The Overwhelming Importance of Christians Understanding that in Christ’s Person … in His Name, there is Awesome Power!

23 Aug 2026 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s Scrip-Bit   23 August 2026   Acts 4:16.

Acts 4:16.        ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name among men, whereby we must be saved.’

Sunday’s here again my friends, time to join the joyful throng of believers in worship and fellowship in the Lord’s sanctuary, or wherever you may be gathered, for Jesus assured us that ‘Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.’ (Matt. 18:20) That means that even a small group, meeting in the open air, with His authority and intent, has His full presence. So, the size of the gathering or the place is of no real importance, just the Christ-like intentions we bring to it.

And let’s also remember that getting together in worship needs to be a regular occurrence, not a once every so often matter. It’s like the author of Hebrews reminds us. ‘Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much more, as ye see the day approaching.’ (Heb. 10:25) That’s because as the scholars advise: ‘The assembling of God’s people provides opportunity for reciprocal encouragement, strengthening, and the stirring up that can be gained from one another. The church is a body interacting; it is not merely a dispensary of spiritual food and medicine.’ (smile)

So let’s get to some interacting right away, by singing this modern worship song, written by Will Reagan and made popular by Tasha Cobbs, titled, ‘There is Power in the Name of Jesus.’ And we’ll offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a rollicking, heartfelt, mid-tempo version of the song. Singing: ‘There is power in the name of Jesus There is power in the name of Jesus There is power in the name of Jesus To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain (Repeat)

There’s an army rising up There’s an army rising up There’s an army rising up To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain. All sufficient sacrifice, freely given, such a price. On our redemption Heaven’s gates swing wide, That’s why we believe that There is power in the name of Jesus There is power in the name of Jesus There is power in the name of Jesus To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain.

We believe that there is power, power, wonderworking power in the name of Jesus. And that’s why There’s an army rising up There’s an army rising up There’s an army rising up To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain To break every chain, break every chain, break every chain! Oh He’s our Jesus, Jesus – the Conqueror – Mighty Conqueror! That’s why we hear the chains falling, the chains are falling! Shout it out!  I hear the chains falling I hear the chains falling!  I feel the freedom, freedom from the bondage of sin! Yes, He has set us free, because there is power in the name of Jesus, power in the name of Jesus, power to break every chain, break every chain, break every chain…’

Oh friends, that was indeed a powerful piece of worship, and it encourages us to invoke the name of Jesus over our families, communities and struggles! And there’s no doubt that we truly believe what we sang; that there is indeed power in the name of Jesus to do all we said He could do. As one overview tells us: ‘It’s a central declaration of Christian faith, it reflects the belief in spiritual authority, healing, and redemption found in Scripture.’ But before we go further, let’s make one thing absolutely clear; there is power in Christ’s name only because there is power in Christ’s person.

As an article on the subject from the website gotquestions.org explains: ‘Any power that Christians access in Jesus’ name comes from true faith in who Jesus is and what He does for sinners. The saving, healing, protecting, justifying, redeeming power of God resides in the Person of Christ, and Jesus is His name. Where there is no faith, no relationship, or no submission to His lordship, the name Jesus is nothing but a word. We are wise to guard ourselves from the temptation to misuse the name of Jesus. As adopted sons and daughters into God’s family, Christians experience God’s saving grace through faith in the Person of Jesus. When we call on Him, we participate in His power and find that “the name of the LORD is a fortified tower; the righteous run to it and are safe” (Proverbs 18:10).

And as Peter told the Jewish council when they arrested John and himself for preaching Christ crucified: ‘Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name among men, whereby we must be saved.’ (Acts: 4:16) Yes friends, salvation can be achieved through no other name than Jesus. That just goes to show the awesome power of His name and person. It’s like Bruh Paul says about Christ in Philippians: ‘And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto the death of the cross. Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in the earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.’ (Phil. 2:8-11)

That shows just how powerful and exalted is the name of Jesus! But now, turning to the song where it talks about Christ’s power to break chains, there are several scriptures that agree with it. For instance, in Psalm 107: God’s Redemptive Power, the psalmist declares: ‘Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bands in sunder (broke their chains in pieces).’ (Ps. 107:13-14)

And to prove the miracle working power of Jesus and His Exalted Name, listen to this scripture from Acts, where in the city of Philippi, Bruh Paul and Silas are beaten and deposited deep in the bowels of the prison bound and shackled in chains. ‘And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands (chains) were loosed.’ (Acts 16:25-26)

Oh yes my brethren, there is indeed power in the name of Jesus to break chains, both literally and figuratively! That’s why when we call upon His name in sincerity and truth, chains will break! But we need an army to rise up and help those living in bondage to break their chains. Jesus has already done His part, as the song says: ‘All sufficient sacrifice, freely given, such a price. On our redemption Heaven’s gates swing wide,’ Once and for all time, Jesus gave the ultimate sacrifice of His sinless life on the cross of Calvary to pay our sin debt.

As the author of Hebrews declares: ‘Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.’ (Heb.9:12) And the only way we can repay a very small portion of that debt we owe Jesus, is by living sincerely for Him, and being a part of the  mighty army He needs to help break the chains and bondage that Satan has on too many of our fellow human beings. Let’s show Him we truly care nuh, by rising up and standing strong and faithful in His mighty name! Much LOVE!

…the name…the name that holds awesome power…JESUS…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

The Importance of Christians Believing in the Amazing and Awesome Greatness of Their God!

05 Sep 2025 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 25:4.         Shew me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy paths.

And it’s a cool, windy, cloudy Friday in my neck of the woods, but that doesn’t make a difference when it comes to shouting out ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ Yes friends, the way our work system is set up, the couple of days off at the weekend is sanctified, (smile) and we avidly seek it, regardless of the weather or what’s happening around our strife-filled world. 

And today, we will look at an interesting poem from our One Year Book of Bible Promises with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘Your Child, God.’ And once we accept Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, we all become the adopted children of God, joint heirs with Christ, with a right to our divine heritage, entitled to all our heavenly Father has. (Rom. 8:17) But, sadly, oftentimes we don’t behave like children of God, or even know what He is truly like. 

So please read with me: ‘O God With deep contrition I shamefully confess My small concept of You My puny faith My limited comprehension. Forgive me, O God And enlarge my narrow vision. Stimulate my trust As I concentrate on Your greatness. Give me even now A true perspective Of Your majestic power To totally transform the child On whom You have set Your LOVE – The child whose name is engraved On the palm of Your hand The child who claims You As her Maker and Master. Your child, God! Me!’ 

Oh my fellow believers, that poem is simple but it says a lot, and is very relevant to our uncertain and difficult times, for as the poem says, many of us don’t see or know the true greatness of the wonderful God we claim to serve. Many of us think that He’s either a doting grandfather, or a tough nut to crack, who’s somewhere out there in the wild blue yonder, with little power, not paying much attention to what’s happening down here on Planet Earth. But all of that is totally untrue. Our God is neither a doting grandfather, a hard man to please, or not paying attention to our problems. 

In fact He’s the exact opposite of all that! He’s the Creator and Controller of this universe, that means He must have a lot of power to do such an awesome job. And He does care for us, so much so that instead of letting us all go to hellfire and damnation with Satan for our persistent disobedience and rebellion, He sacrificed His only begotten Son to give us another option; that’s salvation and eternal life with Him. So tell me how could anyone who does all those things not be great and majestic, LOVING and compassionate? 

Our God is so great that He’s described as Omnipotent, that’s having lots of power; Omniscient, that’s all knowing, all seeing and wise; and Omnipresent, that’s all pervading, being everywhere, universal. And it’s oh so important for believers to know the true scope and greatness of our God, to enlarge our narrow vision, because if we don’t, we’re liable to seek small stuff from Him, offer up small prayers, not understanding the full reach of His awesome might and power. 

And in these hate filled and angry times, we desperately need His omnipotence, omniscience and omnipresence, to help us fight the evil that’s controlling our world. It’s time for us to open our eyes and begin thinking of our God as the de facto, or in reality, the great and awesome God that He is! And we can only accomplish that feat by concentrating on God, on His Word and the leading of His Holy Spirit. 

Now the Bible Promise given for this poem comes from Psalm 25 titled ‘Trust in the Lord.’ The New Living Bible Translation puts it thus: ‘Show me the path where I should walk, O Lord; point out the right road for me to follow. Lead me by your truth and teach me, for you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you.’ (Ps. 25:4-5)  And to believe that, your God must be big and mighty, fearsome and fearless, LOVING, compassionate, kind and merciful! And that’s exactly what our God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is! So, thinking small doesn’t’ do our God any favours or give Him any accolades at all. 

And for our enlightenment, (smile) here’s how the good ole King James Version puts the verses from our Bible Promise. ‘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) 

Yes my brethren, in these perilous times, we do need to turn to the God of our salvation and sincerely ask Him to show us His ways, teach us what He desires us to know, and lead us in His truth. And as we said earlier on, all of that begins with reading and meditating on God’s Word, then with the help of the Holy Spirit, putting it into action in our lives. As Psalm 119 wisely advises: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) 

Now, to help us get our act together, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking grace in desperate time of need. As one voice: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough…  because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. 

Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. 

We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And divine aid is certainly in the offing, but not until we improve our poor witness for Christ, which has given the evil enemy undue hegemony or dominance over our world. Much LOVE!

…until Christians truly believe and act like our God is a great God…we will never overcome the enemy…

Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 July 2023 Joshua 1:9.

13 Jul 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Joshua 1:9.       Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.

And after a late night, early morning of constant drizzle, Thursday has opened sunny and cool, but with some cloudy overtones. The computer is saying it’s going to be windy and humid. But in these days of climate change anything is possible, so we just have to learn to handle whatever comes against us weatherwise, like we have learned to handle whatever circumstances come against us in our regular lives. 

And it all begins with knowing, and even more importantly living like Jesus Christ is our true and enabling Lord and Saviour. As he says, without Him, we can do nothing. (John 15:5). But then again, we can do ALL things though Christ who strengthens and enables us! (Phil. 4:13) And don’t forget either that God’s grace is sufficient for all we do, because His strength (power) is made perfect in our weakness. (2 Cor. 12:9) 

Wow! What a mighty force is our God! And He ought to be, since He created the earth, the heavens, the seas and all therein, and also controls everything within them, so that all the hairs of our heads are numbered and not even one grain of it falls of and He doesn’t know it. Neither does even one little sparrow, which is a cheap and seemingly unimportant bird die and the Lord doesn’t know it. (Matt. 10:29-32) 

So, taking all of that into consideration, the question then becomes, why are we who claim to be great believers in Almighty God, with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour are so fearful of the things of the world and the evil that lurks therein? Remember Jesus said quite authoritatively: ‘And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.’ (Matt. 10:28) 

And, if you didn’t know it, the ONLY One who can destroy both our souls and bodies is the Lord God Almighty! That means, if we’re to fear any Being, it’s Jehovah God we should fear! But since He’s our heavenly Father, having adopted us after Christ died and paid for our sins, (Rom. 8:14-15) and therefore LOVES us with a mighty unconditional LOVE, there’s no need to fear Him in the true sense of the word, but to reverence, to honour and obey Him, like children do their fathers. 

But unfortunately, that is something too many of us on this disaster-filled planet are not doing, that’s why our lives are so pitiable and miserable! If we don’t have the LOVE and reverence of God in us, how can we ever live joyful and successful lives eh? Remember, the Bible tells us that the joy of the Lord is our strength. (Neh. 8:10) 

And remember too, these amazing and wise words from the mouth of the Lord Himself to Joshua. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (shall 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) 

Oh my brethren that’s all we really need to know yes! Read and constantly meditate on God’s Word, then put it into action in our lives! That’s it in a nutshell! But how many of us even read the Lord’s Word, much less meditate on it, and live it? Not nearly enough! And if you didn’t believe what the Lord said to Joshua back there, then listen to what He followed it up with: ‘Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the Lord thy God is with thee withersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:9) 

Mama Mia my fellow saints! What else do we need for God to do for us or to tell us eh, before we can live the way He desires of us? He’s told us to read and study His word, then live it. Then to not be afraid but strong and courageous because He’s with us wherever we go. Then to crown it all, He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die for us so that our sin debt could be paid in full and give us the option of spending eternity in His marvellous company…

What else do we need eh? For Him to come and hold each of our hands personally and lead us over the threshold of heaven? Brother! We’ve become such frail, feeble and fearful folks that even when we’ve been given everything we need to live the abundant and successful life that Jesus died for us to have, we’re still mewling and afraid like little children. 

Sorry, I take that back, little children might be afraid, but they have confidence in their parents and elders and follow them anyway. But we obviously don’t have the confidence we’re supposed to have in Christ Jesus, our heavenly Father, neither the Holy Spirit, who all bend over backwards to help us! 

And furthermore, we can’t even stay united as one church, one body of Christ like we should be, but allow the enemy to divide and conquer us with all the foolish divisions and denominations we’ve created and all the petty and selfish things that we foolishly use to keep us apart. When are we going to wake up and realize that unless there is more unity in Christ’s church, that we can never win the war we’re supposed to be fighting? We talk such a good talk, but our walk is woeful in comparison, not nearly as good as it ought to be. 

And though I’m chuckling here at what I’ve written, because I never came out to write it, but apparently was led there by the Holy Spirit, because we definitely do need to wake up and get working for Christ if we ever expect to see positive changes in our world anytime soon. Let’s hope that this will be a wakeup call for many of us, and believers in Christ will begin doing what they need to do: read and study God’s word, then live it with courage and strength of purpose! 

And now, let’s go home declaring (ah Lord eh!) our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. As one 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, we desperately need to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!

…we have all the tools for abundant and successful living…why aren’t we using them to enrich our world like Jesus desires… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit 18 April 2014 Luke 23:34a

18 Apr 2014 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 23:34a.Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them for they know not what they do. 

 GOOD  FRIDAY !

Oh Friends, that fateful day called Friday has rolled around once again! However, today is not only a Friday, but an extraordinary one that we term GOOD FRIDAY! Today we remember and celebrate the most auspicious and memorable Friday that has ever occurred in man’s history! 
 
And though the event that occurred two thousand years ago today was a horrific tragedy; the stuff that took place on the surface was certainly bad, but its outcome was the greatest gift ever bestowed on mankind, that’s why it can be called good! 
 
So today instead of just singing ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ We need to sing ‘TGIGF! Thank God it’s Good Friday!’ 
 
And you know that we’re referring to that memorable day when our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sacrificed His sinless life, went like an unblemished lamb to the slaughter, to pay for our ghastly sins, so that we could once again have right fellowship with our heavenly Father. 
 
And all of God’s people, feeling the trembling and gratitude boiling in their hearts, spontaneously sang out: ‘All praise, honour and glory be to our Lord Jesus Christ, Son of Jehovah God! Bless His Holy Name! Worship and praise Him and give Him everlasting thanks, for He is indeed worthy of it all!’ 
 
Yes my people, Jesus Christ is certainly worthy of more praise and thanks and honour and glory than we can ever give Him! For there is nothing or no one else who could have satisfied the Father’s high price of justice to pay our sin debt in full. 
 
And that’s payment for ALL of mankind’s sins, from day one in the Garden of Eden, when Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit, right down to the day of judgement, and that promised time when sin shall be no more. When there shall be no more tears, no more pain and sorrow, but we shall all dwell in harmony and unity under the everlasting light of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. (Rev.21:3-4) 
 
Oh what a wonderful person is our Jesus! Let’s give Him some more thanks and praise nuh mih breddren. ‘Oh Lord Jesus Christ, there are not enough powerful and thankful words in our vocabulary to truly praise and thank You for Your selfless, sacrificial deed on our behalf. But with whatever we have, we’re pouring out our most sincere gratitude and thanks this Good Friday morn, hoping that You accept it with Your usual graciousness. 
 
We know that it was a terrible ordeal You underwent for us worthless sinners, though You and the Father thought us worthy enough to pay such an exorbitant price to save us. We know You didn’t have to do it, but Your obedience to the Father knew no bounds, so you bore with great patience, perseverance and magnanimity the trials and tribulations the Father decreed as the price of our freedom. 
 
In Your most horrible moments of agony, You were even gracious enough to cry out the words of our Bit: ‘Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.’ Only a truly LOVING and forgiving Deity could do such an extraordinary thing! Thank You Lord Jesus, thank You, thank You, thank You! 
 
Unfortunately, that’s the best we can say. But for that awesome sacrifice, we promise to bow our heads, bend our knees and acknowledge You as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We will give You all the praise and thanks we can muster, and walk obediently in Your footsteps of LOVE, peace, joy, goodness, human rights and justice, from this day forth and forever more! 
 
Please accept our heartfelt prayer, and let Your Holy Spirit lead and guide us into all truth, so that we can magnify Your Holy Name and spread the good news of Your Story, all over planet Earth! This we pray in Your Holy Name, on the rivers of blood that flowed from the stripes inflicted on Your broken and abused body on that horrible day, two thousand years ago! Amen! And again we say, Amen!’  
 
Thank You Lord Jesus Christ for coming to our rescue! Just the thought of where we would have been, where we would have ended up, without your faithful and LOVING intercession, makes us cringe with fear and loathing! 
 
But thankfully, through the amazing and unconditional LOVE of the Father, we now have nothing to fear, and instead are now gloriously declared righteous, reconciled, justified, adopted children of God, heirs to His kingdom with You, and so many other wonderful things that it would take us all day to name them! 
 
Father in heaven… Lord Jesus… all we can say again is THANKS! Thanks from the innermost recesses of our hearts, and the very depths of our souls! We LOVE You, and will try our very best to walk obedient to Your dictates. In Jesus Name we pray all of this. Amen!’ 
 
Oh Friends, this is what I was guided to write this Good Friday morning. I do hope that the sentiments expressed therein will touch your hearts, minds, bodies and souls like it touched mine. 
 
Over the last couple of years I’ve been guided to a greater appreciation of the suffering that Jesus underwent on our behalf, and now the Easter season has truly become the best part of the Christian calendar for me, for that’s where Jesus wrought His most marvellous works. 
 
Please let us mourn the death of our Saviour today, while remembering the awesome good that came out of it. And as we close, let’s chant our Friday Chant with much enthusiasm! Thought I’d forgotten eh? (smile) 
 
‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’ 
 
Now Friends, and fellow believers, let’s just remember that after the death, comes the glorious RESURRECTION! Much LOVE!
 
…the price of reconciliation can never be repaid…because it was born out of such unbelievable LOVE…