27 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a grain of mustard seed, a pension, all things, ask, ask for in prayer, aura of love, boredom, Christians, confidence, decisions, do nothing, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fasting, fig tree, flesh is weak, friends, glorious kingdom, grace, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, in control of wealth, inactivity, it shall be given to you, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, joy, knock, lesser mortals, lies, lifestyles, LOVE, mercy, merry-go-round, Monday Morniing Battle Hymn, mover and shaker, nothing shall be impossible to you, power, prayer, put out to pasture, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, remove hence, renewed vitality, rest, retirement, righteousness., rougher, salvation, seek, serious business, spirit is willing, spiritual armour, standard of living, steadfast faith, tongue in cheek, tougher, trust, truth, unbelief, ungodly world, waning years, wisdom, ye shall find, ye shall receive
Matthew 21:22. And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
So the whole new workweek rigmarole begins again today eh friends! I know it gets rather tedious and frustrating sometimes, doing the same thing every week, like you’re on a merry-go-round that never stops. But that’s just the way of life in our Western Society.
And then, after numerous years of merry-go-rounding, you’re put out to pasture, nicely termed retirement, when you are allowed, or expected to sit at home and do nothing, and consequently so many of us just waste away and die of boredom and inactivity. Something’s wrong with that picture, isn’t it?
But I guess that those in control of wealth and power in our society don’t care too much about us lesser mortals, so they work us like slaves when we’re young, then when our bodies can’t handle the slave labour any longer, they just cast us on the scrap heap with a few measly dollars, nicely termed a pension, on which we’re seldom ever able to maintain our accustomed standard of living. But again, that’s Western Society for you!
And if you want to be able to collect the measly few pension dollars somewhere down the line, you’d better get up and get yourself out to labour this Monday morning, because the end amount depends on your consistency now.
Ah friends, I’m chuckling as I write this tongue in cheek, but it’s serious business. The decisions we make today will affect our lives and lifestyles in our waning years. So please, let’s do the wise and sensible thing nuh; hie thee hither to labour. (smile)
And if your spirit is willing, but your flesh is weak, then join us in trilling our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, which is a sure antidote for anything that ails you on this first day of the new workweek. Altogether now, with whatever enthusiasm you can muster.
‘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!’
Yes my people! I know we’re all beginning to breathe easier and more positively, because the Holy Spirit is working its blessedness in us. So take heart, for once the Holy Spirit refills our spirits with God’s grace and mercy, we WILL go out and do an excellent job in Jesus’ name!
And why is that? Because Jesus assured us of it in our Bit: ‘And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.’ And we just asked for it in prayer above. Why pray, if you don’t believe that your prayers will be answered eh?
The disciples were amazed at the simple words Jesus said to a fig tree that had no fruit. ‘Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for ever,’ (Matt.21:19) and it just dried up and withered in a day’s time. Then Jesus solemnly informed them: ‘Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto the mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.’ (Matt.21:21)
Faith, friends, is the great mover and shaker in a believer’s life. If you have it, you can move mountains, but if you don’t then times will be even rougher and tougher for you in this abysmal world in which we currently live. And remember when the disciples could not remove a demon from a child and they asked Jesus why?
He said to them: ‘Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove (move); and nothing shall be impossible unto you. Howbeit this kind goeth not out by prayer and fasting.’ (Matt.17:20-21)
And remember also, these applicable words of Jesus earlier on. ‘Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.’ (Matt. 7:7-8)
Ah friends, yuh see the same basic things are important in each believer’s life; praying, fasting, asking, seeking, knocking and believing. And I guess the saying that faith moves mountains is derived from the words of Jesus on the subject. So let’s try and build up our faith, today and everyday we’re alive nuh. It will provide enormous and outstanding benefits. Much LOVE!
…without faith…it is impossible to go to God…
26 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a shout of joy, Alleluia, an instrument of ten strings, appreciation, be not frunk with wine, Christians, come before the lord, dance for joy, David danced before the Lord, dissipation, excess, filled with the Spirit, filled your soul with song, from sleep, full of confidence, going to church, gratefulness, harp, heard my cry, hymns, in the name of Jesus, Jerusalem, joy, let your trumpets sound, loving, loving-kindness, making melody in your hearts, merciful, more faithfull, mountains high, open your heart and soul, out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, play glad tambourines, psalms, receptive to God's word, Rejoice in the Lord, righteousness, rise o children, set my feet upon a rock, sincere hearts, sing a new song, sing praises, spiritual songs, strong voices, thanks and praise, the ark of the covenant, the earth is full of goodness, the happiest people in the world, the joy of the Lord is your strength, The Lord is good, the Lord's people, to go or not to go, trust in the Lord, turned your sorrow to joy, upon a psaltery, waited patiently, your Saviour has come
Psalm 144:9. I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery (harp) and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.
To go or not to go? That is the question: whether, on this summer Sunday morning, I should stay in my warm, comfortable bed, roll over and go back to sleep, or make a determined effort to roll out, get dressed and go to the Lord’s sanctuary, to praise and worship, give thanks and fellowship with other faithful believers?
Hn! Oh friends, I daresay that many of us are facing that question, or have already faced it. Let’s hope that your reaction was, or will be the wise one; getting up and going to church. And while there you sincerely open your heart and soul to your heavenly Father, and you also take in all that He has to offer, so you can leave there stronger, more faithful and full of confidence.
And today friends, in our li’l get together, we’re going to open the proceedings the way we always do, by softening up our hearts in song, making them more receptive to God’s word, by first giving Him thanks and praise. And we’re going to do exactly what our Bit tells us to do: ‘I will sing a new song unto thee, O God: upon a psaltery (harp) and an instrument of ten strings will I sing praises unto thee.’
Oh what a joy it is to sing unto the Lord my brethren, especially a new song, one that He hasn’t heard us sing before, because then He is eagerly looking forward to the praise we have to offer. Yuh know that’s one of the reasons He created us; to praise Him? So let’s not keep Him waiting any longer nuh, let’s belt out this new song with strong voices and sincere hearts.
As one soulful choir now: ‘(Chorus: Sing a new song unto the Lord, Let your song be sung from mountains high. Sing a new song unto the Lord, Singing Alleluia! Alleluia!) The Lord’s people dance for joy. O come before the Lord And play for Him on glad tambourines and let your trumpets sound. (Chorus)
Rise, O children from your sleep your Saviour now has come. He has turned your sorrow to joy, and filled your soul with song. (Chorus: Sing a new song unto the Lord, Let your song be sung from mountains high. Sing a new song unto the Lord, Singing Alleluia! Alleluia!)
Yes my people, that’s the way it ought to be! The Lord is good and merciful and LOVING, so His people should show their appreciation and gratefulness by dancing before Him with joy! That reminds me of when Bruh David danced before the Lord with all his might when they brought up the Ark of the Covenant to Jerusalem (2 Sam.6:14)
And the Lord just LOVES His music, so it’s a no-brainer that we should play happily and sweetly on our musical instruments and thus bring Him pleasure. So let those tambourines jangle, the harps sing and the trumpets sound out! An’ yuh see, even the song says we must rise up from our sleep, because our Saviour, Jesus has come! Glory be!
And what’s even better, is that He has turned our sorrow to joy, and filled our souls with song! Mama Mia! How can we beat that eh friends? No way! And as I keep saying, with a Saviour like Jesus, and all that He’s done for us, we Christians should be the happiest people in the world! Joy should be our watchword; ‘for the joy of the Lord is your strength,’ (Neh.8:10) And since we know that salvation has been granted and eternal life is waiting in heaven, our earthly life should be just one big sing along! (smile)
Like the Good Book says: ‘Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous: for praise is comely for the upright. Praise the Lord with harp; sing unto him with the psaltery and an instrument of ten strings. Sing unto him a new song; play skillfully with a loud noise (a shout of joy). For the word of the Lord is right; and all his works are done in truth. He LOVETH righteousness and judgement (justice): the earth is full of the goodness (LOVING-kindness) of the Lord.’ (Ps.33:1-5) And there is no disputing any of that my people!
And now hear Bruh David in Psalm 40 nuh –Praise for answered prayer. ‘I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings (my steps). And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God: many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust, and respecteth not the proud, nor such as turn aside to lies.’ (Ps.40:1-4)
Ah friends, that’s the power of trusting in the Lord: you cry out to Him in patient and sincere trust, and He raises you up, and puts a new song in your soul, so you can praise Him even more! Glory to our heavenly Father!
And we’ll end with this wonderful advice from Bruh Paul to the Ephesians: ‘And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess (dissipation); but be filled with the Spirit; Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord; Giving thanks ALWAYS for ALL things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ; Submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of God.’ (Eph.5:18-21)
We couldn’t get any better advice than that nuh friends, so let’s take it to heart and put it into action today nuh! Much LOVE!
…there’s nothing our God LOVES more…than us giving Him sincere thanks and praise…
20 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new workweek, afraid of nothing, all power, ambassadors, an awesome God we serve, aura of love, authority, bring them out unscathed, Christians, commitment, confidence, die on the cross, enthusiasm, floods, friends, get on the good foot, glory to God, go and teach, goodness of god, He will make a way, humble servants, in heaven and in earth, ingrates, invincible, James brown, Jesus Chriss, Jesus died on the cross, jobs, joy, lies, LOVE, loving kindness, make disciples of all nations, make known thy faithfulness, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, not smelling of smoke, of the mercies of the Lord, only one God, peace, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rise and shine, salvation, save us from our evil doings, sincere hearts, sing, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strong voice, the end of the world, the Great Commission, to all generations, trust, truth, ungodly world, victory, wisdom, with my mouth, work the works of Jesus
Psalm 89:1. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
Rise and shine my people, it’s a brand new Monday, of a brand new work week, and it’s overflowing with brand new mercies and blessings! Glory to God my brethren, for He will never leave us to suffer unnecessarily. Where there is no way, He will make a way! And when it seems we’ll be consumed by the fires of this world, oh friends, He’ll bring us through them unscathed, not even smelling of smoke.
What an awesome God we serve my fellow believers! And it’s the same with the floods; when they seem ready to overwhelm us, to drown us, He’s promised to bring us through them safely. So what is there for us to be afraid of in this world eh? Absolutely NOTHING! Because the universe belongs to our God, our Father, and He is in total control and will not let evil overcome His children!
His commitment to that was so strong that He sent His Son Jesus Christ to die on the cross to save us from our evil doings. So if this Monday morning you are troubled, in dismay, or simply tired and down in the dumps, then please join us in singing our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, for it lifts our spirits and puts us back on the good foot, like Papa James Brown would say. (smile)
So without further ado, let’s get into it nuh, as one purposeful choir, in strong voice and sincere hearts. ‘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!’
Now that’s the antidote for whatever ails us this Monday morning! I’m sure you can feel your spirit rising and your soul being reinvigorated, as the adrenaline courses through your body. That’s the power of the Holy Spirit working in us friends! And with such a marvellous transformation taking place, we subsequently have to go out and work the works of Jesus, with a good attitude and a joyful spirit.
It’s imperative that we let the world know, not only by our talk, but more importantly by our walk, of the abundant goodness of God and His exceeding faithfulness and their need to come to Him, just as they are, for comfort and succour. Yeh friends, we have to go out and do like the psalmist Ethan says in our Bit. ‘I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever; with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to ALL generations.’
Now that’s our bounden duty my fellow Christians! Remember Jesus’ Great Commission to His disciples and to all subsequent believers: ‘All power (authority) is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore, and teach (make disciples of) all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.’ (Matt.28:18-20)
Yeh friends, as the scholars explain: ‘28:18-20. The triumphant living Lord sends forth His ambassadors to proclaim His gospel throughout the world. The Great Commission is not just an order but a pronouncement of victory (mundus regium Christ) by the risen Saviour through His disciples. All power or authority (Gr. exousia) is now in the hands of Christ, in heaven and on earth. On the basis of that authority and power the Christian disciple is to carry out the Great Commission of the church.’
And it’s a joy to go out into this evil world and do that. Why? Listen to the psalmist as he further exalts the Lord, extols His wonderful attributes. ‘Thou hast a mighty arm: strong is thy hand, and high is thy right hand. Justice and judgement (righteousness and justice) are the habitation (foundation) of thy throne: mercy (LOVING-kindness) and truth shall go before thy face.
Blessed is the people that know the joyful song: they shall walk, O Lord, in the light of thy countenance. In thy name shall they rejoice all the day: and in thy righteousness shall they be exalted. For thou art the glory of their strength: and in thy favour our horn (our strength) is exalted.’ (Ps.89:13-17)
Now, with all of that going for us, how can we not be excited and enthused, and delighted to go out and extol the wonders of our God eh? We’d be truly a sorry bunch of ingrates if we felt otherwise. Much LOVE!
…the mercies and faithfulness of our God…can never be surpassed by anyone else…for there is ONLY ONE GOD…the ONE we worship…
19 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a child of God, a large home run, abundant living, attitudes, blessed lives, bonds, break the Father's heart, call and response, celebrate, Christians, come to Jesus, confident, deep is our joy, demeanour, don't reflect the joy, ecstatic, Edwin Hawkins, eternal life, everyday, fellowship, fight and pray, foolish, get on our knees, giveth his life for the sheep, gospel song, happiness, have it more abundantly, he taught me how to watch, heavenly thoughts, hit the devil, hope, I am come, I am the good shepherd, in concert with the Father, in their right senses, ironclad, Jesus washed, listen to God's Word, live rejoicing, LOVE, made righteous, magnanimous god, magnificent, miserable, my sins away, Oh Happy Day, out of the park, praise, proud, Ray Charles, redeemed, refilled with God's love, salvation, sanctuary, sealed forever, seep into our hearts, show it in our behaviour, sour, strong, thanks, that they might have life, the blood shed on Calvary, the good shepherd, the happiest people on earth, the Lamb's Book of Life, the Lord's Day, the privilege of worshipping him, this is the day the Lord has made, ungrateful, walk tall, we will rejoice and be glad in it, worthy to be praised, You Tube
John 10:10b-11. I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.
Awright my believing brethren, what shall we say about this day eh? ‘This is the day the Lord has made we WILL rejoice and be glad in it!’ And what else? That this is the Lord’s Day and we WILL go to His sanctuary to give Him much praise and thanks, to celebrate our blessed lives and fellowship with others of the same belief!
We shall also listen to His Word, let it seep into our hearts and souls, and consequently have our spirits refilled with God’s LOVE through His Holy Spirit, so that we can walk tall and strong, proud and confident, when we depart from His sanctuary! And all God’s people said a loud and grateful: ‘Praise the Lord!’
Yes friends, our God is indeed worthy to be praised! And there’s no better way to praise Him than in song: He enjoys it, and it brings the best out of us. And today’s song of praise is a favourite gospel song from a few years back, one we all know and LOVE; it’s simply but oh so meaningfully titled ‘Oh Happy Day!’
It was written by the gospel singer Edwin Hawkins, and first recorded by the Edwin Hawkins Singers. Unfortunately though, Edwin Hawkins died a few weeks ago, but in conjunction with his choir, he left the world a wonderful legacy in song. I also saw a wonderful rendition of it on You Tube by Ray Charles and the Voices of Jubilation choir. Oh, Ray was so worked up that on his way off the stage he stopped at least three times and did a Happy Day dance!
So let’s open our hearts and mouths and allow our voices to soar to high heaven with these few simple but oh so meaningful words. Remember, half the beauty of the song is in its call and response style, so let’s call and respond in all sincerity and truth nuh, letting our magnificent and magnanimous God know how deep is our joy, in having the wonderful privilege of worshipping Him. Hn! I hope that makes sense.
But anyway, enough talk, let’s sing: ‘Oh happy day (oh happy day) Oh happy day (oh happy day) When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed) When Jesus washed (when Jesus washed) He washed my sins away (oh happy day)
Oh happy day (oh happy day) He taught me how to watch, fight and pray, fight and pray And live rejoicing every, everyday Oh happy day He taught me how to watch, fight and pray, fight and pray And live rejoicing every, everyday Oh happy day Oh happy day (oh happy day) Oh happy day (oh happy day).’
Oh my fellow believers, how could we not be ecstatic eh, when Jesus washed away our sins, cleansed us with the blood He shed on Calvary? He also taught us how to watch, to fight and pray and live rejoicing every day! Glory be! We’d be foolish and ungrateful if we didn’t appreciate His stellar and selfless efforts on our behalf.
Just look at what our Bit says: ‘I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep.’ And that’s exactly what Jesus did my brethren! He gave His life so that we could enjoy abundant living in concert with the Father; redeemed, made righteous once again, with salvation and eternal life the end benefits.
That means Christians ought to be the happiest people on Planet Earth…and show it in our behaviour too. For why would anyone want to come to Jesus if we claim to have so much wonderful stuff when we believe in Him, but our attitudes and demeanour are sour and miserable and definitely don’t reflect the joy we talk about so much eh?
If our everyday lives aren’t filled with hope, happiness and heavenly thoughts and longing then we’re not true believers and/or Jesus sacrificed His sinless life in vain. Please friends, let that not be the case, because it would break both the Father and Jesus’ hearts.
So please let’s make every day a happy day nuh; watching for His promised return; fighting the many evil enemies who want to discredit Him and turn us away. But they don’t know that when we get on our knees, both literally and figuratively, and pray to the Father in His name that the battle is as good as won! Glory Hallelujah!
And with all of that good stuff, the rejoicing just comes naturally. Ah mih people, we have so much to look forward to when we sincerely make Jesus our Lord and Saviour. And when our names are written in the Lamb’s Book of Life, then we’re sealed forever as a child of God, our bonds are so ironclad that nothing, or no one can ever break them. That’s how powerful association with the Lord and His heavenly host is.
So today, let’s step right up to the plate and hit the devil right out of the park for a large home run. That’ll show him to mess with Jesus’ people! Much LOVE!
…as a believer in Jesus…we’re promised joy for ever more…now who in their right senses would refuse that eh…
09 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a brand new day, a faithful ambassador brings health, allowing us to see it, be not afraid, be of good cheer, be wise, blessings, cast into hell, Christians, courage, creativity, curse, death, displeasing God, don't fear, don't let fear destroy you, easter morning, enjoy the day, every secret, fear, fear not, fearful times, fearing for his life, forgiven, forgotten, give the Lord thanks, go into Galilee, God is the revealer, indisputable truth, It is I, Jesus is the resurrection, Jesus' resurrection, Jesus' return, John Hagee, judgemental behaviour, jurisdiction, kill the body, lightning, little flock, more firepopwer, negative word, new mercies, omnipotent rule, one lawgiver, powers, precious possession, principalities, righteousness, rule our lives, seek the kingdom of God, self-control, self-discipline, share them, spiritual maturity, spoon feed, take courage, the Life, the name of Jesus, the past, the power of Jesus name, the power of Jesus' blood, the power of the cross, the power of the Word, the U.S. President, the unknown, Thor, thunder, thunderclap, Thursday Blessings, to give you the kingdom, under Jesus' umbrella, upheaval, wait, watch, wisdom, your Father's good pleasure, Zeus
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Oh mih people, it’s a brand new day with new mercies and blessings, so let’s be wise and enjoy it and give the Lord thanks for allowing us to see it nuh!
And I’d certainly like to know what it is between me and lighting yes! Remember a couple of days ago I told you about going out on my front porch to see the rain and how two flashes of lightning immediately drove me back inside?
Well yesterday afternoon I was sitting on my porch reading, waiting for my young daughter to come and pick me up and take me out. The rain was merely drizzling, when out of the blue, a fiery bolt of Zeus’ lightning suddenly lit up the dark and dreary-looking sky. Then soon thereafter, Thor unleashed a thunderous thunderclap of thundering thunder! (smile) Hn! Yuh know where I ended up? Back inside, of course!
Ah Lord eh! A body can’t even sit down quietly on his porch without being threatened eh, without fearing for his life! (smile) And quite appropriately, today we’re going to talk about fear, starting with some wise insights on the subject from Uncle John (John Hagee).
And the first thing he says is ‘Don’t let fear destroy you.’ But sadly we live in such fearful times, when both the physical world and mankind seem to be in serious upheaval that fear is rampant, even among Christians. However, according to Uncle John, the two words that Jesus used most were ‘Fear not!’ And He did indeed tell us quite often not to be afraid, but so many of us lack spiritual maturity that we let fear rule our lives.
Now hear are some things Uncle John said we should not be afraid of in particular and good reasons why not. The first is: ‘Don’t fear death – For Jesus is the resurrection and the life. Don’t fear the past – Because it’s forgotten and forgiven. Do not fear the unknown – Because God is the revealer of every secret. Do not fear powers and principalities – Because you have the power of the cross.
You have the power of Jesus’ Name. You have the power of His Word. You have the power of His blood. You have more firepower than the U.S President… (smile) And it comes to you just with the mention of the name of Jesus!’
Glory be mih people! Yuh see all the reasons why we should not be afraid. Jesus is the omnipotent ruler of this world, and if we’re supposed to be living under His umbrella, His jurisdiction, then we should have little or no cause to be afraid of anything!
And we’ll continue by highlighting a few scriptures where Jesus told His people not to be afraid, beginning with our Bit. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’
Yes friends, that’s the indisputable truth! Why else would He have sent his most precious possession, His Son, to die for a bunch of ingrates like us eh? But we can’t just sit on our fannies and do nothing. We have to genuinely seek the kingdom of God and His righteousness, as well as watch and wait for Jesus’ return.
And earlier on, while telling them whom to fear and whom not to fear, Jesus declared. ‘And I say unto you my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: Fear him, which after he hath killed hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him.’ (Luke 12:4-5) Oh my, my!
And as the scholars explain: ‘12:4. The body’s death is not the end of a person’s life. 12:5. God is the One with this power (to cast into hell) (James 4:12).’ And since I LOVE you all so much, and want you to know the scriptures, and know you won’t look it up for yourselves, I’ll spoon-feed you with that verse. (smile)
It occurs when James is talking about us having consideration for our brother. ‘There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy: who art thou that judgest another?’ (James 4:12) And that’s a very good question with all the unsubstantiated judgemental behaviour that’s going on these days.
But turning back to Jesus. Listen to Him on Easter morning, having triumphantly risen from the dead. To those who first saw Him, He said: ‘Be not afraid: go tell my brethren that they go into Galilee, and there shall they see me.’ (Matt.28:10) What an occasion was Jesus’ resurrection eh friends! The most momentous occasion the world has seen so far!
And we have time for just one more of Jesus’ ‘be not afraid.’ This one to His disciples on the boat on the stormy sea, and He comes walking towards them on the water. When they saw Him, were they ever afraid and cried out in fear that it was a spirit. ‘But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good cheer (take courage); it is I, be not afraid.’ (Matt.14:27) Ah mih breddren, what else can I say eh? You heard it all from Jesus Himself!
Now let’s go home loudly and proudly and sincerely declaring our Thursday Blessings, a mark of Jesus’ bountiful benediction to His followers. All together now: ‘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 everyday! Amen!’
The next step is to go out now and share those wonderful blessings with the less fortunate, because that’s why Jesus so generously endowed us with them. Much LOVE!
…the only fear mankind should have…is that of displeasing Almighty God…
06 Aug 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: and not faint, at noon, aura of love, blessings, Caribana Monday, cast thy burden upon the Lord, Christians, come together, confidence, cry aloud, disobedience, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, evening, faith, fears, foolishness, give up on prayer, glorious kingdom, grace, Granny's warning, holy spirit, hope, humble servants, ill-will, in every thing give thanks, invincible, Jesus Christ, Jesus spake a parabble, joy, keep God close, lies, lose heart, LOVE, marrow to our bones, mature believers, men ought always to pray, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, morning, negative consequences, parable, peace, petty differences, pray without ceasing, put aside, raising our song to heaven, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, take them to heart, the Father's listening ears, the will of God, trust, ungodly world, victories, will I pray, wisdom
Luke 18:1. And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
And then it was Caribana Monday… Oh I’ve been calling it Caribana all weekend, but that’s no longer the official title nuh since the original committee was stripped of the authority to put on the festival a few years ago, and they ended up in court over the name.
Don’t ask me what the official name is nuh, because I don’t know, and don’t particularly want to know either. (smile) History will always call this weekend, what it’s supposed to be called: Caribana! End of story.
And by the way it’s not a Federally instigated holiday, but a local government proclamation, so it’s mostly the banks and government offices that are closed, meaning that a lot of folks still have to get up and go out to work, while a blessed few are able to stay home or go out to the numerous parties around the place.
That means there will obviously be some ill will between the two groups, but as mature believers I’m sure we can put our petty differences aside and come together to sing out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn which will energize and refresh all of us, because we’re all tired from participating in the weekend’s festivities So whether you’re going to work or have the day off, let’s concentrate on raising our song to heaven and the Father’s listening ears.
Altogether now: ‘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!’
And now we’re all ready and rearing to go out and do Jesus’ work! Wow! How invigorating and refreshing is sincere prayer! You just can’t beat it for restoring the doldrums in our souls. That’s why Jesus gave this strong advice in our Bit. ‘And he (Jesus) spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint (lose heart).
Yes my breddren, we ought never to lose heart, to give up on prayer and our faithful, omnipotent and gracious God! That’s because prayer lends sustenance to our souls and our spirits. No wonder Bruh Paul also told us to ‘pray without ceasing.’ (1 Thess.5:17) That means to lend ourselves continually to prayer.
And it’s not like we’re supposed to walk around praying audibly every minute of every day, but we ought to be in a godly space most of the time. That’s a place where God is more on our minds than He is not. Where we don’t do stuff, or make decisions without consulting Him. Where we share our fears and hopes, and thank Him for even the small victories that we have as we journey through each day.
Bruh Paul said that too: ‘In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (1 Thess.5:18) So whether the times are good or the times are rough, we need to keep a good prayerful, thankful attitude. The important thing is to keep God close at hand, let Him be an integral part of our everyday lives, the way He desires to be.
Oh, and for those of you who will be in the party scene today, please remember Granny’s wise words: ‘Sonny boy, drunk or sober mind yuh business.’ And I know some of you think it’s foolishness, but if we’re truthful, we can all look back at some particular time(s) and genuinely wish that we had followed it, because of the negative consequences we’ve suffered, or might still be suffering for our disobedience.
And we’ll close this Caribana Monday morning with some appropriate words from Bruh David. ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice…. Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps.55:16-17,22)
Truer words were never spoken friends. So let’s be wise and take them to heart nuh, they will be marrow to our bones (strength to our souls). Much LOVE!
…as believers…we ought to spend more time in simple prayer…and the giving of thanks for small mercies…
30 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adversity, almighty god, anxiety, aura of love, calamities, Christians, climate change, confidence, Creator of the universe, dictatorial leanings, economic upheaval, enthusiasm, eternal life, evil, faith, fellowship, flurry of leaders, friends, glorious kingdom, glory hallelujah, grace, happy, heat waves, hope, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, joy, lies, LOVE, mercy, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, peace, raises up, record-breaking weather, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, righteousness., salvation, sex abuse, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, strife, surrender to Christ, the god of Jacob, the Lord upholds all that fall, those that are bowed down, transgender issues, trust, truth, ungodly world, was, wildfires, wisdom, worry
Psalm 145:14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.
Well friends, what’s next eh? Let’s ignore war and strife, as well as economic upheaval, poverty and sickness, for those seem to be staples of our modern supposedly prosperous society. This year we’ve already had record-breaking cold weather and winter storms and we’re now in the midst of record-breaking heat waves all over the world.
There’s also extensive drought. But on the other hand, we have excessive rainfall and breaking dams that cause terrible flooding, with ongoing dangerous volcano activity, not to mention the spate of deadly wildfires wreaking havoc around the globe. What else is on the agenda eh? Oh hurricanes and tornadoes! They haven’t set in seriously as yet. But be sure they will come around eventually.
And when you add to all that the flurry of leaders coming to power with definite dictatorial leanings, who insist that climate change is not a factor in our ongoing adversity, it doesn’t augur well for our world. Oh, and don’t forget sex abuse and transgender issues; the new kids on the block. Hn! I don’t know if Mother Earth has ever been in such a sad state.
But yuh know what mih breddren? Be all of that as it may, the most important thing to remember is that Almighty God, the Creator and Controller of the universe is still on His throne and NOTHING will happen unless it fits into His overall plan. And that plan is a wonderful one, especially for those who trust and surrender their lives to Him, through the auspices of His Son, Jesus Christ!
So if you are one of those wise and blessed people, you won’t allow the calamities our world is currently experiencing to drive you crazy with worry and anxiety. However though, some of us are definitely disturbed by the fact that it’s Monday and we have to get up to go to work. Our minds and bodies just don’t seem up to the task.
But don’t worry, as followers of Jesus, we have the right antidote for that disturbing Monday morning feeling. We call it our Monday Morning Battle Hymn! So let’s raise it up to heaven and allow the Father to uplift our souls and spirits in return.
As one now: ‘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!’
Yes friends, I know your spirits have been uplifted! I can see the new gleam in your eyes and the aura of confidence that’s now being exhibited in your body language. (smile) So let’s go out and do whatever we have to do for Jesus nuh, with diligence and excellence, as is our bounden duty.
And as we go, let’s write these immortal words of Bruh David deep and indelibly in our hearts, so that they can help to keep our faith strong. ‘The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.’
Oh my people, that’s no lie! And we have a good example of that in Bruh David himself. Whenever adversity came against him and his spirit plummeted, the Lord always lifted him up. But that’s because he cultivated a good, constant relationship with God, and thus could cry out to Him for help. And the Lord will do the same for us if we stay close to Him and cry out for help in our time of trouble and confusion.
Remember what Jesus said, that He came to save those who were lost, to help the sick and suffering, the poor and needy. So anytime you fall into one of those categories, be assured that Jesus will be there to help you. And as He said again in His Great Invitation: ‘Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of (from) me; for I am meek and lowly in heart (gentle and humble): and ye shall find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt.11:28-30)
Friends, there will NEVER be a better or more sincere invitation than that! And there’s absolutely no need to worry about if Jesus will keep His word. Just look at what He has already done for us nuh; sacrificed His sinless life so that we could be saved from our sins. Why would He then turn us away after that eh? It would just be negating all His sacrifices.
And the psalmist puts it this way: ‘Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God…Which executeth judgement (justice) for the oppressed: which giveth food to the hungry. The Lord looseth (gives freedom to) the prisoners. The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth them that are bowed down: the Lord LOVETH the righteous.’ (Ps.146:5,7-8)
Of all of that stuff there is no doubt my fellow believers! Consequently, it is of the utmost importance for us to get thoroughly acquainted with God, so that we won’t wallow in the mire of life for too long. Much LOVE!
…whether you’re on your knees in prayer…or have fallen from grace…the Lord will always lift you up…you just have to sincerely call on Him…
02 Jul 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abide in my love, adrenaline, all men shall know, aura of love, bear good fruit, Canada Day, celebrations, celebratory times, Christians, commandments, complaining, confidence, Drunk or sober mind yuh business, enthusiasm, faith, friends, frightened way, Granny's warning, grievous, harmful, holy spirit, hot summer's day, humble servants, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, keep my commandments, keeping Jesus' word, know them by their fruits, lackadaisical, lies, long weekend, LOVE, LOVE one another, meet the enemy in battle, miserable, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, Monday Morning Blues, much needed sleep, obey, poetic liberty, precautions, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, salvation, shame-faced, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, taunts, to the max, trust, truth, ungodly world, wiles, wisdom, ye are my disciples, your joy might be full
John 15:10. If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.
And then it was Monday; another hot summer’s day in this Canada Day long weekend! Wow friends! We’re celebrating 151 years of Canada’s existence! Granted that’s a short time in comparison to other countries, but we’re certainly doing it with a flair all our very own. No set of copy-cat ideas, be they good, bad or indifferent.
Anyway, the celebrations will be ramped up to the max today, and before we go any further, let’s just be reminded of Granny’s warning; Sonny boy, drunk or sober, please mind yuh business! And is that ever a wise warning, because if you don’t mind your business, somebody else will mind it for you, and you don’t know what they will do to it. So please take serious precautions during these celebratory times.
And since it’s Monday, it means that some people have to go to work…not us in Canada though! Praise the Lord! It also means that some people are miserable and complaining, so let’s trot out our Monday Morning Battle Hymn and sing it with gusto, to quell all those Monday morning blues.
All together now: ‘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!’
And as always, the voices of those who aren’t going to work are the loudest and most enthusiastic, but also hoarse and somewhat hard to understand from the effects of too much celebrating. But be that as it may, I believe that all of us can benefit from the burst of adrenaline that our song produced, so let’s get a grip and just go out and serve our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to the best of our ability nuh, because that’s all He asks of us.
As He said to the disciples, and consequently to us: ‘If ye keep my commandments; ye shall abide in my LOVE; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his LOVE.’ Yes friends, it’s simple; to do Jesus work, we need to keep His commandments. And they are neither grievous nor harmful.
Then He continues: ‘These things have I spoken unto you; that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.’ (John 15:11) Yuh see mih people, when we keep Jesus commands, we are filled with joy! Wow! So why don’t we do it eh? Is it perhaps that we don’t like the joy of the Spirit that keeping Jesus’ word provides? Who knows?
Then He told them: ‘This is my commandment, That ye LOVE one another, as I have LOVED you. Greater LOVE hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.’ (John 15:12-14)
Glory be mih breddren! We become Jesus’ friend when we obey His commandments…and even better than that He is the ‘BESTEST’ friend that ever existed, because He laid down His life for us! It couldn’t get any better than that!
And please note what Jesus told the disciples earlier on. ‘A new commandment I give unto you, That ye LOVE one another; as I have LOVED you, that ye also LOVE one another.’ (John 13: 34) That makes twice He declared that our LOVE for each other was ever so important. And why? ‘By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have LOVE one to another.’ (John 13:35)
And Jesus pounded it into their heads even further: ‘Ye have not chosen me, but I have chosen you, and ordained (appointed) you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my name, he may give it you. These things I command you, that ye LOVE one another.’ (John 15:16-17)
And they did LOVE one another as best they could, and went forth and brought forth good fruit, that’s why we know Jesus’ words now. Ah mih people, how often does Jesus have to remind us that we are His disciples, He chose us, not the other way around, and we are supposed to go out and bear good fruit for His name’s sake eh? And not the lackadaisical, frightened and shame-faced way that so many of us do it, when we do it.
Remember friends, we all have to answer come the Big Day for what we did down here on earth. So it will be wise to get a move on and improve our planting and fruit bearing seasons. Much LOVE!
…they shall know them by their fruits…Christians that is…
P.S. Please excuse the lateness of the Bit. I took a li’l poetic liberty (smile) and got some much needed sleep. Much LOVE!
25 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: adrenaline, alive and kicking, antichrist, apostolic witness, aura of love, beset, born of God, Calvary, Christians, chugging along, confidence, do battle for Christ, enthusiasm, error, evil, evil cohorts, friends, glorious kingdom, Glory be, glory hallelujah, greater is he that's in you, hard working, he that is in the world, heartwarming, holy spirit, humble servants, inaccurate teaching, invincible, Jesus Christ, jobs, joy, lazing around at home, learn the truth, lies, little children, LOVE, Lucifer, meditate, Monday Morning Battle Hymn, more positive side, negative circumstances, on the right track, our Lord and Saviour, peace, prince of darkness, read, rejuvenation of spirit, relaxation, renewed vitality, rest, rewarding, salvation, spirit of truth, spiritual armour, steadfast faith, study, talk to about Christ, taunts, thanks and praise, the li'l engine that could, the New testament, the Spirit of Christ, the truth of God, the Word of god, trust, truth, uneventful, ungodly world, victory, wiles, wisdom, ye are of God, ye have overcome them
1 John 4:4. Ye are of God, little children, and ye have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Well a good Monday morning to all you hard working Christian folks out there! I do hope that your trip to work was uneventful; uneventful in the sense that you encountered no negative circumstances. However, on the brighter and more positive side of things, you did encounter someone to talk to about Christ.
Oh mih people, mih people, how heartwarming and rewarding it is when we can talk to someone about our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ, especially so early on a Monday morning! Glory be! It just lifts our spirits and has us confidently chugging along like the li’l engine that could, beaming from ear to ear, because we’ve successfully brought Jesus to the forefront on this the first day of the work week. (smile)
It certainly makes us feel like we’re on the right track. But however, if we weren’t that blessed, and we’re still in a sour and miserable state of mind, then let’s sing together our sure antidote for our Monday morning ills. We call it, most appropriately, our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, because we are indeed going out to do battle for Christ!
Altogether now, with good enthusiasm nuh, seeing that we’re thankful for still being alive and kicking, even though we’d rather be lazing around at home.
‘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!’
Ah friends, I can hear you all breathe a huge sigh of relief and feel your spirits lift considerably having sung our Battle Hymn. Now let’s keep the adrenaline flowing nuh, as we face a day beset roundabout by the enemy and all his evil cohorts.
For remember the words of John, when he reminded believers about the spirit of the antichrist, which was around even then, spreading false teachings, and which is even more rampant in our world today. ‘Ye are of God, little children, and ye have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’
Yes friends, Jesus Christ is greater than the prince of darkness, the prince of this world. The scholars explain it thus: ‘4:4. Christ indwells believers; Satan is likewise the lord of his own followers. But Christ is greater than he who wreaks havoc in the world. Have overcome is in the perfect tense, stressing the abiding nature of their victory. Their strength lies in the fact that they are (born) of God.’
And my faithful breddren the very same thing applies to us today; we are born of God, and thus the Spirit of Christ dwells in us, making us able to overcome Lucifer and his evil cohorts, and having the continuing victory that Christ won at Calvary! Glory to God my people! Give Him some thanks and praise nuh!
And John continues to enlighten us: ‘They are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them. We are of God: he that knoweth God heareth us: he that is not of God heareth not us. Hereby know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error.’ (1 John 4:5-6)
And the scholars explain: ‘4:5. They refers to all who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist. The world finds their teaching more appealing than the truth of God.’
‘4:6. Those who acknowledge the truth of the apostolic (New Testament) witness to Christ will recognize and conform to the teaching John is presenting. Those who do not are animated by a common and unifying spirit of error. John warns his readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ, proclaims.’
Well friends, it does seem logical that if John was a personal witness and follower of Christ that his story would most likely be the truer one. So please, let’s be careful of all the crazy, false and inaccurate teaching that is floating around today. And the only way we can do that successfully is by knowing what the Word of God says. That means we need to consistently read, study and meditate on it. So let’s get to it nuh! (smile) Much LOVE!
…you cannot know truth from error…until you learn truth…
22 Jun 2018
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a daily calling, a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, a touch of god's wrath, anger, bacchanalian way, battle to win our souls, be constantly in thy mouth, Beelzebub, Book of the Law, Christians, commitment to Christ, Daily Bread Devotional, death, difficult to do, do according to all therein, do God's will, eternal damnation, fellowship, Friday chant, full force of God's anger, fun, furthering God's kingdom, generous help, go to extremes, gospel truth, grateful, have success, hellfire, in Jesus name, insensitive actions, inspired word of God, Joshua, keeping Jesus uppermost, know peace, leader of the Israelites, make thy way prosperous, meditating, mental, negative stuff, out of darkness, partying, physical, putting the word into action, reading, refreshed, relaxation, renewed, rest, rocket science, separate immigrant children, slavery, strife, suffered, summertime weather, TGIF!, Thank God is Friday, the blind lead the blind, the enemy, the Good Book, the hand of God, the light inspiring word of jesus, the workingman, thy word, tough tits, tried and true path, turn to God, turned away from God, war, week of work, weekends, what a bam bam, working
Psalm 119:105. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.
Well friends, amongst all the strife, war, hatred, anger and all the other negative stuff that’s taking place in our once beautiful world, I noticed one of the most foolish and insensitive actions take place yesterday. Yuh know the big contention that’s currently going on in the U.S… and some of you are asking which one? (smile) Well I’m talking about the recent major push to separate immigrant children from their parents.
Now apparently, yesterday, the first lady of the U.S went to visit one of the centres where children are being held and she wore a jacket that had written on the back in big white letters: ‘I don’t really care, do u?’ How how insensitive is that eh? Even if you don’t care, half of the country you represent cares, and that’s only a slap in the face to them. But that’s the state of the U.S. these days. Matter done!
It’s Friday, and the workingman is out there singing his happy song: ‘TGIF! Thank God is Friday! The working soon finish… and the partying soon start! What a bam bam! It’s going to be party fuh so in this summertime weather! Nobody going to stop we from carrying on anyway we want!
And who doh like it…Hn! Tough tits yes! Let them try to do something about it nuh. They don’t know how we grateful for the break from all the weekday slavery nuh, both physical and mental. Steups! Thank God for Fridays and the weekends oui!’
Yeh mih people, we Christians are also grateful for Fridays and the weekends, but we just show it in a less bacchanalian way. (smile) We don’t go to the extremes, like the worldly culture around us does. So let’s chant our corresponding Friday Chant and show them how we believers do it nuh.
As one sincere voice now: ‘Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through another week of work! It hasn’t been easy, but with your generous help, I made it through. Now, please help me to get sufficient fun, fellowship, rest and relaxation in these two short days off, so that I can be renewed and refreshed in soul, body and mind, to go back out and do it all over again next week, furthering your glorious kingdom with each step I take. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen.’
Yes friends, we have a more organized way to spend or use our weekends – while celebrating, still keeping our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ uppermost in our minds and behaviour. And I just spied a quote from a Daily Bread Devotional that highlights it quite nicely. I’ve shared it before, but it’s important enough to share again and again. ‘Commitment to Christ is a daily calling.’
And isn’t that the gospel truth my brethren! Everyday we awaken, we need to commit ourselves anew to Christ! That’s the only way we can stay on the tried and true path that leads to the Father. That’s why the psalmist declared in our Bit: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’
Yeh mih breddren, the only way to stay committed to Christ is by constantly reading, meditating and putting His word into action, for the enemy is fighting an ever-constant battle to win our souls. Remember those memorable words of the Lord to Joshua when He appointed him leader of the Israelites after Moses’ death?
‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have good success.’ (Josh.1:8)
Oh friends, that one verse says it all: to be prosperous and have success, one must know the word and practice it! And yet we wonder why so much of us individually, as well as nationally are not having success. But the answer is right there before our very eyes; turn to God and do His will. That’s not rocket science; it’s plain and straightforward.
And though in some cases it might be somewhat difficult to do, the Lord has faithfully promised us His awesome help all along the way. But like the workingman, many of us seem to prefer Beelzebub’s easy and sinful ways, which only lead to hellfire, death and eternal damnation.
Yuh see how EVERY TIME, Israel turned away from God how they suffered, and how we are suffering now in our ungodliness? It’s no mistake that our world is currently engulfed in all sorts of negative problems; the hand of God and a touch of His wrath are upon us. Notice I said only a touch of His wrath, because we could never withstand the full force of His anger.
Oh friends, the Good Book is the inspired Word of our Creator and it does not lie. So why do we think we can go against what it says and be truly successful eh? That’s why I’m imploring us, like the Lord implored Joshua and all the other leaders of the faith, to sincerely meditate on His Word, talk about it to our children and each other, and then put it into action. That’s the ONLY way our desperately struggling world and us will ever know peace and success. Much LOVE!
…how can the blind lead the blind out of darkness eh…only through the light inspiring word of Jesus…
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