04 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: 4th of July, a delicate whispering voice, a few tears fell, A Friendship Observed, a future and a hope, a gentle internal prompting, a means of restoring faith in you, a modicum of circumspection, a still small voice, a strong wind rent the mountains, a very personal task, a way god commuinicates with individuals, a willingness to listen, affirmations, after being zealous for the Lord, after the earthquake a fire, after the fire, after the wind an earthquake, anguish, anxiety and confusion, be responsible, brake in pieces the rocks, calamity, call upon me, confessions, crying out for help, defeat the simmering unrest in our land, discipline, discontent, dissatisfaction, divine aid, dramatic displays of power, ecstasy, faith, father's death, Friday chant, God speaks to all His people, God whispers secrets to all of us, God's whispered secrets, godly information, groping, holy spirit, hundreds of memories encircled the room, I know the thoughts that I have toward you, I will hearken unto you, if you'll listen, insights, intense struggles, introduce a new flock of believers, Jesus Christ, Jezebel, journals, joy, LOVE, make a positive difference, mercy, omnipotent help, One Year Book of Bible promises, our sinful world, pray unto me, problems are escalating, pull up our socks, purging, questions, record of life, recounting of his inner life, return backsliders to your fold, reuires attentiveness, Ruth Harms Calkin, salvation, seek me and find me, semons, spiritual encounters, stand strong and steadfast, stay safe, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the example we faithful believers set, the Lord passed by, the Lord was not in the fire, the story of Elijah, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, to handle the unexpected storms properly, to live the godly life, trusting faith, truth, U.S.A Independence Day, ungodly times, wake up and smell the coffee, when ye search for me with all your heart, wisdom, wise guidance, zealous for the Lord
1 Kings 19:12. And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice (a delicate whispering voice).
And today is another birthday celebration; the U.S.A’s Independence Day, when on the 4th of July 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted and the 13 North American colonies officially separated from Great Britain. And can you imagine the celebrations down there, especially since it falls on a Friday! There’d be more ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday!’ shouts than normal for the long weekend. But again, we must issue the caution to have a modicum of circumspection during the celebrations for our world is already flooded with enough disasters to last us more than one lifetime, and accidents happen rather easily and quickly when we don’t pay particular attention while celebrating. End of sermon!
Today I want to share an interesting but not exclusive story from our One Year Book of Bible Promises, with writings by Ruth Harms Calkin. This one’s titled ‘A Friendship Observed.’ And I truly don’t know if I’ve ever shared this one before, (smile) but it does make very interesting and appropriate reading.
So please read with me. ‘After my father’s death, I sat in his quiet office sorting through years of sermons and journals. A few tears fell on the pages. My task was very personal. Hundreds of memories encircled the room. I was amazed, yet pleased, when I began to compare my journals with my father’s. Our groping and intense struggles, our affirmations and confessions were so often interlaced. It would never have occurred to us to share our journals while Dad was still living. Diaries, letters, journals, and even phone calls were private.
Today I reflect upon my own record of life – page after page of spiritual encounters. Anguish, questions, purging, joy, discipline, insights, ecstasy, faith – God’s whispered secrets. Suddenly the early beginning became very much alive: A little girl, seven or eight, hearing her father say, “If you’ll listen – really listen – God will whisper secrets to you!” My father had said something very beautiful and strange. How did he know that God would whisper secrets to me? But as I sorted through my father’s careful recounting of his inner life and journey, it suddenly became very clear: He too, had heard God’s secrets!’
And yuh know what friends, that’s a truth we all ought to know, for God speaks to all of His people, He whispers secrets to all of us…but like the story says, the qualifying statement is that we really, really have to listen to hear those secrets that God’s whispering to us. And if we don’t truly listen, then we won’t hear them, and then we’ll be lost or miss something(s) very useful and or necessary for us to live the godly life.
Remember the Lord and the Holy Spirit speak mostly in a still, quiet voice. And we have a magnificent example of that from the story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19, hiding in a cave up on a mountain, running from Queen Jezebel’s promise to kill him, after he had killed a great number of her evil prophets. And the Lord came and asked him what he was doing there, and he claimed that after being zealous for the Lord, he was the only one left, and they were trying to kill him.
Then the Lord told him: ‘Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. and behold the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent (tore into) the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice (a delicate whispering voice).’ (1 Kin. 19:11-12)
Yes friends, so it is, that oftentimes the Lord is not in the earthquake, the storm, the fire or whatever disaster might happen, but in a quiet voice thereafter. And I like how this commentary explains it. ‘The phrase “God speaks in a still small voice” originates from the biblical story of Elijah in 1 Kings 19. It describes a way God communicates with individuals, not through dramatic displays of power like wind, earthquake, or fire, but through a gentle, internal prompting. This still, small voice is often interpreted as a quiet, internal whisper or intuition that requires attentiveness and a willingness to listen.’
Please note again, that to hear that still small voice we must be very attentive and ever so willing to listen, or else we’ll miss the godly information being shared. And interestingly enough, the Bible verse for our story today is one that we all know and like to quote, although we might not action it as much as we ought to. (smile)
It comes from Jeremiah: ‘For I know the thoughts that I have toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13) Yes my people, that’s what it takes to find the Lord and make Him listen; seeking Him with all your heart. Now let’s do that by going to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant.
Altogether: ‘‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly.
And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh my people, our world is very sinful, and our Christian witness needs to be much improved if we hope to make a dent in it. So let’s pull up our socks nuh so that we can make a positive difference, and also receive divine aid! Much LOVE!
…to listen…to listen…and to listen…that’s how you hear…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Mar 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good omen, a more rewarding prayer, bask in the light of Jesus, be filled with their own devices, be quiet from fear of evil, Bible, call upon him while he is near, call upon me, call upon meI will not answer, christianity, Christians, deepen my breath, disdained all my counsel., distress and anguish come upon you, double-minded attitude, eat the fruit of their own way, faith, fighting a valiant battle, fools hate knowledge, God will abundantly pardon, he will have mercy upon him, holy spirit, how long ye simple ones, I have called and ye refused, I love them that love me, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I want to be with you now, I will hearken unto you, I will not answer, I will pour out my spirit unto you, in all sincerity and truth, in the opening of the gates, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, laugh at your calamity, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let him return unto the Lord, let the wicked forsake his way, LOVE, make known my words unto you, mercy, mock when your fear comes, naivety, no man regarded, pray unto me, pros and cons, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, run to the rock for rescue, salvation, seek me and find me, seek me diligently, seek ye the Lord while he may be found, seeking sincere intimacy with God, seriously contemplate the consequences of each decision, she raises her voice in the streets, slow my thoughts, stretched out my hand, thank you for this tenderness, the complacency of fools, the foes of darkness, the morally dull, the scorners delight in scorning, the turning away of the simple, the unrighteous man his thoughts, those who seek me early will find me, truth, turn you at my reproof, undivided attention, waywardness, when terror comes as desolation, whoso hearkens to me shall dwell safely, will ye love simplicity, wisdom, wisdom calls aloud in the streets, wisdom crieth without, ye shall search for me with all your heart, you are here with me, you can't be contained, your destruction comes as a whirlwind, your love surrounds and fills me
Proverbs 8:117. I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.
And it’s another lazy-day Saturday friends, but a windy, chilly and cloudy one, until a short while ago, around mid-day, when the sun, fighting a valiant battle, finally overcame the clouds and shone forth in all its bright and manly presence. (smile) Now that’s a good omen for us believers in Christ Jesus, reassuring us that if we stand strong and fight the foes of darkness, we too can overcome and bask in the glorious light of Jesus!
And with that reassurance under our belt, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with all sincerity and truth. As one strong voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And there isn’t a more rewarding prayer than one seeking sincere intimacy with our heavenly Father, for that’s one of His heart’s greatest desires. It warms the cockles of His heart when we come sincerely seeking Him. That’s why there are several scriptures in God’s Word that specifically speak about seeking Him. Let’s check out a few of them nuh, like this one from Isaiah, where He writes: ‘Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.’ (Is. 55:6-7)
Right there my people, we see the wisdom of seeking God; He’ll pardon and have mercy on all who seek Him. But there’s one important proviso, as stated in this scripture from Jeremiah that we all know, where he declares: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with your whole heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13) Yes friends, there is a necessity to seeking God sincerely, or with all of your soul, body, mind and heart if you want to find Him.
Meanwhile Cousin Sol who has something to say on every subject, (smile) says it thus in Proverbs: ‘I LOVE them that LOVE me; and those that seek me early (diligently) shall find me.’ (Prov. 8:17) There again, more sincere and whole hearted seeking of God is necessary to find Him. We just can’t go with any wishy-washy, double-minded attitude and find Him. No! It must be with all of our being! And Cousin Sol further intimates that we must seek God as though we’re seeking for silver or gold, for hidden treasure; that’s with total undivided attention, putting all we have into it. (Prov. 2:4)
So, now that we have heard all about the benefits of sincerely seeking the Lord, let’s look at what happens if we don’t seek Him. And Cousin Sol puts it right out there when he talks in the beginning of Proverbs about ‘Wisdom Cries in the Streets.’ The scholars explain that He personifies her as a prophetess calling out in public places to everyone to come to her and learn.
He writes: ‘Wisdom crieth without (calls aloud in the street); she uttereth (raises) her voice in the streets (plazas). She crieth in the chief place of concourse (concourses), in the opening of the gates: in the city she uttereth her words, saying, How long, ye simple (naïve) ones, will ye LOVE simplicity (naivety)? And the scorners delight in their scorning, and fools hate knowledge?’ (Prov. 1:20-22) Now those are very good questions my brethren, questions that many of us need to seriously consider today, since our world is currently so full of exactly what Cousin Sol’s talking about; naivety or lack of knowledge, the scorning of scoffers, hatred of wisdom by fools or the morally dull.
But then we have this graceful invitation that was also turned down. ‘Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you. Because I have called, and ye refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded; But ye have set at nought (disdained) all my counsel, and would (have) none of my reproof:’ (Prov. 1:23-25) Yes friends, that’s exactly what too many of us have done; rejected God and His awesome help, and what our foolish and mentally disturbed world is adamantly continuing to do.
But hear what’s in the works for such of us nuh! ‘I also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock when your fear (terror) cometh; When your fear (terror) cometh as desolation (a storm), and your destruction cometh as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish cometh upon you.’ (Prov. 1:26-27) Now is that what we truly desire? I doubt it. And the story is not yet finished.
Listen up: ‘Then they shall call upon me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me early (diligently), but they shall not find me: For that they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear (reverence) of the Lord: They would (have) none of my counsel: they despised all of my reproof. Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices. For the turning away (waywardness) of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity (complacency) of fools shall destroy them. But whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet (be secure or at ease) from fear of evil.’ (Prov. 1:28-33)
There you have it my fellow believers, the pros and cons for seeking God diligently and with our whole being, and also being foolish and rejecting Him. Now, it’s up to each of us to choose the path we shall tread, but first, please let’s very seriously contemplate the consequences of each decision! Much LOVE!
…the time to sincerely seek God is…NOW…for as the old song says…if you wait too late…when you run to the Rock for rescue…there’ll be no rock…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
28 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a double minded man is unstable in all his ways, a future and a hope, a great high priest, a proud heart, according to his riches in glory, acknowledge God's sovereignty, an aura of peace, an high look, as little faith as a mustard seed, ask in faith, ask of God, Bible, calamity, call upon me, chaos, Christ's birth, christianity, Christmas week, come boldly unto the throne of grace, comfort, deepen my breath, double minded, driven with the wind, extricated from, faith, find grace to help, gives to all men liberally, go and pray to me, God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him, God will meet all your needs, God will work everything out for our own good, He gives liberally and without reproach, he that wavers, heightened sense of peace, hold fast our profession, holy spirit, humility, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, I will hearken unto you, if any of you lack wisdom, in time of need, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, like a wave of the sea, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, man-made strife, mercy, natural disasters, New Year's celebrations, no respite, not doubting, nothing wavering, obtain mercy, on God's great earth, one of the most powerful forces, our godly responsibility, prayer, prayer can move mountains, praying for others, pride is an abomination to God, puts the icing on the cake, quiet my soul, relax, relax my muscles, salvation, sincere and heartfelt prayer, slow my thoughts, sympathize with our weaknesses, take a moment to remember, thank you for this tenderness, the amazing power of prayer, the joyful time, the plowing of the wicked is sin, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, touched wit the feeling of our infirmities, truth, untenable situations, when ye search for me, wind down, wisdom, wishy-washy, with all your heart, without faith it is impossible to please God, without reproach, ye shall seek me and find me, you can't be contained, your love surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.
So, at long last, through all the carryings ons of Christmas week, we’ve finally come to our lazy-day Saturday, where we can take a break, relax and catch our breath, wind down, until it’s time to wind back up for the New Year’s celebrations next week. Wow! What a crazy time the Christmas and New Year seasons are, with little or no respite from the joyful celebrations.
But please, let’s take a moment to remember that a great portion of our world is either surrounded by man-made strife and chaos, or they have recently been inflicted by natural disaster, so they are in no position to engage in the celebrations that we take for granted. It’s so sad, when so much of the earth’s population are not able to enjoy the joyful time that Christ’s birth brings.
And it’s unfortunate that most of us cannot do more than pray for them to be soon extricated from their untenable situations. But let’s not forget that prayer is one of the most powerful forces on God’s great earth, and therefore can move mountains if we truly believe, have even as little faith as a mustard seed. That means we cannot stop praying for those who are not as fortunate as us. It’s our godly responsibility.
Now, let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in all sincerity and truth. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
And friends, it never ceases to amaze me how quickly after saying that prayer, something like a veil… or aura of peace comes down and settles in my soul. Not that I didn’t have peace before, but now it’s somewhat heightened, and my soul and spirit seem much lighter than before. And if your prayer was sincere, then I know that you also feel that heightened sense of peace and comfort.
Why? Because that’s the amazing power of sincere and heartfelt prayer! It just speaks to the great communication we can have with our wonderful God Jehovah, if we are obedient to His will and regularly seek His face. What did He say to the people of Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, when they were in captivity in Babylon?
After promising to return them to Jerusalem seventy years later, Jeremiah announced: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13)
Oh my people, right there is one of the most provocative and thought provoking promises of the Bible! If we seek the Lord with all of our heart, we will certainly find Him! It could not be any simpler than that. So why are so many of us still wishy-washy, uncertain, vague, unsure in seeking God eh? That’s obviously not in our best interest, because God doesn’t like double- minded or doubtful people.
As James tells us in his epistle: ‘If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not (without reproach); and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering (not doubting). For he that wavereth (doubts) is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.’ (James 1:5-8)
Yes my brethren, when we become the sons and daughters of God, we ought not to have too many doubts about Him, or our circumstances, for He’s promised to meet all of our needs to according to His riches in glory through Christ Jesus. (Phil. 4:19) And also that He will work everything out for our good eventually. (Rom. 8:28) That means acknowledging and believing His faithfulness in His promises.
What does Hebrews tell us on the subject of faith? ‘But without faith it is impossible to please him (God): for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.’ (Heb. 11:6) There again we have the premise of diligently seeking God. And I believe Hebrews also puts the icing on the cake of doubt, wisdom, believe and faith with these marvellous words, regarding our great High Priest, Jesus.
‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into (through) the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (confession). For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched (sympathize) with the feeling of our infirmities (our weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in the time of need.’ (Heb. 4:14-16)
Oh my fellow saints, nothing can be better than that! We have an high priest, an advocate, one seeking our best interests before the throne of God, and the best part is that He understands and appreciates our weaknesses and frailties because He too was buffeted by sin while on earth, but He remained sinless. And there’s no one better to go to for help than one who’s already experienced your misfortune and thus can personally understand what you’re going through.
However, before we close, there’s one proviso to all of our conversation, that is, though we can go boldly or confidently to the throne of grace, we cannot go arrogantly or haughtily, for if there’s anything the Lord dislikes it’s pride. As Cousin Sol says so rightly in Proverbs, a proud look is an abomination to Him. (Prov. 6:16-17) And furthermore: ‘An high look, and a proud heart, and the plowing (lamp) of the wicked, is sin.’ (Prov. 21:4)
So in all our doings with the Lord, we must ensure that our humility is in place, and we respect His sovereignty. Now that doesn’t mean we have to cower and be afraid. No, it just means that we must know our place. (smile) And we if we do, while seeking Him diligently and confidently, then our lives will be filled with the abundance that Christ died for us to have! Much LOVE!
…if you truly desire to have God in your life…then you need to…diligently search for Him…with all of your heart…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Nov 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, as the problems increas, as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, asleep at the wheel, backsliders, be able to comfort them which are in trouble, Bible, blessed be God, by the comfort, calamity, call upon me, chaotic world, christianity, comforts us in tribulation, divine aid, errors of their ways, eternal life, eternal separation from God, faithful believers, fellowship, find me, Friday chant, god, God still runs things, God still sits on His throne, hard hearted attitudes, holy spirit, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I will hearken unto you, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, new flock of believers, nothing happens unless God allows it, omnipotent help, our consolation aboundeth by Christ, pray unto me, rolling hellbound, salvation, search for me with all your heart, seek me, shocking results, slavatio, so does consolation, stubborn, suffer the consequences, TGIF! Thank God it's Friday!, the divide between God and man, the example, the Father of all mercies, the God of All Comfort, the lustful and prideful ways of the world, the straight and narrow path, the throne of grace, the wide and winding path, this too must pass, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, truth, unexpected storms, ungodly times, ungraeful, wake up and smell the coffee, we ourselves are comforted of God, wise guidance
2 Corinthians 1:5. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) aboundeth by Christ, (as the problems increase, so does the consolation).
So Friday is here at last, and all the shouts of ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday!’ rise to high heaven, in thanksgiving for the upcoming end of another tough work week; what with the shocking results of the U.S. Presidential occupying the minds and sensibilities of our already chaotic world. But yuh know what friends? That, like everything else in this crazy world must pass!
Granted, some unnatural and evil things might befall us before it does, but let’s remember that the Great God Jehovah still sits on His heavenly throne and still runs things, though it may seem He is asleep at the wheel. But that’s incorrect, for nothing happens in this world unless He allows it. That’s the comfort we have to take as believers in His Son Jesus Christ. And consequently, let’s never forget these most encouraging words of Bruh Paul from his second missive to the church at Corinth.
‘Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort; Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble (tribulation), by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation (comfort) aboundeth by Christ, (as the problems increase, so does the consolation). (2 Cor. 1:3-5)
Now that’s the wonderful God we serve my fellow believers! One who comforts us in all our trials, so that we can comfort each other with that same comfort we receive from Him! Wow! Please give our amazing and awesome God some thanks and praise for His goodness and mercy to us, underserving children of men! For we certainly don’t deserve all that He’s done on our behalf, but His LOVE towards us is so great that He just cannot help Himself!
Remember He made us for Himself; to have wonderful and LOVING fellowship with Him, and to do His will, so His connection to us is undeniably strong. The problem is that we haven’t returned the LOVE that He desires of us, that’s why there’s the divide between us, a divide He’s desirous of fixing and doing His best to fix, but we, with our stubborn, hardhearted, ungrateful attitudes are refusing to have anything to do with the fixing, preferring the lustful and prideful ways of the world.
Then we’ll just have to suffer whatever consequences those ungodly things and actions bring us, praying that hopefully, before it’s too late, we wake up and see the wrongness of our ways. Remember how Jesus emphasized that we walk the straight and narrow and difficult path that leads to Him and eternal life, and not the wide, winding and easy path that we’re choosing which leads to hellfire and eternal damnation, to eternal separation from Almighty God. (Matt. 7:13-14) And nowhere in time has this wisdom been more important and necessary than right now, as our world seems to be rolling hell bound with increasing speed as each and every day goes by.
Oh my fellow saints, please, let’s remember what God said to Israel through the prophet Jeremiah, when He exiled them to Babylon for their disobedience and idolatrous ways. He promised to return them to their land after a period of seventy years had elapsed. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). (Jer. 29:11)
And that sounds like a wonderful promise, but it was not going to happen automatically, for the Lord added this addendum to it: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:12-13)
Yes friends, the Lord won’t rain down blessings on us for no good reason. No! We have to sincerely seek and search for Him with all of our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. Remember Jesus said that was the first and great commandment. (Matt. 22:37) And if we don’t follow that first commandment, how can we expect to receive anything good from God eh?
That’s just a fool’s wisdom. You can’t dilly dally, or hob knob with Satan and sin, and then expect to receive salvation and eternal life from God. That’s never going to happen! Not even in our wildest dreams! So please, let’s wake up and see the frail, fickle and sinful state of our world nuh, and make the wise and wonderful decision to forsake sin and Satan and return to Jesus Christ and His righteousness. And to help us make that magnificent change, let’s go to the throne of grace through our Friday Chant, seeking divine aid in our time of great need.
Altogether: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle these unexpected storms properly. And please help the rest of us to be responsible and to stay safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times.
We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’
And let’s not fool ourselves with that prayer, for divine aid will not be forthcoming unless we step up to the plate and become better examples of Christian belief! Much LOVE!
…God is good and merciful and compassionate…but He also expects us to…sincerely seek Him…and obey His will and ways…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
08 Jun 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a man after God's own heart, a willing mind, a windy lazy-day Saturday, Bible, but of God which trieth out hearts, call upon me, deepen my breath, faith, god, grin and bear it, he will cast you off forever, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I want to be with you now, I will hearken unto you, if you forsake him, increase my awareness of you, is abomination in the sight of the Lord, Jesus, Jesus Christ, justify yourselves before men, know thou the God of thy father, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, LOVE, man looks on the outward appearance, man's ways are right in his eyes, not as pleasing men, pray unto me, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, search for me, serve him with a perfect heart, slow my thoughts, the Lord pondereth the hearts, the Lord searcheth all hearts, the Lord seeth not as man seeth, the motives of our hearts, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you and expected end, tru sincerity, truth, what is highly esteemed among men, wisdom, with all your heart, ye shall seek me and find me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
And it’s another lazy-day Saturday friends, but a rather windy one in my area. Well what’s new about that eh? Nothing! For this will be the third straight windy day we’ve had this week. And according to my theory, it’s blown away most of the rain we were supposed to have. (smile) So we’ve had a miniscule amount of heavenly blessings, compared to what the weather forecasters had predicted. Yesterday was also pretty chilly, as far as I was concerned. But who knows what’s going on in this crazy times of climate change and inconsistent weather patterns? Only the Good Lord…and He’s not telling. So we just have to grin and bear whatever comes against us, of course with His compassionate help!
And to accentuate that divine aid, let’s go to Him right now, offering up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer in heartfelt sincerity. As one voice: ‘Lord, I want to be with You now. Please slow my thoughts and quiet my soul. Let my muscles relax, my breath deepen. You are here with me – Your peace and LOVE are present. I marvel to think You can’t be contained, that Your LOVE both surrounds and fills me. Thank You for this tenderness, Lord. I praise You for Your unceasing nearness. Increase my awareness of You today, that I may know You all the more. Amen!’
Now, I just LOVE that prayer, because it’s one the Father cannot refuse to answer if our motives are sincere, since it’s one where we are actively seeking His person, His presence, offering up praise and thanksgiving, asking Him to come more deeply into our lives, our souls, bodies and minds. How could He ever refuse our sincere pleas to know and LOVE Him more eh? Never! Otherwise He’d be denying His own word. Remember what He says in Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope). Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer. 29:11-13)
Yes friends, when we seek the Lord with all of our hearts, we will find Him, and He will listen to our pleas. But the operative words there are ‘with all of our hearts,’ or in true sincerity. That’s the number one requirement for activating heaven’s help – a true and sincere heart. For as Cousin Sol so wisely tells us in Proverbs: ‘Every way of a man is right in his own eyes: but the Lord pondereth (weighs) the hearts. To do justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) is more acceptable to the Lord than sacrifice.’ (Prov. 21: 2-3)
So though we may think that everything we do is right, remember the Lord judges us by the motives of our hearts, by what is in our hearts, by our earnest and sincere efforts; rather than by what we can accomplish through our actions. And a long time ago, the Lord pointed out this very salient fact to Samuel when he sent him to choose the new king of Israel from amongst the sons of Jesse. When Samuel saw the fine physical attributes of the eldest son, Eliab, he at once thought that he would be the new king. But the Lord immediately stopped him by saying: ‘Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 17:7) It could not get any clearer than that my brethren.
And later on when Bruh David became king, ‘a man after God’s own heart’ (1 Sam. 13:14) on handing over the building of God’s temple to Cousin Sol, he tells him. ‘And thou, Solomon my son, know thou the God of thy father, and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind: for the Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek him, he will be found of thee; but if thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever. Take heed now; for the Lord hath chosen thee to build an house for the sanctuary: be strong, and do it.’ (1 Chr. 28:9-10) Oh my people wiser words were never spoken from a father to a son. And those are the kind of words we ought to be speaking to our children in these ungodly and lawless days.
Now, Jesus also mentions God judging our hearts when He says to the Pharisees: ‘Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.’ (Luke 16:15) And we all know that some things considered acceptable to men are disliked by God to such an extent, that they become abominations to Him; obscene, totally revolting, and hated.
Then, there are Bruh Paul’s words on the subject of God trying our hearts. In recalling his conduct to the Thessalonians, he says: ‘For our exhortation was not of deceit (error), nor of uncleanness, nor in guile (deceit): But as we were allowed of (approved by) God to be put in trust with the gospel, even so we speak; not as pleasing men, but God, which trieth (tests) our hearts.’ (1 Thess. 2:3-4)
And I like how the scholars explain that verse. They say: “Allowed” means that God had carefully examined Paul and found him to be fit for the ministry, thus entrusting the apostle with this responsibility. “Trieth” means that the Lord examines him daily to see whether he remains fit and can continue in the ministry. This habitual divine scrutiny is the reason Paul seeks to please God rather than men. God, then, is the ultimate cause and motive of Paul’s ministry, not impurity (vs.3), or of covetousness (vs.5).’
And there is no better note to end on today than on that my people; the utmost importance of pleasing God and not man, if we expect our witness to be worth anything! Much LOVE!
…the outward appearance of man is deceitful…for it’s in the heart of man…that his true motives lie…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
27 Jul 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a very present help in trouble, anxieties, asaph, behold the works of the Lord, call upon me, come short in obedience, compliance to your word, delivers them from their troubles, evil, exalted in the earth, faithfully promised, forgiving, get up and give thanks, God is our refuge and strength, grace, gracious God, havoc, heal our land, heal our wounded souls, his calming influence, humble ourselves, humble servants, I will deliver thee, in the day of trouble, Jehovah Rapha, keepeth all his bones, maketh wars to cease, merciful, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, no guarantees of safety, offer unto God thanksgiving, our many flaws and weaknesses, pay thy vows unto the Most High, redeemeth the soul of his servants, repenetance, restrictions been lifted, rocking and rolling, Selah, sincerely seek thy face, slay the wicked, still loves us, the afflictions of the righteous, the believer's strength, the god of jacob is our refuge, the God who heals, the joy of the Lord, the Lord hears, the One who made us, the righteous cry, the sons of Korah, the stroms of life, thou shalt glorify me, to hear and answer our prayers, turn from our evil ways, under his mighty wings, we run for refuge and comfort, we will not fear, wise guidance and direction, worldwide strife and protests
Psalm 50:15. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.
Oh friends, please sing with me: ‘Monday morning is come, so we rocking and rolling; That’s how we do it, when Monday morning comes. We get up and give thanks, and prepare to enjoy the day, whatever the weather… whatever the circumstances. That’s because, the One who made us…and still LOVES us, despite our many flaws and weaknesses, is looking out, for all those who call Him Lord and Saviour!
Under His mighty wings, we run for refuge and comfort, when the storms of life assail us, assured that He will calm them, and heal our wounded souls, because all storms respond to His calming influence. So that’s why we sing: Is Monday morning…and we rocking and rolling. Yes, is Monday morning, and we rocking and rolling…we rocking and rolling…forever…with Jesus… yes forever…with Jesus…!’
Ah mih people, I do hope that you all like my li’l ditty! (smile) And it’s how we ought to greet Mondays – with joy and great promise… As Asaph the psalmist says: ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps. 50:14-15) It could not get any clearer and more straightforward than that my friends.
So since we’ve offered thanksgiving, now let’s call upon the Lord in our time of very serious trouble. Let’s take our concerns to the heavenly throne, where Jesus, our intercessor is waiting to plead our case before the Father. In confident though humble voices and spirits, let’s declare (steups!) our Monday Morning Battle Hymn.
‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive, and hopefully haven’t contracted the virus that’s causing havoc around our world. And our anxieties have been recently deepened because some restrictions have been lifted in the lockdown, so more of us are going out to work now without any guarantees of safety. Then to complicate matters Father, suddenly, and unexpectedly, just like the virus, worldwide strife and protests have also struck us in this sad time of pandemic, and we don’t have a clue how to handle either situation properly.
Mass confusion is currently prevailing in our world, and we desperately need your help to solve both problems, as You are the ONLY One with the power and insight to successfully handle them. Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face.
That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction. Please show us how to successfully handle these scourges that are currently plaguing Your beautiful earth. Please help our leaders to wisely quell the strife and protests, thus bringing unity, peaceful consensus and real improvement in the areas that are now sadly lacking. Please help the scientists to also find a positive solution, a sure antidote to the virus as quickly as possible. And for those who have already contracted the virus, or been injured in the strife, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them.
Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’
And now that we’ve placed our problems in Jesus’ capable hands, let’s get some further reassurance from the Lord’s Word. Hear the sons of Korah. ‘God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (abundantly available help). Therefore will we not fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried away into the midst (the heart) of the sea; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:1-3)
And if you don’t believe the sons of Korah, then listen to Bruh David nuh. ‘The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit (crushed in spirit). Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked: and they that hate the righteous shall be desolate (condemned or held guilty). The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants: and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate (condemned).’ (Ps. 34:17-22)
Oh Bubba! How much more assurance do we need before we put our absolute trust in Almighty God eh? But just in case we do need some more, (smile) let’s hear from the sons of Korah again. ‘Come behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire. Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah.’ (Ps. 46:8-11)
Now with all of that confidence and assurance ringing in our hearts and souls, let’s go out and enjoy the day the Lord has made, as we do good and worthwhile ambassadorial work in His holy and wonderful name! Much LOVE!
…the joy of the Lord…is the believer’s unfailing strength…
23 Mar 2020
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a sound mind, adoration, an anitdote, call upon me, chawing tobacco, come back even stronger, compliance to God's Word, Coronavirus, discipline, disobedience, dropping like flies, dsiastrous situations, he delivered them, humility, hungry, I will deliver thee, in the day of trouble, in their trouble, insincere repentance, jehovah god, Jehovah Rapha, lack of foresight, learned valuable lessons, led them forth by the right way, like a vapour, LOVE, never give up, offer unto God thanksgiving, out of their distresses, pay thy vows, pigheaded, power of the holy spirit, punishment, rebuild, repentance, resilient, running us ragged, standard bearer for sin, stubbornly sinful, the battle is the Lord's, the God who heals, The Israelites, their soul fainted, they cried unto the Lord, thirsty, thou shalt glorify me, wandering aimlessly, will not win the war, winning the battle, with God's help, worhtless
Psalm 107:6. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses.
So it’s a new day…in a new week, and the war continues between the Coronavirus and mankind. And sadly, right now the virus seems to be holding the upper hand because mankind never expected this war, and thus were not prepared for it. But there’s one thing I know, that Jehovah God made His greatest creation strong, tough and resilient, with the attitude of never giving up, of being able to rebound even from a fight which they never expected and thus were ill prepared for. Thus I can safely say that though the virus is winning the battle right now, it WILL NOT, I repeat, it WILL NOT win the overall war!
And why is that? Because with God’s help, we WILL produce an antidote for it, and we WILL be the eventual winners, although by then, our world might have been severely ravaged by the enemy virus! But undoubtedly, then we will rebuild and come back even stronger than we were before, having learned valuable lessons from this lack of foresight. Yes friends, that’s the belief we Christians need to foster in these sad and trying times, for despite all our difficulties, as believers, we must always remain hopeful and faithful.
That’s because we have been made in the spiritual image of the Most High God Jehovah, and have not been imbued with a spirit of fear, but one of mighty courage through the power of the Holy Spirit, and the unmatchable attribute of LOVE, plus a sound and disciplined mind. Consequently, we won’t run from any fight, because we have all the tools to win any battle… with the Lord on our side. For remember the battle is the Lord’s, the eventual outcome is always in His hands. But with the very sinful and disobedient state of our current world, it is difficult to picture the Lord being on our side right now.
Oh yes, He still LOVES us, that won’t ever change, but fighting for us in this our time of serious need is another matter. But my people, we have so many examples of Israel’s disobedience and subsequent punishment, then eventual repentance and return to God’s favour and grace that I strongly suggest right now is such a time for us. Oh my faithful brethren, if this isn’t the time for serious repentance, I don’t know when it will ever come nuh. Right now, we’re like the Israelites, wandering aimlessly in the desert.
As the psalmist says: ‘They wandered in the wilderness in a solitary (desolate) way; they found no city to dwell in. Hungry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them out of their distresses. And he led them forth by the right way, that they might go to a city of habitation.’ (Ps.107:4-7) Oh friends, right now this virus is running us ragged, our souls are sore afraid, we’re dropping like flies stuck in honey, and many of us don’t know which way to turn.
But we, the faithful, do know where to turn, to our great God and Father in heaven. It’s a no-brainer, but it does call for sincere repentance. We can’t continue being stubbornly sinful and pigheaded and expect Him to help us. As Asaph says in Psalm 50 – God is the judge – and He certainly is; though we seem to keep forgetting that most salient fact. ‘Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the Most High: And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.’ (Ps. 50:14-15)
It couldn’t be any clearer than that my people! Pay the vows we promised; in other words, sincerely repent and begin doing the things we should have been doing all along, and when trouble comes, like now, we can call out to Him in strong confidence, knowing that He will hear us and alleviate our problems. But yuh know what, some of us are so stubborn and foolish, we will refuse to turn to God, our Creator, and the most omnipotent Being in the universe, and instead choose to wait on man to find a solution to our problems.
Hn! Man; whose life is short and worthless like a vapour, and whose power, the li’l he has, comes from the same Almighty Creator. And friends, this can’t afford to be insincere repentance nuh, because if the Lord doesn’t intervene on our behalf soon, the virus going to tear us up and spit us out like chawing tobacco. Yuh see the sad state Italy is in, and also the mighty U.S. of A; whose claim to fame as the greatest power ever on the face of the earth was said to be because of God’s wonderful favour and grace. But unfortunately, instead of staying aligned with God’s purpose, it has now become the standard bearer for sin and ungodliness.
One time when Israel’s repentance was insincere, hear the Lord’s comment through Hosea. ‘I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge (confess) their offense, and seek my face: in their affliction they will seek me early (diligently).’ (Hos.5:15) Oh friends, it is of the utmost importance that we diligently seek the Lord’s face RIGHT NOW! So please join me in a sincere prayer of thanksgiving, repentance and a soulful cry for help.
‘Heavenly Father, we come to you on bended knees, in humble adoration, giving you thanks for keeping us alive this Monday morning. We know that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we also know that you are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we humbly come to you now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading for assistance in stopping this Coronavirus that’s wreaking havoc all over our world.
Gracious Lord, we don’t know how to handle it, but with Your remarkable help, we know that we can stop, can successfully handle this scourge that’s plaguing the earth. So Father, we ask that you graciously and mercifully grant our leaders, scientists, and medical personnel wise guidance and direction, so that they can lead us aright and develop a sure antidote as soon as possible.
In closing Lord, we ask that You keep the promise in Your Word, that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. That’s what we’re pledging to do now Lord. So please 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 my fellow believers, let’s go out and do our part nuh, so that the Lord won’t have any excuse not to do His. Much LOVE!
…if a disastrous situation like this…doesn’t bring true repentance…then who knows what will eh…
08 Jul 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great hig priest, antidote, ask for help, aura of love, call upon me, come boldly, communication, confidently, conquerors, depressed, encouraging, enlightening, exalt, faith, find me, fruitful life, further your glorious kingdom, good for the spleen, guiding light, hard work, hold fast our profession, humble servants, in time of need, Jesus, jobs, lead by example, LOVE, maintain mine own ways, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, my fortress, my rock, no hypocrite, praise, pray unto me, prayer, rejoice in thy mercy, renewed vitality, search for me, seek me, serve a useful purpose, spiritual armour, the living God, the Lord's Word, the throne of grace, Though he slay me, tired, trust in thee, with all your heart, worship
Hebrews 4:16. Let us therefor come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
And all the early July Independence parties done now! Time to get back to some hard work that’s good for the spleen and the soul. (smile) As they say, a li’l hard work never kill anybody. And that’s the gospel truth! Just wish most of this current society would acknowledge that and put it into practice. Our world would be so much more productive and conducive to better and richer living in Jesus’ name. But as believers, we can only talk and lead by example.
So having said that, let’s get up and get ourselves together this Monday morning nuh, and get out there and do our best for Jesus, because He is our Guiding Light! And because we’re only human, some of us will obviously not be up to scratch, possibly tired, depressed, troubled, or just blooming lazy! (smile) But whatever it is that ails us this morning, we have the right antidote for it; prayer, in the form of our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. So let’s come humbly, but confidently to the throne of grace to ask for help in our time of need nuh.
As one strong voice: ‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle. Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Glory to God my people! Feel the Holy Spirit moving in our souls nuh, enlightening and encouraging and strengthening us as we asked! What would we do without prayer eh? Hn! We’d be lost like the Israelites were in the wilderness for forty long, dragged out and troublesome years. But our wise and great God instituted prayer as a means of communication between Him and us. A way that we can both praise, worship and exalt Him, as well as pour out the most personal and troubling details of our souls, hearts, bodies and minds, trusting Him to help us.
And on top of all that, He has sincerely promised to answer our prayer if we live obedient to His will. Listen to His encouraging word. ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Yeh friends, calling on the Living God, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob is of the utmost importance, if we want to enjoy a joyful and fruitful life down here on earth amongst all the natural troubles and tribulations that are so rampant in these trying times. And Jeremiah, in his Lamentations, said it this way: ‘The Lord is my portion saith my soul: therefore will I hope in him.
The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam.3:24-26) And if he could say that after suffering a whole lot of problems bringing the Lord’s Word to his people Israel, then there must be some truth to it.
Meanwhile Bruh David said it thus in Psalm 31. ‘For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name’s sake lead me, and guide me. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily (secretly) for me: for thou art my strength. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. I have hated them that regard lying vanities (vain idols): but I trust in the Lord.
I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities (troubles); and hast not shut me up into the hand of (given me over to) the enemy: thou hast set my feet in a large room (wide space).’ (Ps.31:3-8)
Oh friends, what better witness declaring (yeah!) God’s mercy and LOVING-kindness can we get than from those two men who suffered so much in doing the Lord’s bidding, yet still pledged their undying LOVE and devotion to Him? Job was another righteous man who suffered much unfair and unjustified tribulation, but he also unequivocally pledged his loyalty to the God of his forefathers when he made these bold statements:
‘Though he slay me, yet will I trust him: but I will maintain mine own ways (defend my ways) before him. He also shall be my salvation: for a hypocrite shall not come before him.’ (Job 13:15-16) Fighting words those, my brethren! But that’s what happens when we have supreme faith in our God despite our troubled circumstances here on earth.
And we’ll end with these wonderful, inspiring and reassuring words of the author of Hebrews, re The sympathetic Christ. ‘Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession (faith). For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched (sympathetic) with the feeling of our infirmities (weaknesses); but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.’ (Heb.4:14-5)
Oh my people, Jesus knows all about temptation in this evil world, because He suffered it just like we are doing, but He was without sin. So He understands what we’re going through. That’s why the author ends this passage with these encouraging words. ‘Let us therefor come boldly (confidently) unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.’
And that’s exactly what we did when we prayed our Monday Morning Battle Hymn…And yuh saw the positive results. So please, let’s just keep trusting and stay strong and steadfast in the Lord. It’s the best option available to us! Much LOVE!
…to pray…to pray…and yet to keep on praying…that’s the Christian way…
21 Jan 2019
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, almighty god, antidote, aura of love, begun a good work, calamity, call upon me, calm after the storm, captive to babylon, confidence, confident of this very thing, crawl out of your hole, dangerous streets, delights, disobedience, eat and drink, enthusiasm, epitome, eternal life, eternity, evil, faith, For I know the thoughts, friends, from under your rock, get with the programme, glorious kingdom, grace, have a roof over your head, heavenly Father, higher in Jesus, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, invincible, Israelites, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not of evil, obedience, our Lord and Saviour, prayer, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shall find me, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, that I think toward you, the aftermath, thoughts of peace, to give you an expected end, truth, ungodly world, until the day of Jesus Christ, warm cocoon, will perform it, wisdom, with all your heart
Jeremiah 29:11. For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).
And then there’s the calm after the storm… But sometimes the aftermath of the storm is more dangerous than the storm itself, especially when it’s a Monday morning and you’ve got to crawl out of your hole, or from under your protective rock and make your way to work in cold, icy minus plenty degrees weather. Steups!
After being in your warm cocoon all weekend, it’s no joke to get out and face the frozen, dangerous streets. But that’s our lot. If you want to eat and drink and have a roof over your head, you have to find the wherewithal to get with the programme. (smile) And there’s no better way to do that than with our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Bless His Holy Name my people!
Oh friends, He’s done so much for us, is still doing, and has promised to continue doing, even until eternity! There’s never been – or will ever be a more wonderful person than Him! Please give Him lots of thanks, for He deserves every ounce of it…and even more!
And since not all of us possess the necessary parts to handle the day successfully, let’s turn to our Maker and heavenly Father in prayer, the most powerful force in His universe, and cry out to Him in all sincerity, through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, the antidote for all that affects us this January Monday. In unison now, with whatever enthusiasm we can raise:
‘Oh Lord God Almighty, Creator of the universe and all therein! We, your humble servants, praise your Holy Name and thank you that this Monday morning we have jobs to go to; jobs we don’t like, jobs that are unfair, difficult and even dangerous, but which serve a useful purpose here on earth; keeping lives and families together.
We also thank you Father for the renewed vitality and enthusiasm you’ve wrought in our weary souls over the last two days. It’s that rejuvenation of Spirit which allows us now to sally forth with confidence into the evil, ungodly world that surrounds us, to begin a new week of work, constantly buffeted and bombarded by the enemy’s wicked taunts, wiles and lies.
But heavenly Father, we’re not afraid, for we know we’re invincible, sure conquerors, once we’re wearing your powerful, protective spiritual armour. We surrender our all to you, and humbly ask that you let your incredible aura of LOVE, the Holy Spirit, lead and guide all your servants as we go out to meet the enemy in battle.
Fill us with steadfast faith, so that we can make worthwhile inroads into the enemy’s ranks, and thereby further your glorious kingdom. We pray this in the Holy Name of your Son, and our Saviour, Jesus Christ. AMEN!’
Oh my people, I don’t even remember how that prayer came about nuh, but it was obviously through the munificence, the most generous and bountiful grace of the Lord, because every time I pray it, it surely lifts my spirits. And I do hope it does the same to yours…
And I can see it does, because your eyes are now bright and shiny, instead of the old dull, hurting look they previously had; your shoulders are lifted up and strong, and your smile is as beautiful as ever, and above all, you’re prepared to do battle with the wicked and ungodly enemy in Jesus’ name!
Ah friends, like the ole fella’s on a roll this morning. I hope some of the enthusiasm and LOVE rubs off on you all and lifts you higher in Jesus, because that’s the whole purpose of this exercise! Enough of me though, let’s see if we can find some scripture to reassure and build our needy souls. Soon come…
I’m back, a minute later, with some wonderful news and promises! Hear the Lord our God, through the voice of Jeremiah, the prophet: ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Oh friends, that’s a promised scripture that we all know and claim to LOVE, but we don’t really hold on to it as strongly as we should, even though we know that ALL God’s promises are faithful and will be fulfilled. Just like we hear Bruh Paul telling the church at Philippi: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform (complete) it until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil.1:6)
But we don’t take it as seriously as we should. But our God doesn’t begin things and not finish them. So if He’s poured out His grace in you and saved you, then why would He not keep you safe and strong until His Son returns eh? No reason whatsoever my believing brethren!
Now let’s continue the reassuring words of Jeremiah to the Israelites who would soon be taken captive to Babylon because of their continued disobedience. ‘Then ye shall call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Ah friends, obedience is ever so necessary if we want to truly serve the Lord, but even then, we still have to seek Him, with all our hearts, if we want to find Him. Our God doesn’t like halfway measures.
When we come to Him, we must come with all that we have! So let’s ponder on all that we’ve talked about today nuh, and please, please, HOLD ON to all those wonderful promises that our God has made us. We’ll be so much better of when we do, for that’s the epitome of wisdom. Much LOVE!
…faith in God’s promises…leads to both earthly and heavenly delights…
23 Dec 2017
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future, a hope, accept Him, acceptance, adjust your focus, an expected end, attitude, Babylon, be wise, blurry, born again, calamity, call upon me, captivity, catch more flies with honey, celebrate, Christ's birth, Christian faith, Christmas Season, climate change, come to save, comfort, committed, confess our sins, control centre, difficult, diligently, disobedience, dreams, easy, empty vessels, eternal life, evil, find me, focused, forgiveness, Gentiles, give up, God's li'l Acre' Tobago, good cheer, hearken unto you, how sweet it would be, humble heart, I think toward you, Jesus, Jews, leeway, listen, LOVE, lying in the sun, mercy, mouthwatering aroma, my good word, negatives, northern climes, not come to destroy, not of evil, offer, peace, perform, pleasant attitude, positive talking, pray unto me, productive todays, salvation, saving grace, search for me, secret, seek me, seeking God, sets the tone, seventy years, sincerely, sinful life, snow, soup, sour attitudes, suffer in silence, that which was lost, the children of Israel, the Son of man, the thoughts, thoughts of peace, tomorrows, turn to Him, warm beaches, warmongering, we do today, what you want, white christmas, white stuff, wintertime, wisdom, with all your heart
Jeremiah 29:13. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.
Well friends, that white stuff looks like it’s here to stay for a while yes! Steups! And more is forecasted to fall over the next couple of days. Brother! So the folks who so desire might get their white Christmas after all. Good for them!
The rest of us will simply have to suffer in silence, (smile) because that’s just the way it is: if you live in the northern climes, then you can expect snow in the wintertime.
But somehow you never seem to get accustomed to it. And in any case, we’re lucky or blessed, because with the effects of climate change, we don’t get half as much snow now as we used to get when I first came here forty something years ago.
Oh how sweet it would be to be lying in the sun on the warm beaches of God’s li’l Acre, Tobago! But right now that’s just a dream for the future. You can’t allow those dreams to die though. (smile)
Now, since it’s Saturday, -and several different kinds of hot, nourishing soup are being concocted up Calder Hall Road in Tobago – Oh just smell the beautiful, mouthwatering aroma nuh! Dreams friends, dreams; without them we’re just empty vessels. (smile)
Let’s see what our friend Anselm had to say in his quotes this week. Listen to this first one: ‘Every morning we are born again. What we do today is what matters most.’ Yeh mih people, what we do today is important, because that sets the tone for our tomorrows. If you want to have good, productive tomorrows, you have to begin by having good, productive todays.
And remember that ‘All things are difficult before they are easy.’ Well I wouldn’t necessarily say ‘all,’ but certainly many things begin with such difficulty that unless we’re strong, focused and truly committed, we’re likely to give up before we really get started.
But here’s a li’l secret: ‘When life gets blurry Adjust your focus.’ Ah mih breddren, unfortunately life is getting very blurry these days, and there is only so much focus to adjust. Only if you are focused on Jesus can you have enough leeway for proper adjustment.
Another helpful hint is to ‘Start telling the universe what you want instead of what you don’t want.’ Yeh more positive talking and thinking will certainly be of more benefit than dwelling on the negatives of life. And finally, remember this: ‘The control center of your life is your attitude.’
Oh friends, you’ll be surprised at how much our attitude controls our life, especially in our Christian faith. Sour attitudes simply suck! They turn others off and away. On the other hand, a good, positive, pleasant attitude draws people to you and encourages them to either help you, or be helped themselves.
It’s like the saying you can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar. And that’s definitely the kind of attitude we need this Christmas season of peace, LOVE and good cheer, because that’s what Christ came to spread amongst us angry, evil, warmongering humans. Yeh friends, Jesus did come to save us, but that salvation is not automatic. We need to first turn to Him and accept Him before we can find salvation.
Listen to the Lord’s promise to the children of Israel during their time of captivity, which in the first place happened because of their gross disobedience. ‘For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place (Jerusalem).
For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity) to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer.29:10-12)
It’s the same basic idea and promise God held out to Jews and Gentiles alike when He sent His only Son Jesus into the world to save it. Jesus made that very clear several times. ‘For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.’ (Matt.18:11) ‘For the Son of man is not come to destroy men’s lives, but to save them…’ (Luke 9:56)
Oh my people, Jesus came as a Saviour, not a destroyer. However, like any other offer, His is also dependent on acceptance. Saving grace, salvation doesn’t just fall on everyone like a blanket. No, we have to come to Jesus and consciously accept His offer of salvation.
Like the Lord said through Jeremiah: ‘Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto (listen to) you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.’ (Jer.29:12-13)
Yes friends, salvation and eternal life have been guaranteed to us through the sinless sacrifice of Jesus’ life, but we have to go seeking it diligently and sincerely in and through the Lord. Until we come to Him and confess our sins with a humble heart, salvation will elude us.
The important thing my brethren, is truly searching and seeking out God because we can’t handle our sinful life any longer and we need the forgiveness, the mercy, the grace, the comfort and LOVE that only He can provide.
So this Christmas season, when we celebrate Christ’s birth, I implore us to sincerely seek out the Lord and let Him give us all that He’s promised to those who diligently search for Him. That’s wisdom in spades! Much LOVE!
…anything worthwhile is worth seeking…and nothing’s more worthwhile…than the saving grace of Jesus…so please be wise…and seek it…
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