29 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a sacrifice for mankind, a true reflection of Jesus, all sinned and disobeyed your word, as to the Lord and not unto men, became obedient unto death, being found in fashion as a man, being in the form of God, Christians are too comfortable and fearful, divine aid, do an honest day's work, ease the pain, emptied himself of all his privileges, empty talk about Jesus, faith, having a good attitude every day, he that does wrong, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, humbled himself, if any man will come after me, if you love me keep my commandments, impartiality, in all sincerity and truth, it takes two to tango, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, Jesus is depending on us, Jesus loved the Father, Jesus put His life on the line for us, keep the Christmas Season going, keep your promise to prosper us, knowing that of the Lord, let him deny himself, let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, live for Christ, LOVE, made himself of no reputation, made in the likeness of men, mass confusion, mercy, need to turn things around, New Year's Eve, no respect of persons, not willing to go to bat for Jesus, praise Your Holy Name, pray, promised to hear and answer our prayers, receive for the wrong he has done, receive the reward of the inheritance, salvation, showing the world, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, Stand up Stand up for Jesus, taalk without any worthwhile action, take up his cross daily and follow me, thank you for life and strong faith in Christ, the death of the cross, the general trend, the God who heals, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the throne of grace, the trumpet call obey, thought it not robbery, to alleviate our problems, to be equal with God, to do as little as possible, to do the jobs we signed up for as disciples, took upon him the form of a servant, tough consequences for disobedience, treacherous roads, truth, turbulent times, turn from our evil ways, whatsoever ye do do it heartily, wisdom, wise guidance, ye serve the Lord Christ
Philippians 2:5. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:
And if you are not one of the smart, blessed or lucky ones who have the day off, (smile) then you would have gone out to work in the bad weather this Monday morning, a few days before New Year’s Eve. Let’s hope you were careful on the roads, for most likely they were very treacherous, what with the combination of rain, snow, freezing rain and sleet we’ve had this weekend.
Now, although Christmas Day has passed, the season isn’t over, so please keep the peace, LOVE and joy going, wherever you may be, for we desperately need to turn things around in our old world for this new year. Jesus is depending on us to do the jobs we signed up for when we became His disciples. It’s like He said: “If any man will (desires to) come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me.’ (Luke 9:23) That means getting out there every day with a good attitude, even though life might not be the greatest, and showing the world a true reflection of Jesus.
Obviously it’s not easy, but it’s what is expected of us as true and sincere believers. None of us like the idea of sacrificing anything, but do you think Jesus liked the idea of sacrificing Himself on that rugged cross? No way! But the Father asked it of Him, for our benefit, and since He LOVED the Father and wanted to be obedient to Him, He valiantly put His life on the line for us.
And Bruh Paul puts it very plainly in his letter to the Philippians. ‘Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men (emptied himself of all his privileges): And being found in fashion (appearance) as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.’ (Phil. 2:5-8)
Yuh see that my fellow believers, Jesus gave up everything He had to come to earth to die in our place. So, please don’t tell me that we can’t suffer and sacrifice a little on His behalf. And that’s exactly why our world is in such an evil and ungodly mess; we Christians have gotten too comfortable and fearful and thus are not willing to go to bat for Jesus as much as is necessary, but we keep crying out to Him for help when troubles befall us and bold facedly expect Him to help us.
But don’t forget that it takes two to tango, and two hands to wash each other, so if we need Jesus’ help, we must do what He desires. Remember His words: ‘If you LOVE me, you will keep my commandments.’ (John 15:15) So all the empty talk we spout about Jesus is just that; talk without any worthwhile action. And please note that Jesus does not expect us to kill ourselves on His behalf, but just to do an honest day’s work, like we would do for our earthly employers.
But then, that brings up the interesting question of how many of us in today’s greedy and selfish society, do an honest day’s work? Hn! Definitely not the majority, since the general trend is to do as little as possible, or as little as we can get away with. But that is not the way Jesus wants His believers to behave.
Bruh Paul also made that quite clear when he said in his letter to the Colossians: ‘And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. For he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: And there is no respect of persons.’ (Colo. 3:23-25)
Yes friends, when we live for Christ, we are expected do things diligently and excellently, as though we are doing it for Him, for in the end we will receive the reward for our good attitude from Him. And likewise, if we do wrong, we will also receive the tough consequences for our disobedience, for God is impartial. Now, to help us handle all that is coming and will come against us, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these turbulent times.
Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
Now it’s up to us to do what our prayer says; turn from our evil ways, so that God can prosper us. And that in turn means going to God for help in all sincerity and truth…if we truly desire divine aid. Much LOVE!
…it’s high time Christians action what we so lustily sing…Stand up…Stand up for Jesus…the trumpet call obey…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a benevolent ruler, a God-like King, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all who believe in him, an anticlimactic end, an attribute of Jesus, blessed with eternal life, call his name Immanuel, Christ birth was foretold to give Israel hope, Counsellor, divine aid, encouragement from Isaiah's prophecy, encouragement from Jesus' words, endure to the end with Christ, Enormous Rewards, eternal peace on earth, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, Father of Eternity, focus on Jesus Christ, For unto us a child is born, from henceforth even for ever, fulfill God's requirement, give us hope, God incarnate, God with us, he hat shall endure unto the end, Hero, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, Immanuel, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, live up to your expectations, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, miraculous counsel, of the increase of his government and peace, persevere in faith, pray, salvation, show this evil world, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual insight, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the everlasting Father, the Gift-Child, the God who heals, the government shall be upon his shoulder, the Lord himself shall give you a sign, the mighty God, the Prince of Peace, the promise of Christ's Second Coming, the same shall be saved, the worst feeling ever, The zeal of the Lord will perform this, there shall be no end, to alleviate our problems, to establish it with judgement and with justice, to stand strong in faith, truth, turn from our evil ways, unto us a son is given, upon his kingdom to order it, upon the throne of David, wisdom, wise guidance, Wonderful
Isaiah 9:6a. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given:
Only two more days friends…and then it’s Christmas Day! Let’s hope that the excitement and anticipation don’t have an anticlimactic end, leaving you with a less than jolly, merry Christmas, (smile) for that can be the worst feeling ever, when a moment you put so much energy and time into doesn’t live up to your expectations. But I’m sure if you keep your focus on Jesus, that won’t happen.
So, what shall we talk about on this Monday of Christmas week eh? Well… let’s see what the Bible suggests… And after looking through the Word and seeking spiritual insight we’ve been led to this familiar passage from the prophet Isaiah, where he declares the prophecy of the birth of Jesus, the Prince of Peace.
‘For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom to order it, and to establish it with judgement and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord will perform this.’ (Is. 9:6-7)
You see friends, centuries before Christ was born, His birth was foretold by the prophet Isaiah to give the people of Israel hope in their tough lives. And the zeal of the Lord indeed began the process through His birth at Christmas. Likewise, today, the promise of Christ’s Second Coming ought to give us hope to stand strong in faith with Him, so that all who believe in Him and endure to the end, can be blessed with eternal life, as He so clearly says in the gospel of Matthew while talking about the end times. ‘But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.’ (Matt. 24:13)
So just like the Israelites of old were given encouragement by Isaiah’s prophecy, so we today are meant to take encouragement from Jesus’ words. But getting back to Isaiah’s prophecy, the scholars offer some interesting explanations on that passage. They say: ‘The Gift-Child in this passage is the same divine Child as Immanuel (God with Us). (Is. 7:14) Again, using the prophetic perfect, the prophet sees Him as though He were already born.
Wonderful, Counsellor is actually one term in Hebrew. A wonder is indicative of a miracle. Counsellor is often used in parallel with King (cf. Mic. 4:9) Thus miraculous counsel is given by this God-like King. The mighty God (El Gibor) is the strongest of these titles. In Isaiah, El is always used of God and never refers to man. Gibor means: “Hero.” Together they describe One who is indeed God Himself. (A most definite attribute of Jesus!)
Everlasting Father literally means Father of Eternity. He alone is the source of eternal life. (Another attribute of Jesus.) Prince of Peace (Sar-Shalom) indicates that the mighty God will be a benevolent ruler bringing eternal peace on earth through the establishment of His kingdom. Thus, the obscure figure of Immanuel is now brought to clear light: He is Himself God Incarnate!’ And everybody shouted: ‘Jesus, God Incarnate!’ (smile)
And I do hope that those explanations improved our understanding of the terms and how they were used back in the Old Testament. But, as per the reference to ‘Immanuel,’ let’s check out Is. 7:14. The situation existed where two nations were plotting war against Judah, and the Lord sent Isaiah to warn King Ahaz that the attack would not be successful. And though Ahaz was told to ask for a sign, He piously refused to ‘tempt God.’ But Isaiah nonetheless informed him: ‘Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel (God be with Us).’
Another prophecy of Christ’s birth. So, it wasn’t like the Israelites didn’t know of Christ’s coming, they just didn’t know when. Similarly, we know of Christ’s Second Coming, but we don’t know when either. That means we must persevere in faith until whatever time the Father chooses to send Him back, because the rewards for those who persevere until the end will be enormous and most worthwhile. And to help us do that on this Christmas Monday, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
Ah friends, our prayer is very touching, but there’s only one problem; we must first fulfil the requirement for God to prosper us, that’s turn from our evil ways. So, let’s concentrate on doing that nuh, if we indeed desire divine aid! Much LOVE!
…Jesus’ coming to earth…was never a secret…it only called for persevering faith to believe it…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
15 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disgrace to ther families, a level headed girl, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a pregnant unmarried teenager, a virgin espoused, all sinned and disobeyed your word, allowed her faith to rise above the serious consequences, an unwise move, be it unto me according to thy word, bear the Son of God, behold the handmaid of the Lord, blessed art thou among women, bring forth a son, call his name Jesus, cast in her mind, conceive in thy womb, considered the greeting, decline God's outrageous offer, dismissed Gabriel's story as a joke, faith, fear not Mary, for with God nothing shall be impossible, Galilee, get your priorities straight, go out on a limb for christ, he shall be great, hold her head and bawl, holy spirit, how shall this be, humble ourselves, I am a virgin, impregnated through no human agency, in her old age, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, LOVE, Mary lived up to the Lord's expectations, Mary showed great faith, mass confusion in our world, mercy, mind-blowing information, Nazareth, of his kingdom there shall be no end, of the house of David, our faith ought to rise to the challenge, overshadow thee, please ease the pain, pray, precocious female, pregnancy without marriage, promised to hear and answer our prayers, reign over the house of Jacob for ever, rising each time we fall, salvation, seeing I know not a man, sent from God, shameful, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, sinless but totally human, strong faith in Christ, that holy thing born of thee, the angel departed from her, the angel Gabriel, the God who heals, the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, the incarnate birth of Christ, the Lord God shall give unto him, the Lord is with thee, the manner of salutation, the many suffering from negative situations, the power of the Highest, the power to solve our problems, the problem is in our hands, the reason for the season, the Son of God, the Son of the Highest, the throne of grace, the throne of his father David, the virgin's name was Mary, there is no giving up in Jesus' kingdom, this evil world, thou art highly favoured, thou hast found favour with God, thrown her for a loop, thy cousin Elisabeth hat also conceived a son, to a man called Joseph, to alleviate our problems, to lay it on the line for His cause, troubled at his saying, truth, turn from our evil ways, under the prevailing circumstances, when the LZord calls to action, who was called barren, wisdom, wise guidance, Yahweh is salvation
Luke 1:38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
Only ten more days before the Big One friends, so you had better get your priorities straight and then accomplish them as quickly as possible, before time runs out on you. But please, don’t forget that the current most important priority is remembering that the incarnate birth of Christ is the reason for all the celebrations. That’s what we must keep uppermost in our minds as we go about our business this Christmas season.
And there are many interesting stories about Christ’s birth, but my favourite is the one that began it all. We’re talking about the visit of the angel Gabriel to Jesus’ mother Mary, informing her of what was about to happen. The Bible tells us: ‘And in the sixth month (of John the Baptist’s mother, Elisabeth’s pregnancy – Luke 1:5-25) the angel Gabriel was sent from God unto a city called Galilee, named Nazareth, To a virgin espoused (betrothed) to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary.
And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail (rejoice), thou art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind (considered) what manner of salutation (greeting) this should be. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God.
And behold thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS (Yahweh is salvation). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest (Most High): and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.’ (Luke 1:26-33)
Now, just imagine you are a sixteen- or seventeen-year-old Jewish girl, in some backwater town of Galilee called Nazareth, recently engaged to be married, and this angel suddenly appears and confounds you with all that unexpected, mind-blowing information. What would your reaction be? But the Lord chose wisely, for Mary was a levelheaded girl and didn’t faint or hold her head and bawl in fear.
The Bible continues: ‘Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man (I am a virgin)? And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest (Most High) shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing (one) which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin (relative) Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:34-37)
And if Mary was astonished and confused before, the information about how she would be impregnated, through no human agency, and that she would bear the Son of God, sinless but totally human, and that her relative, Elisabeth who was previously considered barren was now with child, must certainly have thrown her for a loop.
Even the most precocious female back then, or now, would probably have gotten angry, tried to argue, or just sent Gabriel away, dismissed his tale as a joke, because all that he had said was so outlandish and out of this world. And furthermore, if Mary was to get pregnant without being married…what a bam bam that would cause in little Nazareth.
But you know what, as we said before, the Lord in His infinite wisdom knew whom He was choosing to bear His Son. He didn’t pick just anybody, but someone who would not freak out and decline His outrageous offer. And Mary lived up to the Lord’s expectations, for the Bible relates: ‘And Mary said, Behold the handmaid (maidservant) of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.’ (Luke 1:38)
Now some people might look on her response as being rather stupid or foolhardy, and to a certain extent they would be right, for just consider all the problems a pregnant, unmarried teenage girl would face in a small Jewish town. Even today, in some places, pregnancy without marriage is still looked upon as wrong and shameful and can lead to serious consequences, so can you imagine how it would be construed two thousand years ago.
But the truth of the matter is that Mary showed great faith, accepting such a problematic role at such a young age. And I guess the knowledge that Elisabeth, her cousin, who had been barren for so many years, but was now six months pregnant in her old age, might have had some small effect on her decision. The point though, is that she did not back down from what under the prevailing circumstances seemed like an unwise move, but allowed her faith to rise up above the serious consequences a positive decision would undoubtedly bring.
And that’s the kind of faith the Lord is looking for in these evil and ungodly times. He’s looking for people who are not afraid to lay it all on the line for His cause. Unfortunately though, the numbers who are willing to go out on a limb for Christ are rather small, when compared with the overall total of supposed believers. But we’re not giving up, for in Jesus’ kingdom there is no giving up, just rising each time we fall, and continuing in His awesome journey.
And since we’ve been instructed to come boldly, but humbly to the throne of grace for help in times of need, let’s do that right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
Friends, the problem is now in our hands. Our prayer says that God has promised to prosper us if we turn from our evil ways, so what are waiting for eh…if we truly desire divine aid? Much LOVE!
…when the Lord calls us to action…our faith ought to rise to the challenge…like Mary’s did…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
01 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a divine promise from God, a light unto my path, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a spiritual message, abandon our hopes, all sinned and disobeyed your word, an inner sense of direction, assuring us of His guidance, be ruled by our emotions, be thou strong and very courageous, become better Chrsitian witnesses, behind the wheel, building trust, choose peace, clean up our act, common sense, Consider This, decision, divine help, do all acording to the law, emotional desires, encourages listening to God's will, experience the peace that comes only from God, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, falling prey to ungodly decisions, feel lost and uncertain, God is in the driver's seat, God will never lead us astray, God will never let us down, God will provide the right path, God will work all things out for our good, help me, hold my hopes with open hands, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, ignore our feelings, In Touch Magazine, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, let all thy ways be established, let thine eyelids look straight before thee, let thine eyes look right on, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, Moses my servant commanded thee, not allowing temptations to derail us, not be governed by my emotions, not easy to navigate on God's behalf, not the advice of others, our Father who art in heaven, place our lives in the hands of God, ponder the path of thy feet, praise Your Holy Name, pray, prosper wherever you go, put our trust in Almighty God, puts space between us and our desires, regardless of the choices, remove thy foot from evil, ruled by our emotions, salvation, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, staying focused on a righteous path, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the first day of the work week, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the infallible truth, the passenger seat, the throne of grace, the topic of problems, they word is a lamp unto my feet, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, through scripture, trust you for everything, trusting that God will guide us, trusting the Lord feels risky, truth, turn away from our own ways, turn from our evil ways, turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, turn not to the right hand nor to the left, warning words, we want to know how god will fix our problems, welcomes God, when you turn to the left, when you turn to the right hand, wisdom, wise guidance, wishy-washy society
Proverbs 4:26-27. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’
And wouldn’t you know it, Monday, the first day of the work week, and in this case the first day of December 2025, has rolled around again friends, just like it has done for eons, and yet many of us still find it difficult to handle. (smile) Now, the weather should not be a problem since most of the snow from yesterday’s storm has melted, so that’s one item in our favour. And today we have some important and interesting info to share on the topic of problems from the ‘Consider This’ Section of the November Edition of the In Touch Magazine.
So please read with me: ‘When there’s a problem, we want to know how God will fix it. But we never know exactly what He’ll do. In these moments, trusting the Lord feels risky (when it’s actually anything but). A good way to begin building trust is to choose peace rather than be ruled by our emotions. This doesn’t mean we abandon our hopes or ignore our feelings – but simply that we keep them in the passenger seat rather than behind the wheel.
This decision puts space between us and our desires and welcomes God in them. And by doing so, we’re better able to receive whatever he has planned – whether it’s what we imagined or something altogether different. So how do we begin? With a prayer like this: “Lord, I want to experience the peace that comes only from You and not be governed by my emotions. Help me hold my hopes with open hands and trust you for everything. In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Ah mih people, what wise information! Because in this wishy-washy society in which we currently live, with so many distractions and evil schemes, too many of us are ruled by our emotions and not good common sense which advises us to put our trust in Almighty God, who sincerely LOVES and cares for us and will never lead us astray. And there are several scriptures that warn of falling prey to unwise, ungodly distractions, and live by God’s Word and His guidance instead.
Listen as the prophet Isaiah warns us, while telling his people Israel about God’s graciousness and mercy. He writes: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21) Yes friends, it’s a divine promise from God to His people, assuring us of His guidance if we will turn away from our own ways and listen to Him.
And this commentary offers this explanation as per the ‘Spiritual interpretation: The phrase is interpreted as a spiritual message that regardless of the choices one faces, God will provide the correct path. It is a call to trust in divine guidance and be attentive to the “voice” of God, whether through scripture, the Holy Spirit, or an inner sense of direction.’ And per the ‘Practical application: For believers, the message encourages listening to God’s will rather than the advice of others and trusting that He will guide them, even when they feel lost or uncertain.’
And is that ever the infallible truth! Of course! For it’s the very same thing the Lord told Joshua when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. ‘Only be thou strong and very courageous, that thou may observe to do according to all the law, which Moses my servant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou mayest prosper whithersoever thou goest.’ (Josh. 1:7) It could not be put any plainer than that my faithful brethren.
Then we also have these warning words from Cousin Sol in Proverbs re swerving from God’s path, where he solemnly advises: ‘Let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy foot from evil.’ (Prov. 4:25-27) There again we have a warning about staying focused on a righteous path, not allowing temptations to derail us from it through emotional desires.
Remember, God is in the driver’s seat, not our emotions. That’s why Cousin Sol tells us to specifically watch where we walk. It’s also like the psalmist says: ‘Thy word is a lamp uno my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And that’s exactly why the Lord gave us His Word, so it can light our path and guide our feet. But none of this will happen if we don’t know the Word and then place our lives in the hands of God, trusting Him to eventually work all things out for our good, because that’s His promise. (Rom. 8:28)
And though all we’re saying is the gospel truth, it’s still not easy to navigate on God’s behalf in this evil world. That’s why we can go confidently to the throne of grace seeking divine help in times of need. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘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.
Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And it’s all well and good to remind God of His promise to prosper us, but what about the conditions that must first be met eh? That’s our turning from our evil ways. The point is, until we clean up our act and become better Christian witnesses and ambassadors, God will not cause us to prosper. So let’s concentrate on doing that nuh … if we indeed desire divine help. Much LOVE!
…when we sincerely place our lives in God’s hands…He will never let us down…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a Guidebook for earthly living, a light that shines in a dark place, a light unto my path, a more sure word of prophecy, all I hoped it would be, all of the time, all scripture is given by inspiration of God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, alleviate our problems, an act of love, an extraordinary passion, ask for help, bind them continually upon thine heart, can't trust that day, could not guarantee, divine aid, ease the pain, eccentric opening, faith, find me crying, folk groups, forsake not the law of thy mother, God is still in control of the universe, God is still in the heavens, God loves us, guides our feet, holy men spake, holy spirit, howling winds, humble ourselves, in dire times, instruction in righteousness, it just turns out that way, it shall lead thee, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, John Phillips, keep thy father's commandment, keep you when you sleep, keep your promise to prosper us, leading a person to repentance, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, mere mortals, Monday Monday, moved by the Holy Ghost, navigate the storms, negative situations, no prophecy or scripture is of private interpretation, no warning, not by the will of man, opens the path of life, pray, profitable for doctrine reproof correction, raging around us, reproofs of instruction are the way of life, salvation, seek God's face, sincere repentance, so good to me, spiritual growth, strong faith in Christ, take heed, talk with you, the BIBLE, the commandment is a lamp, the day star arise in your hearts, the God who heals, the goodness of God, the great value of God's Word, the law is light, The Mamas & Papas, the man of God may be perfect, the power to solve our many problems, the throne of grace, the transfiguration of Jesus, the word of the Lord, thoroughly furnished, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, tie them about thy neck, total surrender, tru faith, truth, turn from our evil ways, unlimited trust, until the day dawn, unto all good works, walk under God's protection, when thou goest, wisdom, wise guidance, you'd still be here with me
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Ah friends, those are the basic words of the hit song ‘Monday, Monday,’ written in 1966 by John Phillips of the Mamas & Papas and recorded by the group. And I just happened to remember the song while searching for an interesting, but somewhat eccentric opening. (smile) Most of you young folks won’t know the song, but it was indeed a big hit in the day when folk groups were popular, and I wonder how many of us experience such an intense and uncomfortable feeling on Mondays?
‘Monday, Monday, oh so good to me, Monday morning, it was all I hoped it would be, Oh, Monday morning, Monday morning could not guarantee, that Monday evening, You’d still be here with me…. Monday, Monday, can’t trust that day, Monday, Monday, sometimes it just turns out that way Oh, Monday mornin’ you gave me no warning’ of what was to be Oh, Monday, Monday, how could you leave and not take me? Every other day (Every other day), every other day Every other day of the week is fine, yeah But whenever Monday comes (But whenever Monday comes), but whenever Monday comes You can find me cryin’ all of the time… Oh Monday, Monday…’
And to be on the safe side, I won’t even offer an answer to that touchy question, (smile) but simply allow the day to play out as it will and thus provide the true answers. But let’s be sure of one thing; however the day plays out, and whatever answer we get to the question, be it good or bad, we must remember that our God is still in the high heavens, still in control of the universe, and still LOVES us with an extraordinary passion, one that mankind can never replicate, but can surely appreciate and be grateful for, especially in these crazy and uncertain times in which we currently live!
Yes my people, it’s only with true faith in Almighty God, unlimited trust and total surrender to His will, can we ever navigate the stormy waters and howling winds that are now raging around us. It’s like the psalmist declares: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And it surely is, for it’s the Word of the Lord that opens the path of life and light to us and guides our feet as we walk along it, under His awesome presence and protection.
Now, listen to how Cousin Sol puts it in Proverbs when he warns against adultery. ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart (mind), and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life:’ (Prov. 6:20-23). You cannot get wiser advice than that my brethren! And from the wisest man ever too! (smile)
And what are ‘reproofs of instruction’ you ask? This commentary gives a brief overview: It says, ‘In the Bible, “reproof” means to correct, rebuke, or express disapproval, with the goal of leading a person to repentance and improvement. It involves showing someone their faults and exposing error, and is considered an act of LOVE and a necessary part of spiritual growth. God’s Word provides reproof by revealing sin and guiding believers towards righteousness.’
And that’s exactly why it was written and passed down through the ages. As Bruh Paul says to Tmothy: ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect (blameless), thoroughly furnished (equipped) unto all good works.’ (2 Tim. 3:16-17) What more can we say to encourage and enlighten us as to the great value of God’s Word to the believer eh?
Possibly these words from Peter, as he discusses his eyewitness account of Jesus’ transfiguration, when He was revealed to Peter, James and John in all His glory. (2 Pet. 1:16-18) He then writes: ‘We have also a more sure word of prophecy (the prophetic word made surer); whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts: Knowing this first, that no prophecy or scripture is of any private interpretation (origin). For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of (any) man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ (2 Pet. 1:19-21)
More confirmation that the Bible is God’s Word as directed by the Holy Ghost for holy men to write so that we can have a worthwhile guidebook for living this earthly life. But being mere mortals, we have not followed its guidelines properly, and thus have made all sorts of mistakes, however through the amazing goodness of God, we can go the throne of grace and ask for help in dire times like these. So, let’s do that right now nuh, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And is it ever interesting to note, that right in our prayer, we find the answers to our problems: humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God, and turning from our evil ways. So, if we truly desire divine aid, let’s get to correcting those faults nuh, for remember they are all for our benefit, not God’s! Much LOVE!
…if God did not truly care for us…He would not have given us a guidebook…the Bible…or a Saviour…Jesus Christ…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Inspirational Living
Tags: a barbaric society, a strife-filled society, a wintry Monday, all sinned and disobeyed your word, at the end it shall speak and not lie, cause me to behold grievance, come to that wise understanding, contention, cry out unto thee of violence, declare all thy works, destroyed all the unfaithful, destroyed all them that go a whoring, divine aid, divine judgement, don't lose hope, ease the pain, envious of the boastful, evil doers are pulling the strings, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, God is the strength of my heart, he may run that readeth it, He who has promised is faithful, his soul that is lifted up is not upright in him, holy spirit, how long shall I cry, humble ourselves, humble servants, I have put my trust in the Lord, it is good for me to draw near to God, it will surely come, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, justice doth never go forth, keep your promise to prosper us, little incentive to abide by the law, living in the northern climes, LOVE, make it plain upon tables, makes one's stomach churn, mass confusion, mercy, my flesh and my heart fails, my portion for ever, not enough serious consequences for breaking the law, perverse justice is handed down, pray, prophetic vision, repercussions, rush hour traffic, salvation, set me upon the tower, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spoiling and violence are before me, stand upon my watch, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the burden, the faithful will be vindicated, the God who heals, the law is powerless, the law is slacked, the lawlessness of our society, the many suffering from negative situations, the power to solve our problems, the prosperity of the wicked, the righteous will inherit the earth, the throne of grace, the vision is for an appointed time, the wicked doth compass about the righteous, the wicked surround the righteous, the wicked will be destroyed, then understood I their end, there is never justice, there is strife, they that are far from thee shall perish, thou wilt not hear, thou wilt not save, though it tarry wait for it, to alleviate our problems, toil, trouble, truth, turn from our eil ways, until I went into the sanctuary of God, why di you show me iniquity, wisdom, wise guidance, write the vision, wrong judgement proceedeth
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
And then it was a wintry Monday; dark, snowy, slippery, aggravating and frustrating, as snow storms usually are when you must drive to work in them. But that’s all par for the course my brethren. It’s what living in the northern climes calls for and it’s what makes us such tough and hardy folks. (smile) Hope that you all left home early enough to escape most of the rush hour traffic and those who still drive unwisely under poor road conditions. Anyway, we pray that you arrived at your destinations safely, be it work, school or play, and that you will return home just as safely. We pray it all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen!
Now, yesterday in church, I heard an interesting scripture that I was not familiar with, but it made a big impression on me. It comes from the book of Habakkuk. The Book begins by saying, ‘The burden (oracle, prophecy) which the prophet Habakkuk the prophet did see. O Lord, how long shall I cry, and thou wilt not hear! even cry out unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save!
Why dost thou show me iniquity, and cause me to behold grievance (trouble, toil)? For spoiling (plundering) and violence are before me: and there are that raise up strife (there is strife) and contention. Therefore the law is slacked (powerless), and judgement (justice) doth never go forth: for the wicked doth compass about (surround) the righteous; therefore wrong (perverse) judgement proceedeth.’ (Hab. 1:1-4)
Yes friends, that was Habakkuk’s cry to the Lord, who, in his prophetic vision, was only showing him violence and evil, suffering for the righteous and prosperity for the wicked who were dominating the situation with evil, perverted schemes. In other words, a sentence of divine judgement to befall at the appropriate time. And the part of that scripture which really caught my attention was the last verse about the slackness or powerlessness of the law and the perverse or wrong justice that comes about because of the powerlessness of the law.
And it just struck me as a similar situation to the one which our society is currently embroiled in, where lawlessness is increasing, but the law is not doing anything constructive about it, because the evil doers are pulling the strings, and thus we are becoming a rather violent and strife-filled society. Too many rules are daily being broken with little or no consequences to the lawbreakers. And it’s sad that many of them are not first-time lawbreakers, but those with records to their names.
There is little incentive to abide by the law, as well as not enough serious consequences to stop breaking it. And as some like to say, laws are only made for those who wish to abide by them; those who want to break them, will break them anyway. But there must be some repercussions for breaking them, else why bother to have them at all, let’s simply live in a barbaric society. And that’s exactly what we are inching closer to every day, because there’s such inhumanity towards each other that it makes one’s stomach churn in dismay.
And I can imagine how all the modern prophets burdened with a prophecy like Habakkuk must be crying out to the Lord as they see the injustice, violence and ‘sufferation’ being meted out to many of the righteous in our society. But the wonderful thing about the Lord is that He might allow the evil doers to prosper for a while, but He’s promised that they will eventually be destroyed, and the righteous will inherit the earth and all that the wicked possessed.
So, after opening his heart and complaining to the Lord, about the iniquity of Babylon and their abuse of other nations, here’s how Habakkuk opens Chapter 2. ‘I will stand upon my watch, and set me upon the tower (rampart), and will watch to see what he will say unto me, and what I shall answer when I am reproved.’ (Hak. 2:1)
Good for Habakkuk! He’s standing up and waiting for an answer from the Lord and contemplating his own answer to the Lord’s reproof. But the Lord surprises him with this answer. ‘And the Lord answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables (tablets), that he may run that readeth it. For the vision is for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry. Behold, his soul that is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’ (Hab. 2:2-4)
Yes, my people, the Lord instructed Habakkuk to write the coming of the divine judgment on tablets big enough so those who are running by can read it. And He makes sure to tell him that though justice might take a while to come, it surely will come, so don’t lose hope. And I guess that’s the same message He is sending us today my faithful brethren; eventually, He will relieve the pressure and the wicked will be destroyed, and we faithful will be vindicated.
And yes, it might be tough to see the prosperity of the wicked, but let’s remember like Asaph did in Psalm 73, when he was envious of the boastful and the prosperity of the wicked, but thankfully, as he recounts: ‘Until I went into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end.’ (Ps. 73:17)
Hopefully, we will also come to that wise understanding and afterwards, say like Asaph: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever. For, lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them that go a whoring from thee (are unfaithful). But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works.’ (Ps. 73: 26-28) Now let’s put that declaration (chuh!!!) in to practice and draw near to God at the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hym, seeking divine aid.
Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
Now, if we sincerely desire divine aid, then it’s ever so necessary for us to do as our prayer says: ‘turn from our evil ways.’ Remember, we are the ones it’s hurting, not the Lord. Much LOVE!
…He who has promised is faithful…and that ought to be enough for us…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a doer of the work, a hearer of the word and not a doer, a joyful day, all sinned and disobeyed your word, alleviate our problems, altruistic service, balance in our christian walk, be ye doers of the word and not hearers only, beholds himself, blame everyone else for our problems, blame ourselves, breathe the breath of life, bridleth not his tongue, Christians talk a good talk, clean outside but dirty inside, compromises, controlled speech, deceiveth his own heart, deceiving yourselves, divine aid, don't walk the talk, don't walk the walk, faith, forgets what kind of man he was, frees from the principles of sin and death, God's unadulterated Word, holy spirit, humble servants, hypocrites, if any be a hearer of the word, if you think you're religious, ill prepared, in their affliction, increasing our knowledge of God's Word, inefficiency, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep himself unspotted from the world, lack of responsibility, lack of true Christian attitudes, like unto a man that beholdeth his face in a glass, look in the mirror, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, negative situations, not a forgetful hearer, pray, problems are escalating, promise to prosper us, protect the victory that Jesus won, pure religion, rebukes mere doing, rebukes mere listening, salvation, separation from the world, sincerely seek God's face, spiritual metaphor, stress, taken advantage of it, the death and resurrection Of Jesus, the God who heals, the Mosaic Law, the perfect law of liberty, the royal law, the stress of our busy society, the teachings of Christ, the throne of grace, this is the day which the Lord hath made, this man shall be blessed, this man's religion is vain, to visit the fatherless and widows, too much leeway, truth, turn from our evil ways, undefiled before God, we will rejoice and be glad in it, whited sepulchres, whitewashed tombs, whoso looketh into, wisdom, wise guidance
James 1:22. But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.
Monday, oh Monday! What a joyful day it is! And some people will begin thinking that I’m crazy for exalting Monday. And they might just be right, who knows. (smile) But every day aren’t we supposed to mouth the encouraging scripture which says; ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it?’ (Ps. 118:24) Of course! So then, why isn’t Monday a joyful day, and one in which we ought to rejoice eh?
Because we are often so ill prepared to meet it, and we try to take it out on the day, rather than our own inefficiency and lack of responsibility. And yes, it’s often tough getting up and going back to work on a Monday morning after sleeping in for a couple of days, to once again face all the stress and frustration inherent in our busy society. But that’s what life is all about, and we’ve been doing it for donkeys’ years now, so why does the problem of rejoicing and being glad in Monday still exist eh?
Because we like to blame everyone and everything else for our problems, rather than look in the mirror and blame the one who’s staring back at us. That’s certainly reminiscent of the way James uses it as a spiritual metaphor, when he talks about hearers and doers of the word. ‘But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding (observing) his natural face in a glass (mirror): For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what kind of man he was.’ (James 1:22-24)
Ah friends, far too many of us supposed believers fall into that category, where we talk a good talk but don’t walk the relevant walk. That’s why the world considers us to be nothing but a bunch of religious hypocrites or as Jesus called the Pharisees ‘whited sepulchres (whitewashed tombs), clean outside, but dirty inside. (Matt. 23:27) And they’re quite right, considering the compromises and lack of true Christian attitudes we so regularly display.
However, according to James, this is the attitude that the true Christian ought to be displaying. ‘But whoso looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed (what he does).’ (James 1:25)
And the scholars offer these explanations on that verse. ‘The perfect law of liberty probably refers to the teachings of Christ and His apostles. This law is perfect, since Christ brought to completion the teachings and work of the Mosaic Law (cf. Matt. 5:17-20; Rom. 10:4). It is a law of liberty because it frees from the principles of sin and death (Rom. 8:2-3; Gal. 5:1, 13). James also describes it as the royal law (2:8) for it is the law of the messianic King (cf. Gal. 6:2)
Now there are plenty of references for you to look up, so please check them out, because they greatly benefit us by increasing our knowledge and understanding of God’s Word. And James isn’t finished with his admonition. He continues: ‘If any man among you seem to be (thinks he’s) religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man’s religion is vain (useless). Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world.’ (James 1:26-27)
And the scholars explain those verses thus: ‘In verses 22-25 James has rebuked mere listening – by the hearer who does not do. In verses 26-27 he rebukes mere doing – by the doer who leaves his inner life unchanged. James offers not a formal definition but three key aspects of pure religion: controlled speech, altruistic service, and separation from the world.’
Again, if we use those explanations as a sounding board, too many supposed believers are guilty of those unchristian attitudes. We talk but we don’t do; we do, but our lives stay the same and our motives are often wrong! And yes, it’s hard to find a good balance in our Christian Walk, with all the evil and ungodly things going on around us, but that’s why we have the Bible, God’s unadulterated, infallible and ever wise Word to read, meditate upon and put into action, as well as His Holy Spirit to lead and guide us in making wise decisions.
Unfortunately though, we don’t utilize all the tools we have at our disposal, therefore the enemy has gained a large foothold in the world, and we now must come from behind, in second place, to recover what we’ve lost and thus protect the victory that Jesus so sacrificially won through His death, resurrection and ascension. But we can do it, if we put our whole hearts, souls, bodies and minds to the grindstone, for the enemy is not more powerful than us, we’ve just given him too much leeway, which he’s taken advantage of.
And the first move for retaking our heritage is going to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine guidance. Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And the answer to our problems lies right within our prayer: humble ourselves, pray, sincerely seek God’s face, and turn from our evil ways. Then and only then will divine aid be forthcoming! Much LOVE!
…every day the Lord allows us to breathe His breath of life…is one He expects us to enjoy…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
07 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a modicum of free will, a new work week, all sinned and disobeyed your word, always bearing about in the body, associte with Satan, behold who created these things, bringeth out their host by number, by the greatness of his might, cast down but not destroyed, christianity, created beings of God, delivered unto death for Jesus sake, don't adhere to God's commandments, ease the pain, even the youths shall faint and be weary, evil cohorts, fainteth not, faith, forgive our sins, free will, gives power to the faint, God's promised, God's will for our lives, goody two shoes, grace, hast thou not heard, hast thou not known, he calls them all by names, he increaseth strength, he is strong in power, heal our diseases, hear and answer our prayers, holy spirit, hot and humid, humble ourselves, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lift up your eyes on high, LOVE, mdae manifest in our mortal flesh, mercy, Monday Morning, mount up with wings as eagles, my way is hid from the Lord, negative situations, neither is weary, no searching of his understanding, or shall I be equal saith the Holy One, our youth is renewed like the eagle's, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, pray, redeem us from destruction, run and not be weary, salvation, satisfy our mouths with good things, separate the sheep from the goats, shower us with blessings, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, surrender, thank you for life, the BIBLE, the crazy world we live in, the Creator of the ends of the earth, the dying of Jesus, the everlasting God, the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob, the God who heals, the life also of Jesus, the living is not easy, the Lord will make a way where there's no way, the young men shall utterly fall, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, to earn a living, to our detriment, to them that have no might, to whom then will ye liken God, troubled on every side, trust and obey God's directives, truth, turn from our evil ways, walk and not faint, wisdom, wise guidance, with the help of Jesus, yet not distressed
Isaiah 40:25. To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One.
Aye friends, as the song says: ‘Monday, Monday, Monday…Monday morning!’ And you better believe it’s another new work week, another of the numerous Mondays in our lives, where we get out into the crazy, misdirected world to earn a living. Let’s hope today is not as hot and humid as the last two days, especially when the living is already not easy. We don’t need the weather to make it any more difficult. (smile)
However, with the help of Jesus and His Holy Spirit dwelling within us we can make it successful, if we sincerely stand by their teaching and guidance. If we surrender, trust and obey God’s directives, then He’s promised to forgive our sins, heal our diseases, redeem us from destruction, shower us with blessings, with mercy and grace, and satisfy our mouths with good things, so that our youth is renewed like the eagle’s. (Ps. 103:3-5)
And who would not want those wonderful things eh? It seems like many of us don’t, because many of us don’t adhere to God’s commandments and His will for our lives. Why is that eh? Is it because we believe that we know more than God, and we don’t need Him to help run our lives? Granted, He gave us a modicum of free will, hoping that we would use it to choose His way and standard of living.
But apparently He was ever so wrong, since so many of us prefer to go our own way, and associate with Satan and his evil doing cohorts, than with Jesus and His goody, goody two shoes people. And when Jesus comes back and separates the sheep from the goats, (Matt. 25:31-46) and many of us end up on His left hand with the goats, we’ll wonder why, but it’ll be all because we did not value His importance enough to listen to Him and follow His directives.
Instead, to our great detriment, we followed idols and other man-made doctrines that have no power whatsoever. But there’s none that can compare to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, who created the world and still rules over it, although with all of the current confusion, strife and hardship that’s currently manifesting itself, some of us might not think so. Ah my people, it’s time we paid serious attention to this passage from the Book of Isaiah, where he expounds on the Greatness of God’s Might.
‘To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? Saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth (is missing). Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgement (just claim) is passed over from my God?
Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God , the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:25-31)
Yes friends, that’s what the Lord does for those who wait on Him! Can Satan or any of his evil cronies do that kind of thing for you? The obvious answer is a loud and resounding ‘NO!’ For they are created beings of God, just like us. So it’s utterly foolish to trust them and their evil and wicked schemes over the righteousness of God. And though life might be somewhat rough in this ungodly world when living for Jesus, we have these marvellous and encouraging words of Bruh Paul to the church at Corinth to bear us up.
‘We are troubled (hard pressed) on every side, yet not distressed (crushed); we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast (struck) down, but not destroyed; always bearing about in the body the dying of the Lord Jesus, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our body. For we which live are always delivered unto death for Jesus sake, that the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our mortal flesh.’ (2 Cor. 4:8-11)
Yes my fellow believers, though we suffer and are persecuted for Christ, even killed for His sake, we can stand on His faithful promise that if we die with Him, we will also live with Him. So let’s not give up on our faith when there seems to be no way out, for the Lord has promised that He will always make a way where there seems to be no way. (1 Cor. 10:13) And now having those words of encouragement lodged securely in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds, let’s go to the throne of grace, seeking divine aid to help us turn our world around.
Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
Ah mih bredrin, our own prayer shows what we have to do to receive divine aid: humble ourselves, pray, turn from our evil ways, and sincerely seek God’s face. So, let’s get on with that nuh, if we truly desire heaven’s help! Much LOVE!
…why would created beings listen to other created beings…instead of their Creator eh…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a modicum of circumspection, above the stars of God, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all who seek to exalt themselves above God, an everlasting king, answer our prayers, ascend above the heights of the clouds, ascend into heaven, at God's wrath, be like the most High, Bitble, call the proud happy, capable of controlling our destiny, challenge God's existence, chaotic state of the world, christianity, company in hell, day and night, disobedient times, divine aid, doubt God, embracing God as Sovereign Lord, eternal death, eternal life, evil world, exalt my throne, faith, fatal error, foolishly follow Satan, from the days of your fathers, gone away from mine ordinances, he is the living God, holy spirit, how art thou fallen from heaven, humble ourselves, I will return unto you, ignore a mother's wisdom, indefensible, infantile rebellion, it is vain to serve God, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keeping the word of God in first place, lead to a catastrophic fall, LOVE, Lucifer, mass confusion, mercy, my tears have been my meat, negative connotations, not able to abide God's indignation, pray, rebellion, responsibilities, Return unto me, revenge against God, revere Satan, robbing God, rumours of wars, said in thine heart, salvation, Satan's deceitful machinations, Satan's evil machinations, Satan's purpose, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sit upon the mount of the congregation, son of the morning, strife, such motivations, the choice is yours, the consequences of pride and ambition, the created trying to overthrow the Creator, the dark and dangerous abyss, the earth shall tremble, the God who heals, the height of intelligence, the Lord is the true God, the Lord of hosts, the pinnacle of evolution, the wicked are raised up, the wisdom of following God, those who tempt the Lord go free, tithes and offerings, tried to overthrow God, truth, turn from our evil ways, unsavoury conditions, walked mournfully, wars, weak Christian witness, what have we spoken so much against thee, what profit is it to keep his ordinance, where is thy God, wherein shall we return, wisdom, wise guidance, wisely follow Christ
Jeremiah 10:10a. But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king:
Ah mih people, I know it’s tough to get up and get going this Monday morning after all the marvellous celebrations of Mother’s Day yesterday. But one of the many things our mothers taught us is responsibility; that’s ensuring we do what we have to do to the best of our ability. Looking ahead, and not doing stuff that will negatively affect our responsibilities, like going to work. Consequently, we ought to have been careful to exercise a modicum of circumspection in our celebrations. (smile)
But unfortunately, many of us ignore the wisdom of our mothers, and thus end up in unsavoury situations brought on by stubbornness and a kind of infantile rebellion. We mistakenly feel, that as adults, we’re quite capable of controlling and guiding our destiny. (smile) And so often we’re proven wrong. It’s like the Lord said through Malachi to the people of Israel in one of their disobedient and rebellious times. ‘Even from the days of your fathers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and have not kept them. Return unto me, and I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. But ye said, Wherein shall we return?’ (Mal. 3:7)
Oh friends that’s the very same thing the Lord is saying to us today, in the evil, wicked and ungodly society that now prevails over the earth. At the height of our intelligence, the very pinnacle of our evolution, when we should be using our hard bought wisdom and embracing Almighty God as our Sovereign Lord and God, instead, we’ve fallen into the dark and dangerous abyss of Satan’s deceitful machinations, embracing evil and all its negative connotations, which is sadly driving our world on a crazy merry-go-round, of strife, wars, rumours of wars, and all that ungodliness brings.
And though our God is LOVINGLY calling out for us to return to his wonderful fold, we are obstinately ignoring His fatherly call. Just like Israel did, and were summarily punished for it. And we won’t even talk about the robbing of God in tithes and offerings which comes after verse 7. That’s an entirely different sermon for another time, (smile) but we’ll move on to verse 13, where Malachi writes: ‘Your words have been stout (harsh) against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?
Ye have said, It is vain to serve God: and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinance, and that we have walked mournfully (as mourners) before the Lord of hosts? And now we call the proud happy (blessed); yea, they that work wickedness are set up (raised up); yea, they that tempt God are even delivered (go free).’ (Mal. 3:13-15)
And that’s exactly what’s happening today my people! A large proportion of the population doubt God, even challenging His existence. As the Sons of Korah declare in Psalm 42: ‘My tears have been my meat (food) day and night, while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God?’ (Ps. 42:3) The complaints are also rife re, the wisdom of following Him, with calls to follow other religions with dead gods, while ours is the ONLY Living God in existence. Thus the prophet Jeremiah writes: ‘But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God, and an everlasting king: at his wrath the earth shall tremble, and the nations shall not be able to abide his indignation.’ (Jer. 10:10)
Oh friends, we definitely don’t want to experience the real wrath of God, for it is indefensible, as the world found out when He destroyed it all by the flood, except Noah and His family. And so many of us seem to revere Satan, but let’s remember who and what he was and why he’s where he is right now.
Isaiah says of him: ‘How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer (Day Star), son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides (farthest sides) of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High.’ (Is. 14:12-14)
And that’s where he made his fatal error. Yes my brethren, once upon a time Satan was Lucifer or the Morning Star, one of the highest ranking angels in heaven, but his pride and greed caused him to try to overthrow God. What a joke! The created trying to overthrow the Creator. He was then kicked out of heaven with the other foolish angels who sided with him, and thus became the epitome of sin and evil. And it’s the same foolishness we’re trying to do today, encouraged by Satan’s evil and deceitful machinations.
And as one commentary so wisely tells us: ‘The Significance of this scripture emphasizes the consequences of pride and ambition, illustrating how such motivations can lead to a catastrophic fall from grace, not only for Lucifer but also for all who seek to exalt themselves above God.’
So friends, let’s wake up to Satan’s purpose nuh, revenge against God, with much company in hell, and therefore ignore him and his evil cronies, by keeping the Word of God and its ordinances in first place in our lives. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid in these most difficult of times.
Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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.
So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And it’s obvious from the chaotic state of the world, that we need to substantially improve our weak Christian witness, if we hope to receive divine aid. Much LOVE!
…you can either foolishly follow Satan…to eternal death…or wisely follow Christ…to eternal life…the choice is strictly yours…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 May 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a foundation of trust and reliability for believers, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a roof over our heads, a solid foundation for faith, a source of comfort and assurance, according to his riches in glory, all I have needed thy hand hath provided, all sinned and disobeyed your word, all these things shall be added unto you, better examples to the unbeliever, christianity, Christians, Christians are not putting their best foot forward, Christopher Rice, clothes on our body, comes down from the Father of lights, divine aid, ease the pain, establish His covenant, every good and every perfect gift is from above, faith, food on our table, For I am the Lord I change not, God doesn't change, God is immutable, God is steady and stable like a rock, God is the original source of everything, God's consistent character, God's constant presence in our lives, God's essence love and covenant, God's sovereignty over the universe, God's steadfastness, God's unchanging nature, God's unchanging reliability, God's unwavering commitment to his promises, great is thy faithfulness, hath gotten me this wealth, hear and answer our prayers, his compassions fail not, holy spirit, humble ourselves, indisputable truth, it is God who gives you the power to get wealth, It is of the Lord's mercies that we're not consumed, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, morning by morning new mercies I see, my God shall supply all your needs, my power and the might of mine hand, neither shadow of turning, not subject to change or fluctuation, placed the Lord first in our lives, praise the Lord for his wonderful benefits, pray, returned to the dust from whence we came, salvation, seek ye the kingdom of God and his righteousness, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the BIBLE, the Father would meet our needs, the God who heals, the Immutability of God, the Lord's faithfulness, the Lord's mercies, the many suffering from negative situations, the mass confusion in our world, the power to solve our problems, the throne of grace, they are new every morning, thou say in thine heart, thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, through Christ Jesus, to alleviate our problems, to those who believe in Jesus Christ, trials and tribulations, truth, turn from our evil ways, we have a job, wisdom, wise guidance, with whom is no variableness, ye sons of Jacob are not consumed
Lamentations 3:23b. … great is thy faithfulness.
Monday, oh Monday! How glad we are to see you again, because it means we have a job to go, and can thus keep a roof over our heads, food on our table and clothes on our body. Praise the Lord for His wonderful benefits to those who believe in His Son, Jesus Christ!’ Jesus promised that the Father would meet our needs if we placed Him first in our lives. He said it thus: ‘Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33)
Yes friends, our God knows that we need, food, clothing and shelter and has faithfully promised that we won’t lack for anything if He is Number One in our lives. And Bruh Paul also corroborated that statement when he wrote thus to the Philippians: ‘But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:19) Now that’s another powerful verse highlighting the Lord’s faithfulness.
So what’s this about the Lord’s faithfulness eh? Jeremiah ever so wisely reminds us in his Lamentations: ‘It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness.’ (Lam. 3: 22-23) And that’s the indisputable truth my fellow believers, for if our God wasn’t merciful and faithful, then we’d been long ago returned to the dust from whence we came.
That brings us to these marvellous words from the hymn ‘Great is Thy Faithfulness,’ by author Christopher Rice. The second verse sincerely proclaims: ‘Great is Thy faithfulness, great is Thy faithfulness Morning by morning new mercies I see All I have needed Thy hand hath provided Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me.’ More indisputable truth my brethren!
And what, you ask, does the Bible mean when it says great is thy faithfulness? This commentary explains. ‘The phrase “Great is Thy faithfulness” comes from the Bible, specifically Lamentations 3:23. It is a declaration of God’s unchanging reliability and constant presence in our lives. The term “faithfulness” here refers to God’s steadfastness, His unwavering commitment to His promises, and His consistent character.’
What a steadfast and reliable God we serve my people! That’s why James, the brother of Jesus, could also confidently proclaim: ‘Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness (variation), neither shadow of turning.’ (James 1:17) That means that God doesn’t change, He is immutable (unchangeable). He’s steady and stable like a rock. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the Lord Himself as He makes that fact known through the prophet Malachi. ‘For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.’ (Mal. 3:6)
Now what does that statement mean? It signifies that God’s character, promises, and nature remain consistent and unchanging, providing a foundation of trust and reliability for believers. And this commentary breaks it down further for us. As per ‘God’s Unchanging Nature: The verse emphasizes that God’s essence, LOVE, and covenant are not subject to change or fluctuation.’ Then, as per ‘Comfort and Assurance: This immutability of God is a source of comfort and assurance for believers, knowing that His character and promises are steadfast.
And as a ‘Foundation of Faith: God’s unchanging nature provides a solid foundation for faith, allowing people to trust in His character and promises throughout their lives. And in it’s ‘Application to the Descendants of Jacob: The verse specifically mentions the descendants of Jacob, signifying that even though they may have experienced trials and tribulations, their preservation is due to God’s unchanging nature.’
Yes friends, without a doubt, we’re still around because of God’s LOVE, mercy, forgiveness, grace and faithfulness. And if we will only stop taking those things for granted, but pay serious attention to them, bind them sincerely to our hearts and put them into practice, our lives would be a great deal more enjoyable than they currently are. And it all boils down to one thing my fellow believers, understanding God’s continued sovereignty over the universe He created, and that He is the One, who, in the long run causes us to get whatever we have, regardless of how we get it, for He is the original source of everything in the universe.
As Moses, said to the Israelites, in warning them not to forget God when they became prosperous in their new land. ‘And thou say in thine heart, my power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth. But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.’ (Deut. 8:17-18) Oh my people, let’s remember that all we have, comes from Almighty God, our Creator and Controller!
Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle hymn, seeking divine aid in these very troubled and difficult times. Altogether: ‘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. Heavenly Father, You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems.
Yes, we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but 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. So, we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems.
Oh Father, please ease the pain of the many suffering from negative situations, show them Your awesome grace and mercy. And faithfully keep Your promise to prosper us 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!’
And what we learn from our prayer, is that until we believers start being better examples to the unbeliever, divine aid will not be forthcoming. Much LOVE!
…the world is filled with so much evil…because Christians are not putting their best foot forward…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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