28 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a positive outlook on life, a theological basis for holy living, abundance, adulterating the word of God, all around the globe, as we have received mercy, blinded the minds of them which believe not, broadcast the good news of Christ's coming, by manifestation of the truth, clear direction for my life, clever intellect, cloud cover, come to know and love christ like we do, commending ourselves to every man's conscience, curse, divine protection, dwell in the land of the shadow of death, ensure that whatever we do Christ gets the glory, every one has a ministry, faith, favour, God dwells today in the believer's heart, God who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, guard against straying from God's word, hath shined in our hearts, have seen a great light, holy spirit, humanity in its strength, if our gospel be hid, in the sight of God, it is hid to them that are lost, it resides in men of clay, Jesus Christ, keep working for Jesus, kept in the chains of darkness, lest the light of the glorious gospel of christ, living under the shadow of death, LOVE, make known all the wonderful things Jesus has done for us, men of clay, mercy, negative word, not handling the word of God deceitfully, not walking in craftiness, now ye are light in the Lord, of the glory of God in the face of Jesus christ, our earthly purpose, perishing, promotion, proper doctrine, prosper and succeed, renounce the ways of the world, renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, salvation, Satan, seeing we have this ministry, self-control, self-discipline, shame, share our blessings generously with others, shining our lights like bright beacons, should shine on them, speak thou the things which become sound doctrine, spread the message of the gospel of Christ, spreading our flavourful salt, talent, teaching what others want to hear, the excellency of the power may be of God, the god of this world, the gospel is not a product of human genius, the gospel of the glory of Christ, the image of God, the light of Christ brings freedom to the enslaved, the light of Jesus breaks chains, the people that walked in darkness, the unspeakable truth, to give the light of the knowledge, too many are adulterating God 's word, treasure in earthen vessels, truth, upon them hath the light shined, walk as children of light., we do not lose heart, we faint not, we preach not ourselves but Christ Jesus the Lord, wisdom, ye were sometimes darkness, your servants for Jesus' sake
Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 May 2026 2 Corinthians 4:1.
2 Corinthians 4:1. Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not (do not lose heart);
So we’ve come to Thursday, the second to last day of our work week, and though it seems windy like yesterday, it’s definitely not as warm and sunshiny. There’s a tad of cloud cover and temps only in the high teens. But we’ll take it, as though we have a choice, (smile) and keep working for Jesus, shining our lights like bright beacons, and spreading our flavourful salt all around the globe, so that people in the darkness can come to know and LOVE Him like we do, for that’s our earthly purpose.
How did Isaiah put it: ‘The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.’ (Is. 9:2) Yes friends, that’s our duty; to shine the light of Jesus on those who don’t know him, because they’ve been kept in the chains of darkness, living under the shadow of death. But the light of Jesus breaks chains and brings freedom to the enslaved. And brother are there still many enslaved in our world! So let’s get out there and do what we do best; spread the message of the gospel of Christ; broadcast the good news of His coming and all the wonderful things He’s done for us!
And Bruh Paul explained it to the Corinthians in greater depth., as he talks about preaching Christ Jesus the Lord. ‘Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not (do not lose heart); But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty (shame), not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully (adulterating the word of God); but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God.’ (2 Cor. 4:1-2)
Now that’s something we must all understand; that every one of us has a ministry; have been appointed to preach, teach or in some way declare the word of God. The Lord has given us sufficient grace and mercy to do it, so there’s no need for us to become discouraged if things don’t seem to be going as we expected. The first thing we need to do though is renounce the ways of the world, then not adulterate the Word of the Lord, which unfortunately too many of us are currently doing.
That means they are using the Word in the wrong manner; teaching what people want to hear, or what they think they should hear, not doing as Bruh Paul admonishes Titus: ‘But speak thou the things which become sound doctrine (are proper doctrine).’ (Tit. 2:1) And we hear improper doctrine being advanced all over the globe today, possibly more so than at any other time. However, we cannot reach others properly for Jesus unless our consciences are clear and pure and we tell the truth as dictated by the Word.
And Bruh Paul continues: ‘But if our gospel be hid (veiled), it is hid to them that are lost (perishing): In whom the god of this world (Satan) hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ (the gospel of the glory of Christ), who is the image of God, should shine unto them.’ (2 Cor. 4:3-4)
Yes my brethren, as the scholars tell us, ‘those who don’t believe are so controlled by Satan, (the god of this evil world) that he effectively shields them from the light of the glorious gospel of Christ. The apostle thus categorizes those who find his message difficult to accept.’ And I guess the same thing goes for our ministry in this modern world; Satan has so many people so controlled that it’s difficult for the light of Jesus to shine into the darkness of their souls and spirits.
Then Bruh Paul announces: ‘For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake.’ (2 Cor. 4:5) Now that’s a most important scripture my fellow believers. We must ensure that when we preach Christ or do anything in His name that it’s He who gets the glory and not us, for there are many who are using Christ’s gospel today to aggrandize themselves and not Him.
As Bruh Paul further declares: ‘For God, who commanded the light to shine out of the darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’ (2 Cor. 4: 6-7) Oh my people, God caused the light to shine in our hearts so that we can talk about the glory of Jesus to others not through our power, but God’s.
And here’s how the scholars explain that last verse.: ‘Earthen vessels: In the wilderness under the old covenant, God’s presence dwelt in a tent. Today he dwells in the believer’s heart. This is unspeakable truth and forms a theological basis for holy living (c.f. 1 Cor. 6:10-20). But the stress here is on the earthen. An earthenware jar is brittle. It depicts humanity in its weakness. The gospel is not a product of human genius or clever intellect (humanity in its strength). Yet it resides in men of clay, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.’
Now that’s something we need to seriously guard against. Our fragility and fickleness can ofttimes cause us to stray, but let’s do our best not to, remembering that all that we are, all we have, and all that we do is through the strength of God. And it’s all for Him and His glory through Christ Jesus our Lord and Saviour! Now let’s declare, and thus activate our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings generously bestowed by Almighty God to help us do our earthly work.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
And my faithful brethren, that declaration now behooves us to go out and share those blessings with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…for ye were sometimes (once) darkness…but now are ye light in the Lord…therefore walk as children of light… (Eph. 5:8)
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
14 May 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a strong will, abundance, access by faith into grace, being justified by faith, belief, by the Holy Ghost which is given to us, character, Christians, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, culminates in eternal life, curse, divine protection, even the youths shall faint and be weary, experienced, faith, favour, for what a man sees why does he yet hope for ir, fulfillment, glory in tribulations, God's faithfulness, God's supernatural wisdom, have peace with God through Christ, He gives power to the faint, holy spirit, hope does not disappoint, hope for what we don't see, hope in God, hope is the basis of faith, hope keeps us holding on to our dreams, hope keps us going, hope maketh not ashamed, hope of a good futre, hope that is seen is not hope, hope that things will turn out alright, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I wait for God my Saviour, I watch in hope for the Lord, I will look unto the Lord, I will wait for the God of my salvation, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, my God will hear me, negative word, patience, penultimate day of our workweek, plans to give us a future and a hope, promotion, rejoice in hope of the glory of God, run and not be weary, salvation, self-control, self-disicpline, self-sacrifice, shall mount up with wings like eagles, talent, the basic catalyst, the BIBLE, the gospel truth, the groundwork called for in God's word, the level of our belief based on our hope, the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, the young men shall utterly fall, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you an expected end, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, tribulation worketh patience, truth, undeniable truth, walk and not faint, we are saved by hope, wisdom, with patience we wait for it, without hope you cannot have faith
Today’s Scrip-Bit 14 May 2026 Jeremiah 29:11.
Jeremiah 29:11. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’
Ah friends, the penultimate day of our work week, Thursday, has opened somewhat cloudy and chilly, but let’s not lose hope, for yesterday afternoon turned out to be quite nice, despite the poor early morning weather. And if it’s one thing we Christians have is hope. Hope in God, and hope that things will turn out all right in the end. For without hope, what’s the purpose of living? None whatsoever! Since hope is the basic catalyst that keeps us going; keeps us holding on to our dreams and desires, whatever they may be. With hope we expect things to get better and those dreams to materialize at some point in time.
And that’s why the Bible, God’s Word is filled with so many wonderful verses on hope. So let’s look at some of them, and see how they boost our faith. for remember without hope, you cannot have faith, as hope is the basis of faith. And possibly the most well known and favourite verse of hope in the Bible is this one from Jeremiah. ‘For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil (calamity), to give you an expected end (a future and a hope).’ (Jer. 29:11) Yes my fellow believers, that’s what the Lord has in mind for us; hope of a good future, that culminates with Him in eternal life. And there’s nothing better to look forward to than that!
Then there’s this other amazing promise from the prophet Isaiah, that we all know and mouth, but don’t always believe, otherwise we would not be so often lacking in hope. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:29-31)
What a marvellous promise! But if we don’t truly believe it, then it will not happen for us, for that’s the groundwork called for in God’s Word; belief, which is born of hope and topped by faith. As Bruh Paul says in Romans. ‘For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience (perseverance) wait (eagerly wait) for it.’ (Rom. 8:24-25) And that’s the gospel truth! For hope is looking and waiting for something we don’t see. If we see it, then there’s no point in hoping for it.
Then there’s this interesting verse from the prophet Micah, where he declares: ‘Therefore I will look unto the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation: my God will hear me.’ (Mic. 7:7) Now that’s a tremendous statement of hope and faith. As this translation puts it: ‘But as for me, I watch in hope for the LORD, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.’ And that’s more undeniable truth my brethren. If we wait and hope in our God, He will hear us and provide salvation. But then again, that all depends on the level of our belief that’s based on the amount of our hope. (smile)
Now these are also important verses on belief and hope, but I don’t think we appreciate them as much as some of the others. Why? Just listen. ‘Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: By whom also we have access by faith into this grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. and not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh (produces) patience; And patience, experience (character); and experience, hope: and hope maketh not ashamed (does not disappoint); because the LOVE of God is shed abroad (poured out) in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.’ (Rom. 5:1-5)
Ah mih people, we all like the end product, but none of us like to go through the middle section that talks of tribulations and perseverance. However, that is a most basic and foundational aspect of truly living for Jesus. It’s the calling of self-sacrifice that all followers of Jesus are expected to engage in, following His glorious example. And there are several more interesting scriptures on hope, but since time and space have runout on us, we’ll look at those tomorrow, if God spares life obviously. (smile)
And to help us find and keep that hope, the Lord has also most generously bestowed on us undeserved blessings, we call our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and activate them right now! In one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…there are too many examples of God’s faithfulness…to ever lose hope in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
30 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a complete satisfaction, a genreal designation of the dwelling place of the saved, a proof of spiritual rebirth, a strong will, abundance, acknolwedges their sin, be as a tree planted by the waters, behooves us to go out and share those blessings, being fortunate, blessed a certain characterisitic of someone who want to serve God, blessed are the meek, blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are they that mourn, blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness, blessed is the man tha trusteth in the Lord, children of the Most High God Jehovah, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love him like we do, comforted by the compassion of God, comforted in confession, courage, creativity, curse, delay the greenery of spring, divine grace, divine protection, experience a deep desire for personal rightousness, experience profound inner joy and spiritual well being, faith, favour, favoured by God, frost avisory warning, future possessors of earth, good freinds, good health, got a zeppo, gratitude for life's gifts, he filleth the hungry soul with goodness, he satisfieth the longing soul, her leaf shall be green, holy spirit, how prideful foolish and unwise nakind can be, humbled by the grace og God, hunger and thirst for what only God can give, if God spares life, independent of circumstances, inherit the kingdom of heaven, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, LOVE, mercy, mourn for human anguish, mourn for sin, negative word, neither shall cease from yielding fruit, promotion, salvation, shall not be careful in the year of drought, shall not see when heat comes, spiritual poverty, spreadeth out her roots by the river, supernatural wisdom, talent, the Beatitudes, the BIBLE, the kingdom Jesus preached is both in you and yet to moe, the opposite of the proud and haughty in spirit, the penultimate day of our work week, the presently installed rightful heirs, the Sermon on the Mount, their dependence on God to save them, theirs is the kingdom of heaven, they shall be comforted, they shall be filled, they shall inherit the earth, those who mourn for sin cahll be cmforted in, to possess divine favour, true blessings only come from sincere association with God, truth, ultimately share in the kingdom of God on earth, wanting something but not willing to pay the price, whose hope the Lord is, wisdom
Jeremiah 17:7. Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week, and are we ever looking forward to Friday and the weekend. But wait, am I seeing correctly? The computer is giving me a Frost advisory warning. Between the last day of April and the first day of May, we should expect frost… Let’s hope that isn’t true, for the young buds are just beginning to appear on the trees, and a frost cover would only inhibit their growth and thus further delay the greenery of spring that we’re all just dying to see, after a tough winter.
But yuh know what, we can handle anything that comes against us because we are children of the Most High God Jehovah and thus are blessed. And talking about being blessed, I read a scripture earlier this morning that talked about it, and afterward got a zeppo that we should check out some scriptures that deal with the subject. (smile) And there are several interesting ones in the Bible. But before we begin looking at scriptures about being blessed, it might be useful to first have a definition of what we mean by being blessed.
And this overview explains it thus: ‘”Be blessed” generally means to be favored by God, to possess divine favor, or to experience profound inner joy, peace, and spiritual well-being independent of circumstances. It signifies being fortunate, consecrated, or fortunate to have something. The term is used in both spiritual contexts (divine grace) and secular, everyday language (gratitude for life’s gifts).’
So, however we take it, blessed means to be rich or well-off in certain aspects of life. And the scripture I read earlier on certainly displays those sentiments. And it’s a scripture that we all know from the prophet Jeremiah, speaking on the Lord’s behalf ‘Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see (fear) when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful (anxious) in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit.’ (Jer. 17:7-8)
Wow! What a marvellous blessing! You’d think that all of us would then be running down such an awesome blessing by totally putting our trust in the Lord God Jehovah. But we’re not. However, we all want to be blessed like that tree. That just goes to show how prideful, foolish and unwise mankind can be; desperately wanting something but not willing to pay the price to get it. Yes friends, we all want to be blessed by the Lord, but we don’t want to live the way He desires, so foolishly we forego His many blessings.
And Jesus brought the message of blessing to the forefront by giving us the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. Each of the Beatitudes begins with the word ‘Blessed’ and talks about a certain characteristic of a person who wants to serve God, or who has been saved. Jesus begins with ‘Blessed are the poor in Spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.’ (Matt. 5:3) And the scholars explain that by saying: ‘The poor in spirit are the opposite of the proud or haughty in spirit. They have been humbled by the grace of God and have acknowledged their sin and therefore their dependence on God to save them. They will inherit the kingdom of heaven; is a general designation of the dwelling place of the saved.’
Then the next Beatitude says: ‘Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted.’ (Matt. 5:4) And the scholars offer this explanation of that verse. ‘Those that mourn … shall be comforted. The depth of the promise of these statements is almost inexhaustible. Those who mourn for sin shall be comforted in confession. Those who mourn for the human anguish of the lost shall be comforted by the compassion of God.’
Now here’s the next Beatitude: ‘Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth (land).’ (Matt, 5:5) Which the scholars say refers again to those who have been humbled before God and will not only inherit the blessedness of heaven, but also will ultimately share in the kingdom of God on earth. Here in the opening statements of the Sermon on the Mount, is the balance between the physical and spiritual promise of the kingdom. The kingdom of which Jesus preached is both “in you” and is yet “to come.”
We then hear this awesome promise from our Lord and Saviour: ‘Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.’ (Matt. 5:6) And the scholars say that ‘These future possessors of the earth are its presently installed rightful heirs, and even now they hunger and thirst after righteousness. They experience a deep desire for personal righteousness, which in itself is a proof of their spiritual rebirth. Those who are poor and empty in their own spiritual poverty recognize the depth of their need, and they hunger and thirst for that which only God can give them. They shall be filled refers to a complete satisfaction. The psalmist proclaimed: “He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.’ (Ps. 107:9)
Ah friends, I do hope we’ve gotten an understanding of the Beatitudes that we’ve covered so far, only halfway, because time and space are forcing us to stop for today. So tomorrow, if God spares life, then we’ll continue looking at the Beatitudes and some other scriptures that talk about being blessed. Now, let’s turn and declare our Thursday Blessings; undeserved blessings which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…true blessings…only come from…sincere association with God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a bribe, a great family, a lack of passion, a spirit of power love and a sound mind, a time of dictatorship, abhor justice, baptizing them, bloodshed, both shall fall into the ditch, bounden duty, broken in the name of Jesus, buildwith bllod up Zion, cause calamity, Christ has led us out of darkness into the light, christianity, Christians, Christians have the tools and the numbers to make changes, Christians need to throw off their differences, christians willing to walk the christian talk, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, confused and conflicted, continue in this godless race of evil doing, courage, curse, destruction is sure if we keep being ungodly, disturbed the tne natural elements of the weather, divine protection, even unto the end of the world, faith, fallen out of its natural rhythm, favour, fear holds us back, find destruction at the hands of an angry God, For God hath not given us a spirit of fear, go ye therefore and teach all nations, good freinds, good health, greedy power hungry inept evil doing leaders, heaps of ruins, holy spirit, I am with you always, if the blind lead the blind, in the name of the Father Son and Holy Ghost, is not the Lord among us, it behooves Christians to rise up and hange the story, it's not too late to turn things around, Jesus Christ, led of them that are destroyed, living in fear of total destruction, LOVE, make disciples of all nations, mercy, negative word, no evil can come upon us, no sense of God in the hearts of our leaders, no sense of true purpose, pervert all equity, promotion, prosper and succeed, resolve power into their own hands, riddim and rhyme, roiling around in uncahrted waters, salvation, self-control, self-disicipline, supernatural wisdom, take the bull by the horns, teaching them to observe all things, the BIBLE, the Great Commission, the heads thereof judge for a reward, the leaders of this people cause them to err, the priests teach for hire, the prohets divine thereof for money, the same quandary our world is in, the strength of heart, they be blind leaders of the blind, through our own foolish and evil desires, total corruption, truth, uncharted waters, wake up, wandering around lost and unguuided, wisdom
Matthew 28:19. 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:
And then it was Thursday; our penultimate day of the work week, but yet another rainy and foggy morning, which eventually turned into a cloud covered somewhat sunshiny day. (smile) Ah mih people, the weather these days is like us, confused and conflicted, don’t know whether it’s coming or going. Why? Because we have played with and disturbed the natural elements so much that God’s set weather pattern has been thrown completely out of whack. Consequently, it has fallen out of its natural rhythm and is just roiling around in uncharted waters, with no sense of true purpose, no sense of riddim or rime, just like so may of us human beings today are wandering around lost and unguided.
It’s like the prophet Isaiah declared so long ago about the nation of Israel: ‘For the leaders of this people cause them to err; and they are led of them that are destroyed.’ (Is. 9:16) And it’s the same sort of quandary our world is in today, with some of the most inept, greedy, power hungry, evil doing leaders that that world has seen in a long while. It seems like we are returning to a time of dictatorship, as so many current leaders are trying to resolve power into their own hands, so they can do as they please.
And it hearkens back to the cry of the prophet Micah on the Lord’s behalf. ‘Hear this, I pray you, ye heads of the house of Jacob, and princes (rulers) of the house of Israel, that abhor judgement (justice), and pervert all equity. They build up Zion with blood (bloodshed), and Jerusalem with iniquity. The heads thereof judge for reward (a bribe), and the priests thereof teach for hire (pay), and the prophets thereof divine for money: yet will they lean upon the Lord, and say (saying), Is not the Lord among us? none evil (no harm) can come upon us.’ (Mic. 3:9-11)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s exactly the kind of world we’re faced with today; one of total corruption, greed, evil doing and no sense of God in the hearts of our leaders. It’s like Jesus said of the Pharisees: ‘Let them alone: they be blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch.’ (Matt. 15:14) But friends, we’re not supposed to be blind because Jesus has come and led us out of darkness into the light, and if we have blind, godless leaders then we have to get up and do something about it.
For if we continue in this godless race of devilry, of evil doing, we will most likely end up just like the prophet Micah promised the Israelites, either by the hands of an angry and fed up God, or through our own foolish and evil desires. Listen up to Micah’s promise: ‘Therefore shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become heaps (heaps of ruins), and the mountains of the house (the temple) as the high places (bare hills) of the forest.’ (Mic. 3:12)
Oh my people, if we keep on in the ungodly and evil way in which we’re going, destruction, in one way or another is certain to come upon us at some stage of the game. Now, is that what we truly desire for ourselves and our descendants? I doubt it very much. Therefore it behooves us Christians to rise up and change the story as much as we can, because none of the evil doers are going to do it. And it’s not like we don’t have the tools to do it, for we do, and we also have the numbers to do it too.
But what seems to be holding us back are things like fear, a lack of the necessary passion, and the strength of heart to even broach such a project, because we’re fearful that it will probably cause us much calamity. However, it will probably cause us even more calamity if we don’t get up and fight the good fight. And we cannot deny that’s already happening in this war torn, strife filled, selfish and greedy world of ours. But please, let’s remember these most important words of Bruh Paul to Timothy: ‘For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of LOVE, and of a sound (disciplined) mind.’ (2 Tim. 1:7)
So the only answer to the problem is for believers in Christ Jesus to first get together, throw off our differences and divisions, then stand up strong and do what Jesus desires of us; spread His gospel of peace and LOVE, of forgiveness and salvation, to all parts of the world, like He says in the Great Commission. ‘All power 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)
That’s our purpose right there my fellow believers. It’s loud and clear, nothing to misunderstand. However, because of our refusal to do like we were expected, our world has fallen even further in to the quicksand of godlessness and evil doing. And you cannot deny that if more of us supposed Christians had only risen up and lived like true Christians, our world would not be in the disastrous and chaotic state it’s currently in. But it’s not too late to turn things around. So please, for Christ’s sake, as well as our children’s, let’s wake up and take the bull by the horns and turn things around nuh! Aren’t you tired of living in fear of total destruction with the ungodly, evil, power hungry leaders we now have?
And our God is so good and generous that besides all the other stuff, He’s further bestowed on us undeserved blessings to help do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh! As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration, it’s now our bounden duty to go out and use those blessings, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, to help others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE him like we do! Much LOVE!
…only as Christians are willing to walk the Christian talk…will our world ever improve…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Apr 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, accosted by the devil, all destinies lead to God, as a roaring lion, avenge not yourselves, be not overcome of evil, be sober be vigilant, be ye angry and sin not, bless them that curse you, cease from anger, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, commune seriously with God, curse, determine what's right for us, divine protection, do good to them that hate you, don't change for change sake, don't go overboard when you're angry, don't go to bed angry, duty bound, etenal life, face the battle mano a mano, favour, forsake wrath, fret not thyself in any wise to do evil, generously share our blessings, get left behind, heap coals of fire on his head, heed its warning, holy spirit, I shall repay, if he thirst give him drink, if it's not broken don't fix it, if thine enemy hunger feed him, it only causes harm, Jesus Christ, let not the sun go down upon your wrath, looking for an opportunity to disrupt our lives, lots of bark but no bite, LOVE, Love your enemies, make you immune from eivl, mercy, negative word, neither give place to the devil, not all walk the same path to get to God, overcome evil with good, pray for them which spitefully use you, promotion, prosper and succeed, salvation, self-control, self-didcipline, shaming our enemy with good treatement, success, supernatural wisdom, talent, the BIBLE, the Bible is our everyday guide to life, the devil is powerless if we stand strong in the Lord, the devil's a toothless lion, the indisputable truth, the joy of the Lord is our strength, time's moving forward very quickly, truth, undeserved blessings, vengeance is mine saith the Lord, walketh about seeking whom he may devour, wisdom, with God's help, your adversary the devil
Romans 12:21. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
Oh brother! It couldn’t be Thursday already, the second to last day of our work week? But it surely is! That just goes to show how time is moving forward very quickly, and if we don’t heed its warning, we will get left behind, which is not a good feeling. But that doesn’t mean we have to change for the sake of change. The old cliché that if it isn’t broken don’t fix it, still stands as a reminder that a lot of things that are happening now are not really necessary and some of them can be bypassed. The difficult question though, is which ones should we bypass and which shouldn’t we?
I only wish I knew the answer. And unless you’re clairvoyant, the only way to find out is by each one of us facing the battle, mano a mano, and determining for ourselves, with God’s help, what is right for us. For although our destinies lead us all to the same place; salvation and eternal life with Jesus, not all of us walk the same path to get there. That’s why the Lord made us as individuals, with no two of us fully resembling each other in all aspects. He has a different path for each one of us to walk to get to Him, and only as we commune seriously with Him, will we find out the path He desires us to tread.
Consequently, that’s why He gave us His Word in the Bible as a guidebook for living this earthly life. And that’s why the psalmist so wisely declares: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) And Cousin Sol elaborates on that in Proverbs by warning: ‘My son, keep thy father’s commandment, and forsake not the law of thy mother: Bind them continually upon thine heart, and tie them about thy neck. When thou goest, it shall lead thee; when thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou awakest, it shall talk with thee. For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life.’ (Prov. 6:20-23)
Yes my brethren, God’s Word is there to guide us and keep us safe, but we have to read and study it, then put it into action before it can do that. Just becoming a Christian doesn’t make you immune from the evil and ungodliness of this world. In fact, that will make the enemy try even harder to tempt you and make you miserable, because he doesn’t want you to enjoy the strength of the Lord which is our joy. (Neh. 8:10) Yuh see, even Jesus was tempted, and it was the Holy Spirit that led Him into the wilderness to be thus accosted by the devil. That means we will also have the wily snake hanging around us all the time, looking for an opportunity to disrupt our lives.
And as Peter warns: ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.’ (1 Pet. 5:8) But he’s a toothless lion, lots of bark, but no bite. However, if we allow him, he can wreak much havoc in our lives. That’s why Bruh Paul wrote these words to the Ephesians. ‘Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil.’ (Eph. 4:26:-27)
Yes, when we get angry, we’re liable do foolish and ungodly stuff, that just gives the devil and opportunity to get into our lives. So, we must be careful when we get angry not to go overboard and react foolishly. Neither should we go to bed angry, because that just disturbs our sleep, and most likely we’ll wake up angry also, which is not a nice or sensible way to start our day.
Bruh David also warned about anger in Psalm 37, when he writes: ‘Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil (for it only causes harm).’ (Ps. 37:8) And that’s the indisputable truth! For evil does nothing good for mankind, only brings pain, suffering, death and sorrow. And Bruh Paul said it thus to the Romans. ‘Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.’ (Rom. 12:19-21)
Yes friends, we can become angry, but must be careful what we do in those times, don’t repay evil for evil, neither seek revenge, for that right belongs to the Lord. We’re suppose to treat our enemy with graciousness, feed and give him drink if necessary, thereby sought of shaming him. (smile) It’s as Jesus declared: ‘But I say unto you, LOVE your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully (spitefully) use you, and persecute you.’ (Matt. 5:44)
Now, although that command is often difficult to put into action, we must do our best to follow our Saviour’s directives, and our God is such a wonderful God that in His goodness and wisdom He’s bestowed several undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration, we are now duty bound to go out and generously use those blessings to help others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the devil is powerless…if we stand strong in the Lord…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
26 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a by product of our addiction to speed, abundance, addiction to speed, be of good courage, blessed are all they that wait for him, both hope and wait quietly, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, delight thyself also in the Lord, divine protection, duty bound, even the youths shall faint and be weary, excessive reliance on speed, eyes blazing, faith, favour, focus on today's tasks, fulfillment, give thee the desires of thine heart, good friends, good health, He giveth power to the faint, he may be gracious unto you, he may have mercy on you, he shall exalt thee to inherit the land, he shall strengthen thine heart, holy spirit, hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord, I had fainted, I wait for the Lord, in his word do I hope, in the Lord's kingdom timing is everything, it is good that a man, it's hard to wait on the Lord's timing, Jesus Christ, let Israel hope in the Lord, LOVE, mercy, more than they that watch for the morning, mount up with wings as eagles, mouths salivating, my soul doth wait, my soul waiteth for the Lord, negative word, offering their morning sacrifices of praise, personal experience, promotion, prosper and succeed, run and not be weary, salvation, self-control, serenade the one who provides for them, talent, the BIBLE, the Lord has me in waiting mode, the Lord is a God of justice, the Lord is good unto them that wait for him, the young men shall utterly fall, therefore will he be exalted, therefore will the Lord wait, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, thou shalt see it, times of total impatience, to see the goodness of God in the land of the living, to the soul that seeketh him, to them that have no might he increaseth strength, truth, undeserved blessings, unless I had believed, uplifting to hear them, use those blessings to help others, wait in faith I say on the Lord, wait in faith on the Lord, wait on the Lord and keep his way, waiting on God and His timing, wake up to the sweet singing of birds, walk and not faint, when the time is right things will happen, when the wicked are cut off, wisdom, with him is plenteous redemption, with the Lord there is mercy
Psalm 37:34. ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.’
Oh friends, how wonderful it is to awaken to the sweet singing of the birds on a spring Thursday morning, or any morning for that matter! It’s certainly uplifting to hear them offering their morning sacrifices of praise to their Maker and Provider, in such a natural manner. They can’t think like we do, but they know that they must serenade the one who provides for them. Only wish that more of us would do like them.
And on this fairly warm but cloudy and drizzly penultimate day of our work week, instead of wishing that tomorrow and the weekend would hurry up and come, let’s focus instead on the many tasks we need to perform today, for some of us might not even be around to see tomorrow. That’s why I believe the Lord guided me to these scriptures for today on waiting on Him and His timing.
Listen to these wise words of Jeremiah from his Lamentations. ‘The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord.’ (Lam. 3:25-26) Yes my people, waiting on our God is most important, but sometimes extremely difficult to do especially in these times of total impatience and the excessive reliance on speed.
And waiting on God is so important that there are many scriptures that call for it. So let’s look at a few of them, so that we can renew our minds and spirits on the subject. (smile) Hear, as the prophet Isaiah, talks about God’s graciousness and mercy. ‘And therefore will the Lord wait. That he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the Lord is a God of judgement (justice): blessed are all they that wait for him.’ (Is. 30:18)
And we all know this next popular scripture from Isaiah. ‘He giveth power to the faint (weak); and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk and not faint. ‘ (Is. 40:29-31)
Now all of us want to ‘mount up with wings as eagles,’ but we don’t want to do the waiting on the Lord. And not wanting to wait is a sad byproduct of this society’s addiction to speed, to have everything move faster and done more quickly. We’re regularly offered new devices, and in many cases they’re not really much better than the last one, but they are always faster, and that gets our eyes blazing and our mouths salivating for them.
Meanwhile in Psalm 130 – Hoping and Waiting for the Lord – the psalmist declares: ‘I wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning Let Israel hope in the Lord: for with the Lord there is mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS), And with him is plenteous (abundant) redemption.’ (Ps. 130: 5-7) Wow! What great reasons to wait on the Lord: abundant redemption and plenty mercy!
Then there are a couple of scriptures from Bruh David that we all know, but don’t necessarily action them. (smile) The first comes from Psalm 127 – My Heart Shall Not Fear. he writes: ‘I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait (in faith) on the Lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait (in faith), I say, on the Lord.’ (Ps. 27:13 -14) Bruh David could not have put it any clearer or stronger than that my faithful brethren. And we all know his story, where although he made some bad mistakes, he waited on the Lord for most of his life, and he was successful as a king, a warrior, a poet and a musician.
And yes, it is hard to wait on the Lord’s timing. I can tell you that from personal experience, because I’ve been through it earlier on in life. When I didn’t wait, my projects were unsuccessful, but when I waited, they bore good fruit. Right now, I have several projects waiting in the wings, but not doing anything about them, either because I’m too lazy to jump start them, (smile) or the Lord has me in waiting mode. I’d like to think it’s the latter, but who knows,?
Anyway, I’ve learned from hard experience that when the time is right, things will happen. Therefore I’m doing as Bruh David says in Psalm 37 – Trust in the Lord – ‘Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.’ (Ps. 37:4) And do I ever have several desires of mine heart still left to be manifested, in the short time I have left! (smile)
And lastly, there’s this verse also from Psalm 37, where Bruh David advises us to: ‘Wait on the Lord, and keep his way, and he shall exalt thee to inherit the land: when the wicked are cut off thou shalt see it.’ (Ps. 37:34) Yes my people, if we want to see the goodness and mercy of God, then we have to wait on His timing. That’s the living truth. Now, let’s declare and thus activate our undeserved Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…in the Lord’s kingdom…timing is everything…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
19 Mar 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a good attitude, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, a tough nut to crack, abundance, adversity, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, ascend up into heaven, at thy right hand, become intimate with God, behold thou art there, broken right now in the name of Jesus, Christian maturity, christianity, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, commit thy way unto the Lord, constantly be on the lookout, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, duty bound, dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, experience with adversity, faith, favour, feed on his faithfulness, foundational truth, good health, he shall bring it to pass, he shall direct thy paths, holy spirit, I will give thee rest, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in thy presence is fullness of joy, Jane Williams, Jesus Christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, like a thief in the night, LOVE, make my bed in hell, Mellitus College, mercy, my presence shall go with thee, negative words, never escape the presence of God, omni-present, poverty wages, Prayer Through The, promotion, salvation, self-control, shew me the paths of life, so shall thou dwell in the land, take heed, take the wings of the morning, talent, teach me to wait with patience, the BIBLE, the penultimate day of our work week, the problem of trust, the unknown future, there are pleasures for ever more, thou art there, thou shalt be fed, thy right hand shall hold me, to go out and share those blessings, to know your presence, to prepare a place for me, to trust that you are with me, trust also in him, trust comes with experience, trust in the Lord and do good, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, waiting with faith, walking by faith and not by sight, watch and pray, watch with alertness, we need to feel God's presence, whither shall I flee from thy presence, whither shall I go from thy spirit, wisdom
Proverbs 3:5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
And then we come to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Wow! The week’s almost over! But please remember what Jesus said, don’t look forward too much to tomorrow, Friday, for Friday will present its own problems, (Matt. 6:34) let’s concentrate mostly on handling today’s challenges. (smile) Now, since God so generously spared our lives to see another day on His wonderful though currently chaotic planet earth, let’s keep our promise to continue looking at the prayer credited to Jane Williams, a professor at St. Mellitus College in London, England, founded in 2007, whose mission is to provide innovative theological education and training for those called to serve Christ in the church and the world.
The prayer is found in the 2025 publication of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, titled ‘Prayers Through The Ages.’ And it’s short and sweet enough for us to pray it again. (smile) So please pray with me: ‘Christ, you have gone before me to prepare a place for me, that where you are there I may be also. Teach me to wait with patience, to watch with alertness, to trust that you are with me in the unknown future and to know your presence.’ What wonderful sentiments! And yesterday we looked at Jesus’ promise to go and prepare a place for us and then come back to take us with Him, (John 14:1-3) a foundational truth of our faith, as well as the request for God to teach us to wait with patience.
Now that waiting with patience is a tough nut to crack, because it only comes through lots of experience; waiting with faith and a good attitude despite the adversity we all go through. Likewise the other request from the prayer: ‘teach me to watch with alertness.’ That only comes through faith and experience. As we saw a few day ago, where Jesus warns us to ‘Take heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.’ (Mark 13:33)
Yes, we know that Jesus is coming back, but we don’t know when, and it could be anytime, like a thief in the night. That means we have to constantly be on the lookout and also be ready. For if He comes back and we’re not ready, then it’s hell fire and damnation for us. That’s why these words of His are so important. ‘And what I say unto you I say unto all, Watch.’ (Mark 13:37) And we cannot overestimate how important it is to watch and be ready for whenever Jesus returns.
Then there’s the problem of trust, which means walking by faith and not sight. (2 Cor. 5:7) Putting all our trust in Jesus is again not easy, and only comes with experience. The longer we live with Jesus, the more we see His absolute faithfulness and learn to trust Him. And again there are numerous scriptures that detail that requirement. And here are a couple of the most prominent verses. The first ones come from Cousin Sol in Proverbs. ‘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 (make straight or smooth) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
Then there’s this from Bruh David from Psalm 37. ‘Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed (feed on His faithfulness). Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.’ (Ps. 37:3-5)
And finally the prayer talks about knowing God’s presence. That’s another aspect that only comes with experience. But knowing and feeling God’s presence around us is of major importance, as it especially brings us comfort and lack of fear. And there are many scriptures that talk about the importance of feeling God’s presence in our daily lives. And I guess the first one ought to be Moses’ plea to God for grace and knowledge of Him, (Ex.33:13) while leading the Israelites to the Promised Land. ‘And he (God) said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.’ (Ex. 33;14)
Now that gave Moses the encouragement he needed, because he knew if the Lord wasn’t present with them, they would see lots of trouble. Then in Psalm 16, Bruh David encourages us with this titillating verse on the subject. He writes: ‘Thou wilt shew me the paths of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for ever more.’ (Ps. 16:11) Yes friends, when we’re in the presence of God, our spirits are light and fanciful and there’s such joy that we cannot contain it.
And I believe Bruh David says it best in the remarkable Psalm 139 ‘Praise to the All-Knowing God.’ There, he expounds thus on God’s presence: ‘Whither shall (can) I go from thy spirit? or whither shall (can) I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea: Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.’ (Ps. 139: 7-10)
Oh my people, that just goes to show that we can never escape the presence of God; for he’s Omi-present Wherever we go, He’s always around. And every time I read that scripture I’m reminded of the first time I heard it acted out so marvellously by Dr. Robert Schuller on the Hour of Power T.V. programme. The problem though with God’s presence is for us to feel it. He’s always there, but unless we feel it, it does us no good. And to do that we have to become very intimate with God, through prayer, His Word and the Holy Spirit that dwells within us to lead, guide and comfort us.
Unfortunately friends, the whole Christian thing, growing in spiritual maturity, takes time and experience; going through adversity and failure, but not giving up because your faith and trust is strong. And every time you go through something negative; your faith gets stronger. As Cousin Sol says: ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again…’ (Prov. 24:16a) That’s the only way to grow!
Now, let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, undeserved ones, so generously bestowed on us by God to do His earthly work. As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration, we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…growing in Christian maturity…only comes through… sincere trust and faith in God…and experience with adversity…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
12 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abraham believed God, abundance, announced good news before hand, believing means having faith, christianity, Christians, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, complete obedience to the law, concentrate on today, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, faith, faith in the Lord God Jehovah, favour, given all things into his hands, God so loved the world, good family, good freinds, have everlasting life, having faith means belieivng, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth not on the son shall not see life, he that believeth on the son hath everlasting life, his soul that is lifted up is not upright in him, holy spirit, I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, impossible for sinful man, in the sight of God, it was counted as righteousness, Jesus Christ, justify the heathen through faith, LOVE, mercy, negative word, no man is justified by the law, one day at a time, preached before the gospel, promotion, round four of our weekly work fight, salvation, salvation obtained by meritorious works, seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, self-discipline, stop looking forward to tomorrow, subject to God's wrath and codemnation, success, supernatural strength, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, takes all those who believe to heaven, talent, the BIBLE, the doctrine of justification by faith, the just shall live by faith, the just shall live by his faith, the law is doing not of belieiving, the Mosaic Law, the power of God unto salvation, the power of the gospel, the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith, the wrath of God abideth on him, they which be of faith are blessed with faithful abraham, to every one that believes, tomorrow shall take thought for the things of itself, truth, using the law to win divine approaval, whosoever believeth in him should not perish, wisdom
Habakkuk 2:4. Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.
Then it was Thursday; round four of our weekly fight…only one more day to go! But remember, we must win today’s fight first, so stop looking forward to tomorrow and concentrate on today. And Jesus, after telling us our first act is to seek the kingdom of God and his righteousness, (Matt. 6:33) warned us of that very fact. ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of the itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34)
In other words, we’re not to worry about tomorrow, for as the scholars explain: ‘Each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ So let’s concentrate on dealing with today’s problems today, for who knows, we might not even be around tomorrow to deal with tomorrow’s problems. (smile) Remember that Lord only gives us one day at a time, and that’s more than enough for us to handle, no wonder we get all confused and muddled when we try to handle more.
That brings us to this interesting and most important principle of scripture from the prophet Habakkuk, where, talking about the battles between the Chaldeans of Babylon, and the Jews of Judah, he prophesies: ‘Behold, his soul which is lifted up (proud) is not upright in him: but the just shall live by his faith.’ (Hab. 2:4) Yes friends, Habakkuk is saying that although the Chaldeans would win the forthcoming battle, eventually though the victors would be the Jews because of their belief, of their faith in the Lord God Jehovah.
And the scholars explain that the words or principle, ‘the just shall live his faith’ is often quoted in the New Testament in support of the doctrine of justification by faith. Thus, this Old Testament prophecy anticipates the New Testament Gospel which shall ultimately conquer the nations and bring them to Christ.’
Now let’s look at a few of those New Testament references to that Old Testament Scripture. And the first one comes from the words of John the Baptist, where he informs a crowd of Jews that he is not the Christ; but one sent before Him to testify of Him. (John 3:27-34) And he ends his speech thus: ‘The Father LOVETH the son, and hath given all things into his hand. He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not on the son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ (John 3:35-36)
And it’s exactly what Jesus said to Nicodemus the Jewish teacher who, for fear of reprisals from his fellow leaders, came to Jesus under cover of night seeking answers. ‘For God so LOVED the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ (John 3:16) It’s very plain and simple my people! Believe in Jesus Christ and you will have eternal life. Don’t believe in Him and you will not have eternal life but eternal death. It could not be said any clearer or more straightforward than that.
Then there are these words on the subject of the just living by faith from Bruh Paul to the Roman church. ‘For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek (Gentiles). For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.’ (Rom. 1:16-17) Oh my people, the power of God is so strong in the gospel of Christ that it takes those who believe all the way to heaven! There’s nothing else as powerful, or can accomplish that feat!
And to the Galatians Bruh Paul justified the principle of the just living by faith when he writes. ‘Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen (nations) through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful (believing) Abraham.
For as many as are under the works of the law are under the curse: for it is written: Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. But that no man is justified (declared righteous) by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith. And the law is not of faith: but, The man that doeth them shall live in (by) them.’ (Gal. 3:7-12)
And the scholars offer some interesting explanations on those verses. As per 3:7: They say; ‘The verse may be read: “Therefore recognize that those who believe, these only are Abraham’s sons.’ So if you don’t believe, you’re not a son of Abraham. 3:8: Preached before the gospel is better said, “announced good news beforehand.” Paul equates justify with being blessed. 3:9. This verse might be, “So then they who believe are blessed along with believing Abraham” – that is, they are justified.
3:10: As many as are of the works of the law refers to all who rely upon obedience to the Mosaic Law as the means of winning divine approval (salvation). To be under the curse is to be subject to God’s wrath and condemnation. Continueth is explained by to do, which means “to obey.” The recipient of divine wrath is every one who, believing salvation can be obtained by meritorious works, fails to obey the law perfectly. Complete obedience to the law is impossible for sinful man (Acts 15:10; James 2:10). All, then, who attempt to secure salvation by this route are doomed. 3:12: This verse declares that the law is a matter of performance, not of faith; it is a principle of doing, not of believing.’
And we know that the gospel of Christ is all about believing. So let’s stop merely trying to obey the law, but first believe Christ is whom He says He is, then use our undeserved Thursday Blessings to do the good works He prearranged for us to do when we first believed. And to activate those blessings, we need to declare them. So, with a strong and sincere 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!’
And with that declaration, (yesss!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…having faith…means believing…and believing…means having faith…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
05 Feb 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a strong will, acknowledge God's sovereignty, adoration, adrift among the dead, as a man that hath no strength, as we forgive our debtors, ask and it shall be given you, ask and it shall be opened, babbling, be realistic, blessed with God's supernatural widom, christianity, cleanse our hearts before we go to God in prayer, clear direction for my life, come to know and love jesus like we do, communicate with our heavenly Father, conformity with the nature and purpose of God, counted with them that go down into the pit, counted with those who are dying, courage, creativity, cried out day and night before thee, curse, cut off from the land, deliver us from evil, divine protection, don't make empty meaningless prayers, don't make vain repetitious prayers, don't pray in a showmanship manner, don't try to impress men with your prayers, drive ourselves crazy, every one that asketh receiveth, faith, false prophets, favour, for thine is the kingdom, forgive those who wrong us, forgive us our debts, fulfillment, give us this day our daily bread, hallowed be thy name, he that seeketh findeth, holy spirit, if ye forgive men their trespasses, if ye forgive not men their trespasses, in Jesus' name, incline thine ear unto my cry, it shall be opened, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, knock and it shall be opened unto you, lead us not into temptation, learnt to live with each day, let my prayer come before thee, like the slain that lie in the grave, listen to my cry, LOVE, man looks on the outward appearance, mercy, my life draweth nigh unto the grave, my soul is full of troubles, negative word, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses, on earth as it is in heaven, Our Father which art in heaven, prayer is an act of spiritual expression, promotion, prosper, reverence, salvation, seek and ye shall find, speaking without thinking, succeed, the BIBLE, the Lord looks on the heart, the Lord sees not as man sees, the penultimate day of our work week, the power and the glory for ever, thy kingdom come, thy will be done, to him that knocketh, truth, undeserved blessings, use those blessings to help others, we cannot fool God, whom you remember no more, wisdom, wishing for Friday and the weekend, your heavenly Father will also forgive you
Psalm 88:1-2. O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried (out) day and night before thee: Let my payer come before thee: incline thy ear unto my cry (listen to my cry);
Then it was Thursday, our penultimate day of the work week, and many of us just can’t wait for Thursday to be over and for Friday to show up. But we need to get real, be realistic; and learn to live with each day as it comes along, or else we’ll simply drive ourselves crazy wishing and hoping for Friday and the weekend. And the most important thing we can do each and every day is pray! Yes friends, prayer is super important, ever necessary, if we desire to communicate with our heavenly Father and Creator.
And I’m chuckling here, because I never expected to be still talking about prayer in a third message. I assumed it would be one message. But then I realized it needed at least two… And then I discovered that at least three were necessary, if I was to cover the subject thoroughly. So, we’re now on to message number three of the Bits on Prayer. (smile) And as we said earlier on in this series of messages, prayer can take any form, once it’s sincere, and not being made as a show for mankind. And the best examples of different kinds of prayer is found in the psalms, where the psalmists cry out to God for whatever reason.
It’s like Psalm 88, titled ‘A Trouble-Filled Soul’ from the Sons of Korah. ‘O Lord God of my salvation, I have cried (out) day and night before thee: Let my payer come before thee: incline thy ear unto my cry (listen to my cry); For my soul is full of troubles: and my life draweth nigh (near) unto the grave. I am counted with them that go down into the pit (are dying): I am as a man that hath no strength. Free (adrift) among the dead, like the slain that lie in the grave, whom thou rememberest no more: and they are cut off from the land.’ (Ps. 88:1-5)
And that is one thing about the psalmists, they were not afraid to cry out to God, but we in this sinful and hypocritical society think it unbecoming to do so. But let’s remember these encouraging words of Jesus from the Sermon on the Mount. ‘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)
And Jesus went as far as to give us an example of a simple but very effective prayer. He says: ‘After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.’ (Matt. 6:9-13)
There you have it friends; a basic example on which to build our prayers. First of all, there must be some acknowledgement of God’s sovereignty, before we ask for what we need. And most important is the need for us to forgive those who wrong us, for as Jesus later says: ‘For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your father forgive your trespasses.’ (Matt. 6:14-15)
Now that says it loud and clear my brethren! Many of us go to the Father with unforgiveness in our hearts but expect Him to forgive us and answer our requests. But according to Jesus it doesn’t work like that, which means we have to cleanse our hearts before we go to Him in prayer. And let’s remember we cannot fool God, for He looks at the heart not our outward actions, as He so plainly told Samuel when He sent him to anoint a new king for Israel from the house of Jesse.
Samuel saw the good looks and physical excellence of the first son, Eliab, and concluded that he was the one. ‘But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused (rejected) him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart.’ (1 Sam. 16:7) And we all know which heart the Lord found most pleasing – that of Bruh David. So although prayer can take any form, there are a few basic do’s and don’ts. Like, do address God’s sovereignty in your prayers, with reverence and adoration, and approach Him with a clean and sincere heart. For if you are not forgiving, neither will He.
Meanwhile, do not let your prayer be mere showmanship, that is to impress others; neither make repetition a part of your prayers, for if the Lord is going to hear them, He will do so on the first uttering. That brings us back to the gospel of Matthew (6:7-8) where Jesus warned us against vain repetitions. The scholars tell us that denotes babbling or speaking without thinking, which the heathens do. And good examples of that can be found in the ecstatic babblings of the false prophets in the Old Testament and in the prophets of Baal who confronted Elijah on Mt. Carmel. (cf. 1 Kin. 18:26-29)
And we’ll end this series of messages on prayer with these very useful explanations from the scholars. They say that ‘Prayer is not man’s attempt to change the will of God. Prayer is not conquering God’s reluctance to answer, but laying hold of His willingness to help. Prayer in the life of the true believer is an act of total confidence and assurance in the plan and purpose of God. And furthermore, the sample prayer that Jesus gave us which we call ‘The Lord’s Prayer’ is in reality a disciple’s prayer. In no way does the prayer itself embody all of Jesus’ teachings about prayer; and having just warned against vain repetition, He did not intend for this particular prayer to be merely recited with empty meaninglessness.’
Unfortunately though, many of us do just that. However, after delving deeply into the subject of prayer, I do hope we have a better understanding of it, and that our future prayers will be indeed better prayers, (smile) in reality, better communication with Almighty God. Now let’s declare our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings that the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…Prayer is an act of spiritual expression…that brings us into conformity…to the very nature and purpose of God…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
29 Jan 2026
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a father of the fatherless, a good family, a judge of the widows, a positive outlook on life., a strong will, abundance, all ye that are upright in heart, an object of scorn, as smoke is driven away, as wax melts before the fire, be glad in the Lord, Bible, by his name JAH, children of God, clear direction for my life, come to know and love christ like we do, curse, David danced before the Lord, divine protection, drive them away, duty bound, everything will turn out right in the end, extol him that rideth upon the heavens, faith, favour, find great joy in God, generously bestowed, give thanks, God brings out those bound in chains into propserity, God in his holy habitation, God is a defender of widows, God sets the lonely in families, God's supernatural wisdom, great adoration, he that trusteth in the Lord, heartfelt gladness, holy spirit, in every thing give thanks, Jesus Christ, let God arise, let his enemies be scattered, let the righteous be glad, let the wicked perish as the presence of God, let them exceedingly rejoice, let them rejoice before God, let them that hate him flee before him, LOVE, many sorrows shall be to the wicked, mercy, mercy shall compass him about, negative word, pray without ceasing, promotion, prya, put in a nutshell, rejoice, rejoice before God, rejoice evermore, rejoice ye righteous, self-disicpline, share our undeserved blessings, shout for joy, sing praises to his name, sing unto God, talent, the ark of the Lord, the destruction of God's enemies, the penultimate day of our work week, the presence of God, The Triumphant God, these cold and uninspiring day, this is the will of God in Christ concerning you, true believers in Christ, truth, undeserved favour, weep and moan regulalrly, wisdom
Psalm 68:3. But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice.
Then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. And there’s some joy showing through as the week slowly peters out. (smile) And it’s amusing that since the snowstorm on Sunday, everyday has been mostly bright sunshine and not the dreary cloudiness we had hitherto been saddled with. I don’t know if regular sunshine in the winter months is worth the price of such a massive snowfall, but we’re surely glad to see the sun to brighten our spirits, especially in these cold and uninspiring days. (smile)
But on a more serious note, today, I want us to look at a few verses from Psalm 68, titled, ‘The Triumphant God.’ The scholars say that although there is no superscription explaining when this psalm was written, there is general agreement that it was written when the ark of the Lord was moved from the house of Obed-edom to the new location in the tabernacle specially built for it in Jerusalem, and Bruh David danced before the Lord. (smile) (2 Sam. 6:1-18 )
However, what I want us to consider in the first few verses is the magnificent manner in which Bruh David desires the destruction of God’s enemies, talks of His might and power, praises His Holy name, while encouraging us to also sing His praises with joy and great adoration. So please read with me. ‘Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him. As smoke is driven away, so drive them away: as wax melteth before the fire, so let the wicked perish at the presence of God.
But let the righteous be glad; let them rejoice before God: yea, let them exceedingly rejoice. Sing unto God, sing praises to his name: extol (praise) him that rideth upon the heavens by his name JAH (Lord), and rejoice before him. A father of the fatherless, and a judge (defender) of the widows, is God in his holy habitation. God setteth the solitary (lonely) in families: he bringeth out those which are bound with chains (into prosperity): but the rebellious dwell in a dry land.’ (Ps. 68: 1-6)
There again, like yesterday, we see friends God’s great interest in the widows, orphans and the downtrodden. But today I want us to focus on the third and fourth verses, that encourage us as the righteous of God to be glad before him, to rejoice exceedingly, to sing praises to his name, to extol Him. And that word ‘extol’ does not simply mean to praise but to laud, to magnify, to exalt, to glorify, to acclaim and greatly celebrate! Yes friends we ought to find such great joy in our wonderful God that we just let it all hang out with praises and worship, fellowship and heartfelt gladness.
It’s like when Bruh David brought the ark home to Jerusalem he felt such a joy and blessing that the Good Book tells us, he danced before the Lord. But to his wife Michal, it was a vile and disgusting behaviour, not fit for a king. However, Bruh David was of a different opinion, and because of her snotty snobbishness, he banned her from his presence, and she was thus childless all of her days. (2 Sam. 6:20-23) That obviously made her an object of scorn and inuendo, for remember the great importance placed on wives bearing their husbands children in those days.
Anyway, getting back to the praise and worship due our magnificent and generous God, listen to these words of Bruh David from Psalm 32, titled ‘Confession and Forgiveness.’ He ends it with these very purposeful verses. ‘Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about (surround him). Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.’ (Ps. 32:10-11) And I believe that’s something not enough of us do on a regular basis. But we do weep and moan very regularly. (smile)
Now, if our God is so good, why do we weep and moan more often than we rejoice and be glad eh? If we know and believe God’s promise that everything will turn out all right in the end (Rom. 8:28) then why are so many of us still so fearful? It means that we don’t truly believe. And what did Bruh Paul encourage the Thessalonians to do? ‘Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.’ (2 Thess. 5:16-18)
That puts it all in a very nice nutshell my people. (smile) Our basic duties are to pray, rejoice and give thanks! And even though it’s difficult to do in these crucial times, we desperately need to increase all three activities if we are to remain true believers in Christ Jesus and children of God. Now let’s do some giving of thanks by declaring our Thursday Blessings; underserved favour most generously bestowed on us by our marvellous God to do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere 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!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we’re now duty bound to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…God made mankind to LOVE…pray to…sing His praises and worship Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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