18 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a Mighty Deliverer, a positive outlook on life, a strong will, abundance, all the days of our life, as it is written, base things of the world, be saved from our enemies, blessed be the Lord God of Israel, compensates for the months of being mute, courage, creativity, curse, delivered out of the hand of our enemies, divine protection and guidance of the Holy Spirit, divinely empowered praise, faith, faith makes us stronger, favour, fear steals our strength, for with God nothing shall be impossible, from the hand of all that hate us, go before the face of the Lord, god hath chosen the foolish things of the world, good friends, good health, he hath visited and redeemed his people, he that glorieth let him glory in the Lord, holy spirit, in holiness and righteousness, in the house of David his servant, in the shadow of death, Jesus Christ, LOVE, mercy, negative word a great family, no flesh should glory in his presence, not many mighty, not many noble are called, not many wise men after the flesh, of God has become wisdom., raised up a horn of salvation, redemption, remember his holy covenant, righteousnes, run errands, salvation, sanctification, self-control, serve him without fear, seven days to christmas, shall be called the prophet of the Highest, short and sweet, spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, supernatural wisdom, talent, the birth of John the Baptist, the dayspring from on high, the oath he swore to our father Abraham, the remission of their sins, the tender mercy of our God, the weak things of the world, things which are despised, things which are not, thou child, to bring to nought things that are, to confound the things which are mighty, to confound the wise, to give knowledge of salvation, to give light to them that sit in darkness, to guide our feet in the way of peace, to perform the mercy promised to our fathers, to prepare his ways, to put to shame the wise, truth, use our blessings to help others, wisdom, you are in Christ Jesus, Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost
Luke 1:37. ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’
Only 7 more now friends… Yes, only seven day left to Christmas, so you had better get all your Christmas shopping and preparations done soon, because the days are passing by quicker than you realize. (smile) And on this Thursday before Christmas, our penultimate day of the work week, unfortunately we’re on a late, late bus, because I had to go out the street and run some errands, and you know, despite how carefully you budget your time, those things always take longer than expected. But we’ll try to keep it short and sweet… and some of you are laughing, as though I can ever write anything short.
Well, be careful, I might just surprise you today, (smile) as we continue looking at the birth of John the Baptist and what can happen, even to those with little or no faith, when the Holy Ghost fills you. The Bible tells us that after John was born: ‘And his Father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, Blessed be the Lord God of Israel: for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation (A Mighty Deliverer) for us in the house of his servant David;
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began (down through the ages): That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us: To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham, That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.’ (Luke 1:67-75)
Wow! What a way Zacharias suddenly loses his fear, develops faith and begins to prophesy…all under the aegis or divine protection and guidance of the Holy Ghost! That ought to remind and encourage us of the words that the Angel Gabriel said to Mary, when he told her about Elisabeth’s barren state being changed: ‘For with God nothing shall be impossible.’ (Luke 1:37) And thus Zacharias was able to prophesy his head off. Or as the scholars say: ‘His divinely empowered praise compensates for the months of being mute.’
Thus he continues, now turning his prophecy to his son John. ‘And thou child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest (Most High): for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission (forgiveness) of their sins, Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring (dawn, Messiah) from on high hath visited us, To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.’ (Luke 1:76-79)
Ah mih people, who would have ever thought it possible for Zacharias to offer up such profound prophesy after his reaction of fear to the angel Gabriel’s unexpected announcement that he was about to have a son…and a famous one at that? Not many of us. But that’s how our great and wonderful God works, especially in the lives of those who seem weak. It’s as Bruh Paul says in his first missive to the church at Corinth: ‘For ye see (consider) your calling, brethren, how that not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound (put to shame) the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound (put to shame) the things which are mighty. And base (insignificant) things of the world, and things which are despised, hath God chosen, yea, and things which are not, to bring to nought (nothing) things that are: That no flesh should glory in his presence. But of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us (has become) wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption: That, according as it is written, He that glorieth, let him glory in the Lord.’ (1 Cor. 1:26-31)
And that’s a most wonderful and informative scripture for us to end on my people! Now, let’s declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings which the Lord hath so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work! As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those undeserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! And as you can see friends, with the Lord’s help, the Bit IS a tad shorter than normal! (smile) Much LOVE!
….fear steals our strength…but faith makes us even stronger than normal…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
11 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, abundance, believe me for the very work's sake, believe me that I am in the Father, blessed with God's supernatural widom, born of the virgin Mary, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, disobedience is the Christian's downfall, divine protection, divinity, do our own thing, faith, favour, follow Jesus example of obedience, from hencefort ye know him and have seen him, go our own way, God's character words and deeds are manifested in jesus, God's nature is revealed through Jesus, God's plan of salvation, he that hath seen me hath seen the Father, holy spirit, human sinfulness, I am the way the truth and the life, I came down from heaven, I speak not of mine own authority, it will satisfy us, Jesus Christ, Jesus is the perfect revelation of God, Jesus was obedient to the Father's will, Jesus' incarnate birth, Jesus' oneness with the Father, LOVE, mercy, more obedient to the dictates of Jesus, my judgement is just, my meat is to do the will of him who sent me, negative word, no man cometh unto the Father but by me, not to do my own will, promotion, prosper, salvation, shew us the Father, six feet under, succeed, talent, the Father doeth the works, the father in me, the Father that dwelleth in me, the penultimate day of our work week, the same divine essence, the thoughts of Christin our hearts, the wealth and power of the world, the will of him that sent me, the words that I speak unto you, thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, this is the way walk ye in it, thoughts of christ getting more intense, to understand Jesus is to understand God, truth, unity, when ye turn to the left, when ye turn to the right hand, wisdom
John 14:11. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.
And then it was Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week. Thankfully, the snow has stopped falling and the sun is shining but it’s cold. However, we’ll take the cold with the bright shining sun any day though, rather than the white stuff falling from the skies. (smile) And as we move closer to Christmas Day, the preparations are ramping up and getting even more intense. Let’s hope that the thoughts of Christ in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds are also getting more intense, as we look forward to that awesome day when we celebrate His incarnate birth.
How He was born of the virgin Mary, with the Holy Spirit planting the godly seed in Mary’s womb, so He could become human, but not have a human being as his biological father. It was the first step in God’s enormous and awesome plan of salvation for His human creation; Jesus being born sinless, so that He could eventually pay the hefty, soul draining price for our sinfulness.
But He also came to earth to show us what the Father, the God we’d worshipped for so long was really like, not in body, because the Father is a Spirit, but in ways and means, hopefully giving us a better understanding of what He expects from us. Remember Jesus talking to the disciples about His going away, and they claiming to not know where He was going and how. (John 14:3-4).
‘Then Thomas saith unto him, 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 to the Father but by me. If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth (will satisfy) us.
Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long with you, and yet hast thou not known me Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father: and how sayest thou then, Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself (of my own authority): but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works’ sake.’ (John 14:5-11)
Yes friends, as Jesus told Philip, when we see Him, we also see the Father, for although they are separate, they are one in certain respects. And I like how this commentary puts it. ‘Jesus asserts his oneness with the Father, indicating they share the same divine essence, emphasizing their unity, divinity, and the Father’s presence in Jesus’ words and works, revealing God’s nature through Him. Jesus acts as the perfect revelation of God; to understand Jesus is to understand God, as God’s character, words, and deeds are fully manifested in Him.’
And that was exactly what Jesus did while living as a human being here on earth; teach us about the ways and character of God, through His works, deeds and words. Remember He said that His words and actions were not from His own authority, but from the Father’s. And throughout His earthly sojourn He made it crystal clear that He was obeying the will of His Father, not His own.
And we see that in verses like these. ‘My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.’ (John 4:34) Then in John 5, Jesus declares: ‘I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgement is just (righteous); because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.’ (John 5:30) And again in John 6, Jesus says; ‘For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.’ (John 6:38)
Ah friends, if there’s one thing Jesus modelled perfectly was obedience. He did nothing without consulting His Father, for it was His will Jesus came to earth to pursue. That’s why Isaiah reminds us: ‘And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.’ (Is. 30:21)
Oh, my fellow believers, the Holy Spirit is trying to lead and guide us in a godly and righteous manner, and how much better off we would all be if we could be even a tad more obedient to the dictates of Jesus, as His followers and ambassadors. For one of our greatest failings is we simply like to go our own way and do our own thing. But please, let’s look at the example Jesus set for us and do our best to follow it nuh. Killing ourselves to acquire the pleasures, wealth and power of the world won’t do us any good when we’re six feet under. But living seriously for Jesus now, will certainly help us in the next life.
And the Father has been so good to us, even to the extent of bestowing undeserved blessings on us to do His earthly work. So why not be wise and live for Him eh? And in keeping with that great idea, (smile) let’s now declare and activate those Thursday Blessings, that we can rise to our calling. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (yesss!!!) we are now expected to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…disobedience is the Christian’s downfall…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Dec 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a light unto my path, a positive outlook on life, a reverential fear of God, abundance, as a father the son in whom he delighteth, be not wise in thine own eyes, bind them about thy neck, challenges to be responsibly handled, come to know and love him like we do, courage, creativity, curse, depart from evil, despise not the chastening of the Lord, divine protection, don't worry about tomorrow, duty bound, everything I put my hands to will prosper and succeed, evildoing, faith, favour, fear the Lord, find favour and good understanding, fulfillment, get it deep in our hearts, God causes us to get wealth, God will make the paths straight before you, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, have fellowship and intimacy with God, he shall direct thy paths, health to thy navel, high esteem, holy spirit, honour the Lord with thy substance, hypothetical problems of tomorrow, in all thy ways acknowledge him, in the sight of God and man, Jesus Christ, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, keep the Lord's commandments, lean not unto thine own understanding, length of days long life and peace, let not mercy and truth forsake thee, let thine heart keep my commandments, LOVE, marrow to thy bones, mercy, my son forget not my law, negative word, neither be thou weary of his correction, promotion, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, success, sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof, take therefore no thought for tomorrow, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want, the morrow shall take thought for itself, the result of such devotion, the wise council of Solomon, thy barns be filled with plenty, thy presses burst out with new wine, thy word is a lamp unto my feet, to put it into proper practice, trust in the Lord with all thy heart, truth, use those blessings to help others, whom the Lord Loves He corrects, wisdom, with God and man, with the first fruits of all thine increase, worry gets you nowhere, worry is the devil's handiwork, write them upon the table of thine heart
Proverbs 3:1. My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:
Ah friends, Thursday has rolled around somewhat quickly, and we’re all looking forward to Friday and the weekend, but remember we have to get through Thursday first, (smile) so let’s concentrate on today as Jesus so wisely warned us: ‘Take therefore no thought for the morrow (therefore don’t worry about tomorrow): for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil (trouble) thereof.’ (Matt. 6:34) Yes friends, the Lord knows what we need, and if we keep Him first place in our lives He will provide it. It’s like Bruh David says in that favourite psalm: ‘The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ (Ps. 23:1)
And we don’t need to worry about what will happen tomorrow, for like the scholars tell us; ‘each day has its own troubles and challenges to be responsibly handled, without worrying about the hypothetical problems that could arise tomorrow.’ That is not to say we should not make some cursory plans, or consider what consequences can follow from today’s problems, but not to fret and worry over them, so that we cannot handle today’s problems properly. Remember, worry, is the devil’s handiwork, and it get’s you nowhere, but heartache and sickness.
And that’s why Cousin Sol gives us this wonderful advice from Proverbs, which we all can quote, but do not properly put into practice, otherwise our lives would not be as difficult as they are. So let’s listen once again to the wise and wonderful council of Cousin Sol, the wisest man ever, and see if we can get it deep enough in our hearts and souls to put it into more serious practice than we’re currently doing. (smile)
So please read with me: ‘My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments: For length of days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to thee.’ (Prov. 3:1-2) Now that’s the first lesson. Keep the Lord’s commandments for they shall bring us long life, and peace.
Then he continues: ‘Let not mercy (LOVING-KINDNESS) and truth forsake thee; bind them about thy neck ; write them upon the table of thine heart (thy mind): so shalt thou find favour and good understanding (high esteem) in the sight of God and man.’ (Prov. 3:3-4) There’s another lesson; to let mercy and truth be thoroughly bound within your heart, wear them like a necklace around your neck, for when those things are foremost in your behaviour, you will find favour with God and man.
Next comes the verses we all know and are quick to quote with our lips, but are not well written in our hearts. Cousin Sol lays it right on the line when he wisely declares: ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct (make smooth or straight) thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6)
There it is my faithful brethren, the two verses that you can break the whole Bible down to. Place your complete trust in the Lord, lean on, depend on, and rely on Him, don’t go your own way, and faithfully acknowledge the Lord, or as the scholars tell us; ‘ have fellowship and intimacy with God in all of life. The result of such devotion is that God will make the paths straight before you.’
Oh my brethren, that’s the gospel truth, for it’s all about trust and faithfulness. The Lord is indeed trustworthy and faithful, and if we sincerely turn to Him for guidance, He will lead us along right paths, lead and direct our footsteps in this crazy world. Remember that memorable verse in Psalm 119: ‘Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.’ (Ps. 119:105) That’s what Cousin Sol is referring to there.
And having given us those two majestic verses, he continues: ‘Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It shall be health to thy navel (body), and marrow (strength) to thy bones.’ (Prov. 3:7-8) More precious wisdom friends! If we don’t consider ourselves as overly wise and have a strong and reverential fear of the Lord, as well as not give evil any place in our hearts, our bodies will stay strong, for evildoing and boasting wreaks havoc on our bodies in due course.
Then Cousin Sol reminds us to ‘Honour the Lord with thy substance (possessions), and with the first fruits of all thine increase: so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses (vats) shall burst out with new wine.’ (Prov. 3:9-10) Wow! And that’s certainly the undeniable truth! For when we give back to God as generously as He gives to us, our wealth grows. However, it must be the first fruits of our increase, not the last. Remember it is God who causes us to get wealth, (Deut. 8:18) and He desires His share first.
Then we come to the final words of wisdom in this awesome passage of scripture, where Cousin Sol so wisely advises: ‘My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be thou weary of his correction: For whom the Lord LOVETH he correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.’ (Prov. 3:11-12) More gospel truth my people! For just like our earthly fathers punish or correct us when we do wrong, so does the Lord admonish those whom He LOVES. And yes, none of us like to be punished or corrected, but what kind of Father would He be, if He didn’t correct us when we did wrong eh? Certainly not a LOVING One!
And having heard the marvellous wisdom of Cousin Sol one more time, let’s hope that this time it will sink even deeper into our hears and souls so that we can practice it, because it’s all for our benefit. Now let’s go home declaring (steups!!!) our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings which God has so generously bestowed on us to help us do His earthly work.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
That means we’re now duty bound to go out and use those blessing to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…if we truly believe that God is our Creator and controller…then why do we refuse to put our complete trust in Him…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
13 Nov 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a future and a hope, a just man falleth seven times and riseth up again, abundance, cast down but not destroyed, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do excellent work, do our own thing, failure is when you stop trying, faith, favour, follow God's leading, forgetting those things which are behind, glory in my infirmities, God is the strength of my heart, God offers strength and guidance, god's plan for a hopeful future, God's presence during hardship, good friends, good health, he shall direct thy paths, holy spirit, I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me, I count not myself to have apprehended, I know the thoughts I think toward you, I press toward the mark, If you're doing your best, in all thy ways acknowledge him, Jesus can be proud of us, Jesus Christ, keep on keeping on, King of Kings, laid hold of the fulness of christ, lean not unto thine own understanding, Lord of Lords, LOVE, mercy, most gladly therefore, mount up with wings as eagles, my flesh and my heart faileth, my grace is sufficient for thee, my portion for ever, my strength is made perfect in weakness, negative word, no failing or giving up in christ, no failure in Christ's kingdom, ought always to get up, perplexed but not in despair, persecuted but not forsaken, perseverance, place our total trust in God, promotion, reaching forth to what lies ahead, reaching forth unto those things that are before, resilience, run and not be weary, salvation, scriptures on failure, self-control, self-discipline, setbacks are a part of life, shining our bright lights, spreading our salty flavour, talnet, the darkest hour is the one before the dawn, the goal of spiritual maturity, the gospel truth, the high calling of God in Christ Jesus, the idea of perseverance, the name above all nameas, the power of Christ may rest upon me, the promise of new beginnings, the wicked shall fall into mischief, the wicked shall stumble into calamity, they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength, this one thing I do, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you and expected end, troubled on every side, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart, truth, undeserved blessings, walk and not faint, we'll bend but never break, wisdom, won't have time to worry about failure, yet not distressed
2 Corinthians 12:9a. My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.
Oh my, my, it’s already Thursday, the week has quickly passed by. Only one more day to that time we all look forward to, the weekend, when we get to do our own thing. But in the meantime, let’s concentrate on doing an excellent job at our work places, spreading our salt and shining our bright lights so that Jesus can be proud of us and also be glorified.
And that segues very nicely into what we are going to talk about today, a quote from my ‘P.S I LOVE YOU’ Poster my young daughter gave me several years ago. It says: ‘If you’re doing your best, you won’t have time to worry about failure.’ And that’s the gospel truth! For failure won’t even enter the situation when you’re concentrating on giving your all. However, failures do happen, and we must be aware of them, not just put on blinders and behave as though we won’t be affected by them.
And there are a number of scriptures that advise us on dealing with failures. This commentary gives us an interesting insight into them. ‘Scriptures on failure emphasize that setbacks are a part of life, but God offers strength, guidance, and the promise of new beginnings. Other verses focus on God’s presence during hardship, the idea of perseverance, and the promise of God’s plan for a hopeful future.’ Now there’s more truth that we need to see us through this crazy and mixed up life.
So let’s check out some of those verses that help us handle failure. And we’ll begin with some that tell us about God’s guidance and hope. Up first are these ones that we all know from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.’ (Prov. 3:5-6) And there’s no better place to begin than right there my people. If we want to refute as much failure as possible, we must place our total confidence and trust in the Lord God Jehovah and follow His leading.
Meanwhile Isaiah gives us another big scripture on depending on God’s providence. ‘But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.’ (Is. 40:31) And if those two scriptures don’t get you going, then listen to this one from Jeremiah, where the Lord Himself assures us: ‘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)
Oh friends, if the Lord God Himself assures us of that future and a hope, why won’t we believe, expect and work towards it eh? Only if we don’t truly believe in Him and His promises. Now, let’s turn to some scriptures that guide us on perseverance and resilience. And there’s none as big as this one from the wisdom of Cousin Sol. ‘For a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief (stumble into calamity). (Prov. 24:16) And that’s something we Christians ought to have very deeply engraved in our hearts, souls, bodies and minds. There is no failing or giving up in Christ! We ought always to get up and keep on keeping on.
As they say, you’ve not failed until you stop trying, for the darkest hour is just before the dawn and who knows what will happen on our next attempt. And then we have these beautiful and most reassuring words from Bruh Paul in his second missive to the Corinthians, where he boldly proclaims: ‘We are troubled (hard-pressed) on every side, yet not distressed (crushed); we are perplexed, but not in despair; Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast (struck) down, but not destroyed.’ (2 Cor. 4:8-9)
Wow! What towers of power are we believers in Christ Jesus! They can bend us as much as they want, but we won’t ever break, because we’re supported by Jesus Christ, the name that’s above every other name; the King of Kings, and Lord of Lords! Now here’s another gem of perseverance and resilience from Bruh Paul to the Philippians. ‘Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended (laid hold of the fulness of Christ): but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth (forward) unto those things which are before (ahead), I press toward the mark (goal) of the high (upward) calling of God in Christ Jesus.’ (Phil. 3:13-14)
Yes my fellow believers, that’s how we ought to be, forgetting what’s behind us and ever pressing forward to meet the goal of spiritual maturity in Christ! And finally we come to some scriptures that reassure us by telling us about God’s strength in weakness. Hear this most famous one from Bruh Paul to the Corinthians. After asking the Lord three times to remove an annoying thorn in his flesh, the Lord said unto him, ‘My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength (power) is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses), that the power of Christ may rest on me.’ (2 Cor. 12:9)
What an awesome promise from our great God! His power increases and strengthens us when we are weak. How much better can it be eh? Well just listen to this other promise from Bruh Paul to the Philippians: ‘I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.’ (Phil. 4:13) What a marvellous Saviour we have! We can do anything that He desires us to do through His awesome strength! And we’ll close with this tidbit form the psalmist Asaph from Psalm 73: ‘My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength (rock) of my heart, and my portion for ever.’ (Ps. 73:26)
Oh my brethren, how much more reassurance can we ask from our God eh? He is with us every which way we turn. The problem though is if we are with Him? And our God is so wonderful, that on top of all we’ve said above, He’s also generously granted us what we call our Thursday Blessings, undeserved blessings to help us do His earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having said that, it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…failure in Christ’s kingdom… is not an option…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
23 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a beautiful masterpiece, a deceitful tongue, a positive outlook on life, a world of iniquity, abundance, achieving deeper intimacy with God, an everyday occurrence, an ungodly man diggeth up evil, an unruly evil, be able to bridle the whole body, boasteth great things, by thy words thou shalt be condemned, by thy words thou shalt be justified, can a vine bear figs, clear direction for my life, cna the fig tree bear olives, come to know and love christ like we do, creativity, curse, curse and bless with the same tongue, deliver my soul from lying lips, doth a fountain send forth at the same place, driven of fierce winds, duty bound, every idle word that men speak, eye candy, faith, favour, from the hand of God, full of deadly poison, get ready for the deep chill, growing in spiritual maturity, guided by the Holy Spirit, holy spirit, how big a fire a small flame sets, how great a matter a little fire kindleth, if any man stumble not in word, in his lips there is a burning fire, in many things we all stumble, indisputable truth, inner mechanism, it defileth the whole body, Jesus Christ, leaves changing colours, less unholy words to answer for, LOVE, made after the likeness of God, mercy, negative word, no fountin can yield both fresh and salt water, our tongues cause much anguish and heartache, out of the same mouth, proceedeth blessing and cursing, programmed by God, prosper, put bits in horses mouths, salvation, set on fire by Satan, set on fire of hell, sets on fire the whole course of life, setteth on fire the course of nature, ships are turned around with a small rudder, so is the tongue among our members, succeed, sweet and bitter water, talent, the big day of reckoning, the gospel truth, the impulsiveness of our tongues, the lusts of the world, the same is the perfect man, the similitude of God, the tongue can no man tame, the tongue is a fire, the tongue is a little member, the tongue is a system of iniquity, the tongue is small but powerful, the tongue needs to be used wisely, therewith bless we God, therewith curse we men, they shall give account of on judgment day, those things ought not to be so, truth, unruly tongues, wisdom
James 3:6a. And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members,
And this new day of life brings us to Thursday, the penultimate day of our work week! The week is surely moving along very quickly, like the leaves on the trees, which are now swiftly changing colour and falling off as the weather gets colder and their inner mechanism programmed by God their creator, tells them it’s time to get ready for the deep chill. (smile) I hope our inner God-given sense also tell us the same thing and we follow it obediently, like the trees follow theirs. And by the way, that fiery red tree in my neighbour’s backyard, is now also filled with luminous yellow leaves, so it’s a startlingly beautiful masterpiece of red and yellow from the hand of our wonderful God.
Now, He’s doing His work to provide us with great eye candy, but are we doing ours, to help bring unbelievers to Him, as well as growing in spiritual maturity and thus achieving deeper friendship and intimacy with the One we claim to LOVE and worship? And sadly that answer is a big NO; for we are not being guided by the Holy Spirit as we ought to be, but instead we are allowing the world and it’s lusts to guide us, with our unruly tongues in the forefront. Remember yesterday we spoke of the impulsiveness of our tongues and the problems they consequently cause?
Today we’ll continue talking about that power of the tongue, for both good and evil. And James has a wonderful treatise on the tongue. He explains: ‘For in many things we offend all (all stumble). If any man offend not (stumble not) in word, the same is a perfect man, and be able also to bridle the whole body. Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. Behold, also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet they are turned about with a very small helm (rudder), withersoserver the governor listeth (the pilot wants). Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter (forest) a little fire kindleth (sets on fire). (James 3:2-5)
Ah friends, we see the power of small things to move great matters; like the bit in the horses mouth, the rudder on the ships and the ability of a small flame to cause a huge fire. And James continues delving into the matter of the tongue. ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity, so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature (our existence); and it is set on fire of hell.’ (James 3:6) Wow! What an expose on our tongues!
And the scholars explain that verse thus: ‘The tongue is a system (world) of iniquity that sets on fire the whole course of life, and is even set on fire by Satan.’ And we see that awesome power of our tongues in our everyday life, where it causes arguments and strife, even wars, because of a few insensitive, demeaning or boastful words. James then further enlightens us: ‘For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.’ (James 3:7-8)
And is that ever the indisputable truth, as everywhere these days you can hear tongues spewing more vitriol than anything else. For as James points out: ‘Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude (likeness) of God.’ (James 3:9) That’s more indisputable truth! How can we curse and bless with the same tongue eh? As James states: ‘Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.’ (James 3:10) And that’s the gospel truth! We should not be blessing and cursing with the same tongue, but it’s an everyday occurrence in this evil and ungodly world!
Then James puts forward these questions to prove his point. ‘Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter? Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.’ (James 3:11-12) Oh my people, the unholy use of our tongues causes so much anguish and heartache in our world that we should pray for the Lord to dumb us all.
However, there’s one thing we forget about the use of our tongues, and Jesus said it quite plainly. ‘But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account in the day of judgement. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.’ (Matt. 12:36-37) Yes my people, we shall all give account for our words come the judgement day, so we had better start shaping up from right now, so that we will have less unholy words to answer for, come that big day of reckoning. (smile)
For as that wise man, Cousin Sol once said: ‘An ungodly man diggeth up evil: and in his lips there is as a burning fire.’ (Prov. 16:27) There again we have the provoking and anger stirring problems of our tongues! And all we can do is mirror the worlds of psalm 120: ‘Deliver my soul, O Lord, from lying lips, and from a deceitful tongue. What shall be given unto thee? or what shall be done unto thee, thou false (deceitful) tongue? Sharp arrows of the mighty (a warrior), with coals of juniper (the broom tree).’ (Ps. 120:2-4)
Yes friends, that’s what some of our tongues deserve. But we’ll go out on a positive note by declaring our Thursday Blessings. That’s the many undeserved blessings the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work. 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 friends, we’re duty bound to go out and use those blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…the tongue is small…but ever so powerful…and needs to be used wisely…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
16 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: abundance, all that glitters is not gold, all the days of thy life, as arrows are in the hand of a mighty man, blessed are the undefiled, blessed are they that keep His testimonies, blessed is every one that feareth the Lord, by the sides of thine house, children are an heritage of the Lord, come to know and love christ like we do, courage, creativity, curse, do no iniquity, eat the fruit of their doings, eat the labour of thy hands, faith, favour, fear the Lord, felt the heat of the sun, from the hand of God, fulfillment, futility, God's goodness to the children of men, God's supernatural wisdom, good health, grasping for the wind, happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them, happy shalt thou be, he should eat and drink, holy spirit, in the heart of thine house, it shall be ill with him, it shall be well with thee, Jesus Christ, leads to a healthy holy life, LOVE, make his soul enjoy good in his labour, mercy, more glamour and glitter, negative consequences, negative word, nothing better for a man, one is never truly happy until he is truly holy, peace upon Israel, prosper, reverencing God, righteousness pays while evil does not, round about thy table, salvation, say ye to the righteous, see the good of Jerusalem, see thy children's children, seek him with the whole heart, sovereign of the universe, speak with the enemies in the gate, submission to the Lord and his revelation, succeed, sunshine lollipops and rainbows, talent, that walketh in his ways, the BIBLE, the children of the youth, the devil's enticements, the fruit of the womb is his reward, the fruit of thy labour, the holier than thou righteousness of God, the Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, the reward of his hands, the sinful pleasures of the world, they shall not be ashamed, this also is vanity, thy children like olive plants, thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine, truth, vexation of spirit, walk in his ways, walk in the law of the Lord, wisdom, woe unto the wicked
Psalm 128:1. Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.
And we’ve rolled into Thursday, the second to last day of this short work week, with more sunshine, lollipops and rainbows! I even felt the heat of the sun on my face when I went outside a short while ago. The sun is still releasing heat in the northern climes in the middle of October? Oh how blessed we are! Let’s hope and pray that when the weather turns negative, as it must at some time, it doesn’t go to the other extreme. But not to worry, we faithful believers in Christ can handle anything that comes against us with the help of our loyal and LOVING Savior who strengthens us in all we need to do! Give Him some thanks and praise for His awesome goodness to the children of men!
That brings us to this short but ever so important and encouraging Psalm 128, so aptly titled ‘Fear the Lord.’ And what wonderful advice that is! Reverencing the Lord God Almighty, Sovereign of the Universe, is always in our best interests. And from the opening verse the psalm gives us wonderful news. ‘Blessed is every one that feareth the Lord; that walketh in his ways.’ (Ps. 128:1) Wow! That ought to immediately capture our attention, and have us asking, why is that eh?
But before we get to the answer, here is some more scripture that offers the same wonderful advice, but breaks it down into more practical activity. ‘Blessed are the undefiled (blameless) in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart. They also do no iniquity: they walk in his ways.’ (Ps. 119: 1-3)
Now here is the awesome answer to why we should continually reverence the Lord our God. ‘For thou shalt eat the labour of thine hands (fruit of thy labour): happy shalt thou be, and it shall be well with thee.’ (Ps. 128:2) What more can a man ask eh, than enjoying the fruit of his labour? It’s like Cousin Sol says in Ecclesiastes: ‘There is nothing better for a man, than that he should eat and drink, and that he should make his soul enjoy good (his soul should enjoy good) in his labour. This also I saw, that it was from the hand of God.’ (Eccl. 2:24)
It’s also like the Lord said to Isaiah. ‘Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him (done to him).’ (Is. 3:10-11) Yes friends, in every utterance of the Bible, righteousness pays, while evil does not! And the writer of Psalm 128 gives us even more good news when he continues: ‘Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine by the sides of (in the heart of) thine house: thy children like olive plants round about thy table.’ (Ps. 128:3)
Mama Mia! It gets better with each line my people! A fruitful wife with plenty children. And how is that good? Psalm 127 explains: ‘Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord: and the fruit of the womb is his reward. As arrows are in the hand of a mighty man (warrior); so are the children of the youth. Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them: they shall not be ashamed, but they shall speak with the enemies in the gate.’ (Ps. 127: 3-5) No wonder the inability to have children was such a big deal in the olden times! It was accredited as righteousness and viewed as a reward from God, much more than it is today.
Then the author of the psalm throws in a li’l langniappe or broughta, to sweeten the pot. ‘Behold, that thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord.’ (Ps. 128:4) And in conclusion, he offers a prayer for blessing. ‘The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion: thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem all the days of thy life. Yea, thou shalt see thy children’s children, and peace upon Israel.’ (Ps. 128:5-6) How can it get any better than that eh my brethren? Living to see not only your numerous children grow and prosper, but also your grandchildren and peace in Israel! That last one though might mean you will need to live a very, very long time to see it. (smile)
However, the psalm is so simple and straightforward that I can’t understand how many more of us are not following what it says. It’s like the scholars explain: ‘The message of this psalm is that one is never truly happy until he is truly holy.’ And there are so many scriptures that resonate with that same sentiment. But I guess the sinful pleasures of the world hold more glamour and glitter than the supposed boring and holier than thou righteousness of God. But please, let’s remember that all that glitters is not gold, and furthermore, all of the devil’s enticements are worthless and filled with many negative consequences. Or as Cousin Sol says in Ecclesiastes: ‘This also is vanity (futility) and vexation of spirit (a grasping for the wind).’ (Eccl. 2:26)
And to further improve on what the psalm says, the Lord has also bestowed on us several undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made such a declaration (steups!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those underserved blessings to help others, just a generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…submission to the Lord and His revelation…the Bible…leads to a healthy, holy and blessed life…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
09 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a great family, a strong will, abundance, all the negatives of evil, as generously as the Lord shared them with us, be no priest to me, beautiful weather, blood toucheth blood, bloodshed follows bloodshed, break all restraints, Canadian Thanksgiving, ceased obeying the Lord, change their glory into shame, come to know and love him like we do, commit whoredom, committing adultery, confessing sins, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, duty bound, eat and not have enough, eat up the sin of my people, everyone that dwelleth therein shall languish, fall in the day, favour, forgotten the law of the Lord, God's supernatural wisdom, good friends, good health, holy spirit, hot tub Christianity, I will also reject thee, in the night, Jesus Christ, killing, left off to take heed to the Lord, let no man strive, like people like priest, LOVE, lying, man's incessant greed, mercy, millions of humans are languishing, my people are destroyed for lack of knowledge, negative word, new wine take away the heart, no knowledge of God in the land, nor eprove another, penultimate day of our workweek, pesticides, priests are a large part of the problem, promotion, punish them for their ways, reject thy children, rejection of knowledge, repay them for their deeds, reward them for their doings, salvation, self-discipline, set their heart on iniquity, shall also be taken away, shall not increase, sinned against me, slef-control, stealing, stumble, success, swearing, take most of the blame for our sinful state, taken pleasure in the sin of the people, talent, the beasts of the field shall be at peace with thee, the fishes of the sea, the fowls of heaven, the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, the people of god, the priests have gloried, the prophet also shall fall, therefore hsall hte land mourn, they break out, they that strive with the priest, thou hast rejected knowledge, truth, undeserved blessings, use them to help others, waste away, whoredom and wine, wisdom
Hosea 4:6a. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee,
Another almost completed week friends, as it’s already Thursday, the penultimate day of the work week! And although most of the days are sunny and beautiful, they are surely passing by very quickly. We’re already up to the 9th of October, a month that just recently began. And since this weekend is also our Canadian Thanksgiving Weekend, you know it’s going to be a vey lively one. Let’s hope the beautiful weather stays put for it.
Oh friends, I just opened the Good Library, and lo and behold, it opened at this interesting passage in the Book of the Prophet Hosea. And as I read it, it felt like I was reading the story of our own current world. The passage is titled, ‘No Knowledge of God in the Land.’ And isn’t that what it seems like in today’s world? It surely does. So please read with me as Hosea talks to his people Israel.
‘Hear the word of the Lord, ye children of Israel: for the Lord hath a controversy with (a charge against) the inhabitants of the land, because there is no truth, nor mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land. By swearing, and lying, and killing, and stealing, and committing adultery, they break out (break all restraints), and blood toucheth blood (bloodshed follows bloodshed).’ (Hos. 4:1-2)
Now doesn’t that sound just like what’s currently happening in our world, where all the negatives of evil are running rampant, and the Word of the Lord, His truth, grace and mercy are barely noticeable? Of course! And don’t talk about bloodshed following bloodshed…that’s happening all over the world, for strife has become our number one occupation.
And Hosea continues with the Lord’s warning. ‘Therefore shall the land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein shall languish (waste away), with the beasts of the field, and with the fowls of heaven; yea, the fishes of the sea also shall be taken away.’ (Hos. 4:3) And sadly, in this time when there’s plenty, more than enough to go around, all those things are still happening; the land is not as rich and fruitful as it once was, what with all the pesticides and other poisons we’ve spread over it.
So crops are not as plentiful or as nourishing, while countless millions of human beings are languishing, wasting away all around the globe, and even the wild animals, the birds and fishes are dwindling in number, all due to man’s incessant greed for more. And in his drive to do so, he’s sadly destroying Mother Nature, slowly turning the earth into a veritable wasteland. Now, a lot of that is simply because we do not reverence God nor respect the earth any longer.
And the warning of the Lord continues: ‘Yet let no man strive (contend), nor reprove another: for thy people are as they that strive (contend) with the priest. Therefore shalt thou fall (stumble) in the day, and the prophet also shall fall (stumble) with thee in the night, and I will destroy thy mother. My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing that thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also reject thy children. As they were increased, so they sinned against me: therefore will I change their glory into shame.’ (Hos. 4:4-7)
And it’s all happening right before our very eyes. We suffer from not so much a lack of knowledge, because this is the most knowledgeable generation ever, but because of our rejection of the most important knowledge, that of the law of God. And a lot of the blame for that has been placed on the shoulders of the priests, who don’t uphold God’s law. And believe me, the children of priests are liable to me more evil and disgusting because they have been forced into the religious mode, and so, much more is expected from them than from the children of ordinary men.
Thus verse 8 continues: ‘They eat up the sin of my people, and they set their heart (desires) on their iniquity. And there shall be, like people, like priest: and I will punish them for their ways, and reward (repay) them for their doings (deeds). For they shall eat, and not have enough: they shall commit whoredom (harlotry), and shall not increase: because they have left off to take heed to (ceased obeying) the Lord. Whoredom and wine and new wine take away the heart.’ (Hos, 4:8-11)
Ah friends, all that happened in olden Israel is still happening today, just in greater numbers and more intensity, for we have developed so many more ways of wrong doing, that it would make those old time people shake their heads in total wonder. The long and short of the story though is that the priests are a large part of the problem, for they have not helped the people to face their sin and deal with it. It’s what one Pastor calls ‘hot tub Christianity.’ Where, instead of confessing sins, we tone them down so that they no longer bother us. Or as the scholars suggest, ‘the priests have gloried and taken pleasure in the sin of the people. However, the priest of God is corrupted and made like the sinning people’
In all honesty though, in these modern times we cannot blame the priests for all of our turning away from God, since there’s much bigger and more powerful machinery running the affairs of men than back in olden Israel. We the people, the supposed people of God, have to take most of the blame for our sinful state, for if we know the Word of God, then we won’t stray from it, regardless of what false preachers and teachers tell us. And it’s rather unfortunate that we’re turning away from God, when He’s so generously blessed us with undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings, so let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh.
As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
Now having activated those blessings, we’re now duty bound to go out and use them to help others, just as generously as the Lord bestowed them on us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…a righteous God…will deliver justice…where there is unrighteousness…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
02 Oct 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a compassionate heart, a man's life does not consist of his possessions, a positive outlook on life, abundance, an appropriate lesson for these times, be content with what you have, be in the world not of the world, before many witnesses, beware of covetousness, Christians living like the world, clear direction for my life, confessed a good confession, courage, covet not thy neighbour's wife, covetous vultures, covetousness is not a Christian attribute, creativity, curse, divine protection, don't covet anything that is your neighbour's, drown men in destruction, eat drink and be merry, engaging in greed and envy, erred from their faith, even as I am not of the world, evil doers, faith, fall into temptation, favour, fight the good fight, flee these things, follow after righteousness, godliness, godliness with contentment is great gain, greedy and covetous times, hast professed a good profession, having food and raiment, high-priced lawyers, holy spirit, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee, in the name of Jesus, into many foolish and hurtful lusts, is not rich towards God, Jesus Christ, lay hold on eternal life, let us therewith be content, let your conduct be without covetousness, licentiousness, LOVE, maximization of earthly wealth, meekness, mercy, negative word, nice sunshiny weather, O man of God, our life's goal, patience, perdition, pierced themselves through with many sorrows, ruin and destruction, salvation, sanctify them through thy truth, self-control, self-discipline, set them apart, so is he that layeth up treasure for himself, some in their greediness, stop striving for material wealth, strayed from the faith, success, supernatural strength, supernatural wisdom, take heed, take thine ease, talent, the gospel truth, the Lord hath said, the LOVE of money, the parable of the Good Samaritan, the parable of the rich fool, the root of all kinds of evil, the Ten Commandments, the way of the world, they are not of the world, they that desire to be rich, this night thy soul shall be required of thee, thou hast much goods laid up for many years, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thy word is truth, truth, we brought nothing into this world, we can carry nothing out, which some coveted after, which thou hast provided, who is my neighbour, whose shall those things be, wisdom
Hebrews 13:5a. Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:
Ah friends, I can’t believe it’s already Thursday, the penultimate day of our workweek! The week has certainly passed quickly, and October seems to be giving us some nice sunshiny weather, though a tad on the cooler side. And we won’t complain, although complaining seems to be our lot these days. (smile) Now, as I was leafing through the Good Library, seeking something to write on, I came across this rather interesting and most appropriate lesson for these particular times.
It’s a verse from the author of Hebrews, which very conveniently, we only remember the last half, while seldom paying any attention to the first half. Why? Because the scripture admonishes and wisely advises us thus: ‘Let your conversation (conduct) be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he (the Lord) hath said , I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.’ (Heb. 13:5)
Yes my people, we tell ourselves that the last half of the verse is the gospel truth, but we completely ignore the first half, because that’s the way of the world in these greedy and covetous times, and too many of us supposed believers are living like the world, not like Christians. Remember what Jesus said when He prayed for the disciples, and consequently us? ‘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.’ (John 17:16-17)
Yes friends, we’re supposed to be in the world, but set aside from the world, and knowing God’s Word, which is the infallible truth, we’re not supposed to be behaving like the world. But unfortunately, too many of us are doing just that, engaging in the greed, envy and licentiousness that we’re supposed to resist and instead make public, so that the evil doers can see the light of Christ. And the sad part is that the admonishment against covetousness is not a new one, for it was framed from time immemorial in the Ten Commandments which the Lord gave to the Israelites and subsequently to those who professed belief in him and His Son Jesus Christ.
So, let’s cast our minds back to that august document, set out in Exodus 20. The last commandment of those ten, most explicitly warns: ‘Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour’s.’ (Ex. 20:17) Now, what about that don’t we understand eh?
And some of you trying to be smart might say, it only talks about our neighbour’s stuff. Well for your information, everybody around you, whether you live close to them or not, is your neighbour. Remember when the foolish lawyer who wanted to be seen, asked Jesus the same question, ‘Who is my neighbour?’ And Jesus then told him the parable of the Good Samaritan, showing his neighbour was anyone whom he came into contact with. (Luke 10: 28-37) So, don’t covet, means just that: don’t covet anything at all from anybody. Covetousness ought not to be an attribute of a believer in Christ Jesus.
And Jesus Himself warned us about covetousness, when someone asked him to talk to his brother about sharing their inheritance, ‘And he said unto him, Man, who made me a judge, or a divider (an arbitrator) over you? And he said unto them, Take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth.’ (Luke 12:13-15) Then, as was His wont, to back up His statement, Jesus told them the parable of the rich fool. Where this man had so much stuff, he had nowhere to store them. So in his foolish, worldly wisdom decided to tear down all his storehouses and build bigger and better ones, so he could store all his goods.
‘And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat drink and be merry. But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided? So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich towards God.’ (Luke 12:19-21)
And we see that happening every day, where some person who has spent their entire lives building great material wealth, suddenly dies. And what becomes of their fortune eh? They surely cannot take it with them. No, it’s left behind for a lot of greedy, covetous vultures in human form to fight over it. And in the end, the people who benefit most are the high-priced lawyers they hire to fight for it! What godly justice for greed and covetousness.
And we can’t have a scriptural conversation on covetousness without these remarkable words of Bruh Paul to Timothy on the subject. He writes: ‘But godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and raiment (clothing) let us be therewith content. But they that will be (desire to be) rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful (harmful) lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition (ruin and destruction).
For the LOVE of money is the root of all kinds of evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from their faith (for which, some in their greediness have strayed from the faith), and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, LOVE, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed (confessed) a good profession (confession) before many witnesses.’ (1 Tim. 6:6-12)
Ah mih bredrin, Bruh Paul says it all right there! It’s high time we believers stop making the attainment of material wealth our life’s goal. There’s nothing wrong with having wealth, but living to create it is unwise. Especially since the Lord has blessed us with what we call our Thursday Blessings; so many undeserved blessings, to do our earthly work. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh!
As one strong and sincere voice. ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having activated those blessings, it now behooves us to go out and use them on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…godliness with contentment…is what Christians should be seeking…not maximization of earthly wealth…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
18 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a comapssionate heart, a positive outlook on life, abundance, acquiring money, avoids evil influences deeds and attitudes, blessed is the man that walketh not in the way of the ungodly, blessings bestowed on the righteous, bringeth forth fruit in his season, Christians, climate change, courage, creativity, curse, divine protection, do according to all that's written therein, doth he meditate day and night, faith, followers of Christ, god, God causes him to prosper, God's supernatural wisdom, godly behaviour, got a zeppo, have good success, his delight is in the law of the Lord, his leaf also shall not wither, holy spirit, in his law doth he meditate, in league with the wicked, in the name of Jesus, Jesus Christ, like a tree planted by the rivers of water, like chaff, like night follows day, like the chaff which the wind driveth away, live in a godly and righteous manner, live righteously and be blessed, live unrighteously and persih, LOVE, make thy way prosperous, material possessions, mercy, negative word, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful, nor stands in the seat of sinners, only a matter of time, our guidebook for godly living, personal power, promotion, put the Lord's word into action, receive clear direction for my life, salvation, share our blessings, sit in hallowed halls, social status, spiritual growth, supernatural strength, talent, the Bible is our guidebook for living, the blessed man is the righteous man, the cold weather is inevitable, the righteous, the ungodly, the ungodly are not so, their destiny is judgement, truth, whatsoever he does shall prosper, whatsoever he doeth shall prosper, wisdom
Psalm 1:1. Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.
Oh friends, one more beautiful summer day! In all my years in Canada, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful, summery month of September! But we’re definitely not complaining, just saying thank the Lord and climate change for making it possible, because the real summer months were too hot and filled with the smoke from the many wildfires that were then happening. Now, it’s temps in the low to mid-twenties, with a cool breeze ruffling through the trees to keep things at a modest heat. So let’s pray that it will last a while longer, as the cold weather is inevitable, like night follows day, it’s only a matter of when it will show up. (smile)
So what’s on the agenda for today? Well, I was just searching through the scriptures for something to talk on, but nothing caught my interest, then I got this sudden zeppo to go to Psalm 1. So here we are. And according to the scholars, ‘It’s an appropriate introduction to the Psalter (Book of Psalms) since it sets before the readers the three characters who will figure mostly in the psalms: the righteous, the ungodly, and God.’ And so it does, but also more importantly, it begins by telling us about the blessings which are bestowed on the godly.
So please read with me. ‘Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly (wicked), nor standeth in the seat of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.’ (Ps. 1:1) Right away friends we are told what a blessed or righteous man ought not do. That’s basically not get in league with the wicked, the scornful, the blasphemer etc. etc. And how should that man who desires to be blessed behave? ‘But his delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate (ponder by talking to oneself) day and night.” (Ps. 1:2)
That means we now have the basic idea of how the righteous man ought to behave. And what happens when he behaves in that prescribed manner? Then he’s blessed! ‘And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers (channels) of water, that bringeth forth fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper.” (Ps. 1.3) Wow mih bredrin! What wonderful news! Prosperity will be ours if we read,, understand and put the Lord’s Word into action!
And that’s something the Lord also drilled into Joshua’s head when He made him the leader of the Israelites after the death of Moses. He told him in no uncertain terms. ‘This book of the law shall not depart out of (be constantly in) thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.’ (Josh. 1:8)
Now what’s so difficult to understand in all of that eh? Nothing whatsoever! So why aren’t many more of us doing that eh? Don’t we like prosperity? Of course we do, but the problem is that we consider propserity to be simply acquiring money, the material possessions of the world, social status and personal power within the society, with no regard to the acquiring of godly behaviour and spiritual growth.
But let’s remember what Psalm 1 says on that matter. ‘The ungodly are not so (shall not prosper); but are the like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the ungodly shall not stand in the judgement; nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.’ (Ps. 1:4-5) Yuh see that friends; the ungodly are not worth anything; they are like the useless chaff that the wind blows away. And they certainly won’t be allowed to sit in the hallowed halls with the righteous, but their destiny is judgement.
Ah my people, it’s time we wake up and learn that propserity does not only relate to things like money and material possessions, but also to our quality of godly life. As the scholars tell us: ‘The key word in the psalm is the word blessed. It serves here as a pronouncement upon a man – a certain kind of man. In essence, the psalm is teaching that the blessed or happy man is the righteous man. The happy man avoids evil influences, deeds, and attitudes (vs. 1); he delights in God’s Word (vs. 2); therefore God causes him to prosper.’
And who’s going to decide and evaluate the righteous and the ungodly? God Himself. As the psalm concludes: ‘For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous: but the way of the ungodly shall perish.’ (Ps. 1:6) In other words, God knows the ways of the both righteous and the ungodly, and the former will be blessed, but the latter will perish.
Now, let’s remember that God does not make idle promises. So whatever He promises in His Word, the Bible, our Guidebook for Godly Living, He will fulfill in His own time. In the meantime though, if we want to call ourselves Christians, followers of Christ, then we are required to live the way He desires us to live, and that’s in a godly and righteous manner. That’s all there is to it.
But our God, being a righteous, just and generous Deity, has also chosen to bestow on us undeserved blessings to do His earthly work. We call them our Thursday Blessings. So let’s declare and thus activate them right now nuh. As one strong and sincere voice: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline!
I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment! I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration, (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those blessings on behalf of others, just as generously as the Lord did with us, so that they too can come to know and LOVE Him like we do! Much LOVE!
…life is simple…with only two options…live righteously and be blessed…or live unrighteously and perish…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
04 Sep 2025
by randyobrien50
in Christian Thoughts and Inspiration., Daily Devotion, Daily Inspiration, Inspirational Living, Spiritual Living
Tags: a lively hope, a living hope, a long and arduous journey, a new stage of life, a paradox, a sinner becomes a saint, a Sunday evening stroll, abundance, according to His abundant mercy, an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, at the appearing of Christ, be found with praise honour and glory, being much more precious than gold, believers in Christ, blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, children of the Most High God, clear direction for my life, conform to the image of Jesus, continually guarded by God, courage, creativity, curse, distressed through numerous temptations, diversified trials, divine protection, earthly trials, even the salvation of your souls, faith, fear, for a season, fortitude, full of glory, God's infinite wisdom, God's Master Plan, godly courage, good friends, good health, guaranteed by Jesus' resurrection, hath begotten us again unto a lively hope, holy spirit, in heaviness, Jesus Christ, Jesus is a hard act to follow, kept by the power of God, looks to the future, LOVE, made of stern stuff, manifold temptations, mercy, mind boggling, morally untainted, more than conquerors, negative word, no element of uncertainty, not subject to the ravages of time, our godly purpose, promotion, receiving the end of your faith, refining faith through trials, reflecting a christ-like image, rescued from this world into the presence of God, reserved in heaven for you, salvation, self-control, self-discipline, spiritual growth, talent, temptation, testing, that does not fade away, that fadeth not away, the author of salvation, the best example to follow, the Christian life, the genuineness of our faith, the indisputable truth, the level of faith, the metamorphosis of a butterfly, the paradox of the Christian life, the parched earth was satisfied, the portrayal of salvation, the problem of salvation looks to the present, the rains fell, the resurrection of Christ, the salvation of your souls, the trial of your faith, the ultimate salvation, the work of salvation, though now you see him not yet believing, though you see him not, through faith unto salvation, to be revealed in the last time, trials and tribulations, tried with fire, true faith cannot be destroyed, truth, unspeakable joy, we can handle whatever comes against us, we only grow in hard times, whom having not seen you love, wisdom, work everything out for our good, ye greatly rejoice, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable
1 Peter 1:9. Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.
And the rains fell…and the parched earth was satisfied… Yes friends, the rain did fall this Thursday morning in early September, thus it’s wet, dark and somewhat chilly out there in my neighbourhood. But as believers in Christ Jesus, we are made of stern stuff and can handle whatever comes against us, for we are also children of the Most High God, and more than conquerors.
However, all joking aside, it’s not easy to get to that level of faith where we can deal fairly easily deal with the trials and tribulations of this cruel and evil world. And as we’ve been seeing for the last couple of days, the Lord has an overall Master Plan for His children; that’s to conform them to the image of His firstborn Jesus. Now, Jesus is indeed a hard act to follow, but He is indeed the best example of godliness, holiness, obedience, LOVE and compassion that exists. And the Lord God Jehovah in His infinite wisdom has built up a way for His adopted children to attain a good likeness to His first born.
Unfortunately though, this transformation doesn’t happen overnight, but it’s a lifelong journey with the Lord, the Master Potter that He is, molding us a little more every day into the Christlike image that He desires. And we know that clay goes through a lot of changes and plenty of heat until it eventually turns into what the Potter desires. And so it is with us, as the Father LOVINGLY molds us to His Son’s image.
The best analogy of Christian transformation might be the metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly, where it goes through a comparatively long and arduous task and journey of turning from one to the other, but with the Lord’s inbuilt help, it eventually accomplishes it and flies away on beautiful gossamer wings. And we saw yesterday where this work of transformation was done by the Holy Spirit. And somewhere along the line we also mentioned testing and temptation as being the only way to grow spiritually. And that’s simply the indisputable truth. We only grow when we go through unfamiliar and tough times.
Now, per those aspects of testing and spiritual growth, Peter captures the very essence of the paradox of Christian life, in his first epistle, when he writes: ‘Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively (living) hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness (distressed) through manifold temptations: That the trial (genuineness) of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried (tested) with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ: Whom having not seen, ye LOVE; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory: Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.’ (1 Pet. 1:3-9)
Oh my people, that sounds mind boggling, but it’s simple when you understand it. Now here are some explanations from the scholars, which I hope will bring us such understanding. They say that, ‘The portrayal of salvation looks to the future, that is the ultimate salvation when the believer will be rescued from this world into the presence of God. The author of salvation is portrayed as the blessed God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The work of salvation (vs. 3-5) is described as to its effect.
Hath begotten us again refers to a new stage of life that begins at salvation. This lively hope has no element of uncertainty, for it is guaranteed by Jesus’ resurrection from the dead. The believer’s inheritance is described as incorruptible, imperishable or indestructible, and undefiled (i.e. morally untainted). That fadeth not away means it is not subject to the ravages of time. Further it is reserved, that is, it has been preserved in the past and still is in heaven. Kept is a present passive participle – we are secure because we are continually guarded by God, who never relaxes His vigil. Salvation here refers to final salvation, that is, deliverance from the presence of sin and into the presence of God.’
Now, that’s all the flowery and heavenly stuff, but getting down to brass tacks, to the actual heart of the matter, which concerns us in the now not the hereafter, the scholars explain about verses 6-9 thus: ‘The problem of salvation looks to the present. Earthly trials constitute a problem of our salvation, but they are only for a season, or temporary. Manifold temptations means diversified trials. True faith cannot be destroyed though God is in the process of refining faith through our trials.’
Yes friends, the life of the serious Christian is not a Sunday evening stroll in the park, but serious business, with tough stuff coming from Satan as well as from God. However, we must never forget God’s promise to eventually work out everything for our good, (Rom. 8:28) because He LOVES us dearly and has our best interest at heart. But we do have to bear the unfortunate or tough stuff that comes against us with godly courage and fortitude, not allowing fear, the enemy’s weapon, to distract us from our godly purpose, because the Lord God, our heavenly Father, is always with us, and will not let us fall.
And as the scholars explain above; ‘true faith cannot be destroyed…’ No! Because God shores up our faith while refining us! And hopefully, as we continually read and meditate on God’s Word and better understand it, we’ll relax and walk expectantly and patiently with the Lord. Now, it’s time to declare and thus activate our Thursday Blessings, which the Lord has so generously bestowed on us to do His earthly work.
All together: ‘I declare that I am blessed with God’s supernatural wisdom and receive clear direction for my life! I declare today that I am blessed with creativity, courage, talent and abundance! I am blessed with a strong will, self-control and self-discipline! I am blessed with a great family, good friends, good health, faith, favour and fulfillment!
I am blessed with success, supernatural strength, promotion and divine protection! I am blessed with a compassionate heart and a positive outlook on life! I declare that any curse or negative word that’s ever been spoken over me is broken right now in the name of Jesus! I declare that everything I put my hands to, will prosper and succeed! I declare it today and every day! Amen!’
And having made that declaration (awright!!!) it now behooves us to go out and use those underserved blessings to help others, just as generously as the Lord shared them with us! Much LOVE!
…it’s oh so beautiful…when a sinner…becomes a saint…
Hear our podcast at https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/randy-obrien
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