14 Mar 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven, a strong will, according to the time of life, at the appointed time, Bible, Bible Study, clear direction for my life, curse, faith, favour, fighting a valiant battle, for with God nothing shall be impossible, god, good freinds, good health, I know that thou canst do every thing, indelibly written in our hearts, is any thing too hard for the Lord, is the Lord's hand waxed short, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, Jesus, Jesus Christ, LOVE, negative word, salvation, Sarah shall have a son, self-control, the Eye of the Needle Gate, the Lord created the universe and all therein, the Lord smote the people with a great plague, the Lord's hand is not shortened, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, Thursday Blessings, until it come out at your nostrils, wherefore did Sarah laugh, with God all things are possible, with men this is impossible
Matthew 19:26. With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.
Oh friends, it’s Thursday, but unfortunately there’s no bright sunshine, only cloudy skies. However, the sun hasn’t given up, you can see it fighting a valiant battle against the dark clouds, and we might yet see it shining in all its glory later on in the day. For anything is possible when we have our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ sitting at the right hand of the Father running things! (smile) So don’t give up hope, don’t ever give up hope if Jesus is in your heart, for with Him in the lead, ALL things are indeed possible!
And not surprisingly, all through the Bible there are scriptures pertaining to that fact, with one of the best examples occurring after Jesus told the rich young man who wanted to be a disciple, to go and sell all his possessions and come back and follow Him. The young man went away sad for he was very wealthy. That led Jesus to say to the disciples: ‘Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly (it is hard for a rich man) to enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God.’ (Matt. 19:23-24)
On hearing that, the disciples were amazed, and wondered who then could get into heaven, for at that time it was commonly understood that the rich were blessed and had a place reserved for them in heaven. But Jesus was obviously trying to correct that misunderstanding, by saying that it was extremely difficult, but not completely hopeless for a rich man to enter heaven. And as per the saying that it’s easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter heaven; the scholars explain. ‘That has been interpreted as a camel-hair rope going through a needle; or an actual camel squeezing through a small gate, “The Eye of the Needle,” next to the main gate of Jerusalem; or the absolute impossibility of a literal camel actually going through a tiny needle’s eye. This last usage is most likely.’
Consequently, the disciples in total amazement, asked, ‘Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible.’ (Matt. 19:25-26) Now, as true believers in Christ, we ought to have those memorable words indelibly written in our hearts and souls never to be removed; but always there to give us confidence in our great God, even in the most dire of situations. And since we said that there several other places in the Bible where God’s omnipotence was either questioned or proclaimed, let’s look at a few of those instances nuh.
So, going right back to the earliest times, we have the Lord’s angel saying to Abraham that a child will be born to him and Sarah in their old age. But Sarah laughed because it was considered impossible to have a child at her advanced age. ‘And the Lord said unto Abraham, wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old? Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the appointed time I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.’ (Gen. 18:13-14) Yes friends, Sarah’s unbelief made the Lord testy. (smile) And I’m wondering here if it wasn’t because of Sarah’s laughter and unbelief, that the Lord actually waited so long to fulfill the promise, some twenty five years later, when Sarah was ninety and Abraham one hundred, just to show His awesome power. Who knows?
Then there’s this instance in Numbers 11, where the Lord promised that the Israelites who were clamouring for meat, would have so much meat: ‘That ye shall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days: But even a whole month, until it come out at your nostrils, and it be loathsome unto you, because that ye have despised the Lord which is among you, and have wept before him, saying, Why came we forth out of Egypt.’ (Num. 11:19-20) And when Moses himself questioned the Lord’s ability to provide food for so many Israelites in the wilderness, (Num. 11:21-22) it obviously raised the Lord’s anger. ‘And the Lord said unto Moses, Is the Lord’s hand waxed short? Thou shalt see now whether my word shall come to pass unto thee or not.’ (Num. 11:23)
And later, the Lord caused a wind to come forth which brought quails from the sea, and the Israelites had more than enough meat to eat; there were quails a day’s journey on either side of the camp, and piled two cubits high. And the greedy Israelites ploughed into the meat like there was no tomorrow. But while they were eating the meat, before it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled against the people, and the Lord smote (struck down) the people with a great plague.’ (Num. 11:31-33) Oh my people, it doesn’t pay to doubt the Lord’s power, or be greedy when He is already looking after you.
Then when Job repents of his audacity to question the Lord, and the Lord takes him to task, he finally says to Him: ‘I know that thou canst do every thing, and that no thought can be withholden from thee (no purpose of yours can be withheld).’ (Job 42:2) And that’s the gospel truth friends! Nothing the Lord desires can be thwarted by mankind! Next we turn to the prophet Isaiah, who in berating the Israelites for turning away from the God of their forefathers, calmly informed them: ‘Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:’ (Is. 59:1)
Yes my fellow saints, the hand of our God is never beyond the reach of salvation! Wherever we are, in whatever situation we find ourselves, His saving hand can always reach out and pluck us from the mire. As the prophet Jeremiah so rightly and truthfully says: ‘Ah Lord God! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard (difficult) for thee.’ (Jer. 32:17) And lastly, the occasion when the angel Gabriel came to tell Mary, Jesus’ mother, the awesome but difficult purpose God had in store for her. And as we all know, this young, innocent girl accepted God’s purpose without batting and eyelash, quietly accepting the angel’s departing words: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) And so it was; Jesus was born of the virgin Mary, just like the angel said!
And in keeping with the Lord’s purposes, He’s bestowed on us undeserved blessings to further His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, but we need to declare them so they can be activated. So let’s do that right now nuh. As one 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 accepted those blessings, we’re now expected to go out into the world and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, Much LOVE!
…if the Lord created the universe and all therein…then obviously nothing is impossible to Him…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
25 Jan 2024
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, be not dismayed, Christians cannot be lazy, clear direction for my life, curse, enjoying the comfortable life, faith, faith can diffus fear, fall flat on your face, favour, fear, fear not little flock, fear thou not for I am with thee, God gives us help, God gives us strength, God has our best interests at heart, heart-pumping doubts, holy spirit, I am thy God I will strenthen thee, I will not fear what flesh can do to me, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness, In god I have put my trust, it is your Father's good pleasure, Jesus Christ, LOVE, make a dent in the devil's armour, mercy, Micah Maddox, negative word, New Year's hangover, our hope is in God's word, prosper, reach out in faith and take God's hand, riddled with anxious thoughts, sitting on our fannies, succeed, Thursday Blessings, to give you the kingdom, turn to god's word over and over again, what time I am afraid I will trust in thee, wisdom
Luke 12:32. Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.
Aye friends, can you believe it’s already Thursday? How can it be eh, when I just wrote and harangued you about being prepared for Monday? (smile) But it seems like this year of 2024 is very intent on moving along quickly, as unbelievably, it’s also the 25th of the month, when some of us haven’t even gotten over our New Year’s hangover. (smile) That means we cannot afford to be lazy and procrastinating, we have to get up and spritely go about Christ’s work, for the devil and his evil cohorts are not sitting on their laurels, they are up and about their business, that’s why our world is in such an evil mess.
We ambassadors and agents, disciples and believers in Christ need to do the same, and possibly even more, if we expect to make a dent in the devil’s armour and prosperity. Let’s also remember our New Year’s Resolution; to get more intimate with Jesus. We cannot do that if we’re just sitting on our fannies enjoying the comfortable life. So please get up and get a move on. We all know what we’re supposed to do to, so let’s do it nuh. End of Sermon! (smile)
And since I still have some scriptures on fear fighting faith, or vise vera, I’ve decided we can use another day of them. And believe me, we all can use them in these fear mongering times.
As this commentary from the biblestudytools.com website by Micah Maddox reminds and warns us: ‘Fear isn’t something new we are dealing with in our lifetime. We can trace fear all the way back to the very beginning, when the evil one tempted Eve in the garden. At his sly request of questioning God’s truth, fear was ignited in Eve’s heart, and she took the bite of fruit, believing the devil was right. Fear is sneaky, quick, and sometimes debilitating. The hope we have is that God’s Word gives us everything we need to fight against the fears that seem to come at us at the most inconvenient times.
We do not have to live riddled with anxious thoughts, heart-pumping doubts, and mind-racing possibilities. We can live at peace with ourselves and with God, but we have to practice using our faith muscle. It does not mean we try to do more good than bad, or try to check every box of our holiness checklists in hopes that we out-do someone less holy than us. It means we turn to God’s Word over and over again and we receive the truth and the promises He gives us when fear threatens to take us down. Here are seven verses to help us fight the battle of turning to faith over fear.’
And I’ll only use a couple of those verses, for I’ve already used the others she suggests. The first one being the reassuring words of Bruh David from Psalm 56, when the Philistines took him in Gath. He faithfully wrote: ‘What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee. In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.’ (Ps. 56:3-4) Now those are mighty powerful words of faith especially when you are living amongst your most deadly enemies, because you have nowhere else to turn. But Bruh David believed them, as he contrasted his threating enemies against his faithful God. And the Lord obviously made a way for him to get out of that scary situation.
And the commentary on those verses reads: ‘ Choosing faith is choosing to trust God no matter what. It’s not that everything will be perfect or that everything will work out great. It’s in the moment of fear, we know where to turn. It’s not to Google, to a three-step process, a book, a mentor, or even a friend. It’s knowing when we are afraid to turn to Jesus because He is the one who can calm our anxious hearts.’ Now that’s the gospel truth my people! And if you haven’t learned that most valuable lesson as yet, you’d better get on with learning it, otherwise you’re going to fall flat on your face in this evil and ungodly world.
Next up is this marvellous verse from Isaiah, where the Lord assures us: ‘Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.’ (Is. 41:10) Now that gets straight to the point; don’t fear, I am thy God and I will help you with my powerful right hand! It could not get any clearer than that my brethren. And I do like the commentary that Ms. Maddox gives per that verse. ‘God’s hand is a beautiful picture we find in Scripture. When we talk about having faith in God and in God’s hand in each situation, there is an instruction that often precedes the idea of trust.
It is “fear not.” It’s easy to say but difficult to live out. But over and over God’s Word says, “Fear not.” The question we might follow up with is, but how? How do we fear not when everything around us calls us to questions, fear, and doubt? The answer is found in focusing our hearts and minds on what is true about God and about God’s promises. God is with us. God gives strength. God gives help. God holds us. His hand is not clenched closed seeing if we will survive. He is stretching out His hand to lift us up, hold us, and make sure we are going to make it.’ The problem then is for us to reach out in faith and take the strengthening hand God offers. And that’s left solely up to us.
Now here’s the last verse for today, simple but powerful words of Jesus as recorded in Luke. ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.’ (Luke 12:32) More awesome words of reassurance from our Lord and Saviour. If He says so, then it’s obviously so, as the words of this commentary explain: ‘This Bible verse reminds us that God always has our best interests in mind and that eventually, the kingdom of heaven will be ours. Throughout the Scriptures, He promises this to those faithful to Him. It is short and direct, making it one of the great Bible verses on faith over fear.’
Ah mih people, let’s hope that all these thoughts and scripture verses on faith that we’ve gone through over the last few days bring reassurance to our souls and spirits in these fearful times. And they won’t unless we know them and put them to good use. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings so that we can activate the many undeserved blessings the Lord has showered down on us to do His earthly work.
As one 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 activated those blessings, it’s now our duty to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!
…faith can indeed diffuse fear…but only if we take the necessary action…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Dec 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: believe not every spirit, bow to the master of darkness, clear direction for my life, climate change, curse, English weather, every spirit that confesseth Jesus Christ is come in the flesh, faith, favour, get a foothold in our lives, greater is he that is in you, he that knoweth God heareth us, holy spirit, is of God, Jesus Christ, LOVE, many false prophets are in the world, mercy, negative word, positive outlook on life, prosper, renounce God's presence, Seasonal Affective disorder, spirit of the antichrist, succeed, than he that is in the world, the spirit of error, the spirit of the antichrist, the Spirit of truth, therefore speak they of the world, they are of the world, Thursday Blessings, truth, try the spirits whether they be of God, we are of God, ye are of God
1 John 4:4b. … greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
Brother! Can you believe it’s another wet, drizzly, cloudy day? It’s at least the sixth day in a row that we haven’t had even a hint of sunshine. No wonder SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) takes its toll during such long durations of gloomy, uninspiring weather. I have a light on the deck in my backyard to frighten away animals at night, it runs on solar power, but I haven’t seen it lit for a while now, because there’s been no sunlight to recharge its battery. I believe this is what is known as English weather. (smile) And it’s a sure sign of climate change, if all we’re getting at the end of December is light rain and absolutely no snow.
Now, it’s highly unlikely that we won’t get any snow at all, but by this time of year, we’ve usually had a few snowfalls. And yet many people still doubt the fact that climate change is occurring. As always though, when we don’t hear, we feel. But that’s also why we have Jesus as Lord and Saviour; to guide and protect us, to lead us in the way everlasting; in the way of truth and righteousness! Without Him, none of that is possible, for we cannot live a righteous and truthful life in our own strength, especially not with the immense pressure being exerted in these evil times for mankind to renounce the presence of Almighty God and bow to the master of darkness, Beelzebub himself!
And John, in his first epistle explains that though Satan is fighting to gain power over us, we have all the tools to resist him He writes: ‘Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try (test) the spirits, whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.’ (1 John 4:1) And that last phrase is the absolute truth my people; false teachers and prophets abound in these ungodly and evil times, and thus numerous spirits are flitting about trying to get a foothold in our lives.
And yes, the Holy Spirit of God does assure us, but with the many spirits that are currently out and about trying to wreak even more havoc and chaos than is already happening, we still need to be very careful what and whom we listen to, and test whatever we hear. So John explains how we can test those spirits. ‘Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world.’ (1 John 4:2-3)
Now we need to make a distinction between the person of ‘The Antichrist’ who is supposed to reign in terror over the world during the Great Tribulation, and what John is talking about here, more like a group, a body of ‘antichrists’ who are already in the world deceiving people and turning them away from the truth of God. The scholars tell us that ‘John’s opponents may have claimed to follow Christ, but without accepting that the Son who came in flesh was also one with the Father. This position was held by many Gnostics. John says that the Spirit will enlighten true believers to confess that Christ did come in the flesh. Jesus himself speaks of those who call Him “Lord” but are false followers. (Matt. 7:21-23; Luke 6:46)’
Yes friends, there are many around who pretend to be Christians, but are not true followers of Christ, just using His name for their own personal purposes. And per the Gnostics spoken of above: It’s said that ‘Gnosticism is a collection of religious ideas and systems that coalesced in the late 1st century AD among Jewish and early Christian sects. These various groups emphasized personal spiritual knowledge above the proto-orthodox teachings, traditions, and authority of religious institutions.’
And John continues: ‘Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.’ (1 John 4:4) And that’s no lie! Christ who indwells believers is greater than Satan who is trying to cause chaos amongst us. But because we are born of God, and Christ has already defeated Satan, we don’t have to be afraid, just make sure that we are diligent in our worldly dealings. ‘They (those ruled by the spirit of the antichrist) 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)
It’s obvious that those who are ruled by the spirit of the antichrist will find the world’s teaching more appealing than the truth of God. And the scholars explain verse six thus: ‘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 the readers against this spirit by contrasting their false views of Christ with the views that he, a personal follower and witness of Christ proclaims.’
Oh my people, our world today is full of heresy, blasphemy and outright lies about our faith, but we know that our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, our Giver of eternal life and all the other wonderful things like grace and mercy, provided through the indwelling of His Holy Spirit in each and every believer. Therefore, we do not need to fear what the world says about us, or does to us, we just need to keep on faithfully believing, following the leading of the Holy Spirit, and be careful of whom and what we let into our lives. Now, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) and thus activating our Thursday Blessings which the Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
As one voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, we’re now obligated to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…to truly know Christ and be fruitful in Him…one must be obedient to the Holy Spirit…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
31 Aug 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, as thou hast sent me into the world, can never repay God for His goodness, Christ's church did nothing to rectify so many wrongs, clear direction for my life, curse, divine protection, doh-care attitude, double full moon, embrace Satan's evil ways, even as I am not of the world, get on with the action, I have also sent them into the world, I have given them my word, in Christ's name, light up the world with the truth of Jesus, LOVE, negative word, offer up a plethora of praise and thanks, our sins bought with the price of His precious blood, sanctify them through thy truth, sending Jesus to die on the cross, show the world our good works, stop sitting on the fence, stop talking, summer on the way out, supernatural wisdom, the new moon in the arms of the old one, they are not of the world, they may be one as we are, Thursday Blessings
John 17:16. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Well friends, it’s the last day of August, which means summer is on the way out for another year. Chuh! And the cold weather has already begun to show its face with overnight lows of around 15 Celsius. But nonetheless, this Thursday morning has opened with bright sunshine and blue skies. And I did see the double full moon last night. Yay! The big, bright full moon in the arms of the darker one. The bright one at the front, covered about two thirds of the darker one in the back. Something like when the new moon sits in the arms of the old moon. What a genius planner and designer is our great God!
And though life might not be going exactly the way we desire it, it could also be worse, and with His awesome help we can also make it better. So please, let’s give Him some sincere thanks and praise for allowing us to see another miraculous day on His planet Earth! Please pray with me: ‘O God of our forefathers, today we offer up a plethora of praise and thanks for all the good things you’ve done on our behalf down through the years, especially the sending of your Son, Jesus Christ to die on the cross at Calvary so our sins could be bought with the price of His precious blood.
We know that was an extreme price you had to pay, but pay it you did because of your great, unconditional LOVE for us, and we thank you sincerely for it, and promise that we will do our best to live up to your Word and make you proud of us. This we pray in the name of your Son, our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ! Amen!’
Oh my brethren, we owe our God so much that we can never repay Him, even if we live several lifetimes. But now is the time when we seriously need to step up to the plate and bat our best innings, because our wonderful world is in such a disastrous and chaotic state and only we believers can effect some sincere and positive change to it. The evildoers are happy with it going down to hell in a handbasket, and we can’t allow that to happen without putting up serious resistance.
That’s our bounden duty! That’s what Christ commissioned us to do; to spread His gospel around the world and behave in a certain manner that would cause others to want what we have; that’s salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. And I don’t like harping on it, but the truth of the matter is that we’re definitely not doing as good a job as we ought to, otherwise our world would not be in the mess it’s currently in. Too many people are turning away from God to embrace Satan’s evil ways because of our lackadaisical, apathetic, doh-care attitude. That’s because too many supposed believers are too enamoured of the things of the world and are behaving like the world.
Remember what Christ said on the matter to the disciples and therefore to us also? ‘If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would LOVE his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.’ (John 15:18-19) Yes friends, Jesus made it very clear that His followers were not of the world, and therefore the world would hate them like they hated Him.
And He felt so strongly about the subject that later on He offered up an ardent prayer to the Father on it, saying: ‘And now I am no more (no longer) in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee, Holy Father; keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. …I have given them thy word, and the world hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil (one). They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them (set them apart) through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.’ (John 17:11, 13-19)
It couldn’t be any clearer my fellow believers: we’re supposed to be IN the world, but not OF the world. And if there’s no difference between us and the unbelievers, how can they ever turn to Christ eh? Our behaviour and speech ought to be different to theirs, so that they can see that we have something different, something better and come to desire it.
Ah mih people, so much of the world’s misfortunes have occurred because Christ’s body, His church, has stood by and done nothing to rectify the wrongs being committed. And you know that if you see wrong and do nothing to right that wrong, then you’re just as culpable as those committing the wrong. And as a divided and disunified body, the church of Christ is culpable of a whole lot of wrongs, because we’ve stood aside and watch the evildoers perpetrate them and have done nothing to stop or rectify those wrongs. That means there’s a whole lot of blood on our hands too.
But we can turn the situation around, if we’d only get together, be unified and fight the devil as one, large, whole body, not as small groups or individuals. We need to wake up though and realize the seriousness of the situation, stop sitting on the fence and get a move on for Jesus, if we expect our children and grandchildren to enjoy a better world than we have. Friends, Jesus is waiting, waiting patiently, but anxiously for us to get together and light up the world with His truth! Let’s not keep Him waiting any longer nuh.
And our God is so wonderful that He’s even bestowed undeserved blessings on us so that we can do His earthly work. So, we can’t say that we don’t have the tools to perform our duties. We call them our Thursday Blessings, and we can activate them by simply declaring (yesss!!!) them aloud. So 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!’
Now, let’s take those blessings and get out into the world and use them just as generously on others, as the Lord bestowed them on us. Much LOVE!
…it’s time for believers to stop talking…and get on with the action…show the world our good works in Christ’s name…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
06 Jul 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a godly society, a timely warning, abundance, be angry and sin not, be not conformed to this world, be renewed in the spirit of your mind, be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, birthday celebrations, cast off the works of darkness, Christians change their mindset, clear direction for my life, courage, curse, destruction, eternal life, eternal separation, failed in our duty, forgiving one another, high time to awake out of sleep, knowing the time, let not the sun go down on your wrath, LOVE, make not provision for the flesh, negative word, put on the armour of light, put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, saner minds will prevail, self-control, talent, the day is at hand, the night is far spent, the perfect will of God, the straight and narrow path, think about our children's children, Thursday Blessings, to fulfil the lusts thereof, walk not as other Gentiles walk
Romans 13:12. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light.
And so we come to Thursday, desperately looking forward to Friday, so that we can rest our tired souls and bodies from all the hectic birthday celebrations on both sides of the border. (smile) Yes, there’s nothing as hectic as birthday celebrations, even when they are marred by negative situations. And now that those celebrations are over, I do hope that saner minds will prevail and we will see the destructive path down which we’re travelling and come together and do something serious and productive about our problems, so that by the time the next birthday rolls around, we’ll be living in a more peaceful, LOVING and godly society.
Oh my people, that’s the ONLY way we will survive eventual destruction! If we continue down the same negative, broad and winding road, destruction is inevitable! Why is it so difficult to realize that and do something proactive about it eh? His satanic majesty certainly has a strong grasp on our minds and souls, if that’s the way we chose to go. But let’s think about our children’s children for a moment nuh. Is that the way we want them to live, amongst death and destruction?
I doubt it. We’ve already spoiled it for our children, please, I’m pleading with us to get together in godly harmony and change the direction in which our world is currently going, that’s down to hell fire and damnation. For our grandchildren’s sake, let’s turn it around and put it back on the straight and narrow path that leads to Jesus and heaven, where it’s supposed to be. And we can do it if we truly desire to do so, because we have all the parts and power through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to make whatever changes are necessary. We just have to seriously decide to get up and do it.
Oh my fellow believers, what’s it going to take to develop harmony and unity in Christ’s church eh? What’s it going to take for us to wake up and see the dangerous and evil stuff that’s happening right under our very noses? Sadly with our help and participation too? But just like Bruh Paul warned the church at Rome, we need to be warned today.
‘And that knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand, let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly (properly), as in the day, not in rioting (revelry) and drunkenness, not in chambering (licentiousness) and wantonness (depravity), not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof.’ (Rom. 13:11-14)
Oh friends, there’s no more timely warning than that, for all it says is true! Our world is being consumed by strife and all the other fleshly lusts named above. The godly aspect of our lives has either been completely thrown out or hidden in the innermost recesses of our hearts and souls. And the sad part of the whole situation is that only believers in Christ Jesus can change the way our world is currently operating. But if we’re behaving just like the heathen, the unbelievers, the sceptics an atheists, what hope is there for a righting of the ship eh? None whatsoever!
And though we don’t know when Jesus is returning to earth, we do know that His return is closer than when Bruh Paul wrote that warning to the Corinthians, thus we need to wake up and make some serious changes both in our own lives and the world, for we don’t want Jesus to come back to a world where there’s no faith. Definitely not! It would mean that we have failed in our duty. And to successfully right ourselves, we have to begin by doing what Bruh Paul warned the Romans earlier on in his letter. ‘Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.’ (Rom. 12:2)
Yes my fellow saints we cannot change our world until we change our thinking and stop conforming to the ways of the evil and ungodly world! As the scholars tell us, we are ‘to resist being poured into the mold of the present thinking, value systems and conduct of this world.’ That should be obvious to us all, but for whatever reason, too many of us have chosen, and are still choosing not to be transformed. We seem to like the attractions of hellfire and damnation, of eternal separation, more than those of heaven and eternal life.
But nonetheless, we will keep on trying to turn us around, because Christ says that we must pray and not faint or give up. So here’s some more scripture that will encourage us to turn from evil and get up and fight the good fight. Hear these fighting words that Bruh Paul wrote to the Ephesians. ‘This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity (futility) of their mind… That ye put off concerning the former conversation (conduct) old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts:
And be renewed in the spirit of your mind: And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness. Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place (an opportunity) to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:17; 22-32)
There we have it my brethren, simple, practical ways in which to transform our minds, to turn our lives around so that we can also turn this evil, ungodly world around. That’s what we’ve been placed here at this particular time for. And to help us do our bounden duty, the Good Lord has generously bestowed on us numerous blessings that we call our Thursday Blessings. So to activate them, let’s declare (chuh!!!) them right now. 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!’
Now, let’s get out into the evil world and generously use those blessings to help others and thus win the world for Christ! Much LOVE!
…only as Christians change their mindset and thus their lives…will any positive changes be made in the world
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
13 Apr 2023
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: according to the riches of his grace, But God commendeth his love toward us, celebrate the triumphant resurrection of Christ, Christ died for us, clear direction for my life, crapaud smoke we pipe, curse, Easter, forgiveness, forgiveness of sins, God's supernatural wisdom, got the wheels rolling, his nail-pierced hands, Jesus' sacrificial work, justification, LOVE, negative word, not redeemed with corruptible things, prosper, received the atonement, recociliation, redemption, redemption though his blood, S.O.L, sanctification, self-control, separating the sinner from his sin, spring has sprung, succeed, the birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, the keys of hades, the lamb that was slain for us, the precious blood of Christ, this is the day the Lord has made, Thursday Blessings, we will rejoice and be glad in it, while we were yet sinners, while we were yet sinners christ died for us
Romans 5:8. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us.
Here’s looking at you with LOVE and great expectations, the first Thursday after Easter! You’ve opened so bright and sunny, and so warm too, about 19 degrees Celsius, that for the first time in many a month I can open my windows and allow the cool fresh air to flow through the house! Wow! What a pleasure! Only those who have ever experienced it, know the wonderful feeling of being able to open windows instead of keeping them tightly shut. But it’s all a part of living in the northern climes, and it does provide for some variable and interesting though not always pleasant times. (smile)
And in my neck of the woods this is definitely a day to say, with grateful truth: ‘This is the day which the Lord hath made, we will rejoice and be glad in it.’ (Ps. 118:24) Oh friends, it seems like spring is truly and finally here…Praise the Lord! The birds are singing their songs of joy and praise, while flitting about their own lives, and the flora is beginning to turn green again, awaking from its long winter snooze, and let’s hope that that new life is also blossoming in us believers, especially since spring has sprung right at Easter time, when we celebrate the triumphant resurrection of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, who, having defeated hell, death and the grave, now has the keys to hades in His nail-pierced hands!
And all God’s people gave a joyful shout of: ‘Hallelujah to the Lamb that was slain for us, whose blood was shed to pay for our iniquity! Sing Hallelujah to His precious and glorious name!’ Yes, my fellow believers, we ought to be so grateful to Jesus for the selfless, sacrificial work He did on our behalf at Easter. No one else could have done it…even if they felt so inclined, for He was the only sinless soul, who could pay for our abominable sins. And yuh know what? We haven’t even spoken of the Father’s great LOVE for us as yet, which caused that marvellous debt repayment.
Oh my, my! It was indeed the Father’s unconditional LOVE for His sinful creation that got the wheels rolling, and then Jesus’ obedience to, and LOVE for the Father, that eventually made it happen. And oh how great was that rolling of wheels that rolled on to our redemption, forgiveness, justification, reconciliation and sanctification! Ah my fellow saints, that certainly deserves another Wow! Just imagine nuh, that the death and resurrection of one individual could cause all those marvellous things to happen in our lives nuh. And if you don’t believe me, then let’s look at some scriptures that prove it.
As per redemption, listen to Peter pontificate on the subject. (smile) ‘Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible (perishable) things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation (aimless conduct) received by tradition from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest (revealed) in these last times for you. Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.’ (1 Pet. 1:18-21)
And all of God’s people said a loud, proud and grateful: ‘Hallelujah! Glory to God in the Highest! Amen!’ And as per forgiveness, Bruh Paul says it loud and clear in Ephesians, speaking of the Father through Jesus. ‘Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children (as sons) by Jesus Christ in himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved (bestowed grace or favour) upon us. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded to us in all wisdom and prudence (understanding).’ (Eph. 1:5-8)
Yes friends, Almighty God with wisdom and understanding, through His awesome grace, forgave our sins because the shed blood of Jesus paid the requisite up-scale price for them. No one, or nothing else could have paid the horrendous high price involved. So please let’s show our eternal gratitude by living sincerely and enthusiastically for Jesus nuh. He’s sacrificed so much for us. And the scholars offer this interesting note on forgiveness. They say, ‘The word forgiveness literally means “to send off or away.” In Scripture this means separating the sinner from his sin. God accomplishes forgiveness by transferring our sin to Christ on the cross and judging it there. When an individual receives Christ as Saviour, he is forgiven by means of this transfer.’
And, as per justification, listen to these marvellous and oh so encouraging words from Bruh Paul to the church at Rome. ‘For when we were yet without strength, in due time (at the right time) Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure (perhaps) for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Much more then, being now (having been) justified (made right) by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his son, much more, (having) being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement (reconciliation).’ (Rom. 5:6-11)
Ah mih people, what a wonderful God we serve! Now which other supposed god would ever make their only Son die for his followers’ wrongdoing eh? NONE whatsoever! Only the mighty God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has the ability and the LOVE for His people to perform such a miraculous, amazing and LOVING feat! And we should be everlastingly grateful for it, not the offhanded, unconcerned manner so many of us supposed believers exhibit. Anyway, we still have two things to go, reconciliation and sanctification, and since time and space are in short supply, we’ll tackle them tomorrow, God willing, of course.
And no, the mention of reconciliation above, was not the scripture I want to share. Meanwhile, for those of us who truly are trying to live for Jesus, let’s go home declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us to do God’s 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 now, having activated those blessings, we’re duty bound to go out and share them with others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…if it wasn’t for God’s great LOVE for us…we’d certainly be S.O.L… crapaud would certainly be smoking we pipe… (smile)
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ
28 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: but this one thing I do, Caribana weekend, changed from glory to glory, changed into the same image, clear direction for my life, count them but dung that I may win Christ, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, for the prize of the high calling of God, forgetting the past, I have fought a good fight, I press toward the mark, I strain to reach the end of the race, It Takes a Lifetime, looking forward to what lies ahead, LOVE, my conversion took but a moment, my growth takes a lifetime, negative word, One Year Book of Bible promises, promotion, Ruth Harms Calkin, the flame of Christ burns brightly within us, there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, those I counted loss for Christ, Thursday Blessings, what things were gain to me
Philippians 3:14. I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day in our workweek, but around here in the Greater Toronto area, not many people are thinking of work, but of the upcoming Caribana weekend and the Simcoe holiday on Monday. Yes friends, this is T.O’s big weekend, where it’s parties galore and the big street parade on Saturday. Oh, sorry, I believe I called the celebration by the wrong name. It’s now something like Toronto Caribbean Carnival, or some such moniker, because of the legal dispute over the ownership of the ‘Caribana’ name. But call it what they will, it will always be popularly known as ‘Caribana.’ End of story! (smile)
Now, today we are going to consider an interesting writing from our One Year Book of Bible Promises authored by Ruth Harms Calkin, titled ‘It Takes a Lifetime.’ Please read with me. ‘How I LOVE the words of the apostle Paul. ‘I don’t mean to say…that I have already reached perfection! But I keep working toward that day when I will finally be all that Christ Jesus saved me for and wants me to be.
No, dear brothers and sisters. I am still not all I should be, but I am focusing all my energies on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, I strain to reach the end of the race and receive the prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us up to heaven.’ (And it’s noted there that that passage comes from the New Living Translation of Phil. 3:12-14.)
But then the writing continues: ‘What tremendous encouragement! Paul, who knew Jesus Christ so intimately, whose consuming desire was to please Him, who endured illness, imprisonment, shipwreck, beatings, mockery, and heartache all for the sake of Christ – this very same Paul confessed he hadn’t “arrived.” God was still growing him! I see again, while my conversion took but a moment, my growth takes an entire lifetime. In God’s great wisdom and knowledge He anticipates the finished product while He LOVINGLY takes me through the long, long process.’
And is that ever the glorious though difficult truth my fellow believers! It certainly is! Yes, coming to Christ takes but a moment, but becoming like Christ takes an entire lifetime because it is not an easy process. And that is what a lot of us don’t seem to understand. God’s eventual purpose is to make us all over in the image of Christ, as the Good Book says: ‘For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren.’ (Rom. 8:29)
And to be made over into anything at all doesn’t happen overnight, and to be made like Christ…brother! That will obviously take ages! And, as the writing intimates, if Bruh Paul was so closely involved with Christ, knew Him so intimately and still didn’t consider himself ‘arrived,’ then it’s obvious that those of us who are not as intimate still have a long way to go. As Bruh Paul says in 2 Corinthians. ‘But we all, with open (unveiled) face beholding as in a glass (mirror) the glory of the Lord, are changed (transformed) into the same image (that of Christ) from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.’ (2 Cor. 3:18)
Yes, it’s the Lord’s Spirit that transforms us into Christ’s likeness from glory to glory or step by step, not all at once. And Bruh Paul assures us earlier on in his missive to the Philippians: ‘Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it (complete it) until the day of Jesus Christ.’ (Phil. 1:6) Oh isn’t that wonderful to know my brethren! God will not stop transforming us into the image of His Son, until his Son comes back to take over His kingdom! Glory Hallelujah!
That’s why these words of Bruh Paul are so important. And we’ll read them in the more powerful King James version. (smile) ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (arrived): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
And all of that simply means that he has given up all his earlier accolades, like his great education and position as a powerful Pharisee, in his determined pursuit to know the risen Christ. As he also said earlier on the same letter: ‘But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ….and do count them but dung (rubbish) that I may win Christ.’ (Phil. 3:7-8) So knowing and winning Christ, and the divine prize, that’s ‘the joyful and personal satisfaction of having attained it,’ is all that he was then focused on.
And it’s all that we should also be focused on, truly knowing Christ should be our life’s goal. So much so that when we come to the end of this earthly stage of life, we can say like Bruh Paul did to Timothy. ‘I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course (race), I have kept the faith. Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto them also that LOVE his appearing (eagerly await His second coming).’ (2 Tim. 4:7-8)
Now that’s what we ought to be working towards! And let’s hope that those scriptures we’ve considered this morning will light, or relight the flame in our souls and spirits for Christ, so that we can sincerely put our best foot forward and do His divine bidding with excellence, diligence and a true sense of purpose. And to help us do that, let’s go home now declaring (awright!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been so generously bestowed on us to enable us to do our earthly work.
Altogether 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 every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings by declaring (steups!!!) them aloud, we must now go out and generously use them in winning souls for Christ! Much LOVE!
…we can’t sincerely press toward the heavenly prize…unless the flame of Christ burns brightly in us…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
07 Jul 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, be aware of how short life is, belief in Jesus, but have everlasting life, clear direction for my life, courage, creativity, curse, from dust we came and to dust we will return, God so loved the world, he gave his only begotten son, he that believeth in me, he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, I am the resurrection and the life, I believe thou art the Christ, it's easier for believers to fathom death, Jamaican Diplomatic service, LOVE, make whatever amends you need to asap, Maxine Roberts, negative word, only believe, springing up into everlasting life, talent, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, that's life, the ever-faithful promise of salvation and eternal life, The Samaritan woman at the well, the Son of God which should come into the world, the water that I shall give shall be a well of water, the wrath of God abideth on him, though he were dead, though he were dead yet shall he live, Thursday Blessings, whosoever drinks of this water shall thirst again, whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die
John 11:25. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live.
Ah Lord eh! These days I’m not anxious to open e-mails from friends that I don’t normally correspond with, because they always seem to bring negative news. I got one such e-mail this morning from an old friend from university days, about the passing of another old friend from back then. Her name was Maxine Roberts. I haven’t seen her since back then or heard much about her, but it appears she carved a very good path for herself in the Jamaican Diplomatic Service as an Ambassador for her country. Now that doesn’t surprise me because I remember her as a bright and lively young lady, some fifty odd years ago. May you rest in peace Maxine. And my condolences to your family.
But it is a tad difficult to hear of the passing of people you haven’t interacted with for a long time, since it then gets you to thinking about the times you shared, be they good or bad, and wondering if they ever remembered those same times before they moved on to the other life. And the sad part is that many of our friends pass on with negative thoughts about us, thoughts that we had hopes of one day fixing, but never got around to. And then suddenly, it’s too late. But, as they say, that’s life!
And it doesn’t make sense worrying about it, but it should make us aware of how short life is, and the suddenness with which it can end, therefore energizing us to make whatever amends we need to make with our surviving friends and family as soon as possible. We all know that we came from the dust of the earth and that someday that’s where our bodies will return, but fathoming death, especially a sudden and unexpected one, is still hard for the human nature to accept. But accept it we must, if we want to live out our own lives in a positive and godly manner.
And as believers in Christ Jesus, it is easier for us to accomplish than for unbelievers. That’s because we have the ever-faithful promise of salvation and eternal life through belief in Christ. Jesus Himself said it to Martha when He came back to Bethany after her brother Lazarus’ death. Martha though, wasn’t happy with Jesus’ late arrival and said to Him. ‘Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.’ (John 11:21-22)
Now that is what you call strong faith! And some of you might say that’s because Jesus was very friendly with her family. But Jesus was friendly with a lot of other people, including His own family, who didn’t believe in Him. The Good Book continues: ‘Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead (may die), yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?’ (John 11:23-26)
And that’s the very same question that Jesus is asking many of us today? Do we truly believe in Him and the power He has to grant eternal life? Now Martha didn’t have the benefit of the scriptures we currently have, nor of yet seeing Christ crucified and risen, but her answer was quick and unequivocal. ‘She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.’ (John 11:27) How many of us would answer Jesus’ question so plainly and quickly today eh? I really don’t know nuh, but I’m sure it wouldn’t be sufficient to make a significant difference in our current evil and ungodly world.
And there are so many examples of Jesus trying to instill into us the major benefit of believing in him, but we just won’t listen. Let’s see if I can drum up a few more instances of Jesus talking about the importance of believing in Him to receive eternal life. And we don’t have to look very far to find this scriptural gem. It’s one we all know and like to quote, but don’t seem to really believe since we still don’t acknowledge Jesus as the resurrection and the life. Jesus said it loud and clear: ‘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)
Now my brethren, tell me how much clearer can that get eh? It’s simple: if you don’t believe in Jesus, you are not going receive eternal life, instead you will perish! And are you willing to take the chance that Jesus is wrong? For your sake I hope not. Then there was the Samaritan woman who came to the well to draw water and engaged Jesus in conversation. That alone was itself a poignant and unnatural moment for Jews and Samaritans, though related, didn’t mix, in fact detested each other as the latter had intermarried with Gentiles during the Assyrian captivity. (2 Kin. 17:24-41)
And as the woman so knowingly pointed out when Jesus asked her for a drink of water. She said to Him: ‘How is it that thou being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? For the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans. Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.’ (John 4:9-10) The woman then proceeded to question Jesus’ ability to draw water from the well.
But ‘Jesus answered and said unto her. Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be like a well (fountain) of water springing up into everlasting life.’ (John 4:13-14) And although the woman didn’t fully understand what Jesus was talking about, she was wise enough, wiser than many of us today, to understand the importance of His words, Therefore, she ‘saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw.’ (John 4:15)
Another instance where there was much less knowledge of Jesus than we have, but greater trust and faith! And just in case you won’t believe Jesus, then let’s see if you’ll believe John the Baptist when he says: ‘He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth (remains) on him.’ (John 3:36) Yes friends, the anger of God remains on those who don’t believe in His Son Jesus Christ.
Now, for those of us who believe, and are doing our best to convince others, let’s go home declaring (yesss!!!) our Thursday Blessings, which have been generously bestowed on us by God, so that we can 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 activated those blessings, let’s go out now and use them generously on Christ’s behalf! Much LOVE!
…only believe…that’s all Christ is asking…one has nothing to lose…and so much to gain…if one only believes…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
09 Jun 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a positive outlook on life, became heir of the righteousness which is by faith, being warned by God, by faith Abraham went out, by faith he sojourned in the land of promise, by faith Noah, by it the elders obtained a good report, clear direction for my life, curse, delivered of a child when she was past age, expectantly hoped and waiting for, God is not ashamed to be called their God, LOVE, negative word, not knowing whither he went, of things not seen as yet, she judged him faithful who had promised, the evidence of things not seen, the worlds were framed by the word of god, they desire a better country that is a heavenly, things which are seen, through faith also Sarah received strength to conceive seed, through faith we understand, Thursday Blessings, were not made of things which do appear
Hebrews 11:3. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).
And just as I queried, yesterday’s bright sunshine did not last, for by the afternoon the clouds came rolling in, then by evening time, the rain began and drizzled through most of the night. Now, today, Thursday has opened cloudy and wet, but the rain has stopped and hopefully by lunchtime the sun will have come out bright and warm. (smile) And isn’t that what hope and faith are all about? For sure; the evidence of things not seen, but eagerly and expectantly hoped and waiting for!
As Chapter 11 in Hebrews, that great chapter on faith tells us: ‘For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds (ages) were framed (prepared) by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear (are visible).’ (Heb. 11:2-3) Yes friends, in this life, we need to believe a lot of things we can’t see or conceive of, meaning that everything we do depends to some extent on faith. Even when we sit in a chair or lie on a bed, it’s faith that makes us believe they won’t crumble under us.
But it’s even more important for us to have a strong and bubbling faith when we come before God. Cain’s faith was not as righteous as Abel’s, that’s why God refused his sacrificial offering. Abel’s offering was of a sacrificial nature, the first and best of his flock, and apparently his heart motives were right, while Cain’s were not. (Gen. 4:3-7) And again, we cannot please God unless we truly believe that He is who He says He is, and does all that He says He can do.
Please note these scriptures on some of our fellow believers who wrought much because of their faith. ‘By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear (reverence), prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.’ (Heb. 11:7) Now that was something else, because it took exceptionally great faith and trust to do what Noah did.
According to the scholars, ‘Noah was asked by God to do in faith things that were incongruous (not in harmony) with his former experience. He had never seen rain (Gen. 2:5), and yet God told him to build and ark because of a coming flood (Gen. 6:13-17).’ Now, how many of us would have accepted such a backbreaking and seemingly impossible task eh? Not many. But Noah believed the Lord and did as He asked. And that’s why he was chosen to replenish humanity after the catastrophic flood that destroyed all the other abominably sinful human beings.
The same thing could be said of Abraham when the Lord suddenly showed up and told him to pack up and leave his pagan gods and family and go wither he knew not. The Good Book tells it thus: ‘By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went (where he was going).’ (Heb. 11:8)
Once again, how many of us, especially at seventy-five years of age, would have simply packed up and left our families on the promise of a supposed god that we did not know eh? Only a few. But Abraham did. And, ‘By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange (foreign) country, dwelling in tabernacles (tents) with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise.’ (Heb. 11:9) Yes, he left his comfortable home and became a nomad, wandering a country he didn’t know, living much less comfortably than if he had stayed at home in Haran.
So why did he do it eh? The Bible tells us: ‘For he looked for (was waiting for) a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker was God.’ (Heb. 11:10) Wow! What monumental faith! That’s why the Good Book says: ‘And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.’ (Gen. 15:6) Although, as the scholars explain, that happened after the Lord took him outside to look at all the numerous stars in the sky and promised that his descendants would be as numerous. So, it was not his original act of faith, but further evidence of his confidence in God.
The same thing goes for Sarah. Although she first laughed when God said she would have a son after many barren years and at an old age. ‘Through faith also Sarah herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of (bore) a child when she was past age; because she judged him faithful who had promised.’ (Heb. 11:11) Yes friends, only the miraculous work of our omnipotent God could have allowed Sarah and Abraham to have a child when she was ninety and him a hundred years old!
And no, Abraham and Sarah did not have it easy, wandering all over the land as a nomadic tribe, but they saw enough faithfulness in God’s promises that made them continue on the route that He had plotted out for them. And that’s why today we talk about the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; he and his descendants stood strong in faith with God.
The Good Book continues: ‘These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded (assured) of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country (homeland). And truly if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned, But now they desire a better country, that is a heavenly; wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.’ (Heb. 11:13-16)
Yes my fellow saints, earth is not our eventual home, but that doesn’t mean we are not meant to enjoy it as much as we can, until we get to the heavenly place that God has created for us, where there are no tears, no pain, no death, no sorrow, just continual communion, praise and worship with our heavenly Father. But it all comes through faith, and unless you sincerely believe, surrender and trust in the promises of God you will never see that heavenly home.
In the meanwhile, let’s go home today declaring (chuh!) our Thursday Blessings that have been so generously bestowed on us to do God’s work down here on earth. 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!’
Now, let’s go out and use those marvellous blessings to bring others to Christ, as He desires of us. Much LOVE!
…there is little hope for man…unless he succumbs to faith in Almighty God…the Creator and Controller of this universe…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
21 Apr 2022
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a friend of God, a man after His own heart, as for me and my house, bounden duty, clear direction for my life, come unto me all ye that labour, curse, divine protection, he leadeth me beside still waters, he maketh me to lie down in green pastures, he that hath ears to hear, hold on tightly to Jesus, I shall not want, LOVE, my yoke is easy and my burden light, negative word, our backs are against the wall, self-control, surely goodness and mercy shall follow me, the great invitation, The Lord is my shepherd, the sinful pleasures of Satan, thou anointest my head with oil, Thursday Blessings, we will follow the Lord, ye shall find rest for your souls
Psalm 23:1. The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (meaning I will lack nothing that I truly need).
It’s a rainy Thursday morning. But Jesus is with us, and He will certainly see us through whatever the devil and this evil world tries to throw against us. As the song says, ‘I know that God is not finished, He’s not through with me. Although I am delayed, I am not denied.’
Wow! What a wonderful promise to hold on to. Yes, because God’s grace and mercy holds us together in times of trouble, as well as in times of prosperity, so that we won’t let go. And we desperately need to keep seeking and striving to stay in God’s good grace and mercy, if we sincerely desire to be a fruitful child of His. And one word we should never use is ‘DEFEAT.’
So, when our backs are against the wall, when we’re in the valley of the shadow of death, remember to hold on tightly to the hand of Jesus, which is always reaching out to us. And He will undoubtedly lift us up, restore our souls, and lead us out of the valley to clean clear waters, to victory in His name. And that’s exactly why Bruh David could confidently write in our favourite psalm.
‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want (meaning I will lack nothing that I truly need). He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (that’s calm waters of rest). He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.’ (Ps. 23:1-6)
Yes friends, life is not easy for many of us, but as the song says, ‘You don’t have to cross Jordan alone.’ The Lord will cross with you, if you don’t give up on Him! And we could not find a better example of that than in the life of Bruh David, whose life was rough and ready ofttimes through no fault of His own. He did good, but others held out evil to him.
But in a mighty show of faith in the God of his forefathers, he never gave up. He stayed always close to the One who promised to be there through all kinds of weather. And that’s why he became the mightiest king of Israel, and despite his own sinful behaviour was touted as a friend of God and a man after His own heart. And that’s why we can’t ever beat God’s grace and mercy, once our heart is truly hungry and thirsty for Him and His Word!
So, though we are worried, troubled or concerned about anything at all, the right way to go about fixing it is by going to Jesus and asking for His divine help, because with Him nothing is impossible, which means He can do anything that needs to be done. And furthermore, He will NEVER turn down your request for help. In fact, He’s offered this Great Invitation to all who seek rest and peace.
Listen up to this awesome invitation, that NO ONE else can even deign to offer, because they don’t have nowhere near the mighty power that Jesus has. So He opens His arms wide to all and sundry by inviting: ‘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 unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.’ (Matt. 11:28-30)
Oh my faithful brethren, what an amazing and most reassuring invitation! It’s free to anyone who needs rest and peace from their earthly burdens. Yes, whosoever will may come, is the eternal message of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. For as the man sings; ‘I’ve got Jesus, and that’s enough…that’s enough!’
Words of indisputable truth my fellow saints. For if you have Jesus then you don’t need anyone or anything else in this life, because He is the Creator, the Saviour, Advocate, Prince of Peace, Immortal Judge and the fountainhead of Grace, Mercy and LOVE! That covers every aspect of life, so how can you need anyone or anything else besides Jesus eh?
And for those foolish ones of us who seem to like the sinful pleasures of Satan and think that He is such a big man, just remember he was once the number One Angel, but because of greed and foolish pride rebelled against his Creator and was summarily kicked out of heaven with the other fools who rebelled with him, to walk this earth in sorrow and hard times, until time for his ultimate demise in the lake of fire. So, if you want to end up there with the evil one, suffer the worst fate possible, that of eternal separation from the Father, then follow the fallen one, Lucifer.
But as for me and my house, we will follow the Lord! That’s an indelible fact! And the sad part is that it doesn’t take a whole lot of wisdom, but simple common sense to realize that that’s the right, the best path to take in this crazy and confused world. But to each his own, and as the Good Book warns: ‘He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.’ (Matt. 13:9)
Now, for those of us who are listening, (smile) let’s go home declaring (oh yeahhh!!!) our Thursday Blessings, blessings the Good Lord has generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. In loud and proud 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 now my fellow saints, it’s our bounden duty to go out and use those undeserved blessings in a manner that will cause others to come to Christ and LOVE and honour Him the way we do! Much LOVE!
…In Christ Jesus…we have ALL…that we can ever want or need…
Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8
Previous Older Entries Next Newer Entries
SCRIP-BITS 