The Overwhelming Importance of Believers Accepting God’s Call on Their Lives!

Today’s Scrip-Bit   3 July 2026   Acts 9:6a.

Acts 9:6a.        And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?

And finally, our long awaited day of Friday. Obviously the shouts of our Friday Mantra rise to the sky. ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend is here at last!’ And many of us are just dying to get it over with so we can rest up after the Canada Day celebrations earlier on in the week. But please be careful, because it’s going to be another hot, sweltering day, with the heat warning still in effect. So stay inside, or make sure you’re well protected if you’re outside.

And today the Lord caused the Bible to open to the beginning of the Book of Jeremiah. Why? Because He wanted to point out an example to many of us who make excuses to do His bidding, like Jeremiah did.  Jeremiah relates it thus: ‘Then the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, ‘Before I formed thee in the belly (womb) I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee (set thee apart), and ordained (appointed) thee a prophet unto the nations. Then said I, Ah, Lord God! behold, I cannot speak: for I am a child (youth).

But the Lord said unto me, Say not, I am a child: for thou shalt go to all that I shall send thee, and whatsoever I command thee thou shalt speak. Be not afraid of their faces: for I am with thee to deliver thee, saith the Lord. Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth. See, I have this day set thee over the nations, and over the kingdoms, to root out, and to pull (tear) down, and to destroy, and to throw down, to build and to plant.’ (Jer. 1:5-10)

Yes friends, many of us make excuses when the Lord calls us to do something for Him, claiming we’re not capable for whatever reason. Jeremiah claimed that he was young and thus inexperienced. When He approached me to write the Bit, I laughed, because it did seem like a joke, and claimed that I did not have enough religious knowledge, which at the time was perfectly true. But the Creator of the universe and all therein knows what He’s doing and does not call us by chance, but rather by choice. Yuh see how He told Jeremiah that He knew him and set him apart as a prophet from before his birth, then touched his mouth and made him understand.

Unfortunately, with me, He did not touch my mouth and make we wise, No. After making life difficult for me until I accepted His call, I had to go through the long process of reading and studying His Word and trying to understand what He was saying to me through the Holy Spirit. And even after nineteen long years of writing the Bit, I’m still far from perfect. But I have improved from first writing only a few lines to now writing too much. (smile) And don’t think we’re alone in refusing God’s call because we feel unworthy, for many great men of God at first refused for just that reason.

Here are some examples that the scholars give. ‘Moses (Ex. 3:4), Barak (Judg. 4:8), Gideon (Judg. 6:15), Saul (1 Sam. 10:22), Bruh David (2 Sam. 7:19), and Cousin Sol (1 Kin. 3:7), and many others who understood clearly that sufficiency for God’s service comes only from God Himself.’ And that’s a glorious truth my people, for God does not call you to do something and leave you in the lurch. No! He takes time and teaches you what He expects from you, gives you all the tools you need to do His work efficiently and peacefully.

And my best advice is if and when the Lord calls you to do something, make a true excuse, if there’s one, but if He persists, then right away say, ‘Yes Lord, how high do you want me to jump?’ (smile) That’s because He will make your life miserable in so many different ways until He finally breaks you down and you agree to His offer. And I’m speaking there from personal experience. Please understand, that if the Lord truly wants you, He will get you.

 And there’s a fine example in Bruh Paul. He was out there harassing the church. The Bible says: ‘As for Saul (Paul), he made havock of the church, entering into every house, and haling (dragging off) men and women committed them to prison.’ (Acts 8:3) And he was present when they killed Stephen. Then, one day while on his way to Damascus to do more harassing of the church, this bright light suddenly shined down from heaven blinded him and knocked him off his horse.

And he heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (goads, sharpened sticks used to prod animals). And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what to do.’ (Acts 9:4-6) And Saul got up from the ground blind, and they led him to Damascus, where he stayed blind and didn’t eat nor drink for three days.

Oh friends, yuh see how easily the great persecutor of the church became it’s greatest zealot. Yes, because the Lord desired it. He had planned it that way from long before. And what amazes me is how Bruh Paul gave in so easily, with no fight or bluster at all. It just goes to show that when the Lord wants your services, He will get them one way or another. So when next He comes a calling, just agree from the very beginning, and save yourself some trouble. Now let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in these troubled times.

Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work. It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. You know our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving, and we desperately need your help to fix them. Heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. So please give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. 

And despite the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times, help us to be responsible, and get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that we can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out next week and further your glorious kingdom by the good example we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And unfortunately, it’s not the unbelievers alone who need to wake up and smell the coffee, but also believers, for our Christian witness for Christ is certainly not good enough! Much LOVE!

…don’t try to kick against the pricks (goads)…for the Lord ALWAYS gets His man…or woman…eventually…

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

The Overwhelming Importance of Christians’ Total Surrender to God, if They Hope for All of God’s Best!

Luke 14:33.         So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.

Can you hear it in the distance friends? The church bells are ringing, calling us to gather in the Lord’s sanctuary this first Sunday in May, to give thanks for a successful week, and to ask for divine aid to have another in this upcoming one. For it’s only with the Lord’s blessing that is possible.

And our song of worship today is one most appropriate for our times and aptly titled, ‘All to Jesus I Surrender.’ The author is Judson W. Van DeVenter, (1855-1939) an American Hymnwriter, who wrote the song around 1896 on the subject of Consecration. So, without further ado, let’s offer up our sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, scintillating mid-tempo version of this wonderful song, making it clear to all who hear it that the sentiments we express are truly heartfelt.

Singing: ‘All to Jesus I surrender. All to Him I freely give; I will ever LOVE and trust Him, In His presence daily live. (Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all.) All to Jesus I surrender, Humbly at His feet I bow, Worldly pleasures all forsaken. Take me, Jesus, take me now. (Refrain: I surrender all..) All to Jesus I surrender, Make me, Saviour, wholly Thine; Let me feel the Holy Spirit, Truly know that Thou art mine. (Refrain: I surrender all…)

All to Jesus I surrender, Lord, I give myself to Thee; Fill me with Thy LOVE and power, Let Thy blessing fall on me. (Refrain: I surrender all…) All to Jesus I surrender, Now I feel the sacred flame; Oh, the joy of full salvation! Glory, glory, to His name! (Refrain: I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all…I surrender all, I surrender all; All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all… All to Thee, my blessed Saviour, I surrender all…’ Well done my fellow believers! Our heartfelt surrender to Jesus could be heard in the words we uttered.

But before we get into any scriptures the song might raise, let’s first consider the meaning of the word surrender in the Biblical sense. This commentary explains it thus: ‘Biblically, surrender means fully yielding your own will, plans, and desires to God’s will, submitting to His authority, and trusting His sovereignty, which is seen not as weakness but as a path to spiritual freedom, true purpose, and intimacy with Him, often involving obedience, humility, and letting go of self-centered control. It’s about putting a “white flag” up to God, trusting He can handle your anxieties and lead you better than you can yourself, aligning your life with His divine viewpoint.’

Ah friends, it truly means surrendering our whole lives to Christ; letting Him lead and guide us in every decision, in every thought and step we take. And that’s not always easy to do with the evil and ungodly world trying it’s best to turn us away from our Lord and Saviour. But it’s what we signed up for when we became disciples of Jesus. Remember His conditions for discipleship? ‘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 sacrificing our own will daily for His if necessary.

And we have some great examples of surrendering to Jesus’ will right at the beginning of his ministry. The Bible recalls it beautifully: ‘And Jesus, walking by the sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.’ (Matt. 4:18-20) Now how many of us would do something that exceptional eh? Not many.

But listen as the Bible continues. ‘And going on from thence, he (Jesus) saw other two brethren, James, the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.’ (Matt. 4:21-22) Wow! Who leaves their father, and their entire livelihood behind to follow some itinerant preacher that you don’t know eh? Apparently those first four disciples did!

No doubt Jesus must have exerted a strong pull of His Spirit on them, for them to just acquiesce to His request with no questions whatsoever. But that’s what Jesus requires of His followers. As He later says: ‘So likewise, whosoever he be of you that forsaketh not all that he hath, he cannot be my disciple.’ (Luke 14:33) Yes friends, it’s a tough road to follow, but it’s worth every trial and tribulation involved along the way!

But the most dramatic accomplishment of discipleship, of surrender, is that of Bruh Paul, the one time persecutor of the church. One day, on his way to Damascus, to continue his persecution of the church, the Bible tells us that near to his journey’s end, ‘and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: and he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said, Who art thou Lord? and the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest: it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks (a goad, a rod with a sharp point, used to prod animals forward).

And he trembling and astonished said, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arsie and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do. And the men which journeyed with him stood speechless, hearing a voice, but seeing no man. And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man (he was blind), but they led him by the hand, and brought him to Damascus. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink.’ (Acts 9:3-9)

Yuh see how it is mih bredrin, when the Lord really wants you, He will find a way to get you, though not always in such a dramatic way as Bruh Paul’s conversion. And if we read the rest of Acts 9 we will se how Bruh Paul’s conversion actually unfolded. Please note, that once Jesus declared Himself to Saul, the great persecutor of the church, did not put up a fight, but simply acquiesced to Jesus’ directive. And that’s how He desires his followers to be, no set of cantankerous arguments, although we can ask questions and make our differences known. But overall, we ought to embrace the righteousness and justice of Jesus without complaint.

And there’s no better way to end today than with this commentary. ‘The song “I Surrender” is a beautiful reminder of the power of surrendering to God and trusting in Him. When we surrender to God, He will provide us with strength, courage, mercy, and grace. We can trust Him to take care of us and provide for us. May we all remember to surrender to God and trust in Him.’

I could not put it any better than that my fellow believers. So, please, let’s spend some time today pondering how we can fully surrender our will to God’s. Much LOVE!

…only in total surrender to God…can He do His best work in us…

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