16 Jul 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a gift for those who serve God faithfully, a promise of God's protection, a source of comfort and assurance, a transition from an earthly to a spiritual state, absent from the body, accounted as sheep for the slaughter, angels, as it is written, believers in Christ Jesus, Bible, bring us victory over our adversaries, Christian, dark ad deadly throes of winter, distress, endure to the very end with Christ, every tongue that rises against you shall be condemned, faith, famine, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, God shall wipe away all tears, God's blessings, God's vindication for believers, halfway home, hands on the plough, height nor depth, holy spirit, I a persuaded that neither death or life, in all these things we are more than conquerors, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, my eyes are fixed straight ahead, nakedness, negative words, neither sorrow nor crying, no more death, no more pain, no weapon formed against thee shall prosper, nor any other creature, not looking back at the past, not turning back, our second wind day, our wonderful position in Jesus, outweigh the problems of earthly living, peril, persecution, powers, present with the Lord, principalities, right standing with God, salvation, separate us from the love of God, sword, thank God, the ability to refute any false accusations, the breath of life is still flowing through me, the former things are passed away, the greatest friend to man, the heritage of the servants of the Lord, the limitations of the earthly body, the rewards of eternal life, their righteousness is from me, things to come, thingspresent, through him that loved us, to a glorious future with Jesus, to be absent from the body, to be present with the Lord, tribulation, truth, who shall separate us from the Love of Christ, wisdom
Isaiah 54:17a. No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn.
And then it was Wednesday, our second wind day! Imagine that nuh; it’s already the middle of our work week as well as the middle of the month of July. That means our summer is fading fast away, just the month of August is left, and that no doubt will fly away like the other summer months, quickly plunging us back into the dark and deadly throes of winter. (smile) But all’s not lost, for we have the greatest friend to man, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour, on our side, and He’s promised that nothing that comes against us will harm us.
The prophet Isaiah boldly confirms it when he writes: ‘No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise against thee in judgement thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of (from) me, saith the Lord.’ (Is. 54:17) Yes friends, that’s our heritage as believers in Christ Jesus! And NO ONE can take it from us! As this commentary tells us: ‘It’s a promise of God’s protection and vindication for believers. It signifies that while challenges and opposition may arise, they will ultimately fail to overcome those who trust in the Lord.’
Now that doesn’t mean there won’t be advances upon, or attacks against us, but that in the long run they won’t succeed. Meanwhile God promises to give us the ability to refute any false accusations or negative words spoken over us and ultimately be vindicated. It’s all a part of God’s blessings, a gift for those who serve Him faithfully, giving us right standing with Him. And as the commentary so rightly assures us: ‘The verse offers comfort and assurance to believers, reminding them that they are under God’s protection and that He will ultimately bring them victory over their adversaries.’
Wow! What a wonderful God we serve my people! And on top of all that, we have these marvellous, reassuring and uplifting words of Bruh Paul to the church at Rome, where He confidently proclaims: ‘Who shall separate us from the LOVE of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that LOVED us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, or life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the LOVE of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ (Rom. 8:35-39)
Wow mih bredrin! What a wonderful scripture, assuring us that once we accept Christ as Lord and Saviour, nothing, or no one will ever separate us from Him, and the LOVE of the Father which lives in and emanates from Him! Not even death can separate us, for after physical death, we move into new life with Him. As Bruh Paul, when talking to the Corinthians about an Eternal Building in the Heavens, expressing his desire to be with Lord, but being stopped from getting closer by this physical life says: ‘We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 5:8)
That’s our Christian belief that once we die, we’re immediately transported into the Lord’s presence, suggesting a transition from the earthly, physical body to a spiritual state of being with God. Or as this commentary puts it: ‘The core idea is that death for a Christian is not an end but a transition. Upon death, the believer’s spirit or soul is believed to be immediately united with the Lord, leaving behind the limitations of the earthly body.’
And although the pleasures of the earth can be wonderful, the next life with God for all eternity promises to be so much better, especially when there’s this magnanimous promise that John reveals in the Book of Revelation. ‘And God shall wipe away all 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.’ (Rev. 21:4)
And oh how I’m dying to see that day, when there’s no more pain! Well not really dying to see it just yet (smile) because I still have work for the Lord to accomplish down here and will have to bear some more pain to accomplish it. But won’t that be a marvellous existence? No pain, sorrow, death, crying, none of that negative stuff! Just the loss of those things will be sufficient to make eternity worthwhile. And when we add the rewards for doing God’s work…
Brother! Life will then be truly worth living! But until such time, we can still enjoy what we have down here, for the Lord has set up lots of protection for us here too. So to acknowledge that, let’s go home now declaring (chuh!!!) our Wednesday Wail, letting all and sundry know of our wonderful position in Christ Jesus.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: I’m so glad to be alive on this Wednesday! Wednesday, Wednesday, Wednesday: Thank God the breath of life is still flowing through me on this Wednesday! I am halfway home. My hands are fixed securely on the plough, and I’m not turning back. I’m not looking back at the past, not focusing on what has gone before. But my eyes are fixed straight ahead; straight ahead to a glorious future with Jesus. Glory Hallelujah!’
And for those who stick with Jesus right to the very end, an even more glorious future is promised. One that we can neither contemplate or imagine! One that’s far above our mental capabilities. So, please, let’s be wise, and make a pact to meet there at the very end nuh, and enjoy that more than glorious future together! Much LOVE!
…the rewards of eternal life with Christ…more than outweigh the problems of earthly living…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a deeper unserstanding, a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, a leather belt, an individual and corporate matter, Bible, by grace ye have been saved through faith, challenges, Christian, christianity, conquer the enemy, cut us down to size, divine aid, dressed in God's spiritual armour, duty bound, eagerness, faith, feet shod, girded your waist with truth, hand to hand combat, having your loins girt about with truth, holy character, holy spirit, hurry, in god's eyes, Jesus Christ, knowledge of the truth, logos, LOVE, mercy, moral conduct, obedience to known truth, of the joints and marrow, offense is the best part of defence, our omnipotent God, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, prayer is indispensable, praying always with all prayer, produces a godly life, quench the fiery darts of the wicked one, responsibly handled, rhema, righteousness, salvation, share His love with my neighbours, share the amazing love and friendship of Christ, sharper than any twoedged sword, spiritual belt, spiritual combat, spiritual warfare, stand, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, the armour of God, the assurance of salvation, the beloved of God, the breastplate of righteousness, the gospel frees the believer from anxiety, the gospel of peace, the helmet of salvation, the Holy Spirit's help in prayer, the hope of salvation, the preparation of the gospel of peace, the shield of faith, the sword of the Spirit, the Word of god, the Word of God is quick and powerful, troubles, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, we cannot achieve victory without prayer, willingness to take the fight to the devil, win the spiritual war, wisdom, with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, worry
Ephesians 6:14a. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (girded your waist with truth),
So it’s Tuesday, and we have forgotten Monday’s problems, and are instead concentrating on the current ones that Tuesday is bringing, because that’s what Jesus said to do. (smile) ‘Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34b). And the scholars explain: ‘That means each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ And one of the problems that can and will arise today and every day is that of putting on and keeping on the armour of God which helps us to fight against the deadly attacks of the enemy.
Now, yesterday we talked about what it meant to put on the armour of God and why it was necessary, today we will delve into exactly what it is. Bruh Paul defines them thus, in his epistle to the Ephesians. ‘Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth (girded your waist with truth), and having on the breast plate of righteousness; And your feet shod with preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked (one). And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.’ (Eph. 6:14-17)
Those are the six pieces of the armour of God, which we should always be clothed in, if we desire to effectively turn away, and eventually conquer the enemy. And what does it all mean? It’s essentially the six pieces of protection that a Roman soldier went into battle with, or any soldier should never go into hand to combat without. It begins with the truth, or knowledge of the truth of God’s Word girded about one’s waist. And per the scholars, ‘The ancient soldier’s loins (waist) were girt about with a leather belt which held most of the other pieces of armour in place. Similarly, the other pieces of the Christian’s armour depend on, and are held in place by, his spiritual “belt” or his knowledge of the “truth” of scripture.’
Then the second piece of protection in a soldier’s armoury was his breastplate, a device worn over the torso or chest to protect it from injury. The scholars say that ‘The breastplate of righteousness may be read “the breastplate which is righteousness.” It represents a holy character and moral conduct. Obedience to the “truth” known produces a godly life (righteousness).’
Meanwhile, the third piece of the believer’s armour, the ‘preparation of the gospel of peace, means “eagerness that comes from the gospel of peace.” That is, as the Roman soldier wore special shoes called caligae (heavy-soled hobnailed military sandal-boots) on his feet, enabling him to advance against the enemy, so the Christian must have on his feet (possess) a sense of “eagerness” or “willingness” to advance against the Devil and take the fight to him. Such “eagerness” to contend with Satan “comes from the gospel of peace.” The gospel gives peace to the believer, freeing him from anxiety though he advances against such a powerful opponent.’ That ought to remind us of the old adage; offense is the best part of defense. And that’s oh so true, especially in our spiritual warfare with Satan and his evildoers.
That brings us to the fourth part of our Godly spiritual armour; The shield of (which is) faith, the handheld protection that a soldier used to protect himself from the arrows launched at him, or from the enemy’s weapons in hand-to-hand combat. As per its spiritual interpretation, the scholars say, ‘it means taking God at His word by believing His promises. Such doubts will protect one from the doubts induced by Satan.’
Then there’s the fifth part of the armour, the helmet of salvation. And we know that soldiers going into battle all wear a helmet, or protection for their heads. The scholars put forth that ‘Since the readers are already Christians (Eph. 2:8), they are not here urged to be saved. First Thessalonians 5:8 describes this helmet as “the hope of salvation” that is the certainty (assurance) of salvation.’
And just because I like to spoil us so much, (smile) I will quote the two references that the scholars gave above. The first about Christians already being saved is a verse we all should know and LOVE, for it’s the very basis of our faith. ‘For by grace are ye (you have been) saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.’ (Eph. 2:8) Please let’s remember that salvation has nothing to do with our works or otherwise, but all to do with God’s great LOVE and compassion for us! And the verse from first Thessalonians about the helmet of salvation, says: ‘But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breast plate of faith and LOVE; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.’ (1 Thess. 5:8)
And finally, the sixth part of our spiritual armour: ‘The sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.’ Now, according to the scholars, ‘The Greek term rendered “word” is not logos, referring to the whole Word of God, but rhema, referring to certain portions or selected verses of Scripture.’ However, when we wield those verses at the enemy, they’re powerful enough to cut them down to size. For remember what the Bible says about God’s word?
‘For the Word of God is quick (alive), and powerful, and sharper than any two edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of (able to judge) the thoughts and intents (intentions) of the heart.’ (Heb. 4:12) Yes friends, the Word of our omnipotent God is living, powerful, can cut us down to size, and can judge all of our thoughts and intentions. In other words, we cannot hide from it.
And that’s the six basic pieces of our spiritual armour. But there’s one more piece that doesn’t pertain to the Roman soldier’s armour. And Bruh Paul reveals it in this later verse. ‘Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.’ (Eph. 6:18)
Oh my people, all our armour is of no use unless we pray! The scholars tell us that ‘Without prayer God’s armour is inadequate to achieve victory. Because prayer is indispensable!’ And we have to pray whenever Satan attacks, seeking divine aid with the help of the Spirit. Furthermore, we are to be very vigilant in the matter of prayer, and to pray not only for ourselves, but also for all our fellow believers. Because spiritual combat is both an individual and corporate matter.’ And there we have it, the whole armour of God, that we need to fight the enemy. So please, let’s study, meditate on it, and put it on, so that we can have God’s protection in this our deadly spiritual war.
Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
And having made that commitment, we’re now duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like do! Much LOVE!
…only dressed in God’s spiritual armour…with the Holy Spirit’s help in prayer…can we win the spiritual war…
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
12 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, accept calamity, all the days of my life, an encouragement to many people, bankrupt the business, Bible, blessed be God, bnelievers in Christ Jesus, burn out, Christian, christianity, comforts us in all tribulation, curse God and die, don't lose faith, eliminate debts, faith, fellowship, for being god in my valley, God on the Mountain, God will come through for you, have faith in God, He'll make them right, holy spirit, I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever, I will fear no evil, in God's name, in the presence of mine enemies, is still god in the bad times, is still god in the night, is the God in the valley, it's down in the valley, Jesus Christ, life is easy when you're on the mountain, loaded with debt, LOVE, make serious inroads into, mercy, mired in negative situations, my cup runneth over, not receive evil, O ye of little faith, our God is a good God, receive good at God's hand, retain your integrity, retake the world, reverence God, salvation, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, sweet sacrifices of praise, swimming pools, talk a good talk of faith, talk comes easy, thank you locrd, the evil world system, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the gifts we're given to share with others, the God of Comfort, The God of the day, the God of the good times, the God on the mountain, the grace to comfort others, the valley of the sahdow of death, therapy, things change, thou anointest my head with oil, thou art with me, thou preparest a table before me, though I walk through, thy rod and thy staff they comfort me, Tracy Dartt, trials and temptations, truer words were never spoken, truth, up on the mountain, up our ante, wake up from slumber, we are comforted by God, we can comfort those in trouble, when life's at its best, when things go wrong, when you're down in the valley, where your faith is really tested, why are ye fearful, wisdom, worship, you have peace of mind, you're never alone
Psalm 23:4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Now, the year 2025, and the month of January seem to be making a headlong dash for some unknown winner’s wire, because both of them started out so quickly. We just celebrated New Years, and the month is already half done. That means we believers in Christ Jesus have to up our ante right away, if we intend to make any serious inroads into the evil world system. And this Sunday, the second of the year gives us the opportunity to do just that, as we gather in the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship, worship, give thanks and receive encouragement in our faith.
So let’s get to some worship right away, by singing that soulful, but oh so true song, written by Tracy Dart, in the mid 1970’s, so aptly titled ‘God On the Mountain.’ Yes, let’s offer up sweet sacrifices of praise in a soulful, heartfelt version, sincerely meaning all we say. Singing: ‘Life is easy, when you’re up on the mountain And you’ve got peace of mind, like you’ve never known. But things change, when you’re down in the valley. Don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone. For the God on the mountain, is the God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day is still God in the night.
You talk of faith when you’re up on the mountain. But talk comes so easy when life’s at its best. But it’s down in the valley, of trials and temptations That’s where your faith, is really put to the test. For the God on the mountain is the God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right. And the God of the good times is still God in the bad times. The God of the day, is still God in the night. The God of the day, is still God in the night.’
And isn’t that the living truth my fellow believers! Our God is the One and Only True God; meaning He’s there in the day and the night, in the tough times and the good ones, as well as up on the mountain top or down in the valley. He is omnipresent, all-pervasive, as no other supposed God is! That’s why we worship and LOVE and give Him the thanks and praise that we do!
And the story behind the birth of that song is really interesting. Apparently in 1974, Dartt and his wife were building swimming pools in the California desert, in partnership with a friend. Things were going well, and they even founded a country gospel group called the ‘Country Congregation’ that sounded pretty good, with Dart writing most of their music. However, as life unfurled, their business began to fail, and eventually his partner, who had suffered a severe case of burn out while trying to right the business, gave the business to him loaded with debt and no money to build the swimming pools they had on order.
But our God is a good God, and if you believe and have faith, even as much as grain of mustard seed, He will come through for you. Mr. Dart writes: ‘In the midst of the turmoil, I awakened from a troubled sleep one night. It was two o’clock in the morning. A tune was echoing in my troubled brain. I picked up a tablet and a pencil and began to write, “Life is easy when you’re up on the mountain, and you’ve got peace of mind like you’ve never known. But, when things change and you’re down in the valley, don’t lose faith, for you’re never alone.”
“Thank You, Lord,” I prayed, “for being God in my valley.” The chorus came, “The God on the mountain is still God in the valley. When things go wrong, He’ll make them right…” In all, it took about thirty minutes. I again prayed, “Thank You, Lord,” and then settled back down to sleep. Morning came, breakfast and prayer time. “Lord, show us Your will.” I went off to work.
Shortly after arriving at the office, the phone rang, “Mr. Dartt, could you please help us?” I grabbed my brief case and went to see the people who had called. Their son was a gifted athlete, but had been in a motorcycle accident and was paralyzed from the waist down. His doctor had recommended a swimming pool for the therapy the young man needed in order to walk again. I began the process of designing and building a pool for them.
A few days later, another call came, “Mr. Dartt could you come talk to me about a pool?” So, through the off-season, we ended up selling and building 12 pools in all, at a time when no one else was building pools. The building season came, and all of a sudden, we were able to finish all of our construction and eliminate our debts. We were free and clear, without having to bankrupt the business. God had taken us through the valley.’
What more can you say eh? And that’s precisely why we praise and worship and glorify the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob! Now,the song has been recorded by numerous artists and translated into several languages. And as Dartt says: ‘This simple little song, comprised of 72 words and 4 chords, has been an encouragement to thousands of people. “Thank you, Lord, for the mountains and the valleys, and the gifts we are given to share with others.” And that’s exactly how our great God works; giving us gifts in times of need to share with others.
And what better scripture to reflect that, than these famous words of Bruh David from Psalm 23: ‘Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil: my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:4-6) Truer words were never spoken my people!
And another famous scripture on faith during adversity is this one from Job, when the Lord allowed Satan to bring him low. While Job was scraping the boils from his body in the ashes, his wife said to him: ‘Dost thou still retain thine integrity? curse God, and die. But he said unto her, Thou speakest as one of the foolish women speaketh. What? shall we receive (accept) good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive evil (accept calamity)? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.’ (Job 2:9-10) I wonder how many of us could have lost all of our many material possessions and children through no fault of our own, and still retain our integrity like Job did? Not many.
And we’ll close with this all embracing and true scripture passage, titled the Comfort of God. Bruh Paul writes to the Corinthians: ‘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.’ (2 Cor. 1:3-4)
Yes friends, our God can comfort us in any situation, and that also gives us the grace to comfort others who are mired in negative situations. What a great and merciful God we serve! And if we truly reverence Him, then, please, let’s wake up from our slumber and retake the world in His awesome name nuh! Much LOVE!
…why are ye fearful…oh ye of little faith… (Matt. 8:26)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Jan 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a chain reaction of problems, a culture of lies, a perfect lazy-day Saturday, agreed to tempt the Spirit of the Lord, Ananias And Sapphira, Ananias hearing these words fell down, better is it that thou shouldest not vow, Bible, breathed his last, bright sunshine reflecting off new snow, broken promises, carried out and buried him, Christian, christianity, communal living, deceitful purposes, deepen my breath, delay not to pay it, dishonesty, downfall of a society, evil behaviour, evil deeds, faith, gave up the ghost, get out of control, God has no pleasure in fools, great fear came on all them that heard these things, great fear came upon all the church, holy spirit, I may know you all the more, I praise you for your unceasing nearness, increase my awareness of you today, Jesus Christ, kept back part of the price, laid it at the apostles' feet, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, Lord I want to be with you now, LOVE, making insincere promises, mercy, negative consequences of lying, pay that which thou hast vowed, poetic justice, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, scheming world, she fell down instantly, sincerity and truth, Sir Walter Scott, slow my thoughts, snow looks beautiful but can be very treacherous, sold a possession, suffer that kind of fate, than thou shouldest vow and not pay, thank you for this tenderness, the gospel truth, the Lord's calming presence, to lie to the Holy Ghost, to manifest the peace He's promised, truth, ungodliness, upon as many as heard these things, wake us up to reality, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive, when thou vowest a vow unto God, why hath Satan filled thine heart, wisdom, yielded up the ghost, you can't be contained, you have not lied unto men but unto the Holy Ghost, your love both surrounds and fills me
Acts 5:11. And great fear came upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.
And it’s a perfect lazy-day Saturday friends! A dry day, with bright sunshine reflecting off of new snow. What could be more beautiful? Excellent staying home and being lazy weather too. However, if you must go out, please remember that though the snow looks beautiful, it can be very treacherous once you get involved in it. Just like a … I was about to use a comparative example, but took it back, because our women readers would definitely not be pleased with it. (smile)
Anyway, let’s get down to business, and offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with 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 as always, if our prayer was sincere and heartfelt, we can soon feel the Lord’s calming presence flowing in and through us to manifest the peace that He’s so faithfully promised. And talking about promises, I want to revisit our Bit from yesterday where Cousin Sol, as the Preacher in Ecclesiastes warned us about making insincere promises both to God and man. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than that thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)
And that’s the gospel truth friends! It’s so much better if we don’t make promises, than make them and break them. And it’s something that our fraudulent and scheming world ought to pay attention to. However, that would not serve their deceitful and cunning purposes. But for us who believe, there’s a story in the bible that proves just how frightful and deadly broken promises and lies can be. It was in the early days of the church when the believers were living communally, and some were selling their valuables and contributing to the upkeep of the community.
The Bible, the Book of Acts, recounts it thus: ‘But a certain man named Ananias, with his wife Sapphira, sold a possession, And kept back part of the price, his wife also being privy to (aware of) it, and brought a certain part of it, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.’ (Acts 5:1-2) They behaved like, or implied that what they’d given was the full price of the land. But little did they know that the Holy Spirit was working.
And the Bible continues: ‘But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? Whiles it remained, was it not thine own? and after it was sold, was it not in thine own power (control)? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto the Holy Ghost.’ (Acts 5:3-4) In other words, Peter was saying, it was your money, and it wasn’t stipulated that you give all of it, you could have given how much ever you wanted. You didn’t have to lie.
Oh friends, yuh see, when we lie unto men, we are also lying unto God, for He sees, knows and controls all from His high heaven. And if you don’t believe me, then listen to the remainder of this story. ‘And Ananias hearing these words fell down, and gave up the ghost (breathed his last): and great fear came on all them that heard these things. And the young men arose, wound (wrapped) him up, and carried him out, and buried him.’ (Acts 5:5-6)
Ah mih people, our omnipotent God can certainly move in mysterious and mighty ways! I hope that will be a lesson to many of us who have become caught up in the lying and deceitful ways of this evil and ungodly world. But the best part of the story is yet to come. The Bible says: ‘And it was about the space of three hours after, when his wife, not knowing what was done, came in. And Peter answered unto her, Tell me whether ye sold the land for so much? And she said, Yea, for so much.
Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt (test) the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out. Then fell she down straightway (instantly) at his feet, and yielded up the ghost (breathed her last): and the young men came in, and found her dead, and carrying her forth, buried her by her husband. And great fear upon all the church, and upon as many as heard these things.’ (Acts 5:7-11)
Now that’s what we’d call poetic justice! Oh, how I wish many more of us would suffer that kind of fate when we do the evil deeds we do, so that it could be a lesson to others. It brings to mind this quote from Marmion, a play by Sir Walter Scott, written in 1808, which says: “Oh, what a tangled web we weave, when first we practice to deceive” It’s often used to describe the negative consequences of lying and how it affects people’s lives.
And this commentary further explains: ‘The quote’s meaning is that when someone acts dishonestly, they start a chain reaction of problems that can eventually get out of control. The “tangled web” metaphor compares the act of lying to a spider spinning its web. If the web gets tangled, the points don’t line up properly, and the web becomes a mess.’
And so does our lying and deceitfulness! Remember, our actions don’t only affect us, but also many of the people around us. So please allow the story of Ananias and Sapphira to wake us up to the reality of what our ungodliness and evil behaviour can do to those around us. Much LOVE!
…a culture of lies and broken promises…will eventually cause the downfall of a society…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
22 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child that will grow up, a forgiving God, a loving god, a ray of hope, a rosy hue, a silent wish, a tiny star lights up, Advent, alight with joy, all a dream, all across the land, an illusion, Angel's candle, Bible, came to save us, change our evil ways, Christ died for us, Christ's birth, Christ's Second Coming, Christian, christianity, Ciro Dammicco, contrary, counterproductive, dawns a brand new morn, everyone to everyone's neighbour, faith, feel you're on solid ground, Festivalbar, flickers in the sky, for our children's children, fourth Sunday in advent, Fred Jay, give up our desires, God commendeth his own love toward us, God faithfully keeps his promises, God is LOVE, God sent His only begotten Son, hate to love, he that loveth not knoweth not God, heaven singing along with us, holy spirit, how to practice love each day, in spite of our many sins, indisputable truth, it must come true, Jesus Christ, largesse of heart, LOVE, love is only found in God, love is paradoxical, love is sacrificial, make this world a better place, mercy, misery, no one seems forlorn, prayer of gratitude, sails the seven seas, salvation, settles all around, showed us how to love, Soleado, somehow, sometime soon, suffering, sunny, teach us, the candle of love, the immaculate conception, the walls of doubt crumble, the winds of change, the world is waiting, then love of God toward us, this comes to pass, torn, tossed, truth, turn tears to laughter, waiting for one child, war to peace, way up high, we might live through Him, we serve a compassionate God, what it is to love, When a child is born, while we were yet sinners, whisper in the trees, wisdom, words to be forgotten, you still loved us
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.
And today’s the fourth Sunday in advent my fellow believers, that season when we wait with great expectations for the coming of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, first for His immaculate conception and birth, then His Second Coming to take over the world. So on this most auspicious Sunday, the one right before Christmas Day, let’s light the candle of LOVE, or Angel’s Candle signifying the great LOVE that God showed for us by sending His Only Son to earth to be our Lord and Saviour.
And the words of John’s first epistle bear out all we need to know about LOVE, especially the LOVE of God, as he writes: ‘He that LOVETH not knoweth not God; for God is LOVE. In this was manifested the LOVE of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through Him.’ (1 John 4:8-9)
Wow! What a compassionate and forgiving God we serve! Only a Deity with the utmost largesse of heart could have done such a wonderful thing for undeserving subjects. Consequently, let’s offer up this prayer of gratitude and LOVE for the fourth week in Advent. Please pray with me. ‘Oh Lord, Thank you that in spite of our many sins, you still LOVED us and came to save us. You came and showed us how to LOVE. Teach us what it is to LOVE, and how to practice it each day. Remind us that LOVE is paradoxical, sacrificial, and only found in you. Amen!’
And isn’t all of that the indisputable truth? It surely is! And I especially like that part where we implore Christ to teach us what it is to LOVE, and even more importantly, how to practice it each and every day. For that’s the ONLY way that LOVE will ever become a real and true part of our lives, for it’s both paradoxical, seems contrary and counterproductive, and oh so sacrificial. Yes, that’s the part that turns most of us off of LOVE; having to give up our desires and pursuits for those of others. But if you truly want to show LOVE, then that’s what you need to do.
And the other interesting thing is that LOVE can ONLY be found in Christ; He is the fountain head of the emotion! And having said all of that, let’s turn our hearts to worship, to offering up sweet sacrifices of praise through this beautiful Christmas song, simply titled, ‘When a Child is Born.’
It’s reputed that the melody comes from a Spanish instrumental piece of music called ‘Soleado or Sunny’ written by Ciro Dammicco under the alias “Zacar”, based on his earlier composition “Le rose blu” (1972). The song was recorded in 1974 by Dammicco’s band, the Daniel Sentacruz Ensemble, and presented at that year’s edition of Festivalbar, an Italian summer singing competition that begun some time in the 1960’s in the important Italian squares.
The song became an instant hit, selling millions of copies in Europe. It was then used as a melody for several other songs in other languages, and reputedly the English lyrics were written by Austrian composer Fred Jay as a Christmas song (although the song does not actually make any specific reference to Christmas). And since around 1974, numerous artists have recorded it, possibly the sweetest and most soulful being that by Johnny Mathis, whose version we’re going to do today.
So, Singing: ‘A ray of hope flickers in the sky A tiny star lights up way up high All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born – A silent wish sails the seven seas The winds of change whisper in the trees And the walls of doubt crumble, tossed and torn This comes to pass when a child is born – A rosy hue settles all around You’ve got the feel you’re on solid ground For a spell or two, no one seems forlorn This comes to pass when a child is born –
( Talk – And all of this happens because the world is waiting, Waiting for one child Black, white, yellow, no one knows But a child that will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever) – (It’s all a dream, an illusion now It must come true, sometime soon somehow All across the land, dawns a brand new morn This comes to pass when a child is born.) (Repeat.)’
Now wasn’t that wonderful! All heaven was singing along with us, and it even brought tears to the Father’s eyes as He remembered that glorious night when His Son was born. Yes friends, that’s exactly what we’re waiting for; the birth of the child Jesus; the one who ‘will grow up and turn tears to laughter, Hate to love, war to peace and everyone to everyone’s neighbor And misery and suffering will be words to be forgotten, forever.’
Right now, rays of hope are flickering in all our hearts, and our souls are alight with joy at the very thought of His coming. And yuh better believe that the winds of change are whispering in the world, while walls of doubt are crumbling at the good news He’s coming to bring. And truly, many of us are forlorn by the state of our world, but we know we’re standing on solid ground, because what seems like a dream to most will eventually come true, because the Lord God, our Creator and Provider has promised it in His Word, and He always faithfully keeps His promises!
And to wrap it all up tightly, here’s one of my favourite scriptures; Bruh Paul’s words to the church at Rome. ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) Wow mih bredrin! Isn’t that a most glorious and LOVING God? He most certainly is! Most other deities would have expected us to change our evil ways first, but our great God LOVED us so much that He didn’t want to wait any longer than He had already done!
So, please, today, let’s open our hearts, souls, bodies and minds to the wonderful LOVE that He’s offering nuh, so that our world can become a much better place for our children’s children! Much LOVE!
…only through…the HOPE, PEACE, LOVE and JOY of Christ…can our world ever become…what it was created to be…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Dec 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a figure of shame and reproach, abundance, all is right in God's world, an horn of salvation, be saved from our enemies, Bible, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, blessed with sunshine, bounden duty, Christian, Christmas, courage, creativity, curse, faith, fear came upon all that dwelt round about them, go before the face of the Lord, good cheer, good will to all, he spake and praised God, his tongue loosed, holiness, holy spirit, hypocrites, immaculate conception, in the days wherein he looked on me, in the house of his servant David, in the shadow of death, Jesus Christ, joy, lifts the spirits, LOVE, makes one feel, mercy, Messiah, negative word, prosper, redeemed his people, remained speechless, remember his holy covenant, repent ye, righteousness, salvation, seen a vision in the temple, self-control, self-discipline, serve him without fear, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, she brought forth a son, strong winds, succeed, supernatural wisdom, talent, the birth of John the Baptist, the dayspring from on high, the hand of all that hate us, the kingdom of heaven is at hand, the Lord had showed upon her great kindness, the people waited, the season of warmth, they rejoiced with her, thou child, thus hath the Lord dealt with me, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, to prepare his ways, truth, waxed strong in spirit, what manner of child shall this be, wisdom, Zacharias
Luke 1:76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;
Ah mih people, at long last we have been blessed with some sunshine this Thursday morning. However, some of the glow has been removed, because it’s cold and tinged with some strong winds, that came up during the night and are still going strong right now, harassing the naked trees to do a dance many of them cannot do, therefore a lot of broken branches litter the ground. But as I keep saying, sunshine is the important element, for it lifts the spirits, makes one feel that all is right in God’s world! (smile)
And be that as it may, let’s continue with the Christmas Story, re the Birth of John the Baptist. Yesterday we left off where the angel Gabriel commanded Zacharias, John’s father, to become dumb, unable to speak until the birth of his son, because he had not believed his good news. (Luke 1:20) The Bible then tells us: ‘And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried (delayed) so long in the temple. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration (service) were accomplished (completed), he departed to his own house. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying, Thus hath the Lord dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.’ (Luke 1:21-25)
Yuh see again friends, how big a deal it was for women to bear children back then! Otherwise, their lives would be rather miserable, with all sorts of jests and jeers made towards their barren state. And even the husbands being ridiculed for having a childless wife. No wonder so many women cried out to the Lord to correct their barren state, and like Hannah, Samuel’s mother, promising all kinds of things, if He did. (1 Sam. 1) Anyway, we know that when Elisabeth was five months pregnant, her cousin, Mary, Jesus’ mother, who had recently received the news of her immaculate conception, came and spent three months with her, then went back to her own home.
The Bible then continues: ‘Now Elisabeth’s full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son. And her neighbours and her cousins (relatives) heard how the Lord had shewed great kindness upon her; and they rejoiced with her.’ (Luke 1:57-58) Yuh see how the ole hypocrites an’ dem come out of their lair because she had finally born a son. Before that, she was just a figure of shame and reproach, through no fault of her own. Ah Lord eh! But the best is yet to come.
Luke continues the story by saying: ‘And it came to pass, that on the eight day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name. And they made signs to the father, how he would have him called. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised God.’ (Luke 1:59-64)
Ah friends, what drama we find in God’s Word! But so it should be, when He is in fact the creator and greatest perpetrator of drama! And what happened when Zacharias finally spoke after months of being dumb? The story goes: ‘And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings (things) were noised about (discussed) throughout all the hill country of Judaea. And all they that heard them laid them up (kept them) in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the Lord was with him.’ (Luke 1:65-66)
The Lord certainly knows how to get our attention. For as the scholars explain about the statement above, Fear came: ‘The working of God produced a unique sensation among a people where not even a prophet had spoken for centuries.’ The Lord made sure that the people knew that His infallible and ever-faithful hand was involved in John the Baptist’s birth.
And He didn’t stop there. No. The Bible continues: ‘And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (through the ages): That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
The oath which he sware to our father Abraham. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:67-79)
Oh friends, for a man who hadn’t spoken a single word for months, Zacharias sure had a mouthful to say. By then he obviously believed the words of the angel Gabriel and was being used by God to further prophesy the fulfillment of His covenant of a coming Messiah, with His people Israel. John would be the one to go before that Messiah, to light the way, to prepare the people for His coming.
And Luke ends the story thus: ‘And the child grew, and waxed (became) strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing (manifestation) unto Israel.’ (Luke 1:80) And we all know what happened when he finally appeared on the scene, coming out of the desert like a wild man, crying out, ‘Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ (Matt. 3:2) And so it is my people, therefore, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, so that we can activate them and use them to do God’s work here on earth like John did, with his blessings.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s Christmas time…the season of warmth…of joy and good cheer…so let’s spread it around…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a successful Christian life, approve things that are excellent, as sheep in the midst of wolves, autumn, be not wise in thine own eyes, between truth and lies, Bible, blessed with rain, Christian, christianity, depart from evil, discernment, do what is pleasing to you, faith, fear the Lord, filled with the fruits of righteousness, foolishness, give me true discernment, god, he shall direct thy paths, holy spirit, hurry, I send you forth, in all judgement, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in god's eyes, in knowledge and discernment, in preparation for winter, Jesus Christ, lean not unto your own understanding, LOVE, morally excellent, more and more, more and more in knowledge, Prayers through the Ages, reject whatever is evil in your eyes, share His love, shedding leaves, spiritually sound decisions, the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, the acquisition of knowledge, the beloved of God, the best solution to pursue, the fruits of righteousness, the glory and praise of God, the goodness and mercy of God, the natural man, the sun's on vacation, the things of the Spirit, this I pray, Thomas a Kempis, till the day of Christ, to judge rightly between things that differ, to know what is worth knowing, to love what is worth loving, to make wise decisions, to praise what delights you most, to values what is precious, trust, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, trust my friend Jesus, truth, Tuesday Mantra, understanding, ungodly times, who hath known the mind of the Lord, wisdom, wisdom is an applying process, without offence, without the life there is no living, without the truth there is no knowing, without the way there is no going, worry, your love may abound
Philippians 1:9. And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment);
Ah friends, sorry for the lateness of the Bit, but the ole fella went to bed pretty late this morning and the lulling qualities of the early morning rain kept him abed longer than expected. (smile) Yes, at long last we’ve been blessed with some rain! The sun’s not shining, apparently it’s gone on vacation after such a long spell with us, leaving the day cloudy and dark, as the trees finally grasp that autumn’s truly here and quickly begin shedding their leaves, in preparation for a long, cold, lonely winter.
And I guess we humans should also start preparing for that eventual season. (smile) But today, we won’t worry about winter, for we have the goodness and mercy of God to see us through anything. However, we want to share an interesting prayer from a Pamphlet put out by the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, called ‘Prayers through the Ages,’ highlighting prayers that our ancestors have offered up during the earlier days of Christianity. Today’s prayer comes from the medieval era, from German-Dutch Catholic canon Thomas à Kempis, (1380-1471).
So please pray with me: ‘Grant to me, O Lord, to know what is worth knowing, to LOVE what is worth LOVING, To praise what delights you most, To value what is precious to you, And to reject whatever is evil in your eyes. Give me true discernment, so that I may judge rightly between things that differ. Above all, may I search out and do what is pleasing to you; Through Jesus Christ my Lord. Amen.’ Now, that’s a simple, but very thoughtful prayer, seeking to know and do what pleases our God; in other words, seeking that most important lesson of discernment, which so many of us so badly need but sadly lack in these turbulent and ungodly times.
Yes my fellow believers, with all the mind boggling information floating around today, it’s difficult to know what is true and what’s not, as well as what is right and what’s wrong, and the only place to find that discernment is through Christ Jesus, our Lord and Saviour, who keeps reminding us that ‘I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:6) That means to ever access the things of heaven here on earth, and heaven itself eventually, one must go through Jesus Christ.
And this quote from Thomas à Kempis puts those words of Jesus in a most interesting light. He says: ‘Without the way, there is no going; without the truth, there is no knowing; without the life, there is no living.’ And that’s the awesome truth! If you don’t know the way to go, you cannot go. Likewise, if you don’t know the truth, you don’t really know anything; and if there’s no life, then obviously there cannot be any living! And that’s why discernment is so very important in this evil and topsy-turvy world.
And what’s discernment, you ask? In it’s most basic form, discernment, in Biblical parlance, is the ability to distinguish between right and wrong, truth and falsehood, and to make wise and spiritually sound decisions. And there are many scriptures which deal with this most important subject, that’s possibly a blend between wisdom and understanding. But before we get into some scriptures on the subject of discernment, here is some interesting info on wisdom and understanding that I have written down, gotten from where I don’t remember, (smile) but which does enlighten us on those two important topics.
It says: ‘Understanding is based on the acquisition of knowledge. Wisdom is an applying process. Understanding tells us what’s happening. Wisdom tells us why it’s happening. Understanding gives us the facts. Wisdom tells us what to do with those facts, what solution is best to pursue.’ And though that sounds somewhat confusing, if you spend a few moments and think about it, you’ll find that it’s all absolutely true; wisdom and understanding allows us to collect the facts of a situation, then make the wisest decision based on those facts.
Now let’s look a few scriptures that preach or teach discernment. And I guess the best one comes from Cousin Sol’s famous words in Proverbs, that we all know, but don’t always put into practice. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord and depart from evil.’ (Prov. 3:5-7) That’s the best way to get discernment my people! Totally trusting God and turning to Him in every matter, on every occasion, is the surest way to know what decisions to make.
Then in 1 Corinthians, Bruh Paul writes: ‘But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ.’ (1 Cor. 2:14-16) In other words, the Holy Spirit, which indwells all believers, is the One who gives believers the ability to discern spiritual truths, whereby we can know truth from lies and right from wrong. However, the unbeliever cannot discern spiritual things, because they don’t have the Holy Spirit indwelling them.
Meanwhile, to the Philippians, Bruh Paul writes it thus: ‘And this I pray, that your LOVE may abound yet more and more in knowledge and in all judgement (discernment); That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ; Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.’ (Phil. 1:9-11) And as the scholars explain, that basically means Bruh Paul ‘hopes that as the Philippians LOVE increases in knowledge and discernment (vs. 9) they will be able to accurately distinguish the vital and worthwhile things in life from those that are not.’
Another commentary explains: ‘Here, discernment is linked to LOVE, knowledge, and pursuing what is morally excellent.’ And that’s exactly what Jesus expects from all of His followers. And we’ll close with this last quote from Christ Himself on the travails of discipleship. ‘Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore as wise as serpents, and harmless (innocent ) as doves.’ (Matt. 10:16) The scholars tell us, that means ‘a cautious wisdom was necessary in order to deal with the fierce opposition that the disciples would face.’
And the truth is that we’re still facing fierce opposition as we work for Christ, but we do have the tools to handle it, if we pick them up and use it. That’s where our problem lies; not using the tools we have. Anyway, let’s hope that what we’ve said to day will give us a wake up call and get us going in the right direction, with diligence and steadfast faith. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting all and sundry know to whom we belong, lock, stock and barrel.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’
Now, we are duty bound to go out and share the amazing LOVE and friendship of Christ with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…without discernment from the Holy Spirit…one cannot live a successful Christian life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Oct 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a forgotten word, after the image of God, and the lust thereof, anger. greed, bandied about, Bible, blessed are the meek, cease from anger, Christian, deepen my breath, evildoers shall be cut off, faith, fight the good fight, filthy communication, forsake wrath, god, hang all the law and the prophets, he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever, holy spirit, increase my awareness of you, intimacy with god, jealousy, Jesus Christ, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, lie not one to another, LOVE, Love the Lord thy God, Love thy neighbour as thyself, negative attirudes, negative sentiments, not of the Father, of the world, on these two commandments, personal desires, physical desires, put off the old man, put on the new man, quiet my soul, relax my muscles, renewed in knowledge, resntment, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, seek those things which are above, self-interest, sincerity, slow my thoughts, thank you for this tenderness, the corruptible things of earth, the first and great commandment, the incorruptible things of heaven, the Lord's presence, the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, the pride of life, the second is like unto it, the things of the world, the world passeth away, they are not of the world, they shall inherit the earth, those that wait upon the Lord, thy word is truth, truth, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God, wisdom, with all thy heart soul and mind, your love both surrounds and fills me, your peace and love are present, your unceasing nearness
Matthew 22:37. Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
Oh, it’s another sunshiny day in my area, though somewhat blustery, with seasonal temperatures, and the leaves are now truly beginning to fall. But that’s what fall is all about; blowing wind and falling colourful leaves with some rain. And though it’s all good when the sun shines, we haven’t seen the other part of the equation, that’s rain, for almost a couple of weeks now, although it’s been promised several times by the weather people.
And until such time as the rain decides to bless us, we’ll just have to grin and painfully bear the sunshine. (smile) And I did have a nice li’l lazy day Saturday reprieve, as I went to bed rather late this morning. But enough with the unimportant stuff, let’s get to our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer and offer it up with 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!’
Ah friends, there’s’ nothing better than achieving more intimacy with God, of going deeper and deeper into His presence! And that’s only possible when we sincerely seek Him, as Jesus explains. ‘Thou shalt LOVE the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt LOVE thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.’ (Matt. 22:37-40)
Yes my fellow believers, the abiding principle in the law of God, is LOVE! That’s His greatest attribute, and what should be the prevailing sentiments and emotions on His earth. But it certainly is not. For hate, anger, resentment, strife, greed, jealousy and all the other negative sentiments and emotions are currently ruling the world. LOVE is a forgotten word, and even when remembered, it’s merely bandied about trivially, with no real respect for it’s true meaning.
And with the negative emotions in prominence, there’s no wonder that our world is in a state of chaos, and fading fast away as the negatives become even more prevalent, and LOVE recedes even further into the background. And the scriptures warn us about the very bad effects of those negative attitudes.
Listen to this one from that famous Psalm 37 – Trust in the Lord. Bruh David spells it out loud and clear. ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm). For evildoers shall be cut off (destroyed): but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.’ (Ps. 37:8-9)
And Jesus said it thus in the Sermon on the Mount, as He taught the Beatitudes: ‘Blessed are the meek, for thy shall inherit the earth.’ (Matt. 5:5) Yes, my brethren, the meek are those that have humbled themselves before God, have strength and power, but don’t abuse it, they can control their sinful urges, and instead wait on God’s direction to use His gifts for the good purposes He desires.
Meanwhile, Bruh Paul had this to say to the Colossians. ‘If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection (mind) on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. Mortify therefore (put to death) your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection (passion), evil concupiscence (desire), and covetousness, which is idolatry:
For which things’ sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience: In the which ye also walked some time, when ye lived in them. But now ye also put off all these; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth. Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him:’ (Col. 3:1-10)
And that’s how it ought to be when we receive Christ as Saviour! We put away the sinful things of our old life and take up the new and LOVING things of God! Looking more unto the incorruptible things of heaven, than the corruptible things of the earth. Unfortunately though, too many supposed Christians are still indulging too much in the things of the world and not enough in the things of heaven. We are allowing the things of the world to influence us too much.
Remember what Jesus said in His prayer for the disciples? ‘They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:16-19)
Yes my fellow believers, Jesus sent us into the world to continue His task of bringing sinners to repentance, and like Him, we are NOT supposed to allow the world to instill their worldly thoughts into us, because we know the truth, which is God’s Word. We do have to dwell IN the world to be able to do His work, but we don’t have to be OF the world. And that’s where many of us are falling down in our Christian walk. We’re allowing the ungodly and sinful things of the world to seep into our souls and spirits, thus negating the work we should be doing for Christ.
Thus Satan is winning the battle over us, as John says in his first epistle. ‘For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh (physical desires), and the lust of the eyes (personal desires), and the pride of life (self-interests), is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth forever.’ (1 John 2:16-17)
Oh my fellow saints, our world is going through a very rough time right now, and consequently we are suffering more than is necessary, but we only have ourselves to blame for the terrible state of God’s great earth. For, if all the supposed Christians would get up and live more of the true Christian life, we would not be in such a dire state of tremendous trials and tribulations. And, only as we seriously stand up and fight the good fight for Christ, will things ever improve. Let’s go home considering that today nuh, in light of what it will mean for our children’s children and their children. Much LOVE!
…only as true LOVE comes back into our world…will it ever improve…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
03 Aug 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lesson in every situation, a pox on the judges!, antidote for life's problems, barren womb, better not to vow than vow and not pay, Bible, Christian, delay not to pay it, exalt the horn of his anointed, Exhibition Stadium, faith, girded with strength, Hannah's Prayer, he hath no pleasure in fools, heaven-sent gentleman, I rejoice in thy salvation, inherit the throne of glory, irresponsible judges, Jesus Christ, judge the ends of the earth, Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer, let not arrogancy come out of thy mouth, lifeth up the beggar from the dunghill, LOVE, mediocre show, my heart rejoiceth in the Lord, my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies, no rock like our God, Praise the Lord, salvation, Steelband Competition, the barren hath borne seven, the bows of the mighty men are broken, the Lord is a God of knowledge, the Lord maketh poor and he maketh rich, the Lord moves in mysterious ways, the Lord will keep the feet of his saints, there is none holy as the Lord, they that stumbled, total disrepect for patrons, truth, when thou vowest a vow to God, wisdom
1 Samuel 2:1. And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over (smiles at) mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.
Well friends, it’s our lazy-day Saturday, and I took full advantage of it this morning after the horrible evening I had last evening attending the Steelband Competition in Toronto. Ah Lord eh, what a nightmare. First of all, just at the entrance to the city, the traffic was horrendous because of road construction. Then, the new location for the Carnival is in the heart of the big Exhibition Stadium, where several activities were scheduled for the same time, and with several roads closed within the stadium, moving around and parking was another disaster.
Then, when you were finally directed to a parking spot on the grass, with cars packed close together, you had to walk at least a quarter mile to the entrance of the show we wanted to attend. But who says the Lord doesn’t work in mysterious ways, for halfway there, a heaven-sent gentleman offered a middle aged woman and us two old men a ride in his golf-cart. Praise the Lord!
Now that was the good part, for when you got into the show you found that the stands were situated behind the judges and the D.J, and both of them had canopies covering them, so you could not see the full stage, which was in front of them. You either had to sit right down at the very front on the first couple of rows, or go to one end of the stand or the other to see anything. I went to the left side of the judges’ placement, which means I didn’t see the right side of any of the seven bands that performed.
It was such a total disrespect to the patrons who were paying their hard earned money to see a mediocre show in the first place, because only about three or four bands really deserved to be there. Our West Indian community has put on some bad shows in our time, but I’ve never seen such total disrespect for the patrons before. And in talking to the duchess this morning, it was apparently the same way with the King and Queen Show the night before.
And the seven, middle-aged to elderly West Indian men who were the judges just sat in their comfortable seats with no sun shining down on them, oblivious to the sad plight of the paying people! A pox on you judges, who have all been involved in entertainment in the city over the years! You should have been big and responsible enough to speak up and have the covering removed, and not be simply concerned with your own comfort.
Then when the competition was over, you had the long walk back to your car, if you could find it in the crazy maze of cars parked all over the grounds. And the sad part is that instead of driving, we spoke about taking the Go-train which stops at the Exhibition grounds, but figured that the last train home would be too early, and we would have to leave before the show was over, which turned out to be untrue. It’s the earliest I’ve ever seen the show finish; shortly after eleven o’clock.
Anway, if the venue for this Competition is the same place next year, God spare life, I won’t be there! I know they won’t miss me, but neither will I miss the terrible organizing that has characterized West Indian promotions in this city for the last fifty odd years. End of my griping! (smile)
Now let’s offer up our Lazy-Day Saturday Prayer with 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!’
Yes Lord, thank you for the calm and peace that you’re sending into my soul, as I contemplate the events of last evening. I know there is a lesson somewhere in there for me, please help me to see it and learn it. Yes friends, in every situation we encounter, there’s a lesson embedded there for us, that’s how our Lord moves. The problem though, is for us to discern that lesson and then action it in our lives. So please pray that I will be able to discern whatever it was the Lord desires to teach me, in allowing yesterdays fiasco to happen. (smile)
And as for today’s scriptural lesson, I just opened the Good Library and it opened to Hanah’s Prayer and Song, that’s the prophet Samuel’s mother, as she gave her son Samuel to the duty of Lord, as she had vowed if the Lord heard her prayer and opened her barren womb. And it’s a perfect prayer or song for us to sing today and every day. So let’s pray or sing it, whichever you prefer. (smile)
‘And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord: my mouth is enlarged over (smiles at) mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation. There is none holy as the Lord: for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God. Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogancy (arrogance) come out of your mouth: for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed. The bows of the mighty men are broken, and they that stumbled are girded with strength.
They that were full have hired out themselves for bread; and they that were hungry ceased (to hunger): so that the barren hath borne seven; and she that hath many children is waxed feeble. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive: he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich: he bringeth low, and lifteth up. He raiseth up the poor our of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar form the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the Lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them.
He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth; and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn (strength) of his anointed. And Elkanah (Samuel’s father) went to Ramah to his house. And the child did minister (serve) unto the Lord before Eli the priest.’ (1 Sam. 2:1-11)
Yes my fellow believers that’s the kind of faith and prayer life we should have! Hannah prayed sincerely to have a son as she was undergoing torment in her barren life, and vowed that if the Lord heard her prayed she would enlist him in the Lord’s service. And that’s exactly what she did. Unlike many of us who vow to do stuff if the Lord hears our prayers, then don’t keep our promise. But as we sit today and ponder Hannah’s powerful prayer, let’s also remember these wise words of Cousin Sol from Ecclesiastes. ‘When thou vowest a vow unto God, defer (delay) not to pay it; for he hath no pleasure in fools: pay that which thou hast vowed. Better is it that thou shouldest not vow, than thou shouldest vow and not pay.’ (Eccl. 5:4-5)
And we should not keep our promises only to God, but to all mankind, which will surely increase the faith, trust and LOVE in our faithless and distrustful world! Much LOVE!
…sincerely walking with God…is the best antidote…for the problems of this earthly life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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