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
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
30 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a negative situation, a prudent man forseeth the evil, a prudent man sees danger, a word to the wise is sufficient, alleviate our problems, and are punished, as a snare shall it come, avarice, be ye also ready, cares of is life, carousing, crapaud smoke we pipe, divine aid, done like dinner, drunkenness, embrace it like a stalworth friend, entitlement, faith, fellowship, for in such an hour as ye think not, for ye know neither the day nor the hour, grab the baton and run, grab the bull by the horns, heaven and earth shall pass away, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep your promise to prosper us, laze away the weekend, lest at any time, LOVE, mercy, my words shall not pass away, of fame, of ory, our Father who art in heaven, our pants down around our ankles, party away the weekend, physical rest, practical foresight, pray always, prepare for Monday, preparedness, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, sincere repentance, sincerely seek your face, spiritual preparedness, spiritual readiness, spiritual renewal, stand before the Son of man, strong faith in Christ, take heed to yourselves, takes refuge, the ball is now in our court, the day come upon you unawares, the God who heals, the imple keep going and suffer for it, the Lord's house must be magnificent, the merry-go-round, the power to solve our many problems, the simple pass on, the Son of man cometh, the throne of grace, them that dwell on the whole face of the earth, throughout all countries, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, vim and vitality, watch therefore, wherein the Son of man cometh, wisdom, wise guidance, without complaining, words of warning, work ethic, ye know not what hour your Lord doth come, ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things, your awesome grace and mercy, your hearts be weighed down with surfeiting
Matthew 25:13. ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’
One more time on the merry-go round called our work week my beauties! We cannot get away from Monday, no matter how hard we try, so it’s best we stop trying and rather embrace it like a good and stalworth friend. (smile) Otherwise it will just frustrate us for all of our working lives. And what a waste of a good life that would be! So all God’s people said a loud and frustrated ‘Amen!’ Yes, it’s best we just grab the bull by the horns and get on with it, or the bull will action us with his horns instead. And we all know that’s a very negative situation, which we want to avoid at all costs.
But all of what we just said there doesn’t come easily, no, it requires a few things of us. The first is a good work ethic, simply knowing that we must work to earn a living, so we just make up our minds to do it without complaining, because complaining will make no real difference, except to make us miserable. But then that calls for self-discipline and self-control, two things that are very difficult to come by in this age of avarice and entitlement.
We must learn to prepare for Monday, just like we do for the other days of the week, not just party or laze the weekend away. And in all of that there’s a call for some decent physical rest, as well as spiritual renewal, meaning church and fellowship time with other believers, for we cannot handle Monday properly unless we’re filled with new vim and vitality.
And right now, let’s be thankful that it’s summer time and many people are on vacation, so the traffic jams are not as deadly, neither do we have to be wading through the snow and sludge to get to work. That is also something we cannot avoid if we live in the northern climes, but we have a few months of reprieve still to go. But let’s also note that this is the 30th day of June, meaning that it’s now done like dinner, (smile) and the summer months will pass quicker than we realize, so please, let’s grab the baton and run with it like crazy! End of sermon!
And I guess all of that leads us to the topic of preparedness. And what do the scriptures have to say about that? They offer various teachings in both spiritual readiness and practical foresight. Let’s check out a few nuh. And this first one deals with practical foresight. It tells of when Bruh David wanted to build a temple for God, but God nixed the idea because of the great amount of blood he’d shed and said that his son Cousin Sol would build the temple.
However the Bible tells us that Bruh David began collecting supplies for the building of the temple. ‘And David said, Solomon my son is young and tender, and the house that is to be builded for the Lord must be exceeding magnifical, of fame, and of glory throughout all countries: I will therefore now make preparation for it. So David prepared abundantly before his death.’ (1 Chr. 22:5) Yes friends, that’s how we ought to prepare for Mondays! (smile)
And here’s another interesting scripture highlighting practical foresight; this from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. He writes: ‘A prudent man foreseeth the evil, and hideth himself: but the simple pass on, and are punished.’ (Prov. 22:3) In other words: ‘A prudent man sees danger and takes refuge, but the simple keep going and suffer for it.’
Then there are scriptures on spiritual preparedness, like this poignant warning from Christ where He’s talking about no one knowing the day nor the hour when He returns, except the Father. ‘Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord will come. But know this, that if the goodman (master) of the house had known in what watch (hour) the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered (allowed) his house to be broken up (into). Therefore be ye also ready: for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 24:42-44)
Yes my brethren, we need to always be prepared and watching for whenever Jesus returns, for if He catches us with our pants down around our knees, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And He considered our readiness so important that He repeated it later on in the parable of the Ten Virgins: ‘Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.’ (Matt. 25:13)Oh friends, there’s no more important preparedness for us believers than that!
And I like how Luke writes it. ‘Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged (be weighed down) with surfeiting (carousing), and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.’ (Luke 21:33-36)
Now those are powerful words of warning my people, so please let’s pay close heed to them. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn seeking divine aid for all that ails us. 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, please note what our prayer says we need to do to receive divine aid; turn from our evil ways, humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God face. The ball is now in our court! Much LOVE!
…a word to the wise is sufficient…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Jun 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grumpy and tired tempo, a lawless society, a sense of responsibility, adhering to God's principles, alleviate our problems, an integral part of our lives, as to the Lord, cast off restraint, Christians, didn't rest enough, disobeyed your word, divine aid, divine revelation, do a job, do it heartily, do it with thy might, excessive supervision, faith, get away with murder, godly wisdom, he that doeth wrong, he that keepeth the law; happy is he, hear and answer our prayers, hellfire and damnation, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, indisputable truth, invoked the will of God, irresponsible leaders, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, knowing that of the Lord, lack of a work ethic, lenient supervision, LOVE, mercy, Monday, morning rush hour, no consideration for others, no godly pride in ourselves, no respect, no respect of persons, not unto men, omnipotent help, pray, prosperous, receive for the wrong he has done, receive the reward of the inheritance, regrettable actions, repentance, road rage, salvation, set the tempo, shirking of responsibilities, show this evil world, sincere repentance in our hearts, sincerely seek your face, strong faith in Christ, the BIBLE, the day we love to hate, the first day of our work week, the God who heals, the importance of obedience, the people perish, the power to solve our problems, the throne of grace, the work cycle, there is no work device knowledge nor wisdom in the grave, to the best of our ability, truth, turn back to God, understanding of God's will, ungodly parents, we have all sinned, whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, whatsoever you do, where there is no vision, wisdom, wise guidance, work ethic, ye serve the Lord Christ, your awesome grace and mercy
Colossians 3:23. And whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men;
Good ole Monday is here again friends! The day we all LOVE to hate, but cannot get away from, no matter how hard we try. (smile) That’s because Monday is an integral part of our lives; the first day of our work week, when we’re supposed to set the tempo for the remainder of the week. But unfortunately, on most Mondays, we set a grumpy, lazy, and tired tempo because we didn’t rest enough on the weekend, neither were we properly prepared to tackle Monday, as we ought to.
We need to understand that once we break the work cycle for a couple of days, it’s hard to get restarted unless we plan and actually get ready for it. A couple of generations ago, that was much easier to do since there weren’t as many activities to engage our free time as we now have. And if we don’t actively plan for a return to work, we’ll most likely end up frustrated, and annoyed, especially when we get out to face the early morning rush hour traffic. That’s a good harbinger of road rage, of anger spilling over into violence and foolish, regrettable actions.
What makes our society even less desirable and competent is the lack of a work ethic among the younger generation, who sadly feel that they are entitled to much more than they are. Back in the day, although we might not like our job, we tried to do it to the best of our ability, because we were getting paid for it and were not allowed to slack off and fool around like we do nowadays. Granted, back then it was somewhat draconian, yes, the supervision and expectation might have been a tad excessive, unlike today where it’s excessively lenient and workers can get away with murder.
The problem is that we no longer have a sense of responsibility like we once had. Irresponsibility is today’s motto. Just look at how the young generation behaves; no respect, so consideration for others, just selfishly concerned about their own welfare. They have no godly pride in themselves and the work they do. Although that truly stems from the declining responsibility and work ethic of our overall society, meaning the fault of lawless, irresponsible and ungodly leaders and parents.
Remember the wise words of Cousin Sol? ‘Where there is no vision (prophetic vision or revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov, 29:18) And that’s the indisputable truth! Where there is no divine revelation of God’s will, the people will just do as they selfishly and ungodly please. Without the moral will of God running through the very veins of a society, it will soon become lawless and disintegrate, just like our society is currently doing.
And this commentary explains the verse thus: ‘It highlights the importance of having a clear purpose, direction, and understanding of God’s will for a society or individual. When there is no such vision, people lose their sense of purpose, become unrestrained, and ultimately suffer. The verse also mentions that those who keep God’s law are blessed, highlighting the importance of obedience and adhering to God’s principles.’
And we’ve seen the truth in that right down through the ages. Every society that invoked the will of God became prosperous. However, when they got prosperous, they got proud and arrogant and unwisely figured that it was on their own strength. Obviously they then lost that godly vision, so the society began to decay and finally crumbled into oblivion.
But there’s a basic motto to which we could all adhere that will solve most of our current work and relational problems. It’s this wisdom from Bruh Paul 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. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no respect of persons.’ (Col. 3:23-25)
Yes my brethren, it’s as simple as that! If we do everything as unto God and not as unto man, we will do a much better job. There’ll be less laziness and shirking or dodging of our responsibilities, more togetherness and God will prosper our society. For remember if you do God’s will, He rewards you, but if you don’t, you’ll feel the sting of His disfavour.
Meanwhile, Cousin Sol says it this way as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes. ‘Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.’ (Eccl. 9:10) That’s more indisputable truth friends! In the grave there’s nothing but death, so we need to reserve our place with God while we’re alive, and that means doing our best with His will in mind. So, in these rather rough and uncertain times, lets’ 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!’
And, from our prayer we can all see what’s necessary to receive that divine aid; humbling ourselves, praying, sincerely seeking God’s face with true repentance in our hearts. So, if we truly want God’s omnipotent help, then let’s seriously begin turning back to Him nuh. That’s godly wisdom at its best! Much LOVE!
…for our world to avoid hellfire and damnation…we must turn back to God…RIGHT NOW…it’s that simple…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
17 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great reason, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new day's dawned, alleviate our problems, annoyances, as a fruitful vine, back to work, believers, blameless, bless the LOrd o my soul, blessed are the undefiled, blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, christianity, Christians, commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently, consider it in thine heart, converting the soul, covenant stipulations, crowns thee with lovingkindness, decisions of a judge, disappointments, disobeyed your word, divine aid, ease the pain, eat the labour of thy hands, enduring for ever, enlightening the eyes, faith, faithfully promised to hear our prayers, fools despise wisdom and instruction, forget not all his benefits, forgives thine iniquities, frustrations, Godf's plan of creation, going to church, grace, handles whatever comes against us, happiness, happy shalt thou be, have good things, heals thy diseases, his tender mercies are over all his works, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, in heaven above, in keeping of them is great reward, it may go well with thee, it shall be well with thee, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, judgements, keep his commandments, keep his statutes, keep his testimonies, keep your promise to prosper us, know therefore this day, LOVE, making wise the simple, mass confusion, mercy, more to be desired than gold, negative situations, partner with God, petty resentments, pray, prolong thy days upon the earth, redeems thy life from destruction, rejoicing the heart, relationship, renewing our faith, salvation, satisfies thy mouth with good things, seek him with the whole heart, sincere repentance, sincerely reverence the Lord, sincerely seek your face, statutes, strong faith in Christ, sufficient rest, sweeter than honey, testimonies, that walketh in his ways, the BIBLE, the commandment of the Lord is pure, the earth beneath, the fear of the Lord is clean, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, the fruit of thy labour, the God who heals, the judgements of the Lord, the law of the Lord is perfect, the Lord he is God, the pitfalls of life, the testimony of the Lord is sure, the throne of grace, the weekend here, there is none else, they warn thy servant, this evil world, thy children like olive plants, thy wife shall be fruitful, thy youth is restored as the eagle's, to make Jesus our Lord and Saviour, to turn from our evil ways, true and righteous, truth, walk in God's ways, walk in the law of the Lord, we have all sinned, wisdom, wise guidance, with thy children after thee, written laws
Psalm 128:1. Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.
And in accordance with God’s great plan of creation, another new day has dawned, thankfully not rainy like the last two, and we have also opened our eyes to see it, another part of God’s great plan. (smile) Unfortunately though, that new day is called Monday, which means getting back to work after the quiet and restful weekend and once again experiencing all the frustrations, annoyances, irritations, disappointments and resentments that will undoubtedly crop up during the day.
But if we have made good use of the weekend, by getting sufficient rest, going to church and renewing our faith and confidence, then we will be able to handle whatever comes against us in Jesus’ name, with the awesome help of His Holy Spirit. Now, isn’t that alone a great reason to make Jesus our Lord and Saviour eh? For sure! And when you add all the other benefits we receive by making Him the Lord of our lives, it’s inconceivable that anyone could ever refuse to accept Him as the Number One Person in their lives.
And we all know what Psalm 103 says about the Lord’s benefits: ‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies; Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s.’ (Ps. 103:2-5)
Yes Friends, that’s some of the wonderful benefits we receive when we partner with Almighty God, through His Son, Jesus Christ. And we’ve got to pay close attention to that word partner, because it doesn’t all happen automatically, but is dependent on us playing our part in the relationship. And I believe Psalm 128 gives us a good idea of how that works.
It says: ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways. For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands (the fruit of thy labour): happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee. Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of (in the heart of) thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table. Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps. 128:1-4)
Now we all want to have those good things; happiness, eating the fruit of our labour, a fruitful wife and many responsible children. But it only comes when we sincerely reverence the Lord, walk in his ways and keep his commandments. And the opening verses of Psalm 119, agree with that, as they say: ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently.’ (Ps. 119:1-4)
There again, we see the responsibility expected us of from God, basically to keep His commandments, obey and revere Him, seeking Him with our whole hearts, not a part of them. But Moses possibly says it best, or rather more explicitly, when he told the Israelites as he reminded them of their responsibilities.
‘Know therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the Lord he is God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else. Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee (you may prosper), and with thy children after thee, and thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth (live long in the land) which the Lord thy God giveth thee for ever.’ (Deut. 4:39- 40)
Now there’s no mistaking what the Israelites and consequently we modern day believers need to do to see the Lord’s blessings on our lives. And for our information, the scholars explain that ‘The law is identified as testimonies…statutes…judgements. The “testimonies” denoted the covenant stipulations; the “statutes” were laws written down or inscribed on some suitable medium; and the “judgements” were the decisions of a judge (cf. Ps. 19:7-9).’
And those are also some very interesting verses from the pen of Bruh David, as he writes about God’s Law is Perfect. Please read with me: ‘The law of the Lord is perfect, converting (restoring) the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever: the judgements of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb (the drippings of the honeycomb). Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.’ (Ps. 19:7-11)
Oh my people, what a great and happy world we would have if many more of us kept the Lord’s law instead of Satan’s lawlessness! Bruh David explains it so excellently; it makes wise the simple, restores our soul, rejoices our hearts, it’s true and righteous, more desirable that gold, sweeter than honey and the drippings of the honeycomb, it warns us about the pitfalls of this life and last but not least it brings great rewards to those who revere the Lord and keep His law!
It could not get any better than that my fellow believers! However, the Lord’s law is not always easy to keep in this sinful and ungodly world, but being the wise and compassionate Sovereign He is, He’s also provided a way for us to get His help; that’s by going to the throne of grace in times of need. 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 even in our own prayer, we voice the same things God expects of us; prayer, sincerely seeking His face, and turning from our evil ways. So how do we expect to get help if we don’t put those important things in place eh? Much LOVE!
…the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge…but fools despise wisdom and instruction… (Prov. 1:7)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
10 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a free will, a great voice out of heaven, accept all the promises in God's word, alleviate our problems, and he said unto me write, answer our prayers, anxious for people to love, be their God, behaving like, believe in Jesus Christ, conflagrations, daily grind and common task, dismay, disobeyed your word, divine aid, egotistic leaders, enjoy what at the end, even our faith, faith, God himself shall be with them, greedy, he that believes Jesus is the Son of God, he that sat upon the throne, hold your head and bawl, holy spirit, humble ourselves, humble servants, hungry, I make all things new, in all these things, inane populations, individual frustrations, inflammatory rhetoric, invest the time and energy, it's all madness, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, keep us going forward, keep your promise to prosper us, like a bride adorned for her husband, live the way Christ desires, LOVE, mass confusion, mental illness, mercy, more than conquerors, negative situations, neither sorrow, New Jerusalem, no more death, no more pain, nor crying, nothing shall separate us from the love of God, popular in our court system, power hungry, progressive times, put it into practice, salvation, seek your face, sensible term for it, shake your head, sheep being led to the slaughter, stranglehold, strong faith in Christ, thank you for life, the eventual outcome, the faithfulness of God, the former things are passed away, the God who heals, the power to solve our problems, the pristine state, the rigmarole, the rigours of this world, the tabernacle of god is with men, these words are faithful and true, they shall be his people, this evil world, this is the victory that overcometh the world, to learn God's word, traffic jams, truth, turn from our evil ways, upheavals, we have all sinned, whatsoever overcometh the world is born of God, who is he that overcomes the world, wipe away all tears, wisdom, wise guidance
1 John 5:5. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.
One more Monday friends, one more week of work! One more week of the daily grind and common tasks, handling our individual frustrations, like taking children to school or the babysitter, then facing the horrific traffic jams morning and evening, getting to work tired, then getting home in even worse shape, only to have chores to do there before you can finally rest for the day, only to get up a few hours later and begin the whole trying rigmarole all over again. (smile)
Yes my people, life can be rather hectic in these modern, progressive times, and when we add the many conflagrations, upheavals and inflammatory rhetoric that currently has our world in a stranglehold, you can only shake your head in dismay, or even hold it and bawl, as you cry out to Almighty God for help. Who would have thought that our world could get any worse a few months ago eh? But it seems that it’s getting worse everyday with all the power hungry, greedy and egotistic leaders and inane populations behaving like sheep being led to the slaughter.
And the answer to it all is very simple; like one calypsonian so wisely said sometime ago, it’s all madness. Yes, it’s all madness friends. And truthfully, that can be the only sensible term to encompass it, because everyone’s gone so crazy these days, doing whatever they want, with no respect to the rights and privileges of others, putting mental illness high on our list of illnesses, as well as being very popular now in our court system, where no one is guilty of anything because they are suffering from mental illness.
Ah Lord eh! And I’m sure sometimes when the Lord sits on His throne and looks down at the awful mess we’ve made of His beautiful universe, He too must shake His head and sadly ask Himself, why He created mankind, and with a free will to boot? And it’s not like He didn’t know what was going to be the eventual outcome, but He was apparently hungry or anxious for people to LOVE, and to LOVE Him back. That’s why from the very beginning, He made plans to clean it all up in the end, and return His universe to its original pristine state, with LOVING and compassionate citizens living under His rule.
Thus, the hope of this scripture from Revelation, where John sees the new Jerusalem coming out of heaven, to earth, prepared like a bride for her husband: ‘And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all the tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said, Behold, I make all things new. And he said unto me, Write: for these words are faithful and true.’ (Rev. 21:2-5)
Now, that’s the kind of life we have to look forward to my faithful brethren, when this old heaven and earth are passed away. And I know it doesn’t do us a whole lot of good right now, when earthly life looks so gloomy and hopeless, but it’s the very faithfulness of God that must keep us going forward despite the many negative situations we will face. We have to wholeheartedly and faithfully accept all the promises found in the Lord’s Word as truth and use them to help us overcome.
Remember how Bruh Paul describes us in Romans 8? ‘Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us… and NOTHING shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:37, 39b) And if that doesn’t get your spirit rising and filled with faith, then try these similar words of John in his first epistle, where he proudly and truthfully proclaims: ‘For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God.’ (1 John 5:4-5)
It could not be any more explicit than that my brethren. If you believe in Jesus Christ, then you have the power to overcome the world and all its evil and ungodly people and practices. But it doesn’t happen automatically. No! You have to invest the time and energy to learn and meditate on God’s Word, then put it into practice in your life. That’s the ONLY WAY you will ever overcome the world!
However, because we’re only human, we still need God’s help to handle worldly stuff that comes against us. So, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, let’s go to the throne of grace and ask for 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!’
And according to our prayer, we must do certain things, like humble ourselves before God, pray, sincerely seek His face etc. etc. Then and only then, will we receive the divine aid we desire! Much LOVE!
…if you want to survive the rigours of this world…and enjoy what’s at the end…then you must sincerely believe in Jesus Christ…and live the way He desires…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
24 Feb 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a disciplined mind, a good day's work, a great cloud of witnesses, alleviate our problems, ambassadors of Christ, be cast out, be discouraged, be your best, Bible, but of power love and a sound mind, christianity, compassed about, complaining, consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners, despising the shame, disciples of Jesus, divine aid, do your best, endured such hostility of sinners, endured the cross, faint in your minds, faith, faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers, follow the example of Jesus, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, for the joy that was set before him, freedom from sin, glorify your father in heaven, good for nothing, heroes of the faith, hold our heads high, holy spirit, humble servants, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, joy, lay aside every weight, lest ye be weary, Let your light so shine before men, live up to a high standard, look your best, looking unto Jesus, LOVE, mass confusion in our world, mercy, negative vibes, nothing fazed Jesus, originator, perfector, pray, put your best foot forward, repentance, resentment, run with patience, salt lost its flavour, salvation, see your good works, set down at the right hand of the throne of God, sincerely seek your face, sinned and seriously disobeyed your word, spoil our witness, strong faith in Christ, the author and finisher of our faith, the God who heals, the light of the world, the race set before us, the revolutionary feat, the salt of the earth, the sin that doth easily so beset us, the slavery of sin, took it in stride, trodden underfoot, truth, turn from our evil ways, under a basket, ungrateful sinners, wisdom, wise guidance
Hebrews 12:2a. Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith;
Another Monday’s on the agenda friends, but I know that we can and will handle it with the quiet aplomb and efficiency that we’ve learned from the masterful example of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Nothing that came against Him fazed Him, He just took it in stride. Not even the excessive cruelty He faced on our behalf, caused Him to lose sight of His heavenly Father’s goal; accomplishing the amazing and revolutionary feat of earning freedom from sin’s abject slavery for a bunch of ungrateful sinners.
And that’s how He expects us, His followers, ambassadors and agents on this evil and ungodly earth to behave. Now He doesn’t expect perfection either, because He knows we’re not perfect and will never be until He comes to take us home and changes us, but nonetheless He expects us to always put our best foot forward. As the late Uncle Charles (Dr. Charles Stanley) used to say: ‘Look your best, do your best and be your best!’
That says it all my people. For as the author of Hebrews so vividly explains it: ‘Wherefore seeing (since) we also are compassed about with (surrounded by) so great a cloud of witnesses (those heroes of the faith that went before us), let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset (ensnare) us, and let us run with patience (perseverance) the race that is set before us,
Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher (originator and perfector) of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that endured such contradiction (hostility) of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds (become discouraged.’ (Heb. 12:1-3)
Yes friends, that’s the example we’re supposed to follow. As disciples of Jesus we’re expected to live up to a high standard; so high, that when the unbelievers see us in action, they’ll hold their heads in awesome wonder and want what we have that makes us so joyful, peaceful, LOVING and calm. (smile) So as this new Monday rolls around, and we go out to do the same banal, every day, ofttimes boring tasks, let’s hold our heads high and get on with His business without any complaining, resentment and negative vibes to spoil our witness.
All the time, remembering Jesus’ strong admonitions: ‘Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour (flavour), wherewith (by what) shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and be trodden under foot of men. Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle (lamp), and put it under a bushel (basket), but on a candlestick (lampstand); and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.’ (Matt. 5:13-16)
Of course my fellow saints, that’s the kind of strong witness expected of us true and faithful believers of Christ especially in these rather ungodly and sinful times! However, unfortunately, we don’t seem to be doing such a great job of witnessing for Christ, otherwise the devil would not have such a stranglehold on the affairs of the world and Christians would be filled with much more faith, LOVE and joy, not with the fear and anxiety that so many of us now project.
But let’s remember this other admonition from Bruh Paul before we foolishly throw in the towel and give up in the face of the enemies evil strategies. That’s one of the reasons Bruh Paul wrote these telling words to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
Now that’s a most important scripture for us to remember today, as we step out into the world, clothed in God’s armour to continue the fight for Jesus’ righteous and just army. And to help us do that, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking help in this time of dire need.
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 all of that simply means; to get divine aid, we must improve our godly behaviour! So let’s get out there and do it today nuh! Much LOVE!
…all Jesus expects of His followers…is a good, faithful day’s work…everyday…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
20 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a constant attitude of prayer, alleviate our problems, anxiety, anxious, be careful for nothing, be of good cheer, be prayerful about everything, Bible, by prayer and supplication, catch your fancy, christianity, Christians, concerning you, death, divine aid, divinely bestowed peace, ease the pain, faith, faith in Christ, give thanks to god, he who has ears to hear let him hear, hear our requests, hell, holy spirit, humble servants, i have overcome the world, in every event or circumstance, in every thing give thanks, in me ye shall have peace, in the face of adversity, irresposibility, Jehovah Rapha, legitimate concern, let not your heart be troubled, let your moderation be known unto all men, let your requests be made known unto God, LOVE, maintain gratitude, mass confusion in our world, mercy, moderation, my peace I give unto you, my thoughts are higher than your thoughts, my thoughts are not your thoughts, my ways are higher than your ways, my ways are not your ways, negative situations, neither let it be afraid, not as the world gives, obedience, passes all understanding, Peace i leave with you, pray without ceasing, propser us, protection, repentance, sacrifice, salvation, seeking God's face, the God who heals, the grave, the heavens are higher than the earth, the Lord is at hand, the peace of God, the promises of Christ, the tools of Christ, the will of God, this is the will of God in Christ, throne of grace, time of need, tranquility of mind, tribulation, truth, turn from our evil ways, wisdom, wise guidance, with thanksgiving
1 Thessalonians 5:18. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Come on down Monday, we’re ready and waiting for you! Hit us with your best shot! But it won’t work, for we have all the tools and promises of Jesus, at the ready, waiting to shoot you down. Therefore, we have taken this scripture from the pen of Bruh Paul to heart. ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess. 5:18)
Ah friends, that’s a tough scripture, but one we definitely need to know and totally embrace. And what does it mean? The scholars say that ‘In every event or circumstance (thing) the Christian is to give thanks to God for the good He can bring out of the event, even should the event be unpleasant. The constant attitude of prayer, mentioned in verse 17 – ‘Pray without ceasing,’ will help the believer to maintain gratitude in the face of adversity.’
And if that scripture doesn’t catch your fancy, (smile) then try this one from Bruh Paul’s missive to the Philippians. ‘Let your moderation (gentleness) be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful (anxious) for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep (guard) your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 4:5-7)
And I must admit that one seems a tad easier than the first one, although they both basically mean the same thing. Instead of worrying about anything, we are to take every situation, be it pleasant or unpleasant and present it to God through prayer, supplication and thanksgiving.
The scholars advise: ‘The Lord’s nearness (vs. 5b) leads Paul to forbid his readers from worrying. This is no summons to irresponsibility or an invitation to dismiss legitimate concern. The solution to undue anxiety is prayer in every thing, “in any matter of life.” The way to be free of anxiety is to be prayerful about everything. While God is eager to hear our requests, they are to be accompanied by thanksgiving.’
Now, that seems easier said than done, but like all things we need to get good at, it requires continuous practice until it becomes a habit. And what’s the benefit of that exercise, you ask? ‘The peace of God which passes all understanding.’ Wow! Isn’t that important enough to make the effort worthwhile? It surely is!
Because as the scholars tell us, ‘The peace of God is that tranquility of mind freeing the believer from fear and worry. “Peace” which passeth all understanding means (1) peace divinely bestowed in times of anxiety, so wonderful that it exceeds one’s ability to understand it; (2) God’s peace far surpasses one’s own understanding of the problem, and his ability to cope with and solve it.’
That brings to mind this most important scripture from the prophet Isaiah, where he speaks on God’s behalf. ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That says it all my people. And so it should be, if He is God!
Therefore, when we take our problems to Him in prayer, with thanksgiving, He gives us His unsurpassable peace that guards our hearts and minds from the enemies attempts to cause us worry and anxiety. And that dovetails very nicely with Jesus words on the subject to the disciples, and consequently to us. ‘Peace, I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’ (John 14:27)
Oh my people, what a marvellous gift is the peace of Jesus! It’s unlike any other that the world knows, and surpasses any other kind. It’s the amazing kind of peace that causes us not to worry or be afraid. Where else can you find that kind of peace eh? Only in and from Jesus! Then later on, He tells us again about the kind of peace we can have if we accept Him as Lord and Saviour. ‘These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.’ (John 16:33)
Wow! What can we say to that most expressive statement eh? Not much really, but accept it for what it is: Jesus’ faithful promise! There’s no doubt whatsoever that in the world we will have trials and tribulations, but since Jesus has already overcome the world, that’s hell, death and the grave, if we stay entwined with Jesus, then we will have His awesome protection against the world and it’s ungodly masses. You can’t ask for anything more than that friends.
However, Jesus has already done His work, it’s now our turn to live up to our promise when we accepted Him as Lord and Saviour. That’s take up our cross daily and follow Him, even if it calls for personal sacrifice. And sometimes that’s difficult to do, but through prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we can do it. So let’s go to the throne of grace right now, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us in this our great time of need.
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!’
In closing though, please remember that divine aid is not doled out willy-nilly, but for obedience, repentance, sincerely seeking God’s face and a change in our evil ways. Much LOVE!
…He who has ears to hear…let Him hear…otherwise…He will feel…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a critical position, a fight for life and death, a merciful forgiving and gracious God, a new work week, alleviate our problems, be strong in the Lord, Bible, caught napping, cessation of hostilities, Christian, Christian witness, christianity, crapaud smoke we pipe, demonic onslaughts, departed from him for a season, disobeyed your word, divine aid, eternal death, eternal life, eternal separation from God, eternity, evil weapons, faith, God's guidebook, grace, having done all, holy spirit, in the power of his might, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mass confusion, meditate on God's Word, mercy, mickey mouse affair, negative situations, no cease fire, no quarter given, pain, pay a horrendous price, powers, pray, principalities, put on the whole armour of God, put the word into practice, renewed confidence, resist the enemy, rest, salvation, Satanic assaults, sincerely seek your face, sinned, spiritual foes, spiritual wickedness, stand against the wiles of the devil, strengthened by the Lord, strong faith in Christ, temporary truce, the God who heals, the rulers of darkness, the spiritual battle, to stand, truth, turn from our evil ways, we wrestle not against flesh and blood, wisdom, wise guidance, withstand in the evil day
Ephesians 6:10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Here we go again with a new work week, hope we are all prepared for it, with sufficient rest and renewed confidence and faith over the weekend, for the enemy is raising the level of spiritual warfare that’s taking place, daily putting more evil weapons and people into the fray. And if we are not aware and alert, we will certainly be caught napping and made to pay a horrendous price.
That’s why it’s ever so important for believers to get down with the Word, be much more acquainted with it; read it, study it, meditate on it, and put it into practice in our lives. For that’s the only way we will ever defeat the enemy. Remember, the Bible is God’s Guidebook for our earthly lives, and if we don’t know what it says, or how to put it into action, then crapaud smoke we pipe!
Friends, the enemy is not joking, this is not a friendly war… No! It’s a fight for life and death! If we lose it, then we’ll be facing eternal death and separation from Almighty God, and if we win, we’ll be spending eternal life with Him. And that’s the most important aspect of this whole earthly life; where we spend eternity!
And at the start of this new year, we cannot go wrong by examining some of the weapons we have to fight this spiritual warfare. Some of which are outlined by Bruh Paul in his epistle to the Ephesians, where he talks about the whole armour of God which is necessary for us to have, if we intend to fight and win the spiritual battle. He begins with this exhortation: ‘Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.’ (Eph. 6:10)
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘Finally may be rendered “from now on” or “henceforth.” The spiritual battle Christians are engaged in exists “from now on until the Lord’s return: there is no quarter given, no cease-fire, no temporary truce, no cessation of hostilities, “From now on” till the end there is all-out war. The remainder of the verse may be paraphrased, “Let yourselves constantly be strengthened by the Lord, more precisely, by His mighty power.”
Oh friends, yuh see this is a most serious and deadly affair, not some li’l mickey mouse matter, where we playing childlike games. Bruh Paul then makes another most significant statement. ‘Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles (evil schemes) of the devil.’ (Eph. 6:11)
Now the scholars tell us that the words used for ‘Put on in the Greek language, denotes a sense of urgency, demanding immediate attention,’ and that’s a very crucial fact right now as the battle lines are narrowly drawn. Meanwhile ‘To Stand has military overtones. This verb was used in classical Greek meaning to resist the enemy and hold a critical position in battle.’
That ought to bring home the seriousness of the situation to us. In other words, we cannot stand against the wiles or evil schemes of the enemy unless we’re dressed in the full armour of God. And believe me, Satan carefully crafts schemes and tactics against believers. So please don’t think that He’s just fooling around. He’s more serious about our destruction that ever.
Then Bruh Paul goes on to give us some idea of whom we’re fighting against. ‘For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world (age), against spiritual wickedness (spiritual hosts of wickedness) in high places.’ (Eph. 6:12) So we’re not fighting against flesh and blood, but against spiritual foes.
The scholars explain that ‘Wrestle, used of hand to hand combat emphasizes the personal and individual nature of spiritual warfare waged against each local church and Christian. Flesh and blood refer to humanity. Such is not the church’s adversary. Instead, she opposes principalities (rulers), powers (authorities), rulers (world rulers), spiritual wickedness (wicked spiritual beings), that is, fallen angels, demons, and Lucifer himself.’
Then Bruh Paul reemphasizes the importance of God’s armour in our fight. ‘Wherefore take unto you (take up) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.’ (Eph. 6:13) And the scholars explain that means ‘because we face such a formidable foe, we must avail ourselves of God’s provision lest the enemy destroy our Christian witness and ministry. The evil day refers to the periodic demonic onslaughts and Satanic assaults. Having done all includes both dressing oneself in God’s armour and resisting Satan. Having done all these, be ready, for the Devil will attack again and again.’
Now that’s something we have to be very cognizant of; the devil never stops for good. Every so often, he will take a break, especially if he is not getting anywhere with you, possibly to devise new strategy, but he will always come back while we’re alive, it’s his reason for living. We can clearly see that in the scriptures. After Satan unsuccessfully tempts Jesus, the Word says: ‘And when the devil had ended all the temptation (testing), he departed from him for a season (until an opportune time).’ (Luke4:13)
Yes my fellow saints, the devil doesn’t tempt us willy- nilly, but has very deep and deceptive strategies in place to encourage us to fall. However, we will not do that today, because we will go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, seeking divine aid to help us overcome his evil schemes.
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!’
But let’s remember that before divine aid can be granted, we need to humble ourselves, pray and sincerely seek God’s face. In other words, turn from our evil ways! Much LOVE!
…to fight God’s fight successfully…one must have His protective armour…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
06 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sense of happiness, a state of chaos, absolute power corrupts absolutely, abuse their power, alleviate our problems, authoritarian rulers, backroom dealings, believers must desire to make changes, Bible, Canadian Prime Minister to resign, cast off restraint, confusion, contentment, disobeyed your word, divine direction, divine revelation, don't have the coutry's best interest at heart, escalating turmoil, every man did that which was right in his own eyes, experts, faith, false pretenses, fighting traffic, free will, he who has ears to hear let him hear, he who has eyes to see let him see, holy spirit, human nature tends towards sin, humble ourselves, in those days, Jehovah Rapha, Jesus Christ, lack of spiritual leadership, lawless, Lord Acton, loss of productivity, LOVE, mass confusion, mercy, modern day phenomenon, more power brings worse behaviour, no king in Israel, obedience to God's law, outlandish salaries, people deserve the government they get, positions of power, power broker, power tends to corrupt, pray, prophetic vision, reefuse to ask God's advice, road rage, Satan as guide and leader, scripture is the ultimate guide for life, seeking power for power's sake, sincere repentance, sincerely seek God's face, sinned, spiritual revelation, strife, technocrats, the Bible is our guidebook for living, the chaos of a visionless society, the God who heals, the gospel truth, the terrible toll of the traffic situation, the way the cookie crumbles, the wide and winding path to destruction, to line their own pockets, to stick his nose where he's not wanted, too few roads, too many vehicles, too much of a gentelman, treasure trove of wisdom, truth, turn from our evil ways, turned away from God, unrestrained, where there is no vision the people perish, wisdom, without God's guidance, working from home
Proverbs 29:18. Where there is no (prophetic) vision (revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Another Monday, another new work week, which includes fighting the traffic both back and forth! But that’s the way the cookie crumbles these days. And while employers are trying to get their employees to come back into the office several days a week, some of the employees are fighting it because of the terrible toll the traffic situation takes on them, emotionally, physically and mentally. No wonder the modern-day phenomenon of road rage is increasing daily as the traffic situation worsens.
Now something’s got to be done to cut down on the traffic tie-ups which cause an increasing loss of productivity, to reduce the road rage and resolve the other modern-day phenomenon of working from home. (smile) And please don’t ask me how to do it, because I don’t have a clue, but that’s why we pay all those big-time experts and technocrats those outlandish salaries. Let them earn their money for a change nuh, instead of constantly earning it under false pretenses!
And it’s so sad to think that with all of our supposed wisdom and technological superiority, we can’t figure out the small problem of too many vehicles on too few roads. (smile) And even sadder still is that we refuse to ask the advice of the One who could most likely fix it without any problems; that’s Almighty God! But we don’t need nor want Him involved in our business, because we think we know it all, so we keep going down the wide and winding path to destruction with Satan as our guide and leader. How sad!
But that’s why God gave us free will; so we could make our own decisions, regardless of how foolish and faulty they are. And He’s too much of a gentleman to stick His nose in where He’s not wanted, needed, or asked to intervene! So where does that leave us eh? In a state of chaos, confusion and strife!
And with only six days into the new year, the turmoil in our world is already escalating in several arenas of strife; far away, close to home, as well as right here in this good land of Canada too, where many have been dissatisfied with our Prime Minister and so strenuously demanded his resignation, that he’s finally promised to step down. So now the backroom dealings are finally in full swing, with numerous people seeking to be the new power broker. And it’s so blatant that many are simply trying to get into power to line their own pockets, or simply for power’s sake, and truly don’t have the country’s best interest at heart.
Consequently, I believe a few worthwhile sayings on the subject of government and power will fit in nicely here. The first one says that the people deserve the government they get. And that’s no lie! For whoever you allow to get power over you, is basically whom you have chosen, so you cannot argue about the injustice or otherwise of it. You just have to live with it until you choose to change it.
The second saying is a quote attributed to the British Statesman Lord Acton, which says: ‘Power tends to corrupt and absolute power corrupts absolutely. Great men are almost always bad men, even when they exercise influence and not authority.’
And what does that mean? This commentary explains it thus: ‘Power tends to corrupt: people in positions of power often abuse their power to do bad things. They become corrupted, or “morally compromised.” Absolute power corrupts absolutely: the more authority someone has, the worse their morality becomes.’ And that’s oh so true, for we can all think of several authoritarian rulers on the global stage right now who are guilty of that very abuse.
And the third bit of wisdom comes from Cousin Sol’s treasure trove of wisdom, the Book of Proverbs. On the subject, he wisely writes: ‘Where there is no (prophetic) vision (revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint): but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.’ (Prov. 29:18) Basically, it means that where there is no spiritual leadership and divine guidance in a community or society, the people tend to become unrestrained, lawless and do whatever they want, which only creates chaos.
And we see that very thing happening all over the world right now, because we have turned away from God and therefore have no divine direction or spiritual revelation, because we do not think we need it. As one commentary says: ‘This reflects the biblical theme that without God’s guidance, human nature tends toward disorder and sin.’ And why not eh, when Beelzebub is the ruler of this evil and sinful world.
Meanwhile, blessed is he who keeps the law, means those who keep God’s law, or commandments, enjoy a sense of happiness, contentment and well-being. The same commentary above puts it thus: ‘The verse contrasts the chaos of a visionless society with the stability and blessing that come from obedience to God’s law. In a conservative Christian perspective, this emphasizes the importance of Scripture as the ultimate guide for life.’ And that’s the gospel truth, because the Bible is indeed our Guidebook for Earthly Living!
And that lack of vison in a society and the detriment it causes is well exampled by the state of Israel during the period when judges ruled. The Bible tells us in no uncertain terms: ‘In those days there was no king in Israel: every man did that which was right in his own eyes.’ (Judg. 21:25) And that’s exactly where our world is heading right now, straight to hellfire and damnation, with the lack of spiritual leadership and divine revelation.
But thankfully all is not lost, for we believers in Christ Jesus can make a big difference if we so desire, because we have all the tools to do so. The problem is getting us to desire. So, let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, and see if we can’t get the desire to turn things around nuh.
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!’
But please note, as our prayer says, until we repent and turn from our evil ways, that desire to improve our world will not be forthcoming, and we’ll keep heading for certain destruction! Much LOVE!
…he who has ears to hear…let him hear…and he who has eyes to see…let him see…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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