and dwelling in us to give us continuous spiritual water to slake our thirsty souls. Without it we won’t last very long in this dark and evil world. And furthermore, when talking to the people about physical bread, which they were seeking from Him after seeing Him perform the miracles of feeding thousands with a few loaves of bread. ‘And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.’ (John 6:35)
Jesus was saying that He was the bread that gave life; spiritual and eternal life. Oh how I wish that more of us believed His words and turned to Him in all sincerity, so that we could get that eternal living water and the bread of everlasting life! They are ever so important my brethren, especially in these trying and very troubled times. Because they lift up our faith and give us a solid confidence that we’re in good hands, and that no evil will befall us, once we’re under Christ’s protective umbrella. And that’s all we really need in this life yes!
So let’s go home now declaring (Steups!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has magnanimously showered down on us to do His earthly work. All together now in strong voice, with sincere hearts. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and everyday! Amen!’
Now, please remember, that those are tools for us to work with, to generously share with others, not to selfishly hoard for ourselves. And we’d better had share them generously, for come the judgement day, we’ll have to account for what we did with all that we were given. Much LOVE!
…bread and water are essential…for both physical and spiritual lives…and both can best be had from Jesus…
04 Feb 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a heart-stopping event, a rushing mighty wind, antidote, aura of love, cloven tongues, communicating with the Father, confidence, Day of Pentecost, dream dreams, enthusiasm, evil, excited to work for Jesus, faith, faithfulness, filled with the Holy Ghost, flood warnings, friends, God's promises, Great Tribulation, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, it shall come to pass, Jesus Christ, Joel, lies, LOVE, millennial kingdom, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not drunken, of much repute, old men, omnipotent god, on all flesh, passed the test, peace, Peter, pour out my Spirit, prophecy, prophesy, put a smile on our faces, renewed vitality, rest, roll with the punches, see visions, speak with other tongues, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, testimony, third hour of the day, trust, truth, ungodly world, up to scratch, wiles, wisdom, work, young men, your sons and daughters
Joel 2:28. And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.
And after the snow and the freezing cold, come the rain and the flood! Yeh friends, flood warnings have been issued in these parts for the next couple days due to the quickly melting snow and the rain accompanying it. As they say, when it’s not one thing, it’s another!
But that’s just life, and we have to roll with the punches, and as believers in Christ we are better prepared to do that than most of the population, so there should be no cause for overly serious concern.
Nonetheless, we’re only human and still liable to fall prey to the deceitful whispers of the enemy, which means we’re somewhat less than up to scratch this wet and rainy Monday morning. (smile) But it’s all good, for we have just the right pick-me-up to solve your problem; that’s our Monday Morning Battle Hymn; antidote of much repute!
So without further ado, let’s get seriously, but humbly and confidently communicating with the Father. As one body now: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
There you go friends, matter fixed! We’re bright and bubbly now as the Holy Spirit works in us to put a smile on our faces, strength and confidence in our hearts and souls and have us excited to go out now and work for Jesus! Wow! What a transformation can take place when the Spirit of the Lord God Jehovah goes to work in His children! There’s nothing else like it in this whole wide world!
And that points us to God’s promise of that future event through the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions.’
And then Joel goes on to prophesy about the things that will go on during the Great Tribulation and the establishment of the earthly Davidic millennial kingdom that follows the events of the Great Tribulation. However, we’re only interested here in the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh, and we all know that happened on the miraculous Day of Pentecost!
What a majestic showing that was mih people! Nobody can put on a show like our omnipotent God nuh! Can you imagine sitting down in that room with the disciples, and all of a sudden you hear this sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind which then proceeded to fill the whole house? (Acts 2:2) I know they were all waiting for and anticipating the coming of the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised, but I doubt that they were expecting it to be so such a heart-stopping event.
And the mighty rushing wind wasn’t all, for as the Good Book tells it: ‘And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:3-4)
And can you imagine the confusion when these uneducated men from the surrounding area came out and began speaking in the languages of the different Jews who had come to Jerusalem for the big feast? They were all amazed, some even claimed that they were drunk: ‘Others mocking said, These men are full of new wine.’ (Acts 2:13)
But that’s when Peter gave his great speech: ‘ But Peter, standing up with the eleven, lifted up his voice, and said, unto them, Ye men of Judea, and all ye that dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: For these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the day (9.am). But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;’ (Acts 2:14-16) And then he goes on to specify the words of our Bit and the rest of Joel’s prophecy.
So you see friends, it’s not wise to write off any of God’s promises, especially if He doesn’t give a definite time frame, for remember His thoughts and ways and times are not like ours, so some of those promises could be earmarked for hundreds of years later, like that of the pouring out of the Holy Spirit upon all believers.
Now I sincerely hope we have all been encouraged some this Monday morning, and that our faith has also been strengthened by this review of one of God’s great promises! So please hang in there and don’t ever give up, even when things seem like they can’t get any worse, because they can always get better when our hope and trust and faith are safely placed in our Triune God! Much LOVE!
…logic dictates…that when you’re at the bottom…the only place left to go is up…and Jesus can…and will reach down and pull you up…
P.S. I’m chuckling here as I just realized that I passed the test, and thus have a testimony! Hear it nuh. The ole fella had a rough night, and so was one of those in the not up to scratch group today, (smile) and was really struggling to write the Bit. But I hung in, didn’t give up, and yuh see how Jesus eventually reached down and pulled me up out of the mire and helped me to write something sensible. (smile) Bless His holy name and His faithfulness! That means He can and will do the same for you too. Much LOVE!
17 Sep 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rushing mighty wind, abide with you for ever, almighty god, always be with you, another comforter, believers, burden is light, cloven tongues, comfort, Comforter, comfortless, compassion, encouragement, enlivens our spirit, ever-loving arms, fall in your lap, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, find rest, gentle, give you rest, God's sanctuary, God's Word, guide my feet, half measures, Healer, heavy laden, hold my hand, hurting souls, I am meek, I will pray the Father, I'll never leave you nor forsake you, joyful songs, labour, lead me home, lead me on, learn from me, left in the lurch, let me stand, like fire, Lord and Saviour, lowly in heart, ministry, Pentecost, praise, prayer, Precious Lord, reassurance, speak with other tongues, succour, take my hand, take my yoke, the disciples, the great invitation, the Holy Spirit, the Lord's Day, the Spirit of truth, through the storm, times of sorrow, worship
John 14:16. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.
Arise my brethren, it is the Lord’s Day, and we must be trekking to His sanctuary to engage in blissful fellowship with other believers. What a time it will be, with joyful songs of praise and worship, the reading of God’s word, which enlivens our spirit, and words of encouragement and prayer for and with each other.
But notwithstanding all of that, these are indeed disastrous times in our world, and we need extra comfort from our faith, thus we’ll open this morning with the old hymn ‘Precious Lord, take my hand’ that fits the bill. The song was written in 1932 by Thomas A Dorsey, a black man from Chicago after his wife Nettie died while giving birth to a child (who also died shortly thereafter). Dorsey sang the song for his friend, Gospel singer Theodore Frye, and Frye’s choir sang it the next Sunday at the Ebeneezer Baptist Church.
So please friends, and fellow believers, let’s offer up the sacrifice of praise from our lips, as we seek comfort from our comforting God. In rich and soulful harmony now, as we feel it down in our very beings. ‘Precious Lord, take my hand, Lead me on, let me stand, I am tired, I am weak, I am worn; Through the storm, through the night, Lead me on to the light: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.)
When my way grows drear, Precious Lord, linger near, When my life is almost gone, Hear my cry, hear my call, Hold my hand lest I fall: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.) When the darkness appears And the night draws near, And the day is past and gone, At the river I stand, Guide my feet, hold my hand: (Refrain: Take my hand, precious Lord, Lead me home.)
Precious Lord, take my hand Lead me on, let me stand, I’m tired, I’m weak, I’m alone; Through the storm, through the night Lead me on to the light Take my hand precious Lord, lead me home (lead me home)’
Oh my brethren, there is NONE other than Almighty God who can satisfy that need for reassurance and comfort in our hurting souls! That’s why we need to call out to Him first when terrible times overcome us, for He is our indispensable Healer and Comforter. Listen as Jesus offers assurance to His disciples in our Bit. ‘And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever.’
Oh friends, what a wonderful Lord and Saviour we have! He knew that He had to go away and that the disciples would be left in the lurch without Him around. So He made arrangements with the Father to send them another Comforter, like Jesus, the Holy Spirit, that would dwell within them forever. And he continues: ‘Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.’ (John 14:17)
And the scholars tell us: ’14:17. The Spirit…shall be in you: The ministry of the Holy Spirit, promised to believers of this age, is unique, since it is given to all believers alike, and is permanent (dwelleth, that is “takes up residence”). See verse 23.’
And we all know that the Holy Spirit made that magnificent appearance to all believers on the Day of Pentecost. Jesus had told them to stay in Jerusalem until the new Comforter came, because they would not have had the parts to go out and do what He required of them. The Good Book describes that momentous event thus: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (one purpose, mind) in one place.
And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Ah mih friends, our God doesn’t too things in half measures! When He decides to put on a show, He puts on a big one, with all the bells and whistles, not a little Mickey-Mouse event! (smile) But Jesus’ most touching words to me, were the ones He spoke after promising to send the Holy Spirit. ‘I will not leave you comfortless (orphans): I will come to you.’ (John 14:18)
What care and compassion Jesus shows for those distraught men who had given up everything they had to follow Him, thinking that He would be setting up a new kingdom at that time, only to later learn that He would be killed and then He would go away and leave them…but not alone. That’s not Jesus’ style friends. Once you come to Him, He will ALWAYS be with you: ‘for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb:13:5)
Oh my people, in ending, all I can says is that the best place to find comfort and compassion in times of sorrow, is in the ever-open and ever-LOVING arms of Jesus. He has already offered the great invitation: ‘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 (gentle) and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” (Matt.11:28-30)
Friends, it doesn’t get any better than that. But please remember, YOU have to make a serious decision to go to Him to find succour. It won’t just fall in your lap. Much LOVE!
…on a comfort scale of 1-10…Jesus is 11 plus…
04 Jun 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a part of God's people, a rushing mighty wind, a sound from heaven, baptisim of the Spirit, baptism, baptized with the Holy ghost, be nor drunk with wine, cloven tongues like fire, controlling influence, conversion, excess, filled the house, filled with the Holy Ghost, filled with the Spirit, filling, generosity, glory to God, helpless to resist, holy spirit, in my soul, Jerusalem, John baptized with water, joy, Judea, like a fountain, like a river, LOVE, love like an ocean, mind-blowing, omnipotence, peace, Pentecost, power, prayer breakfast, purpose of mind, riotousness, Samaria, speak with other tongues, spreading the gospel of Jesus, technology, the church, the New testament, the uttermost part of the earth, unity, within the believer, witnesses
Acts 1:5. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.
Welcome friends to Pentecost Sunday; that great day in our faith, fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, when the Holy Spirit made its miraculous entry into the lives of each and every believer at the time, in Jerusalem, the city of God!
Wow! What a momentous and memorable day that was my fellow believers! Before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem so that they could be baptized with the Holy Spirit. ‘For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ And as loyal followers they obeyed His command and stayed in Jerusalem, and were they ever amazed by the happenings on that fateful day.
Hear how the Good Book puts it nuh. ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose of mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
Can you imagine that scene on that fateful Sunday friends? It must have been literally and figuratively mind blowing with the sudden appearance of a mighty rushing wind, the cloven tongues of fire and all of a sudden their ability to speak in other languages! Glory to God for His omnipotence and His awesome generosity to His people!
Now let’s clarify a couple of things. Jesus said in our Bit that the disciples would be ‘baptized’ with the Holy Ghost, but on Pentecost Day the Good Book says they were ‘filled’ with the Holy Ghost. I’ll try to paraphrase a long explanation that the scholars offer. ‘2:4. The filling and baptism are two different works performed by the Holy Spirit.
Note their contrasts: (1) Following Pentecost every believer receives the baptism of the Spirit (1 Cor.12:13), hence the New Testament never commands the Christian to receive it. But the filling of the Spirit is not experienced by all believers, and so is commanded (Eph.5:18).
(2) The baptism is permanent, happening but once for all. The filling is ongoing, occurring continuously as seen in the present tense imperative of Ephesians 5:18, that is, “Keep on being filled.” The verse commands: “And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (riotousness), but be filled with the Spirit.”
Since Paul compares the influences of wine and the filling of the Spirit, the word ‘control’ can aptly express the idea of either. The filling of the Spirit is the controlling influence of the Spirit within the believer. Such control is neither universal nor unending, thus it must be commanded and does recur within the believers…
The baptism is the act by which Jesus, through the Spirit, at conversion brings the believer into relation with Himself and makes the believer a part of God’s people, the church. The filling is the continuous experience within the Christian whereby the Spirit, who already indwells him, keeps control over his life.’
Phew! Hope you all understand that friends. I guess we can compare it somewhat to God breathing life into us ONE time, but then we have to keep on refilling our lungs with air, if we want to stay alive.
Yes my brethren, Jesus’ words certainly came true, as just before He ascended to heaven, He told them: ‘But ye shall receive power, after that (when) the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.’ (Acts 1:8)
And they certainly made mas (smile) in Jerusalem that day, (read the rest of Acts 2) and around the country later on, and we are now spreading the gospel of Jesus to all parts of the world with the aid of technology! Glory Hallelujah!
Oh friends, I know it’s our custom to begin each Sunday with some praise and worship, but today I was filled with, controlled by the Holy Spirit to do it differently. (smile) I was so enthused by the Spirit’s working in me, that I had to get to the heart of the matter right away. (smile)
And Oh, our church held a wonderful Pentecost Prayer Breakfast yesterday morning, with plenty good food, music, and fellowship from several other churches and denominations, plus a couple of Muslim leaders. And it was all rounded out by a moving address on ‘Prayer,’ by our new Bishop, Jennifer Anderson. As usual, a fine time was had by all. And I’m sure Jesus was delighted by that little bit of unity shown by His church, instead of the disunity we are so prone to show.
Now let’s go home singing one of the songs we sang yesterday. And how appropriate it is eh on this Pentecost Day! So let’s raise out voices in song, and pour forth, the peace, joy, and LOVE that fills our Spirit.
‘I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river, I’ve got peace like a river in my soul. I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean, I’ve got love like an ocean in my soul. I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain, I’ve got joy like a fountain in my soul.’
And that’s the way it ought to be my people! So let’s go out now and faithfully spread that peace, LOVE and joy the way Jesus desires of us nuh. Much LOVE!
…when the Spirit moves you…you’re helpless to resist…
08 Jun 2014
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a red letter day, a rushing mighty wind, abide, asenscion, awe, baptize with the Holy spirit, baptized with the Holy ghost, baptizing, be filled with the Spirit, be joyous, beautiful storm, breaking of bread, Christ's Resurrection, confounded, continued steadfastly, controlling influence of the Spirit, crooked generation, Day of Pentecost, defeated hell death and the grave, democratic appearence, diligence, dissipation, do Jesus' work, do not be drunk with wine, excellence, exhort, faith, Feast of the first fruits, fellowship, filled with the Holy Ghost, fire-like appendages, foregiveness, Galileans, get freindly with the Spirit of Jesus, glory hallelujah, guided aright, Holy Ghost, in the apostles' doctrine, Jerusalem, Jesus Christ, Jesus' promise, John baptized with water, lead and guide, moving like a magnet, Pentecost, permanent placing of the Spirit, Peter, Praise the Lord, prayers, promise of the Father, recharge our spiritual batteries, rechargeable battery, remarkable, remission of sins, repent, resurrection, righteousness., showered, sincerity, speak with tongues, spectacular happenings, testify, the gift of the Holy ghost, the Holy ghost power, the Holy Ghost showered en masse, three thousand souls, truth, wisdom, wonder
Acts 2:2. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Oh Friends, it’s the Day of Pentecost! Two thousand years ago, some fifty days after Jesus’ triumphant resurrection, where He defeated, hell, death, the grave and that foolish crook Lucifer, and some ten days after His ascension, the Holy Ghost came to earth as a beautiful storm; a storm of wind, laced with fire-like appendages.
As the Good Book describes it: ‘And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord (purpose or mind) in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven (divided) tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.’ (Acts 2:1-4)
What a mighty act of our mighty God! Thus fulfilling the promise Jesus made to the disciples just before His ascension. ‘And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water, but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence.’ (Acts 1:4-5)
Oh my people, the Lord was at work back then, just like He is now. That’s why we sing: ‘The Holy Ghost power is moving just like a magnet. The Holy Ghost power is moving just like a magnet. Moving here, and moving there. The Holy Ghost power is moving just like a magnet.’
Yes my people, the Holy Ghost power is busy all over the world, moving just like a magnet. So if you have even one iota of metal, one iota of Jesus Christ in you, be careful, or rather be joyous, for it will target you. And please don’t try to resist it; instead, let it fall graciously upon you, for there’s nothing as remarkable as the Holy Ghost power in all the heaven and the earth!
Ah Friends, what a day that day of Pentecost was when the Holy Spirit was first showered down en masse on all believers! Before that it was given to special people who God needed to do great works for Him, like the prophets. But since that day in Jerusalem, each and every believer is baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit.
As you can see from verse 5 above, Jesus promised that ALL would be baptized with the Spirit, as they came to the faith. And as the scholars point out, though the first set of scriptures only said that they were ‘filled,’ (Acts 2:4) they were indeed baptized with it.
Baptizing is the permanent placement of the Spirit in us, while filling is the continuous regeneration of that power. That means we have to continually renew the controlling influence of the Spirit in our lives, like a rechargeable battery, so that it can abide strong and powerful in our beings, and thus lead and guide us successfully in all righteousness and truth.
Now that day of Pentecost we’re talking about was not the first one, but it was an annual feast day in the Jewish calendar, occurring fifty days after the Feast of the first fruits, hence the name Pentecost in Greek. (Lev.15:15-22) And though it only lasted one day, it was certainly a joyous occasion, although I doubt that any of them could have been as joyous as that one when the Holy Spirit made its democratic appearance, beginning the promise of filling all and sundry that believed.
And that first day was truly a red letter day, for when the people in Jerusalem heard about the spectacular happenings, they came to where the apostles were, ‘and were confounded, because that every man heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marvelled, saying one to another, Behold, are not all these which speak Galileans? And how hear we every man in our own tongue (language or dialect), wherein we were born?’ (Acts 2:6-8)
Oh yes Friends, there were all different kinds of people from many different places living in Jerusalem at that time, but yet these poor, uneducated Galileans spoke to each one of them in their own language. Glory Hallelujah! No lesser force than the mysterious movement of the mighty Holy Spirit was involved! Some people even mockingly said that they were drunk, but Peter, in his finest hour, got up and spoke to them. Read Peter’s sermon in Acts 2:14-42.
But my people, Peter’s speech was so great that day that I have to share the end, knowing that many of you won’t check out the scripture. (smile) ‘Then Peter said unto them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission (forgiveness) of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call.
And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward (crooked) generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.’ (Acts 2:38-42)
And all God’s people declared a loud, ‘Praise the Lord! Hallelujah!’ Yes Friends, what a red letter day that was, and we still talk about today it in tones of awe and wonder!
However my people, it’s time for us to be moving on, so I’m going to exhort us, on this day of Pentecost 2014, to get downright friendly with that Spirit of Jesus that indwells us, and today recharge, refill our spiritual batteries, so that we can be guided aright and do Jesus’ work with the excellence and diligence that’s required of us. That’s a mark of true sincerity and everlasting wisdom! Much LOVE!
…and be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation)…but be filled with the Spirit… (Eph.5:18)
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