Today’s Scrip-Bit    24 September 2023 Matthew 24:30b.

24 Sep 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Matthew 24:30b.       and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

And it’s Sunday once again my people, which means we’re all invited to the Lord’s sanctuary to fellowship and worship with other believers, as our Christian faith demands! And though sometimes it’s hard to meet that demand, most of us do so gladly as the benefits of worship with other believers far outweigh those of worshipping alone, or no worship at all. (smile) Anyway, today we’re opening with an interesting Christian contemporary bit of music, titled ‘These are the Days of Elijah (No God Like Jehovah), a song written around 1994-95 by Robin Mark, a Northern Irish Christian singer, songwriter and worship leader. It’s a song we all know and like and that has become popular all around the world. 

So let’s sing it now in a mid-tempo, soulful rocking version with all the bells and whistles at our disposal. And as the music opens, we come up with some handclapping for a few bars. Then we joyfully raise our voices to heaven in sacrificial praise. ‘These are the days of Elijah, Declaring the word of the Lord: And these are the days of Your servant Moses, Righteousness being restored. And though these are days of great trial, Of famine and darkness and sword, Still, we are the voice in the desert crying ‘Prepare ye the way of the Lord!’ 

(Chorus Behold He comes, riding on the clouds Shining like the sun, at the trumpet call! Lift your voice, it’s the year of jubilee And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes! These are the days of Ezekiel, The dry bones becoming as flesh. And these are the days of Your servant David, Rebuilding a temple of praise. These are the days of the harvest; The fields are as white in Your world! And we are the labourers in Your vineyard, Declaring the word of the Lord! (Chorus Behold He comes, riding on the clouds Shining like the sun, at the trumpet call! Lift your voice, it’s the year of jubilee And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes! 

(Bridge There is no God like Jehovah. There is no God like Jehovah! There is no God like Jehovah! (11 times) (Chorus Behold He comes, riding on the clouds Shining like the sun, at the trumpet call! Lift your voice, it’s the year of jubilee And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes! Behold He comes, riding on the clouds Shining like the sun, at the trumpet call! Lift your voice, it’s the year of jubilee And out of Zion’s hill salvation comes! (Repeat).’ 

Beautiful worship my people, with a beautiful and complex song. And according to the author, he didn’t go to great lengths to make it complex, it was just what the Holy Spirit inspired him to write after watching some television programming reviewing the year 1994. And instead of trying to figure out the meaning of the song for ourselves, let’s instead use the author’s own words,. He writes: ‘This was the year of the Rwandan civil war tragedy which claimed 1 million people’s lives, and also when the first ceasefires in Northern Ireland were declared. On this TV review were a lot of daft stories, happy stories, serious stories, and then absolutely devastating stories like the Rwandan situation. 

As I watched the review unfold, I found myself despairing about the state of the world and, in prayer, began asking God if He was really in control and what sort of days were we living in. I felt in my spirit that He replied to my prayer by saying that indeed He was very much in control and that the days we were living in were special times when He would require Christians to be filled with integrity and to stand up for Him just like Elijah did, particularly with the prophets of Baal. “These are ‘Elijah’ days”. Elijah’s story is in the book of Kings, and you can read how he felt isolated and alone in the culture in which he lived. But God told him to stand up and speak for Him.’ 

And my people, nothing has improved since then, in fact it’s all gotten worse. Thus, more than ever we Christians need to be filled with integrity in these disconcerting and evil times, as well as stand strong and steadfast up for the God we claim to believe in. Then Mark continues: ‘We also needed to be a holy and just people and hence the reference to the “days of your servant Moses”, meaning that righteousness and right living was important in all our attitudes and works. Now, we are under grace and not under law, but the righteousness that comes by faith can be no less than the moral law that Moses brought direct from God. It has not been superseded. 

In fact, Jesus told us that our “righteousness must exceed that of the Pharisees”, who were the most ardent followers of God’s laws as presented by Moses. Jesus was after righteous, servant hearts, of course, that desired to live holy lives for Him.’ But, unfortunately, in these current days of chaos and dissatisfaction, not too many of us have righteousness that exceeds that of the Pharisees. That’s one of the reasons why our world is so evil and ungodly; there’s no true faithfulness and righteousness in we supposed believers. Too many of us are behaving just like the world, adhering to its lusts and desires for material wealth and comfort, instead of caring about the righteousness of God’s kingdom, of being in the world, but not of the world. 

Furthermore, Mark says: “Days of great trial, of famine, darkness and sword” is a reflection of the apparent times in which we live when still thousands of people die every day from starvation, malnutrition and war. In the midst of it all we are called to make a declaration of what and who we believe in.’ And we all know the terrible situation so many of our fellow men are facing today because of those same things, famine, darkness and sword, especially when there’s more than enough in our world to feed and clothe everyone, but the distribution is totally skewered towards the rich! 

And according to Mark, ‘The second verse refers to the restoration of unity of the body, what Jesus prayed for – “that they may be one even as I and the Father are one…” by reference to Ezekiel’s prophetic vision of the valley of the dry bones becoming flesh and being knit together. There are lots of interpretations of this picture, but one of a united church rising up in unity and purpose, is a powerful call on us in these days.’ 

Now friends, that’s perhaps our biggest failing; the disunity of our faith, with numerous denominations and sub-denominations and all sorts of other disunified gatherings. How can we ever fight the enemy when we’re foolishly fighting among ourselves eh? And over a lot of petty and unimportant stuff too. We will never be successful until we unite and fight the enemy from strength of numbers and consistency of beliefs. And there’s a whole lot more that Robin Mark said, but sadly time and space has run out on us, and we’ll close with these last explanations. 

He writes: ‘These are the themes of the verses – Declaration, Righteousness, Unity and Worship. I chose to express these thoughts by reference to the characters that represented these virtues in the Old Testament. It is in essence a song of hope for the Church and the world in times of great trial… The chorus is the ultimate declaration of hope – Christ’s return. It is paraphrased from the books of Revelation and Daniel and the vision that was seen of the coming King and refers to the return of Christ and the year of Jubilee.’ 

And to end, we have the words of Christ himself, explaining that marvellous event. ‘And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together the elect (chosen ones) from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.’ (Matt. 24:30-31) 

Yes, my fellow saints, Christ is going to return eventually, and we had better be ready for it, and be found among His elect, or chosen ones, or else crapaud smoke we pipe! Much LOVE!

…he that hath ears to hear…let him hear…for he that doesn’t hear will certainly feel… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ       

Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 August 2023 Luke 16:29.

04 Aug 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Luke 16:29.       Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.

Well, it’s Friday, the beginning of the long Caribana weekend in Toronto! And anybody who’s anybody will be out there playing mas! That means I’m not anybody, because I won’t be out there with them. (smile) Too old for it now, and anyway, it’s not as nice as it used to be back in the earlier years. And the day’s begun nice and sunny, let’s hope it’s not as hot as yesterday, because if it is, we’re going to burn up in the hot sun in Lamport Stadium later today at the Pan Alive Festival. 

But look how life’s changed eh? That’s the only Caribana celebration I attend these days. I don’t even know that it’s Caribana unless someone reminds me. But as the old people would say; after one time is two yes! And that’s the indisputable truth. As you grow older you change in manifold ways, forgetting what lies behind, the childish things you did, and reaching forth to what lies ahead.  But however you shake it, the world still declares (yesss!!!) ‘TGIF! Thank God it’s Friday and the weekend, party time is here at last! Glory be!’ 

And with a whisper from the Holy Spirit, I remembered that today we’re going to look at the second part of Jesus’ parable about the rich man and the beggar Lazarus. And believe me, this last part might just be the more important aspect of the parable. Why do I say so? Now, a couple days ago we dealt with the first part that told us about the rich man living the sumptuous life, and Lazarus, the poor beggar, sitting at his gate, chowing down on the crumbs from the rich man’s table, while the dogs licked his many sores. Then both of then died. The beggar went to heaven in Abraham’s bosom, while the rich man went to hell. 

From that scenario of hellfire, the rich man looked up and saw Lazarus ensconced in the bosom of Abrahm and begged him to send Lazarus to dip his finger in some cool water and place it on his tongue, because he was terribly tormented. Abraham informed him that that was impossible because of his record on earth; rich, greedy and ungodly, while Lazarus had suffered without cause. And in any case, there was an impassable gulf between heaven and hell so that no one could pass back and forth. 

And what was the rich man’s reply? ‘Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him (Lazarus) to my father’s house: for I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’ (Luke 16:27-28) At last he was thinking of others and not only of himself. And that’s what usually happens when we make mistakes and disaster strikes us. It’s then and only then that we think about family and friends who might make the same unwise decisions. 

Unfortunately though, Abraham’s answer wasn’t what he wanted to hear. ‘Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he (the tormented ex-rich man) said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he (Abraham) said unto him (the tormented one), if they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead.’ (Luke 16:29-31) Ah friends, that says a lot about our reaction to God’s Word and the teaching of the prophets. 

And the scholars note that in vs. 31, ‘If here carries the weight of “since.” They were not paying attention to the light they already had. Hard-heartedness is not necessarily overcome by miraculous signs.’ And you see that very clearly in all the miraculous works that Jesus did, and yet the many who did not believe in Him, whose hearts remained as hard as ever, despite those signs. Oh my people, let’s wake up and realize that after death there is no second chance; no chance then to change our minds and accept Jesus as Lord and Saviour. So we have to do it now, while we’re alive and we hear the Word. Otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe! 

And the Book of Hebrews tells us quite plainly. ‘And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgement: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for (eagerly wait for) him shall he appear the second time without (apart from) sin unto salvation.’ (Heb. 9:27-28) Yes my fellow saints, we die once, and then the judgement, and Christ comes at some stage bearing salvation. 

Or as the scholars put it: ‘There is no reincarnation: every person gets one chance to prepare. And there’s a comparison between Christ and man. As it is with man, so it was with Christ. As man can die only once, so the Man Christ could die only once as a sacrifice. His relation to humanity would be marred if He had to die more than once. Further, a second comparison seems evident. Beyond death there exists another reality. For man it is the certainty of appearing for judgement: for Christ it is the certainty of appearing with deliverance from condemnation for them that look for (eagerly wait) for him.’ 

I couldn’t have put it any better or clearer friends. And that’s why the second part of the parable is more important than the second; it drives home the reality that we have to make all of our decisions prior to death, or to Jesus’ Second Coming. And now that we fully understand the very important ramifications of that parable, (smile) let’s go to the throne of grace, through our Friday Chant, asking for divine help. 

As one voice.  Oh Lord, thanks for getting me safely through this past week. You know it’s been rough… because our many serious problems are escalating instead of improving. And it’s obvious we can’t fix them on our own, so Lord, we’re desperately crying out for your help. Oh heavenly Father, with your omnipotent help, and our trusting faith, we know that we can stand strong and steadfast and defeat the simmering unrest in our land. We therefore ask you Lord to give our leaders the wise guidance to handle this unexpected storm properly. 

And please help the rest of us to be responsible and safe amidst all the anxiety and confusion of these ungodly times. We fervently pray too Lord that you’ll use the discontent and dissatisfaction in our land as a means of restoring faith in you. Return backsliders to your fold. Show them the error of their ways. And please introduce a new flock of believers, who will embrace your LOVE and compassion by the example, we, your faithful believers set. So that our sinful world can wake up and smell the coffee, wake up and smell it sweet and strong! We pray this in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen!’ 

And let’s not forget, that before we can see divine favour, there must be a godly improvement in our behaviour! Much LOVE!

if man wants to see heaven…he must accept Christ…before he dies…otherwise he’s hellbound… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ           

Today’s Scrip-Bit   13 April 2023 Romans 5:8.

13 Apr 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

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           

Today’s Scrip-Bit   7 February 2023 Ephesians 4:30.

07 Feb 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Ephesians 4:30.       And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.

And having embraced the potentiality of this new workweek with a celebration of Monday, let’s continue that joyful embrace with a celebration of Tuesday as well nuh! (smile) Oh friends, being joyful in our earthly lives, regardless of our circumstances, is ever so important, because that’s the ONLY way we’ll ever receive true victory over the enemy and his evil works and despicable cronies. And the only way to be mostly joyful is to have Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, with His Holy Spirit dwelling within us to lead and guide us in all righteousness. 

But having said that, it is utterly essential that we obey the leading and guidance of the Holy Spirit if we want to receive the many and majestic benefits it brings. We can’t obey when we feel like and don’t obey when we don’t. Total obedience is absolutely necessary ALL the time! Yes, like Bruh Paul said to the Ephesians: ‘And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.’ (Eph. 4:30) 

And I guess the next question will be, how can we grieve the Holy Spirit? Easy, just like we grieve our friends and families when we do wrong. Remember, the Holy Spirit is not an ‘IT’ but a person, the third person of the Holy Trinity, so that means He has feelings just like us. And we grieve Him when we do wrong. As Bruh Paul points out earlier in his missive to the Ephesians, we must put away lying and speak truth. Don’t be angry and sin. 

Don’t let the sun go down on our anger. That means don’t go to bed angry, else it will disturb our sleep and we will wake up angry. And when you’re angry, you don’t have the peace of God flowing though you. Likewise, don’t steal, work honestly, don’t use corrupt communication, that’s foul and abusive language. Let our words be edifying, that’s teachable, from which our hearers can learn valuable stuff. And all of that you can find in Eph. 4:25-29. 

And we can sum it all up in this verse: ‘Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice.’ (Eph. 4:31) And by doing those ungodly things on a regular basis, is how we grieve the Holy Spirit. Then Bruh Paul explains the necessary conduct that should be manifested by a true believer in Christ. ‘And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.’ (Eph. 4:32) 

Oh my fellow saints, ‘forgiven people, should be forgiving people!’ And it’s ever so important and necessary that we believers learn to live in peace, LOVE and forgiveness with each other, because that’s the ONLY WAY we will ever resist and then conquer the enemy! We can’t do that if we’re living in strife, conflict and evil doing, in other words exactly like the enemy does and desires for us to do. Remember, ‘the joy of the Lord is our strength.’ (Neh. 8:10) 

That means only when we are good and godly do we possess the joyful strength of God, which flows into us through the power of the Holy Spirit. It’s all quite simple friends. If we want the marvellous benefits that emanate from our merciful and great God, then we need to live the way that He’s set out in His will and His word. You can’t be disobedient and still expect to receive all His many benefits as pointed out by Bruh David in Psalm 103. 

‘Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth thee with LOVING-KINDNESS and tender mercies. Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle’s. The Lord executeth righteousness and judgement for all that are oppressed.’ (Ps. 103:2-6) 

There you have it my brethren; some of the many good things that the Lord God Almighty, He of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob does for those who sincerely bow down and worship Him! It’s amazing though, that so many of us desire to have all those benefits but refuse to do what it takes to get them. It reminds me of one of Sister Joyce’s (Joyce Meyer) sayings: ‘You can’t keep doing the wrong thing and expect to get the right result.’ But that’s exactly what so many of us are indeed doing. We are bowing down to the idols of materialism and evil that control our world, but yet we expect to enjoy the benefits of God. It won’t happen my people! 

And please, please, let’s remember that although God LOVES us unconditionally and is long-suffering, that doesn’t mean He will put up with our shenanigans forever. At some stage off the game, if we continue in our present mode of undiluted evil, He will get tired and react in wrath. And believe me, you don’t want to feel God’s wrath, for it’s as great as His LOVE! 

Yuh see how many times, and how disastrously He punished the Israelites for their disobedience and unfaithfulness. Don’t think the same thing won’t happen to us eventually, unless we turn from our evil ways. And who knows if it’s not already happening, with all the many calamities and disasters that are currently bombarding our world, be they natural or manmade. 

Oh my fellow believers, it’s as Bruh Paul says in Romans: ‘And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we (first) 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.’ (Rom. 13:11-12) 

Yes people, it’s certainly time for us to wake up from our slothful and evil ways and begin seriously living for Christ, for with each passing day, His return draws nearer, and if He comes and finds us wallowing in the mire of darkness, then crapaud smoke we pipe! And we certainly don’t want that, for it means eternal separation from God; the worst fate that can ever befall a human being. So please, let’s wake up and do what we need to do, and stop grieving the Holy Spirit nuh. 

And for those of us who are sincerely trying to do that, let’s go home now declaring (wow!!!) our Tuesday Mantra, letting the universe know to whom we belong, lock stock and barrel. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘In God’s eyes, I’m not what I do. I’m not what I have. I’m not what people say about me. I am the beloved of God, that’s who I am. No one can take that from me. I don’t have to worry. I don’t have to hurry. I can trust my friend Jesus and share His LOVE with my immediate neighbours, as well as with the whole wide world! Glory be!’ 

Now, it’s time for us to actually go out and share that amazing LOVE and friendship of Jesus with others, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!

…Jesus is coming back unexpectedly…as a thief in the night…if He comes tonight…will you be ready… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ    

Today’s Scrip-Bit   9 January 2023 Psalm 139:17.

09 Jan 2023 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 139:17.       How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them!

And finally, we come to the first full work week of this new year. Isn’t that just grand? Many of us won’t think so, because we’ve had a few consecutively short work weeks in the recent past. And before that, it was already tough for us to handle the five-day variety, I just wonder what’s going to happen to us now, that we’re going back to the same old, same old. (smile) But I have faith in us, for our awesome God made us to be resilient to the max! 

How did Bruh David describe our exotic creation in Psalm 139? ‘For thou hast possessed my reins (formed my inward parts): thou hast covered (weaved) me in my mother’s womb. I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well (very well). My substance (frame, bones) was not hid from thee when I was made in secret, and curiously (skillfully) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 

Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect (unformed); and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them, (the plans for my life were written before I was even made). How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! How great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.’ (Ps. 139:13-18) 

Now friends, that’s how important we are to our heavenly Father and Creator! He took His time and perfectly planned out our entire course before He even began to make us! That means we are very precious, special and important to our God. Why would He send His sinless Son Jesus Christ to die for us eh, if we weren’t important to Him eh? Jesus said: ‘For God so LOVED the world…’ (John 3:16) That’s why! 

And Bruh David also addressed the matter of our importance to God in Psalm 40, when he writes: ‘Many, O Lord my God, are thy wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward: they cannot be reckoned up in order (counted) unto thee: if I would declare and speak of them, they are more than can be numbered.’ (Ps. 40:5) It just goes to show that we were not simply an afterthought of God, but a greatly desired and well-planned creation. 

Thus, He’s so good, so merciful and gracious unto us. We’re made in His image, living through the breath of His life, and destined to be with Him till eternity! If that doesn’t shout importance, LOVE, and togetherness, then I don’t know what does! The problem though is that our minds are too puny and finite to understand God’s great LOVE for us. As Bruh Paul declares in his epistle to the church at Rome: ‘O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgements, and his ways are past finding out!’ (Rom. 11:33) 

That’s gospel truth my faithful brethren! And the prophet Isaiah said it long before Bruh Paul, when he wrote of our Creator: ‘For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.’ (Is. 55:8-9) That’s putting it mildly my people!  

And the scholars explain: ‘God’s sovereignty and omniscience are extolled by the statement that His thoughts (i.e. purposes or intentions) and ways (directions) are higher than ours. While God may certainly be known by men, He is still incomprehensible in the totality of His person and purpose.’ Simply stated: we can never fully understand or know our Creator! But that’s why He gave us those things called hope and faith, trust and surrender. So that despite our inability to fully know and understand His purposes and intentions, we can rest assured that His intentions to us are always for good. 

Like Jeremiah puts it: ‘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) Now seeing all the good that the Lord has done for us, in spite of our rebellion, disobedience and blasphemy against Him, why is it so difficult to believe that He truly cares for us and wants only our best eh? And why do we fight against this reassuring scripture eh? ‘And we know that all things work together for good to them that LOVE God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.’ (Rom. 8:28) 

Our problem is that we are so selfish, greedy and entitled that we don’t want to have any unfortunate circumstances happen to us, we’re just interested in living for today. We don’t care about it all ending up right, we want it right, right now! But that’s not the way the world or our God operates. And if we don’t hurry up and get smart and accept those facts, then crapaud smoke we pipe! We’re going to pay an awfully high price for not believing and trusting Almighty God. 

But for those of us who have already woken up from our slumber, let’s go to our Creator through our Monday Morning Battle Hymn, offering thanks and praise, then asking for forgiveness and help. As one voice: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You this Monday morning for life and strong faith in Christ, despite the mass confusion in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously disobeyed Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, who has faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us wise guidance and direction to alleviate our problems. And Father, we pray that you will ease the pain of the many who are suffering from negative situations. 

Please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again, we say: Amen!’ 

Now the ball is in our court; time to keep our promises and turn from our evil ways. Much LOVE!

…humans are the most important of God’s creations…His awesome LOVING-kindness to us…though undeserved…shows that in spades… 

 Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZ   

Today’s Scrip-Bit   4 August 2022 Jeremiah 33:3.

04 Aug 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Jeremiah 33:3. Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.

And we’re moving right along, no haste, no hurry, but just a steady pace of life and times, as Thursday opens somewhat cloudy. But I have a question for the weather people. What ever happened to the rainstorm we were expected to get last night eh? My computer was pointedly telling me ‘Rain coming.’ In the early evening hours the skies became black like tar, and you’d believe that the whole sky was going to open up and drench and/or drown us with heavenly blessings. But all we got was a mere sprinkle, a dusting of rain, so to speak. 

And this morning, it’s again cloudy out there, with what’s going to happen, no one seems to know. Some other area must have gotten a good downpour, but we certainly didn’t Meanwhile, the earth, the flowers, the trees, and the animals, in other words, Mother Nature is crying out for thirst.

 But my theory on the subject is that the strong winds we’ve recently been experiencing, are blowing away the rain clouds. Yes, we now have stronger than normal winds regularly blowing in our area. And I’m chuckling here because when that happens, I invariably tell the duchess that the wind’s going to blow away the rain. She laughs at me, but I usually turn out to be right. (smile) 

That brings us to these marvellous words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah on the Lord’s behalf, when He promised a glorious return from captivity to His people Israel. The Lord spoke thus: ‘Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee mighty (inaccessible) things, which thou knowest not.’ (Jer. 33:3) 

Now why was that necessary eh? Because Judah had turned away from the Lord God of their forefathers and adopted the paganistic culture of their neighbours and thus He allowed them to be taken into captivity in Babylon. Consequently, God had stopped hearing their pleas for mercy from their captivity in a foreign land. 

Yes friends, when we’ve broken our covenant with the Lord, He stops hearing our requests. As the psalmist so rightly points out: ‘If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.’ (Ps. 66:18) And the scholars tell us that ‘Where there is godless living (Is. 56:11-12), lack of concern for others in their need (Is. 58:6-9) where the characteristics of true religion are explained, carelessness with regard to the clear instruction of the Word of God (35:17),’ then, ‘God cannot honour the one who prays; rather, such a one stands in danger of divine judgement (Zech. 7:8-14).’ 

That’s where the prophet Zechariah talks about the disobedience that led to their captivity. And yuh know what my brethren, those are the very same things that we are guilty of in these supposed modern times. We’ve turned away from God, not doing the things found in His Word, not taking care of each other, being godless and greedy, thus He’s stopped hearing our maudlin, self-pitying and insincere prayers, and allowed us to live on our own, as we so desperately wanted. 

Now look at the results of that foolish decision. Our world is full of strife, war, anger and hatred. Peace, LOVE and righteousness have fled away! Is that the way we truly want to live my people? I very much doubt it. But that means sincerely turning back to God, our Creator and Provider. And why is that? Because as the scholars tell us: ‘Where intimacy of communion exists with God, He answers the call of His own. See Job 13:22; 14:14; Psalms 22:24-25; 91:15; 102:1; Is. 58:9; 65:24).’ 

And yuh know what? All those verses speak about calling on the Lord for help in times of trouble. They tell us that He is the only true help we have in this mish-mash world. So, my fellow saints in Christ, the only way to reverse some of the many problems we are now experiencing is to get back into intimate communion with our heavenly Father. 

And the only way to do that is like Isaiah says: ‘Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer; thou shalt cry, and he shall say, Here I am. If thou take away from the midst of thee the yoke (of sin and godlessness), the putting forth (pointing) of the finger, and speaking vanity (wickedness). And if thou draw out (extend) thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity (darkness), and thy darkness (gloom), be as the noonday. And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought (dry places), and make fat (strengthen) thy bones: and thou shalt be like a watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters fail not.’ (Is. 58:9-11) 

Wow friends, that’s what comes to us when we practice true religion and true intimacy with God! And isn’t it certainly much better than what we’re currently experiencing? Of course! So why are we so foolish, stubborn, pig headed and unwilling to turn back to the God of our forefathers eh? I really don’t know nuh. Is it because the push and pull of Satan and his iniquity workers is so strong that we can’t escape its grasp? I certainly hope not, otherwise crapaud smoke we pipe! 

Oh my people, please remember that our God is stronger than the powerless, deceitful devil, so if we truly want to escape him, we can do it with God’s help. So please, let’s stop making silly, childlike, selfish excuses for the way we are living nuh. And instead try to turn back to a way of life, where, as the Lord promised through Isaiah: ‘And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.’ (Is. 65:24) 

Now isn’t that a most wonderful way to live; getting answers before we even call and hearing us while we are yet speaking? It certainly is! And we can return our lives to that glorious time if we sincerely and diligently use the many undeserved blessings that the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. And what blessings are those you ask? We call them our Thursday Blessings, and we’ll activate them right now by declaring (steups!!!) them out loud. 

As one strong 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, as true believers in, and workers for Christ, we need to go out and use those blessings to encourage others to come to Him, so they can receive His awesome gifts of LOVE, mercy, grace, salvation and eternal life! Much LOVE!

…we obviously can’t handle our own affairs…so why not try the other option available…that’s living for Almighty God 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8​           

Today’s Scrip-Bit   17 February 2022 John 14:6.

17 Feb 2022 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

John 14:6.     Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Oh friends, I can’t handle this fast pace of life nuh, for already it’s Thursday. (smile) And to make matters worse, in the next few days, we are supposed to be getting an abundance of bad weather, ranging from rain to snow and all the other stuff in between. We’ve had the rain overnight, with the current temps around 6 degrees Celsius, but they are calling for freezing rain later in the afternoon. That means the temperature drops, heralding an icy situation. 

Whatever happened to the days when winter was winter eh…and not a combination of all the other seasons? (smile) And yet they claim that climate change is not real. Well, it certainly is! I’ve seen it with my own two eyes since I’ve been in this country. The weather patterns have become less reliable and more unpredictable. But what does the ole fella know eh? He’s just a small fish in a big pond, trying not to get eaten up by the big fish. (smile) 

Oh, I just thought of one thing I know for sure, that Jesus is real! He’s alive and well and walking with me and those who believe in Him every step of the way! Wow! What an honour to have the Creator and Saviour of the universe walking hand in hand with us along our earthly journey, then standing ready to welcome us home to be with Him all through eternity! It’s almost too much to comprehend my fellow believers! But He never said we had to understand, just believe! 

As He so faithfully proclaimed in these scriptures that we all know by heart, but don’t always take to heart. ‘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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.’ (John 3:16-17) Now there’s our reason for living right there in those few words! It’s all about Jesus, the Saviour of the world! 

But ignorant men continually refuse to believe His truthful words. And this next verse is for them: ‘He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.’ (John 3:18) Now friends, that verse ought to give all of us pause, cause us to stop right in our tracks and consider if we truly believe, because if we don’t, crapaud smoke we pipe, we are already condemned to hell fire and eternal damnation. 

Yes my brethren, we end up in Hades with the wicked and evil Lucifer simply because we do not believe in Jesus, the One who came to earth specifically to save us from the frightening clutches of the evil imposter. And check out this other verse where He reinforces those statements nuh. ‘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) 

Now why would anyone in their right minds want to experience the wrath of God eh, when the only thing more powerful and less menacing than that is His awesome LOVE! I certainly don’t, especially after reading about some of the instances in His Word. But for some unfathomable reason, many of us seem to take the Lord and His Word for a joke, for something that’s not real, a mere figment of our imagination, a way of life to keep us in bondage to religion. 

But the awesome truth is that Jesus came to set us free from the bondage of sin, from the evil clutches of his satanic majesty. That’s the one who has us in bondage, not Jesus who came to set us free. As He said to a group who claimed to believe in Him. ‘If ye continue (abide) in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.’ (John 8:31-32) Oh my people, only the truth can ever set us free from anything at all! Lies will keep us forever in bondage. 

And where do we find the truth? In Jesus. Please note His response to Thomas’ query: ‘Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.’ (John 14:5-6) And therein lies the solution to ALL our problems my fellow saints. Jesus is the living example for all of us to follow, as the Good Book says, ‘the author (originator) and finisher (perfector) of our faith…’ (Heb. 12:2a) So where He leads, we ought to follow. 

And He’s also the truth, the genuine God, the real Mccoy. So, we ought also to believe Him. And per the life, Jesus is the One who enables us to have eternal life, through His atoning death on the cross at Calvary, then His triumphant resurrection on that first Easter morning, two thousand years ago. And John puts it very plainly and simply in his first epistle. ‘And this is the record (testimony), that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He that hath the Son hath life; and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life (eternal).’ (1 John 5:11-12) Now that is the everlasting truth! 

And since it’s Thursday, it’s time to go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, so that they can be truly manifested in our lives. As one strong, believing and faithful 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 friends, we don’t truly deserve any of those blessings, but our God is so wonderful that He gave them to us so we can do His earthly work. So please, let’s go out and share them just as generously with others as He so generously shared them with us nuh! Much LOVE!

…to the Lord God Jehovah be all the glory…through Jesus Christ the Son… 

Hear our podcast at https://open.spotify.com/show/3aVfqIC1CqwGybISs9dZJ8             

Today’s Scrip-Bit 28 December 2020 Romans 5:8.

28 Dec 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Romans 5:8.     ​But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.

Ah yes, Monday it is – the last Monday in this crazy and unprecedented year of 2020! And believe me, the craziness and ‘unprecedentation’ (smile) won’t be over for a while yet, mainly because mankind is such a foolish, unpredictable animal that refuses to get together under one big, safe and secure umbrella, that of Almighty God! 

And this quote from the website preachology.com explains: ‘The Umbrella of God – what is that exactly? The symbolism of the umbrella is the protection of God’s covering. When we as Christians turn our lives over to God, He in turn promises to guide and protect. As we know an umbrella shields us from the rain pouring down upon us. If we were to picture God holding a giant umbrella over his people, what would happen if one or more decided to walk outside that umbrella? 

Of course, that is obvious; they would no longer have the protection of that shield (umbrella) and they would be drenched with the rains falling. God is always there for us. It is always us that walks away from him. He promises if we will follow his words, and walk in his light, we will have his protection. Often in the faith we can find ourselves walking outside this umbrella without thinking. The cares of the world and burdens of life can at times overwhelm even the most honest of Christians. 

We find ourselves trying to put the problems of life upon ourselves and not giving them to God, and walking in a freedom that boggles the mind of any non-Christian. Often temptations will surround this umbrella and like any, they will attempt to lure all they can away from this protection. Outside that safety zone, they are vulnerable to any attack of the enemy. It is much like a herd of sheep and the wolf that hunts them. The wolf will attempt to frighten the sheep, creating a chaos in the herd – causing them to separate and run away from the protection of the Shepherd. 

Having done this the wolf can search for the weakest one, outside that umbrella of protection, and make his kill. As long as the sheep stay near to the Shepherd, he can protect them. When the sheep begin doing their own thing, that ability to protect is lessened. Much like our Pastors – their words of guidance can only help, if we apply those words to our lives – amen.’ 

And therein lies our problem friends! We wander away from our Good Shepherd, in the mistaken thought that through our free will, we can do better on our own. Or like now, the big bad wolf has frightened us with all the adversity that currently surrounds us and just like the flock of sheep we scatter in fear, helter-skelter and yon. But unfortunately, that doesn’t help us, it just makes matters worse, since by that action we play right into the enemy’s hands. Yuh know the ole army tactic of divide and conquer? That only makes us more liable to capture, for remember there is always more safety in numbers. 

Oh my people, when are going to learn eh, that in times of adversity, or any time at all really, but especially in the rough going, we don’t run from God, but to Him? As Peter so wisely advises in his first epistle: ‘Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you.’ (1 Pet. 5:6-7) And if that isn’t the gospel truth, then I don’t know what is nuh! 

Just look at the season we’re celebrating right now nuh; Christmas! That’s when the Lord sent His only Son to earth as a baby boy to begin His wonderful plan of salvation for us disgusting sinners! Why yuh think He went to so much trouble to save us eh? Because He blooming well LOVED us! Why can’t we accept and believe that eh? Are our skulls so thick with egotism and pride and all the other negative stuff of the world, that we can’t believe our Creator LOVES us? 

Chuh man! The Good Book says it loud and clear: ‘But God commendeth (demonstrated) his (own) LOVE toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.’ (Rom. 5:8) How many of us are willing to do something good for those who wrong us before they atone in some form and fashion eh? Not too many! But God in His great LOVE for us, put Himself out by sacrificing His Son for us while we were still deep in sin. Now doesn’t that touch a tender chord in your heart? It ought to. 

And hear what the psalmist had to say about all that nuh in Psalm 91 – God is a refuge and a fortress. ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’ (Ps. 91:1) Now you couldn’t get any safer than that that friends! And the psalmist continues: ‘I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.’ Ps. 91:2) 

And believe me people, until we come to that very serious realization that our ONLY hope is in God Almighty, the evil wolves of Beelzebub will keep threatening, making us afraid, scattering and devouring us. So let’s do what we ought to be doing all along nuh, casting our cares on the Lord, turning to Him in prayer, what we call our Monday Morning Battle Hymn. 

Altogether now: ‘Our Father, who art in heaven, we, Your humble servants, praise Your Holy Name and thank You that this Monday morning we’re alive and standing in faith despite the mass confusion that’s currently prevailing in our world. We desperately need Your divine help, for You are the ONLY ONE with the power to solve our many problems; the pandemic of Covid -19, the racial, political, and religious strife that’s ignited worldwide, plus the natural disasters like storms, famine, drought, plagues, climate change, wildfires, earthquakes and erupting volcanoes that suddenly seem to be blossoming more and more as time goes by. 

Heavenly Father, we admit that we have all sinned and seriously come short in obedience and compliance to Your Word, but we know that You are a merciful, forgiving and gracious God, and You have faithfully promised to hear and answer our prayers when we humble ourselves, pray, and sincerely seek Your face. That’s why we come to You now, with sincere repentance in our hearts, pleading with You to give us, ordinary folks, as well as our leaders, employers and medical personnel, wise guidance and direction to bring our problems under control. 

And for those who are currently suffering from the many negative situations, we pray that You will ease their suffering and heal them. Father, please show them Your awesome grace and mercy, and keep Your promise that You’ll hear our prayer, forgive us, and heal our land if we turn from our evil ways. Show this evil world that You are indeed Jehovah Rapha; the God who heals! We pray this in the holy and blessed name of Your Son, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! Amen! And again we say: Amen!’ 

And please remember, the Lord doesn’t just listen to our words, but looks at our hearts. So if we’re not sincere…then crapaud smoke we pipe! Much LOVE!

…only under God’s umbrella…are you truly safe… 

Today’s Scrip-Bit 12 November 2020 Psalm 56:3.

12 Nov 2020 Leave a comment

by randyobrien50 in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Psalm 56:3.     ​What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.

Glory to God mih people! The sun’s shining brightly! And yes, as some killjoy notes, (smile) it’s somewhat chilly because our summery days are over possibly until next year. But in the broad scheme of things that doesn’t really matter because we ALWAYS have the One True Bright Light, Jesus, shining on us anyway! Give Him some thanks and praise for being so faithful in His light giving! 

And to cement our contention there, I just opened the Good Book to Psalm 56, Bruh David’s confident prayer for help, and these magnificent and reassuring words jumped out at me: ‘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) 

Wow mih bredrin! What surety in Bruh David’s words eh! That was his prayer, his contemplation when the Philistines took hm in Gath. Can you imagine us being in the midst of such a horrible, wicked enemy and declaring (yeahhh!) our unbreakable trust in God? It’s what we ought to be doing though. 

And remember that other time when the Amalekites burned Bruh David’s city in exile Ziklag and took all their families hostage, and his men were so grieved and eventually wanted to stone Bruh David because they blamed him, as though his family wasn’t taken hostage too? Remember what he did? The Good Book says it thus: ‘…but David encouraged himself in the Lord his God.’ (1 Sam. 30:6) 

Yes friends, that’s where Bruh David found his strength and his support, and why despite all his ungodly deeds, the Lord could still call him a friend and a man after His own heart. That’s simply because he always held the Lord in true reverence and adoration. The Lord knew that he was imperfect, but his heart was usually in the right place. And so should our hearts be my people, despite our sprinkling of evil and evil deeds. 

We should know that God is our major refuge and retreat, our stronghold and fortress, the only place that we can be sure to obtain succour in time of need. And this pandemic and strife-filled season is one of those times when we need to be totally God-centred, to turn to Him like no other time in our lives, because without Him we don’t stand a chance, like a snowball in hell, our goose is cooked! 

We desperately need to return to the times when these words of Bruh David from Psalm 55 – A cry against deceitful friends – stood true of our society. ‘As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and he shall hear my voice… Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer (permit) the righteous to be moved (shaken).’ (Ps. 55:16-17; 22)

And that’s the gospel truth my people! If we call on the Lord in all sincerity, and live by His will and word, then He will never allow us to suffer want or need, because He has promised that! Remember this awesome promise? ‘If my people, who are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.’ (2 Chr. 7:14) 

All I’m trying to say friends is that our world is in such a terrible state because it’s so fraught with sin and evil, and the only way we’re ever going to come out of this desperate and deadly state is by sincerely turning back to the Lord God Jehovah like our forefathers did! And if we don’t, then crapaud smoke we pipe! So it’s our choice. Do we give up the foolishness of Satan and this evil world and turn to the goodness of God? Or do we stay as we are and suffer the terrible consequences inherent in that decision? 

And just for argument sake, let’s hear these immortal and faithful words of Jesus concerning the subject nuh. ‘But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.’ (Matt. 6:33) That’s it plain and simple my brethren! You seek God first, make Him and His kingdom your Number One Priority, and He will meet all of your needs! 

Like Bruh David said in his most famous writing, Psalm 23: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters (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.’ (Ps. 23:1-4) 

And Bruh David could write that stuff friends because he lived, he experienced them. It’s not to say that our lives will always be rosy and without problems, since we live in a fallen, evil world, but if we hang with the Lord, we will come out on top most of the time, and we won’t have to walk around in constant fear, but will be assured and comforted even in the tough times like now. But all I can do is talk, or write – I’m done now – (smile), but everyone has to make their own decision as to the path they are going to follow, and my job is to encourage us to follow Christ, the Lord and Saviour of this world. End of spiel. 

And am I ever surprised at the intensity I sometimes feel as the words pour out quicker than I can write them. But I guess that’s because I’m sincere about what I write. (smile) Anyway, for those of us who feel the same way, let’s go home now declaring (awright!) our Thursday Blessings, letting all and sundry know how blessed we are in Christ our Lord. 

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 everyday! Amen!’  

And if the Lord thought so much of us that He could give us those blessings undeservedly, then we can think the same of others and share them just as generously. Much LOVE!

…it stands to reason…that only the God who made this world…can save it… 

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